Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday stated that the Narendra Modi-led government conducted surgical strike and airstrike in Pakistan and eliminated terrorists there. Speaking in Karnataka's Belagavi, Shah added that the surgical strikes carried out by India inside Pakistan after the terror attacks in Uri and Pulwama had given the public the confidence that the nation's borders are safe under the Modi government.

A determined government had responded fiercely to the terror attacks in Uri and Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir between 2014 and 2019, he said. "The BJP government carried out surgical strikes inside Pakistan twice and eliminated terrorists there," Shah said. These strikes gave confidence to the public that the nation's borders are safe because Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister and the country is ruled by the BJP, he said, speaking at the Janasevak Samavesha, a public meeting to greet BJP backed candidates who won the recent panchayat polls in Karnataka.

Live from a public rally in Belagavi, Karnataka https://t.co/NEllNmMA3f  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 17, 2021

Out of a total of 5,670 villages, party-backed candidates won in 3,142 villages, he said. They bagged 45,000 of the total of 86,183 posts, Shah said. Expressing gratitude to the electorate for reposing faith in the BJP, he urged them to help the party win the district and Taluk Panchayat elections too.

Shah said many things that had been put in the backburner for the last 70 years "out of fear," like abrogation of Article 370 and 35(A) of the Constitution, the abolition of triple talaq and laying the foundation stone for the Ram temple in Ayodhya had been accomplished by the Modi government.

Referring to the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive, launched nationwide on Saturday, he said both the indigenous vaccines Covaxin and Covishield are safe and the exercise was being monitored by the Prime Minister himself. He also dwelt on the various welfare schemes initiated by the Modi government for the poor like Kisan Samman scheme, Ayushman Bharat, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Ujjwala scheme, housing scheme, broadband connectivity to villages and piped drinking water connection to every household by 2022.

He slammed the Congress for not eliminating poverty while in power, despite its call for 'Garibi Hatao' (eradicate poverty) decades ago.

"Why could poverty not be removed and why could the poor not get a gas and electricity connection, shelter and health scheme despite four generations of a family ruling the country?" he asked.

Before attending the public meeting, Shah, along with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, visited the house of Suresh Angadi, the former Belagavi MP and Minister of State for Railways, who passed away due to coronavirus in 2019. The union minister spoke to the family members and turned emotional while remembering his colleague.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, deputy chief ministers Govind Karjol, Laxman Savadi, union minister Pralhad Joshi, BJP national general secretaries Arun Singh and C T Ravi and other state ministers were also present at the public meeting. Shah later met BJP office bearers of Belagavi district.

with additional inputs from news agency PTI
HARRISBURG  Things were quiet at the state Capitol through midafternoon Sunday, and for Harrisburg police that is definitely a good thing.

But theyre not going to let their guard down.

We will maintain our sense of vigilance here. The day is not over yet, Harrisburg police Deputy Chief Deric Moody said. So far, we like what we see.

State capitals around the United States have heightened security after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The FBI has warned there are calls for armed protests at state capitals and in Washington, D.C., on Sunday and ahead of President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration on Wednesday.

It was believed an armed group of demonstrators would show up around noon, but for much of the afternoon, the Capitol steps and streets around it were filled only with reporters, photographers and camera operators.

So far, there have been no signs of armed demonstrators.

A large contingent of law enforcement from the Harrisburg Bureau of Police, Capitol Police, Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania National Guard have spent the day guarding the Capitol Complex and closing the streets around it, and will likely continue to do so for the next few days.

Orange barricades blocked off access to much of the Capitol as police stood firm, some dressed in tactical armor and helmets while others carried shields and wooden clubs.

Harrisburg police blocked off the streets leading to the Capitol while Pennsylvania State Police troopers on horseback patrolled the area and the National Guard worked alongside police officers, bolstering their ranks.

We were prepared for a worst-case scenario and, like the saying goes, you plan for the worst and you pray for the best, Moody said. Right now, we are seeing what we hoped to see.

Harrisburg has seen numerous protests in 2020. One shortly after the death of George Floyd resulted in violence, but Moody said after police adjusted all of these have been peaceful, and he hopes that trend will continue.

Though there were no signs of armed demonstrators Sunday, a handful of supporters of President Donald Trump showed up briefly. One spoke into a megaphone for a few minutes, fielding a few questions from reporters. Another man wearing a Dont Tread on Me face covering said he supports this president and he was just present Sunday to exercise his right as a Pennsylvanian to enjoy the Capitol Complex.

Activist Gene Stilp, known for burning Trump and Confederate flags, was there as well and was surrounded by reporters and photographers. Stilp did not burn a flag, but he brought with him a cardboard cutout statue of Trump, which he tipped over in a symbolic gesture.

In dictatorships across the earth, when a dictator falls and democracy is restored, statues of the dictators come down, he said. We took his statue down today, symbolically, confining him to the trash bin of history.

All in all, as of Sunday afternoon, Moody said he was pleased, but was quick to note that the week is not over yet, and police will remain on alert.

Were looking at it as one day at a time, he said. We planned for this, and this is the best-case scenario so far.

He said the plan is to maintain an increased police presence through at least the Inauguration to keep the Capitol and the city safe.

People have the right to peacefully come and protest. People have the right to be safe when they come to do these things, he said. And thats what the plan is today, and that will be the plan moving forward.

The police presence was bolstered in the wake of the riot in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 that had them on high alert.

That incident left five people dead, including a police officer and a far-right protester who supported Trumps unfounded claims that election fraud had cost him the November election. According to The Associated Press, more than 125 people have been arrested so far on charges related to the violent insurrection.

Armed protests were expected at other state Capitols around the country today but few showed up.

NEW FAIRFIELD  Town officials are looking into the idea of establishing a committee through which residents with financial struggles can seek to have their taxes abated.

First Selectman Pat Del Monaco presented the idea to the Board of Selectmen during its Thursday evening meeting after she said it was brought to her attention that New Fairfield does not have a standing tax abatement committee.

If were ever going to consider a tax abatement committee, this is probably the time that we might want to do that, Del Monaco said. Im sure there are people in town who are in dire straits.

Right now, tax delinquent New Fairfield residents face having liens put on their property, and requests for tax abatement are subject to state approval.

Basically, if someone were to come to us and ask to have their taxes abated, we at this point would have to send that to OPM (Office of Policy and Management), Del Monaco said.

If New Fairfield established a tax abatement committee, it wouldnt be the towns first, according to Del Monaco, who said she believes there was one when Cheryl Reedy was first selectman.

As far as I can see, the town has not had a tax abatement committee in a long time, she said.

Given the financial hardships some people are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Del Monaco said she thinks such a committee may be something (the town) should establish at this time.

Selectman Khris Hall agreed and said its an important thing to consider, especially now.

Although he doesnt think a tax abatement committee is a terrible idea, Selectman Kim Hanson said hes wary of potential problems that could arise.

There would have to be very specific rules under which there is an abatement  otherwise were going to be looking at a lot of lawsuits, he said.

Del Monaco said she plans to talk to Reedy about how New Fairfields past tax abatement committee worked and also reach out to municipalities that currently have them.

However, Del Monaco noted, committees in other towns may function differently than one would in New Fairfield since its a statutory town.

Charter towns may have this prescribed in their charters and we have to rely on the ordinance, she said.

The town does currently offer a tax abatement program, but it only applies to emergency service volunteers. According to Sec. 16-91(a) of New Fairfields Code of Ordinances, real and motor vehicle tax abatement is available for any eligible person who volunteers his or her services as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, paramedic or ambulance driver.
Paraphrasing Winston Churchill, the presidential election of 2020 was a colossal political disaster, a catastrophe on the level of Dunkirk. However, the Dunkirk 1940 fiasco quickly turned out to be a Dunkirk miracle. Do conservatives, whose "root and core and brain" are currently in disarray, have a chance of performing a similar marvel?

When the Dunkirk saga concluded, Prime Minister Churchill had occupied 10 Downing Street for a little less than four weeks. When the fiendishly clever (and practically undetectable for the untrained eye) 2020 election steal happened, President Trump was occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for a little less than four years.

Leftists tried to destroy Donald Trump these past four years by attacking him from various ideological directions. Recall unsuccessful attempts by the Bolsheviks (Bernie Sanders) and Mensheviks (Hillary Clinton). The third attempt, under the banner of the rulers of the Middle Kingdom -- a strain of socialism practically unknown to the general population -- succeeded, and now Chairman Joe Biden is currently at the helm.

One of the reasons it has happened is clear: Americans do not have immunity to the current Chinese version of socialism. In contrast, other socialism strains (including, but not limited to, Communism, National Socialism, International Socialism, and Fascism) have been known to American citizens for over a century. As a result, our society had developed a decent immunity to them.

China's socialism occupies a distinct position in the cesspool of leftism, but it is not that unique. It shares with its sister ideologies  National Socialism and Fascism  an idea referred to as "anathema" to all other leftists: they allow private businesses to coexist with collective and government enterprises but under strict ruling party control.

The crucial word here is "control." No wonder Zuckerberg, Dorsey, and Brin are precisely implementing just that  a 21st-century version of total ruling party control. The merciless, preordained purge of dissidents is a well known tradition of all leftist ideologies. If they burned books and exterminated about 100 million innocent souls in the 20th century, we should not expect their ideological successors in the 21st to do anything different from what they are doing now. Moreover, leftists even borrowed some of their ideas from Leon Trotsky and, incapable of implementing permanent revolution, organized, quite predictably, a permanent impeachment farce.

However, the main reason for conservatives' Dunkirk's existence lies with a strategic, decades-long blunder of exploiting the Republican Party for conservative objectives. Conservatives were trying to pull the same trick leftists have done with the Democrat Party. The originally pro-American Democrat Party has been successfully hijacked and repurposed by leftist anti-American forces. In return, the hijacked party had acquired a reasonably coherent, consistent ideology  Democrats had become a Big Government and Big Taxes party.

From the very beginning, the Republican Party had an internally conflicting ideology. The two Republican Party pillars  Low Taxes and Big Government  are not compatible with each other. Republicans, like Democrats before them, are an extraordinary bundle of contradictions. Since World War II, conservatives were attempting to bend the Republican Party into a more coherent movement, advocating Low Taxes and Small Government. They only partially succeeded  inside Washington, there is a small (and outcast) conservative Republican fraction. This fraction has never betrayed and will never betray its own  Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump.

In other words, the loss in 2020 was not a failure of Conservatism per se. It was a failure of the apriori self-defeating myopia of incorporating Republicans into the conservative movement.

On the surface, it looks like the Republican Party bosses betrayed President Trump, but that is not true  they were not backing Trump to begin with. They tolerated (and many even supported) Trump as long as he promoted low taxes, but everything beyond that was too alien to them. As a result, the Maoist revolution's violent reality is upon us, and ebullient, perfectionist, and workaholic Trump has been replaced by someone who displayed remarkable ineptitude.

There are all signs that the Republican Party nomenklatura are ready to put themselves into a groveling position and allow rabid socialists to run the show. As with many leftist revolutions before, we should expect massive human jetsam to be seated in the front row, especially at the incoming Ministry of Truth's helm. Imagine the unimaginable fandango: Chinese attache for American affairs Joe Biden plans to transform the United States into China's economic and political fiefdom. Chinese communists are proficient in Stalin-like massive purges, so expect the "cancel culture" and vast blacklists to reach a pan-American, industrial scale pretty soon.

What should immaculate conservatives do while subservient Republicans prepare to join forces with the (D)eranged for expelling dissidents and non-conformists who dare to protect the "archaic" Constitution of the United States?

We should follow Winston Churchill's magnificent oration during the horror of Dunkirk "to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary, for years, if necessary, alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do."

As Winston Churchill would proclaim, reminiscent of his famous "we shall fight on the beaches" speech, even though large tracts of America and many states have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Demshevik partycontrolled thought police and all the odious apparatus of Maoist rule, we shall not flag or fail.

We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in America, we shall fight for the Republic for which it stands, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength, we shall defend our beacon of freedom, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the internet, we shall fight on the TV grounds, fight in the fields of science and education, and fight on the airwaves.

We shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Republic or a large part of it were subjugated and lost its freedom to the immature left-wing bohemians, then our people beyond the Washington swamp, armed and guarded by the Constitution, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World patriots, with all their power and might, step forth to the rescue and the liberation of the entire World.

Gary Gindler, Ph.D., is a conservative columnist at Gary Gindler Chronicles and a new science founder: politiphysics. Follow him on Twitter and Quodverum.

Image via Pxhere.
A husband and wife who vowed to always be together have died just 30 minutes apart bringing an end to 66 years of marriage and an incredible love story.

Maureen Hollis told the love of her life Kevin Gallagher 'wherever you go, I go' when they tied the knot in 1954.

They took their final breaths at their retirement unit in Tauranga on New Zealand's North Island in the early hours of October 12.

Maureen was 88 and Kevin was 89.

They had battled separate illnesses as they aged and were both aware of how close the other was getting to the end.

Maureen Hollis vowed to her husband Kevin Gallagher 'wherever you go, I go' as they tied the know 66 years ago

Their youngest son, Craig Gallagher, said the family always thought the pair could pass away in the same year - but never believed they would do so in such a short space of time.





'It's such a beautiful story. Obviously we're processing our grief but knowing they're both at peace together has really helped us through it,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'It was such a bittersweet situation after watching them suffer for a whole year.'

Kevin and Maureen were unconscious in the hours before they died so were each unaware they had lost their loved one.

The elderly Tauranga couple had battled separate illnesses but both passed away between 6am and 6.30am on October 12

'Mum took her last breaths and I remember then opening the curtains as the sun rose in Dad's room - we sat with both of them as they died,' Craig said.

The couple met in Gisborne - a small coastal city south-east of Tauranga - and moved to the Bay of Plenty where Kevin took up a job unloading ships at the Mount Maunganui wharf.

They tied the knot at the age of 22 and went on to have eight children.

Kevin was also an expert craftsman - working second jobs fixing cars and as a plumber to help put food on the table.

Maureen stayed at home and looked after the children who were left wanting for nothing.

'One thing my Dad said to me that stuck with me was 'do a job properly or don't do it all',' Craig said.

'They instilled a great work ethic in us.'

Craig said his parents had found the secret to a happy marriage which was sharing the load.

'He brought home the income and mum ran the household - she would look after the finances and the family budget,' he said.

'I don't really remember her ever stopping and sitting down at any point. She was the type of woman who would iron her handkerchiefs.'

Twenty years ago - anticipating the time might one day come when they could no longer live independently - the couple subdivided their property so they could build a retirement unit which could cater for them in their old age.

The couple is pictured having a video call with their family in Australia during their final months

Craig, 56, moved into his parents' garage in February after Kevin fell and broke his leg.

The father and son ended up sharing a bedroom together, giving them a chance to reconnect on a much deeper level.

'We were just chatting about things and talking about our lives,' Craig said.

'He actually told me that she had said to him 'where you go, I go'. I feel really fortunate he told me that - it truly was a blessing.

'It's a hard pill to swallow when you lose your parents but I can't think of a better way for them to go: together, at home, at the same time and of natural causes,' he said.

'Other than accidents like car crashes how often does that sort of thing happen?'

Kevin had been given just months to live before his death because of severe lung complications.

Maureen meanwhile had dementia and long-term blood pressure problems.

The couple, pictured on their joint 80th birthday, were working at a hospital laundry when they tied the knot at the age of 22 and went on to have eight children

Craig's sister Trish lived in the home at the front of the family plot and acted as her parents' full-time care worker for the last seven years of their lives.

'Mum was sick but she was quite happy to wait for Dad before she passed,' Mr Gallagher said.

'We thought they could go within months or even weeks of each other but not on the same day.'

The couple is survived by 21 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.

They were farewelled by their family and friends at St Mary's Catholic Church Tauranga on October 16.

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The mother of a man seen carrying plastic restraints after storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 has been arrested in Nashville for her role in the riots, according to federal prosecutors.

FBI agents took Lisa Marie Eisenhart into custody Saturday, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Tennessee said in a tweet. She is charged with conspiracy, civil disorder, entering a restricted building and violent entry and disorderly conduct, court filings show.

Eisenhart is the mother of 30-year-old Eric Munchel, also known as zip tie guy.

Surveillance footage showed Eisenhart and Munchel making their way to the Capitol on Jan. 6 from the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C., where prosecutors said Eisenhart booked a room for four days using her Georgia drivers license. Wearing a plaid shirt, tactical vest, jeans and glasses, the 57-year-old from Woodstock, Georgia, was then photographed with her son on the Capitol grounds shortly before the insurrection, according to court documents.

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Video on social media later showed the pair walking up a stairway into the Capitol, prosecutors said. They were also seen on footage in the vicinity of a mob of individuals that are physically attacking two Capitol Police officers guarding entry into the Senate chambers, according to court documents.

Eisenhart and her son then chased the police officers with the mob, with Munchel shouting over a banister at the officers after they got away, videos show.

Prosecutors said mom and son were carrying zip tie restraints  also known as flex cuffs  and were photographed in the Senate chambers a short time later.

In an interview with the British newspaper The Times, Eisenhart reportedly said theyd gone into the Capitol as observers but also characterized it as kind of flexing muscles.

This country was founded on revolution, she told the newspaper, according to court filings. Id rather die a 57-year-old woman than live under oppression. Id rather die and would rather fight.

Story continues

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Munchel was arrested Jan. 10 and faces similar charges.

Prosecutors in Washington, D.C., said Munchel was photographed in the Capitol carrying plastic restraints, an item in a holster on his right hip, and a cell phone mounted on his chest with the camera facing outward, ostensibly to record events that day.

One photograph in particular shows Munchel stepping over a railing in the Senate chamber with a handful of flex cuffs typically used as a form of restraint by law enforcement. Investigators believed Munchel carrying the restraints was a sign politicians inside the federal building were going to be tied up, The Miami Herald reported.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 42F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 42F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Opponents of Queensland's ultra-cautious approach to containing coronavirus have called for the Chief Health Officer's powers to be scaled back.

Special powers given to Dr Jeannette Young during the pandemic are being formally scrutinised by a parliamentary committee for the first time since they were granted on March 18, 2020.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (right) and Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young. Credit:Jono Searle/Getty

The emergency laws that enable Dr Young to slam state borders shut, force entire cities into lockdown, and do anything she "considers necessary to protect public health", are due to expire at the end of March, but the government is planning to extend them until the end of September.

More than 100 submissions have been lodged to the committee reviewing the six-month extension.
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Kabul, Jan 17 : Two female Afghan judges were killed in Kabul on Sunday when unidentified armed men opened fire at the vehicle they were travelling in, marking the latest incident of targeted killings in the war-torn country, a security source said.

The incident took place in Taimani neighbourhood, Police District 4 of the city, the source told Xinhua news agency.

The shooting also left two other government employees injured, he added.

Sunday's incident was the latest in a string of targeted killings in Afghanistan On January 12, two female army officers died and two female officers and a driver wounded in a similar incident in northern Balkh province.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text

TOKYO -- For Yuuki Hamazono, it was a relief to find bars and restaurants in Tokyo flouting the Japanese governments request to close by 8 p.m.

The 30-year-old financial trader was one of many people out in the Shimbashi nightlife district during the first weekend of an expanded state of emergency, with the government pleading for residents to stay home to contain the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and surrounding prefectures this month. He expanded it to 11 prefectures accounting for 55% of the population on Wednesday. Unlike in many other countries with mandatory lockdowns, Japanese authorities legally can only urge people to stay at home and businesses to close.

While compliance has been high - most of Shimbashis karaoke bars and izakaya taverns were closed on Friday night - more people appear to be ignoring the state of emergency this time than one last year.

There are people who cant have dinner until after 8 p.m., including me, Hamazono said, citing his working hours. He and a friend were looking for a place to duck into among a jumble of izakayas on Shimbashis narrow streets.

Nearby, touts called out on the street, advertising places that were still open.

Authorities have worried about the potential spread of infection at bars and restaurants. In Shimbashi, many drinking spots are cramped and with poor ventilation.

The government has offered subsidies to establishments that close on time, but some say its not enough, and worry about losing customers.

Though there are subsidies, for restaurants and bars the relations of trust are important, said Yuji Tobe, a 34-year-old barman in a standing-only drinking spot, where wooden tabletops rest on stacks of plastic crates.

We have a bond with our customers.

Tobes bar was nominally closed, although two regulars were still being served.

A man walks past restaurants which closed after 8 PM, the time the government asks them to close by, amid the coronavirus emergency decree in Tokyo, Japan, January 15, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Some criticise what they call a half-hearted government response. Suga has been accused of being slow to act out of fear of damaging the economy. His support has plunged.

Its unclear whether getting the economy going or stopping corona comes first, said a man who gave his name only as Kazumasa. He was queuing for one the restaurants under the train tracks serving yakitori, skewers of grilled chicken.

The government is considering an amendment to give authorities more power to enforce a lockdown, the minister in charge of administrative and regulatory reform, Taro Kono, told Reuters on Thursday.

Until then, it seems likely that many will keep drinking.

There are many times we need to talk business over drinks. That kind of communication is necessary to do business, said 48-year-old Motoki Mori, the owner of an event production company who was headed to a bar with his business partner.

I dont think you can put a cut-off time on that."
Police are investigating the death of a woman in Andreas.

Officers were called to an address at 2am this morning following reports of a domestic incident.

A female was found to be deceased within the address, the circumstances of which are being treated as unexplained.

Two males who were also within the address are currently assisting with enquiries.

A scene guard remains in place as the investigation continues.
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave Arnold died Sunday at home with his wife and daughter by his side, ending a 15-month battle with brain cancer.

Arnold was 49 years old. He took the oath of office last January to represent the 48th senatorial district, which covers all of Lebanon County and parts of Dauphin and York counties. At the time, he said he considered it an honor to be given the opportunity to work for the public and to do things for the benefit of the public.

But as the past year went on, the Lebanon County Republican struggled to do that work while undergoing treatment for his cancer.

Arnold served for 14 years as Lebanon County District Attorney prior to seeking the Senate seat. He was elected to the legislative role on Jan. 14 in a special election to fill an open seat vacated by Mike Folmer.

Folmer was sentenced in July to up to two years in prison after state investigators found child pornography on his personal cellphone.

In deciding to run for the seat tarnished by Folmers crimes, Arnold said, Its critical we send someone to Harrisburg who can recover from that.

Last year, the Senate passed legislation he sponsored to increase penalties for child pornography offenses, but the bill failed to see action in the House before the end of the 2019-20 legislative session. Arnold, along with Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne County, announced last week their intention to re-introduce the bill.

The former long-time Lebanon County District Attorney David Arnold, shown here after being picked on Oct. 19, 2019 as the Republican candidate to run for an open Senate seat in a special election, learned a few days later he had a malignant brain tumor. File/PennLive.com

Days before Arnold was selected by party officials to be their nominee for the Senate seat in October 2019, he began experiencing headaches following a playful head butt with his dog. That sent him to the doctor who discovered a malignant brain tumor. Arnold underwent an operation to remove it. In early 2020, he began his chemotherapy treatments.

Last June on the Senate floor, he shared in an emotional speech how his days revolved around those difficult treatments while offering a resolution recognizing cancer survivors. He noted the disease claims 600,000 Americans lives annually. As for the hundreds of thousands of cancer survivors, he called them his heroes.

To all survivors, I just want to say thank you, he said during that speech. You give those of us who are afflicted the strength to keep fighting on themselves. Some of us will win the battle. Sadly, many of us wont. But all are heroes the same to me. I pray for all of you.

Arnold shared at that time he was a month away from completing his second cycle of chemotherapy treatments. He acknowledged the treatments zapped his energy but with the help of his wife Alicia and 14-year-old daughter Reese, friends and coworkers, he was able to manage the effects of the treatment while carrying out his senatorial duties.

I havent missed any work or anything like that, Arnold said at the time. I get tired more than I care to. But that just is what it is and you try your best to work through it and try to get back to the way things were, hopefully.

Friends and colleagues considered Arnold to be a shining example of strength and inspiration for other cancer survivors.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Centre County, and Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland County, offered a statement shortly after Arnolds death was announced.

We join the residents of the 48th Senatorial District and all Pennsylvanians in mourning the passing of Senator Dave Arnold. We lost a good man and committed leader much too soon, said Corman and Ward. From the moment voters sent Dave to Harrisburg one year ago, he worked tirelessly for his constituents and the Commonwealth. This was not a surprise to anyone who knew him. It was a continuation of a record of public service marked by independence and integrity.

In addition to securing funding for projects in his district and legislation to increase penalties for child pornography, the two Senate Republican leaders said he sponsored legislation to ensure that Lebanon County did not lose out on federal pandemic funding and championed the cause of restaurants and other small business employers impacted by statewide business closures.

Dave was a lifelong resident of his beloved Lebanon County, a civic leader, softball coach, husband and father, the senators statement said. Our hearts break for his wife, Alicia, and his daughter, Reese. His community and our commonwealth are better places because of the contributions of Dave Arnold.

In lieu of flowers, Arnolds family has requested that contributions may be directed to the Penn State Cancer Institute in his honor. Checks can be made payable to Penn State University, and should include Brain Cancer Institute Research in the memo line. Contributions should be mailed to the Office of University Development, 1249 Cocoa Ave, Suite 115, P.O. Box 852, Hershey, PA 17033-0852 or go to: https://engage.pennstatehealth.org.

*This post was updated to include Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman and Senate Majority Leader Kim Wards comments..

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.
Before he leaves his hotel to get a cab to Heathrow, Andrew checks the weather in New York. Noticing its colder than usual, he resolves to buy a jacket online while on the plane and get it delivered to his Manhattan hotel. During an hour-long cab journey, he watches the closing stages of the Champions League semi-final. His team win. Hes very happy.

After speeding through boarding thanks to facial recognition technology  and buoyed by his teams victory  he sends an email to friends from the departure lounge confirming hell book match tickets, flights and a hotel for the final.

Unfortunately, once comfortable in seat 23A, his online journey halts. After a seamless transition from hotel to taxi to airport, his Wi-Fi connection has stopped and it wont resume until hes logged on to the airlines system, come up a username and password and entered his card details. After paying to get connected, he tries to buy a ticket but the slow payment process means hes too late. All tickets are gone. Hes missed out, because he had to pay for his inflight broadband.

He's the younger brother of Hollywood A-lister Margot Robbie.

And on Sunday, Cameron Robbie revealed he will follow in the footsteps of his 30-year-old actor sister by joining the cast of Neighbours.

The 25-year-old has been cast as wealthy lifeguard Jesse Porter, who takes a summer job at Lassiters bar.

Apple doesn't fall far from the tree! Cameron Robbie (pictured), 25, has revealed he will be following in the footsteps of his famous 30-year-old sister, Margot Robbie, by joining the cast of Neighbours

In an interview with Adelaide Now, Cameron said: 'I'm so grateful to kick off 2021 with this role on Neighbours. My experience on set so far has been great and welcoming and I can't wait to continue with my passions for the rest of the year.'

Cameron's role comes 10 years after his Oscar-nominated sister Margot, 30, left the Neighbours set to pursue her Hollywood dream.

The Suicide Squad star appeared on the Channel 10 show as Donna Freedman from 2008 to 2011.

Having been around and worked in film sets since high school, Cameron has always had an interest in acting and had a 'strong want' to grow with his abilities.

Brother-sister act! Cameron divulged moving into Ramsay Street as wealthy lifeguard Jesse Porter, who takes a summer job at Lassiters bar, in an interview with Adelaide Now

Cameron's role comes 10 years after his Oscar-nominated sister (left) left the Neighbours set. Pictured with Jackie Woodburne as Susan Kennedy

The Suicide Squad star (centre) appeared on the Channel 10 show as Donna Freedman from 2008 to 2011. Pictured with Eloise Mignon as Bridget Parker and Matthew Werkmeister as Zeke Kinski

'I don't place pressure on myself regarding her [Margot's] success, only my own expectation that I work hard, pursue what I love and make it meaningful,' he told the publication.

'Acting has always been my priority, so it's great to be focusing on Jesse Porter at the moment and diving into this role on Neighbours.'

The Melbourne-based actor started filming the role on Neighbours in late 2020 and will be seen in his debut episodes in March.
The Spanish government is considering an earlier curfew than 10pm, which is the earliest time it can be imposed under the state of alarm that was declared towards the end of October.

As the number of new cases of the virus per day went above 40,000 on Friday, the health minister, Salvador Illa, conceded that the data were "very worrying". Illa has been in favour of adopting any "effective" measures to curb the third wave, although he has wanted to wait to assess the impact of new restrictions adopted by regional governments.

Various regions have been calling for an earlier curfew or home confinement (lockdown). Under the state of alarm, regional presidents have to request authorisation from Madrid for an alteration to its terms, but this hasn't stopped Castile and Leon having unilaterally decided to bring the curfew forward to 8pm. Illa's response has been to say that if there is to be a change to the time, this should be done "by talking to everyone".

"Anything that concerns a restriction of fundamental rights, such as mobility, must always be done with the maximum legal guarantees. If new measures are to be articulated, these will be raised at the Inter-Territorial Council (for the National Health System) in order that there are legal guarantees."

With support for home confinement said to be increasing, Illa and the Spanish government are resisting the calls. "We are not currently contemplating any home confinement. We beat the second wave without confinement."

According to the minister, the vaccination programme is proceeding at "cruising speed". Almost 70% of doses delivered to the regions have been administered. The objective, he stresses, is vaccination of 70% of the population by the summer. Over the coming months, "more people will be vaccinated than are infected".

Target population groups for the vaccine are to be announced in the next few days. These will be ones to receive the vaccine after the first stage - care homes, frontline health personnel - has been covered.
ORWIGSBURG  The Blue Mountain School District had a Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday, discussing updates on the Elementary West construction project.

Representatives from PFM Financial Advisors LLC presented an updated financing plan for the districts $26 million construction plan for the new Elementary West building. At a previous meeting, the board requested to see a debt restructuring plan that would allow for some budgetary relief in the next two budget years.

Zach Williard, PFM director, said that restructuring plan would not be possible under state and tax law. Instead, he presented a capitalized interest plan, in which the district will borrow more than needed for the project and use the extra money to offset the first two years interest payments. The district would pay around $3.4 million per year, as originally planned, but the debt will be extended to 2040.

The board will vote to authorize the financial plan at the Jan. 25 meeting. On Jan. 19, the project will be open to construction bids.

According to our architect, we have the most interest in a project that hes ever had, Superintendent David Helsel, Ed.D., said. While in some instances people may think its not a great time to build a new building, theres certainly factors that say it might be a great time for us to build a building.

The board discussed the preliminary 2021-22 budget of $46,581,688, with an estimated revenue of $45,688,839. The budget may be adjusted later on.

Dr. Jeanne Elberfeld, executive director of Schuylkill County VISION, presented a plan to apply for a grant to fund trauma-informed resources following the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency model for trauma-informed schools.

Weve been trying to identify national private foundation grants to put Blue Mountain School District in a line with PCCDs model of trauma informed schools, Elberfeld said. If we can fund a two-year pilot, it would allow this school district to then ascertain and obtain more PCCD funding. We are looking for a resource person who is trauma competent to work K-3 for two years to educate, support, inform, be a resource and help make the teachers more trauma competent.
Envoys at talks aimed at ending nearly a decade of war in Libya will vote Monday on a mechanism to choose an interim executive that would govern until polls in December, a top UN official said.

The talks, held first in Tunis and now in Geneva, are designed to pave the way for elections on December 24. Libya has been torn apart by civil war since the ousting of long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

"The plenary will vote on this mechanism on Monday," Stephanie Williams, head of the United Nations support mission in Libya, told journalists on Saturday.

Monday's vote concerns a "temporary unified executive authority that will be replaced by a permanently democratically elected government, chosen by the Libyan people on December 24 of this year," said Williams.

"It embodies the principles of full inclusivity, transparency and fair representation across regions and within different population groups," she said.

"As I have repeatedly stated, this is a Libyan-Libyan solution. Our role is to support and facilitate."

Libya was thrown into chaos after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled Kadhafi.

The UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) controls Tripoli and most of the west, while a rival administration dominated by military strongman Khalifa Haftar controls Benghazi and the east.

A fragile ceasefire between the two sides, agreed in Geneva last October, has largely held despite a threat by Haftar last month to resume fighting.
The term cruel and unusual punishment is usually applied to the death penalty and solitary confinement. Both are widely condemned by the left, as is incarceration for non-violent crimes. But the political left treats the sufferings of victims of crime as collateral damage, something that should have nothing whatsoever to do with justice. Likewise, the left turns a blind eye to those whom the government itself destroys.

The cavalier attitude towards victims of crimes is a quintessentially leftist position. Its also partially the consequence of substituting the government as the aggrieved party in criminal cases, leaving the actual victim on the sidelines.

Unfortunately, this system makes it the governments job to decide whether to prosecute a case. Often, the Department of Justice and attorneys-general across the country behave as though the law is irrelevant when deciding whether to pursue a case  to the point of being opaque, quixotic, and under the worst but common circumstance, political.

Honest people must admit there was sufficient evidence to bring to a grand jury to examine election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. But the Department of Justice, through AG Barr, protested that there was insufficient evidence to move forward. Just stop talking about niggling details, was their attitude! They seemed upset by the calls to investigate and the signed affidavits of election misconduct because the most important goal has been to stop Trump from exercising political power ever again.

Worse, were now stuck with an incoming administration that we know views everything in terms of political power. Inconsistencies in logical arguments dont matter. That the law is applied differently to different people does not matter. The severity of damage to the victim can be ignored if it is inconvenient. Rigorous discovery of the facts of a case will not necessarily change the final decision to prosecute or not. In fact, the facts of a case can become irrelevant if the threat to powerful interests is great enough.

The most egregious example may be Hunter Biden escaping even being charged with financial crimes for which his two business partners are now serving hard time. No, wait! The worst would be Eric Swalwell remaining on the House intelligence committee after being compromised by a Chinese spy; that is beyond strange.

Actually, examples of twisted justice are becoming increasingly common as punishment for such crimes becomes less frequent and less severe. Treason used to be a terrible crime, but now it can be justified as being a point of view supporting the New World Order.

And what about the fate of the unrecognized special class called victims. We may define being mugged as an unexpected assault of one party on another with resultant damage to the party being assaulted. So, businesspeople who were burned out during government-sanctioned riots were mugged. Government agencies that shut businesses in response to Covid-19 engage directly in mugging but will never be held accountable for the losses they caused.

H-1B visas and other forms of open borders cause the impoverishment of American workers who will never recover, even over a working lifetime. Obtaining a seat in university or a position at a particular firm based upon skin color makes luck everything and personal efforts a waste of time. Most people think they should profit from their own efforts. When that does not happen because of unexpected institutional fingers on the scale, that too is a form of being mugged.

Were seeing changes in cultural norms that were unexpected and uncalled for. No ones had the chance to adjust to the change in terrain, so we fall flat on our faces with random injuries that change the course of our lives. (Who ever thought we could lose our life insurance policies by having the wrong political views, as in the recent case of Curt Schilling.)

We seek stability and get chaos. Sometimes chaos happens, but randomly as in a tornado. However, when arbitrary rules continuously yield chaos, we should be very angry.

The most egregious example of the government systematically mugging people is the disappearance of one person, one vote. That idea seems Victorian at this moment. But fair elections have been an American expectation (with exceptions) and now they are no longer so. How will our American culture adapt to these new circumstances where a large plurality of voters literally feels disenfranchised.

My knee-jerk reaction is to petition the government to remove all voting machines from the election process and support paper ballots only to see if we can regain the pasts purer expectations. They seem only to be an impediment to the task at hand. Otherwise, we will be mugged every year on the same Tuesday in November, our own dark version of the movie, Groundhog Day, very definitely cruel and unusual punishment.

IMAGE: Medieval torture. Public Domain.



Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
Eric Swalwell has the distinction of being the first American congressman believed to have had a sexual affair with a Chinese spy. Maybe that explains why Nancy Pelosi assigned him to his old seat on the Home Security panel. After all, who has more knowledge about spies than someone whom a spy duped? However, Pelosi may be sending us a few other messages we just have to decode.

Briefly, in December, news broke that Eric Swalwell, a Democrat congressman from California, had been in a relationship with a woman named Fang Fang, who was almost certainly a Chinese spy. It wasnt just any relationship. She wasnt driving him around town as Dianne Feinsteins chauffeur-Chinese spy had been for almost twenty years. Instead, Swalwell is said to have had a sexual relationship with Fang Fang. You know what that means, right? Pillow talk.

Swalwells affair with Fang Fang leads to a few possible conclusions: Swalwell is dangerously naive, Swalwell is careless, Swalwell is a traitor, or Swalwell is an unlucky but innocent man. Without further information, we dont know which is true, but the first three possibilities might suggest that you dont want to put Swalwell on committees involving national security.

Nancy Pelosi, though, had other ideas. The New York Post tells the story:

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell is joining the House Committee on Homeland Security one month after it was revealed he was targeted by a suspected Chinese spy. The California lawmaker  who was revealed to have been duped by a Chinese honey-trap spy who cozied to him and other pols in a bid to infiltrate the US political system  announced his appointment back onto the sensitive post in a tweet on Friday afternoon. My committee memberships  along with my experience as a prosecutor and as the son and brother of law enforcement officers  will give me a unique opportunity to delve into one of Americas most serious national security threats, Swalwell wrote.

The big question, of course, is to figure out what Nancy Pelosi was thinking with that appointment. She could, of course, know that Swalwell is just unlucky but entirely innocent. In that case, Pelosi showed humanitarian grace when she chose not to punish him for something that wasnt his fault. But do you really think of humanitarian grace when you think of Nancy Pelosi?

Pelosi could simply be trolling everybody for the fun of it. That doesnt sound likely either. Pelosi is all about power and theres no room for fun there.

Perhaps, Pelosi is telling Americans that Swalwells history is irrelevant. China is already inside the American government and it doesnt matter whether Swalwell is leaking like a sieve or not.

With Biden in the White House, Hunter protected from prison, and Trump, the only bulwark we had against China, sent to the hinterlands, we can give up the pretense that China is our enemy. China is our friend and wed better get used to having it  and its agents and its agents dupes  sitting within the walls of Congress itself.

Were entering the Twilight Zone of American politics. Pelosis move is yet another movement when Americans are being pushed into the pit of mans fears, only without the summit of his knowledge. Were hurling through a boundless space in which nothing is familiar and only the weird remains.

IMAGE: Eric Swalwell. YouTube screengrab.
(Natural News) Technology firm Oracle announced that it will be in charge of the American COVID-19 vaccination database. In a Dec. 15 press release, the company said it will serve as the central data storage hub for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oracles national clearing house will receive data from all U.S. jurisdictions that vaccinate their residents.

The Oracle National Electronic Health Records (EHR) Cloud stems from the initial days of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison reached out to the White House in March 2020. He asked President Donald Trump if there was a database for real-time data about COVID-19 treatment efficacies and outcomes. Ellison then offered to create one for the Trump administration for free.

The technology company head then brought together a team of Oracle engineers to build a database and website registering coronavirus cases. The engineers were to work with government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration for this purpose.

Oracles database first gained attention in July 2020, when National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci launched the COVID-19 Prevention Trials Network (COVPN). COVPN was the outcome of four earlier networks looking at HIV/AIDS. Despite the merger, the four networks would still continue their original objectives.

A NIAID press release stated that COVPN is expected to operate more than 100 clinical trial sites across the U.S. and internationally. The same release acknowledged Oracles contribution, as the COVPN site features a customized data collection platform which Oracle  built and donated, to securely identify potential trial participants.

Operation Warp Speed Director Dr. Moncef Slaoui has made references to the Oracle EHR Cloud multiple times. In September, he told Science magazine: Were working super hard on a very active pharmacovigilance system to make sure that when the vaccines are introduced, [we can] absolutely continue to assess their safety.

An October 2020 piece on Slaoui by the Wall Street Journal formally mentioned Oracles involvement in the database. It mentioned that Operation Warp Speed selected both Google and Oracle to collect and track vaccine data. (Related: Information released about Googles mishandling of public health data is horrifying.)

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has been pushing for a government database even before the pandemic

Ellisons government dealings date back to the early days of Oracle. In 2014, he revealed that the Central Intelligence Agency was his companys first customer for a relational database. He eventually adopted the Oracle name from an earlier project by the agency. Ellisons firm eventually gained the top spot in the database management sector in the early 2000s, fighting off competitors IBM and Microsoft.

Ellison first floated the idea of a central government database two days after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He first met with then National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden Sept. 13 to pitch a proposed data surveillance system. Ellison then visited former Attorney General John Ashcroft to discuss an idea for a national identification card.

The Oracle CEO defended the need for central government databases in two opinion pieces. In an October 2001 WSJ op-ed, Ellison reminded readers that the government already maintained thousands of databases to keep track of people  aside from the ones used for government ID cards.

He wrote in the op-ed: The single thing we could do to make life tougher for terrorists would be to ensure that all information in myriad government databases was integrated into a single national file. A national database combined with biometrics, thumb [and] hand prints, iris scans or other new technologies could detect false identities. We dont need to trade our liberties for our lives. (Related: Coronavirus testing is really about harvesting your DNA for a government database.)

Ellison doubled down on the need for a central database in a January 2002 New York Times op-ed. He mentioned that this was technically simple and could be achieved in a few months. All we have to do is copy information for the hundreds of separate law enforcement databases into a single database.

Surveillance.news has more about Big Tech and Big Pharma collaborating on a COVID-19 vaccination database.

Sources include:

WakingTimes.com

Oracle.com

NIH.gov

WSJ.com 1

WSJ.com 2

NYTimes.com

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An ancient funerary temple is among a new trove of treasures that have been unearthed by archaeologists at a site in Egypt.

The temple of Queen Neit, who was the wife of King Teti, the first king of the Sixth Dynasty that ruled Egypt between 2323 BC and 2150 BC, was found by a team of archaeologists headed by Egypt's former antiquities minister and noted archaeologist Zahi Hawass at the Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo.

The team also discovered 52 wooden sarcophagi, dating back to the New Kingdom period, in burial shafts at depths of 40ft.

Also among the discoveries was a 13ft-long papyrus including texts of the Book of the Dead and a collection of spells aimed at directing the dead through the underworld in ancient Egypt.

A new trove of 'major discoveries' that have been unearthed by archaeologists at the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo in Egypt. Pictured: One of the newly discovered ancient items that was found inside the funerary temple of Queen Neit

A coffin is discovered inside an ancient funerary temple for the Egyptian Queen Neit who was the wife of King Teti

Antiquities minister and noted archaeologist Zahi Hawass, known for his Indiana Jones hat and TV specials on Egypt's ancient sites, said the funerary temple as well as three warehouses had been found on the site

Mr Hawass, who is known for his Indiana Jones hat and TV specials on Egypt's ancient sites, added that archaeologists had also discovered burial wells, coffins and mummies dating back to the New Kingdom that ruled Egypt between about 1570 BC and 1069 BC.

They have unveiled at least 22 burial shafts up to 40ft deep, with more than 50 wooden coffins dating back to the New Kingdom.

Saqqara, home to more than a dozen pyramids, ancient monasteries, and animal burial sites, is a vast necropolis of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mr Hawass said work had been undertaken at the site close to the Pyramid of Teti for more than a decade.

The discovery of the temple, which was made near the pyramid where King Teti is buried, was the result of co-operation between the antiquities ministry and the Zahi Hawass Centre at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

The Saqqara site is part of the necropolis at Egypt's ancient capital of Memphis that includes the famed Giza pyramids, as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh.

Mr Hawass said that archaeologists had also discovered burial wells, coffins and mummies dating back to the New Kingdom. Pictured: The newly discovered funerary temple of Queen Neit

A collection of skulls and bones at the newly discovered funerary temple of the Egyptian queen by the team of archaeologists

The site is home to more than a dozen pyramids, ancient monasteries, and animal burial sites and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pictured: Newly discovered mummies dating back to the New Kingdom inside the funerary temple

Mr Hawass (pictured at the newly discovered funerary temple) said work had been undertaken at the site close to the Pyramid of Teti for over a decade

The ruins of Memphis were designated a Unesco World Heritage site in the 1970s.

In recent years, Egypt has heavily promoted new archaeological finds to international media and diplomats in the hope of attracting more tourists to the country.

The vital tourism sector suffered from years of political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

In November, Egypt announced the discovery of more than 100 intact sarcophagi, in the largest such find of the year.

The sealed wooden coffins, unveiled alongside statues of ancient deities, dated back to more than 2,500 years and belonged to top officials of the Late Period and the Ptolemaic period of ancient Egypt.

At the time, Antiquities and Tourism Minister Khaled al-Anani predicted that 'Saqqara has yet to reveal all of its contents.'

In the statement released on Saturday, Mr Hawass said the latest discovery could shed new light on the history of Saqqara during the New Kingdom, between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC.

Later this year, and after several delays, authorities hope to inaugurate a new museum - the Grand Egyptian Museum - at the Giza plateau, home to the famed Giza pyramids.

There has been a flurry of excavations in recent years in Saqqara, home to the step pyramid of Djoser, one of the earliest built in ancient Egypt.

A team of workers at the newly discovered funerary temple for the Queen Neit at the Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo

Also among the trove of treasures that were discovered by the team inside the funerary temple was ancient pottery

The Saqqara site is part of the necropolis at Egypt's ancient capital of Memphis and includes the famed Giza pyramids

An armed demonstration at the state Capitol went smoothly Sunday, but law enforcement is keeping a heavy presence in downtown Lansing through President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration.

Armed with rifles, tactical gear, and floral attire, roughly two dozen self-identified boogaloo boys planned a Jan. 17 demonstration that attracted the attention of the FBI. The Michigan National Guard was deployed to Lansing and State Police increased security measures after a violent riot at the U.S. Capitol sparked more threats to state capitals across the country.

I think if anything came out of this, we built a template for how we move forward when we have threats like we received this past week, said Lansing Police Chief Daryle Green. Note that (have) serious concerns throughout the country between now and the 20th. We will continue to be vigilant.

Green said law enforcement agencies have been coordinating a response plan for several weeks. Green said the Michigan National Guard will remain available to provide support as needed through the week.

Were well aware of the 20th as well and were well aware of the next couple of days, Green said. Were going to remain in a high state of awareness and preparedness here in the city of Lansing ... Were concerned about the entire week, not just today.

Members of the Boogaloo Bois leave the Capitol building Sunday, Jan. 17 in downtown Lansing, Michigan. Nicole Hester/Mlive.com

The Michigan Legislature will not meet next week due to credible threats of violence.

Boogaloo member Timothy Teagan, 22, said most participants who planned to attend the Sunday demonstration decided to stay home after the FBI reported concerns of possible violence. Demonstrators answered questions from reporters and stood around the Capitol lawn for a few hours before leaving without incident around 1:30 p.m.

A handful of Trump supporters and curious onlookers remained on the Capitol lawn with signs and flags for a few hours.

Green approximated 150 people were at the Capitol, including 75 demonstrators, 40 counter-protesters and members of the news media. No arrests were made Sunday.

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor celebrated the peaceful nature of Sundays event in a news conference, saying he was glad that demonstrators exercised their rights without any conflict. Green and Schor said they felt the Jan. 6 riots necessitated a heavier police presence supported by the National Guard.

We asked for the Guard because we wanted to be prepared, Schor said.

National Guard stands in the street as members of the Boogaloo Bois leave the Capitol building Sunday, Jan. 17 in downtown Lansing, Michigan. Nicole Hester/Mlive.com

Michigan lawmakers are also concerned about the potential for violence that could unfold as the country welcomes Biden into office.

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, said she received a national security briefing about a number of different threat streams focused on fomenting violence at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and state capitals across the country. Slotkin will attend Bidens inauguration and expects the event will be secure but expressed concerns about political violence in the future.

I think the longer-term question is, what is the role of violence and domestic terrorism going to play in our political life? said Slotkin, who serves on a House subcommittee focused on terrorism. I think we have to acknowledge the fact that over many years, many people have felt there are moments when its legitimate to use violence to achieve your political goals. We just cannot accept that, because that descends us into real chaos.

Slotkin said information about what to expect Sunday was spotty, in part because social media platforms removed many pages that were tracked by law enforcement. The congresswoman said it was important to prepare for the worst.

Take it from someone who was at the (U.S.) Capitol when we did not do enough ahead of time to prepare, Slotkin said. You want to be over-prepared, not under-prepared and that takes work.

Demonstrators stand at the Capitol building Sunday, Jan. 17 in downtown Lansing, Michigan. Nicole Hester/Mlive.com

Slotkin described the boogaloo boys as an anti-government, anti-law enforcement group with unclear motives. Researchers who track extremist groups say the boogaloo movement is a loosely affiliated network of activists united by their disdain for government and a feeling that the U.S. is headed toward a violent civil war.

Teagan said Sundays event was always meant to be peaceful.

I dont believe its necessary at all to bring out that kind of force against the people, Teagan said. I understand the scare after the Capitol, but our government has to understand our people as a country are both scared and angry. If you beckon at them with force, theyre only going to get angrier and more fearful.

Schor advised Lansing residents to stay away from downtown on Jan. 17 and Jan. 20 as a precaution. Downtown streets surrounding the Capitol will remain closed until further notice.

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Armed boogaloo boys gather at Michigan Capitol, join small group of protesters

Heavy police presence at Michigan Capitol ahead of potential protests, threats

Whitmer authorizes deployment of Michigan National Guard for Bidens inauguration
Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2021 ) :Joe Biden's top aide said Saturday the incoming president would sign about a dozen executive orders on his first day in office, as police fearing violence from Trump supporters staged a nationwide security operation ahead of the inauguration.

Authorities in Washington, where Wednesday's inauguration will take place, said they arrested a man with a loaded handgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition at a security checkpoint, underscoring the tension in the US capital which is resembling a war zone.

However, the man said it was "an honest mistake," and that he was a private security guard who got lost on his way to work near the Capitol.

Incoming Biden chief of staff Ron Klain said in a memo to new White House senior staff that the executive orders would address the pandemic, the ailing US economy, climate change and racial injustice in America.

"All of these crises demand urgent action," Klain said in the memo.

"In his first ten days in office, President-elect Biden will take decisive action to address these four crises, prevent other urgent and irreversible harms, and restore America's place in the world," Klain added.

As he inherits the White House from Donald Trump, Biden's plate is overflowing with acute challenges.

The US is fast approaching 400,000 dead from the Covid-19 crisis and logging well over a million new cases a week as the coronavirus spreads out of control.

The economy is ailing, with 10 million fewer jobs available compared to the start of the pandemic. And millions of Americans who back Trump refuse to recognize Biden as the legitimate president.

Biden this week unveiled plans to seek $1.9 trillion to revive the economy through new stimulus payments and other aid, and plans a blitz to accelerate America's stumbling Covid vaccine rollout effort.

On Inauguration Day Biden, as previously promised, will sign orders including ones for the US to rejoin the Paris climate accord and reverse Trump's ban on entry of people from certain Muslim majority countries, Klain said.

"President-elect Biden will take action -- not just to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration -- but also to start moving our country forward," Klain said.

- 500 rounds of ammunition - Meanwhile, Washington was under a state of high alert after a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6. The assault left five people dead, including a police officer.

Security officials have warned that armed pro-Trump extremists, possibly carrying explosives, pose a threat to Washington as well as state capitals over the coming week.

Thousands of National Guard troops have been deployed in Washington and streets have been blocked off downtown with concrete barriers.

On Friday night, police arrested a Virginia man at a security checkpoint where he tried to use an "unauthorized" credential to access the restricted area where Biden will be inaugurated.

As officers checked the credential, one noticed decals on the back of Wesley Beeler's pick-up truck that said "Assault Life," with an image of a rifle, and another with the message: "If they come for your guns, give 'em your bullets first," according to a document filed in Washington, DC Superior Court.

Under questioning, Beeler told officers he had a Glock handgun in the vehicle. A search uncovered a loaded handgun, more than 500 rounds of ammunition, shotgun shells and a magazine for the gun, the court document said.

Beeler was arrested on charges including possession of an unregistered firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition.

"It was an honest mistake," Beeler told The Washington Post after being released from jail.

"I pulled up to a checkpoint after getting lost in DC because I'm a country boy," he said. "I showed them the inauguration badge that was given to me." Beeler told the newspaper he works as a private security guard near the Capitol, and presented a credential provided by his employer.

He said he was licensed to carry his gun in Virginia, but forgot to take it out of his car before leaving home for his overnight shift in Washington.

Prosecutors did not object to Beeler's release from jail, the Washington Post said, though he was ordered to stay out of Washington except for court-related matters.

In addition to the heavy security presence in the US capital, law enforcement was out in force at statehouses around the country to ward off potential political violence.

Mass protests that had been planned for the weekend did not materialize on Saturday, with security far outnumbering Trump supporters at several fortified capitols, US media reported.

In St Paul, Minnesota, for example, hundreds of law enforcement officers, some armed with long guns, ringed the Capitol with National Guard troops providing backup.

The number of protesters totaled about 50.
Pelotons relentlessly positive Instagram posts usually attract enthusiastic responses from its 1.2 million followers, who love the companys charismatic instructors and its $1,900-plus bikes and treadmills.

But recently the companys account has become a beacon for outrage about delayed deliveries and hours spent with customer service representatives. I know a good Peloton goaldeliver my moms bike that was supposed to be here December 21st! snapped one person in response to a post about New Years goals. I could be close to 900 rides oh but thats right I dont have my bike! another replied to a post about a users 900th ride.

After more than quadrupling in value to more than $40 billion during the coronavirus pandemic, Peloton is now experiencing some serious growing pains. Some customers who ordered bikes as far back as October in expectation of having them for the holidays or in time to begin New Years resolutions find themselves still waiting for deliveries.

What were finding is that Peloton the idea has grown faster than Peloton the company, said Simeon Siegel, a retail analyst at BMO Capital Markets. All companies need to figure out how to grow into their hype. Right now, the hype surrounding Peloton is like no other.
Kathmandu, January 17

Last year, the government decided to connect the headquarters of all 753 local units of the country to the national road network. As of today, the headquarters of 283 locals units do not have any connection to the blacktopped road network.

Worse: 61 of them even do not have any road in their headquarters.

The Department of Local Infrastructure estimates connecting all these places to the road network requires Rs 200 billion. Although the government announced the project of constructing roads to connect them all, it has not allocated sufficient money needed for it.

The departments Information Officer, Mahesh Chandra Neupane, says the government will seek support from various development partners to implement the policy.

In order to implement this policy, the government needs to construct 4,000 kilometres of blacktopped roads. In addition, around 400 motorable bridges are also required.

The government has set a deadline of the next two years for the completion.
Media staff set up a stage in Cheong Wa Dae, Friday, for President Moon Jae-in's New Year press conference to be broadcast live at 10 a.m. Monday. Yonhap



By Yi Whan-woo



President Moon Jae-in will hold a New Year press conference, Monday, seeking a turnaround in his sinking approval ratings, according to political analysts.



The conference comes less than three months before the mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan, which are considered a major litmus test for the 2022 presidential election.



Moon's approval ratings have remained at a record-low 38 percent for two consecutive weeks, according to a Gallup Korea poll released Friday.



"How he tries to send a message of bringing people together over sensitive issues will be extremely important for him to rebound amid concerns over a lame-duck presidency," said Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University.



Beginning at 10 a.m. the conference will be broadcast live for 100 minutes from Cheong Wa Dae.



Over 120 journalists including foreign correspondents will participate, either offline or online, and will be freely able to ask questions.



These range from whether to pardon former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, soaring housing prices, economic recovery measures for COVID-19, the #MeToo allegations against former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon who reacted by committing suicide, prosecution reform, a Cabinet reshuffle, a court ruling against Japan to compensate wartime sex slaves, deadlocked ties with North Korea and relations with incoming U.S. President Joe Biden's administration.



"What the President says about the two former presidents will perhaps be at the center of attention," Hwang Tae-soon, a political commentator, said.



He noted that political circles have been divided over whether Lee and Park should be released from jail after being convicted in separate corruption cases, after ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Nak-yon brought up the issue in a media interview.



Chairman Lee faced internal protest from the DPK, with his support rating as its next presidential hopeful plunging.



"This is an explosive issue, and considering the President is the ultimate decision maker over pardons, he may need to think it over to come up with an answer that does not deal a blow to his management of state affairs," Shin said.



Hwang speculated Moon may suggest solutions to tackle rising housing costs, noting the President apologized over the issue in his New Year address and said he will focus on expanding the housing supply.



A former human rights lawyer, Moon kept mum over the 2019 death of Park Won-soon, and the allegations against him, that have led to the upcoming Seoul mayoral by-election in April.



Also in his New Year address, the President underlined his unchanging willingness to talk with North Korea regardless of the circumstances. This has prompted speculation over his ideas on making a breakthrough in cross border dialogue that has been stalled for two years.


Press Release

January 17, 2021 Bong Go urges government to ensure proper implementation of national vaccine roadmap and address issues on lists identifying priority sectors Senator Christopher "Bong" Go on Friday, January 15, urged the government to learn from past mistakes, implement the national vaccine roadmap properly and ensure the systematic rollout of the vaccines throughout the country. "As soon as mayroon na tayong safe, sure, and secured vaccines, mahalaga na makakaabot ang mga bakuna sa mga dapat makatanggap. May mga taong hindi alam saan pupunta at ni hindi alam kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng vaccine," Go said during a Senate hearing on the national vaccine roadmap. He particularly asked the National Task Force Against COVID-10 "to ensure that we would not encounter similar issues regarding master lists when we implemented the first tranche of the Social Amelioration Program last year." Stressing the need to prioritize the poor and vulnerable sector for the vaccine, Go said, "Huwag nating pabayaan ang mga mahihirap, 'yung mga walang pambili, mga 'no read no write'. Sila ang kailangan lumabas at magtrabaho upang buhayin ang mga pamilya nila - mga 'isang kahig, isang tuka'." "No Filipino should be left behind in our road towards recovery. Pantay-pantay dapat ang access at hindi lamang ang mga may kaya sa buhay ang dapat makakakuha ng vaccine na ito," he added. Nevertheless, Go expressed his trust and support for the government, saying that it is doing its best to secure safe and effective vaccines for the people. "I understand that the NTF has already formed task groups to handle the vaccination program. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said that the government is targeting to secure at least 148 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the country in 2021," Go pointed out. As noted by Go, the supply of 148 million, if fully secured, could cover some 70 million Filipinos, assuming two doses are needed per person. The 148-million figure was based on current negotiations with several vaccine companies that the government is in advanced talks with, including Novavax, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, Sinovac, and Gamaleya. Go also told concerned agencies that the legislative branch is ready to pass any necessary law that can expedite the procurement process for the vaccines. "We had a provision in the Bayanihan 2 para sa exemption ng procurement ng COVID- 19 goods and medication from the bidding process required under the Government Procurement Reform Act pero nag-expire na po ito last December 19," Go said. "Kung may limitation po ang ating mga batas, nandito po kami sa Senado kung kailangang may ipasang batas," he assured.
Over $13 Million "Missing" From South Korean Casino

January 17, 2021 Will Shillibier

Earlier this month, the operators of Landing Casino in Jeju, South Korea reported to its investors over $13 million was missing.

Landing Casino is the second-largest casino in the country, and has hosted major poker festivals such as the Triton Super High Roller Series and the PokerStars Red Dragon.

And although authorities have discovered almost $11 million in cash on Jeju island, it remains to be seen whether this is part of the original amount, and how exactly this money was stolen.

Prime Suspect

In a statement to investors, executive director of Landing International Development Ltd. Wong Hoi Po said police had been asked to track down a female Malaysian employee who was responsible for the cash. The employee has apparently been on holiday since the end of last year.

According to police, the surveillance footage of the theft had been erased, but they were continuing to track the whereabouts of the cash.

A total of 14.56 billion had been taken away over a period of seven to eight months.

The Korea Times reported that the casino had allegedly not noticed the theft, due to the large amount of cash already stored within the safe.

Jeju has hosted many high-profile poker festivals including the Triton Super High Roller Series

Money Discovered

The latest developments came on Friday when authorities announced they had recovered 12bn (US$10.9m) in cash from two locations.

According to reports, 8.15m was recovered from the Jeju casino's VIP room safe, and about 4bn had been found in a place where the female suspect used to live.

Police have also said that the recovered money is in new 50,000-won bills, raising the question that the suspect may have had accomplices.

Heist Accomplices

If all lost cash were 50,000-won bills, the entire haul would have comprised of almost 300,000 individual notes and weigh more than 280 kilograms, requiring significant effort to transport.

Gambling Insider reported that both the woman in question and one of her accomplices (a Chinese national) were said to be overseas, while a third suspect remains in South Korea.

With no clear leads on the investigation, police said they are leaving "all possibilities open" as to the whereabouts of the remaining cash. One thing working in their favour, is that the transportation of the cash out of the country via airports or seaports would be increasingly difficult, considering current coronavirus restrictions.
A UDA drug dealer has been warned he will be shot dead by the UVF unless he returns a gun stolen from the terror group.

Dee Coleman was given the weapon by a cocaine addict UVF member to pay off a 2,000 drug debt.

It was taken from an arms dump belonging to the gang's west Belfast-based Shankill Road 'A Company' unit. Furious UVF bosses have given Coleman until later this week to return the handgun or risk being murdered.

As a warning to him they ordered a paint-bomb attack on his home in the Shankill estate last weekend, which was captured on CCTV.

Expand Close Screenshot from CCTV at the home of Lower Shankill leading loyalist Dee Coleman, showing a figure throwing an item believed to be a paint bomb at the home. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Screenshot from CCTV at the home of Lower Shankill leading loyalist Dee Coleman, showing a figure throwing an item believed to be a paint bomb at the home.

Graffiti was plastered around the Shankill Road by the UVF telling Coleman "we want our guns back" and his "days are numbered". The writing was accompanied by target signs - a clear indication that the career criminal is under threat.

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Although Coleman is a member of the UDA he does not have the backing of the organisation. His 'C Company' bosses - convicted killer Mo Courtney and terror mouthpiece Denis Cunningham - have washed their hands of him over fears they too could be singled out by the UVF.

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The pair have admitted to other senior UDA members that they will be glad to see the back of Coleman as he is growing increasingly violent and unpredictable.

"Having the UVF sort out Coleman suits Mo and Denis because it means they don't have to do it," a UDA source told Sunday Life.Coleman was freed from prison last October after serving an 18-month sentence for UDA membership. He had been released early, only to have his licence suspended in February 2020 and slung back in jail.

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Since getting out the 35-year-old has resumed control of a lucrative drugs empire based in the Shankill estate. Ditching old religious rivalries he supplies dealers in nationalist areas like Divis and Ardoyne. Coleman kicks back a portion of his profits to the West Belfast UDA, but even that will not be able to save him.

During drugs parties over Christmas a UVF 'A Company' killer, who had been sidelined by the gang because of his heavy cocaine use, ran up a 2,000 debt to Coleman. Unable to settle it with cash he stole a handgun from a UVF arms dump and used that as payment.

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The paramilitary thief, who was involved in the UVF murders of Stephen Paul and Craig McCausland in 2005, has since gone into hiding fearing for his life.

However, in an effort to save himself he sent word to his bosses telling them that Coleman had the weapon. The UDA man has so far refused to hand it back, leading to paint being thrown around his home and the graffiti campaign against him.

Expand Close A Facebook post from the account of Lower Shankill leading loyalist Dee Coleman, that his house was paint bombed with replies to his post. / Facebook

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Whatsapp A Facebook post from the account of Lower Shankill leading loyalist Dee Coleman, that his house was paint bombed with replies to his post.

After his house was targeted Coleman took to social media to threaten those involved. He included CCTV images of the attacker and asked for help identifying him.

The sister of a teenager who was wrongly accused replied, saying Dee Coleman had threatened to cut his tongue out, and was using his convicted cocaine-dealing brother Gary 'Goof' Coleman to pass on the warning.

She wrote: "I will not be intimidated by a well-known, evil, sick, twisted man, nor will my family. I am not an easy target for an animal so wrong move Coleman boys. Dee makes the threats, Goof passing them on.

"Dee Coleman, blaming a wee young boy, my brother. Threatening to cut tongues out. Dug a deeper hole for yourselves."

Although under extreme pressure Coleman is refusing to hand back the UVF gun given to him to settle the drug debt.

Our UDA source added: "Dee is owed 2,000 by a UVF member for cocaine. He's saying that once the debt is settled he is happy to hand the gun back.

"It's a difficult situation because he's a mad b*****d and wouldn't think twice about shooting someone if they came at him. The UVF know he has one of its guns, which he is prepared to use, so are going to have to be careful."

The UVF member who stole the handgun and gave it to Coleman is also in deep trouble with the terror gang.

"He would have been well-regarded in the past and was involved in at least two feud killings when he was aged in his early 20s," said a UVF source.

"But he ended up addicted to cocaine and is a sorry sight these days. He knew he could be signing his own death cert by taking a gun from a UVF arms dump and giving it to Coleman, but he did it anyway, that shows how bad his drug problem is.

"The UVF murdered its Ballymena quartermaster Davy Murphy two years ago for doing the same thing - stealing guns and selling them to criminals."

UVF concerns about Coleman using one of its guns on its members are well-founded - in 2000 aged just 14 he was jailed for being part of a UDA gang that opened fire on UVF supporters inside the Rex Bar on the Shankill Road.

In the two decades since he has been a regular before the courts serving other prison terms for extortion and UDA membership. Coleman has other multiple convictions for assaulting police, disorderly behaviour, possessing an imitation firearm, trading in counterfeit products, handling stolen goods and possessing illegal prescription drugs.

When he appeared in the dock two years ago on a UDA membership rap, the thug was described as second-in-command of the gang's 'C Company' unit.

But Coleman was demoted while behind bars and on his release ordered to pay a 10,000 fine to the terror group, which he did, to avoid being exiled from the Shankill. His heavy involvement in drug dealing has made him a hate figure in the area which has been blighted with several overdose deaths and suicides.

In return for 5m of government Fresh Start funding for its community-backed projects, the UVF has promised to help bring an end to drug dealing on the Shankill. This has caused further conflict with Coleman who has shown no intention of relinquishing his criminal empire.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-18 03:53:42|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was detained on Sunday upon his arrival in Moscow from Germany, where he received medical treatment for alleged poisoning over the past months.

Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service said its officers detained Navalny at the Sheremetyevo International Airport for his "systematic violations of the conditions of the probationary period."

The opposition figure on probation was put on a wanted list on Dec. 29, 2020 and he will remain in detention until a court ruling, the service said.

Navalny, a harsh Kremlin critic, fell into a coma on a flight from the Russian city of Tomsk to Moscow on Aug. 20, 2020. He was then transferred to a Berlin hospital with suspected poisoning symptoms.

In early September, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Navalny was poisoned with the Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent.

Russian authorities have repeatedly denied the accusations and demanded solid evidence from Germany. Enditem

Nepal has lauded India over its vaccination drive saying that India is a frontrunner in starting vaccinating people against COVID-19 and this has given Kathmandu "great hope". On January 15 (Friday), Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali had said that Nepal too will be availing the COVID-19 vaccines.

READ | COVID-19 vaccine, border issue discussed during India, Nepal talks

"Today as we wait for the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, India is one of the frontrunners. This has given us great hope. I take this opportunity to congratulate India and its innovative companies for success. Being next door, we believe we too will be availing these vaccines," Gyawali had said in a speech during an event organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs at Sapru House.

READ | We don't compare ties, says Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali on ties with India and China

An official release by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) read, "Nepal congratulated India on the remarkable success in the production of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines in India and requested for early provision of vaccines to Nepal."

READ | No change in position on Gorkha recruitment in Indian Army: Nepal Foreign Minister

According to news agency ANI, the Nepal Embassy said in a release that Indian side assured that the "requirements of Nepal would be in priority consideration after the roll-out of vaccines". Kathmandu had on Friday approved the emergency use of Covishield vaccine, which is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). India has given emergency use authorisation to two vaccines against COVID-19--Covishield and Covaxin. The vaccination drive began on January 16 (Saturday).

India and Nepal had on Friday held Joint Commission meeting which was co-chaired by Gyawali and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Nepal congratulated India "on the remarkable success" in the production of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines in India and requested for early provision of vaccines, Ministry of External Affairs said in a release.

Though the detailed inoculation plan of Nepal Government is yet to be disclosed, a total of three companies applied for approval to take steps forward with Serum Institute for import of vaccines. India has already made conditional emergency approval for Covishield manufactured by the Serum Institute. Being one of the largest producers of vaccines at low cost, India has promised to provide vaccine to its neighbours in near future, added ANI.

As per a report by Hindustan Times, the Narendra Modi government has given assurances to Nepal that it will be among the first nations to receive India's vaccines. HT added that the supply schedule of the vaccines will be announced in the coming week. It also stated that this development was informed to Gyawali during his India visit.

After Nepal government approved emergency use of Covishield vaccine, people are hoping the pandemic will falter and human lives would be back on track. Nepal`s Department of Drug Administration on Friday had issued a release giving information on approving Covishield developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, which will be manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII) in India.

Drug regulating authority has also specified the Serum Institute of India for importers provided with low cost in purchasing and delivery of the vaccine to the public. Reacting over the news about government`s approval to Covishield vaccine to be used in case of emergency, Rojan Shrestha, a resident of Kathmandu who contracted the virus in 2020 said, "Nepal has approved the very first vaccine for emergency use. It is a matter of joy, as I was infected with the virus and had to isolate myself for a long time which was nearly a month."
India will soon be sending off doses of its indigenous vaccine, Covaxin to the neighbouring countries, an office memorandum G.K Pillai, undersecretary to the Government of India indicates.

The communication was to the Ministry of External Affairs and a copy of the same has been marked to Dr Krishna Ella, CMD, Bharat Biotech International Limited.

In the memorandum, the undersecretary is alluding to a meeting of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) which was convened by Secretary Department of Pharmaceuticals and Foreign Secretary, MEA on January 15. The officials have agreed that they will be providing a grant in aid as a goodwill gesture by sending 8.1 lakh doses of Covaxin to different countries.

Post January 22, MEA will start the process of procurement from Bharat Biotech, keeping in mind Indias own 'programmatic priorities of the on-going Covid-19 inoculation drive.

This is purely a goodwill gesture and grant in aid, reads the memorandum. However, at the time of filing this report, it was unclear which countries will get the aid.

COVAXIN is Indias indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech. The inactivated vaccine has been developed in cooperation with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. It is presented in multi-dose vials and can be stored at a temperature of 2-8-degree Celsius.

The Phase III human trials of COVAXIN began in mid-November and are currently ongoing in 26,000 volunteers across India. As per the developers, the efficacy data is expected by March.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 22:38:41|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A new round of UN-sponsored talks over a prisoner swap deal between the Yemen's government and the Houthi rebel group was postponed due to Washington's designation of the rebels as "terrorists," an official told Xinhua on Sunday.

According to local Yemeni official, who asked to remain anonymous, "talks about exchanging prisoners between the country's two warring rivals were scheduled to begin this week particularly on Saturday under the auspices of the United Nations in Jordan."

He confirmed that due to the U.S. government's decision to designate Ansar Allah, more commonly known as the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, as "terrorists," the UN-sponsored talks were delayed.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the U.S. Department of State would blacklist the Houthis on Jan. 19, one day before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

However, the United Nations and Yemeni analysts noted that this move would complicate the UN-brokered peace plan and international aid efforts in the impoverished Arab country.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The six-year-old war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million and pushed Yemen to the brink of starvation. Enditem
But before Wednesday, many scientists, doctors and the public did not know about this strategy  this calculus  at all. That issue had been quietly bubbling away for months as animal and human trial data pointed to difficulties in making vaccines that achieve "sterilising immunity"  total immunity from infection, versus immunity from getting seriously ill. Concerns circulated among scientists and doctors on social media.

Professor Raina MacIntyre, head of biosecurity at the Kirby Institute, released a video raising the issue on January 4. When you get down to a vaccine thats 60 per cent effective, you basically need to vaccinate 100 per cent of people [to achieve herd immunity], she told the ABC two days later. And thats not feasible. But when the opportunity came to meet the story at the pass on Tuesday  by explaining whether Australia was hoping to use vaccines to stop the virus circulating  Health Minister Greg Hunt chose to largely ignore the issue and launched a personal attack on "commentators". The story was ready to explode. On Tuesday, it did. The Australasian Virology Society and the Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology both told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald the government should pause its rollout of AstraZenecas vaccine, due to concerns the data we had so far did not clearly show it would stop the virus circulating.

Word leaked before the story could go to press, leading to an extraordinary internal debate within the AVS. About 6.30pm on Tuesday, the society decided to change positions and pull its objection to the rollout of the vaccine. Loading We dont want to undermine the confidence in the vaccine. And we dont have the full picture. We need to go with the most effective vaccine so we can have herd immunity. But we just dont have the full picture at the moment with the AstraZeneca vaccine, society president Professor Gilda Tachedjian said. After coming under tremendous pressure, the Society for Immunology would also reverse its position on Wednesday. But the story was already out.

Herd immunity, explained Herd immunity describes the scenario many people imagine: everyone has protection against the virus, leaving it with no hosts to jump to, and causing the epidemic to eventually die out. Is it attainable for COVID-19? To calculate a virus "critical vaccine level"  the level of protection needed in the community to reach herd immunity  scientists look at how infectious a virus is, measured by a value known as R. R represents the average number of people each infected person passes the virus on to. If that number is over 1, the virus will spread; if it is below 1, the virus will die out.

In most countries, the R value varies between 1.5 and 3.5. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video In March last year in Melbourne  as the first wave of the virus spread and before the first lockdown  the R value was between 1.4 and 1.8, a team of modellers estimated in Nature Communications. To achieve herd immunity, we would need to cut the R value by between 45 and 55 per cent, said Associate Professor James Wood, a University of NSW vaccine modeller and member of the federal governments Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation. That would theoretically be achievable with a vaccine with 70 per cent efficacy against transmission but would require in particular high coverage in the 18-35 year group, which appear to contribute a greater fraction of transmission.

But there is now a complicating factor that did not exist six months ago: the emergence of B.1.1.7, a variant of the coronavirus that is substantially more transmissible. That virus has an R that is plausibly 30 to 50 per cent higher, said Wood. That means herd immunity is even harder to reach. A third wrinkle: it is plausible immune responses from the vaccines will wane over time, and plausible the virus will mutate to evade vaccines. "If you ask experts in this area, none of them think that the virus is going to be eliminated from Australia long-term," said Wood. "What we do expect is that if youve been previously vaccinated or infected, then you will experience a much milder disease course and that after a couple of transition years COVID-19 will become just another variety of the common cold."

Loading Vaccinating the herd Australias current vaccine strategy is to use Pfizers mRNA vaccine to vaccinate the most vulnerable starting from mid February; we have enough on order for 5 million people. At this stage, the rest of the population will be getting a jab made by AstraZeneca; we have 53.8 million doses on order, enough to cover the entire population. Importantly, it is being made here by CSL, guaranteeing supply. A third vaccine on order, under development by Novavax, is yet to report results from phase 3 clinical trials. Can either of these vaccines provide herd immunity?

Phase 3 clinical trial data published in the New England Journal of Medicine in December estimates Pfizers jab provides 95 per cent protection against symptomatic COVID-19. However, available data does not allow us to know if it stops people passing on the virus, which is key to herd immunity. It may be you can still catch and pass on the virus without showing symptoms. For AstraZeneca, the data is much cloudier. Some 4440 people were given the jab in two standard doses. Interim analysis, published in the Lancet, shows it offers 62.1 per cent protection against symptomatic COVID-19. But a second group of 1367 accidentally received a lower dose. Yet that offered 90 per cent protection. Between the two groups the average was 70.4 per cent.

How do you reconcile those three numbers? Thats not yet clear. AstraZeneca is doing further trials of the lower dose. The British government has started administering the jab at the standard dose, so we will soon get data on how it behaves in the real world. Australian Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has taken to citing the vaccines efficacy as a range: between 62 per cent and 90 per cent. Lets assume the vaccine is 70 per cent effective. Can we use that to get to herd immunity? Data suggests AstraZenecas vaccine does cut infectiousness [to] some degree, wrote Professor Allen Cheng, co-chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation on Twitter on Wednesday. But even if all adults were vaccinated, it probably would not achieve herd immunity.

Does herd immunity matter? When the story ran on Wednesday, it sent health authorities into a scramble. Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly did the circuit of morning shows and a midday news conference. Reporters were briefed on background. Information that had been jealously guarded suddenly poured out. Herd immunity was not being pursued as a short-term strategy, health officials said. Primarily, this was because on current data we do not know if any of the vaccines available could confer herd immunity, because we do not know if they will cut or prevent transmission. Thats as true for AstraZeneca as it is for Pfizer and Moderna.

We seek herd immunity, Hunt told The Age. [But] that outcome will depend on the longevity of protection, the coverage of the population (expected to be high by global standards in Australia), and the impact on transmission, which are yet to be determined for any vaccine. Loading Scientists dont know if the vaccines we have available will stop transmission, but they do know this: Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZenecas vaccines will all save lives. Of the 5807 volunteers in AstraZenecas interim analysis who received the vaccine  at any dose  from 21 days after injection not a single one was hospitalised, there were no serious cases of COVID-19, and there were no deaths. Given the virus has killed nearly 2 million people around the world, the calculus on what to do is pretty simple.
Right now, what we do for (domestic violence) cases is we really dont look at much of anything at the bond hearing, Staudt said. And we pick a number, and some people can post and some people cant. Who can get out and who stays in has nothing to do with the facts of the case. It has to do with money.
A video of Nenagh hospital staff pleading to the government for vaccination has been shared widely on social media.

The video shows a row of frontline workers against a wall, before they approach the camera one by one to express fear and frustration at not having a date for vaccination.

In a message directed to Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly one staff member says: "We are so angry, we are scared, we're afraid. We can see our co-workers coming down with Covid and becoming very ill."

"How come we at Nenagh hospital are being left out when we can see private hospitals being vaccinated where there are no Covid patients?"

Another staff member said she and her colleagues were "infuriated" at not having a date for vaccination at Nenagh hospital.

"We have a lot of Covid-19 patients we are dealing with everyday, and I request the Government to take immediate steps to provide vaccines for us." Said one doctor.
President-elect Joe Biden's decision to immediately ask Congress to offer legal status to an estimated 11 million people in the country has surprised advocates given how the issue has long divided Democrats and Republicans, even within their own parties.

Biden will announce legislation his first day in office to provide a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the United States illegally, according to four people briefed on his plans.

The president-elect campaigned on a path to citizenship for the roughly 11 million people in the U.S. illegally, but it was unclear how quickly he would move while wrestling with the coronavirus pandemic, the economy and other priorities.

For advocates, memories were fresh of presidential candidate Barack Obama pledging an immigration bill his first year in office, in 2009, but not tackling the issue until his second term.

Biden's plan is the polar opposite of Donald Trump, whose successful 2016 presidential campaign rested in part on curbing or stopping illegal immigration.

This really does represent a historic shift from Trump's anti-immigrant agenda that recognizes that all of the undocumented immigrants that are currently in the United States should be placed on a path to citizenship, said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, who was briefed on the bill.

If successful, the legislation would be the biggest move toward granting status to people in the country illegally since President Ronald Reagan bestowed amnesty on nearly 3 million people in 1986. Legislative efforts to overhaul immigration policy failed in 2007 and 2013.

Ron Klain, Biden's incoming chief of staff, said Saturday that Biden will send an immigration bill to Congress on his first day in office. He didn't elaborate and Biden's office declined to comment on specifics.

Advocates were briefed in recent days on the bill's broad outlines by Esther Olivarria, deputy director for immigration on the White House Domestic Policy Council.

Domingo Garcia, former president of the League of Latin American Citizens, said Biden told advocates on a call Thursday that Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate may delay consideration of the bill and that they shouldn't count on passage within 100 days.

I was pleasantly surprised that they were going to take quick action because we got the same promises from Obama, who got elected in '08, and he totally failed, Garcia said.

Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum and among those briefed Thursday night, said immigrants would be put on an eight-year path to citizenship.

There would be a faster track for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields people from deportation who came to the country as young children, and Temporary Protected Status, which gives temporary status to hundreds of thousands of people from strife-torn countries, many from El Salvador.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris offered similar remarks in an interview with Univision that aired Tuesday, saying DACA and TPS recipients will automatically get green cards while would be on an eight-year path to citizenship.

More favourable attitudes toward immigration especially among Democrats may weigh in Biden's favour this time. A Gallup survey last year found that 34 per cent of those polled favoured more immigration, up from 21 per cent in 2016 and higher than any time since it began asking the question in 1965.

The survey found 77 per cent felt immigration was good for the country on the whole, up slightly from 72 per cent in 2016.

Noorani said the separation of more than 5,000 children from the parents at the border, which peaked in 2018, alienated voters from Trump's policies, particularly conservatives and evangelicals. He believes a constantly shifting outlook for DACA recipients also hurt Trump among people who felt he was using them as political pawns.

What was seared in their mind was family separation. They took it out on the Republican Party in 2018 and they took it out on Trump in 2020," Noorani said. "To put a really fine point on it, they want to end the cruelty of the Trump administration. It is impossible to know precisely how many people are in the country illegally. Pew Research Center estimates there were 10.5 million in 2017, down from an all-time high of 12.2 million in 2007.

The Homeland Security Department estimates there were 12 million people in the country illegally in 2015, nearly 80 per cent of them for more than 10 years. More than half were Mexican.
Among all the bad policy coming out of Springfield, Ill., lets celebrate the occasional glimmer of good sense.

But first, some background:

Illinoiss legislature passed legislation on policing and related matters last week in the dead of night. The 764-page bill passed the state Senate at 4:49 a.m. after being introduced and distributed to the members at 3:04 a.m. Only a few legislative insiders could have possibly known what was in the bill before voting; the rest of the legislature, first seeing the measure upon its introduction, voted blind.

Only after the Democrat majority passed the bill are we learning whats in it -- and theres little thats good.

The legislation has been assailed as radical and anti-police for good reason. Consider, for example, this nugget from page 50: Under current law, a complaint filed against a police officer is required to be supported by a sworn affidavit from the person filing the complaint and provides that anyone filing false information shall be referred for prosecution. The bill eliminates both the requirement for the sworn affidavit and referral for prosecution for false complaints.

This and other provisions declare open season on law enforcement. Weakening law enforcement further in a state already riven by soaring crime rates unleashed by lax prosecution of basic criminal laws will make Illinois a more dangerous and less attractive place to live.

But, one provision in this bill reflects an idea that needs to be constantly reinforced: Government should help its citizens, not hurt them.

I have argued elsewhere that Illinois government has become predatory  that it focuses on raising money to serve the people in government instead of focusing on serving the general public. A predatory government weighs heaviest on those who earn the least. Examples of predatory policies include the myriad fees, fines, rules and gotchas imposed  and the absurd penalties applied for minor infractions of this web of rules.

A young friend of mine, a high school graduate working his way into a skilled trade, would drive to visit his girlfriend. He earned about $13 an hour. Sometimes, he didnt have money in his pocket for tolls and he didnt have credit to get the transponder that would cut his toll costs in half.

Lets pause for a moment: People with credit (i.e., those with more money) pay lower tolls on the highway than people with poor credit (i.e., those with less money). Why not charge folks who need to stop and pay cash the same amount as the folks who can drive through the toll with transponders?

Back to my story: My friend did not pay about $30 in tolls. Shame on him -- but note that the tolls that are small for many were more than he could afford on a daily basis. His minor infraction, which he ignored because he didnt have the money anyway, turned into $2,500 in fines, as well as a suspended license  which led to the loss of his job  before I got involved.

While the Illinois Tollway authority has since then significantly reduced some of its penalties, government for people with low to moderate incomes is often Kafkaesque: a small mistake in dealing with government or error in judgment leads to cascading consequences that bear no proportion to the original mistake.

While not unique to Illinois, this is particularly true there because of the states financial crisis. Making government work for ordinary citizens is a secondary concern for leaders obsessed with finding money to fund the over-promised, under-funded public pensions.

The folks running our government, who campaign on imposing a $15 minimum wage on small businesses, have legislated a system of taxes, tolls, fees and fines that lower income residents cant afford. And, as in the case of my friend and others, our government routinely forces people into debt and out of jobs in its search for revenue.

Is safety a reason or just a rationale for red light camera tickets? Are high highway tolls and gas taxes fair to those who make less? These and other petty revenue collection devices that then require enforcement hammer the less well-off. A bankrupt state that forces its own citizens into bankruptcy is a predatory state.

The good news in this bad bill is that motorists would no longer lose their licenses as a consequence of unpaid red light and speed camera tickets. Thats a small but important win for the people of Illinois, but what of the tickets themselves and the exorbitant penalties and fees that accompany this policy? Why not abolish these as well?

We need a thorough rethinking of all aspects of our government. We need leaders looking for ways to help people rise instead of holding them down or shaking them down.

PS: The young friend of mine I mentioned above recently moved to Texas. Why? He aspires to start his own business some day and he believes its easier to do that in Texas than in Illinois.
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The attack comes just two days after the Pentagon announced it had cut troop levels in the country to 2,500, as part of its deal with the Taliban to withdraw all forces by May 2021

Kabul: Gunmen shot dead two Afghan women judges working for the Supreme Court in an early morning ambush in the country's capital Sunday, officials said, as a wave of assassinations continues to rattle the nation.

Violence has surged across Afghanistan in recent months despite ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and government  especially in Kabul, where a new trend of targeted killings aimed at high-profile figures has sown fear in the restive city.

The latest attack, which President Ashraf Ghani blamed on the Taliban, comes just two days after the Pentagon announced it had cut troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500, the fewest in nearly two decades.

The attack on the judges happened as they were driving to their office in a court vehicle, said Ahmad Fahim Qaweem, a spokesman for the Supreme Court. "Unfortunately, we have lost two women judges in today's attack. Their driver is wounded," Qaweem told AFP.

There are more than 200 female judges working for the country's top court, the spokesman added.

Kabul police confirmed the attack.

Afghanistan's Supreme Court was a target in February 2017 when a suicide bomb ripped through a crowd of court employees, killing at least 20 and wounding 41.

Ghani blamed the Taliban for Sunday's murders, accusing them of launching an "illegitimate war and hostility".

"The government once again reiterates its call on the Taliban that violence, terror, brutality and crimes... will only prolong the war in the country," he said in a statement issued by the presidential palace. "They (Taliban) in order to show their real intent (for peace) should accept a permanent ceasefire."

'Appalling attack'

The top British envoy to Kabul, Alison Blake, condemned the "appalling targeted attack" on the judges. "We condemn this and all attacks on civilians and call for an urgent investigation into those responsible," she said on Twitter.

In recent months, several prominent Afghans  including politicians, journalists, activists, doctors and prosecutors have been assassinated in often brazen daytime attacks in Kabul and other cities. Many journalists and activists have left the country, worried they might the next targets.

Afghan officials have steadfastly blamed the Taliban for the assassinations, a charge the insurgent group has denied. Some of these killings have been claimed by the rival jihadist Islamic State group.

Earlier this month the US military for the first time directly accused the Taliban of orchestrating the attacks. "The Taliban's campaign of unclaimed attacks and targeted killings of government officials, civil society leaders and journalists must... cease for peace to succeed," Colonel Sonny Leggett, spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said on Twitter.

The targeted killings have surged despite the Taliban and Afghan government engaging in peace talks in the Qatari capital of Doha.

Afghan government negotiators engaged in peace talks with their Taliban counterparts are pushing for a permanent ceasefire as part of the agenda for the talks, but the insurgents so far have dismissed the calls for any type of truce.

The Taliban carried out more than 18,000 attacks in 2020, Afghanistan's spy chief Ahmad Zia Siraj told lawmakers earlier this month.

On Friday, the Pentagon announced it had cut troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500 as part of its deal with the Taliban to withdraw all troops from the country by May 2021.

That deal was struck in return for security guarantees from the insurgents and a commitment to peace talks with the Afghan government.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The state of New Mexico has paid more than $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman who was critically wounded and her three children shot to death in a 2016 attack by her ex-boyfriend, who then killed himself.

After nearly two years of litigation over whether the University of New Mexico Psychiatric Center was negligent and could have prevented the tragedy, both sides reached the settlement before the case was to go to trial in Albuquerque on Nov. 17.

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The case helped fuel the drive to pass New Mexicos red flag extreme protection law last year. The law empowers a court to order the temporary removal of firearms from those posing an immediate danger of harming themselves or others with a firearm.

UNM still disputes the charge that the centers response to the suicidal George Daniel Wechsler a month before the shooting contributed to the events of the evening of Dec. 5, 2016. That day, Wechsler, 45, asked to drop by Cheryl Mascarenas home in Four Hills to give Christmas presents to the children he subsequently killed.

Our hearts go out to the Mascarenas family for their tragic loss, UNM said in a statement. While we disagree with the allegations in the case, we hope this settlement brings some peace and closure to the family.

Asked whether the shootings prompted any changes in policies or procedures at the mental health center, UNM spokesman Mark Rudi replied in an email, We will continue to strive to provide the best patient care possible through continual evaluation and improvement processes.

Cheryl Mascarenas and her ex-husband, Josh Mascarenas, also a plaintiff, along with their attorney, Lisa Curtis, declined comment. They filed the lawsuit against the UNM Board of Regents, and the total amount paid was $1.09 million, according to state Risk Management Division records.

Arrests, suicide attempts

Wechsler had an arrest history involving assault, harassment and stalking of ex-girlfriends. Court records show he had been hospitalized because of suicide attempts in 1998 and 2002.

Cheryl Mascarenas said at a deposition in the lawsuit she had no idea he was dangerous.

Divorced from the childrens father, she dated Wechsler for 13 months before breaking up with him in August 2016.

The evening of Dec. 5, Wechsler lay in wait until Cheryl Mascarenas drove up to her home with her children, Ian Mathew Mascarenas, 9, Olivia Mascarenas, 6, and Elijah Mascarenas, 5, and got out of their car. Mascarenas recalled Wechsler saying she had made a big mistake before he opened fire.

Wechsler killed the three children and critically wounded Cheryl Mascarenas by shooting her in the chest and extremities. Wechsler then killed himself inside her home with the gun owned by his 81-year-old father.

The settlement is the second one by the UNM Psychiatric Center since 2015. The earlier case, which was settled for $550,000, involved a man who told center employees in March 2009 that he was hearing voices telling him to kill his mother. Two days after he was discharged from the center, he choked his mother to death.

Evaluation questioned

In their lawsuit, filed in 2018, Cheryl and Josh Mascarenas alleged the center failed to properly assess Wechsler after he was taken by ambulance for an evaluation and released two hours later. That occurred Nov. 3, 2016, about a month before the shooting.

Albuquerque Fire Department had transported Wechsler to the UNM center after he admitted that he considered using a gun that belongs to his father to kill himself, according to an exhibit in the case. The AFD report quoted him as saying, My life is a mess  my father wont miss his gun if I take it.

At the time, Wechsler also had an active case of shingles.

Once evaluated, according to UNM attorneys, he denied having suicidal thoughts and was given a prescription for pain medicine from the psychiatrist, Dr. Mohamed Khafaja.

After completing his evaluation, Dr. Khafaja determined, in his professional judgment, that the pain that Wechsler was experiencing from his shingles was the primary acute cause of Wechslers earlier suicidal ideation and that Wechslers suicidal ideation was resolved.

At no time did Wechsler indicate any desire or intent to harm any third party, UNM attorneys wrote in court filings.

Khafaja told Wechsler he could come back for therapy or medication management, and center staff made multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact him after his discharge.

Attorney Curtis has said previously that a five-minute phone call by the Psychiatric Center asking Wechslers father to secure his weapon might have saved the childrens lives.

In text messages included in an exhibit in the lawsuit, Wechsler asked Mascarenas if he could stop by with Christmas presents for her children about an hour before the shooting.

Then, he texted, Gonna ask a quick question? Is your life so much better without me now?

Its not a matter of better, she replied in a text. I made the best choice I could under the circumstances.

Wechsler then texted: One more question just for my soul if you dont mind. Are you seeing someone?

Yes. I am, she replied at 5:48 p.m.

Ouch was his response.

She then texted: Are you sure coming by is the best idea? I know this is a difficult conversation and probably not the answers you want.

Not going to talk bout any of that, he replied by text. Ill be fine. See you around 6:30.

Mascarenas in a deposition said she had no idea why Wechsler shot her, and killed her three children and himself.

I think its inexplicable, she said in a deposition.

Warning signs

Wechsler had been arrested a number of times before the shootings, and he had been hospitalized because of suicide attempts.

An appropriate psychiatric evaluation would have uncovered that Wechsler had multiple prior highly lethal suicide attempts, which were each related to the breakup of a romantic relationship, and prior violent criminal behavior, including a years long history of restraining orders and a guilty plea to aggravated stalking, the plaintiffs lawsuit alleged.

In one instance, he allegedly cut the brake lines of a vehicle belonging to a woman who broke up with him.

Gun petitions

Over objections from all but a few New Mexico sheriffs, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a red flag protection measure as a way to stem gun violence. The Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order Act, which took effect in mid-May 2020, made New Mexico the 18th state to enact such a law.

As of Dec. 31, four petitions to temporarily remove firearms had been filed in state district courts. Three of those had been subsequently extended to one year, according to the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts.The petitions were filed in Eddy County, San Juan County, Santa Fe County and Taos County. A request for a one-year extension in the Taos County case was denied.
View of some of the leaders of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. Among those pictured are, front row from left, John Lewis, Mathew Ahmann, Floyd B. McKissick (1922-1991), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), Reverend Eugene Carson Blake (1906-1985), Cleveland Robinson (1914-1995), and Rabbi Joachim Prinz (1902-1988) (in sunglasses). The march provided the setting for Dr. King's iconic 'I Have a Dream' speech. Getty Images

An unchecked pandemic. Mass protests in response to the killing of Black citizens. A siege on the U.S. Capitol that featured guns, nooses, and the Confederate flag. The past 12 months have been among the most tumultuous ever for Americans, and for Black Americans in particular.

As we honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy again this year, we'd like to offer an appeal. Let's not only celebrate his dream of a just and equal America, but redouble our efforts to make it a reality. And let's do it by utilizing one of the great hallmarks of our country: our system of capitalism.

King himself recognized the essential link between capitalism, economic opportunity, and racial equality. Few remember that the landmark 1963 Washington, D.C., event at which he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech was actually called the "March for Jobs and Freedom." King knew that the tools White Americans use to build wealth and increase their social mobility--buying a home, starting a business, and securing a good job--are key to promoting opportunity and freedom for everyone.

As leaders of two organizations that support these goals, we also see the pressing need to make these tools available to everyone who's been shut out from using them. The urgency is especially great for Black Americans. The 2018 Annual Business Survey found that Black people own just 2.2 percent of the roughly six million businesses in the U.S. Today, the racial homeownership gap is even wider than it was in the 1940s. And the median net worth of Black households in 2016 was just $17,150, compared with $171,000 for White households.

Covid-19 has only exacerbated this inequality. In addition to its disparate health impacts, the pandemic has also had a much greater effect on Black businesses and employees. The National Bureau of Economic Research recently reported that 41 percent of Black-owned businesses--about 440,000 enterprises--have been shuttered by Covid-19, compared with just 17 percent of White-owned businesses. At the height of the pandemic's first wave, Black unemployment topped 17 percent, and it is back on the rise now.

Yet despite this tumult--and perhaps because of it--there are signs of hope. The video of George Floyd's murder last spring not only impelled millions of Americans to make their voices heard in favor of racial justice. It also compelled thousands of business leaders to examine how they can use the tools of capitalism and corporate power to create a more just and equitable society. Notably, their responses this time have gone far beyond donating to worthy charities and issuing empathetic statements. We're seeing real evidence of companies using the structures of finance, employment, and social capital, with the specific intent of supporting Black entrepreneurs, business, and employees.

For example, Netflix announced that it is moving $100 million in deposits into Black-owned financial institutions. The consulting firm EY is leveraging its vast network of clients to connect diverse entrepreneurs to mentors, capital, and customers--access to which Black entrepreneurs often lack. Mastercard announced a $500 million investment to uplift Black entrepreneurs. Moody's and Adidas are expanding opportunity pipelines to good jobs in their firms by expanding college internship programs, and making even greater efforts to recruit Black and Latinx candidates.

Actions like these show that businesses and corporations are essential to dismantling systemic inequalities. But there's one more essential partner: the government. Just as the U.S. president and Congress did in King's day, the Biden administration and Congress have a huge opportunity to use current spending on education, the economy, and workforce development more effectively. The new secretary of education should champion entrepreneurship and career awareness education in our public schools. The next secretary of labor can help direct federal job training dollars to help teenagers and young adults start their own businesses. Congress should pass the Next Generation Entrepreneur Corps Act, a bipartisan bill offered by Democrat Chris Coons and Republican Tim Scott that would create a national fellowship program to build the next generation of diverse entrepreneurs.

Five decades ago, millions of Americans were inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership to push for Black Americans' basic civil rights. Now we're at another inflection point, marked by the imperative to include all Americans, and especially Black Americans, in the promise of American capitalism.

As King put it in his most famous address: "When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir ... America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned ... But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt."
Irelands health service is potentially facing the most challenging week in its history, a minister for state has said.

Joe OBriens stark prediction came as health minister Stephen Donnelly warned that the situation in hospitals would get worse before it got better, with very serious pressure expected in the coming weeks.

The number of Covid-19 patients requiring intensive care treatment has risen sharply since the end of December.

Cars and people queueing at the vaccination centre in Phoenix Park, Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA)

On Sunday morning, 1,923 coronavirus patients were being treated in Irelands hospitals, 195 of whom were in intensive care units.

Mr OBrien, minister of state for community development, said ICU capacity had been increased in preparation for the surge.

We have 313 ICU beds at the moment, that goes up to surge capacity of 350, he told RTEs The Week In Politics.

Its going to be a very difficult week ahead I suspect, possibly the most challenging week for the health service almost in its history.

Mr Donnelly said sufficient clinical staff were available to deal with the increasing numbers.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said hospitals would come under very serious pressure over coming weeks (Niall Carson/PA)

Most importantly, we have the staff, he told RTEs This Week programme.

There has been a lot of work done since the first wave.

PPE is fine. The number of ventilators  if you remember back in March that was a serious concern, oxygen is fine, a lot of work has been done.

Nonetheless, the system is and will continue to be under very serious pressure for the next few weeks.

His comments come a day after it was announced that hundreds of student nursing and midwifery placements have been suspended to free up staff to support the coronavirus response.

The move will allow those qualified nurses and midwives who supervise and teach the students during the placements to focus on the battle against the virus.

On Saturday, Irelands chief medical officer expressed concern that failures to fully comply with coronavirus rules and guidance was frustrating efforts to bring down infection rates.

Dr Tony Holohan said reductions in infections were not happening fast enough, with the virus having taken hold in every part of Ireland.

This virus has taken root in every single part of the country, Dr Holohan said.

A significant percentage of the population  in excess of one in 10 in some counties  is currently either a case or a close contact. This is a huge burden of infection.

When you consider that a significant percentage of our daily cases will directly lead to hospitalisation and mortality, the urgency with which we need to act becomes clear.

Dr Tony Holohan said the virus had taken hold in every part of Ireland (Brian Lawless/PA)

Virologist Dr Cillian De Gascun, who is director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, has highlighted the threat posed by the new variant first detected in the UK.

He said it was inevitable that it would become the dominant variant in Ireland.

Due to the nature of the mutation found in the UK variant of the virus, it is inevitable that it will become the dominant variant here in Ireland over time, he said.

The UK variant has adapted to us: simply put, it is better at moving from person to person when we come into contact.

So what we must do is reduce its opportunities to spread by cutting out socialising.

Pressure is mounting in hospitals as efforts to roll out the vaccine in Ireland continue.

Over the weekend, around 1,800 GPs, practice nurses and other healthcare staff received Moderna jabs at mass vaccination centres in Dublin, Galway and Portlaoise.
" " British journalist Sir Bernard Ingham could probably use a "guybrown" trim. A lot of men have eyebrows and other body hair that grows unwieldy in their older age. Oli Scarff/Getty Images

I've been shaving my head for the past 15 years or so. I started losing my hair just after college. Tired of cleaning gunky shower drains littered with a forest of follicles, I found it easier to take razor to scalp. Now, as I play on the back nine of life, hair has once again become a central issue. It still doesn't grow on my head  oh no  the gods have seen to that. Instead, it grows like dandelions  in the most unwanted places.

If you're a male baby boomer, or older, then you know what I'm talking about. Hair, long beautiful hair, sprouts like a farmer's well-fertilized field but not where you want it to. Instead it grows out of our ears, out our noses, our backs, our chests. Yuck! Double yuck!

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Unwanted hair! It's a fact of life for older men, a gross embarrassment that we must endure along with creaky joints, constant urination and body parts that seem to work (or not) on their own. Yet, there's simply no good explanation as to why "...shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen give-me-it-down-to-there hair" grows where we don't want it.

"I wish there was a good answer," Dr. Jeffrey Benabio, a member of the American Academy of Dermatology told The New York Times a few years ago.

'nough said! Interestingly, there is a dearth of scientific evidence on why older men grow hair in the most conspicuous places. There are dozens  hundreds even  of scholarly articles on what to do about unwanted hair, but relatively none on what causes it.

Scientific American posited a theory a few years ago. The magazine said when boys go through puberty their testosterone levels spike (tell me about it). As a result, the small hairs on their faces, underarms, chest and pubic areas turn into large hairs and remain in anagen, the active phase of hair growth, for an extended period. When boys turn into men and get older, however, testosterone causes the hair follicles in their ears and nose to grow as thick as tree trunks.

That same sensitivity to testosterone works in reverse for males with specific genes tied to baldness. Yes, our ear and nose hair will get longer, but the hairs on the top of our heads become smaller and spend less time in anagen. What's the outcome? You guessed it  a naked pate. Thank you, Mother Nature.

In 2017, researchers at the University of California discovered that individual hairs "talk" to one another. They chat up a storm to coordinate hair growth across the entire body. Regulated by a single molecular mechanism that ensures that no bald patches form, animals use the signaling pathway for survival.

Here's how it works: Skin is home to hundreds of thousands of hair follicles. Each goes through different stages. Some follicles grow hair for a long time before losing it. When that happens, the follicle takes its time before it sprouts another hair. To make sure the hair density on your body is just right, the follicles coordinate with each other using chemical signals. If they didn't talk, bald patches would form across your entire body. Some signals stimulate hair growth, others prevent it.

"The balance between these two signals affects the pattern of hair growth," the authors of the study write in the online journal eLIFE. "For example, higher levels of activators [signals that stimulate hair growth] allow fur to grow thickly on the belly of [a] mouse, likely to protect against heat loss and injuries from the ground. By contrast, higher levels of inhibitors [signals that prevent hair growth] make the hairs on the ear sparse, which may prevent them from interfering with hearing."

"In analogy with languages spoken in two neighboring countries, it was unclear how the back skin 'talks' with the belly skin to coordinate the tasks of growing hairs," Maksim Plikus, an assistant professor of development and cell biology at the University of California, Irvine said in a statement. "We showed that although different signaling 'dialects' may exist between belly and back skin, for instance, all hairs can understand one another through the use of similar 'words' and 'sentences.'"

While all of this is very interesting, what does it tell us about why ear and nose hair gets so out of control? The researchers say a communication breakdown between the follicles may lead to hair growth irregularities, including male pattern baldness.

"Just like scalp skin can show hair growth deficiency, skin in other body sites  such as the face, arms and legs  can often show excessive hair growth that can be cosmetically undesirable," Plikus said. "Our findings suggest that increased signaling crosstalk among hair follicles could be one major reason for this."

Learning to activate and control communication between these follicles could provide a way to treat male pattern baldness, the study said.

So there you have it. In summation there are really no good answers as to why hair grows in the most awkward of places. The best solution I could find comes not from a scientist, but an American poet, X.J. Kennedy: "For when time takes you out for a spin in his car/You'll be hard-pressed to stop him from going too far/And be left by the roadside, for all your good deeds,/Two toadstools for tits and a face full of weeds."

Or too much ear and nose hair!

Now That's Interesting Men aren't the only people who have to deal with unwanted hair growth. Some older women have a condition call hirsutism, in which dark, coarse hair appears on their face, chest and back, all places men typically have hair. It's caused by an excessive amount of testosterone, but can also be genetic.
The attack took place on Tynedale Road, Birmingham. (Google)

A pensioner is fighting for his life after being stabbed in broad daylight outside a supermarket in Birmingham.

The man, believed to be in his 70s, was rushed to hospital after the sickening attack outside a shop on Tynedale Road in the area of Tyseley on Saturday.

Following the incident armed police swooped on the street and paramedics quickly arrived.

West Midlands Police said in a statement that the victim was in a serious condition as he was taken to hospital for treatment.

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A 27-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder.

A spokesperson for the force said investigations are in the early stages to establish what happened.

The scene was closed for several hours between Olton Boulevard west and Spring Road with forensics officers working to gather evidence.

Pictures published on social media showed the scene sealed off by police.

Read more: Three teenagers appear in court charged with murder of autistic boy

West Midlands Police said in a statement: We were called to reports of a stabbing on Tynedale Road, Birmingham at 1pm today.

A man, believed to be in his 70s, was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

A 27-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder.

Investigations are in the early stages to establish the circumstances that led to this incident.

Anyone with information can contact us via live chat on our website or by calling 101. Please quote log number 1490 of 16/01.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 15:04:05|Editor: huaxia

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LOS ANGELES, Jan 16. (Xinhua) -- Los Angeles became the first county in the United States to surpass 1 million total cases since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, local health officials said Saturday.

The most populous county in the country, home to 10 million residents, on Saturday reported 14,669 new confirmed cases and 253 additional deaths, pushing its cumulative cases up to 1,003,923 with 13,741 related deaths, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

There are 7,597 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in the county with 22 percent of them in intensive care, said the department in a daily release.

Local health officials also confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus strain, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom. The individual found to have contracted the virus is a male, who recently spent time in L.A. County but has traveled to Oregon, where he is currently in quarantine.

The more contagious variant has been previously detected in Southern California's San Diego and San Bernardino.

"Presence of the U.K. variant in Los Angeles County means virus transmission can happen more easily and residents must more diligently follow the safety measures put in place to prevent additional cases, hospitalizations, and deaths," officials noted in the release.

Los Angeles County's Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer warned the presence of the U.K. variant in Los Angeles is troubling, as the county's healthcare system is already severely strained with more than 7,500 people currently hospitalized.

"Our community is bearing the brunt of the winter surge, experiencing huge numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, five times what we experienced over the summer. This more contagious variant makes it easier for infections to spread at worksites, at stores, and in our homes," she added. Enditem
She's among a host of reality stars who have faced backlash after avoiding the UK's COVID-19 restrictions by jetting abroad.

But Arabella Chi appeared unfazed by the recent criticism on Saturday as she flaunted her incredible figure in racy red underwear.

The model and former Love Islander, 29, showcased her slender curves from the comfort of her hotel room in Egypt.

Set pulses racing: Arabella Chi displayed her incredible figure in racy red underwear on Saturday from the comfort of her hotel room in Egypt

Her sizzling semi-sheer lingerie from Lounge comprised of a lace bra and matching skimpy thong.

Arabella styled her blonde tresses in a straight hairdo and she rocked natural make-up.

She added a touch of glamour with timeless gold jewellery before switching into black activewear for a gym workout.

The reality star has been documenting her luxurious vacation for modelling work, while staying at the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza.

Send temperatures soaring: The model and former Love Islander, 29, showcased her slender curves after facing criticism for travelling abroad for a 'work' trip amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Before arriving in Dubai prior to her Egypt trip, Arabella informed her social media followers that she would be travelling, and asked whether they'd like to see content online.

The ASOS star wrote: 'I know with everything that is going on in the world at the moment that travelling should be limited but I just wanted to reach out to you guys and say the reason I am travelling.

'And along side this I will be taking extra precautions to make sure I protect myself and most importantly others.

'I am travelling to Dubai as I have a shoot on Thursday and I have some meetings set up with modelling agencies out there I am then going onto Egypt and working with @flat42.global & @followmetoegypt.

Strike a pose: Her sizzling semi-sheer lingerie from Lounge comprised of a lace bra and matching skimpy thong and Arabella styled her blonde tresses in a straight hairdo

'Gym time': She added a touch of glamour with timeless gold jewellery before switching into black activewear for a gym workout

'Having said that... would you guys prefer me to limit my content I post while I am away? As don't want to affend anybody while I am away.' (sic)

Her holiday comes amid an increasing amount of fury over many influencers and reality stars 'bending rules' to jet abroad, which has only been heightened after Boris Johnson announced the nation would enter a third lockdown.

Under the latest national lockdown rules, which is now in effect, holidays are banned as international travel is only permitted for a strict number of reasons such as for work.

Within the UK, domestic holidays are also banned as you must stay at home at all times except for a limited number of 'reasonable excuses' such as shopping for essentials or work.

The Government has said if you need to travel you should stay local  meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live  and look to reduce the number of journeys you make overall.
The detention of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny by law enforcement as he arrived in Moscow following his return from Germany after recovering from being poisoned has sparked immediate outrage and criticism of the Kremlin.

Navalny arrived in the evening on January 17 in Moscow from Germany, where he was being treated after being poisoned in Russia last August, and was promptly detained by law enforcement authorities at the airport.

Anger over the move came almost as quickly.

European Council President Charles Michel called the apprehension of the 44-year-old Kremlin critic "unacceptable" and demanded his immediate release.



"The detainment of Alexei Navalny upon arrival in Moscow is unacceptable," Michel, who coordinates EU governments in Brussels, said in a tweet. "I call on Russian authorities to immediately release him."

Navalny, who Amnesty International called on January 17 a prisoner of conscience, was poisoned last summer by what tests at Western laboratories showed was a Novichok nerve agent. He was flown to Germany for emergency medical care after being poisoned in Siberia.

Navalny, who has been jailed numerous times in Russia for organizing and leading anti-government protests, blames the poisoning on the Russian authorities. Moscow denies any involvement.

The poisoning, which was similar to the near-fatal attack on Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in 2018 in the English city of Salisbury, drew wide international attention, as did Navalny's planned return after Russia's prison authority warned that Navalny could be jailed for 3 1/2 years for allegedly flouting the terms of a suspended prison sentence.

In a joint statement upon the news of Navalny's detention, the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia -- all former Soviet republics -- issued a call for the "imposition of restrictive measures" against Moscow.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis added in a tweet that the detention of Navalny by the Russian authorities is completely unacceptable. We demand his immediate release."

"[The] EU should act swiftly and if he is not released, we need to consider imposition of restrictive measures in response to this blatant act, he added.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also called on Twitter for "a swift and unequivocal response at the EU level" if Navalny is not released.

In the United States, the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden also called for Navalny's immediate release and that "the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable."

"The Kremlins attacks on Mr. Navalny are not just a violation of human rights, but an affront to the Russian people who want their voices heard," Jake Sullivan, Biden's incoming national-security adviser, said in a tweet.

With reporting by Current Time and RFE/RLs Russian Service

President-elect Joe Biden plans to issue a sweeping set of policy reversals and agenda-setting actions within his first 10 days in office, undoing Donald Trumps legacy of executive orders.

The incoming administration has prepared more than a dozen executive actions for inauguration day on Wednesday, including striking the Trump administrations bans on travel from majority-Muslim countries and rejoining the Paris climate agreement.

Following his swearing-in ceremony, there will also be swift action on the coronavirus pandemic, including a mask mandate for federal property and interstate travel and extending efforts to freeze evictions and defer student loan payments.

On Thursday, the president-elect will sign more Covid-19-related executive actions to begin reopening schools and businesses and set clear federal health guidelines and expand access to testing.

In the days that follow, he will announce a programme to reunite families separated by federal law enforcement at the US-Mexico border. He also will roll out criminal justice reform proposals and other measures to combat the climate crisis.

In a statement, incoming chief of staff Ron Klain said that these actions will change the course of Covid 19, combat climate change, promote racial equity and support other underserved communities, and rebuild our economy in ways that strengthen the backbone of this country: the working men and women who built our nation.

While the policy objectives in these executive actions are bold, I want to be clear: the legal theory behind them is well-founded and represents a restoration of an appropriate, constitutional role for the president, he said.

The incoming administration will announce policy specifics and other measures in the coming days.

Mr Biden announced this week a $1.9 trillion stimulus package to boost the economy and provide additional relief to millions of struggling Americans during the public health crisis. The proposal saw immediate support among Democratic lawmakers, signalling an urgency to move policy forward.

The Biden agenda faces "a moment of profound crisis for our nation", Mr Klain said. "We face four overlapping and compounding crises: the Covid 19 crisis, the resulting economic crisis, the climate crisis, and a racial equity crisis. All of these crises demand urgent action."

Mr Bidens immediate moves will aim to prevent other urgent and irreversible harms, and restore Americas place in the world, Mr Klain said.

His announcement arrives amid the shifting power balance in Congress, the departure of a twice-impeached Republican president and the aftermath of a deadly insurrection at the Capitol mounted by his supporters.

In damning remarks on Saturday, House majority leader Steny Hoyer declared that none of the Trump officials who have resigned their posts over the past few weeks will salvage their reputations by doing so".

They have all been a part of, and enablers of, the most dysfunctional, corrupt, and destructive administration in history," he said. "They should all live a life of shame for what they have done to our beloved country.

His statement follows the resignation of several administration officials and staffers who left their posts in the wake of the Capitol riots.

Mr Bidens legislative blitz and an administration staffed with veteran White House officials anticipates congressional strife ahead, circumventing GOP roadblocks in Congress with top-down orders.

As it mulls the president-elects massive stimulus legislation, on the heels of months-long Republican deadlock to provide relief at the height of the pandemic, the Senate will enter yet another trial for the presidents impeachment.

Democrats have sought to rapidly schedule a trial in an attempt to immediately get to work on Mr Bidens policy agenda. The president instead will be the first to face an impeachment trial while he is out of office.

Ten House Republicans voted to impeach the president and there is growing speculation that several Republican senators will vote to convict him, underscoring the GOP divisions in Congress, as Republicans insulate themselves from members of the party who encouraged the presidents attempts to undermine election results.
Big building firms face a multi-billion-pound levy to help families pay to repair homes with dangerous cladding in the wake of the Grenfell fire.

It could a mean a levy on all high rise flats and possibly a separate charge on major developments to atone for building tens of thousands of flats and homes with unsafe cladding and insulation in recent decades.

It is part of a package of measures being discussed by Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick to meet Britain's estimated 15billion post-Grenfell repair bill. The levy could raise up to 200million a year  a total of 2billion over ten years.

Big building firms face a multi-billion-pound levy to help families pay to repair homes with dangerous cladding in the wake of the Grenfell fire (pictured)

The inquiry into the 2017 Grenfell fire in Kensington, west London, in which 72 people died, has exposed how hundreds of apartment blocks were built which do not comply with safety regulations.

The Government has said developers and building owners should fix the safety crisis, but leasehold law means residents in the flats must foot the bill.

Ministers are considering two annual levies to ease the financial burden on leaseholders:

Adapting the existing 'community infrastructure levy' whereby developers pay to improve the community in return for planning permission.

A special 'gateway levy' whereby developers would pay a levy on new high rise blocks of flats.

It would meet demands by campaigners, backed by the Daily Mail, to stop big developers shirking their responsibility.

Maxine Burton: This could cost me my job as a solicitor Maxine Burton is facing bankruptcy  and losing her job as a solicitor  after a flat she bought three years ago became worthless overnight. The 33-year-old bought the 178,000 home with her boyfriend in March 2017. The couple planned to add value to the property with renovations and sell it on after a year in order to buy a larger place. Maxine Burton is facing bankruptcy  and losing her job as a solicitor  after a flat she bought three years ago became worthless overnight But a safety survey carried out in November 2019 identified several risks in Cartier House, Leeds, a nine-storey building, including cladding issues, an absence of fire breaks within the walls and wooden balconies. Now Miss Burton's life is on hold. She also said she faces 'financial ruin' with remediation costs expected to reach 43,000. She said: 'It's so hard not being able to have plans for the future and the financial stress is crippling. 'I don't want to spend all of my thirties living in this situation. We wanted to move last year and start a family but that doesn't look like it will happen now. 'We were not aware when we bought the flat that there were issues. We, like everyone else, bought in good faith that the building was safe. But the corruption evident in the building system and the carelessness is shocking.' Miss Burton fears she will lose her job if she goes bankrupt, because her right to practise would be suspended. She added: 'The Government keep making statements but won't pursue anything for us. 'The constant fear of death is also really hard to live with. We're right at the top of the block at the end of a corridor, so if there was a fire it would be very difficult for us to get out safely.' Advertisement

Significantly, the proposal is advocated by fire and building safety minister Lord Greenhalgh, who is also responsible for the Grenfell inquiry.

Lord Greenhalgh, a close personal and political ally of Boris Johnson and who served as his deputy when he was London mayor, said: 'A generation of people have built buildings that are not fit for purpose. In recent years developers have made profits of between 20 per cent and 30 per cent.

'Of course they should step in and do the right thing. The solution will include a levy on the development community.'

He said paying a levy would help developers regain the public trust needed to carry on in business.

A Government source added: 'A levy is in keeping with 'the polluter pays' principle. We may not be able to hold the industry legally responsible, but we can hold it morally responsible and make it contribute to putting things right.'

Charlotte Woods: I was loyal to Tories. Now I feel betrayed. Charlotte Woods, a former campaign manager for the Conservative Party, always viewed owning a home as her 'number one goal'. She saved up her earnings while working for several candidates later elected to Red Wall former Labour seats in the North in 2019. But Miss Woods says the Government's stance on flammable cladding has left her feeling 'very betrayed'. Charlotte Woods says the Government's stance on flammable cladding has left her feeling 'very betrayed' Because her six-storey block is less than 18m high, its residents do not qualify for a share of government grants. Miss Woods, 27, who bought her two-bed flat in Salford, Greater Manchester, for 155,000 four years ago, is likely to face a bill of thousands of pounds to make the building safe. She and her partner lost the chance to sell and move to a family home in August and fear they may have to delay their wedding, planned for next year. Miss Woods, who now works in communications, said: 'We have a small section of rainscreen cladding on the top of our building. We've been told it's flammable, the insulation under it is flammable and the fire breaks need replacing.' Miss Wood said she felt 'so proud' to own a home at 23, but added: 'I now feel very betrayed that the party I was once so loyal to has let me down so badly. I joined because I had conservative values, like the importance of owning your own home.' Advertisement

Ministers have dismissed London mayor Sadiq Khan's call for a massive one-off 'windfall tax' on developers as impractical, mainly on the grounds that it would put some building firms out of business.

The say an annual levy would raise far more in the long run without damaging the industry.

It is expected to be part of a wider package including a Government loan, and additional taxpayer support, to end the fire risk in millions of homes.

Making building owners and developers pay to fix the safety crisis has been a mantra of ministers ever since Grenfell. But the Government has shown little willingness to force the companies to pay, until now. Some developers have put money towards repairs, but nothing close to the amount needed to save some leaseholders from potential bankruptcy.

As the Mail has revealed, the biggest housebuilders have made more than 15billion in profit since Grenfell, allowing them to pay shareholders dividends of 5billion.

Since 2008, they have also benefited from billions of pounds of public subsidy via Help to Buy and Shared Ownership schemes.

But hundreds of apartment blocks have been built that do not comply with new fire regulations.

Britain's most profitable housebuilder, Persimmon, commissioned an independent review which found in 2019 that it had a 'systemic nationwide problem' with fire stops in its timber-frame properties. Responding at the time, the developer said it would now 'prioritise the customer over the pure profit motive'.

A separate investigation by the BBC in 2019 found that new-build homes constructed by Persimmon and Bellway Homes were sold with missing or defective fire breaks, which are designed to stop the spread of a blaze. The companies said they were addressing the issue.

Cladding crisis sees flat sales fall by half

By Matt Oliver for The Daily Mail

Sales of flats have halved amid growing fears about Grenfell-style safety issues, official figures reveal.

In a worrying sign for the wider housing market, the number of flats sold in September, a usually busy month, fell by 48 per cent year-on-year to about 5,900.

It means transactions worth a total of 1.6billion were lost, according to Land Registry figures.

The massive drop  which outpaced a 26 per cent drop in house transactions  has implications for the wider housing market because collapsing flat sales can affect other deals further up the property ladder.

Sales of flats have halved amid growing fears about Grenfell-style safety issues, official figures reveal. Pictured: Workers remove cladding from the Whitebeam Court tower block in Salford in June 2017

Campaigners claim fears about unsafe apartments are behind the decline. Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, hundreds of thousands of homeowners have been forced to remain in flats they cannot sell because their blocks have similar, potentially unsafe cladding.

The concerns have prompted some lenders to refuse mortgages on the properties, while leaseholders have been left to foot the bill for repairs.

Miles Shipside, from Rightmove, said the drop would leave the market 'seriously undermined' because 'sellers of flats typically prop up the rest of the home-buying chain'.

Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, hundreds of thousands of homeowners have been forced to remain in flats they cannot sell because their blocks have similar, potentially unsafe cladding

Phil Spencer, a property expert and presenter of Channel 4's Location, Location, Location, added that the figures were 'shocking'. 'It's like taking half the first rung of the housing ladder away, which takes half of the second rung away, which takes part of the third rung away, and so on,' he told The Sunday Times.

Tom Marshall, 31, and his fiancee Jessie Andrews, 27, saw the sale of their 245,000 flat collapse in September after the buyer's lender refused a mortgage on the property.

The flat was part of a four-storey block in Sidcup, south-east London, that failed an 'external wall system' safety check. It meant that former soldier Mr Marshall and his partner had to pull out of their planned purchase of a three-bedroom Victorian terrace.

'We were buying off a lady who lost her work contract over Covid-19,' he told the newspaper.

'She was also trying to free up capital to support her son and his family to buy their first house.'
'You don't want her - she's an awful scrawny thing," said the nun to the married woman who stopped in front of my crib.

The woman was invited to choose a baby from a large number of young children in cribs that filled a big room in Saint Patrick's Home in Dublin in September 1963.

The woman began to cry. She felt she couldn't make such a choice. She and her husband expected the nuns would have handed them a baby to adopt and she was overwhelmed when told she must choose a child from all the babies in front of her.

"This baby will be our baby," she said, finally, despite the warning from the nun that I was so scrawny and, as it turned out, clinically malnourished.

There was a number on my cot and a name, Anna Maria, given to me by my birth mother. The nun told the new adoptive mother to disregard the name and give me a new one. My birth mother, Annette, was not in the room at that important moment. She was working as a cleaner somewhere in that big building.

Annette was 18 and had been put to work in St Patrick's Mother and Baby Home on the Navan Road in the city. She had to work in exchange for giving birth to me in the institution. She continued working there for six months since giving birth. She had desperately wanted to keep me but encountered too many obstacles.

The young mothers in the home always knew the sound of tyres on gravel outside the building meant visitors were coming to take away one of their babies. When one of the young mothers told Annette that I was being taken away, she became hysterical and was so upset she felt she was "going to die". She never met my adoptive parents.

My new mother and father had brought along my new grandfather on their visit. He asked the nun what would happen to my birth mother now that I was being adopted. The nun said she must continue working in the institution "to pay her way".

My grandfather took out 50 from his pocket, which was a huge sum of money in those days. He gave the money to the nun and told her: "You will let her go now."

So Annette left the institution on the same day as me.

That was 58 years ago. My name is now Helen Martin and I live in Foxrock in Dublin. I am retired from my job as a sales and marketing manager. My own three children are aged in their 30s.

It has been an eventful week with the publication of the final report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and I welcome this opportunity to share my own story with Sunday Independent readers.

As a child, I felt like a celebrity when I told people that I was adopted. I had kind, generous and incredibly loving parents. We lived in Stillorgan in Dublin and I went to private school at Muckross Park in Donnybrook.

I never questioned my parentage and it never bothered me until I was married and was giving birth to my first child. I began to dwell on how any mother could give their child away.

At the maternity hospital in Holles Street, I had to fill in forms which asked questions about my birth mother's medical history which I could not answer. Neither did my adoptive parents know anything about my birth mother.

After the birth of my second child, I decided I must find out about my birth mother. But I was not legally entitled to see my original birth certificate with the name of my birth mother. I had a different form of birth certificate for adopted persons which did not contain the name of a birth mother.

As an adopted person, I was banned from having an original birth cert. I learned from fellow members of a support group that it was possible to get my hands on my original birth cert by illegal means.

By clandestine methods, I discovered there was only one girl born in St Patrick's on the day of my birth in March 1963, which led me to discover my original name. This allowed me to apply for a birth certificate in my original name.

I emerged from the office in Lombard Street in Dublin in 1994 holding my original birth cert for the first time. I remember sitting in my car and reading that my mother was Annette Newe.

Further investigation revealed the surprise that Annette was also born in St Patrick's Home to a teenage mother in 1944. I also managed to get a marriage certificate for Annette and I felt like I was a private investigator.

I became a mother for a third time and continued my investigations. By then, St Patrick's had been demolished. The religious order of nuns that had run the institution, the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, were based in Northbrook Road in Dublin 4.

I pretended I was a journalist who was writing an article on the religious order and I visited the nuns at Northbrook Road where I was ushered into their parlour and offered tea and scones.

But as I sat down with one of the nuns who had worked in St Patrick's, I revealed my identity and told her I wanted any files they had on me. The nun refused and I told her I knew about the claims of 'selling babies' for adoption and told them I would return in two days for my file.

Two days later, I returned. No tea and scones this time. I was shown inside where I was given a file containing my records. Inside the file was a note which said, 'Best of luck'.

I was then able to go to an address in Leixlip where Annette had lived in the past with her aunt. Her aunt was dead, but neighbours remembered her.

Annette was originally from Tipperary. Her own mother had given her away to her sister to raise in Leixlip while she moved to England where she later married and had a family.

I traced Annette's current address in Roscommon, where she was living with her husband and three daughters. I contacted the Barnardos charity and told them I was determined to meet her. Eventually, Barnardos wrote to her and she agreed to meet me at a hotel in Athlone. I remember stopping the car on the way to get sick as I was so nervous.

Barnardos provided two counsellors for the meeting, one for me and one for Annette. When we met it was just incredible. I was the absolute spit of her. We ended up hugging and laughing and crying. We thanked the counsellors and asked them to leave and we talked and talked.

Annette said I was the result of a summertime romance with a colleague in a hotel where they worked. Their relationship ended. She had pleaded with her aunt to be allowed to bring her baby home, but she was refused. She did not want to give me up for adoption but she was made to feel she had no option.

She recalled the misery of St Patrick's Home where she was treated like "a nobody". She gave birth with no one to hold her hand or comfort her. She thought her body would break in half with pain during labour. A nun told her the pain was part of her penance.

When she left, she was told that I was being taken to the USA to live. She got a live-in job at the Montrose Hotel on the Stillorgan Road in Dublin, while I was taken to my new home in Stillorgan.

Over the next few years, my family would have brought me for meals at the Montrose Hotel and it was likely that Annette may have served us our meals.

A few years later, Annette moved to England where she worked in several jobs, including driving a bus in Birmingham. She eventually returned to Dublin and married a man from Roscommon. They lived in Goatstown in Dublin. We were amazed to discover we had lived less than a three-minute walk from each other for several years.

Annette and her husband later moved to Roscommon where they lived with their three daughters. But within a couple of years of me being reunited with her, Annette died suddenly at the age of 56, in 2001. She died before getting around to telling her family about me. I remember going to her funeral and commiserating with my own sisters as their mother's friend.

I experienced some very difficult years after that and had feelings of abandonment and I sought counselling. Eight years after Annette's death, I got a phone call from her youngest daughter, Vicki, who was then aged in her late-20s.

She told me that she and her sisters had wondered about my friendship with their mother. I looked so like Annette and they wondered if I was a cousin. I said 'No.'

They wondered if I could be a sister of Annette's that no-one knew about? I said 'No.'

"Are you a relation?" she persisted. I replied: "I'm her daughter."

As it turned out, it was the beginning of a new joyful era for me when I was welcomed warmly into Annette's family circle. I was invited to lots of family celebrations. Our families regularly attended events together and we've all gone on holidays together.

The commission's final report published last week does not give the full picture of the suffering inflicted nationwide by the system of mother and baby homes which was the responsibility of the State and church working hand in hand.

Women, and some men too, were treated appallingly by the system. There was so much hurt and pain suffered by generations in these homes. There is no eraser to take away the pain of the women and children of those institutions.

I'm glad there has been an apology, but Taoiseach Micheal Martin's apology was too little too late. I don't blame him personally as it was a poisoned chalice for him.

There needs to be proper documentation of actions the Government must take to help all the people who want to find the identity of their birth moms and who still cannot access the documents relating to their own births and earliest medical records.

And what about redress? To say they are going to give advanced medical cards - like, seriously? That's like slapping a band-aid on someone who has been cut open with a knife.

Implementing real improvements to help the lives of survivors of mother and baby homes would be a fitting tribute to Annette.

As told to Alan O'Keeffe
Amazon India's Great Republic Day Sale is back, and the company will host the event between January 20 to 23. As a part of the Republic Day celebrations in the country, the e-commerce giant will offer sale deals like instant discounts, no-cost EMI, and free delivery on a range of products such as smartphones, consumer electronics, smart TVs, and more, during the event. Similarly, a range of Apple products that includes the iPhone 12 mini will be available with sale offers that effectively lowers its market price. As expected, Amazon Prime members will get 24-hour early access to deals on January 19. The Great Republic Day Sale is also showcasing products from Indian small and medium businesses across categories like fashion and beauty essentials, accessories, smart wearables, office products and stationaries.

Amazon says that customers during the Great Republic Day Sale can save extra money by availing a 10 percent instant discount with SBI credit cards on regular and EMI transactions. Users can also enjoy cashback deals with Amazon Pay ICICI credit card on a variety of products. Other offers like no-cost EMI with Bajaj Finserv EMI card, Amazon Pay ICICI credit card, and other domestic and international banks will also be available. Select smartphones from brands like Xiaomi, Samsung, and more are getting a price cut as well. Meanwhile, here are some of the Apple products that you may want to buy at the Great Republic Day Sale.

iPhone 12 mini: The base 64GB of the smartphone will retail at Rs 59,900 (MRP Rs 69,900) during the Amazon sale event. Customers can also avail deals like an exchange offer worth up to Rs 11,000, no-cost EMI and cashback deals with Amazon Pay credit card. Users should note that the packaging does not include the charging brick. The iPhone 12 mini comes with the flagship A14 Bionic chipset, dual rear cameras, and MagSafe support.

iPhone 12: The vanilla iPhone 12 is not getting price cut, though customers can again avail sale deals to lower its market price. At the moment, the phone retails at Rs 79,900 for the base 64GB model. Amazon, on the other hand, will provide sale deals like 10 percent instant discount with SBI credit cards on regular and EMI transactions. Additionally, no-cost EMI and exchange offers will be available as well. The iPhone 12 specifications are similar to the iPhone 12 mini, and customers can choose between five colour options (Product Red, Black, White, Green, and Blue).

iPhone 7: The 32GB model of the iPhone 7 can be purchased at Rs 23,990 (MRP Rs 29,900) during the Amazon Great Republic Day Sale. It comes with a 4.7-inch Retina HD LCD display, A10 Fusion SoC, single 12-megapixel wide camera, and a Touch ID with haptic feedback. In terms of offers, it'll be available to purchase with standard and no-cost EMI options. There's also an exchange offer worth Rs 11,000.

Apple Watch Series 3: The smartwatch from Apple will also be available with sale deals like free shipping, no-cost EMI (on select cards), and cashback deals with Amazon Pay ICICI Bank credit card. It currently retails at Rs 23,900 for 42mm model. Notable features of the Apple Watch 3 include GPS, optical heart sensor, and dual-core S3 processor. The Apple Watch is also touted to deliver 18 hours of battery life. It is not getting a price cut on Amazon.

Apple AirPods Pro: The TWS earbuds from Apple will be available at Rs 20,999, down from Rs 24,900 during the Amazon Great Republic Day Sale. The earbuds feature active noise cancellation, adaptive EQ, Siri voice assistant support, and more. The product does not include any exchange offer, though customers can avail no-cost EMI with select domestic and international credit cards, cashback with Amazon Pay ICICI credit card, and Rs 150 cashback with Amazon Pay Later.
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'Traditionalist Catholics' destroy homes of 5 Mexican evangelical families

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Two families from Mexicos Tzotzil tribe destroyed the houses of five evangelical Christians on Sunday in the Mitziton community of southern Mexico, near the city of San Cristobal de las Casas.

Esdras Alonso Gonzalez, the director of the Christian ministry Alas de Aguila, alerted news sources to the attacks. He said to El Universal that before the attack started, the local community jailed two Christians, Alejandro Jimenez Jimenez and Miguel Jimenez Heredia.

One year ago, local Catholics prevented evangelical Christians from building a church in the area and forced them to leave. When they returned a year later, local people attacked them in another attempt to make them leave.

In many places in Mexico, Catholicism is mixed with local Aztec polytheism. People sacrifice chickens, dogs, alcohol and soda to Jesus and Catholic saints, which they see as different faces of Mayan gods. People who observe this religion are called traditionalist Catholics (not to be confused with Roman Catholics).

Unlike Christianity, traditionalist Catholicism relies on giving gifts to the gods in exchange for health, good fortune and protection from evil. Many Tzotzil people practice traditionalist Catholicism.

Behind the collection of saints and virgins in the San Juan Bautista church are Ah Puch, Chaac, Ixchel, Kukulkan, and the whole pantheon of ancient Mayan gods. They have adapted to their new names and now celebrate new festivities, but their true essences remain, wrote travel site Matador Network about a Tzotzil traditionalist Catholic church.

The persecution evangelical Christians face among the Tzotzil is religious persecution, said Alonso Gonzalez. Traditionalist Catholics attack Christians because Christians wont celebrate Catholic holidays or attend traditionalist Catholic feasts.

After the destruction of their homes, the five evangelical Christian families must wait on the decision of local authorities who will determine when or if they will be allowed to return, he said. The families affected include 30 people.

Christians among the Tzotzil people have faced persecution before, said Alonso Gonzalez. In 2014, Mexican indigenous activists destroyed 10 houses belonging to Christians because they chopped down trees without the permission of the community assembly. In 2016, Catholic traditionalists destroyed the homes of 350 Christians.

Persecution of Christians in Mexico has risen due to drug cartel violence, persecution by traditionalist Catholics and violent discrimination by anti-Christian left-wing groups, persecution watchdog Open Doors USA reported. Currently, Mexico is 37th on its list of countries that most persecute Christians.

Open Doors USA President and CEO David Curry told The Christian Post that the amount of persecution in Mexico has risen in the past year, mainly due to organized crime killing Christians.

Last year, Mexico was number 52 [on Open Doors USA's World Watch List.] Its jumped up a bunch, he said. "That would most certainly be around the issues of violence and drug cartels.

Traditionalist Catholics often persecute Mexican Christians, too, he said. In this way, they resemble many small, rural groups of people practicing ancient folk religions around the world. Open Doors calls this kind of persecution clan violence.

These rural indigenous groups see Christian churches as an outside force. They can harass and bother churches and believers who might be in the community, Curry said. Its within these four states in Mexico; Chiapas, Hidalgo, Guerero, Oaxaca. Its very localized.

In regions controlled by small clans that practice local religions, native people often get angry when Christians start sharing the Gospel and telling people about Jesus, he said. They dont like to see churches grow.

To help Christians in these areas, believers around the world can pray and share the news about their problems so local governments will feel pressured to help, he said.

Pray for the leaders who are there. Pray for safety for people. The response that most people have hearing Mexico is on the world persecution list is how can that be? Curry said. From the most basic level, we need to pray and share these stories so that people know theyre not alone and so that the pressure builds to protect these people.
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) announced that the date for the preliminary phase of the Maharashtra State Services exam has been rescheduled for March 14.

The Maharashtra State Services exam was scheduled to be held in October, 2020. Around 2.5 lakh candidates are likely to appear for the Maharashtra State Services preliminary examinations.

The MPSC state service exam will be held for selection to the posts of Assistant State Tax Commissioner, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Commissioner/ Project Officer, Deputy Education Officer in Maharashtra Education Department, Deputy Superintendent in Land Record, Deputy Superintendent in State Excise, Naib Tahsildar.

Maharashtra State Service Prelims Exam 2021 new date schedule:

1. The State Services Prelims Exam 2020 will now be held on March 14, 2021 (Sunday) which was sceduled for October 11, 2020.

2. The Maharashtra Engineering Services Prelims Exam 2020 will now be held on March 27, 2021 (Saturday) which was sceduled for November 1, 2020.

3. The Maharashtra Group B Combined Prelims Exam 2020 will now be held on April 11, 2021 (Sunday) which was sceduled for November 22, 2020.

The exam comprise a paper on general studies (GS) and a civil services aptitude test (CSAT). For the GS paper, the candidate will have to answer 100 questions and will carry a total of 200 marks. While, the CSAT exam will have a total of 80 questions and will carry a total of 200 marks. The time duration for both these papers is 2 hours.

Candidates will be selected on the basis of a preliminary exam, a main exam and an interview. The preliminary exam will be held for 400 marks, a main exam will be held for 800 marks, and personal interview will carry 100 marks.
Dasgupta' daughter, Pratyusha Dasgupta, took to Twitter to allege that he was tortured in prison, and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others to 'save his life'

Mumbai: Partho Dasgupta, a former CEO of TV ratings agency BARC who was arrested in the Television Rating Points (TRP) rigging case, has been admitted to the ICU of a hospital here after his sugar level shot up, officials said on Saturday.

His daughter took to Twitter to allege that he was tortured in prison, and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others to `save his life'.

Dasgupta, 55, a diabetic, was rushed to the state-run JJ Hospital from the Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai around midnight after his blood sugar levels shot up, a prison official said.

He was admitted to the ICU and was on oxygen support, the official said.

Dasgupta, former CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) was arrested in the alleged TRP rigging scam by the crime branch of the Mumbai Police on 24 December last year.

A Mumbai court had earlier this month rejected his bail plea, stating that he appeared to have played a vital role in the scam to rig TRP as per the police's case.

The Mumbai Police had earlier told the court that Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami had allegedly bribed Dasgupta with "lakhs of rupees" to ramp up the news channel's viewership numbers fraudulently.

On Saturday, Pratyusha Dasgupta, Dasgupta's daughter, demanded that he be shifted to a reputed private hospital.

She tweeted a message titled "A helpless daughter's anguished appeal", tagging PM Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, the PMO as well as Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Her mother received a call around 3 am on Saturday informing that her father had been brought to the hospital in the unconscious state around 1 pm on Friday, she said.

For 14 hours nobody from the family was informed about Dasgupta's condition because the authorities allegedly did not

have their contact numbers, Pratyusha said.

When they reached the hospital, they found he was unable to speak, she said.

It was apparent that he had been "physically and mentally tortured inside the jail", she alleged.

Prison officials were not available for giving reaction on her allegations.
As some governors criticized the Trump administration Friday for a potential shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, Connecticut officials said they have no indication next weeks shipment here will be affected.

The Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said earlier this week that the federal government would stop holding back a reserve of second vaccine doses in an effort to speed up the distribution.

But in a tweet Friday, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said she had been informed by the head of Operation Warp Speed that states will not be receiving increased shipments of vaccines from the national stockpile next week, because there is no federal reserve of doses.

In subsequent tweets, Brown characterized the news as deception on a national scale, and said she was demanding answers from the Trump administration.

The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond Friday to a list of questions sent by Hearst Connecticut Media about the potential impact on Connecticut.

On Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont said Connecticut would receive an additional 50,000 doses of the vaccine, which a spokeswoman for Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe later confirmed would come out of the national stockpile.

The state has been receiving around 46,000 doses of vaccine from the federal government each week, so a boost of 50,000 doses would be roughly equivalent to one weeks supply, according to the governor.

The Lamont administration indicated they were led to believe that boost in doses would be ongoing but its unclear how many extra the state will receive each week.

Lora Rae Anderson, Geballes spokeswoman, said Friday there was no communication or indication, Connecticuts allotment of vaccine had changed.

Numbers from the state Department of Public Health show Connecticut is projected to receive 96,125 doses next week.

Maura Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for DPH, said those numbers include 50,000 doses from Operation Warp Speed, and allocation of excess vaccine that would have been administered at long-term care facilities.

Connecticut has remained among the nations leaders, administering the most COVID-19 vaccines per capita in the Northeast, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC has added a vaccination tracker to its website. Overall, more than 31 million doses have been distributed nationwide. Less than half  a little more than 12 million  have been administered to patients, according to the CDCs data.

In Connecticut, vaccine sites began administering the shots this week to those 75 and older who are not living in nursing homes.

As of Thursday, 171,035 doses of vaccine had been administered in Connecticut, Lamonts office said. Of those, 154,994 people have received their first dose and 16,041 have received their final dose.

The vaccination efforts come as Connecticut recorded 1,878 new COVID-19 cases on Friday. The new cases were found among 30,303 tests for a daily positivity rate of 6.2 percent.

Hospitalizations continued to decline with 20 fewer patients, dropping the statewide total to 1,098. However, 41 more deaths attributed to the disease were recorded Friday, increasing the death toll to 6,594.

Yale New Haven Health announced Friday it would open vaccine clinics to those 75 and older beginning next Wednesday.

Sites will open in North Haven, New London, Old Saybrook and Trumbull, with a site in Greenwich opening the week of Jan. 25. More are expected to open in the future.

Health care providers are also expected to begin reaching out directly to their patients. Some hospital systems are also scheduling vaccinations directly through their websites. UConn Health and Hartford Health Care have prominent links on their websites where patients can register.

The state has announced three options for seniors to register for a vaccination appointment.

Residents can apply through the state website to access the Vaccine Administration Management System, a federal portal. That option requires users to have an active email address.

Those without access to a computer can also call 877-918-2224 to schedule an appointment. State officials have warned the phone system is experiencing delays due to a high call volume.
Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk speaks during a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly, Sept. 6, 2019. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



By Lee Hyo-jin



Controversy is rising after former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's daughter, who has been embroiled in academic fraud scandals including having documents fabricated that were used to gain her admission to medical school, recently obtained a medical license.



Cho Min, 29, a senior at the medical school of Pusan National University (PNU), acquired the license after passing the written test of the state medical license exam conducted on Jan. 7 and 8. She had already passed the practical skills test last September.



With the medical license, Cho will be able start her career as a doctor starting with internships at general hospitals.



The news provoked a backlash from doctors' groups, who viewed that the license was inappropriately issued to an unqualified person who had entered medical college using forged documents and certificates.



Lim Hyun-taek, head of the Korean Pediatric Society, expressed discontent citing a recent court ruling which handed down a jail sentence to Chung Kyung-sim, the ex-minister's wife, for academic fraud.



"The news has fueled anger among some 130,000 doctors and medical students," he wrote on Facebook, Saturday. He called on PNU to invalidate Cho's admission, as it will nullify her acquisition of the license.



Lim mentioned several previous cases where college admissions were invalidated following academic fraud. For instance, Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of Choi Soon-shil, who had been at the center of the political scandal of former President Park Geun-hye, was expelled from Ewha Womans University in 2016 over allegations of special treatment in her admission.



He condemned the head of PNU for turning a blind eye to the issue and Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae for her lack of responsibility.



Seo Min, a professor at Dankook University College of Medicine, echoed the sentiment. "The lifelong doctor's license cannot be revoked. If she chooses a medical specialty directly related to peoples' lives, it will pose a serious risk to many citizens," he wrote on his blog, Sunday.



On the other hand, supporters of Cho have been sharing the news on social media celebrating the achievement amid the attacks against Cho's family.



Chung was convicted Dec. 23 of forging documents including certificates of internships and volunteer work, to help her daughter gain admission to the medical college.



The Seoul Central District Court found her guilty on all seven charges related to academic fraud and sentenced her to four years in jail with a fine of 500 million won ($451,000).



PNU remains prudent on invalidating the admission, saying that it will make a decision after a final ruling at the Supreme Court.


At present, doctors mainly use the swab test to test an individual for Covid-19. But soon, there might be another way that could be used for the early detection of coronavirus: one that involves a smartwatch.

Now, two separate studies undertaken by Mount Sinai Health System in New York and Stanford University in California have shown promising results while using Apple Watch in early detection of Covid-19 in patients.

The first study undertaken by Mount Sinai Health System found that the Apple Watch was able to detect subtle changes in an individuals heart rate up to seven days before the Covid-19 symptoms appeared or before the individual was tested positive for the infection. The study analysed the variation in heartbeat for nearly 300 health care workers who used Apple Watch between April 29 and September 29.

Right now, we rely on people saying theyre sick and not feeling well, but wearing an Apple Watch doesnt require any active user input and can identify people who might be asymptomatic. Its a way to better control infectious diseases, Rob Hirten, assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City told CBS MoneyWatch (via 9To5Mac).

The second study that was conducted by researchers at Stanford used smartwatches by Apple, Fitbit and Garmin. This study found out that these fitness devices could indicate changes in resting heart rate up to 9.5 days before the symptoms appeared in patients.

The team also created an alarm system that warns the wearer if their heart rate has been elevated for a prolonged period of time. Regular fluctuations wont trigger the alarm  only significant, sustained changes will...Its a big deal because its alerting people not to go out and meet people, Professor Michael Snyder Stanford University, who led the study, told the publication
She's starring in Stephen King's post-apocalyptic thriller, The Stand.

And on Sunday, Odessa Young detailed how her role of Frannie Goldsmith in the nine-part series prepared her for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Australian actress finished filming with the cast in Vancouver in early 2020 when similar occurrences started playing out in front of her.

'It was just weird, there was something kind of cosmic about it': Australian actress Odessa Young (pictured), 23, has detailed how her role of Frannie Goldsmith in Stephen King's post-apocalyptic thriller, The Stand, prepared her for the COVID-19 pandemic

'It was just weird, there was something kind of cosmic about it. I remember we all stated making jokes that CBS had designed the pandemic as a marketing tool for the fans,' the 23-year-old said in an interview with The Herald Sun's Insider.

However, as cases globally started to increase, Odessa realised the pandemic was not a stunt and she was 'expecting the worst'.

'It didn't get as bad as I expected because I was expecting, you know, the outcome of The Stand,' she told the publication.

'But in terms of preparation, I guess any film makes you prepared to be isolated because you're working all the time and working ridiculous hours and don't get to have a social life.'

''It didn't get as bad as I expected': Odessa said in an interview with The Herald Sun's Insider on Sunday that the reality hasn't been as bad as what Stephen King wrote for The Stand

Odessa stars in The Stand alongside Whoopi Goldberg (playing Mother Abagail), James Marsden (Stu Redman) and Alexander Skarsgard (Randall Flagg).

Stephen's novel was originally adapted into a four-episode mini-series by CBS in 1994, starring Gary Sinise as Stu Redman, Ruby Dee as Mother Abigail and Jamey Sheridan as Randall Flagg.

At 1,152 pages, it is the longest novel in Stephen's illustrious career - selling more than 4.5 million copies worldwide. It has also been named one of the best novels of all-time by Time, Rolling Stone and the BBC.

Who else is starring in it? Odessa appears in The Stand alongside Whoopi Goldberg playing Mother Abagail, James Marsden as Stu Redman and Alexander Skarsgard portraying Randall Flagg. Pictured with Fordon Cornier as Joe and Amber heard as Nadine Cross on The Stand

The Stand was created by Josh Boone (The New Mutants), who directed all nine episodes, and Ben Cavell, based on Stepen's novel, with the author himself writing a brand new coda for the series.

The series premiered on December 17 on the CBS All Access streaming service.

New episodes will drop weekly on subsequent Thursdays in Australia on Amazon Prime Video.
Growing up in a working class family in Lawrence, Mass., Rosa Rodriguez-Williams said museums were not part of my experience.

It is this outsider understanding that Rodriguez-Williams, who is Puerto Rican, said she brings to her new position as the first senior director of belonging and inclusion at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she aims to reach folks who felt sort of like I felt.

Amid a heightened sense of urgency amid the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, cultural institutions around the country are hiring their own diversity officers to increase the number of people of color on the staff and board, broaden their programming and address a widely acknowledged pattern of systemic racism.

We no longer have to persuade each other that we should be doing this at the expense of something else, said Daniel H. Weiss, the president and chief executive of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which recently appointed Lavita McMath Turner, an assistant dean at the City University of New York, as its first chief diversity officer.
Death toll from the earthquake that struck Indonesia's West Sulawesi province rose above 60 on January 16. At least 820 people were reported injured and 15,000 houses were destroyed as rescue teams continue frantic search operations for survivors, disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said in a statement on Sunday. Authorities evacuated civilians from the area to nearby temporary camps set up after a 6.2-magnitude quake wreaked havoc on Indonesia's Sulawesi island, toppling homes and triggering landslides.

The Head of Indonesia's meteorological, climatology and geophysical agency (BMKG) warned of another quake in the region that could potentially trigger a tsunami. Search and rescue officials unearthed corpses from underneath the crumpled buildings as the Indonesian army was called in to assist the ongoing rescue mission. In the aerial footages of the island, large chunks of concrete were seen scattered, blocking the roadway passage as building structures crumbled in ruins, which included the regional governor's office.

Several hospitals, shopping malls and public premises had flattened due to the powerful tremor from the quake. Dead bodies were hauled from the rubble in Mamuju, West Sulawesi province, a city of 110,000 inhabitants. Rescue teams feared that there could be more survivors trapped under the debris, nearly two days after the disaster. Thousands of residents were rendered homeless and were moved into the governments makeshift shelters. Authorities were seen deploying heavy equipment and machinery in the district of Majene to excavate the victims bodies.

President Joko Widodo said in a televised address that the social minister and the chiefs of the military, police and disaster agency are carrying out emergency responses as quickly as possible, adding that a Hercules plane with supplies was on its way from the capital, Jakarta.

Read: US NTSB Team Arrives In Indonesia To Look Into Jet Crash

Read: Homes Evacuated In Flood-hit Indonesia Areas

27,850 survivors displaced

As many as 60 people died in Mamuju, including nine in the neighbouring district of Majene due to the shock from the deadly earthquake, the director of the National Search and Rescue Agency, Didi Hamzar told sources of Associated Press. The government managed to restore the phone communications lines and power supply grids were fixed in the impacted region. Disaster agencys data showed that nearly 27,850 survivors were displaced due to the calamity.

"We are unable to return to our destroyed homes, a father of three who identified himself only as Robert told ground reporters of AP. He added that he fled from his bed while being treated at Mamujus Mitra Manakarra hospital, which was flattened by the quake. I cried when I saw the hospital where I was being treated collapse with people still inside. I could have died if I got out late, the traumatised man said. The Search and Rescue Agency, thus far, managed to retrieve four survivors and at least four dead bodies from the rubble. Army corps of engineers were deployed across the region for rebuilding homes and clear road blockage caused by the landslide.

Read: Indonesia's Mount Semeru Volcano Spews Hot Ash And Smoke Into Sky

Read: Indonesia Quake Injured Treated Outside

(All images credit: AP)
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday said that there have been 51 cases of minor complications reported from the Covid-19 vaccine that was rolled out across India on Saturday.

There was one "serious adverse" case reported, where the patient was admitted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. The vaccine recipient's vitals are said to be stable.

"There have been 51 minor incidents yesterday where there were some minor complications and 1 was a bit serious. The severe case was been admitted to AIIMS. Till last night he was admitted there," news agency ANI quoted the Delhi Health Minister as saying.

"Only one case in Delhi had to be admitted to the hospital, the remaining 51 did not have to be hospitalised. They were only observed for a short while," Jain added.

The AAP-led Delhi Government has said that as many as 4,319 healthcare and frontline workers were vaccinated against Covid-19 in the national capital on Saturday.

Around 32 healthcare workers were vaccinated at the LNJP hospital while the number was 42 for the Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty hospital, 46 for the Delhi Cancer State Institute and 31 for the RML hospital, as per reports.

Earlier on Saturday, the Union Health Ministry said 1,91,181 recipients were vaccinated against coronavirus across the country. This was done during 3,352 sessions conducted by 16,755 vaccinators.

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Niger on Monday declared three days of mourning and vowed to beef up security in a western border region where jihadists killed 100 villagers, according to a local toll.

"We have decreed three days of national mourning, and on security, we are going to strengthen the presence" in the frontier region with Mali, Interior Minister Alkache Alhada told AFP, adding that the government would also launch "forums" to defuse ethnic tension.

Scores of "terrorists," arriving by motorbike, killed 70 people in the village of Tchoma Bangou and 30 in Zaroumadareye, local mayor Almou Hassane told AFP on Sunday.

It was the biggest single massacre of civilians in the Sahel's eight-year-old history of Islamist unrest, according to a US group, ACLED, which tracks the violence.

Alhada, speaking by phone after a meeting of the National Security Council headed by President Mahamadou Issoufou, said troop numbers would be increased to achieve "greater saturation" of the area.

"We have to stop incursions. We have to create a kind of security cordon, but one of the difficulties is that there's a void on the Malian side," he said.

Alhada also promised support, in the form of food aid, for communities who had suffered losses.

- Plans to boost military -

Niger is caught in a pincer between jihadists crossing from Mali, in its southwest, and from Nigeria, in its southeast.

Thirty-four people were killed in the southeastern region of Diffa on December 12 by Boko Haram jihadists.

Its armed forces, poorly equipped and trained, have lost nearly 200 men to road bombs and camp raids in the last two years.

The government has previously unveiled plans to double military personnel to "at least 50,000" over the next five years. Defence already accounts for 17 percent of the budget.

The jihadist insurgency in the vast Sahel began in northern Mali eight years ago, and then spread into Niger and Burkina Faso.

Story continues

Thousands of people in those countries have died and nearly three million people have fled their homes, according to UN figures.

Jihadist violence has also fuelled ethnic tensions.

Alhada said the government would stage forums with ethnic and religious leaders to "prevent the risk of intra-ethnic conflict" in the border area.

"In this region which is a string of multi-ethnic villages, these incursions can lead to intra-community conflict. We have to make people aware of this," he said.

"I was there yesterday with the prime minister. It's hard -- we saw the graves, the victims' relatives. We have to hold back (anger) to prevent flareups. Some people are calling for weapons," Alhada said.

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Students would no longer be required to take the SAT or ACT when applying to Colorados public colleges under proposed legislation that aims to make higher education more accessible to low-income and first-generation college applicants who often dont do as well on standardized tests.
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Armed bandits killed an 80-year-old woman, a ward head and three other locals in attacks on Kaduna communities.

The incidents, which happened at three different local governments, saw five people dead and three locals injured.

The Kaduna Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the killings in a statement on Sunday. He did not disclose the exact days the incidents occurred.

He said security agencies reported the killing of the woman in Sharu village, Igabi Local Government Area, to the Kaduna government.

The armed bandits invaded the village and raided several homes. As they shot sporadically, Hauwwa Umaru, 80, was hit by a bullet and died instantly, he added

In another incident, unknown gunmen killed one Samaila Yohanna, the Ward Head of Konti, in Chikun Local Government Area.

Also in Chikun local government, bandits killed two locals, Alhaji Sani and Malam Rabiu, at Dande, he said.

Mr Aruwan said that in Giwa Local Government Area, armed bandits barricaded the road between Fatika and Kidandan to open fire on commuters plying the road.

One unidentified woman was killed, and three other persons were injured in the attack, he said

The commissioner added that Governor Nasir El-Rufai noted the reports with sadness, and conveyed condolences to the families of the deceased, praying for the repose of their souls.

He said the governor also prayed for speedy recovery for the injured and tasked security agencies to ensure diligent investigations into the disturbing incidents.

Communities in Kaduna, like those of other states in the Northwest, have been repeatedly attacked by bandits leading to the deaths of several people and kidnap of others.

The attacks have continued despite the heavy deployment of security operatives including soldiers to the states.

ERIN SCHAFF, STF / NYT

History is always made in Washington when one presidential administration gives way to another, but the events of last week are particularly memorable. Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives, this time for insurrection. Prosecutors began filing charges against the hooligans who stormed the Capitol building on Jan. 6, aided in many cases by their clueless selfies and abundant videos of that outrage. Members of Congress want to find out whether that riot was spontaneous or planned, and just how much danger our elected representatives were in.

Its a mess, frankly, and one that must be thoroughly investigated. Every single person who broke the law on that terrible day must be prosecuted if he or she can be identified. This was a grotesque assault on the very place where democracy happens in our country, and none of it should be minimized or excused. Nothing like this had happened before in our history, and it must never happen again.
Military personnel numbers could be cut by up to 10,000 following an official audit.

Experts fear the Integrated Review, which is due to be delivered next month, will call for the Army to be reduced to 72,000 soldiers  despite repeated Government pledges to keep a permanent force of 82,000 troops.

It is thought that infantry commanders face a particularly anxious wait amid concerns that their regiments will either be reduced in size or redeployed to meet new strategic priorities.

The development comes after The Mail on Sunday obtained leaked documents last month revealing plans to dramatically reduce numbers in the Adjutant General's Corps  backroom soldiers who support combat troops.

Up to 15 per cent are expected to go in the 3,000-strong Staff and Personnel Support branch.

Military personnel numbers could be cut by up to 10,000 following an official audit. Experts fear the Integrated Review, which is due to be delivered next month, will call for the Army to be reduced to 72,000 soldiers  despite repeated Government pledges to keep a permanent force of 82,000 troops. (Above, a military exercise on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, last year)

The development comes after The Mail on Sunday obtained leaked documents last month revealing plans to dramatically reduce numbers in the Adjutant General's Corps  backroom soldiers who support combat troops. (Above, soldiers carry supplies as they prepare to offer Covid tests in Liverpool last November)

The Integrated Review is a blueprint for how the Government sees Britain's global role in the 2020s and how the Armed Forces should be remodelled to meet those objectives. It was meant to be published last autumn but was held back due to the pandemic.

Last night, Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Commons Defence Select Committee, said: 'All the indications suggest we are moving towards an even smaller, high-tech force.

'But retaining relationships with our allies is critical and cannot be achieved if we cut the Army by 10,000. I fear the Army is bracing itself for cuts to numbers, especially infantry regiments, before its wider fundamental purpose has been established.

'Any further delay to the publication of the review denies the Ministry of Defence the clarity it seeks in understanding our global ambitions and the threats we face. We must not forget our allies and adversaries are watching this.'

The British Army's full-time strength was 79,010 last April  2,990 down on the Government's target of 82,000.

Last night, Tobias Ellwood (pictured), chairman of the Commons Defence Select Committee, said: 'All the indications suggest we are moving towards an even smaller, high-tech force'

The total is thought to have increased since then. Any job losses are expected to come from natural wastage rather than redundancies.

Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey said: 'Highly trained Service personnel are indispensable and should be at the heart of this review. Since 2010, full-time forces have been cut by a quarter.'

The Ministry of Defence said: 'The Integrated Review is not yet complete and decisions about Army force structure have not been finalised.

'The Defence Secretary has been clear that ambitions must match resources.

'Taxpayers are entitled to expect the Armed Forces to be credible, capable and ready to confront the threats of the future.'

Wanted: Clarinet and saxophone players to join the Army

Serving soldiers are being offered up to 12,000  to persuade musicians to enlist.

In a recruitment drive with a difference, for every musician who joins and completes military training, including weapons handling, squaddies will get 1,500, up to a maximum of eight new recruits.

Due to skills gaps, such 'finders' fees' are commonplace, particularly in branches such as the Royal Engineers and Royal Signals.

But this is the first time the Royal Corps of Army Music  which is made up of 14 bands, 753 musicians and 27 training teams  has had to offer incentives.

Serving soldiers are being offered up to 12,000  to persuade musicians to enlist. In a recruitment drive with a difference, for every musician who joins and completes military training, including weapons handling, squaddies will get 1,500, up to a maximum of eight new recruits. (File image)

In particular, it needs clarinet and saxophone players due to shortages caused by retirements and repetitive strain injuries.

The Mail on Sunday revealed last year that 348 military musicians had been medically downgraded in a decade, with 137 suffering musculoskeletal disorders.

Since the money was put up, some 15 musicians have joined the Royal Corps of Army Music.

But they must complete training for their recruiters to be paid. The scheme runs until the end of March.

The MoD said: 'The Royal Corps of Army Music referral scheme demonstrates how becoming a military musician is a viable and rewarding career option.'

Federal agents arrested a self-admitted anarchist and hardcore leftist on Friday on suspicion of plotting to violently disrupt planned election-related protests at the Florida state Capitol.

Prosecutors said they averted a crisis at the Capitol by arresting 33-year-old Daniel Baker, taking him into custody on a charge involving making a threat to kidnap or injure, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Florida announced in a news release.

Baker issued a call to arms for like-minded individuals to violently confront protestors gathered at the Florida Capitol this Sunday, prosecutors said. He specifically called for others to join him in encircling any protestors and confining them at the Capitol complex using firearms.

Protests and rallies are expected at state Capitols across the country ahead of and on inauguration day in opposition to the election results.

This is an armed COUP and can only be stopped by an armed community! Baker wrote in a flyer titled Call to Arms January 20th posted online, a criminal complaint against him alleges (pdf). If youre afraid to die fighting the enemy, stay in bed and live, he wrote in the flyer, in which he called Trump supporters who plan to protest at the Florida state Capitol terrorists.

FBI agents, with assistance from local law enforcement, took Baker into custody without incident.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Bakers defense attorney for comment on the charges but did not receive a reply by publication.

Baker, a former U.S. Army Airborne infantryman who was kicked out of the service, in 2017 joined the Peoples Protection Units, a group fighting in Syria against ISIS and the Turkish government, prosecutors said. Peoples Protection Units is a sub-affiliate of the Kurdistans Working Party, which is designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization.

Prosecutors have called Baker a dangerous extremist, with the criminal complaint claiming he wished death to anyone whose ideology was different from his, including U.S. military officers.

Baker has made multiple violent threats to those he claims are white supremacists, fascists, United States persons with different ideologies than his, and allies of the United States. In addition, Baker has promoted the killing of United States military officers, the complaint reads.

Items of concern identified in the investigation against Baker show his path toward radicalization as well as a fair probability for imminent violence, the complaint states.

One of these is a Facebook post attributed to Baker, which features the statement, I dont give a [expletive], Im an anarchist and I want to watch capitalist society burn.

Another item referenced in the complaint is an interview Baker gave for an article about the fall of Seattles autonomous zone, in which he identified himself as a hardcore leftist and said he had traveled to Seattle to take part in the Revolution. In the article, he expressed disappointment in the lack of violent opposition here, referring to the occupied zone.

If they really wanted a revolution, we needed to get AKs and start making bombs, Baker is quoted in the article as saying.

The complaint claims Baker authored a social media post on Oct. 20, 2020, in which he wrote that I hope the right tries a coup Nov. 3rd cuz Im so [expletive] down to slay enemies again.

Interestingly, TGP reports that the criminal complaint included Daniel Baker saying he received Soros money and he will be offering cash rewards for information on Trump supporters in his video.

Full Criminal Report below:

The FBI has warned state and local officials about unrest between now and inauguration day, following last weeks violent breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Tallahassee officials have closed City Hall and the county courthouse, which is across the street from the Capitol building, in preparation for potentially violent demonstrations, according to the Miami Herald.

Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson urged Capitol employees to work remotely on Sunday because of very likely protests, according to the outlet.

Uncertainty heading into the weekend was a common theme among state officials and law enforcement officers, with many enhancing security based on past demonstrations or general warnings but without specific expectations about whether any protesters would actually show up outside state capitol buildings or other government offices in coming days.


Bagalkote (Karnataka): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said doubling farmers income was the biggest priority of the Narenda Modi government and that the three central farm laws would ensure manifold hike in their earnings. Since coming to power, the Modi government had increased the budget for the farm sector and also the minimum support price on various crops, he said.

"I want to say that if there is any big priority of the Narendra Modi government it is to double the farmers income," he said at a event in Kerakalmatti village in this district in Karnataka. Speaking after laying the foundation stone and inauguration of farmer-friendly projects of the MRN group, headed by newly inducted Karnataka Minister Murugesh R Nirani, Shah listed out various programmes and initiatives of the central government for the welfare of the farmers.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa led BJP government in the state too has not left any stone unturned to work for the welfare of farmers, the Home Minister said. Questioning the Congress as to why it could not take up measures like Rs 6,000 cash support per year for farmers and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana insurance scheme among others, he said, it was because the party's intentions were not right.

"The Narendra Modi government is a government dedicated to farmers. Three new laws that the Modi government has brought in, which the Karnataka government has also passedI want to congratulate Yediyurapp for it. Farmer's income will increase multifold due to them," he said.

His remarks came amid the continuing agitation by farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, on the borders of Delhi, demanding the repeal of the three laws. Farmers were not compelled anymore to sell their produce at one place and can get access to global and Indian markets for their crops, he added.

Shah also said that none had the courage to abrogate the provisions of Article 370 and Article 35A in Kashmir in the past 70 years. "You made Modi the Prime Minister and on August 5, 2019 he ended Article 370 and Article 35A from Kashmir and connected it with India permanently. Today elections have also happened there peacefully without shedding even a drop of blood and Kashmir has become ours permanently," he added.

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Agitating farmer unions on Sunday remained firm on holding a tractor rally on the Republic Day and vowed to continue their stir till the agri laws are repealed. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar urged them to discuss alternatives to scrapping the legislation at the next meeting scheduled for January 19.

READ | 'Ready for alternative to agri laws repeal demand'; agitators determined on R-Day tractor march in Delhi

"We are prepared to sit in protest till May 2024... Our demand is that the three laws be taken back and the government provide a legal guarantee on the MSP," Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait told reporters in Nagpur. The statement indicating little change in the unions' stand came ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on Monday on the issue of agri bills and ongoing protests on Delhi's borders for over 50 days.

READ | Doubling farmers income biggest priority of Narendra Modi govt, says Amit Shah

The top court would also hear on Monday a plea of the central government, filed though the Delhi Police, seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor march or any other kind of protest by farmers "which seeks to disrupt the gathering and celebrations" of Republic Day on January 26.

Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border protest site, union leader Yogendra Yadav said, "We will carry out a tractor parade on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi on Republic Day. The parade will be very peaceful." "There will be no disruption of the Republic Day parade. The farmers will put up the national flag on their tractors," he said.

Stressing that the farmer unions should give up their stubborn stand after the apex court's stay on the laws on January 12, Agriculture Minister Tomar said they should come for a clause by clause discussion on Tuesday. "Now that the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of these laws, then there is no question of being stubborn," Tomar told reporters before leaving for his home constituency of Morena in Madhya Pradesh.

The government wants farmer leaders to come for a clause by clause discussion at the next meeting on January 19. Except for the demand of repealing the laws, the government is ready to consider "seriously and with an open heart" other alternatives, he said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah too reached out, saying the Narendra Modi government is dedicated to farmers and the three central farm laws would ensure a manifold hike in their earnings.

Since coming to power, the Modi government had increased the budget for the farm sector and also the minimum support price (MSP) for various crops, he said at an event in Bagalkote district in Karnataka. "I want to say that if there is any big priority of the Narendra Modi government it is to double the farmers' income," he said.

The apex is also likely to take up the issue of a member recusing himself from the panel appointed by it to end the impasse between the agitating farmer unions and central government and may appoint another person in his place. The committee has received the terms of reference and will begin its work from January 21, its member Anil Ghanwat said.

"We are meeting on January 19 at the Pusa campus. Only members will meet to decide the future course of action," Ghanwat, President of Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra), told PTI. "One of the four members has backed out of the committee. If the apex court does not appoint a new member, the existing members will continue," he said.

Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann had recused himself from the committee last week. Apart from Ghanwat, agri-economists Ashok Gulati and Pramod Kumar Joshi are the other panel members. On Saturday, farmer union, Bhartiya Kisan Union Lokshakti, filed an affidavit requesting the top court to remove the remaining three members of the committee and select people who can do the job "on the basis of mutual harmony".

The farmers' body said the principle of natural justice is going to be violated as those appointed to the four-member committee "have already supported these laws". It has also sought dismissal of a plea of the central government, filed though the Delhi Police, seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor march on January 26.

Addressing a press conference in Nagpur, BKU leader Tikait noted that they had welcomed the SC's stay on the implementation of the farm laws, but said the committee formed by the apex court has members who "supported" the farm bills. "We do not want to go before the committee formed by the court. The government has also said that the government and farmers will find a solution on this issue," he said.

Dismissing allegations that the protest was being fuelled by "rich farmers", Tikait said people from villages and various outfits have joined the agitation. "This is an ideological revolution that started in Delhi and will not fail. Farmers from villages do not want us to return until the three farm bills are taken back," he said. "The government is adamant on its stance of not withdrawing the bills and this agitation will continue for long," Tikait added.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various border points of Delhi against the three laws -- the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act.

Asked about the government holding parallel talks with protesting farmer unions after the setting up of the SC panel, its member Ghanwat said, "We have no issue if a solution is found and the protests end from either (efforts of) our panel or from the government's separate talks with the protesting farmer unions." "Let (Government) them continue the discussion, we have been given a duty and we will focus on that," he added.

So far, the government has held nine rounds of formal talks with 41 farmer unions but has failed to break the logjam as the latter have stuck to their main demand of a complete repeal of the three Acts.

In the last meeting, the Centre had suggested that the unions constitute their own informal group to prepare a concrete proposal on the three farm laws for further discussion at their next meeting on January 19 to end the long-running protest at various Delhi borders.

Meanwhile, farmer union leader Darshan Pal Singh alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is filing cases against those who are part of the protest or supporting it.

"All farmer unions condemn this," Pal said, referring to the NIA summons reportedly issued to a farmer union leader in a case related to the banned Sikhs For Justice outfit. Asked about the issue, Tikait said, "Those who want to be part of the agitation must be ready for court cases, imprisonment and sealing of property." He said the farmers had to start the agitation as the opposition parties were weak.

The Congress also alleged that the NIA is now being used against farmers and said that their notices won't cow them down. Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala questioned the government's intention behind sending notices to farmers from agencies meant to probe terrorists.

Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms aimed at increasing farmers' income, but the protesting farmers have raised concerns that this legislation would weaken the minimum support price (MSP) and "mandi" (wholesale market) systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.

with additional inputs from news agency PTI
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That fencing thats gone up around the Roundhouse is not part of an effort to enforce COVID-era social distancing as the Legislature prepares to convene on Tuesday.

The barrier instead was the most visible local reaction, as of late last week, to threats of political violence around the country in the wake of the takeover of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of President Donald Trumps supporters on Jan. 6.

Unfortunately, the Roundhouse fence, and more serious measures, appear to be absolutely necessary.

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Before Jan. 6, much of the crazy talk, military costuming and showing off with guns by extremist groups and some of Trumps hard-core supporters may have seemed like mere cosplay, almost innocent outlets for bluster and machismo.

Isnt that part of the legal defense for the nut-jobs who concocted a plan to kidnap the governor of Michigan and put her on trial somewhere? They were really just play-acting when they staked out the governors vacation home, right?

On the day of the insurrection in Washington, D.C., a crowd that included members of the Proud Boys and people wearing QAnon apparel  promoting the idea that cannibalistic pedophiles run the federal government  rallied in Santa Fe.

The leader of New Mexico-based Cowboys for Trump attended the rally in Washington that day and later posted a video in which he warned, Theres going to be a lot of blood running out of that building, referencing a possible 2nd Amendment rally at the U.S. Capitol.

After the shock of the Jan. 6 Capitol assault during which five people died, its obviously time to take these groups and this kind of rhetoric seriously.

Freshman state Rep. Stefani Lord, R-Sandia Park, was quoted last week as saying installation of the Roundhouse fences seems like fear-mongering and was embarrassing.

Lord is a gun rights advocate and might be ready to fight back if Roundhouse security is breached. But a better idea is to take all necessary measures, such as the fencing, to prevent violence in light of the reports of plans for pro-Trump rallies at all 50 state capitols in the days before Joe Bidens presidential inauguration.

Many Santa Feans will feel the urge to come out to counter-protest should one of these Trump rallies take place here. It could be argued that a better course would be just to ignore the Stop the Steal crowd at this point, with the election settled despite Trumps months-long effort to overturn American democracy. Any of those who do rally against the pro-Trump groups should do their best to avoid interactions that could lead to fisticuffs, or worse.

We dont know yet, of course, whether the Jan. 6 invasion of the national seat of government will be a kind of ending  a horrible, but standalone, send-off to the Trump years  or an ignition point for more political violence in the U.S.

In any case, law enforcement agencies in Santa Fe and New Mexico appear to have gotten the message. Weve seen what can happen when, in these unusual, chaotic and divisive political times, proper defenses arent mounted in response to evidence of planned attacks.

Rep. Lord complained last week that the Roundhouse fencing makes the Capitol grounds look like a demilitarized zone. Regrettably, the state Capitol instead probably will look very militarized over the next two months as the Legislature meets, a sad but necessary precaution at this point in American history.

A cartoon posted on Telegram showed a police van with a set of stairs perched atop it -- a wry suggestion that Kremlin foe Aleksei Navalny would be carted away straight from the plane upon arrival in Russia after five months in Germany recuperating from a poisoning that he blames on President Vladimir Putin.

In the event, his detention was not quite so immediate -- but it was close.

After exiting the Pobeda airlines jet that had been diverted from one Moscow airport to another and riding a bus to the terminal -- like countless travelers over the years -- he was met by a more unusual welcome: law enforcement officers who detained him before he could cross into Russia at passport control. His lawyer was not allowed to go with him, nor was his wife.

Navalny -- an attorney, opposition politician, and anti-corruption crusader who has been Putin's most prominent opponent for nearly a decade and was barred from challenging him in the 2018 presidential election due to criminal convictions he contends were fabricated pretty much for that exact purpose -- arrived on a flight from Berlin after dark.

In addition to a few other regular passengers, he was accompanied by numerous journalists who took the flight to stay close to what was probably the biggest story in Russia since, well, Navalny's poisoning with what Western labs and governments say was a variant of the Soviet-developed nerve agent Novichok in the Siberian city of Tomsk on August 20, 2020.

His arrival was also accompanied by Twitter posts, memes, and other remarks on the very social networks he has used as a medium for opposition in a country where the state dominates television and has drastically narrowed the independence of the media since Putin came to power about 21 years ago.

The messages, in many cases, came from critics of the Kremlin and contained praise for Navalny, who flew home despite warnings that he would be detained and despite criminal accusations -- all denied by him and his supporters -- that could eventually land him in prison for a decade or more.

"I called Navalnys parents and told them that they have a remarkable son -- a worthy citizen of Russia, courageous and decent," Yevgeny Roizman, an opposition politician who was mayor of the city of Yekaterinburg in 2013-18, said on Twitter. It included a photo of Navalny and his wife, Yulia, that was also featured in other social-media comments.

In contrast to portrayals of Navalny as brave were suggestions that Putin was the opposite. Among other things, they pointed to the diversion of Navalny's flight, the heavy security presence at Vnukovo airport, where it had been scheduled to land, and the police crackdown on supporters who had gone there to greet him.

One pungent post surmised that "the Kremlin has run out of Pampers."

"The smell can no longer be hidden," Lev Shlosberg, an opposition member of the regional legislature in Russia's Pskov region, wrote on Twitter.

Sam Greene, director of the Russia Institute at King's College London, wrote before Navalny's arrival that "if the authorities are wise, they will let Navalny walk out of the airport on his own steam -- knowing they can always arrest him later -- in order to make all of the hype look ridiculous."

That did not happen -- even though Putin, in an annual press conference in December 2020, sought to suggest that Navalny is not important enough to the Kremlin for the state to try to poison him, adding, "Who needs him?"

Another possible sign that Putin does think about Navalny more than he lets on is the fact that he and his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, studiously avoid uttering Navalny's name -- instead using euphemistic descriptions like "the blogger" or "the Berlin patient."

Peskov appeared to continue to imply that the Kremlin was hardly keeping tabs on Navalny: Shortly after his arrival, the media outlet Dozhd (TV Rain) quoted the spokesman as responding to a question about his detention by saying: "I'm sorry. Was he detained in Germany? I'm not up on it."

At the same time, Greene suggested that the heavy security preparations indicated that "the Kremlin's anxiety about Navalny thus far exceeds the public's enthusiasm for him" -- an apparent reference to the fact that while millions of Russians have watched his videos detailing alleged corruption among Putin's associates, the breadth of his popular appeal is unclear.

Sarah Hurst, who curates the X Soviet feed on Twitter, played off observations of that sort in a darkly acerbic fashion, writing: "You may not like Navalny, but you can't have a choice of appealing Russian opposition politicians, because the others are dead."

Russian crime novelist and Kremlin critic Grigory Chkhartishvili, who writes under the pen name Boris Akunin, described the developments in simple, stark terms.

"My main impression, to put it briefly and without emotion, is that Aleksei Navalny is dealing a blow to Putin's regime while sacrificing himself," he wrote on Facebook.

And Leonid Bershidsky, a Russian journalist, analyst, and commentator at Bloomberg, suggested that Navalny's arrival was one step in a process that will take time.

"Courage is the ultimate weapon," Bershidsky wrote. "Putin cannot win. It's just taking him a long time to lose."
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around 50F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around 50F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
AS AUTHORITIES continue to battle to contain the deadly coronavirus, amid alarming deaths and new infections in the country, Zimbabwes stretched funeral parlours say they are now being overwhelmed by the virulent disease.

Apart from having to queue at cemeteries to bury Covid-19 victims, morticians who spoke to the Daily News On Sunday yesterday also warned that they were likely to run out of mortuary space soon, due to the soaring Covid-19 deaths.

Both the Zimbabwe Association of Funeral Assurers (Zafa) and individual funeral assurance companies, said they had not expected to be dealing with such high numbers of coronavirus burials at this point. All this comes as Zimbabwe continues to battle to contain the deadly respiratory disease, which has killed scores of Zimbabweans since the turn of the new year.

On Friday, Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister, Ellen Gwaradzimba, was among 30 people who succumbed to the novel coronavirus  whose national death toll is now approaching 700. Moonlight Funeral Services was among the countrys biggest funeral parlours which confirmed to the Daily News yesterday that Covid-19 deaths had stretched players in the life assurance industry.

Its services director, Charity Mungofa, said that it was increasingly getting difficult, as a result, to bury Covid-19 victims within the stipulated 48 hours due to congestion at graveyards.

At most cemeteries now, its becoming complicated because of the numbers. We used to take just a day to bury a person, but it has since changed and it now takes two days.

Here, we are having an average of 18 burials per day. Of those 18, about six would have succumbed to coronavirus.

In some cases at most cemeteries, graves  are no longer enough to cater for all deaths daily. We used to book a place today and bury a person the following the day, but all that has changed.

We now have a backlog and we are now keeping the bodies in mortuaries, something that is now exposing our employees to Covid-19, Mungofa told the Daily News On Sunday.

She also revealed that some employees of funeral parlours had contracted coronavirus due to the increased exposure brought about by soaring deaths.

We have a few cases of employees who have contracted Covid-19 and they are isolated at home. In such cases, the companies have chipped in by testing members regularly, Mungofa added.

Surprisingly, she also said, the rapidly increasing Covid-19 deaths had impacted negatively on the finances of funeral parlours.

Financially, its really impacting us negatively. You find that there are issues to do with PPE (personal protective equipment) which were not even paid for by policyholders.

We are buying our own PPE because we are treating every death as Covid-19, to protect our employees because they are the ones who are conducting removals. These PPE are very expensive and its something that is affecting companies big time,

Mungofa further explained to the Daily News On Sunday. She also said that most parlours were now grappling with storage space, as their mortuaries were not designed to store so many bodies.

In addition, she said, the advent of Covid-19 had also created other problems for them as it was difficult to remove bodies of those who would have died at home  because police were wary of risks posed by the spread of coronavirus.

In terms of body removals, we are overwhelmed. Our policyholders and their dependents are dying in numbers. So, we are overwhelmed. People are dying in their homes and getting their bodies to the mortuary has since become a huge issue.

Police, for fear of their lives I guess, are taking their time to be involved. For instance, when a death is reported to the police, they are expected to attend immediately for paperwork to allow undertakers to take over, but presently its difficult.

The procedure has become too complicated and at times its now even taking up to five hours to collect a dead body, Mungofa told the Daily News On Sunday.

On his part, national police spokesperson, Paul Nyathi, said law enforcers were trying their best to follow all necessary Health ministry protocols. All body clearances are undertaken in line with protocols by WHO (the World Health Organisation) and the Health ministry.

We urge those that have grievances to approach police or the Health ministry so that if there are any grey areas these can be sorted out, he said. Zafa general manager, Taka Svosve, also confirmed to the Daily News On Sunday that the spiralling Covid-19 deaths and infections were threatening the viability of funeral parlours.

If Covid-19 cases continue to spike, there is a possibility of an unusual spike in claims on funeral policies, meaning an unexpected hit on cash flow and other resources for funeral assurers. Naturally, this Covid-19 situation also creates anxiety amongst funeral parlour staff, like everywhere else. The fear of the known or unknown again naturally takes grip. Our members are, however, maintaining 24/7 vigilance on the safety of their staff in light of this Covid-19 pandemic, Svosve said.

While representatives of funeral parlours were reluctant to share the actual numbers of Covid-19 burials that they were doing, investigations by the Daily News On Sunday revealed that in Harare alone, funeral companies were handling at least 25 Covid-19 burials a day.

In off the record-briefings with employees at the main cemeteries in the capital, undertakers confirmed that this figure approximated the reality on the ground.

Here, we are having an average of 18 burials per day. Of those 18, about six would have succumbed to coronavirus. We were actually overwhelmed last Sunday as we had to deal with 45 burials, of which 10 cases were a result of Covid-19, an undertaker at one of the Harare City Council cemeteries told the Daily News On Sunday.

Another undertaker said: Daily we are handling an average of 16 burials, seven of which will be of Covid-19. What we are doing here is that all coronavirus burials take place after 3pm to avoid contact. The undertakers said at times cemeteries would be completely overwhelmed, resulting in burial backlogs at mortuaries.

Amid the runaway cases of Covid-19 cases, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga urged Zimbabweans on Friday not to panic, but to be even more vigilant in their daily lives  as the country reels from the second wave of the lethal coronavirus.

This came in the wake of Gwaradzimbas death, who became the second minister to die from coronavirus  after the former Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement minister, Perrance Shiri, also succumbed to

the disease in July last year. Shiri, a liberation struggle stalwart and former military commander  who was born Bigboy Samson Chikerema before he joined the war of independence in the 1970s  endured a difficult and lonely death in his car, as he tried in vain to drive himself to a hospital for treatment.

Chiwenga  who is also Health and Child Care minister  said authorities were doing all they could to manage the disease, further rejecting social media chatter that the country did not have adequate beds and equipment to deal with Covid-19 patients.

It would be  an exaggeration at this stage, to suggest that our Health institutions are overwhelmed by cases of Covid-19. Admittedly, the recent escalation of cases of the pandemic in the country caused a high demand for healthcare. Nonetheless, let me re-assure citizens that Zimbabwes public and private health institutions still have adequate capacity to offer health services to all patients, Chiwenga said.

It is also well-documented that among the active cases recorded so far  two to three percent warranted hospitalisation with specialised treatment.

At least 12 to 13 percent required discharge within two to three days of admission  while the bulk of 85 percent only required self-isolation, Chiwenga added. Daily News
After introducing his economic recovery plan at McGregor Industries Inc. in early July, now President-elect Joe Biden, Virginia McGregor and her husband Robert had a conversation in the conference room of the Dunmore metal works facility.

First thanking Biden for saying such wonderful things about his native Scranton, Virginia McGregor then thanked him for speaking so openly about his Catholic faith  a faith they share.

He said: Why wouldnt I?  McGregor recalled.  Its part of who I am. 

Biden then drew from his wallet a rosary ring, which McGregor described as well-worn and well-loved.

On Wednesday, Biden will become just the second Catholic and the first since John F. Kennedy to ascend to the presidency. A product of his Irish Catholic upbringing in Scrantons Green Ridge section and later Delaware, Bidens faith is deep and foundational, enduring the test of personal tragedies while informing his worldview, several local Catholics said.

My idea of self, of family, of community, of the wider world comes straight from my religion, Biden wrote in his 2007 book Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics.

While Bidens policy positions dont always align with church teaching, former Scranton Mayor Jim Connors contends his deep faith is manifest in his willingness to serve others and his loyalty to friends, family, community and country. Those values of loyalty and service were instilled in many working-class Irish Catholic households in the Scranton of Bidens and Connors boyhoods, he said.

Its strong and its real, and it cant be denied, Connors, a Biden delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention, said of the president-elects faith. And, thats going to carry him through the next four years. ... Its in his heart and in his spirit.

Biden spent his boyhood years at 2446 N. Washington Ave., where he was raised by his parents and grandparents. He attended St. Pauls School as part of his Catholic education, and the family worshipped at St. Pauls Church, which at the time was located in the school building, Bidens longtime friend and former classmate Tom Bell recalled.

You didnt miss too many Masses, said Bell, who also attended St. Pauls school and church. In those years, if you didnt get to Mass a little ahead of time, you didnt get a seat because everybody went to church. Everybody did.

Bidens Catholic faith was shaped in that religious environment and in his home, where he was taught to treat others with dignity, love God, love thy neighbor and oppose abuses of power in all forms, Biden told the Rev. Matt Malone, S.J., editor-in-chief of America Media, in a 2015 interview. He described those as being among the principles of his faith, describing faith as a gift.

Biden also addressed his stance on abortion in that interview, a controversial issue that divides Catholics and voters in general. During the prelude to the 2008 election, the Most Rev. Joseph F. Martino, then bishop of Scranton, reiterated warnings he would deny Holy Communion to Catholic public officials, including Biden, that support abortion rights. The wedge issue likely motivated many Catholic voters, who, according to the Associated Press, split almost evenly in supporting Biden or President Donald Trump in the November election.

While Biden told Malone hes prepared to accept as a matter of faith that the moment of conception is human life and being, he said hes not prepared to impose a precise view that is born out of my faith on other people.

Diocese of Scranton officials declined to discuss Biden and his faith with the newspaper.

Those who did speak to Bidens faith characterized it in similar ways.

McGregors daughter, Grace McGregor Kramer, grew up and still lives on North Washington Avenue. She was baptized and married at St. Pauls Church, where she said joys are multiplied and sorrows divided among the parish community  a community she believes shaped Bidens faith and informed his values during his formative years.

Really the churchs teaching of family, of community, of service to others is something Joe Biden lives every day, said Kramer, who also served as a Biden delegate.

Bell described Bidens Catholic faith as earnest and authentic.

Joe always comes back to it, Bell said. Hes not going to church because he likes it. Hes going to church because he truly believes it.

Biden has cited his faith as a source of comfort and strength in times of personal tragedy. He lost his first wife Neilia and his infant daughter, Naomi, in a 1972 automobile collision shortly before his swearing-in as a first-term senator. His eldest son, Beau, died of brain cancer in 2015.

That Biden continued in public life despite those devastating events speaks to the strength of his faith and underscores his commitment to public service, Connors said.

Lauding Bidens ability to connect with people grieving personal losses, Sen. Bob Casey, a fellow Catholic and Scranton native, said the president-elects profound understanding of loss gives him a leadership ability most public officials either never have or never fully understand. That empathy resonates with a lot of people suffering now, including those who lost loved ones to COVID-19, he said.

Bidens weathering the tempests of tragedy also demonstrates how much faith can sustain you and how much family and community can sustain you, Kramer said.

Casey expressed a similar sentiment, referencing Sirach 6:14.

Its that old line from the scriptures. ... A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who has found one has found a treasure,  Casey said. I think as much as its about having faithful friends in your life  and I think Joe Biden would agree thats also important  I think faith itself can almost be like that faithful friend that can be a shelter when times are difficult. And, I have no doubt that in (Bidens) case his faith was nurtured and developed and inspired by his family and by the religious in his life.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 00:37:18|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the Golden Bauhinia Square in south China's Hong Kong, July 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

Some in the United States keep meddling with and vilifying China's just efforts to prohibit acts endangering national security on its own territory through legislation, although the United States itself has a rigorous legal system to uphold national security at home, which is yet another stark example of U.S. double standards.

HONG KONG, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The spokesperson of the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday condemned the latest so-called "sanctions" announced by the United States on six officials of the central and the HKSAR governments, expressing strong indignation and firm opposition.

The spokesperson for the office said that it is an international norm to enact and implement laws to punish crimes endangering national security. The Chinese government enacted the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR in strict accordance with the Constitution, the Legislation Law, and the HKSAR Basic Law, providing a solid guarantee for the enduring success of "one country, two systems."

The legitimate rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents are fully protected under the national security law in Hong Kong. Some in the United States, however, keep meddling with and vilifying China's just efforts to prohibit acts endangering national security on its own territory through legislation, although the United States itself has a rigorous legal system to uphold national security at home, which is yet another stark example of U.S. double standards.

The spokesperson emphasized that China is a country under the rule of law and Hong Kong is a law-based society, where nobody has the right and freedom above the law to jeopardize national security. The people who plotted and organized the so-called "primary election" in a flagrant attempt to undermine a fair and just election for the HKSAR's Legislative Council and paralyze the HKSAR government are suspected of violating the national security law in Hong Kong. It is an indisputable fact that officials of the central and HKSAR governments have been fulfilling their legal duties so as to staunchly uphold the rule of law and protect the overall interests and fundamental wellbeing of Hong Kong residents.

The spokesperson said that while Hong Kong residents are heartened to see Hong Kong regaining stability and "one country, two systems" returning to the right track since the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong, some American politicians have nevertheless resorted to the old playbook of demonizing the law, smearing the HKSAR authorities' law enforcement actions, and slapping sanctions on Chinese officials. These American politicians have arbitrarily trampled upon Hong Kong's rule of law and high degree of autonomy, challenged the efforts by the Chinese government and people to defend legitimate national interests, and breached international law and basic norms governing international relations, only to lay bare their ulterior motive to sow more trouble in Hong Kong and its motherland at large.

The spokesperson reiterated that Hong Kong is part of China and its affairs are China's internal affairs. Any interference or sanction will only further unite the Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots, and be firmly hit back. No such external attempt will ever weaken China's commitment to safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, still less hold back the restoration of stability in Hong Kong or the trend of China's development.
Our hospitals are overrun every January, but this time it is different and worse than any trolley crisis.

Other years there was no deadly virus to contend with and circulating in communities, forcing hundreds of patients to intensive care and thousands of healthcare staff out of work.

Patients have gone from waiting on trolleys in corridors a year ago to last week waiting in ambulances in the hope they will eventually get in to a hospital.

Letterkenny University Hospital general manager Sean Murphy drafted an apology for patients last week who had to wait in ambulances because of pressure on staff and beds. These were not just Covid-19 patients but people with other surgical needs. Just because Covid-19 is raging it does not mean other illnesses are not occurring.

Mr Murphy admitted last week that with the virus rampant in communities around Donegal, he could not expect a drastic improvement soon.

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He is not the only one. Nationwide, hospitals are struggling and it is those on the frontline who are bearing the brunt of the third wave of Covid-19.

Yesterday, Paul Reid, the chief executive of the HSE, told RTE: "We have formally gone into surge capacity.

"We are seeing families and young people being treated. In terms of beds we now have 313 available beds up from 285 before surge capacity.

"There are 1,850 Covid patients in hospital today with 191 of those in ICU."

There are also about 4,000 healthcare workers out of work at acute hospitals because they either have Covid-19 or are a close contact of a confirmed case.

Staff on the ground are under huge pressure, according to Dr Eoin Murphy, a junior doctor in Mullingar who sits on the Irish Medical Organisation non-consultant hospital doctors committee.

"It reminds me of the Karl Marx quote: 'History repeats itself - first as tragedy, then as farce'.

"When it comes to what is happening right now, it is more a pattern of farce, tragedy and catastrophe. We have had since the first surge last March and April to prepare for this, to get ICUs ready, to increase our capacity up to EU averages.

"Instead, we are hearing reports from the INMO (Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation) of up to 8,000 staff off with Covid-related issues. It's scandalous at this stage. There are 200 people in ICU in the public system and we are pretty much at capacity.

"Extra surge capacity would bring us up to 350 beds, but that is the same surge capacity we had during the first lockdown. The fact that surge capacity hasn't increased despite such immense support for healthcare workers and support for the HSE, the fact we have not seen a huge national effort to improve staffing and improve the ICU capacity is a searing indictment on the Government.

"After hours, from 5pm to 9am the following morning, there is skeleton staff juggling jobs. On top of that, there is a deadly virus surging in the community that you have to be aware of all the time."

One way that hospitals are trying to stem the rising tide of absences among staff is by issuing derogations.

Under HSE guidelines, senior management in hospitals can give essential healthcare staff a "derogation", or exemption, to return to work in circumstances where they would normally be expected to self-isolate. The guidelines have been updated regularly.

Last week, the HSE again updated its derogation advice "to allow household close contacts be derogated where staffing is severely impacted as specified by PICT (Pandemic Infection Control Team)".

The policy states a derogation can only be granted following a detailed risk assessment, a review of available personnel and if "an area cannot be staffed safely or a critical skill set to provide critical or essential services is unavailable".

Critics say this amounts to a watering down of protections afforded to healthcare workers. They question why the general public is held to a higher standard than doctors or nurses when it comes to self-isolating or restricting movements after a positive test or contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19.

Figures obtained by the Sunday Independent show more than 250 healthcare workers have been given such exemptions. Most of these derogations have been granted since October when there was proof of 70 derogations.

There is also evidence of a recent surge in demand for the exemptions as hospitals found themselves increasingly understaffed during the third wave of Covid-19.

The data show the Ireland East Hospitals group issued 87 derogations since the start of the pandemic. There have been 59 granted at the University of Limerick Hospitals Group last year. Another six were granted in Limerick last week, group chief executive Colette Cowan told RTE on Friday, as she explained the desperate measures hospitals must take to cope with demand and a depleting workforce. She said the derogations are very much a last resort, underlining the acute need for staff around the country, especially Munster.

South/Southwest Hospital Group, which includes Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Kerry, granted 26 derogations last year. It has nearly matched that total already for January by issuing another 22 of the exemptions since New Year's Day.

The Dublin Midlands Group has granted 37 derogations. Eight of these were granted since January 1.

Figures are not available at the RCSI and Saolta groups, or at Dublin's Beaumont and St James's hospitals. Unions say they have been made aware of a recent spike in derogations. Meanwhile, healthcare workers have noticed exemptions through rosters being changed and colleagues coming to work when they were expected to be isolating.

The HSE did not respond to questions from the Sunday Independent but has previously said risk assessments are carried out and decisions on derogations made depending on local requirements.

Under the HSE guidelines, derogated workers must test negative for the virus before retuning to work and must be monitored by managers with a twice daily temperature check.

Trinity College professor of experimental immunology Kingston Mills said it is possible to implement safe derogations with strict monitoring and testing of the affected healthcare worker.

The INMO is concerned such monitoring does not take place regularly enough because of demands on the health service. Its director of industrial relations Tony Fitzpatick thinks the policy is dangerous.

"Our issue is that all of the public health advice tells close contacts to isolate and stay away from other people. This means a lower standard is being applied to the healthcare worker," he said.

"The risk for the health service is substantial. If you go in to a Covid-19 ward or any ward and there is a potential to spread Covid-19, that is going to result in patients and healthcare workers being exposed to risk, and limits the ability of the service to respond to the need."

The IMO's Dr Murphy feels the risk could be diminished if Covid-19 guidelines on returning to work were followed without derogations.

"We feel it when we are told not to come in to work because a doctor might be a close contact or may have Covid-19. We still have access to our timetables when we are off work so can see our colleagues being re-rostered for an extra 24-hour shift that week.

"We know how the virus works. Why was the close-contact rule introduced in the first place. In April, we had to isolate for two weeks but now, if there is a severe demand we can be brought back in to the emergency department. This is only there because there is a huge need to staff the hospitals."

The Department of Health announced last night that in order to further relieve the pressure on strained resources, nurses and midwives are to be released from the supervision and educational support of student nurses and midwives to assist with the Covid-19 response, following a request by the HSE.

The HSE had asked for experienced and qualified staff currently supporting undergraduate training for first, second and third-year students to be released for redeployment. Clinical placements for student nurses and midwives in these years will be suspended for two weeks from tomorrow. Final year students will be rostered as 0.5 of a full-time equivalent nurse or midwife. Student nurse and midwife placements for fourth-year interns will continue with the appropriate education and support infrastructure in place.
The Associated Press

Morocco has approved the emergency use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, jointly developed with the UKs Oxford University. The countrys Health Ministry said Wednesday that the Serum Institute of India in under contract from AstraZeneca to make the shots. Last month, the Moroccan government announced it had ordered 65 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Chinas Sinopharm and Britains AstraZeneca. The country of 35 million people has not yet received the vaccines.

Approval of Sinopharms vaccine is under review by Moroccos regulators and is expected to be granted in the coming days.

According to the authorization documents, the AstraZeneca vaccine would be administered in two doses with an interval of between four and 12 weeks.

The approval comes as preparations for Moroccos vaccine rollout have reached advanced stages, the Health Ministry said. A launch date has not been announced.

The immunization plan aims to vaccinate 80 percent of the population, including frontline workers and people suffering from chronic diseases.

In response to rising coronavirus infections, Morocco imposed a nationwide curfew and ordered restaurants in major cities to close.
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Want a private jet to the Maldives, a session with the best plastic surgeon or a private tutor for little Aloysius? If so, Ben Elliots lifestyle management service Quintessentially is available.

But dont expect the Duchess of Cornwalls nephew Ben to be your personal night concierge  as hes busy running the Tory Party, thanks to chum Boris Johnson, who made him co-chairman in 2019.

The PMs fellow Etonian didnt get off to a good start and was soon apologising for his role in a quintessential lobbying scandal.

Dont expect the Duchess of Cornwalls nephew Ben to be your personal night concierge  as hes busy running the Tory Party, thanks to chum Boris Johnson, who made him co-chairman in 2019

He had helped arrange a tacky fundraising dinner at the Savoy Hotel where developer and Tory donor Richard Desmond just happened to be seated next to Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick and urged him to back his plans for a 1 billion homes scheme in East London.

Top Tories ridiculed Elliot, a former Sloaney bar owner, for trying a little too hard to impress the head boy with his efforts to boost party coffers.

Arguably, the role of party chairman involves more than schmoozing high-rollers. Perhaps even an elementary grasp of corporate governance? Alas, Elliot, 45, has a chequered record at the helm of Quintessentially.

In 2019, two female executives claimed he and his co-founders had created a hostile working environment. This was denied but Quintessentially paid big bucks to settle a lawsuit in return for the womens shares as part of a restructuring.

The PMs fellow Etonian didnt get off to a good start and was soon apologising for his role in a quintessential lobbying scandal

The claim cited an accountants report describing the groups structure as opaque and complex. Theres Quintessentially Events, Arts, Villas, Education, Gifts, Driven, Aviation and so on; all serving whims of the profligate rich which sits oddly with Elliots role, courtesy of Michael Gove, as Government, er, food and waste tsar.

Youd think repeatedly breaking the law would also be a bad look, but Quintessentially UK Limited and 14 sister companies are now up to one year late in filing their accounts  an offence with 1,500 fines per firm and ultimately directors personally liable if it gets to court.

Quintessentially says it had a deadline extension but didnt provide evidence, however. Elliot denies breaking the law. Regulator Companies House confirmed late filing of accounts is a criminal offence.

The Tory press office declined to comment on whether Elliots position as co-chairman and Government adviser was tenable.

At the very least he could add a new company to his empire  Quintessentially Late.

Tory MP Neil OBrien is making a name for himself as the Governments most feisty tweeter judging by his reaction to jewellery heir John Mappins emergence as a leading figure in the UK branch of conspiracy movement QAnon, whose followers were part of Trumps Capitol Hill mob.

Tory MP Neil OBrien is making a name for himself as the Governments most feisty tweeter judging by his reaction to jewellery heir John Mappins (pictured) emergence as a leading figure in the UK branch of conspiracy movement QAnon

The heir to the Mappin & Webb empire is a proud Scientologist who tried making it in Hollywood and now owns a chi-chi seaside hotel in Cornwall where the Q flag flies at full mast.

OBrien yesterday described Mappin as someone whod travelled from Quinoa to QAnon.

Bad news for Government transparency as 2020 passed without the Cabinet Office publishing the latest register for Ministers interests, which it should do twice yearly.

Usually the register emerges in the summer, which it did, and at the end of the year, which it didnt.

The Cabinet Office says there was no breach of the Ministerial Code because twice yearly applied to publication in December 2019 and July 2020, even though a register also appeared in July 2019!

Its the kind of opaque and creative accounting that allows the chumocracy to award all those mega Covid contracts.

Hundreds of customers of smart thermostat provider Hive are demanding their money back after experiencing problems using it to heat their homes.

Hive, owned by British Gas, is understood to have already agreed to some refunds.

Its system lets users control their home boiler via an app by setting the times when their heating comes on and goes off.

Concerns: Laura Shannon revealed her issues with a 'smart' heating gadget in November

It is promoted as an energy and money-saving tool, allowing householders 'to never waste money heating an empty room'.

But as The Mail on Sunday revealed a couple of months ago, snags arise when customers combine the app with smart thermostatic radiator valves, known as TRVs.

These should allow people to heat individual rooms at different times. But they often need to be reset  which can take hours.

Hive says that as many as 1,000 users are adversely affected by this, a result of a 'flawed' software update.

Yet one user was told by customer service staff that a 'new bug' had been detected  resulting in radiators being turned off or coming on when not instructed to.

David Strahan, 58, is among those to be refunded for the cost of his TRVs after demanding money back.

Strahan says: 'Either Hive has finally recognised what customers have been saying for over a year  or after all that time new bugs are emerging.'

He adds: 'I care deeply about saving energy because of the climate crisis. This is partly why I'm so annoyed with Hive.'

Someone called 'Ross', who posted a message on Hive's online community forum, laments spending more than 200 on what he describes as 'pieces of junk'.

Hive has been widely criticised for not tackling the flaws promptly, resulting in frustrated customers removing the system in favour of a rival product. Others are demanding refunds but have not found it an easy task.

Speech and language therapist Emma Giff, 41, says she reached 'breaking point' trying to get the Hive system to work  even with the help of a British Gas engineer.

The mother-of-one made numerous phone calls to try to fix the problem of her radiators not heating up according to the schedule she had set. She then wrote a five-page letter of complaint demanding her money back.

She says: 'I spent hard-earned money on this product and no one at Hive can explain why it does not work.'

The company initially offered to refund the cost of the radiator valves but not the basic Hive system.

However, Emma says she specifically bought Hive's system to work in tandem with the TRVs, so she could heat the bedroom and playroom used by her two-year-old son  without at the same time having to heat the rest of the house.

After spending hours escalating her complaint up the company's management ladder, she has been told she will be refunded in full. Yet Emma says: 'I'm furious with Hive and how appalling the customer service has been.'

Customer service continues to be a sticking point despite the company taking on more staff.

Another disgruntled individual posting on Hive's online forum says he was told to email details of his complaint. After doing so, he received a reply telling him the company was unable to respond to technical queries made via email.

Hive says the bug affecting its system has been a problem since last September.

It told The Mail on Sunday: 'There is an issue that has affected between 3 and 4 per cent of our 28,000 TRV customer base where radiator valves are failing to sync with the app.

'We have been working to resolve this and have been testing a fix with customers who reported experiencing problems over the festive period. We will be looking to roll out this fix to the whole customer base within the next seven to ten days.'

Technical support cannot be given by email, but there is a dedicated complaints email address: complaintsteam@hivehome.com.

Alternatively, customers can call 0333 202 9614 and ask to speak to the complaints team.
US federal prosecutors believe the January rioters intended to "capture and assassinate election officials" in Congress.

The statement is included in court documents filed by US attorneys concerning Jacob Chansley, who entered the Capitol in facepaint and fur clothing before reaching the dais where VP Mike Pence sat inside the Senate. Prosecutors believe they have "strong evidence, including Chansley's words and actions" during the riot, of rioters' intent.

Chansley allegedly left a note on the dais, reading: "It's only a matter of time, justice is coming." But the Justice Department said they do not have "any direct evidence of kill capture teams" involved with the Capitol cases. Investigators have "breadcrumbs" of evidence rioters had some line of communication with people inside the Capitol, he said.

The case involving Chansley - aka Jake Angeli, the "QAnon Shaman" - reveals other details linking the riots to QAnon cultists and Trump supporters.

Chansley also told investigators "he came as a part of a group effort, with other 'patriots' from Arizona, at the request of the president that all 'patriots' come to" the capital on January 6.

Prosecutors also said there are mental health concerns: "Chansley has spoken openly about his belief that he is an alien, a higher being, and he is here on Earth to ascend to another reality," they wrote.

As of Friday, the US Justice Department has opened 98 criminal cases, most of which involve felonies.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also opened an "immediate review" of the Capitol's "security infrastructure, interagency processes and procedures, and command and control".

Several Republican members of Congress have been accused of not only echoing the President's false claims of election fraud but collaborating with far-right figures involved with plotting the events that led to the riot, which resulted in five deaths, including that of a police officer. The probe follows speculation rioters may have had "inside assistance" reaching the Capitol's interior. An investigation is centred around more than one lawmaker who gave tours to people at the Capitol the day before the riot.

At least two Capitol police officers have been suspended and more than a dozen others are under investigation.

One officer took a selfie with a rioter and another wore a "Make America Great Again" hat.
The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines to be received by Nigeria will be administered to Nigerians at no cost (free of charges) and in four phases, an official has said.

This was disclosed by the Director, Infectious Disease Control and Immunisation at the Nigeria Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Bassey Okposen, on Saturday, during a Channels TV Sunrise Daily show.

Nigeria is expecting about 100,000 free COVID-19 vaccines by the end of January as part of a COVAX arrangement put in place by the World Health Organisation and its partners.

Mr Okposen said vaccination will only begin after the vaccines must have gotten proper certification from the drug regulatory agency, NAFDAC.

He said there were lots of efforts to make sure that when the vaccines come in, accountability would be the watchword.

In each of the sites across the country where the vaccinations would be taking place, he said, We have security operatives and health workers, monitors from funders and government staff on ground to make sure that the vaccines are given free to Nigerians and theyre not diverted.

When asked about how people would be monitored after being administered the vaccines so as to monitor progress, Mr Okposen said a follow up plan was in place at every site where vaccinations would be taking place.

At each of the vaccination centres, they would be an active surveillance site ongoing, and there is a follow up plan on what people would do at the point of vaccination and after being vaccinated.

For post-vaccination, he said there were also plans in place to ensure that the vaccinated Nigerians are followed up for possible complaints that might come from them.

However, he said the Nigerian team was keenly watching and tracking happenings in countries where vaccination is already taking place.

Duration of vaccine administration

He said the 100,000 vaccine dosages Nigeria is expecting, after they are certified by NAFDAC, would be administered in four phases.

First phase would be administered in Quarter 1(Q1), the second phase would be in Q2, third phase in Q3 and fourth phase would be in Q4, he said.

He said within the duration of phases 1-3, after administration, Nigerians on their own would be able to speak up on the effectiveness of the vaccine and the vaccination process so far.

The official said they were aware of so many Nigerians who had travelled out to receive the vaccines on their own and that the communication team is already putting together a documentary on that.

We promise Nigerians that the vaccines to be used are safe, and they would be a follow up for possibilities and at the end of it all, we would be able to give full accountability to Nigerians, he said.

Dosages to be administered

Speaking about the dosages to be administered and intervals, he said for the 100,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine the country is expecting, the manufacturers guideline is that the second dose would be administered to a recipient 21 days after the first dose.

He said apart from the Pfizer vaccine that would be administered as mentioned, other alternative vaccines would be coming in during subsequent phases of administration.

The government target is to immunize 70 per cent of Nigerians, between this year and 2022 and that translate to 149.6 million Nigerians, Mr Okposen said.

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So we would have vaccines that would be coming from different companies that would pass through the NAFDAC test before given to Nigerians. And the interval between the first and the second doses would depend on the manufacturers instructions.

When would Nigerians get the vaccines?

When asked how soon Nigerians would get the vaccines, the NAFDAC director-general, Mojisola Adeyeye, said as soon as NAFDAC receives the dossier from the manufacturing company, it would not take more than a week to get it reviewed, because they would be relying on what others have done before.

When that is done, we will also have another external body to quickly go through what weve done in NAFDAC  she said.

She said the review process should not take more that seven working days, after which the vaccine can come into the country.
Married At First Sight star Tracey Jewel will soon welcome her second child.

And on Friday, the 38-year-old was positively glowing as she flaunted her blossoming baby bump at a discount chain in Perth.

Tracey could barely wipe the smile off her face as she visited Red Dot in the suburb of Midland in the West Australian capital.

Radiant: Former Married At First Sight star Tracey Jewel, 38, (pictured) flaunted her blossoming baby bump in a black maxi dress at a discount store in Perth on Friday

The stores offers a variety of heavily discounted homewares at bargain basement prices.

Tracey showed off her bump in a stunning black maxi dress. She went makeup free and wore her brunette tresses down past her shoulders.

Tracey revealed this month on Instagram she'd been rushed to hospital with minor bleeding, which left her fearful for her unborn son.

Glowing: Tracey could barely wipe the smile off her face as she visited Red Dot in the suburb of Midland in the West Australian capital

'Yesterday was not an ordinary day in pregnancy. I had some minor bleeding. As we are away from home, my obstetrician thought best to check it out,' she wrote.

'Received all the checks, saw our baby's heartbeat so relieved and pleased that our baby boy is fine, and bleeding has now stopped.'

She went on to say she was 'grateful for all the excellent care and service the Albany hospital maternity ward provided'.

Motherhood: Tracey showed off her bump in a stunning black maxi dress. She went makeup free and wore her brunette tresses down past her shoulders

'Was contemplating sharing this on social media but decided to as let's be real about pregnancy journeys and days - the good and bad!' she added.

Tracey revealed in September she was expecting a child with her boyfriend, Nathan Constable.

'We're having a baby! We are so happy to share our beautiful news with everyone,' she wrote on Instagram at the time.

Growing family: Tracey revealed in September she was expecting a child with her boyfriend, Nathan Constable (left)

'I have always believed in second chances and my second baby I've been waiting so long for,' she added.

'My daughter is going to be an amazing big sister and I'm so so grateful to be experiencing pregnancy and motherhood again with my love Nate.'

The entrepreneur, who rose to fame on Channel Nine's Married At First Sight in 2018, is already a mother to 10-year-old daughter Grace.
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Covering an area of 10,814.6 ha and located about 60 km west of Hanoi`s downtown, with fresh and cool alpine climate, Ba Vi National Park has become an ideal destination for domestic and foreign visitors.

The Park was established in 1991 providing visitors with the majestic scenery of the mountains and forests and telling them the story of the sacred legend of Son Tinh - Thuy Tinh (the Genies of the Mountain and the Rivers).

Fall Church in Ba Vi National Park.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, Ba Vi has earned the reputation of a relaxing retreat thanks to the diversity of its ecosystems, beautiful scenery and fresh climate. The national park covers a mountain range with 3 high peaks: the King peak is the highest with 1296 m high, following is the Tan Vien peak with 1227 m high and Ngoc Hoa peak with 1131 m high. Waterfalls in the mountain pour down daily, forming a charming landscape with many scenic sights such as Khoang Xanh, Ao Vua, Thac Nga, Suoi Ngoc.



Ba Vi National Park has 1,209 species of plants, including 21 species of rare plants listed in the Red Book of Vietnam, 63 species of mammals, 115 species of birds, 61 species of reptiles and 27 species of amphibians, with many precious and rare species such as: civet, large lobe, pheasant and so on.



The mountain is said to embody the saint Tan Vien Son Tinh (the Genie of the Mountain), who leads the Four Immortals in the Vietnamese mythology. To commemorate the work of water management of Tan Vien Saint, his temple was built on Tan Vien peak, so-called the Thuong (Upper) Temple. In addition to the historical values, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about Van Lang culture of the 18th Hung King and listen to the love story of Son Tinh Saint and Ngoc Hoa Princess.



At a height of 600m, a historical relic of the revolution marked the brave battle between Vietnamese troops and the French invaders in the Hoa Binh campaign which is the 600 Ba Vi fortification. The fort was built by the occupying French troops in 1951 on the basis of the old villa of a French national. Visiting this place, visitors recall the heroic past and are exposed to the soul of Tan mountain and Da River. This base has been classified as a national historical relic in 2007.



In this historical base, wildflowers bloom in late October and the whole month of November, inspiring young adventurers to shoot photos. The visit to Ba Vi National Park around this time will give visitors the sight of a lot of wildflowers along the road right from the foot of the mountain. Hanoitimes

Thanh Minh

Ba Vi National Park bright like the sun with wild sunflowers The vastness of Ba Vi National Park is lit up every year from November to December by wild sunflowers, which are also a tell-tale sign that winter is upon us.

Axios

While Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) was out of state at a conference, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R) issued an executive order Thursday banning mask mandates in school and public buildings, AP reports.Why it matters: Little never issued a statewide mask mandate, but there have been some in counties, cities and schools. McGeachin announced last week she was running for governor, challenging Little who has only served one term, and her order could appeal to far-right voters in the state.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Little's office told AP that McGeachin did not tell the governor about the order in advance. Throughout the pandemic, Gov. Little has been committed to protecting the health and safety of the people of Idaho and has emphasized the importance of Idahoans choosing to protect our neighbors and loved ones and keeping our economy and schools open, Little spokesperson Marissa Morrison saidBackground: In March, McGeachin participated in an anti-mask protest, the Washington Post reported, and she suggested last year that the pandemic may or may not be occurring."According to AP, Idaho has recorded more than 190,000 cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and roughly 2,000 deaths.What she's saying: Ive been listening to people all across the state with the concern about, especially, why are little kids being forced to wear masks in school, McGeachin told AP.My oath to the Constitution is to protect those rights and freedoms of the individual, and Ive never supported any type of a mandate on the individual, especially when it comes to health care choices.McGeachin said she had contracted the virus in 2019 and now has a "natural immunity," per AP.Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin issued an executive order banning mask mandates, not face masks. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy with showers likely late, and possibly a thunderstorm. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy with showers likely late, and possibly a thunderstorm. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
LAST Saturday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and his team made their usual weekly briefing on the status of the coronavirus in Trinidad and Tobago.

Given the rise in cases, the addition of a state of emergency was added to the existing public health measures, setting a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The Federal Government said will inaugurate a COVID-19 Rapid Response Register (RRR), an emergency intervention database, for the urban poor made poorer by the pandemic, an official of government has said.

Communications Manager, National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), Joe Abuku, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Sunday, in Abuja, said the register would identify Nigerians who had sunk deeper into poverty as a result of the economic shocks caused by the pandemic.

This register is being built by NASSCO as an expansion of the existing National Social Safety Nets Project (NASSP). It targets small businesses owners, street vendors, petty traders, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and service providers.

Others are low wage employed individuals and families, including daily wage-based labourers, urban poor and destitute (persons with disabilities), and vulnerable families in slum areas, affected by the pandemic, he further said.

According to him, the register, being put together by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, through NASSCO, and in partnership with the World Bank, will be inaugurated by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday, at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.

The category of Nigerians who will be in this register is typically the urban/semi urban poor engaged in the informal sectors of the economy, who lost their source of livelihood due to the impact of COVID-19 on businesses and jobs.

The Federal Government plans to extend cash transfers to households in this register for a period of 12 months, he said.

On the economic impact of the pandemic, Mr Abuku said around the world, it had disrupted livelihoods and hurt businesses with many small business owners, petty traders and daily wage workers unable to return to business or get back to work.

He said Nigeria social protection systems had come under intense pressure and prompted the government to invest more resources to assist those dealing with the economic shocks and threats posed by the pandemic.

He added that the register would identify the non-traditional urban poor who lost their livelihoods and consequently became poorer and more vulnerable from the harsh economic impact of COVID-19.

Mr Abuku said to identify Nigerians who had been made poorer in urban and semi-urban areas for registration, NASSCO would rely on geographical satellite remote sensing technology to locate urban poor wards and communities.

He added that targeting and enrolment of affected households would be done using cellphone Short Messaging Service (SMS) technology that allowed residents of targeted communities register to be assisted by following simple steps using USSD codes.

This technology approach, he said, was integrated with the National Living Standard Survey Assessments and would be complemented by existing databases of Non-Governmental Organisations, local self-help-support groups, and neighbourhood structures in the communities.

Mobile phone numbers of those deemed eligible for assistance will be linked to digitised bank accounts to receive cash support, under an expanded cash transfer program of the Federal Government.

These cash payments are designed to boost consumption for these households, build their resilience, and in some cases, inject fresh capital into small businesses, he said.

NASSCO is a component of NASSP, established in 2016 by the Federal Government, through a World Bank assisted project.

It coordinates and consolidates the building blocks of a safety net system at national and state levels that can deliver targeted support to poor households across Nigeria.

(NAN)

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Farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa and Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu have been summoned by the Investigation Agency (NIA) for questioning on January 17 in a case related to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

has summoned around 40 people for examination as witnesses in a case related to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) under Section 160 CRPC (Code of Criminal Procedure).

Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu has been summoned by the Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday. has asked Deep Sidhu to appear before it at its headquarters in New Delhi in connection with a case under Chapter XII of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

"Whereas it appears that you (Deep Sidhu) are acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case noted below, which I am investigating under Chapter XII of the Code of Criminal Procedure, you are hereby required to appear before me on January 17 at 10:00 am at Investigation Agency, Opposite CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi for the purpose of answering certain question relating to the case," Dhiraj Kumar, Inspector of Police said in a letter.

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Deep Sidhu had shared the letter on the social media platform, Facebook on January 16.

(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.)


Now that digital commerce accounts for more than a third of its economy, China is looking for ways to more effectively tax domestic e-commerce titans like Alibaba, Tencent and Didi Chuxing.

Its a huge and growing target for filling government coffers. In 2019, the nations digital economy generated 35.8 trillion yuan ($5.52 trillion) of revenue, accounting for 36% of Chinas GDP, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. The digital economy has expanded much faster than the rest of the economy over the past decade.

Value added by the digital industry totaled 7.1 trillion yuan in 2019, up 11.1% from 2018, while other industries generated 28.8 trillion yuan of added value by applying digital technologies, including the agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors, the think tank calculated.

Its time to conduct a general study of digital taxation both internationally and domestically, particularly focusing on large tech platforms and companies with large databases and huge consumer traffic, according to Chinas former Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao. At a recent forum, Yao Qian, the chief of the science and technology supervision bureau of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), said China should consider imposing a digital tax on tech companies to enable citizen-users to share the benefits they helped create for the internet platforms they use.

This is no simple matter, according to tax accounting professionals. The rapidly expanding digital economy has increased the difficulty of tax collection and administration, resulting in unfair competition, tax experts said. While Chinese authorities are also moving to update antitrust law and crack down on anti-competitive behavior by tech titans, it is also necessary to more effectively tax the digital economy to create a level playing field, alleviate a tight fiscal balance and narrow the gap in income distribution, they said.

Levying a digital tax is not simply a matter of setting a tax rate and a tax base, Wang Yongjun, professor at the Central University of Finance and Economics, told Caixin. It also would involve a rebalancing of interests among different sectors, requiring a complete consideration of the effects on the economy, society and the fiscal system, Wang said.

Other governments are similarly grappling with the issue. More than 130 countries are working to negotiate new rules on how to tax global tech giants such as Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Google. The international discussions mainly seek to address the problem of tax base erosion and profit shifting by making hugely profitable multinational tech companies doing business over the internet pay taxes where they sell their services, even when they do not have a physical presence.

Several countries have already moved ahead with unilateral measures. France, Italy and the U.K. have implemented a digital service tax, and several other countries have published proposals to enact such taxes.

But such moves can elevate trade tensions. The U.S. charged that Frances digital tax discriminates against American companies and in January 2020 imposed tariffs on $1.3 billion of annual French imports, including cosmetics and handbags. Washington also has pending investigations into digital levies in Austria, Italy and Turkey, which could lead to similar retaliatory tariffs.

At present, global digital tax efforts take aim at nonlocal enterprises, based on the argument that foreign companies make significant profits through the internet in other counties. China generally doesnt have this problem, according to several tax accounting professionals. Rather, the issue facing Chinese policymakers is taxing domestic e-commerce.

As early as 2016, Chinas then-Finance Minister Lou Jiwei acknowledged a need to tax e-commerce, financial technology and shared economy-based services such as private car services offered by companies like Uber and Chinas Didi Chuxing.

Challenges in Taxing Digital Economy

But it is technically difficult to tax the digital world, Lou said, referring to issues such as identifying internet users and calculating the value of transactions over a broad range of platforms.

Under the current tax system built for the traditional economy, tax is collected mainly based on place of business registration or operations. As digital-economy businesses rely on conducting remote transactions online, its easier to underpay or evade taxes. If the tax burden of digital-economy businesses is significantly lower than that of businesses in other industries, it compromises the principle of tax neutrality and distorts the market, economists say.

The problem of tax base erosion and profit shifting exists not only among different countries but also among different regions within the same country, said Wang at the Central University of Finance and Economics. In China, taxes on digital economy operations are paid mainly in developed regions, while underdeveloped regions are at a disadvantage for collecting such taxes, aggravating imbalances among regions, Wang said.

Fixing Current System Versus a New Digital Tax

Under Chinas current tax system, there are 18 types of taxes, including value-added, consumption, corporate income and individual income. There are two approaches in Chinas discussions of a digital tax. One would seek to optimize the existing tax system by clarifying taxes related to the digital economy. The other would be to introduce a digital tax on top of the existing taxes.

In the first approach, the simplest way to increase digital tax revenue would be to strengthen tax collection and management for digital economy businesses. Tax revenue lost from digital platforms is mainly due to insufficient coverage of tax collection and management for small businesses on these platforms, such as Taobao merchants and WeChat stores running on the platforms of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd.

In the early stage of the digital economys development, Chinas tax rules for digital service providers were not clear. In 2011, the Wuhan Bureau of the State Taxation Administration issued the first tax bill to a Taobao store. Chinas E-Commerce Law, which came into effect Jan. 1, 2019, clearly stipulates that e-commerce operators shall fulfill their tax obligations and enjoy tax benefits in accordance with the law, laying a legal foundation for digital taxation.

Under the current tax system, tax collection from online stores is relative mature, while taxation of individuals selling goods through livestreaming platforms is not fully covered, a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) tax expert said.

Livestreaming e-commerce took off in China in 2019, creating celebrity livestreamers who have grown so adept as pitchmen that they can sometimes sell out the entire inventory of a product during a single sales session. Gross merchandise volume sold via livestreaming events more than tripled in 2019 to more than 400 billion yuan ($56.5 billion), according to a report by consulting firm Bain & Co.

Such celebrity livestreamers usually register as sole proprietorships to benefit from a lower tax rate, even though they hire hundreds of employees and operate as corporations. China doesnt collect corporate income tax for sole proprietors or individual-invested enterprises. Instead, taxes on the production and operation of sole proprietorship are levied as part of personal income taxes.

To attract investment, local governments collect taxes for these sole proprietorships using a verification method, rather than the stricter method of audit, resulting in effective tax rates even lower than the minimum of 3% applicable for individual income taxes.

Compared with sole proprietorship, internet platform enterprises comply with relatively stricter tax rules, but they still have the ability to benefit from tax planning. For example, an internet platform can set up a research and development unit and attribute its profit to the R&D unit, benefiting from a reduced 15% corporate tax rate for high- and new-technology enterprises, compared with a regular tax rate of 25%, according to the PwC tax expert.

Who owns data?

Platform-like enterprises hold large amounts of user data, an asset thats analogous to holding precious mineral mines, the CSRCs Yao said. But as the real creators of such corporate value, users have not shared real benefits from the revenues their information generates, Yao said.

In taxing data, the first problem is ownership. Currently there is no consensus on whether the data is owned by users, the platform, or both. Shenzhen issued a draft data regulation in July defining the concept of data right for the first time. The draft regulation set out the ownership of personal and public data.

Public data is a new type of state-owned asset, and its rights belong to the state, the Shenzhen draft stipulates. The Shenzhen municipal government will accordingly exercise public data rights on behalf of the state, according to the proposal. Personal data refers to data recorded through automation and other means that can identify a natural persons identity and is closely related to the persons private life.

The draft regulation has raised some controversy. Some researchers argue that data, as a special production factor, has the unique characteristics of low reproduction and circulation cost. Treating data as property will result in a conflict of rights among multiple data owners. Even if the data is regarded as public property, it will raise extremely complex ownership issues, which would obstruct low-cost data circulation and is not conducive to the market allocation of data, the researchers say.

How data is priced is another problem to address. Wang of the Central University of Finance and Economics said the issue is being studied in China, while the European Union is expected to roll out its own data pricing standard in the next two or three years. Before the problem of data pricing is resolved, the next best way is by comparing trading volume, digital economy operators profit and other data, Wang said.

Some tax experts argue that there is no need to levy a new digital tax rather than a tightened preferential tax policy on high-tech enterprises that might be enough to achieve the goal. For example, research and development expenses incurred by a company in the development of new technologies, new products or new processes can be deducted in the calculation of taxable income, said Cai Weinian, partner at EY Greater China.

Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com).

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Camille Reinecke found a sweet outlet for her creativity.

The director of youth theater programs at Scranton Cultural Center at The Masonic Temple, Reinecke started missing the artistic license she had while directing shows. To feed that need for expression, she turned to baking.

The Scranton resident had always loved to bake and began to hone her skills, creating gorgeous desserts for family and friends that looked as beautiful as they were delicious. She then began an Instagram account, @bakewith camille, where followers can see the journey from an idea to an edible work of art.

Local Flavor couldnt resist her sweet creations, including her recipe for Chocolate Almond Cake with Almond Swiss Meringue Buttercream, which earned her a $50 gift card to Riccardos Market, 1219 Wheeler Ave., Dunmore.

Reinecke said she loves the flavors of chocolate and almond together, and the latter also is a traditional flavor in desserts and wedding cakes in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she is from and where most of her family still lives.

A Swiss meringue buttercream is a slightly less sweet option than traditional American buttercream. Its also silkier and smoother, which makes it great for decorating, Reinecke said. She advised bakers to bring all ingredients to room temperature before making it, since that can make or break your buttercream, she said.

The frosting recipe can be a bit tricky, and Reinecke suggested that bakers look online for tips to master the technique, or they can reach out to her directly through Instagram for help. Bakers may use a traditional American buttercream instead of the Swiss meringue or swap in vanilla extract instead of almond extract in both the frosting and cake recipes. Above all, she hopes bakers have fun with it.

Its completely up to their taste with whatever they want to do, she said. It should be enjoyable and a time to let your creativity take over.

Reineckes signature items also include brownies, cookies and cinnamon rolls as well as pavlovas, meringue-based desserts usually topped with fruit. Everything she bakes is a work of art to Reinecke, but her cakes give her creativity free reign. She usually begins by sketching the cake on paper. Then, shell compare the sketch to the finished product.

I love that process of seeing that idea come to life in a way, she said, adding it felt similar to the way she sketches out costume ideas or staging for a theater production.

While the cultural center has adapted through the pandemic to offer virtual theater camp sessions and events for young performers, shes counting down the days until its safe to be on stage again. In the meantime, bakers can follow along on Reineckes social media to keep up with her latest confections or even to chat with her about recipes and ingredients.

I love that food just brings people together, she said.
ABC News

An Iowa jury began deliberating the fate of a Mexican national Thursday after hearing wildly contrasting theories of who killed Mollie Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student. In closing arguments in the high-profile case, a prosecutor said the evidence "overwhelmingly" points to Cristhian Bahena Rivera, whose defense attorney countered with the claim that Bahena Rivera actually was a victim of two armed kidnappers and that one of them fatally stabbed Tibbetts. The closing arguments came a day after Bahena Rivera, a 26-year-old undocumented immigrant, took the witness stand in his own defense and for the first time claimed that two unknown men wearing stocking masks and sweaters on July 18, 2018, abducted him from his trailer house, forced him to drive to where the 20-year-old Tibbetts was jogging, killed her and put her body in the trunk of his car.
Says unproven voter fraud claims didnt play any role in the Capitol riot. Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman in an interview on Jan. 14, 2020

Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman said in an interview last week that unproven voter fraud claims didnt play any role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The remark came after Matt Maisel, an anchor for FOX43 in central Pennsylvania, asked the states highest-ranking Republican about the violence that occurred when a pro-Trump mob attacked the building and temporarily halted the final counting of elector ballots in President-elect Joe Bidens win.

House Democrats yesterday called on state Republicans to accept some responsibility for some of the violence that we saw at the U.S. Capitol last week because of unproven voter fraud claims, Maisel said. What role do you think that played?

I dont think it played any role, Corman responded.

But theres plenty of evidence that people who traveled to Washington and stormed the Capitol did so because they believed the election was rigged and unfairly stolen from President Donald Trump. He told them so repeatedly. And Corman, like many Republican officials in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, helped advance Trumps narrative.

Asked to provide evidence that supports his claim, Corman spokesperson Jenn Kocher offered none.

Youre asking me to prove a negative, she said.

There is no evidence of any widespread voter fraud in Pennsylvanias presidential election. Trumps campaign itself hasnt presented any such evidence in its numerous legal challenges contesting the result. Rather, its legal efforts have been aimed at disqualifying votes that all evidence shows were legitimately cast under rules the president and his supporters disagree with. Disputes over those rules were adjudicated in court. The postelection controversy has been stirred by unfounded claims of fraud.

For two months, Corman and other Republicans across the country repeatedly challenged the legitimacy of Bidens win. Some falsely claimed widespread fraud, while others griped about procedural issues, in arguments that courts have struck down.

Corman himself hasnt alleged voter fraud, focusing instead on election administration. Let me be very clear. I have no knowledge of any voter fraud, he said in November. I have no knowledge of any misdeed other than the process by which the [Department of State] ran this election.

A week after the election, Corman accused Democratic Gov. Tom Wolfs administration of attempting to tip the scales in Bidens favor while also acknowledging he had no hard evidence of any misdoing. He later urged Congress to delay certification of the states election results, to allow due process as we pursue election integrity in our Commonwealth.

The letter Corman sent to Congress repeated several false claims that have been debunked, including that Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar encouraged only some counties to help voters fix technical mistakes with their mail ballots and that Republicans in Philadelphia were prohibited from observing workers as they counted ballots.

Due to these inconsistent and questionable activities, we believe that Pennsylvanias election results should not have been certified by our Secretary of State, Corman wrote.

 READ MORE: Fact-checking false claims about Pennsylvanias presidential election by Trump and his allies

Corman wasnt alone. In November, U.S. Rep. Scott Perry attended a Stop the Steal rally in Harrisburg before going on Fox Business Network to declare Pennsylvanias election a horrific embarrassment. U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser told Fox News host Sean Hannity the situation is dire: There is no longer one citizen, one vote. And U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler told the conservative outlet Newsmax that we know there is voter fraud that occurred, its just a question of how much.

The presidents Pennsylvania supporters were listening, and before the attack on the Capitol, they told The Inquirer so.

Raberta Hans, a 50-year-old teacher from Northeastern Pennsylvania, said she planned to attend the rally to make a stand for election integrity: Its too dangerous not to go back and count every ballot.

Jackie Kulback, the local GOP chair in Cambria County, said she wanted to gather with other Trump supporters to show the president, who had repeatedly spouted false claims of election fraud, how much we support him.

And Ben Philips, a 50-year-old computer programmer from Bloomsburg, said he was eager to see what Trump would do next: It seems like he called us there for a reason. I think something bigs about to go down that no ones talking about yet. I think he has an ace up his sleeve.

Philips was one of five people who died in or near the Capitol amid the attack after he suffered a medical emergency.

 READ MORE: Fact-checking Trumps false claims about Pennsylvanias election before his supporters attacked the Capitol

When Trump addressed his supporters on Jan. 6 before they stormed the Capitol, he again rattled off a slew of false claims. Targeting Pennsylvania, he wrongly said the number of votes cast exceeded the states number of voters, that ballots received after Election Day were improperly counted, and that dead people had voted.

None of that was true.

And the presidents insistence that the election was stolen but could still be reversed with Congress help is what rioters cited when asked by reporters why they were there and what they hoped to achieve.

Our ruling

Corman said unproven voter fraud claims didnt play any role in the attack. No role at all? Thats absurd. A false but deeply held belief that the election was rigged and stolen from Trump led thousands of his supporters to gather in Washington and later storm the Capitol. The claims inspired the riot. We rate Cormans statement Pants on Fire.

Our sources

FOX43, FOX43 Capitol Beat: Senate President Pro Temp Jake Corman, Jan. 14, 2021

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Fact-checking false claims about Pennsylvanias presidential election by Trump and his allies, Dec. 7, 2020

The Philadelphia Inquirer, First it was fraud, then they just didnt like the rules: How Pa. Republicans justified trying to overturn an election, Jan. 12, 2021

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pa. GOP lawmakers to probe unverified fraud claims in election they largely won, Nov. 10, 2020

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pa. Senate GOP leaders claim inconsistencies in asking for Electoral College certification delay, Jan. 6, 2021

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania Republicans are parroting Trumps false election claims as the post-Trump GOP takes shape, Nov. 10, 2020

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Congress is about to formalize Bidens win. Busloads of Pa. Trump supporters are heading to D.C. to protest., Jan. 6, 2021

The Philadelphia Inquirer, He organized a bus of Trump supporters from Pa. for the first day of the rest of our lives. He died in Washington, Jan. 7, 2021

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Fact-checking Trumps false claims about Pennsylvanias election before his supporters attacked the Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021

PolitiFact, A day of crisis at the US Capitol, fact-checked, Jan. 6, 2021

PolitiFact is a nonpartisan, fact-checking website operated by the nonprofit Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
He said that these allegations were reported to have been made by the Western Australian Minister for Native Affairs, Mr. J. Brady.

CANBERRA, Friday.The Minister for Supply, Mr. Howard Beale, to-day denied that aborigines had been driven from their country by the establishment of the Maralinga atomic testing ground, or that aborigines in the Woomera rocket range area had been told "to get out and keep moving."

First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on January 19, 1957

THE HON. HOWARD BEALE QC MP. MINISTER FOR SUPPLY May 1955.

"I am informed by my officers, including patrol officers on the spot, that these statements are simply not true," Mr. Beale said.

He said that Mr. Brady had apparently based his charges on the report of a select committee of the Western Australian Parliament.

[The select committee investigated native affairs in an area bounded in the west by the Laverton district, in the east by Central Australia, on the north by the Rawlinson Ranges, and on the south by the Trans-Continental Railway.]

The committee reported that more than 1,000 Aborigines were living and dying under the "worst conditions in the world. '
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 30, 2020, Aces Braces and Dental ("Aces Dental") was acquired by Absolute Dental Group LLC ("Absolute Dental"). Aces Dental is an operator of three dental practices in Nevada. Aces Dental has been providing comprehensive dental and orthodontic services to the greater Las Vegas area since 2006. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The combined organization represents nearly 100 dentists and hygienists supported by 350 team members delivering a full suite of dentistry services through 28 practices in Nevada. The three Aces Dental practices will migrate to the Absolute Dental brand by early 2021.

"We at Aces Dental are thrilled to become part of the Absolute Dental team," said Dr. Jahnavi Rao, CEO of Aces Dental. "This has by far been the smoothest transition one could have asked for as an owner dentist. By affiliating with Absolute Dental, our team is able to leverage our strengths and achieve scale through their systems much faster than if we had gone it alone."

"We've known Dr. Rao for years and are excited to affiliate with them," said David Drzewiecki, CEO of Absolute Dental Group. "Their addition initiates a new chapter of growth which benefits all patients and team members. Dr. Prada and team are excited, and we wholeheartedly welcome the entire Aces Dental team to the Absolute Dental family."

About Absolute Dental

Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Absolute Dental Group LLC is Nevada's largest branded dental service organization (DSO) with 25 affiliated dental practices throughout northern and southern Nevada. With offices in Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin, Reno and the surrounding areas, Absolute Dental's affiliated dentists change lives one smile at a time. Starting with one practice in 2002, Absolute Dental has positioned itself as a leading DSO dedicated to the delivery of quality oral healthcare and exceptional patient-first service. Absolute Dental's mission is to offer patients a full suite of dentistry services and provide trusted dental care to the communities that they serve.

About Aces Dental

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Aces Dental has become the leader in providing dental care to underserved and underinsured populations. They offer comprehensive care to their patients at affordable prices. From basic care such as cleanings and fillings, to complex treatment like implants, their group is capable of caring for a wide range of dental needs.

SOURCE Aces Dental

Related Links

https://www.acesdental.com



Chandigarh, Jan 17 : Punjab Cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Sunday slammed the Union government over notices by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to the farmers and those lending support to the farmers' protest.

"The farmer who feeds the entire nation with his blood, sweat and toil cannot be cowed down by such empty threats which would prove to be very costly for the ruling dispensation in New Delhi," said the Congress leader.

Randhawa said the notices by the NIA were part of a devious ploy by the BJP government to weaken the farmers' movement being waged on the borders of Delhi.

He also divulged that this is not the first time since the last six-and-a-half year tenure of the NDA government that its agencies have been misused for political purposes.

Terming the current period as the darkest in the annals of India's democracy, he added the constitutional institutions and independent government agencies are being grossly undermined to achieve narrow political goals.

The Congress leader also said the BJP employs strong arm tactics to browbeat its opponents into submission and now this new satanic move would prove to be a disaster.

"The Congress party and the state government would always stand by the farmers and stoutly oppose such autocratic tactics," said Randhawa, averring that there is no alternative left for the Centre except to repeal these 'black' farm laws.
Francis Lee came across the story of Mary Anning while touring to promote his 2017 film Gods Own Country, an unexpected hit about two men working with sheep in England's remote Lake District fells where Lee grew up and still lives. Feeling a bit lonely in a succession of hotel rooms, he started looking online for an interesting rock to take home as a birthday present for his minerally inclined boyfriend.

Every time I looked for a fossil, this womans name kept coming up: Mary Anning, he says. What he found out about her reminded him very much of himself, despite the fact that she was born more than 200 years ago. Anning had lived her entire life  48 years  in Lyme Regis, a market town on Dorsets Jurassic Coast, so-called because it is so easy to find fossil shells on its stony beaches. She was a fossil hunter who, despite being barely educated and never managing to do more than scrape a living, was the countrys greatest palaeontologist.

Interest in natural history was surging, but while Charles Darwin toured the world on the Beagle, Mary Anning sold relics from a small village shop. It wasnt that nobody knew about her. Gentlemen collectors would come to pick her brains, usually leaving with one of her finds that they could claim as their own; she was far too rough and the wrong sex to be asked to speak at the Royal Society. Thus she remained an outsider, which is very much what Lee felt himself to be when he was an aspiring filmmaker.

Im not saying Im as brilliant as Mary Anning, at all, but there was a little bit of a parallel, he says. And as a working-class queer filmmaker, Im very obsessed by class and this idea of patriarchy and gender. He had met his next subject.
Armed with rifles, tactical gear and floral attire, a handful of self-identified boogaloo boys held a demonstration outside the Capitol in Lansing, under the watch of police and the Michigan National Guard.

Timothy Teagan, 22, said the Jan. 17 event had been planned for weeks but most participants pulled out after news broke of an FBI bulletin warning that groups were planning to storm state capitals across the country. Roughly 20 members of the boogaloo movement answered questions from the media and stood around the Capitol lawn for a few hours before leaving without incident.

Researchers who track extremist groups describe the boogaloo boys as a loosely affiliated network of activists united by their disdain for government and a feeling that the U.S. is headed toward a violent civil war.

By about 1:30 p.m. Sunday, most of the group identifying as boogaloo boys had left the state Capitol. Only a small group of demonstrators remained. Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw said there were no arrests made Sunday.

The Michigan State Police increased its security at the state Capitol last week after a mob broke into the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the presidential election. The FBI is coordinating with local police to respond to threats connected to President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration on Jan. 20.

The Michigan Legislature will not meet next week due to credible threats of violence. The Legislature closed the day after the Jan. 6 riots in Washington, D.C. due to a bomb threat and threats also closed legislative offices when Michigans electors cast their votes for Biden on Dec. 14, 2020.

Teagan, who carried an AR-15 and six magazines of ammunition on his chest, said the rally was meant to create a forum for people across the political spectrum to discuss their views.

We dont want a civil war at all, Teagan said. I would love to see a peaceful revolution, keyword peaceful. I dont want to see bloodshed in my country. I dont want to see our cities torn asunder and burning and people dead. I feel like one of the best ways to do that is to stand up for the rights of all, no matter if you agree with them or not.

Still, Teagan said members of the boogaloo movement see civil war is encroaching closer to inevitability.

Less than a block away, armored National Guard vehicles sat parked in a line on the west side of the Capitol building. Uniformed Michigan State Police troopers patrolled downtown streets, and at least two helicopters could be seen flying overhead.

Shaw said the heightened police presence is accompanied by other unseen measures around downtown Lansing.

Several others who were present at the event declined to share their name with MLive reporters. Some said they were contacted by the FBI before the Sunday.

Erick Spencer, a 49-year-old Ingham County resident, isnt associated with the Boogaloo group. Hes a Trump supporter who visited the Capitol to check out the demonstration, which he says has given people an opportunity to mislabel Republicans as violent criminals and terrorists.

Theyve flipped the script, Spencer said. Its not appropriate to storm the Capitol or businesses and burn buildings down. Thats not why we have been the Democratic country.

Spencer said the Jan. 6 event was organized and that it wasnt the Presidents speech that incited it because it was going to happen regardless.

The lack of demonstrators surprised Spencer, who said people may have thought it was a set up by far-left groups. He places himself in the center of the political spectrum, though he supports Trump. Spencer doesnt believe recent events will impact the number of people supporting the Republican party.

Youre not going to get your message across when you act violently, Spencer said. I didnt come here for a militia rally, Im not interested in that because thats just a show of weaponry force which wont solve anything until you get into a civil war.

Another member of the Michigan-based boogaloo movement gave reporters a false name, identifying himself as a Maryland man who was killed by police during a no-knock raid last year. The man, who said he was from Flint, expressed grievances about the election, COVID-19 orders and tyrants in government.

The Flint man carried an AR-15 and a Glock handgun. He said he understands why people are fearful of gun-toting protesters but said he sees himself in a similar role to police tasked with keeping events safe.

Just because they have that badge doesnt make them any different than me, he said.

Lansing resident Anthony Longo, 30, visited the Capitol Sunday out of curiosity about the protest. Longo said hes not convinced the presidential election was fair but didnt agree with the tactics of insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol earlier this month.

Longo carried pepper spray in his jacket pocket. He said he understands why people may be concerned about the potential for political violence.

Nobody talks, thats the issue, he said.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Heavy police presence at Michigan Capitol ahead of potential protests, threats

Whitmer authorizes deployment of Michigan National Guard for Bidens inauguration

Lansing mayor says Proud Boys, boogaloo groups planning armed protests at Michigan Capitol

Extreme rhetoric thrives on alternative social media sites growing after Facebook, Twitter crackdown
Secretary of Defense Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda arrives for a review of the troops that will participate in the Independence Day parade, in Mexico City, on Sept. 14, 2016. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)

Mexico Publishes Heavily Redacted Probe of Exonerated General

MEXICO CITYOne day after Mexico angered U.S. officials by publishing an entire 751-page U.S. case file against former Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos, the Mexican prosecutors who exonerated him released their own versionbut with so many pages wholly blacked out it was almost impossible to tell what theyd found.

The report released Jan. 17 by the Mexican Attorney Generals Office included a 226-page stretch with every page blacked out, followed by a 275-page stretch of blacked-out pages.

In the few sections with less redacting, all names and images were blacked out.

The officials appeared to be struggling to control the damage to the reputation of the justice system after prosecutors took just five days to completely absolve the retired general of U.S. allegations, backed by years of investigation, that he aided drug traffickers in return for bribes.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Jan. 16 dismissed the U.S. case as fabricated and his government released the documentation U.S. prosecutors sent when they released Cienfuegos as a diplomatic concession to Mexico and sent him to face investigation at home.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador attends the commemoration of his second anniversary in office at the National Palace in Mexico City, on Dec. 1, 2020. (Marco Ugarte/AP Photo)

The U.S. Department of Justice said releasing the full report of evidence violated a legal assistance treaty and called into question whether the U.S. can continue to share information.

That further embittered security relations strained by the Mexican governments decision to restrict U.S. agents and remove their immunity even after Cienfuegos was returned home rather than facing trial in the United States.

The president said that while many Mexicans see U.S. courts as the good judges, flawless  in this case, with all respect, those that did this investigation did not act with professionalism.

In the newly released Mexican report, what little was visible appeared to have involved asking the army to investigate whether the accusations were credible, and relying on what Cienfuegos officially declared in income.

For example, one of the few legible documents is a report by an army communications officer (name redacted) saying that no Army BlackBerries had been officially assigned to Cienfuegos or anyone else.

The 751-page file that U.S. authorities shared with Mexico consists largely of intercepted BlackBerry messenger exchanges between since-slain traffickers describing dealings with a person they identify as Cienfuegos, often referring to him by the nickname The Godfather.

Lopez Obrador has leaned heavily on the military for a wide range of projects well beyond security and his government apparently reacted to military outrage at Cienfuegoss arrest, complaining they had not been briefed adequately on the case by U.S. officials beforehand.

Cienfuegos was arrested in Los Angeles in October, but the U.S. government dropped its charges against him in November after Mexican officials threatened to restrict U.S. agents.

The released U.S. documents include purported intercepted text messages between the leader of the H-2 cartel based in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit and a top aide, who allegedly served as go-between with the general.

In one exchange, Daniel Silva Garate told his boss, Juan Francisco Patron Sanchez, that hed been picked up by men with short, military-style haircuts and was taken to Defense Department headquarters in Mexico City for a meeting with The Godfather.

Silva-Garate tells his boss the The Godfather told him Now we are going to do big things with you  that what you have done is small-time.

Patron Sanchez says he wants unmolested routes to ship drugs from Colombia and Silva Garate texts back, He says that as long as he is here, you will be free  that they will never carry out strong operations, or raids.

Silva Garate tells his boss the The Godfather told him that, You can sleep peacefully, no operation will touch you.

Other exchanges describe The Godfather purportedly offering to arrange a boat to help transport drugs, introducing the traffickers to other officials and acknowledging helping other traffickers in the past.


Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 16:30:45|Editor: huaxia

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People wearing face masks are seen at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City, the Philippines, Jan. 17, 2021. The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines on Sunday reported 1,895 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the country to 500,577. The death toll climbed to 9,895 after 11 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. It added 5,868 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 465,991. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

MANILA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines on Sunday reported 1,895 new confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, bringing the total number in the country to 500,577.

The death toll climbed to 9,895 after 11 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. It added 5,868 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 465,991.

The Philippines, which has about 110 million population, has tested over 6.84 million people since the disease emerged in January last year.

Carlito Galvez, the National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer, reassured Filipinos that the government will be cautious in the procurement of vaccines, vowing to administer only safe and efficacious vaccines.

Galvez gave the assurance after news reports that 23 elderly in Norway died within days after receiving their first dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration of the Philippines has approved the authorized emergency use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.

To ensure safety, Galvez said the government had formed an expert panel which will carefully examine the vaccines to be rolled out.

Galvez said the Philippines will stick to its original rollout plan to inoculate only those from 18-year-olds to 59-year-olds to avoid complications.

"We want to see the risk and benefit of the vaccines that we will administer," he added.

The Philippines has locked in 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from China's Sinovac, 30 million doses from the United States' Novavax, and 17 million doses from AstraZeneca.

Galvez said the delivery of these vaccines could start in February. "The government will strive to meet its target of 148 million doses of safe and effective vaccines this year at the earliest possible time," he added.

The Philippines is in talks with at least seven vaccine makers to procure 148 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021.

It aims to inoculate 50 million to 70 million people, or more than 60 percent of the total population this year, to achieve herd immunity.

Meanwhile, the DOH launched town hall meetings to generate support for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan and address the vaccine hesitancy. The DOH vowed to keep the people informed amid vaccine disinformation. Enditem
Serious glitches in Western Australia's G2G Now app have led to people isolating at home being told to leave their two-week quarantine barely two days in.

Some have received warnings for failing to be at their designated address despite being at home, while others have been cautioned over missing check-ins that were never requested.

G2G Now users have complained about ongoing issues with the tracking app. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola

The glitches have sparked concerns among users that returned travellers carrying the virus could be out in the community despite not having completed their mandatory isolation.

Two days into his quarantine, Alexander Heights local Paul Kaye received a message on the app letting him know he had completed his mandatory quarantine and was free to leave his home.

Mistakes can be made because its human nature, and even companies can be held accountable for them. This is exactly how Toyota received a huge fine from the U.S. Department of Justice over decade-long noncompliance with Clean Air Act reporting requirements, which is somewhat intriguing.Why did Toyota, the leading automaker in terms of hybrid and plug-in hybrid technologies, routinely failed to comply with reporting requirements? According to the DOJ release at the end of this story, the Japanese automaker has willingly sustained a state of noncompliance from 2005 until 2015, failing to file 78 emissions information defect reports with the EPA We dont know the answer to that, but the U.S. Department of Justice highlights how Toyotas conduct likely resulted in delayed or avoided recalls. Undermining the self-disclosure system is a big mistake by all accounts, but we also have to consider the leniency exhibited by the DOJ.In recent years, the federal executive department has sued or brought charges on automakers such as Volkswagen, Daimler, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles over serious wrongdoings such as the Dieselgate scandal. Toyota hasnt been accused of cheating emissions per se, but dont forget that failing to report is an insult to environmental laws and Lady Justice. Toyota shut its eyes to the noncompliance, failing to provide proper training, attention, and oversight to its Clean Air Act reporting obligations, explained Audrey Strauss, Acting Attorney for New York's Southern District.For a decade, Toyota failed to report mandatory information about potential defects in their cars to the Environmental Protection Agency, keeping the agency in the dark and evading oversight, added Susan Bodine, EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Assistant Administrator.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 22:36:38|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The newly-arrived Chinese medical team, including frontline doctors who have participated in China's fight against the COVID-19, will soon join their Ghanaian counterparts to help the country curb the spread of the pandemic, the team said here Sunday.

Zhuang Shaohui, Chief of the Chinese medical team in Ghana, said the team that includes 11 doctors in various specialties has been professionally trained on COVID-19 prevention and treatment in China for better serving local people.

The 10th batch Chinese medical team in Ghana is from the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, which was a designated hospital for COVID-19 patients in China.

"In particular, three medical specialists of our team have been on the frontline to combat the pandemic in China, whose practical experience, I believe, will also work here in Ghana," Zhuang said.

"Once we start the work in the China-Ghana Friendship Hospital, we will do our best to share the relevant experiences with local doctors to help them better understand the route to curb the pandemic," Zhuang added.

China has dispatched 10 medical teams to Ghana in a bid to support the country's medical and healthcare services. Over years, the Chinese doctors have been devoted to serving local patients, which have been widely acclaimed by the country and its people. Enditem
It's been the lockdown must-watch, but it seems Bridgerton is now inspiring how we dress, with fans donning Regency-era style garments and sharing their looks on social media.

Viewers smitten with the show have been posting videos of themselves in home-made costumes inspired by the early 1800s on the TikTok app.

According to British search engine Lyst, there has been an increase in demand for corsets, pearl and feather headbands - and long gloves - since the release of Bridgerton.

Searches for empire line dresses have soared by 93 per cent with luxury brands Simone Rocha, Erdem and Brock Collection leading the way.

Based on Julia Quinn's best-selling novels, the Netflix drama explores the relationship between Daphne Bridgerton, played by Phoebe Dynevor, and Duke of Hastings Simon Basset, played by Rege-Jean Page.

Since its release on Christmas Day, the hit series has attracted over 63 million viewers.

Here, FEMAIL rounds up some of the best attempts at recreating the biggest trends of the Regency era.

Can you buy long gloves on ASOS? Bridgerton, starring Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne Bridgerton and Rege-Jean Page as the Duke (pictured) has attracted over 63 million viewers...and is inspiring more than a few wardrobe choices on social media

Fans of hit Netflix series Bridgerton have taken to TikTok, recreating the fashion trends featured throughout the show. Pictured: A woman who made a Bridgerton dress from scratch

A woman who lives in Ohio copied the hair style worn by Daphne Bridgerton and found a similar dress to show their likeness

Another fan, believed to be from the US, posted a clip showing herself transforming from a casual shorts and jumper into a period dress

Influencer Marie Kitsova says her wardrobe became more inspired by Regency era trends as the series continued

TikTok user @TheWoodMother donned a white blouse, corset, petticoat and over-size skirt to recreate an 1800s look

Another TikTok user demonstrated how they dressed in pearl drop earrings, a corset and long gown to watch Bridgerton

A teen who was unable to go to prom because of the pandemic, said she had planned to wear a dress like those in Bridgerton
There are over 60 new cases onf Covid-19 in Laois reported this Sunday evening January 17, while 13 people are reported as having died with it in Ireland, all of them over 65 years old.

Dr Tony Holohan has said today that the situation is "stark" in hospitals, with people of all ages arriving to hospitals needing intensive care. As of 2pm today, 1,928 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised of which 195 are in ICU. there were 68 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 13 additional deaths related to COVID-19, all 13 occurred in January.

The median age of those who died is 83 years, and the age range is 66 to 97 years. There was no newly reported death in healthcare workers. There was no newly reported death in a person under the age of 30. There has been a total of 2,608 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight, Saturday 16th January, the HPSC has been notified of 2,944 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 172,726 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

The situation in our hospitals is stark," Dr Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said today.

"We are seeing people of all ages being admitted to hospital and being taken into intensive care units. The levels of infection are such that your chances of transmitting or getting COVID-19 are very high, and we know that a proportion of those cases will lead to serious illness and mortality. There is no group who should feel the public health advice does not apply to them. It is only if we act together that we can keep ourselves, our loved ones, and health and social care facilities safe.

He again asks people to work from home if possible.

As we look forward to the week ahead, consider your choices and make the right ones. Do not go into work tomorrow if you can work from home. If you are an employer, facilitate remote working for your employees.

Of the cases notified today NPHET highlighted 1,065 cases in Dublin, 306 in Cork, 181 in Galway, 180 in Kildare and 160 in Limerick. The remaining 1,052 cases are spread across all other counties.. SEE FULL TABLE AT END OF STORY.

COVID IN LAOIS

There were 62 cases recorded in Laois. The official total for Laois is now 2,310 since last March. The incidence rate of the disease has risen again after a drop yesterday, from 935.1 up to 964.6 per 100,000 population on the back of 817 new cases in Laois in the past two weeks. It rose above 1,000 per 100 k in NPHET's report for January 14. Laois has also risen from fifth lowest to eighth lowest place in the County by County table below showing incidence rates.

Nationally The 14 day national incidence is slightly lower today at 1487.9 per 100 k due to 70.851 cases in the past two weeks. The seven day incidence has dropped to 529.1 while the five-day moving average is 3,439.

Of today's National figures, NPHET said 1,336 are men / 1,578 are women, 57% are under 45 years of age and the median age is 40 years old.

The COVID-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of COVID-19 in the community. As of yesterday, the dashboard includes information on Total Vaccines Administered (1st Dose).
Nwe Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday is scheduled to hear that the Central governments application seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor rally or any other kind of protest which sought to disrupt the gathering and celebrations of the Republic Day on January 26.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde will hear the application on January 18 along with pleas raising the issue of farmers protesting at Delhi borders.

The Centre, in an application filed through Delhi Police, has said that any proposed rally or protest which seeks to disrupt and disturb the Republic Day celebrations will cause an embarrassment to the nation. On January 12, the top court agreed to hear the application of Centre and posted it for hearing on January 18.

The bench had issued a notice on the application and said that it be served upon the farmers unions, which are protesting against the new farm laws. The Centre has said the right to protest can never include maligning the nation globally.

It urged the apex court to restrain anyone from conducting any protest march either in the form of tractor march, trolley march, vehicle march or any other mode by entering into the National Capital Region Territory of Delhi. Reports have claimed that farmer leaders have clarified that the tractor rally on January 26 will only take place at the Haryana-Delhi borders and the farmers are not planning to reach the Red Fort to disrupt the Republic Day parade as is being claimed by some.

The top court on January 12 had stayed the implementation of the contentious new farm laws till further orders and constituted a four-member committee to make recommendations to resolve the impasse over them between the Centre and farmers unions protesting at Delhi borders. Days after top courts order, Bhupinder Singh Mann, National President, Bhartiya Kisan Union and All India Kisan Coordination Committee, part of the apex-court formed Committee, recused from the expert panel.

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SALEM  A handful of armed demonstrators gathered outside the Oregon Capitol on Sunday morning, part of a nationally publicized day of statehouse protests that mostly failed to materialize.

Some of the roughly 15 demonstrators carried long guns and wore body armor and helmets. But even as some counter-protesters appeared, there was no confrontation, with some in both camps conversing.

Several wore Hawaiian shirts, a symbol of the antigovernment boogaloo movement, whose adherents anticipate  or in some cases plan to incite  a second civil war. One Hawaiian-shirted man, who called himself AJ and carried a gun, told a reporter he no longer claims association with that movement, adding, I just stand with liberty for all.

Salem police patrol vehicles cruised past the scene occasionally, but there was no other visible police presence. The event wrapped up without incident early in the afternoon.

In the wake of the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, the FBI warned of plans for armed protests at all state capitols in the days leading up to and during the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

The Oregon National Guard was activated to assist Oregon State Police in responding to any civil unrest, and the FBIs local field office set up a command post in Portland. Local police said theyd stepped up patrols across Salem.

Like many other statehouses, Oregons Capitol building has been fortified in recent days with concrete blocks, temporary fencing and plywood covering first-floor windows.

About two dozen people, several carrying long guns, protested outside the Ohio Statehouse on Sunday, observed by several of the dozens of state troopers positioned around the building. Several dozen people  some carrying American flags  gathered at South Carolinas Statehouse. And at Michigans Capitol, a small group of demonstrators, some armed, stood near a chain-link fence surrounding the building as state police walked the grounds and National Guard vehicles were parked nearby.

Large-scale protests did not materialize in Oregon on Saturday, either, despite calls for demonstrations on social media. Two people with opposing views stood outside the capitol building Saturday morning, drawing honks and sometimes cheers or insults from cars driving down Court Street.

Kathy Shrum, 61, stood on the sidewalk to the east of the capitol building entrance, holding a sign reading White supremacy is terrorism and waving to passing cars. Shrum, a retired drug treatment officer for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, drove up from Independence and said she plans to return every day through the inauguration.

Im a retired law enforcement officer, and I was deeply ashamed to see those folks at the Capitol trying to overthrow my country, Shrum said. People here need opportunity, and I really hope President-elect Biden gives them opportunity, or I think the next election someone worse than Trump will become president.

Standing just yards away to the west of the Capitol building entrance stood Al Ashcroft, a 69-year-old retired physical education and health teacher from McMinnville carrying a sign reading Dont impeach Trump. Ashcroft said President Trump lost his support when he incited supporters to attack the capitol in Washington, D.C., but that convicting the president would create more division in a country needing peace.

I believe that President Trump is on his way out the door. Hes down. We dont need to kick him while hes down. We dont need to piss 74 million people off, Ashcroft said. If you want that, then Im against that. I dont want violence, and this could cause it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Thousands of people, some throwing fireworks and stones, joined an unauthorized protest against the Dutch governments coronavirus restrictions in Amsterdam on Sunday, and riot police officers used water cannons, batons, attack dogs and horses to disperse the crowd.

Around a hundred were arrested, according to local media.

The protest came two days after the resignation of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his cabinet over the way the Dutch tax authority has treated innocent people involved in a child-benefit scandal.

The protesters gathered on a central square lined with landmarks, including the Van Gogh Museum and the American Consulate, and waved placards saying dictatorship, Freedom and We are the Netherlands.

Videos showed that no one was wearing masks  though that is not mandatory in the Netherlands in the open air  and no one maintained social distance, one of the key health measures advised by the Dutch authorities.
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The numbers are in. The hottest seven years in recorded history are: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014.

Notice a trend? As 2020 smashed hurricane and wildfire records, doing $90 billion worth of damage in the United States alone, new data shows last year neck-and-neck with 2016 as the hottest year in recorded history.

But at this point, says NASA climate scientist Kate Marvel, rankings are worthless. It's all about that horrifying trend towards a level of global overheating impossible to control.

"What really matters, and what I think is really significant and really concerning, is that the seven hottest years on record were the past seven years," Marvel told CNN.

Her work is part of a global consensus among scientists -- from the United Kingdom's Met Office, Europe's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Berkeley Earth and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- that the planet's man-made fever shows no sign of breaking and that land, sea and sky may all be getting hotter faster.

The seven-year stretch "almost hints at a bit of an acceleration in the rate of warming we're seeing globally," Russ Vose, chief of climate monitoring at NOAA, told CNN. "Each decade has been warmer than the decade that preceded it for the past four or five decades."

If the trend continues, it means this was also the coldest seven-year stretch for the rest of our lives, if not the rest of recorded human history. And the scientists who authored these latest reports all agree.

Humanity will determine exactly how bad it gets.

"It's not the sun. It's not natural climate variability. It's human actions, specifically human emissions of greenhouse gases, dioxide and methane," Marvel said emphatically. "I'm a scientist. I hang out with scientists all the time. We don't agree on anything. Scientists will fight about absolutely everything. So the fact that scientists agree that it is human activities causing the climate changes that we've seen, that's really, really, really significant."

Trump appointees pushing disinformation on climate

But even as experts were finishing their annual global climate assessments, climate skeptics appointed by President Donald Trump to top scientific positions at NOAA last September, and later temporarily assigned to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), were publishing contrarian pseudoscience online.

"The Office of Science and Technology Policy is pleased to bring you these briefs to further your understanding of climate change by learning from these learned scholars," reads the introduction written by one of those Trump appointees, David Legates, a professor at the University of Delaware who supports the climate-denying Heartland Institute.

But the essays, now known as the "Climate Change Flyers," were written by longtime contrarians and filled with theories debunked by the peer-reviewed work of scientists across US agencies, and even the public acknowledgment by major oil companies that the climate crisis is caused by burning fossil fuels.

Without permission, Legates and fellow Trump appointee Ryan Maue posted the flyers on a website affiliated with leading climate skeptic Willie Soon and bore the seal of the Executive Office of the President.

OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier "was outraged to learn of the materials that were not shared with or approved by OSTP leadership," spokeswoman Kristina Baum said in an email to the Washington Post. "He first became aware of the documents when contacted by the press. As a result, Dr. Droegemeier took swift action and the individuals responsible have been relieved of their duties at OSTP."

Legates and Maue finished out their term at the White House this week and returned to NOAA, where the incident is under review, according to the Washington Post. CNN reached out to Legates and Maue for comment but received no response.

"I do know David Legates from back in my days in graduate school, but I haven't seen him in a long time, and I can't explain the actions that he and others took in this case," Vose told CNN. "I can't speak for all of NOAA, but I can tell you that where we are, our morale is high," he said. "I've been through four administrations. I've happily served them all. I look forward to serving the next administration."

Scientist hoping for less politics, more policy

Despite the politicization of science under Trump, Vose likens the role of NOAA scientists to Department of Labor statisticians in charge of job reports: neutral dispensers of accurate numbers.

"We happily do our work independently without interference," he said. "And please hold us accountable if you ever feel like that's happened."

"I'm hoping that the long-term effects will be almost nil," Marvel said. "I think the fact that this stuff came out and most people said, 'Well, this is a bit silly' and then moved on gives me a lot of hope."

With an incoming Joe Biden administration committed to reversing course on US climate inaction, the conversation around this most difficult topic is bound to change. The question is how soon before debate turns to policy and action.

"My entire goal is to become completely irrelevant to the climate conversation," Marvel said. "I don't want scientists to be debating whether or not this is happening or who's responsible for it. I think we've moved beyond that. I think we should be having a much better fight. We should be debating policy. We should be debating solutions. We should be debating the morality of climate change. None of those things are my particular area of expertise. But I think we're getting there."
Norway aims to discover new resources beneath the sea, but its push into mining has raised environmental concerns.

Norway could license companies for deep-sea mining as early as 2023, its oil and energy ministry told Reuters. That could place it among the first countries to harvest seabed metals. Copper, zinc and other metals are in high demand for electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines and solar energy centers.

However, that could also place Norway on the front line of disputes over the environmental risks of mining the world's unexplored seabeds.

Norway recently announced it was preparing for an environmental study needed to start mineral exploration and mining.

Once completed, the government plans to have public comments on its environmental study and on a proposal to open areas for exploration and production by the end of 2022. A debate and a vote is expected in parliament between April and June of 2023.

"We are moving forward on this, and the momentum is high," Oil and Energy Minister Tina Bru told Reuters.

Environmental concerns

The demand for minerals is being driven by what are often called clean technologies. But the process of getting those minerals from the seabed could cause environmental problems.

Environmentalists including Britain's David Attenborough have called for a temporary halt to deep-seabed mining until more is known about how it affects sea life. The environmental group Greenpeace called for a permanent ban in a recent report.

In another report, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, known as the Ocean Panel, also called for greater knowledge about the effects of deep-sea mining. The Ocean Panel is co-chaired by Norway and has 14 member states that want to shape policy on the world's oceans.

Peter Haugan is a professor at the University of Bergen and one of the report's co-writers. He said the group is not seeking a complete no to seabed mining, but added that it affects sea life "more than oil and gas extraction."

Moving away from oil

Norway is known as a major oil producer. But, the country of 5.4 million people wants to find something to replace its top industry that is better for the environment and can grow in the future.

The move toward deep-sea mining follows three years of expeditions. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, which carried out the work, said it found copper, zinc, cobalt, gold and silver. The expeditions also discovered large amounts of lithium and the rare earth metal scandium used in electronics and metal mixtures, the Directorate said.

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) researchers have estimated that there are millions of tons of copper and zinc under Norwegian waters.

Seabird Exploration maps out the seabed for oil and gas. The company plans to seek investment for a deep-sea mining company that would be listed on the Euronext stock exchange in Oslo within months.

The Cyprus-based company believes production could start by the late 2020s and could use technologies used in the oil and gas industries.

"We will need to design from scratch the production system, but the basic elements are there...it will be a mixture of mining and petroleum technology," Seabird Executive Chairman Staale Rodahl told Reuters.

Not alone in development

Norway is not the only country exploring deep sea mining.

Japan has similar plans but its project with private companies is not expected to begin until sometime between 2026 and 2028, an official at the Japanese Agency for Natural Resources and Energy told Reuters. The timing will depend on metals prices and reducing the costs of deep-sea mining, the official said.

State-run Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation successfully carried out the world's first test involving the mining and raising of deep-sea minerals to the surface off Japan in 2017.

The United Nations International Seabed Authority (ISA) oversees seabed mineral activities in international waters. The ISA has approved 30 contracts for exploration. China holds the most contracts with five.

The Jamaica-based ISA was forced to delay plans to approve rules governing the production of deep-sea minerals to 2021 from last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Norway does not have to wait for permission from the ISA because its resources are not in international waters.

Walter Sognnes is chief of LOKE Marine Minerals, a Norwegian engineering services company. Of deep sea mining, he said: "It sounds fantastic to go deep for minerals, but remember what the oil and gas industry has achieved over the last 50 years, and you can stand on the shoulders of it."

Im Mario Ritter Jr.

Nerijus Adomaitis reported this story for Reuters . Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

license v. to give official permission for a person or group to do some activity

battery n. a device that stores and provides electricity

turbine n. an engine with spinning blades that turn because of air, water or steam pressure

moratorium n. a when a particular activity is not a permitted

extraction n. the process of removing a natural resource from the ground and using it for industry

expedition n. a trip undertaken by a group of people for a purpose

from scratch idiom from a point at which nothing has been done yet

fantastic n. extremely good

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Jan. 22 will mark the 48th anniversary of the controversial Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Tragically, according to the Guttmacher Institute, there were approximately 862,320 abortions performed in the United States in 2017 alone.

Pregnancy reflects the beauty, power and strength of a womans body. But for those who cant conceive and for women with unplanned pregnancies, adoption is a life-affirming option.

According to Ryan Hanlon, vice president of the National Council for Adoption, There are many thousands of families waiting to be matched through adoption with a newborn. Clearly there are loving homes available for babies at risk for abortion.

There are even waiting lists for couples wanting to adopt babies with special needs, including Down syndrome or spina bifida. Furthermore, if more babies were placed into loving adoptive homes, wed have fewer children ending up in foster care.

Using the lethal violence of abortion as a solution to social problems is unjust. Lets encourage women with life-affirming resources, support and alternatives such as adoption, so that ours can be truly called a culture of life.

Marilyn Kopp,

Cleveland

Marilyn Kopp is a member of Feminists for Life.

Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence are scheduled to appear at Fort Drum outside of Watertown at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, where the vice president will deliver remarks to soldiers, according to the White House's release of Pence's schedule.

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, has said she will be in attendance.
Two of Indias richest men have landed in an unlikely controversy over farming laws, becoming targets of protesters who allege the tycoons have benefited from their close links to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For weeks, tens of thousands of farmers have camped outside the nations capital, demanding the withdrawal of recently passed legislation they say, without evidence, was designed to allow billionaires such as Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani to enter farming.

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Iran has warned the United States to stop "illegal actions" taken against its diplomats on U.S. soil, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry Saeed Khatibzadeh declared on Saturday.

"Iran has officially warned the U.S. that it will sue it before the International Court of Justice if it does not stop its illegal actions against Iranian diplomats in international organizations," Khatibzadeh said, as quoted by news agency IRNA.

The spokesman noted an official warning has been delivered to U.S. authorities through the Foreign Interests Section of the Swiss embassy in Tehran.

Washington should refrain from taking "illegal action" against Iranian representatives before international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, that have their siege on U.S. soil, Khatibzadeh stated.

For a long time, he carried on, the U.S. government has been creating "illegal constraints" for Iranian diplomats and their families, disrupting their work and that of other countries.

Despite its commitment as host to several international organizations, Khatibzadeh went on to say, Washington has "never been a proper host," and has consistently harassed diplomats, their families, and children coming from countries it has problems with.

Also on Saturday, the Iranian President's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi slammed the latest sanctions imposed by Washington against Iran as a mere "show" and a sign of the "evil nature" of the outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.

"The recent U.S. sanctions, while nothing more than a show, are another sign of the evil [nature] of Trump's criminal administration - a bankrupt government that even in its final days cannot put aside its hostility towards Iranians," Vaezi wrote on social media, as quoted by Iran's Press TV.

Vaezi wrote on his note that it is "surprising" that, despite their "deep brazen enmity," U.S. officials "still claim that they stand by the Iranian people."
People fed up with Manitobas coronavirus restrictions gathered outside Steinbach City Hall Saturday for a two-hour rally that began with upbeat music and ended with fines.

People fed up with Manitobas coronavirus restrictions gathered outside Steinbach City Hall Saturday for a two-hour rally that began with upbeat music and ended with fines.

The event, organized online, was the second Hugs Over Masks protest held in Steinbach in the past two months.

GREG VANDERMEULEN An organizer who only identified herself as "Sharon" said the event was planned to to protest government restrictions and the loss of civil liberties during the pandemic.

Steinbach RCMP used barricades and cruisers to block off sections of Reimer Avenue and First Street to traffic. A half-dozen provincial enforcement officers roamed the area with clipboards.

The crowd ebbed and flowed throughout the afternoon, peaking at around 110 people. A few stayed warm in parked cars but most milled about, many without face masks. Physical distancing was urged from the podium but seldom practiced by attendees, some of whom embraced one another or removed their gloves to shake hands.

Homemade signs propped up in the snow read, "Faith is essential," "Freedom is essential," "The media is the virus," "Lockdown is about control," "Love over fear," "Freedom over tyranny," "No study has confirmed masks work," and "We are all essential."

GREG VANDERMEULEN Although the rally attracted more than 110 people, most remained on the street to take in the proceedings.

Speechessome planned, some impromptubegan on the front steps of the building after a prayer and the national anthem. Topics included monetary theory, corporate influence over government, the importance of faith, news media narratives of the pandemic, the sovereignty of the individual, and legal advice for "beating" tickets in a court of law.

Speakers frequently returned to the theme of individual agency and the assertion that public health restrictions were unnecessary, unfair, and contributing to mental health problems.

A woman called Sharon, who declined to give her full name, wore a Canadian flag over a Hugs Over Masks jersey and was the first to deliver a speech. She said she organized the event to protest government restrictions and the loss of civil liberties during the pandemic.

GREG VANDERMEULEN Tobias Tissen, pastor with the Church of God Restoration south of Steinbach.

Tobias Tissen, a pastor with the Church of God Restoration south of Steinbach, drew cheers when referencing the recent scandals involving Canadian politicians who travelled internationally over the Christmas holidays.

"2020 will go down in history as the year of the hypocrite," Tissen said, adding the trips, which contravened public health guidance, were evidence the COVID-19 pandemic isnt real.

A mask-wearing counterprotestor who heckled Tissen with appeals to science quickly found himself drawn into a sidewalk debate with an unmasked man wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap.

GREG VANDERMEULEN Todd McDougall of Winnipeg Alternative Media.

Gerry Bohemier, a retired chiropractor, focused much of his address on ways people can take their health into their own hands. Bohemier touted foods and supplements as ways to strengthen the human immune system and urged the crowd to stay away from medical doctors except in emergencies.

Wayne Sturby of Lorette, a candidate for the Manitoba Party and the Peoples Party of Canada, extolled libertarianism and small government in his speech.

Todd McDougall of Winnipeg Alternative Media led the crowd in "free speech" chant.

GREG VANDERMEULEN Eric Cabernel, a farmer from Bruxelles, Man., two hours west of Steinbach, took to the microphone after handing out leaflets promoting online gatherings of true patriots of the land.

Eric Cabernel, a farmer from Bruxelles, Man., two hours west of Steinbach, took to the microphone after handing out leaflets promoting online gatherings of "true patriots of the land."

The final speaker, Patrick Allard of Winnipeg, taunted Mayor Earl Funk, whose pickup truck was seen departing the area 20 minutes before the event began.

"I dont think hes here," Allard said, gesturing to the mayors office. "Earl! Where are you, Earl?"

Funk has repeatedly denounced the protests and urged residents to follow public health orders and find constructive ways of working toward a reopening of the economy.

After the event, as organizers packed up their vehicles, enforcement officers began writing up tickets. Allard, Tissen, Bohemier, and Cabernel were among those who received fines.

For more coverage of the rally, pick up the Jan. 21 edition of The Carillon.
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Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

State health officials Saturday announced 79 hub providers that are expected to receive allotments of COVID-19 vaccines this week, including newly designated hubs in some suburbs of Houston.

The hub providers include two in Galveston County, one each in Fort Bend County, Montgomery County and Liberty County and six in Harris County, according to a list of the hubs that are intended to focus on mass vaccination efforts. Officials plan to distribute 333,650 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 260 providers across the state. Additionally, the state will order about 500,000 doses expected to be the second ones for people who received their first shot a few weeks ago.
New Delhi: Actress Richa Chadha addressed the poster controversy of her upcoming film Madam Chief Minister and called it an unintentional oversight. Taking to Instagram, the actress posted a long note opening up about the backlash that the poster in concern received.

The Fukrey actress wrote, The first poster that was released faced severe criticism, rightly so. What to me (and my privileged eyes) was a mere prop used by my character in a scene, came across as a stereotypical portrayal of Dalits for many of our people.

Released on January 5, the poster, which showed Richa holding a broom in her hands, was condemned by many on social media for seemingly portraying the Dalit community in a stereotypical light.

Calling the movie a learning experience, she added that the makers accepted the criticism and released a new poster soon after. They realised this inadvertent error and took this criticism in their stride. They responded immediately by retracting the objectionable poster and by releasing a new poster the very next day.

It was a regrettable and a completely unintentional oversight, not a deliberate insinuation. We are sorry. Our heart is in the right place. Hopefully you will see that for yourself when you watch the film, Richa said.

Realising that she has to bid adieu to her feisty character Tara soon, Richa remarked, Tara, one feisty oddball of a woman, fights patriarchy, caste oppression, brutal violence along with the usual betrayals of politics, to rise to the top and affect change. And she does so with incredible dignity and courage.

I could relate to her righteous rage. She spoke to me. As the film nears release, I am becoming aware that I have to say goodbye to Tara. I am also aware that she will never entirely leave my side, she concluded.

Madam Chief Minister, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the life of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, is helmed by Subhash Kapoor of Jolly LLB fame. The political drama is slated to release on January 22, 2021.
For a black boy growing up in Alabama trying to make sense of himself in a hostile world, Martin Luther King Jr. was my hero. Alongside a startingly pale Jesus, a picture of Martin hung beside photographs of my family. I knew Martin by sight. I could recognize the tenor of his voice.

The mental architecture of my young black imagination was formed by grainy videos of mass church meetings and marches and by the hymns and spirituals that threatened to shake the United States to its foundations. I knew about Selma, Birmingham, and Montgomery before I could find them on a map of my state. I do not remember not remembering Martin.

By contrast, the King that I see online on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a stranger to me. This beloved figure is in part the construction of a society that never fully loved him or the cause he represented. King died an unpopular man. In 1968, the year of his death, 75 percent of Americans disapproved of his views and activities. That was up from 50 percent in 1963.

Today, his approval rating nears 90 percent. Some might suggest that with hindsight, Americans have come to appreciate King in a way that was impossible during the racist era in which he lived. But things are not that simple. If social media is any indication, a large portion of America still hasnt wrestled with the King of 1968. A USA Today study of the most tweeted MLK lines are startling in their vagueness:

The time is always right to do what is right.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

These were not the quotes that stuck to my ribs as a kid. I remember King talking about the need for black people to develop a sense of somebodiness that pushed back on the negative portrayals of blackness. I remember reading about the need to reach into the depths of our own souls and write our own emancipation proclamation.

To be for black people in a world of antiblackness, to declare us beautiful when the world said that we were ugly, was a shout of defiance. To call us children of God when we were deemed sons of Ham was part of a long tradition of revolutionary but God-honoring exegesis. To declare that our history of slavery was not a source of shame for us but a story of triumph over impossible odds was a way of rewriting the American story and putting the disinherited peoples of the world on center stage.

As the American public today reckons with enduring racism, it costs very little to be notionally against injustice in the abstract. The audacity of King and the civil rights movement is not lauded. It remains terrifying to the status quo. Many approve of King because, despite the holiday, they know little about his thought.

King was never popular, but what exactly led to his drop in popularity as the 1960s wore on? Two main reasons: He continued to be a truth teller about racism, and he focused on the economic enfranchisement of black Americans. With both, he pushed past big, easy-to-like notions of justice to advocate instead for particular change and particular policies.

Despite the gains of the civil rights movement, King maintained that America remained structurally racist. The majority of white Americans consider themselves sincerely committed to justice for the Negro, he said. They believe that American society is essentially hospitable to fair play and steady growth toward a middle-class Utopia embodying racial harmony. But unfortunately this is a fantasy of self-deception and comfortable vanity.

With those words, King highlighted a tendency that still persists today: the temptation to set the standards for black flourishing by past mistreatment of African Americans. When compared to the Jim Crow era of the 1920s, 1968 may have seemed like a utopia. But King had the audacity to judge America by objective standards of justice, not by previous terror.

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We see the same criticism levied at black leaders now. We are told that America is better than it was in the 1960s, and therefore African Americans should not complain. Ironically, the same America that King was criticized for being unsatisfied with is the basis for modern pushback on the desire for a more just society. If remembering King means anything, it involves a sanctified dissatisfaction with the status quo.

The King of 1968 also pushed white America to move beyond protesting our dehumanization to actually assisting with the construction of a black life. He wrote:

White America was ready to demand that the Negro should be spared the lash of brutality and coarse degradation, but it had never been truly committed to helping him out of poverty, exploitation or all forms of discrimination. The outraged white citizen had been sincere when he snatched the whips from the Southern sheriffs and forbade them more cruelties. But when this was to a degree accomplished, the emotions that had momentarily inflamed him melted away. White Americans left the Negro on the ground and in devastating numbers walked off with the aggressor.

Those words will not be tweeted or Instagrammed today, but they are troublingly relevant. This last year, the nation surged in outrage at the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others. But it was the sensational nature of these deaths that troubled the country. When it came time to wrestle with the concrete reforms needed to bring change, much of America moved on to other things.

Even now, there has been no sustained national conversation about policy change in light of this summers tragedies. Today, as in Kings time, justice is at the mercy of the shifting emotions of an often-apathetic majority.

As the civil rights movement progressed, Kings vision moved the problem of economic injustice to the center stage. The last march that he led was not about integration. It was not about the ability to sit at a lunch counter or ride a bus. It was not about the right to drink from the same water fountain or use the same restroom as white Americans.

Of course, King continued to care passionately about these things from one end of his ministry to the other. But what brought Martin to Memphis was the fight for fair wages and employee safety. He was murdered while in the midst of an economic protest.

His last march supported 1,300 black sanitation workers who were not receiving a living wage and were being forced to labor under unsafe conditions. That project was a part of a larger shift in focus that marked the last years of Kings life. He moved from the violent but also cosmetic forms of injustice to the concrete injustice of economic disempowerment. He knew that it was one thing to say African Americans did not deserve the fire hose. It was another thing altogether to demand a fair wage and explicit policies that provided a path toward economic flourishing.

That was the King the public disdainedthe one who fought for economic transformation. The King who had a 75 percent disapproval rating was the King who had the courage to speak plainly about the racism that he saw. It was the King who pushed for specific changes in public policy and corporate practice.

But it was also this King who made space for hope. His hope for the future did not arise from a failure to see or acknowledge racism and white supremacy. His last book names and explores white supremacy at length. What made King special was an unshakeable faith, rooted in his belief in Gods purposes, that racism did not have to be the final sentence in the book of the American story. He believed that the value in pulling racism out of its obscurity and stripping it of its rationalizations lies in the confidence that it can be changed.

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As pastors, teachers, and Christian leaders who participate in Americas public square, we dont remember King rightly by pulling a few disconnected words about justice out of context and plastering them all over social media. We remember him rightly by taking an honest assessment of ourselves as a country. This involves both lauding the progress and looking toward the future. And it involves a robust commitment to understanding the link between injustice and economic disenfranchisement.

King didnt see his economic advocacy as a move toward partisanship. He saw it as the most Christian of activities, a manifestation of love for neighbor. His truth telling was not a mere venting of frustrations. He was doing work similar to the biblical prophets of old. He was holding up a mirror to American culture so that it could see what it had become in light of Gods vision for a just society.

When we pretend we can live above the fray and not get into the rough and tumble of peoples lived experiences, we are becoming less Christian. We are squandering our chance to be witnesses to what is possible. And we are forfeiting our God-given right to dream.

We are blessed that Martin never did.

Esau McCaulley is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, an assistant professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, and the author of Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope.
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The Yankees have declined their $10MM club option on outfielder Brett Gardner, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). Hell instead receive a $2.5MM buyout. The Yankees have interest in bringing the 37-year-old back to the Bronx, Heyman adds, but itll have to come at a cheaper rate than his option price. Given the buyout figure, the Yankees opted against bringing Gardner back on what amounts to a $7.5MM decision.

The longest-tenured Yankee player, Gardner has been in the organization since they selected him in the third round of the 2005 draft. He has gone on to a long, very productive career as a high-OBP hitter with a little bit of pop who plays excellent defense in left field. Gardner reinvented himself as something of a slugger in 2019, when he hit .251/.325/.503 with 28 home runs over 550 plate appearances. That strong season prompted the Yankees to guarantee him $12.5MM on a one-year deal with this option last offseason.

Gardner was still fairly productive in the abbreviated 2020 season, hitting .223/.354/.392 with five home runs over 158 plate appearances. His power took a step back from its 2019 heights, but Gardners .169 ISO (slugging percentage minus batting average) was still solid. His strikeout and whiff rates were each at career-high levels, but both remained lower than league average. And the ever-patient Gardner drew a boatload of walks to prop up his on-base numbers.

That said, the Yankees declining the option isnt much of a surprise. A few teams have already declined options that would typically seem reasonable on the heels of massive revenue losses due to a season with no fans. The New York organization itself seems likely to scale back payroll this winter. With Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Clint Frazier in the fold already, the Yankees arent hurting for outfield help, although its arguable Gardners left-handed bat fits well in the Yankees righty-heavy lineup.

Its hard to imagine Gardner in anything other than a Yankee uniform, and the door seemingly remains open to a return. But hes now free to explore his options with all thirty clubs. At his age, its doubtful anyone will see Gardner as an everyday center fielder, but hes still capable of playing up the middle when needed and should be above-average in left. Plenty of teams figure to have interest in Gardner as a short-term upgrade, at least as the strong side of a platoon arrangement.
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I was proud to be given an OBE in the latest New Year Honours List. I was delighted for my profession, too  its rare for philosophers to get much attention. It might sound strange, then, to say I felt a pang of anxiety when I first heard the good news towards the end of last year, and again when it was made public on January 1. I knew there might be a price to pay for getting such a public honour. And thanks to the trans lobby and its increasingly aggressive behaviour, I was right.

The OBE came as a result of my campaign for academic freedom and, in particular, the freedom to examine the demands of influential trans pressure groups such as Stonewall.

So it was no surprise when, just a few days ago, I opened my emails to find that more than 600 people had signed an open letter denouncing me.

These were not hardened campaigners or activists  rather, the letter had been signed by fellow philosophers who pronounced themselves dismayed that the Government had chosen to honour me for my harmful rhetoric.

The letter accused me of transphobic fearmongering, of helping to restrict trans peoples access to life-saving medical treatment and of serving to encourage the harassment of gender-non- conforming people.

Professor Kathleen Stock, a professor of philosophy at the University of Sussex, was given an OBE in the latest New Year Honours List

It was incredibly distressing to see blatant lies promoted as fact. But the letter also demonstrates what a disastrous mess we are in when it comes to talking about sex and gender.

The effects of this lobbying can be seen everywhere. From placing trans women  some of them sex offenders  in female prisons, to the rise of gender-neutral toilets and changing rooms, to trans women being placed on shortlists for womens prizes and a rethink of womens sport, the alterations have been rapid and seismic.

The Stonewall campaign group has been particularly influential with its simple and powerful message  that trans people are an intensely vulnerable minority and that to help them, we must recognise individuals gender identity, not biological sex, wherever possible.

Government departments, the judiciary, media organisations, schools and  most significantly for me  universities have embraced this message. I abhor discrimination against trans people but I also believe we should be free to examine the effects of changes, including any costs to women and the rights of gay people, and to the health of children wishing to change gender.

As a lesbian with teenage children, these topics are close to my heart. As an academic philosopher whose job it is to investigate truth, they are even closer. I believe we should be free to discuss these things in public.

Yet, as Ive tried to explore the issues, Ive faced complaints, disciplinary investigations, student protests and constant defamation from some colleagues.

This isnt the first open letter against me from academics  there have been several others. Ive also been no-platformed more than once  banned from public debate because I dare to step outside the narrow trans orthodoxy. Only a month ago, I had an invitation withdrawn from an international conference series because a fellow speaker claimed my presence (on Zoom, in a different session, to be given in a different month) made her feel unsafe.

And when I was asked to be a keynote speaker at the Royal Institute of Philosophy (pictured) last year, 5,000 people signed a petition saying I shouldnt have been invited. Happily the organisers stood firm

A book of interviews was dropped from publication by Oxford University Press, partly because I was going to be included. And when I was asked to be a keynote speaker at the Royal Institute of Philosophy last year, 5,000 people signed a petition saying I shouldnt have been invited. Happily the organisers stood firm.

In all such cases, my actual views have been severely misrepresented and my motives demonised.

All of this takes an intense personal toll. When academics make false statements about me, alleging that Im a transphobic bigot, presumably they dont care about the effects on my life.

Yet people believe what they read, especially when endorsed by seemingly authoritative academics.

Ive stopped attending philosophy conferences as I cant cope with the ostracism and dirty looks. I walk around my own workplace at the University of Sussex with a sense of dread.

Two years ago, I was shocked when the campus security manager advised me about the emergency phone system and arranged to have a spyhole put in my door.

When, at a later graduation event, I was taken aside by security and told the quickest way to get off the stage in an emergency, I was no longer shocked  the experience had become commonplace.

As had being told I was being manipulative whenever I wrote or talked about the personal cost of the campaign waged against me. Hilariously, the authors of this latest open letter didnt even seem to bother to find out what my views actually were, describing me as best-knowm for opposition to the UK Gender Recognition Act.

In fact, Im on record as saying that, although I think it is confusingly worded, I have no problem with the existence of the Act which gives trans people the possibility of a Gender Recognition Certificate. This means that, for legal purposes, people can have a new acquired gender which is not the same as biological sex.

Nor, for that matter, have I any objection to the Equality Acts inclusion of gender reassignment as a protected characteristic. I enthusiastically support it. Trans people deserve to live free of any violence, harassment or discrimination. My objections are against proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act and to the Equality Act in favour of something called gender identity, which, as described by Stonewall, is a persons innate sense of their own gender, whether male, female or something else, which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at birth. One problem with gender identity, as described like this, is that it is supposed to be an invisible inner feeling. So, in my view, it becomes far too easy for anyone to say they have this inner feeling, and identify their way into women-only spaces and resources.

Stonewall says that to be a trans woman, you dont need to have surgery, take hormones, or have any outward appearances in particular  its just who you are inside. But as I explain in my forthcoming book Material Girls, I dont think inner feelings are a good basis for legal protections.

Such detailed arguments were apparently irrelevant to my academic critics in their haste to make an example of me.

As my friend and sociologist at University College London, Professor Alice Sullivan said last week in an acerbic reference to 17th Century witch trials: The important thing is not what Stock actually thinks but rather, whether or not she floats.

However, the greater harm here is the chilling message sent to other academics and students: toe the accepted line or this will happen to you. Indeed, it is happening to other academics.

For having views like mine, Oxford historian Professor Selina Todd now has to have security for her lectures, and Alice Sullivan has been no-platformed from an event on data collection and the census.

Almost every week, I receive emails from frightened academics concerned about what is happening but who feel unable to say so. This sinister suppression affects all of us, not just those who work in universities. There is an obvious cost to democracy.

We have seen widespread changes to policies on womens spaces and resources so that, now, gender identity is the official criterion of legitimate access.

Essentially, if you feel like a woman, you can now go into a woman-only space, however private. Such measures affect half the population but have been made without considering whether women consent to them or not.

There is also a threat to data collection. We are already losing crucial information about the impact of biological sex. This matters because being male or female influences a huge range of different outcomes, including medicine, employment and susceptibility to sexual violence. We need to track these differences.

And we are set to lose even more data if the census authorities stick to their current plan of interpreting sex in the 2021 census as gender identity.

In truth, public understanding about science is at risk. It is mind-boggling to me that during a global pandemic which affects men and women differently and is notably more threatening to men, some schools are telling children that their feelings about gender identity matter more than facts about their sex.

This effect of such thinking is most obvious in womens sport, where people with male physiology are now permitted to compete against females on vastly unequal and sometimes dangerous terms. Stonewall is currently backing the inclusion of trans women in womens contact rugby, apparently oblivious to the risks posed to women players.

Yet another potential cost is to childrens health. This was recently indicated by the judicial finding that under-16s with gender dysphoria  a sense of distressing unease because they feel there is a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity  are unlikely to be capable of informed consent to so-called puberty-blocker prescriptions.

Until this finding, psychologists at the Tavistock Clinic in London had been dispensing puberty blockers to children since 2011, even telling them that such drugs act only as a harmless pause button for puberty.

I believe that this worrying practice might not have been permitted for so long had normal levels of public scrutiny been allowed.

These are only a few of the risks we face when our institutions  be they medical, legal, sporting or educational  decide that gender identity is more important than biological sex without considering the consequences.

People such as me are going to carry on thinking and writing about these risks, even if many of our colleagues would prefer us to shut up.

Im afraid we cant afford to stop. The costs to the public are too large to do otherwise.
New Delhi: A complaint was filed against filmmaker and actor Mahesh Manjrekar for allegedly slapping and abusing a man in Maharashtra, as per reports. The filmmaker allegedly slapped the man after his car hit Manjrekar's vehicle on Friday (January 15) night near Yavat village on Pune-Solapur highway, police officials told PTI.

The Yavat police has registered a non-cognisable offence against Manjrekar. Kailas Satpute, the complainant, claimed that his vehicle hit Manjrekar's car from behind after the Wanted actor applied sudden brakes. Manjrekar then stepped down from his vehicle and both of them indulged in a heated argument, after which the filmmaker allegedly slapped and abused Satpute, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, Manjrekar has reportedly denied the charges and alleged that Satpute was drunk. I was on my way to Chaufula for a shoot, where a crew of around 200 people were waiting for me. Somewhere near Yawat, this driver hit my car from behind. Two colleagues, who were in my car, have suffered whiplash due to the impact. I now know damages to my car are around Rs 4 lakh. We then found out that he and those accompanying him were clearly drunk. I was in a hurry for the shoot and decided not to file a complaint, because people were waiting for me. Now I feel I should I have gone to the police station, Manjrekar told The Indian Express.

After the incident, the driver did not even bother to get out of the car to apologise. The person has filed a complaint on Saturday and not on the same night, because he was drunk that time. I dont know why it is being made into a big issue, the Vaastav director concluded.

On the work front, Manjrekar will next be seen in Saumitra Singhs Taxi No. 24. The poster of the upcoming film, co-starring Jagjeet Sandhu and Anangsha Biswas, was released in December.
Lucknow, Jan 17 : The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has transferred 15 IAS officers, including Divisional Commissioners and District Magistrates.

The transfers were announced late Saturday night.

According to an official release, Shiva Kant Dwivedi, who was on waiting list, has been made special secretary Minority Welfare; while special secretary, AYUSH Department, Rajkamal Yadav has been made District Magistrate of Baghpat replacing Shakuntala Gautam, who has been sent as Director, Local Bodies.

Vandana Sharma, Managing Director of Backward Class Finance Development has been made Director, Backward Classes Welfare; while Director, Local Bodies, Kajal has been made Special Secretary, Basic Education.

Special Secretary, Basic Education, Manish Kumar Verma have been sent to Jaunpur as District Magistrate; while Preeti Shukla, Commissioner Vindhyachal Division has been made Secretary Food and Civil Supplies.

Yogeshwar Ram Mishra, who was on waiting list, has been made Commissioner Vindhyachal Division; while Sanjay Kumar, also on the wait list has been made Secretary Finance.

Vikas Gothwal, Managing Director, Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam has been made Secretary, Department of Infrastructure and Industrial Development; and Anil Kumar, Commissioner of Agra has been made Managing Director, Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam.

Amit Gupta, Secretary, Medical Education will be the new Commissioner of Agra Division; while Dinesh Singh, District Magistrate Jaunpur has been sent as Commissioner Chitrakoot Dham.

Gaurav Dayal, Commissioner Chitrakoot Dham has been shifted as Commissioner Aligarh Division; and Gauri Shankar Priyadarshi, Commissioner Aligarh Division goes as Secretary Medical Education Department.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 23:23:22|Editor: huaxia

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MINSK -- Belarus reported 1,924 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, taking its total to 225,461, according to the country's health ministry.

There have been 2,532 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 209,208, the ministry added. (Belarus-COVID-19)

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DAR ES SALAAM -- At least 500 pigs have been killed by the African swine fever in Tanzania's northern district of Kahama in Shinyanga region, an official said on Sunday.

Anamringi Macha, the Kahama district commissioner, said the pigs had been killed since the African swine fever, a highly contagious haemorrhagic viral disease of domestic and wild pigs, broke out in late December 2020. (Tanzania-African swine fever)

- - - -

TOKYO -- The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with serious symptoms topped 970 to mark a record high in Japan, authorities said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the number of patients recuperating at home reached 30,208 this week, according to the health ministry. The number of homebound patients as of Wednesday was 1.7 times that of the previous week amid a third wave of COVID-19 infections across the country. (Japan-COVID-19)

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NEW DELHI -- A few of the COVID-19 vaccine recipients from several parts in India, who took the vaccination doses on Saturday, have complained of adverse effects over the past 24 hours.

The adverse effects include headache, fever, and body-aches. (India-COVID-19 Vaccine) Enditem
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With coronavirus, racial tensions, climate change, and cybersecurity impacting our lives, it is easy to forget the other issues we face as a nation. Unfortunately, most problems get worse if ignored.

In the case of nuclear weapons, the Trump administration withdrew from nuclear treaties with Russia and Iran, and failed to establish an agreement with North Korea and or get China engaged in a serious discussion. So, today we live in a world with multipolar nuclear threats as tensions rise over economic and other issues.

Therefore, the Biden administration will need to add nuclear proliferation and arms control to its already packed and urgent agenda. There are two decisions regarding international nuclear issues that must be taken in short order. Both need to be followed by committed and difficult discussions and are likely to require considerable attention.

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The most urgent arms control action is the extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia that limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons on each side to 1,550. New START has been in place for five years and is set to expire on Feb. 5, unless agreement is made to extend it.

Trump insisted, and then reneged, on Chinas inclusion in the treaty and then on adding other elements to the treaty. An extension decision has not been made.

President Vladimir Putin and President-elect Joe Biden have both indicated their support for the allowed 5-year extension. While snags are possible and differences of opinion exist, most experts support and have confidence New START will be extended.

But follow-on negotiations, to include other important issues the Trump administration recognized, will then be necessary and are likely to be both difficult to negotiate and monitor.

The second urgent action is whether and how to re-enter the Iran Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The JCPOA, commonly referred to as the Iran Deal, was agreed to by China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Germany in addition to the United States. However, since the U.S. withdrew from the agreement in 2018, Iran has increased the capacity and level of uranium enrichment thereby enabling Iran to produce a nuclear weapon in a few months rather than the year or more intended by the limitations in the Deal.

Again, Biden has said he would re-enter the JCPOA if Iran agreed to abide by its limitations and if additional negotiations could occur on other nuclear issues. Iran has said it would re-enter the agreement but would not negotiate any additional limitations. The matter needs attention before tensions rise further.

As if coming to agreement on existing agreements and negotiating more comprehensive agreements with Russia and Iran are not enough, there are still looming concerns about China and North Korea.

Fresh ideas are needed too for these engagements.

From open-source analysis, China has 200 to 300 weapons and will double that in the next 10 years. They have expressed a lack of interest in arms control until the U.S. and Russia reduce their weapons stockpile to a comparable level.

However, U.S. experts worry about the lack of transparency on nuclear capabilities and doctrine, and the potential for nuclear use in a crisis.

North Korea has now developed nuclear warheads small enough to fit on missiles, and missiles with enough range to target both the U.S. and our allies. In a Jan. 9 speech, Kim Jong Un vowed to advance his nuclear arsenal and declared the U.S. the biggest enemy of North Korea.

While these topics may seem esoteric, it is important that the U.S. public understands the issues and pays attention to government actions.

In New Mexico, we are fortunate to have two national labs with experts to generate some of the ideas and technologies that can advance new solutions to these important issues. With a thoughtful government approach, strong diplomacy, and engagement of the public and top scientists, progress can be made on these existential challenges.

Jill Hruby is a distinguished fellow at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, and a member of numerous boards and advisory committees on national security issues.



Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Writer Bill Minutaglio is a friend of mine. Our paths cross occasionally, although less so these days because of the pandemic. The last time I saw him in his writerly role was at Brazos Book Store a few years ago, where he was doing a reading from his newest book at the time, a biography of the late Texas journalist Molly Ivins. (Hes the author of several books, including biographies of George W. Bush and Alberto Gonzales, but is probably best known for City on Fire, his gripping account of the 1947 Texas City disaster.)

At Brazos, Bill read for a while about the colorful Houston native who had written for the New York Times and edited the Texas Observer, and then he fielded questions. Almost immediately, hands shot up. A couple of women who had grown up with Ivins in River Oaks pounced. They differed with Bill on details about their old friends childhood.

Bills sardonic sense of humor rarely fails him and didnt this night either. He handled the womens objections with grace and aplomb and managed to escape out the front door relatively unscathed.

My friend may be in for something similar with the release of his new book, a history of politics and race in Texas. Itll be out this spring, about the time the 87th session of the Texas Legislature will be getting down to serious business. The book is called A Single Star and Bloody Knuckles, and, as the title suggests, Texans do have strong opinions about the two overlapping topics.

Whats striking about the book, published by the University of Texas Press, is Bills ability to resurrect not only the marquee names we would expect to find in a history of Texas politics (famous and infamous) but also fascinating names that have faded into the fog of history. Lets say youre standing on the outdoor balcony of Austins Paramount Theater on Congress Ave. Parading up the street toward the Capitol, a cavalcade of Texas political figures passes in review, ghosts of Texans past mingling with our contemporaries. Governors Hogg, Neff and Moody parade by, followed by Ma and Pa (Ferguson) and Pappy (ODaniel). Will Hobby and John Connally stroll by. The regal Barbara Jordan stands out. George Bush, Rick Perry and Greg Abbott smile and wave.

Numerous others in the cavalcade require a program, or Bills book. Walking anonymously among the well-known, for example, is Dr. Ellen Louise Dabbs, the only daughter of a Confederate colonel who became a Fort Worth physician and founder of the states first womens suffrage group. Robert L. Smith of Waco walks by. The African-American founder of the Farmers Improvement Society of Texas somehow got himself elected to the Texas House in 1894, at a time when the KKK and devotees of the Lost Cause were at their most virulent. Theres Norris Wright Cuney of Galveston, an African-American political player who wielded power for decades. Also walking by is Jovita Idar, a young South Texas newspaper publisher who dared defy the Texas Rangers, and Emma Tenayuca of San Antonio, who organized the pecan shellers. Coming over from Houston is Lula Belle Madison White, an NAACP leader who spearheaded the lawsuit opening the doors of the University of Texas to black Texans.

They were great Texans, great Americans, and driven by singular courage and righteous idealism, Bill noted in an email a few days ago. They were unafraid in the face of enormous dangers. Learning about them gave me hope - especially today, and maybe more than ever.

Bill is a native New Yorker, although hes lived in Texas for decades (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin). He knows as deeply as the most deeply rooted native Texan that courage and idealism in this state have been in short supply at times, but drama, indeed melodrama, is invariably just around the corner. His opening chapter, in fact, recreates a scene disturbingly reminiscent of the January 6 Capitol insurrection, although the Capitol hes writing about is in Austin.

Its January 1874. In the first-floor governors office is a former Union brigadier general named Edmund J. Davis, a Florida native and later a district judge in San Antonio who had almost been lynched during the war for his fiercely held anti-secessionist, anti-slavery beliefs. As a pro-Lincoln Republican, he had been elected governor by 800 votes, with Conservative Democrats howling that the 1869 election had been rigged and that white voters had been prevented from casting ballots.

For four years, Davis earnestly tried to implement Reconstruction-era reforms: a handgun prohibition (except on the frontier), restrictions on gambling and alcohol, and the creation of a state militia, with the governor as commander in chief and reserving for himself the power to declare martial law. Most infuriating to disenfranchised former Confederates was his state police force, including a sizable number of freed black men carrying guns. Davis also pushed through legislation guaranteeing voter protections for black Texans and more money for public education. Not surprisingly, Davis lost his re-election bid, 85,549 votes to 42,663.

The defeated governor refused to leave. Barricading himself in his Capitol office, he summoned the state militia to guard him, along with a military unit called the Travis Rifles, whose founders included Andrew Jackson Houston, the second of Sams four sons. When the Rifles arrived at the Capitol, they staked out positions on the top floor and refused to protect Davis. The governors militia, many of them African Americans, patrolled the basement. Outside, partisans from both sides ringed the building.

Worried that a shooting war was about to erupt between the black militia and the white Travis Rifles, Davis sent desperate messages to the White House. He fully expected President Ulysses S. Grant to send troops to protect the man who had been doing the dangerous work of, in Bills words, dragging Texas back into the United States - and then fighting to enforce the Republican Reconstruction; to allow Black Texans to be free; and to cobble together all the fractured pieces of the state."

Grant turned him down. Would it not be prudent, as well as right, to yield to the verdict of the people as expressed by their ballots? the president messaged.

Davis was devastated. Removing the barricades, he emerged from his office surrounded by his guards and handed over the governorship to Richard Coke, a former Confederate soldier. Leaving the governors mansion for the last time, his wife Lizzie took a portrait of President Grant off the wall and jammed her foot through it.

Nearly a century and a quarter later, Bill was writing about a more congenial occupant of that same white-columned mansion, a governor already making plans to occupy an even bigger white house. Researching First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty (1999), he got to know the governor well. Bush knew Bill well enough to pin a nickname on him: Mononucleosis.

Bill was sort of proud of that appellation. He saw it as a backhanded compliment. It suggested that he was a dogged reporter, hard to shake.

Well, not exactly, Bush media strategist Mark McKinnon told him, laughing. The governor called him Mononucleosis, because he couldnt pronounce his last name.

djholley10@gmail.com

Twitter:holleynews
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) stands in the House Chamber during a reconvening of a joint session of Congress on January 06, 2021. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas plans to attend President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, after weeks of elevating misinformation about the election results.

Cruz has faced immense backlash and increasing pressure to resign following his objection to the election certification last week.

Biden has even criticized the Texas senator and said he should be defeated in 2024.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas plans to attend President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next week. The senator had objected to the election certification and spent weeks elevating misinformation about the 2020 presidential results.

Since November, Cruz has sown doubts into the electoral process, regularly pushing President Donald Trump's unfounded claims of voter fraud and that the election was stolen and rigged. A staunch supporter of the president, the Texas senator had even offered to represent Trump in a Supreme Court case to overturn the results. The court never took up the lawsuit, adding to the dozens of legal battles that Trump and his lawyers have waged and lost.

Read more: Joe Biden is hiring about 4,000 political staffers to work in his administration. Here's how 3 experts say you can boost your chances of getting one of those jobs.

A spokesperson for Cruz confirmed to Insider on Friday that the senator will be at inauguration on January 20. The news was first reported by NBC-affiliate station KXAN. Trump has said he will not be at the inauguration, becoming the first outgoing president since 1869 to refuse to attend his successor's swearing-in.

Cruz announced his commitment to challenge the results in Congress in early January, despite state officials and former Attorney General William Barr concluding that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Cruz first objected to the electoral votes in Arizona last Wednesday, shortly before swarms of Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol. After Congress reconvened to complete the election certification, Cruz continued his objection and voted to reject the results in Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Story continues

The Texas Republican has been blamed for helping incite the Capitol riots and has faced immense backlash for his actions, with growing calls for his resignation from Democratic lawmakers and Texas state legislators. Cruz's communications director, Lauren Blair Bianchi, also left her job in the wake of the siege.

Biden has also criticized Cruz along with Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, who also challenged the election results.

"I think they should be just flat beaten the next time they run," Biden said last Friday, when asked if the two Republican senators should step down.

Cruz has defended his behavior and claims that he had been trying to "find a way to reestablish widespread trust in the system."

Read the original article on Business Insider

Shane and Ryland didnt unfollow me. Just to set the record straight - I blocked them. Theres no malice behind it, I did it for my own peace. Its not drama. Ita very personal and I want to move on. So speculation can stop as to why they unfollowed, they didnt.  Trisha Paytas (@trishapaytas) January 17, 2021

If you didnt want to be involved in the drama why is he speaking your name in the video on your behalf ? Confirming all the horrid shit you guys said about me ??? I have been cool but he is speaking on your behalf multiple times in all his feeds. https://t.co/sOiOq6jlFr  Trisha Paytas (@trishapaytas) January 15, 2021

Over a year ago, Trisha was invited by Jafar Star to fly in his private jet to Las Vegas, accompanied by his "friends" who are basically his employees. The hotel suites and front-row Mariah Carey tickets were all paid for by Jafar.Over time, Trisha has hinted to her audience that she had a horrible experience hanging out with Jafar, where he and his minions would make fun of her weight, disfigured breasts, acne, and called her poor because she asked for the price of a hand bag when they went shopping. They also called her down to the lobby to ditch her. She would confined this to her BFF Shane Dawson, where he would basically tell her to brush it off since Shane and Jafar are business partners.Trisha would act cordial towards Jafar up until this week, where randomly a hair stylist named Jay went on Instagram Live to verbally attack Trisha. Jay is a celebrity wig specialist who works with Jafar and the Kardashians. He was on that trip, and basically confirmed that they did say all those horrible things to Trisha, and proceeds to rage-yell that Trisha should be grateful to Jafar for the free trip and Mariah Carey ticket. He continues to make fun of her weight and skin, and said many other vile things.Trisha said that her security guard confirmed that Jay has been outside Trisha's house taking pictures of her cars, waiting for her. Later, Jay released an apology video on Instagram because he was getting flooded with clown emojis - he disabled all comments.Trisha has decided to end her 10+ yr friendship with Shane since he basically brushed this off again when she confined in him. Trisha was also pissed at Ryland (Shane's gold digging, social climbing bf) because he would have Jafar on his podcast and praise him over the Kanye thing to gain views.Jay's Instagram Live (1:00 is when he starts with all the vile stuff)Trisha's long ass video about ending her relationship with Shane:Source: 1
Los Angeles, Jan 17 : Actor Ryan Reynolds has sent a video with encouraging words to a young Deadpool fan, who is suffering from cancer.

The "Deadpool" star recently recorded a personal message for fan Brody Dery after hearing about the 11-year-old's battle with stage 3B Hodgkins Lymphoma and Crohn's disease, reports people.com.

In the video, shared on Twitter by CKPG News reporter Caden Fanshaw, Reynolds said: "Brody, it's Ryan Reynolds. I just heard a little bit about your story and I wanted to send you this video and let you know that I'm thinking about you and I'm sending you tons of love and I'm sending you strength, whatever strength I've got." "Man, you have a ton of people in your life that love you so much. I know you've been going through it, I know it's been a challenge lately but you know something, Brody, you're just the man for the job," Reynolds continued.

"So I'm sending you lots of love. I hope I get to meet you in person one of these days and hang in there. Okay pal, bye," the father of three concluded the video.

Brody's mother, Randi Dery, told CTV News that her son's "jaw hit the floor" upon seeing the video from Reynolds. "He keeps saying, 'I feel special -- I feel like I'm the movie star'," Randi said.
Up to a fifth of care home staff have refused the offer of a Covid vaccine as bosses are taking legal advice over whether they can force reluctant workers to get the jab.

Data from a number of providers shows between five per cent and 21 per cent of staff offered a vaccine have declined it.

The National Care Association is now seeking legal advice as to whether care home staff can be forced into getting the vaccine.

The Prime Minister has called on everyone to get the jab when it is their turn and care providers say it is vital that staff and residents get the vaccine as soon as possible.

There is currently no regular data from the NHS or Government on how many residents and staff have been given the vaccine, and how many have refused a jab.

Care groups have been calling for daily figures so they can check if the Government is on track to have offered vaccines to all residents by January 24 and address any take-up issues.

It comes as the UK recorded another 1,295 coronavirus deaths and 41,346 new cases on Saturday - as fatalities continue to rise by more than 1,000 for the fifth day in a row.

The National Care Association sought legal advice as up to eight per cent of the 1.5million social care workers in England have turned down the jab

One large UK care home group, which asked to remain anonymous, said more than half of residents and 36.8 per cent of staff have had at least one dose as of January 14.

However, 21 per cent of staff and 2.7 per cent of residents offered the vaccine had chosen not to take it up.

Nadra Ahmed, from the National Care Association (NCA), said there has been a reduction in refusals following a strong push from providers to address fears and anxieties.

She said information from members and other industry bodies suggests around 6-8 per cent of care staff still remain nervous or resistant due to health and cultural reasons.

Many are now being persuaded as they see colleagues get the jab, she added.

There were 977 suspected outbreaks in care home in the last week to January 10.

A recent poll revealed that just 41 per cent of 18-34-year-olds said they will 'definitely' accept the vaccine, according to research done by Focaldata and seen by the Sunday Times.

Young people are less likely to say they will definitely get the jab (36 per cent of 18-24-year-olds).

And ethnic minorities are even less likely than young people as just a third (33 per cent) said they would certainly get the vaccine.

People in Greater London are most reluctant to have the jab as just 41 per cent said they would definitely get it.

And people in Scotland are most willing to get it with 78 per cent saying they would accept the vaccine.

As of January 14, 47 per cent of residents and 37 per cent of staff in the 200+ homes run by Barchester Healthcare had been given at least one dose of one of the approved vaccines.

It is understood that 5 per cent of staff offered a jab have refused it.

A spokesman said: 'It is vital to the safety of our residents and patients that all of our staff, residents and patients should have the Covid-19 vaccination as soon as possible.

It comes as the UK recorded another 1,295 coronavirus deaths and 41,346 new cases on Saturday - as fatalities continue to rise by more than 1,000 for the fifth day in a row

'We are playing our part in the national fight against Covid-19 and we feel that we must do whatever we can to protect our residents and patients, as reflected in the Barchester purpose and values.'

The figure for staff refusals at Sunrise Senior Living and Gracewell Healthcare's 46 care homes is around eight per cent of those offered, and just one per cent for residents, with more than half of residents now vaccinated.

Anna Selby, head of the group's Covid-19 taskforce, said those refusing the vaccine tend to be younger staff and there appears to be a 'feeling of invincibility'.

She said: 'I think it could go two ways: either we will start to see this rise because all those who wanted it have taken the slots and all those who don't want it will start refusing, because they can't refuse something they haven't been offered, although they can say they are going to, which is worrying... but I don't know if what people say now is actually a true reflection of what they'll actually do when the time comes for them to get it.

NHS England expect residents and staff at care homes to be vaccinated by January 24 at the latest

'The other thing that could happen is more and more people are being vaccinated and talking about their lives opening up again, and people will feel a bit silly for not wanting it and they'll jump aboard.'

Care England said feedback from its members about take-up rates has been positive overall.

Chief executive Professor Martin Green said: 'We are working to make it as easy as possible for staff to be vaccinated. So far, we understand that the uptake has been good.

'We would like real-time data from the NHS broken down by residents and staff so we can get a handle on whether this is a widespread problem.'

One large care provider group said they had seen 'strong' take-up while another said it did not collect take-up data centrally but that individual homes were keeping track.

Mike Padgham, who runs four care homes in North Yorkshire, said all but a handful of his 160 staff have received a vaccine.

Some 14 staff members have refused it, with three since changing their minds.

PA has asked the NHS about whether it is concerned about uptake figures that are emerging and how they compare to uptake of the flu vaccine.

An NHS spokeswoman said: 'Thanks to the dedication of NHS staff, tens of thousands of care home residents and staff have already been vaccinated with the NHS working hard to vaccinate as many people from these top priority groups as quickly as possible.'

The poll, of 1,179 adults which was carried out between January 14 and January 15, comes after it was revealed that in order to achieve 'herd immunity' more than 80 per cent of the population are estimated to need to be infected or inoculated.

NHS England expect residents and staff at care homes to be vaccinated by January 24 at the latest.

NHS workers are currently advised to get vaccines for hepatitis B, flu, chickenpox, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, typhoid, tuberculosis, as well as the MMR vaccine and a BCG scar check.

Workers aren't legally forced to have these vaccines but they are strongly recommended.

The poll revealed that the most common reasons for people refusing the vaccine is fears that 'vaccines have been rushed through' and 'wanting to wait until more people have had it to see if it is safe'.

Some 21 per cent said they have a lack of trust in the pharmaceutical companies and others 'don't trust the people who want us to take the vaccine'.
This has been face-hammer week. In fact, its been a face-hammer year.Part of the main duty of OffGuardian is to troll through the masses of media output and try and pick up patterns. Sometimes the patterns are subtle, a gentle urging behind the paragraphs. Sometimes theyre more like a sledgehammer to the face.

From flatten the curve to the new normal to the great reset, its not been hard to spot the messaging going on since the start of the pandemic. And that distinct lack of disguise has carried over into other topics, too.

We pointed out, a few days ago, the sudden over-use of the phrase domestic terrorism preparing us for what is, almost certainly, going to be a truly horrendous piece of new legislation once Biden is in office.

Well, the buzz-phrase doing the rounds in the wake of Donald Trump being banned from the internet is the new definition of free speechand variations on that theme.

Firstly, and papers on both sides of the Atlantic want to be very clear about this, Donald Trump being banned simultaneously from every major social network is not in any way inhibiting his free speech.

Indeed none of the tens of thousands of people banned from twitter et al. have had their free speech infringed either. Neither have any of the proprietors  or users  of the Parler app which the tech giants bullied out of existence.

Free Speech is totally intact no matter how many people are banned or deplatformed, the media all agree on that (even the allegedly pro-free speech think tanks).

They also agree that maybeit shouldnt be. Maybe free speech is too dangerous in our modern era, and needs a new definition.

Thats what Ian Dunt writing in Politics.co.uk thinks, anyway, arguing its time to have a grown-up debate about free speech.

The Financial Times agrees, asking about the limits of free-speech in the internet era.

Thomas Edsall, in the New York Times, wonders aloud if Trumps lies have made free speech a threat to democracy.

The Conversation, a UK-based journal often at the cutting edge of the truly terrifying ideas, has three different articles about redefining or limiting free speech, all published within 4 days of each other.

Theres Free speech is not guaranteed if it harms others, a drab piece of dishonest apologia which argues Trump wasnt silenced, because he could make a speech which the media would coverwithout also mentioning that the media has, en masse, literally refused to broadcast several of Trumps speeches in the last couple of months.

The conclusion could have been written by an algorithm analysing The Guardians twitter feed:

the suggestion Trump has been censored is simply wrong. It misleads the public into believing all free speech claims have equal merit. They do not. We must work to ensure harmful speech is regulated in order to ensure broad participation in the public discourse that is essential to our lives  and to our democracy.

Then theres Free speech in America: is the US approach fit for purpose in the age of social media?, a virtual carbon copy of the first, which states:

The attack on the Capitol exposed, in stark terms, the dangers of disinformation in the digital age. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the extent to which certain elements of Americas free speech tradition may no longer be fit for purpose.

And finally, my personal favourite, Why free speech needs a new definition in the age of the internet and Trump tweets in which author Peter Ives warns of the weaponising of free speech and concludes:

Trumps angry mob was not just incited by his single speech on Jan. 6, but had been fomenting for a long time online. The faith in reason held by Mill and Kant was premised on the printing press; free speech should be re-examined in the context of the internet and social media.

Ives clearly thinks hes enlightened and liberal and educated, after all he drops references to Kant AND Mills (thats right TWO famous philosophers), but hes really not. Hes just an elitist arguing working class people are too dumb to be allowed to speak, or even hear ideas that might get them all riled-up and distract them from their menial labour.

To season these stale ideas with a sprinkling of fear-porn, NBC News is reporting that the FBI didnt report their concerns over possible violence at the Capitol, because they were worried about free speech. (See, if the FBI hadnt been protecting peoples free speech, that riot may not have happened!)

And on top of all of that, theres the emotional manipulation angle, where authors pretend to be sad or exasperated or any of the emotions they used to have.

In the Irish Independent, Emma Kelly says that free speech doesnt include hate speech (shes never exactly clear what part of go home in peace love was hate speech though).

In The Hill, Joe Ferullo is almost in tears that the first amendment has been ruined by the right-wing press continuously shouting fire in a crowded theatre, citing the famous Oliver Wendell Holmes quote, which so many use to qualify the idea of free speech, without realising it hands over power to destroy it completely.

Up until you can show me the hard-and-fast legal definitions of shout, fire, crowded and theatre, this open-ended qualification is nothing but a blank canvas, free to be interpreted as loosely  or stringently  as any lawmaker or judiciary feels is necessary.

As an example:

Twitter is certainly bigger and more populated than a theatre, and spreading anti-vaccination/anti-war/pro-Russia/Covid denial news [delete as appropriate] is certainly going to cause more panic than one single building being on fire. Isnt it?

Its this potential abuse of incredibly loose terminologies which will be used to redefine free speech.

Offensive, misinformation, hate speech and others will be repeated. A lot.

Expressions which have no solid definition under law, and are already being shown to mean nothing to the media talking heads who repeat them ad nauseum.

If go home in peace and love, can become inciting violence, absolutely everything can be made to mean absolutely anything.

The more they redefine words, the further we move into an Orwellian world where all meaning is entirely lost.

And what would our newly defined free speech really mean in such a world?
Mumbai: Actor Akshay Kumar on Sunday urged his fans to contribute towards the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, after the nationwide drive to collect donations kicked off on Friday. Kumar took to Twitter and shared a video, writing that he has donated his share for the construction.

It is a matter of great pleasure that the construction of our grand temple of Shri Ram has begun in Ayodhya Now it is our turn to contribute. I have started, hope you will join too. Jai Siyaram, the actor wrote. In the video, the 53-year-old actor said people should contribute what they feel comfortable with and take part in building the historic , grand temple. I have started, now I am sure you will join me too. So that the coming generations keep getting inspired to follow the life, path and message of lord Ram, he added.

On Diwali of 2020, Kumar announced his film, Ram Setu. The film, directed by Abhishek Sharma, aims to chronicle the story of the Ram Setu bridge. In December last year, Kumar also met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during his visit to Mumbai and discussed Ram Setu.

Today, while India has the second highest number of cases after the US and third highest deaths after the US and Brazil, it has one of the lowest per capita cases and deaths

With India rolling out the worlds largest vaccination programme on 16 January, it is impossible not to look back at the extraordinary things that have happened in the last one year.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, several nations with advanced medical care and infrastructure looked tin sheds in a twister. They were helpless, being battered around, losing thousands of their citizens to the disease.

There was great and genuine concern about what kind of havoc the coronavirus would wreak in India. The country had a rickety health system and woefully insufficient number of beds. It did not produce PPE kits. There were not enough masks. Public awareness about hygiene was abysmal, making a population of 1.3 billion at grave danger unto itself.

Some pundits projected that 20 to 30 million Indians would die by July. It did not happen.

Instead, India resiliently started a massive exercise of fortifying itself against the killer. It started building its health system almost ground up. Millions of masks and PPE suits started getting produced, the number of beds, ventilators and intensive care units shot up impressively. Almost the entire citizenry started wearing masks and washing or sanitising their hands frequently.

At every point, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined the enormity of the war against the pandemic. His messaging was wide and clear. Unlike some other world leaders like US president Donald Trump or UK prime minister Boris Johnson, Modi never for once took his mask down or acted in a cavalier fashion.

A massive blip came when millions of migrant workers lost jobs and got stranded because of the prolonged lockdown. The government could have handled the miserable exodus and plight of the poor better. It tried to alleviate some of that misery through a series of steps including direct benefit transfers.

Today, while India has the second highest number of cases after the US and third highest deaths after the US and Brazil, it has one of the lowest per capita cases and deaths. Indias COVID cases per million is 7,611, compared with the USs 73,198, UKs 49,315 and Frances 44,288, for instance.

Indias COVID deaths per million stands at 110, compared with the USs 1,220, UKs 1,301 and Italys 1,354.

Both new infections and deaths have started falling drastically.

For such a large, developing country, taming the monster virus from China has been remarkable. It has now embarked on vaccinating 300 million people by August.

This is nothing less than war.

In wartime, politicians rise above partisans politics to stand with the government. One cannot accuse Indias Opposition of such magnanimity. The Congress is still quibbling over the vaccination process. Samajwadi Party leader has called upon his vote bank to boycott the BJP vaccine.

In Bengal, trucks full of vaccines have been stopped in the name of farmers protest.

But the grim resolve of health workers and the government has trumped such petty politics so far.

That is the only reason for India to look forward to a safer, sunnier 2021.
President Donald Trump dealt the country another parting blow Wednesday by ordering the relocation of Space Command from Colorado Springs to H
What Is the Context of John 14:6?

Exploring commentaries on this verse reminds us of other things Jesus promises  that he is bread, living water, a light in the darkness, our source vine, and so much more. Today, we have an access to an abundance of lucidity on what each part of this verse means.

But the disciples firsthand witness of Jesus teaching here is thrilling because they are in the presence of Godwho begins by washing their feet. All of the discourse in John 14 is before the Passover Feast when Jesus knew the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. As he walks them through painful predictions of those who will deny him, he continues with this reassurance:

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Fathers house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you (John 14:1-2).

As Philip questions, Show us the Father, Jesus emphasizes that his very words are the Father, living in him, doing his work through him. He asks the disciples to believe at least on the evidence of the miracles they have seen thus far. Then he promises that in his absence he will ask the Father to give them another Counselor, a Spirit of truth. And that he will not leave them as orphans, but come for them. He explains:

Because I live, you also will live (John 14:19).

Is Jesus the Only Way, Truth and Life?

Bill Bouknight, retired Senior Pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Tennessee, addresses the cultural anxiety around the only claim, stating, When Jesus claimed that He was the only way to God the Father, He was motivated not by arrogance but by compassion.

And he offers this singular salvation through grace and mercy, not by our own ability to perfect ourselves apart from him, if we confess that we believe.

Bouknight explains, the only person who cannot experience Gods forgiveness is the one who thinks he has no sin. The only person who cannot be saved is that one who feels no need for a Savior. Jesus does not exclude us. If we reject His offer, we exclude ourselves.

And while many world religions claim a spiritual reality, only Christians believe and trust that God, the maker of heaven and earth, made himself flesh to speak to us throughout all generations as we follow Him into eternity.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27).

Photo credit: Unsplash/Gift Habeshaw
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COVID-19 origin: Either it is emerged naturally or it was laboratory accident, says US Intel community

Which are the 10 states with highest covid19 vaccine beneficiaries on day 1

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

New Delhi, Jan 17: As India began its nationwide vaccination drive against the novel coronavirus, 1,91,181 healthcare and frontline workers received the jab on Saturday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolled out the world's biggest inoculation drive against the pandemic that has caused 1,52,093 deaths and upended millions of lives in the country.

The Health Ministry said that the massive inoculation exercise was done during 3,352 sessions conducted by 16,755 vaccinators, marking it as a historic and biggest coronavirus vaccination drive launched by PM Modi.

These are the 10 states and UTs which have the highest beneficiaries:

Uttar Pradesh

A total of 21,291 healthcare workers at the frontline of India's Covid-19 battle got their first jabs in UP on Saturday. According to health officials, Covid-19 vaccination programmes were organised at 317 centres in all districts of UP.

Andhra Pradesh

A total of 18,412 healthcare workers were administered the coronavirus vaccine on the first day in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday. "Five cases of AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) were reported in Kurnool district. One minor AEFI was reported in Anantapuramu district and two in SPS Nellore district," the health commissioner said in a release but did not specify the nature of the after-affects.

Maharashtra

More than 18,328 health workers were vaccinated at 285 centres across Maharashtra. No Covid-19 vaccination sessions were planned on January 17-18 and they will continue from the next week as per the Central government's guidelines, the state health department clarified. At present, there are 53,344 active coronavirus infections, 18,81,088 recovered and 50,336 succumbed to the disease.

Bihar

Bihar on Saturday vaccinated 18,169 people in the Covid-19 vaccination drive. The drive kicked off in the state with five staff members of a super speciality government hospital becoming the first ones to receive the shots in presence of chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Odisha

More than 13,000 health care workers were vaccinated in Odisha. Around 81 per cent (13,746) of the targeted beneficiaries on Saturday turned out at designated centres across Odisha to receive the Covid-19 vaccine as the state government rolled out the inoculation drive, an official said.

The exercise began at about 11 am, immediately after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the programme in New Delhi.

Karnataka

Nearly 62 per cent of the designated frontline workers were administered the Covid-19 vaccine in the first phase of the vaccination drive in Karnataka on Saturday, informed state health minister K Sudhakar.

The state government had earmarked 21,658 people for the first day of the Covid-19 vaccination programme out of which 13,594 have been successfully vaccinated.

Gujarat

Gujarat ranks as the seventh-highest in terms of beneficiaries after 10,787 people were inoculated in the state. The authorities conducted 161 sessions on Saturday.

West Bengal

A total of 9,730 healthcare beneficiaries were vaccinated in the state on Saturday, out of which 14 cases of AEFI were reported including one serious case (condition stable) of AEFI admitted at NRS Medical College, the West Bengal Health Department said.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has requested the Centre to supply an adequate number of vaccines for not only the frontline workers but also for all people of the state.

Rajasthan

More than 12,000 beneficiaries registered in Rajasthan received the vaccine on the first day of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign on Saturday, official data showed.

Against a set target of 16,613 health workers, 9,279 health workers were administered the vaccine.

Madhya Pradesh

The state administered the vaccine to 9,219 health care workers on Saturday. Madhya Pradesh also reported a technical glitch in the Co-WIN app.

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Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2021, 15:39 [IST]
A baby boy suffering from a life-threatening deformity underwent a miracle surgery to have the bones in his skull reshaped all before his first birthday.

Flex Dan, who will be one this month, was born with craniosynostosis - a rare defect that means the skull's bones fuse together, giving little to no room for the brain to grow and develop.

His parents, Lucy and Aaron Dan, from Bega in south-east New South Wales, were told by doctors that Flex's head was out of shape when Ms Dan was 20 weeks pregnant.

Within days of him being born, Flex was diagnosed with craniosynostosis and would go on to have his first surgery at just nine-weeks-old.

But due to the severity of his condition, Flex required another larger operation.

Last month a team of surgeons managed to remove the fused bones in his skull before reforming them and putting them back together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Flex Dan (pictured with parents Lucy and Aaron Dan) underwent surgery earlier this month to have the bones in his skull reshaped and reformed

His mother Lucy, 22, told Daily Mail Australia the surgery lasted for seven hours and Flex was recovering in hospital for six days.

'The recovery was rough. His eyes swelled shut for three days and he couldn't see,' Ms Dan said.

'We're hoping it's the last one (operation) but we aren't sure because it's such a rare situation.'

Ms Dan said that during her pregnancy doctors told her Flex may have had a poor quality of life, but she said she and her partner had always been hopeful.

She said that after his first operation there were huge changes to her son's behaviour.

'When he was born he didn't really look at us or focus on us and he wasn't developing great,' the mother said.

'All of a sudden he was so happy and different.'

Flex is seen with a scar on his head following his recent surgery for the condition craniosynostosis

His family were told their son's head was misshapen while Ms Dan was 20 weeks pregnant. Flex would go onto have his first surgery at just nine-weeks-old

The young mother said she'd never heard of the condition and was overwhelmed at the possibility of what may have happened to Flex.

'We kind of just didn't have a choice from day one. We thought this (surgery) is going to happen to him or he's going to die,' Ms Dan said.

'It's not really something you think about when you're having a baby.'

The couple were even told by doctors there was the choice to abort the pregnancy, something Ms Dan said she couldn't bring herself to do.

'There was something about his little face in the ultrasounds and I thought he looked so perfect. I don't think we'd ever be able to forgive ourselves if we went down that road,' she said.

Since his recent surgery a few weeks ago, Flex has been making incredible progress

Surgeons were able to use 3D modelling for the procedure on the 11-month-old's skull

Since his recent surgery a few weeks ago, Flex has been making incredible progress.

Using 3D modelling, the surgeons were able to carry out several practice surgeries before performing on the little boy's skull.

They have since reassured the Dan family that it's more than likely Flex won't suffer any intellectual or long term problems from his condition.

He'll also be able to play sport like any other boy and the large scar that spreads across his head will soon be covered up by his hair.

During the highly complicated procedure, Flex lost his whole body weight in blood.

He was also on a string of painkillers but Ms Dan said her little boy is recovering well.

'He's doing really well and the surgeons are really happy with his progress,' she said.

'He was pretty unfazed after the first surgery but he's a bit shy now after the recent operation even around family members. He's turned into a clingy mummy's boy.

'But he's going to live a completely normal life.'
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This week kicked off with a report of a GitHub worker who was fired after cautioning his coworkers in the D.C. area to stay safe from Nazis during the assault on the U.S. Capitol. Meanwhile, Facebook created a new executive role pertaining to civil rights and Californias Proposition 22 faced its first legal challenge this year.

All that and more in this weeks edition of Human Capital.

Facebook hires VP of civil rights

Facebook hired Roy Austin to become its first-ever VP of Civil Rights and Deputy General Counsel to create a new civil rights organization within the company. Austin is set to start on January 19 and will be based in Washington, D.C.

Austin most recently served as a civil rights lawyer at Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP. Prior to that, Austin co-authored a report on big data and civil rights and worked with President Barack Obamas Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

Prop 22 faces lawsuit challenging its constitutionality

A group of rideshare drivers in California and the Service Employees International Union filed a lawsuit alleging Proposition 22 violates Californias constitution. The goal of the suit is to overturn Prop 22, which classifies gig workers as independent contractors in California.

The suit, filed in Californias Supreme Court, argues Prop 22 makes it harder for the states legislature to create and enforce a workers compensation system for gig workers. It also argues Prop 22 violates the rule that limits ballot measures to a single issue, as well as unconstitutionally defines what would count as an amendment to the measure. As it stands today, Prop 22 requires a seven-eighths legislative supermajority in order to amend the measure.

Best tech companies to work for, according to Glassdoor

Glassdoor released its annual ranking of the best companies to work for in 2021. We broke out the top 10 tech companies from the list of large businesses (1,000+ employees) as well as from the small to medium-sized business list.

Story continues

Despite recent allegations of wrongful firings and demands of better workplace conditions, Google ranked number three on the list of best tech companies, while Facebook ranked fifth.

Netflix releases first diversity report

This was not the first time Netflix had shared this type of data, but the company had not put a bow on it until now.

Worldwide, women make up 47.1% of Netflixs workforce. Since 2017, representation of white and Asian employees has been on a slow decline, while representation of Hispanic or Latinx, Black, mixed race and folks from native populations has been on the rise. In the U.S., Netflix is 8.1% Hispanic or Latinx, 8% Black and 5.1% of its employees are mixed race, while 1.3% of employees are either Native American, Native Alaskan, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and/or from the Middle East or North Africa.

Github faces backlash after firing of Jewish employee who made comment about Nazis

On the day a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, a worried GitHub employee warned his coworkers in the D.C. area to be safe. In an interview with TechCrunch, the now-former employee said he was genuinely concerned about his coworkers in the area, in addition to his Jewish family members.

TechCrunch agreed to keep the identity of the terminated employee confidential due to fears for his and his familys safety.

After making a comment in Slack saying, stay safe homies, Nazis are about, a fellow employee took offense, saying that type of rhetoric wasnt good for work, the former employee told me. Two days later, he was fired, with a human relations representative citing a pattern of behavior that is not conducive to company policy as the rationale for his termination, he told me.

Now, the terminated employee says he is currently seeking counsel to ensure his family is protected, as well as figure out if he can receive damages or some other form of reconciliation. The fired employee said GitHub has reached out to him for help in the internal investigation, but is waiting to engage with the company until he has legal representation in place.

You can read the full story here.

Dropbox lays off 315 people

Dropbox laid off 11% of its global workforce, which comes to 315 people affected. In an email to employees, CEO Drew Houston said the company simply doesnt need as much in-office support due to the shift to remote work, so were scaling back that investment and redeploying those resources to drive our ambitious product roadmap.

In the note, Houston said the changes will make Dropbox more efficient and nimble this year.



Apple launches racial justice and equity programs

Apple unveiled a few key projects as part of its $100 million commitment to racial equity and justice.

The first is a $25 million investment in the Propel Center, an innovation and learning hub for HBCUS. As part of the investment into the Propel Center, Apple employees will help to develop the curriculum and offer mentorship to students.

In Detroit, Apple will launch a developer academy for young Black entrepreneurs in collaboration with Michigan State University. In all, Apple hopes to reach 1,000 students per year in Detroit.

Additionally, Apple invested $10 million in VC firm Harlem Capital, $25 million in Siebert Williams Shanks Clear Vision Impact Fund and donated an undisclosed amount to the King Center.

Amazon warehouse workers scheduled to vote on union starting next month

The National Labor Relations Board has scheduled a mail-in voting process for Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama to begin on February 8 and end March 29. Workers at the facility will decide whether to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. The bargaining unit includes about 6,000 workers, including hourly full-time and regular part-time fulfillment workers, as well as the hundreds of Amazons seasonal workers among others.
The United Kingdom has extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 summit as one of the guest countries.The G7 summit is scheduled to be held in Cornwall from June 11-13, 2021, said a statement by the British High Commission on January 17.

Australia and South Korea are the other countries that have been invited to attend the summit as guests. The G7 is made up of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union."The G7 Summit will be held in Carbis Bay, Cornwall on June 11-13, 2021. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the UK's G7 Presidency to unite leading democracies to help the world fight, and then build back better from coronavirus and create a greener, more prosperous future. The UK has invited Australia, India and South Korea as guest countries to this year's G7," Johnson's office said in a statement, reported news agency ANI.

Johnson intends to use the meeting to intensify cooperation between the world's democratic and technologically advanced nations, according to the statement.

The British PM was quoted saying, "As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face."

Johnson was due for a visit to India as chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations, however, his plans were cancelled amid lockdown restrictions imposed due to the new COVID-19 strain.

Reports suggest that Johnson might visit India ahead of the summit.

Also read: Farmers' protest: SC-appointed panel to hold first meeting on Jan 19

Also read: PM Modi flags off eight trains to boost connectivity to Statue of Unity
South Africas power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. anticipates electricity shortages on a weekly basis for the next three months, raising the specter of regular power cuts through April.

Eskoms likely risk scenario over the next three months shows a deficit of more than 2,001 megawatts to meet demand and reserves, according to its most recent system status report, starting in the week of Jan. 11.

Under a planned risk level, which assumes fewer unplanned outages, the utility still expects shortages 50% of the time and possibly not being able to meet demand for the remainder of the period.

Even with the economy buckling from the weight of measures to control the coronavirus pandemic that has reduced electricity consumption, the state-owned utility is failing to generate adequate supply.

It announced 2,000 megawatts of power cuts on Thursday for four straight days after losing units at Kusile, its newest power station. Outages have even spread to whats regarded as its most reliable facility, the Koeberg nuclear plant near Cape Town.

Saddled with debt of R464 billion ($30.6 billion) Eskom is attempting to transform the business by splitting into generation, transmission and distribution units that would allow for more power from private producers.

The utility is also implementing a maintenance schedule to make overdue repairs on its fleet of aging coal-fired stations.

Eskom has said the risk of power cuts will be significantly reduced by September.

Now read: Cyril Ramaphosa accused of interfering with Eskom by former CEO
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JACKSONVILLE  State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, has asked Gov. J.B. Pritzker to allow bars and restaurants to reopen in Illinois.

On Friday, Pritzker announced revisions to his COVID-19 mitigation tiers that would allow earlier indoor dining, but no regions have met the requirements.

Late Friday, Davidsmeyer  who also is Assistant Republican Leader in the Illinois House  said Pritzker is failing the state at every level and should stop using the same old ideas and look to others for new ways to move Illinois forward.

IDPH (IL Department of Public Health) keeps doubling down on the same failed policies, using the wrong metrics, said Davidsmeyer. I believe in science, and this is not science.

Davidsmeyer said families are struggling because employers have been closed by the Pritzker administration and affected workers cant receive unemployment benefits.

IDES (IL Department of Employment Security) is failing the very people who the governor has put out of work, Davidsmeyer said. Not only that, but the communication with many of the departments is lacking or non-existent.

I try to maintain a good working relationship with those working in the departments, he said. But at some point these failures have to be called out.

Davidsmeyer said Pritzker should look outside of his administration for new ideas.
A Philadelphia man has been charged in a hit-and-run accident in Runnemede earlier this month that killed a 61-year-old Somerdale resident, officials in Camden County said.

The charges against Gregory Graves, 40, included leaving the scene of a fatal accident and driving with a suspended license, Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Runnemede Police Chief Paul Dailey said late Saturday night.

The victim, Frederick Murray, suffered multiple injuries in the accident, which occurred Jan. 3 at the intersection of South Black Horse Pike and East Clements Bridge Road, officials said.

Murray was taken to an area hospital, where he died of his injuries Jan. 11.

Officers found surveillance footage showing a blue Chevrolet Trailblazer that appeared to be involved in the accident, and an anonymous tip led to their finding a vehicle fitting the description with a damaged front grill.

Graves was taken to the Camden County Correctional Facility where on Sunday he was awaiting a detention hearing.
Former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were attacked by the states former CM and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy for ignoring Kannada language at a foundation stone-laying ceremony of Rapid Action Force (RAF) unit held in Shivamogga.

Kumaraswamy sought an apology from the Karnataka Chief Minister for not including Kannada on the inscription plaque that was unveiled at the new Rapid Action Force (RAF) Centre in the state.

Kumaraswamy said both the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre and in the state ignored the Kannada language and betrayed the people of Karnataka. He then went on to accuse Amit Shah of harbouring anti-Kannada attitude and downplaying the Kannada language."

He said: The behaviour of Mr Shah who has ignored Kannada in the process of providing prominence to English and Hindi indicates anti-Kannada attitude. It is an insult to the pride of Kannadigas. It is Karnataka that has given land for the Centres RAF unit.

Taking to Twitter on January 17, Kumaraswamy wrote: Both the Union and state govt have betrayed the people of Karnataka by ignoring the Kannada language. The BJP uses Tamil in Tamil Nadu for elections and in Karnataka, they ignore it. All of us have been let down.



Union Home Minister @AmitShah laid the foundation stone for the RAF unit in Bhadravathi of Shivamogga district on Saturday. But the inscription plaque unveiled on the occasion to mark the foundation stone laying is in only Hindi and English. It clearly shows...

1/8 pic.twitter.com/Lr981DhSpB

 H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) January 17, 2021

He further wrote: Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the RAF unit in Bhadravathi of Shivamogga district on Saturday. But the inscription plaque unveiled on the occasion to mark the foundation stone laying is in only Hindi and English. It clearly shows that Kannada has been ignored though the foundation stone has been laid in Karnataka.

The JD(S) leader added: It is the responsibility of the Centre to show due respect towards the languages of the state as our country, which is known for its diversity, has adopted the three-language formula to ensure that the importance of state languages is not undermined.

But violation of such a sensitive norm by the union home minister himself is an insult to the Kannada language as well as Kannadigas.

It is highly condemnable that even the Chief Minister and deputy Chief Minister who were present on the occasion chose to ignore dignity and honour of our land and its language.
Local journalists exposed how the Democratic leaders Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor London Breed of San Francisco  outspoken advocates for virus precautions  had attended birthday parties at the French Laundry restaurant in the Napa Valley, ignoring their own best practices. Disdain for masks and business closures resonated in more conservative parts of Southern California, and health officials pointed to people who had let their guard down at Thanksgiving as a turning point.

Now federal health officials are warning that a much more contagious variant of the virus could become the dominant source of infection by March, threatening to accelerate the countrys outbreak.

The arrival of vaccines could slow the spread, but the lack of a unified national strategy has resurfaced again as a fundamental flaw. The federal government has pushed the responsibility for administering vaccines to state and local governments, who are strapped for funding and still dealing with daunting virus caseloads. Some states have struggled to deliver the vaccine swiftly, and rules vary widely from state to state.

Mr. Biden, who takes office this week, said he would call on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish 100 federally supported vaccination centers around the country and would also push for thousands of community and mobile vaccination sites.

But tight supplies will limit how quickly any such plans can be rolled out, and already there are political divisions over whether to trust the vaccine and what social groups should get it first.

Dr. Marissa J. Levine, the director of the Center for Leadership in Public Health Practice at the University of South Florida, said that a failure of leadership  first from the White House, and later from the states  had polarized the entire response to the pandemic and given the virus an extended life. The toll points to a colossal failure at every level of government, she said.

The top five worst days for new deaths in the United States have come in January. As the calendar page turned for a new year, the virus was worse than it had ever been.

J. David Goodman , Thomas Kaplan and Eileen Sullivan contributed reporting. Clinton Cargill , Steven Moity and Alison Saldanha contributed research.
Cafe workers in Daegu spray disinfectant and organize chairs and tables, Sunday, as cafes are allowed to offer dine-in services beginning from Monday, after the government decided to ease restrictions on businesses hit by COVID-19. / Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye



People will be able to drink coffee inside cafes, beginning Monday, after the government, which had banned coffee shops from offering dine-in services as part of measures to stem the spread of COVID-19, decided to ease restrictions on virus-hit businesses.



Health ministry officials said Sunday that like restaurants, cafes will be allowed to offer dine-in services until 9 p.m.



The government has so far allowed coffee shops to serve only takeout and delivery, causing protests from owners who claimed that the antivirus measures have been applied "unfairly" between businesses.



Churches will be allowed to hold in-person services on the condition of only allowing congregants up to 10 percent capacity in the Seoul metropolitan area, which includes Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, and up to 20 percent capacity in the rest of the country.



Indoor gyms, cram schools and karaoke establishments in the Seoul metropolitan area will be allowed to resume operations on the condition of a maximum capacity of one person per eight square meters.



The government adjusted detailed antivirus guidelines applied to businesses, while extending the current Level 2.5 social distancing measures  the second-highest in its five-tier system  for the Seoul metropolitan area, and Level 2 for other parts of the country by two weeks until Jan. 31.



The government has also decided to maintain the ban on private gatherings of five or more people and the restriction on business operations after 9 p.m.



"We are aware that the latest adjustment of the antivirus guidelines may be not enough to lessen the difficulties facing small business owners, but we want to ask citizens to join forces for about one more month to restore hope," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Saturday after a government meeting on its COVID-19 response. "Vaccines and treatments that are scheduled to be introduced next month will back up our antivirus efforts."



The government's decision to extend its current distancing level and adjust detailed guidelines came as the country's daily new virus cases have remained in the 500s in recent days, without showing particular signs of a slowdown.



According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country added 520 more infections for Saturday including 500 locally transmitted cases, raising the total caseload to 72,340.



The government's adjustment of the guidelines, however, has received mixed reactions from businesses  cafe owners welcomed the decision, while bar owners complained.



"I am glad the government eased restrictions on cafes. I have suffered more than a 70 percent fall in my sales while the ban has been in place on cafes from offering dine-in service," said Kim Ji-min, who runs a coffee shop in Seoul's Jungnang District.



For their part, bar owners expressed their disappointment as they had expected the government to ease the restrictions that forced bars to close after 9 p.m. They said such restrictions are excessive as they are late-night businesses.



The government's decision to ease the burden on virus-hit businesses is also raising concerns over a possible spike in the number of infections as winter months offer a favorable environment for the virus to spread.



Health experts said citizens' cooperation will be key to the success of the nation's antivirus efforts.



"If every citizen complies with the government's antivirus guidelines, there would be no sudden spike in the number of infections," said Jung Ki-suck, a professor of pulmonology at Hallym University.



Russia will resume flights to Vietnam, India, Finland and Qatar on January 27, 2021, with several flights per week and increase the number of Moscow-Cairo regular flights to five per week, a media report said.



Flights will take off twice a week from Moscow to Hanoi, New Delhi, Helsinki and Doha, reported Russian news agency Tass, citing the national anti-coronavirus crisis centre.






US continues to face very serious problems in trade and economic relations with China

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People trafficker Ronan Hughes is in mourning this weekend after his father died yesterday morning.

The news was delivered to Hughes in his English prison cell where he is awaiting the outcome of a New Year sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese immigrants in October 2019.

The cause of his father Jerry's death is unclear but the Sunday World understands it is not Covid related. The family has requested donations in lieu of flowers to heart and lung transplant services.

It is understood Mr Hughes had been ill for some time, his funeral will take place at St Patrick's Church in his native Tyholland in Co. Monaghan tomorrow.

Ronan Hughes (47) was the ringleader of the people-smuggling racket.

It is doubtful whether he would be granted compassionate parole to attend his father's funeral given Covid restrictions and the fact he was subject of extended extradition proceedings between the UK and Ireland.

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During the trial of Co. Armagh man Maurice Robinson, driver of the container lorry and who discovered the 39 bodies on arrival in Essex, it emerged Hughes told him to "give them air quickly" but not let them out.

Hughes, from Co. Monaghan, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and people smuggling in August.

To date eight people have been convicted in relation to the incident - including four for manslaughter.

Distressing details of the moment driver Robinson discovered his tragic cargo have been aired at London's Old Bailey where he, Hughes and others will find how long they will remain behind bars for their part in the atrocity.

When he opened the sealed container in Grays in Essex in October 2019 he found the Vietnamese migrants had all suffocated.

The migrants, aged 15 to 44, were in the container for at least 12 hours as it was shipped from Belgium to Purfleet in Essex.

Prosecutors said temperatures reached an "unbearable" 38.5C.




A Sydney hospital worker is among six new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in NSW, with the source of the new detections unknown.

All six cases are close contacts of a western Sydney man who was the state's only locally acquired case announced on Saturday. There were three cases also recorded on Sunday in returned overseas travellers.

Testing rates in NSW will have to increase before any restrictions are wound back. Credit:Louise Kennerley

There were 12,764 tests carried out in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday and Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that figure had to be much higher before restrictions can be eased.

"All of us want to see those restrictions we have in place eased, all of us want to be confident we can go back to what we had before Christmas and that will only be possible if we get those high rates of testing to give our contact-tracers, and our health experts the confidence that we are on top of any unknown strains of the virus," she said.
In 1994, Sen. Joe Biden sponsored a far-reaching crime bill that lengthened federal sentences and expanded the federal death penalty to cover about 60 crimes. In 2020, Biden ran for president on a platform that advocated eliminating the federal death penalty and giving states incentives, presumably federal funding, to abolish their capital punishment laws.

That would be a change in U.S. policy, not just from the current administration but from its predecessors of both parties  the Democratic Party platform endorsed the death penalty as recently as 2012 before calling for abolition in 2016. The next few weeks could show whether, and how, Biden plans to carry out his campaign promise.

As Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, a longtime death penalty opponent in California, prepare to take office Wednesday, the Trump administration is on an unprecedented spree of executions, putting 13 prisoners to death by lethal injection since July.

The executions were the first carried out by the federal government since 2003. Lisa Montgomery, put to death early Wednesday morning for strangling a pregnant Missouri woman in 2004, was the first woman executed by the federal government since 1953.

Congressional Democrats are introducing legislation to abolish the federal death penalty  cosponsors include Harris, as a senator  but passage would require some bipartisan support, which seems unlikely in the current climate. Biden, however, could act on his own to halt federal death penalty prosecutions  and, more dramatically, to commute the remaining 50 federal death sentences, reducing them to life in prison.

It would show hes good on his word, said David Dozier, a retired professor of journalism and media studies at San Diego State University who has written extensively on the death penalty. No president has done it, but never has there been such acceptance among Americans that life without the possibility of parole is preferable to the death penalty.

A Gallup Poll in October 2019 found that, when asked which sentence they would prefer for murder, 60% favored life without parole, compared with 36% for a death sentence, the first such majority the poll had ever reported.

The United States stands alone among its peers in executing its own citizens. ... We urge you to prioritize justice on Day 1 of your administration and end the use of the death penalty, 45 Democratic House members said in a letter to Biden calling for sentence commutations and a halt to capital prosecutions.

But Kent Scheidegger, a death penalty supporter, said as long as the federal death penalty law exists, Biden must take seriously his constitutional duty to see that the laws are faithfully executed and continue to enforce it.

Or he could misuse the clemency power and commute all the cases, said Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation and an author of California Proposition 66, which was approved by voters in 2016 and aims to limit death penalty appeals and speed up executions.

On the other hand, no law requires prosecutors to seek a death sentence in any case, noted Nancy Haydt, executive director of Death Penalty Focus, a San Francisco nonprofit that opposes capital punishment.

The recent stream of executions has taken place without significant objections from the courts, particularly the Supreme Court.

Montgomerys crime was gruesome  she strangled Bobbie Jo Stinnett, eight months pregnant, from behind, then cut the unborn child from the victims womb and took it to her home in Kansas, where she was arrested the next day.

But her background was equally gruesome  born with brain damage from her mothers drinking, repeatedly raped by her stepfather, who slammed her head into the floor, and trafficked by her mother to other rapists, according to her lawyers.

After assessments by mental health professionals that Montgomery was delusional and unable to understand whether or why she was about to be executed, U.S. District Judge Daniel Hanlon of Indiana, a Trump appointee, stayed her execution late Monday and said she was entitled to a hearing on her mental competence.

His ruling was quickly overturned by a federal appeals court  a panel of three Republican appointees  which said the mental health assessments lacked authority because the doctors had not seen Montgomery since 2016, the last time they were allowed to visit her. The Supreme Court denied review in a brief order without stating any reasons, and likewise offered no explanations for lifting other courts stays of Montgomerys execution.

The last two to be put to death, Corey Johnson and Dustin Higgs, both convicted of multiple murders, had contracted COVID-19 in an outbreak at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., during the months of executions.

A federal judge granted stays to both men, saying medical testimony showed they would probably suffer torture comparable to waterboarding from the impact of the lethal drug on their virus-scarred lungs. But an appeals court dismissed the assessment as mere speculation, and the Supreme Court denied review in both cases without comment.

The Supreme Court has simply become a rubber stamp on the death penalty, said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor offered an equally critical assessment in a dissenting opinion in Higgs case late Friday.

Over the past six months, this Court has repeatedly sidestepped its usual deliberative processes, often at the Governments request, allowing it to push forward with an unprecedented, breakneck timetable of executions, she said. The Government should have proceeded with some measure of restraint to ensure it did so lawfully. When it did not, this Court should have.

The courts deference to death sentences and execution orders leaves the fate of the nations Death Rows largely in the hands of the executive branch, at the federal and state level. Though their commutation powers are limited by law in some states, including California, governors, like the president, have unique authority to overrule judges and juries capital verdicts.

Commuting death sentences would not be unprecedented. Illinois Gov. George Ryan, a Republican, commuted the states 167 death sentences to life in prison in his final days in office in January 2003. Governors in several other states have taken similar actions shortly before leaving office.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a moratorium on executions in California after taking office in 2019 and shut down the execution chamber at San Quentin. But he has not sought to commute the sentences of the states 708 condemned prisoners  and if he did, state law would require a majority of the state Supreme Court to approve commutation for any inmate who had at least two previous felony convictions.

Prosecutors in many counties are still filing capital charges, and executions could resume under the next governor unless state voters repealed the death penalty, which they declined to do in 2012 and 2016. Californias last execution was in January 2006.

Biden would risk a backlash if he commuted all federal death sentences, said Jon Gould, an Arizona State University law professor and director of its School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

He would have to believe the issue really important or wait until much later in his term, when he had accomplished much of what he set out to do and then commute the sentences on the knowledge that he wouldnt be running again, Gould said.

But the incoming president has other options, said Dunham of the Death Penalty Information Center.

It comes down to the difference between pragmatism and idealism, he said. Practically speaking, with no more executions imminent, Biden could postpone action, perhaps appoint a commission to study the issue, and take action, if any, later in his term.

But right now, the iron is certainly hot, with the unprecedented flurry of executions by an outgoing president, Dunham said. If commutation happens quickly as part of an effort to undo the universe of wrongs committed by the Trump administration, objections to it would appear much more partisan.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Shoppers are being hit by delays and extra fees of up to 5 on fashion items shipped from the EU.

Top retailers including & Other Stories, Asics, Sezane and Goodhood have blamed Brexit for the delivery chaos, with hold-ups lasting days or even weeks.

In some cases, parcels with the wrong documentation are being returned to sender when they reach the border. The main cause of the delays is understood to be new paperwork and extra customs and border security arrangements.

Shoppers are being hit by delays and extra fees of up to 5 on fashion items shipped from the EU. Lorries are pictured above at a clearance centre

Under new rules, anyone sending parcels from the EU to the UK needs to fill in forms including proof of origin and the reason for sending the package.

Retailers selling to Britain now have to pay customs duties and fill out declaration forms, as well as registering for VAT in the UK. VAT relief on imported goods under 15 has also been abolished.

The import headaches come as shops see a spike in online orders while Britain is in lockdown.

Problems are being compounded by high levels of sickness among postal workers due to Covid.

Meanwhile, some retailers and delivery firms are charging fees to cover the cost of the extra red tape. Parisian fashion brand Sezane told customers that due to Brexit all UK orders will be charged a 5 admin fee.

Courier firm TNT is slapping 4.31 on all shipments to and from the EU, rival UPS is charging 4.50 per package and DHL is insisting on 5 per shipment. DPD, which said one in five parcels had been returned because of paperwork issues, is charging 3.50 on packages to cover clearance, handling, and processing costs. It is unclear whether such costs will be passed on to shoppers.

& Other Stories, which is owned by Swedish fashion giant H&M, admitted it had suffered delays for a limited period because of Brexit. Asics and Goodhood also warned online customers about Brexit hold-ups.

A senior retail source said: Some European retailers have clearly said its too much hassle to deliver to the UK and slapped big delivery charges on posting to us.

James Hookham, of the Global Shippers Forum, said: These delays will diminish in time as familiarity breeds content with the process, or contempt at the new prices.

But everyone is in novice mode at the moment so delays are inevitable for a while as the new arrangements bed down. Catherine Shuttleworth, of retail specialists Savvy Marketing, said delays could mean opportunities for UK-based brands to steal shopper share.
GironaWork opportunities drive migrations. Without jobs, there is no chance of repopulating rural areas. But how can you create jobs in these areas beyond tourism and farming?
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

More than 100 people have been infected with the UK strain of the coronavirus at a Belgian retirement home, its director told AFP on Sunday.

Three residents died after the virus began spreading at the De Groene Verte home in Houthulst, northwestern Belgium, Jurgen Duyck said.

A total of 111 people have been confirmed as infected, including 39 staff members. The cluster represents two-thirds of the home's residents.

The Belga news agency initially reported that another eight people had been infected at a home for people with disabilities in the same area, but it later clarified that it was not yet known if they had the UK variant.

Belgium has suffered one of the world's worst per capita death rates from the coronavirus, with nursing homes representing more than half of overall deaths from the disease, according to the Public Health Institute.

Mayor Joris Hindryckx said the outbreak in Houthulst had prompted a halt to "all social and sporting activities" in the town of around 10,000 people.

The source of the contamination is unknown, but the mayor said the infection must have been "indirect" as none of those testing positive at the retirement home was known to have travelled to Britain.

The British variant is believed to be more infectious than previous strains of COVID-19.

Mayor Hindryckx said those infected must quarantine for 10 days instead of the usual seven.

But an epidemiologist urged a "full lockdown" in Houthulst and called for all inhabitants to be tested.

Writing in the daily Le Soir, Yves Coppieters said: "We have the foundations of a third wave of contaminations."

He also told Belgian TV channel La Une that "if there is already a cluster of this intensity, there are sure to be others".

Without blanket testing, "we won't succeed against a variant that is a lot more contagious," he warned.

On Friday, Yves Van Laethem, spokesman for Belgium's health authorities, said there were already several dozen cases of both the British and the South African strains of the coronavirus in the country, adding that "other strains could emerge".

He noted that the Pfizer vaccine, the one most widely used in Belgium, is effective against the two variant strains.

Residents of the Houthulst retirement home were set to be vaccinated against COVID-19 this week, but the programme was postponed because of the large number of COVID patients, Hindryckx said.

The elderly are the priority target in the vaccination campaign, which according to official figures had reached 17.26 percent of retirement home residents and staff by January 13 with the first dose of the vaccine, which is to be followed up by a second dose.

Belgian authorities said Saturday that a delay in deliveries of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses would not affect the vaccination of this segment of the population.

The country recorded 16.6 percent excess deaths last year attributed mainly to COVID-19.

Since the start of the pandemic, Belgium has recorded 677,209 cases and 20,396 deaths.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert rebuked a Democratic colleague for making "false and baseless conspiracy claims," which she said suggested she gave Capitol tours to "insurrectionists" and have led to death threats, but U.S. Rep. Sean Maloney responded that he was talking about another House Republican.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

When it comes to homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa Fe has been fortunate compared to other parts of New Mexico.

Other areas in the state, such as Albuquerque and Gallup, have had outbreaks of the deadly virus among their homeless populations at different points since the pandemic started. In some cases, those outbreaks have occurred in shelters for unhoused individuals.

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But, so far, Santa Fe has seen no such outbreak among the homeless, with many now staying in shelters, motels and the Midtown Emergency Shelter during the freezing winter nights. However, there is an awareness that the threat of an outbreak is always present.

A good deal of it is absolutely luck-based, said Abdullah Chudnoff, a case manager at Midtown. Weve been very fortunate that a lot of the people who are here have really understood the purpose of the shelter.

Since the city of Santa Fe first opened the doors of the Midtown Emergency Shelter in April, it has held the shelter up as its shining example of assisting those with housing insecurities during the pandemic.

As of Thursday, 47 residents  including five families  were being housed in the shelters, in what used to be dormitories of the now-defunct Santa Fe University of Art and Design, which closed in 2018.

The shelter, though, has been under new management since the end of summer.

Consuelos Place, a nonprofit entity started by the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness in 2020, runs the day-to-day operations of the shelter after receiving a contract from the city in August.

Hank Hughes, the coalitions executive director, said there were very technical reasons behind creating a new nonprofit to run the shelter.

The insurance companies didnt want to insure a shelter run by a city, he said. Or one that was run by a coalition like ours.

The city, which owns the Midtown campus, has reimbursed the Coalition just under $100,000 for its management of the shelter since the start of September.

At first, the city manned the shelter with employees from various other departments, many of whom had seen their workloads evaporate due to COVID-19 restrictions. While some, such as librarians, had previous experience working with homeless individuals, no employees received training before taking their position at the shelter.

Workers at the shelter twice filed human resources complaints against the shelters management while it was being operated by the city. The city then signed an agreement with the Coalition to End Homelessness.

Hughes and city officials said it had been the original intention to hire a contractor to run the shelter.

The city employees who got put there, that wasnt their goal in life to run a shelter, Hughes said. That just makes it a little harder.

City Health and Safety Director Kyra Ochoa told the Journal the work done by Public Works Director Regina Wheeler and shelter staff laid the groundwork for the success in sheltering homeless individuals over the past year.

I think the community really owes a debt of gratitude to that effort  it was tremendous, Ochoa said.

The shelter has provided more permanent housing for some residents, although it hasnt been easy. Chudnoff said Santa Fes lack of affordable units for low-income individuals creates more difficulties.

Since theres so few of those units, theres very high competition, he said.

The citys contract with Consuelos Place runs until the end of June. Hughes said that, if the pandemic hasnt subsided by then, funding could become an issue since the shelter is currently supported by money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

We would sort of hopefully be looking to the federal government to step in again, Hughes said. We dont want to scare the city and suggest that they keep it open longer, until we have to.
LONDON (AP)  The U.K. government plans to offer a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to every adult by September as the nations health care system battles the worst crisis in its 72-year-history.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Sunday that the government will soon begin a trial of round the clock injections at some locations as it continues to add more vaccination sites to increase the pace of delivery. The National Health Service opened a mass vaccination center on Saturday at the historic Salisbury Cathedral, where injections were accompanied by organ music.

Our target is by September to have offered all the adult population a first dose, he told Sky News. If we can do it faster than that, great, but thats the road map.

Britain has more than 51 million adults in its population of 67.5 million people.

The ambitious vaccination program comes amid crushing pressures on the National Health Service. Already beleaguered hospitals are admitting another COVID-19 patient every 30 seconds, putting the service in its most precarious situation ever, said Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England.

The facts are very clear and Im not going to sugarcoat them, hospitals are under extreme pressure and staff are under extreme pressure, he told the BBC. Since Christmas Day weve seen another 15,000 increase in the in-patients in hospitals across England. Thats the equivalent of filling 30 hospitals full of coronavirus patients.

Britains health care system is staggering as doctors and nurses battle a more contagious variant of the coronavirus coupled with cold, wet winter weather that drives people inside, where infections spread more easily.

The surge in infections has pushed the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 to a record 37,475, more than 73% higher than during the first peak of the pandemic in April. Britain has reported 88,747 coronavirus-related deaths, more than any other country in Europe and the fifth-highest number worldwide.

Story continues

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Jan. 2 ordered England into its third national lockdown in an effort to slow the spread of the virus and protect the NHS, which Stevens said now has some 50,000 employees off work due to COVID-19 infections and exposure quarantines.

The government says it wont review the lockdown measures until mid-February, by which time it plans to offer at least one dose of vaccine to everyone over 70, as well as to frontline health care workers and others who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

Once that goal has been reached, the U.K. will offer the vaccine to everyone over 50 before finally moving on to everyone over 18.

Unlike other nations, Britain has chosen to stretch out the time between vaccine doses from 21 days to up to 12 weeks  a decision that means more people will get at least one dose more quickly.

Britain has approved three vaccines  ones by Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna. The first two are already being used, while the Moderna doses are not expected until spring.

Meanwhile, vaccination centers are being opened in England at some of the country's great cathedrals. Salisbury Cathedral, which also houses a copy of the Magna Carta, opened its great nave to the public. Others will follow as the rollout continues.

Organ music played as the jabs were delivered at Salisbury. Requests were taken.

I doubt that anyone is having a jab in surroundings that are more beautiful than this, so I hope it will ease people as they come into the building, said the Very Rev. Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury.

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Follow AP coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
A leader of the minority Hindu community in Pakistan on Sunday demanded protection for a temple in Abbottabad district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province fearing an attack on the place of worship by some mischievous elements who wanted to occupy its land.

Hindu community leader Haroon Sarab Dayal said the temple in Havelian city is an old structure and now the land mafia is out to destroy this heritage.

"A handful of mischievous elements wanted to occupy the temple land in Havelian city to spread anarchy in the country," he told the media here.

Dayal said that the matter is not restricted to Havelian city temple. There are scores of other temples, dharma shalas, paat shalas, Gattu shalas, Anat Ashram, cremation grounds, satsung hall, gurdwaras and other worship places across Pakistan which needed to be protected and preserved, he added.

"We demand from the government to ensure protection to minorities places to avoid Terri like incident," he added.

In December, a temple in Terri village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak district was attacked by a mob after members of the Hindu community received permission from local authorities to renovate its decades-old building. The mob had demolished the newly constructed work alongside the old structure.

The attack on the temple in Terri village by members of radical Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party (Fazal ur Rehman group) drew strong condemnation from human rights activists and the minority Hindu community leaders, prompting the Supreme Court to order its reconstruction.

Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.

According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country.

The majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with Muslim residents. They often complain of harassment by the extremists.
Belarusian protesters marched in parks and residential areas of several cities and towns across the country on January 17 as demonstrators continue to demand the resignation of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

The protesters also are demanding that those responsible for violent crackdowns against demonstrators during the past five months be held accountable.

Daily demonstrations have been held across Belarus since election officials announced that their tally of the country's August 9 presidential vote showed Lukashenka winning a landslide victory. Those results are seen by many in Belarus and abroad as being rigged in favor of Lukashenka.

Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusians continue to demand the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid a brutal crackdown on protesters. The West refuses to recognize him as the country's legitimate leader after an August 9 election considered fraudulent.

The United States and the European Union have refused to recognize Lukashenka's reelection as legitimate.

The independent BelaPAN news agency reported that protesters staged at least 30 marches and rallies on January 17, including in Minsk, Brest, Hrodna, and Homel.

Many of the protesters were carrying the oppositions red-and-white flag or banners.

In an effort to avoid arrest by Lukashenka's security forces, protesters have resorted to so-called "flash-mob" tactics in which they gather at locations announced on social media at the last minute.

The flash-mob protests are smaller and shorter protest marches, usually conducted outside of city centers rather than the kind of mass demonstrations that have drawn tens of thousands of people but have been an easy target for brutal crackdowns by security forces.

The United Nations says authorities have detained more than 30,000 protesters. There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment, and several people have died.
The leaders of the seven world's leading industrial nations (G7) will meet from June 11-13, 2021 to address shared challenges such as the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and climate change, the UK government announced on Sunday. Australia, India and South Korea have also been invited to participate in the event.

"The Prime Minister will use the first in-person G7 summit in almost two years to ask leaders to seize the opportunity to build back better from coronavirus, uniting to make the future fairer, greener and more prosperous," Boris Johnson's office said in a statement.

"As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face," the Prime Minister said, as quoted in the statement.

The official statement quoting Boris Johnson says he wants to use Britain's presidency of the G7 to forge a consensus that the global economy must recover from the COVID-19 crisis in a pro-free trade and sustainable way.

"Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced," he said in a statement. "It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future."

Britain has suffered badly during the health crisis, with the highest death toll in Europe of more than 88,000 people.

The British government has chosen an English village on the coast of Cornwall as the site for the next annual summit of leading industrial nations.

Two hundred years ago, Cornwall's tin and copper mines were at the heart of the U.K.'s Industrial Revolution, and this summer Cornwall will again be the nucleus of great global change and advancement," Johnson said in the statement Saturday.

Britain holds the G-7's rotating presidency this year. It last hosted the group's annual meeting in 2013 at the Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland.

The G7 is made up of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union.

The UK, which formally left the EU on December 31, 2020, as part of the Brexit process, will assume in February the pro tempore presidency of the UN Security Council and later this year will host the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 and a global education conference aimed at getting children in the developing world into school.

Last year's G7 meeting, due to be hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, was cancelled due to the pandemic, meaning the leaders of Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Italy, Japan, the European Union and Canada have not met in person since the 2019 meeting in Biarritz, France.

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper said the British government hoped the event would be the occasion for U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's first trip to Europe after he becomes president on Jan. 20.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Facebook has censored a video of Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez, archbishop emeritus of Guadalajara, for suggesting that globalist leaders are exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to bring about a new world order.

In place of the cardinals weekly video, Facebook exhibited a greyed-out screenshot emblazoned with the banner False information. Underneath, Facebook added, This publication repeats information about COVID-19 that independent fact checkers deemed false.

On its Facebook page, Semanario Arquidiocesano Guadalajara, an information service run by the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, posted the following screenshot on January 13, along with the text Cardinal Juan Sandoval denounced the imposition of a new world order, hours later his video was censored:

In the nine-and-a-half-minute January 12 video, bearing the title Plot of a new world order, the cardinal begins by saying, Dear friends, this will go on for a long time.

This pandemic wont end in a month or two months, perhaps not this year, perhaps not in three, four, five, six years, he said. Thats what these men want. It will be a long haul.

Its a tough, difficult situation, the likes of which has not been seen in human history, he said:

Bill Gates is a prophet and foretells the future, the cardinal noted wryly, and not only did he predict the coming of the coronavirus, but has also warned of a possible future smallpox pandemic.

During the pandemic, Cardinal Sandoval has criticized the shuttering of businesses and services as disproportionate measures to curb the spread of the virus.

What theyre after is a world government, a new world order, the cardinal asserts in the video.

They want a single world government, a single army, a single currency, a single economy, and also a single religion  that will certainly not be the Christian religion, he said. It will be the religion of Mother Earth, in the name of humanity and universal brotherhood.

To this end, pandemics serve to weaken nations; they impoverish and indebt them, bringing down their economies, Sandoval said. They also weaken education, closing schools and replacing them with distance learning.

These pandemics also impede religious practice, as we saw all last year, he said. They close the churches, reduce the number of people who can worship.

But above all, they are creating fear, a terrible fear among the people, he warned.
Rs 20 crore for Regional Centre for empowerment of physically challenged in Tripura: Thaawar Chand Gehlot

Tripura Congress chief attacked by BJP workers

India

oi-Deepika S

Agartala, Jan 17: Tripura Congress chief Pijush Kanti Biswas on Sunday alleged he was attacked by "BJP workers" in Sipahijala district, a charge denied by the ruling party.

The Congress called a state-wide dawn-to-dusk bandh in protest against the alleged attempt on the life of the party's state chief.

Biswas said the incident took place in Bishalgarh when he went there to attend a meeting in the morning.

"A group of armed goons of the BJP attacked me and my party colleagues with the intention to kill me. Police was present at the spot but remained mute spectators.

"The BJP workers vandalised my car and seriously injured me, my driver and five other Congress activists," Biswas told reporters at the Congress Bhavan here.

Sipahijala Superintendent of Police Krishnendu Chakravertty said that Biswas was requested several times to avoid attending the programme due to reports of possible law and order risk.

"We have registered a complaint and an investigation is underway," he said.

Dismissing the allegation, BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya said, "Our party does not believe in political violence. Our activists were not involved in the incident."
When you think of large scale fraud, you tend to imagine some Wall Street dickwad in an expensive suit filling his offshore bank account to the brim with misappropriated funds. You don't picture a middle-aged woman in a hairnet, pocketing crumpled wads of cash handed to them by sweaty teens in exchange for something that legally can't be referred to as tater tots.

SEWilco Even the potato lumps are a crime against humanity.

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But it's time to reconsider the crimes of lunch ladies as more than spitting in your chili con carne or serving chicken fingers two years past the expiration date. Just in the last decade, lunch ladies have been responsible for hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars in large scale fraud. A popular lunch lady switcheroo is to rack up personal expenses on their company card (yes, lunch ladies get company cards; let's all just re-evaluate our career choices) and then juke the numbers of the school's lunch programs to hide the figure. This is how a Winnipeg lunch lady allegedly stole over $24,000 in school funds in under a year -- and how a Wisconsin school lunch admin definitely embezzled over $50,000. Or how Lenora Williams, director of food services for the Radford school system, managed to make over a quarter of a million dollars in private purchases, the school only figuring out the embezzlement after Williams died at the age of 61.

Esther Bubley Like the indigestible fish sticks she served, she took her crimes to the grave.

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A much more lucrative lunch lady larceny is the cash con. Since most school cafeterias still work as a largely cash-based business, plenty of workers occasionally dip their hand in the till. But some lunch ladies have gone the whole hog (unlike their sloppy joes, which only contain only the taints), pocketing and underreporting massive amounts of money over long stretches of time. Like cafeteria sisters Joanne Pascarelli and Marie Wilson, who have been accused of stealing $478,588 in cash from the New Canaan school district in Connecticut. Or Brenda Watts, who allegedly spent up to two decades stealing $500 a day from the cafeteria registry, possibly getting away with well over a million dollars in lunch money. It was only after she had retired that the police started wondering how this woman who never earned more than $11 an hour could afford to live in a five-bedroom, 5,400 square-foot mansion.

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So if their cons are so very simple, why does it take so long for anyone to catch on? The answer, sadly, is the poor, disenfranchised state of the school lunch program. With so many school cutbacks in the States, cafeteria workers are the first to feel the pinch, receiving fewer funds and oversight. Bad news for the hard workers, great news for the ones pissed off enough to resort to a life of cafeteria crime. Many of these lunch bandits were also in some minor position of authority, keeping the (already not doing great) cafeteria workers under their thumb by threatening firings or punishing dissenters by giving them dishwashing duties for months on end.

Skidflints Snitches get dishes.

But let's also not forget that these lunch ladies have little to lose. What, getting caught means going to prison and having to spend the rest of their lives wearing a hairnet and shoveling gruel onto the trays of disaffected youths inside an ugly privatized state-building?

For more school cafeteria-grade jokes, do follow Cedric on Twitter.

Top Image: Speedkingz/Shutterstock
11 of 183 people at venue of Puducherry CM's swearing-in test positive for COVID-19

Puducherry CM Rangasamy tests positive for COVID; to be treated in Chennai

Puducherry BJP MLA KG Shankar no more

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

Puducherry, Jan 17: BJP's Puducherry unit Treasurer and MLA K G Shankar died of cardiac arrest at his residence early Sunday, his family said.

The 70-year old leader, a nominated MLA of the Union Territory Assembly, is survived by wife, a son and a daughter.

Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, Assembly Speaker V P Sivakolundhu, state BJP president V Saminathan and assembly Secretary R Munusamy were among those who paid their last respects to the departed leader.

Mamata Banerjee trying to politicise vaccination drive before polls: BJP

Bedi placed a wreath on the body of Shankar and conveyed her condolences to the bereaved family. Narayanasamy also consoled the family members of the BJP leader.

Shankar was one of the three legislators nominated by the Union Home Ministry to the assembly and all of them were sworn-in at Raj Nivas on July 5, 2017 by Lt Governor Kiran Bedi.

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Hardly over 17,000 beneficiaries were vaccinated against the novel coronavirus disease on the second day of the first phase of India's immunisation drive. With a total of 17,072 beneficiaries receiving their first jab on January 17, the total number of people who have received the COVID-19 vaccine in India rose to 2,24,301, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.

On day two of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, only around 17,000 people got vaccinated as against around two lakh on January day one because only six states conducted the immunisation campaign on January 17.

India had recorded the highest day one vaccination number in the world with 207229 healthcare and frontline workers receiving the COVID-19 vaccine shots on January 16.

Speaking about it, the Health Ministry said: "Today being Sunday, only 6 states conducted coronavirus vaccination drive and a total of 17,072 beneficiaries received jabs."

Most states decided to pause the vaccination drive on January 17 because it is a Sunday and the COVID-19 vaccination would have clashed with the immunisation schedules for other illnesses.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Manohar Agnani, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, explained: The usual strategy is to avoid days on which there is a holiday or there is routine immunisation for other diseases. Most states are doing it on four days but smaller states like Goa are doing it on two days of the week because they have lesser numbers.

The Health Ministry also informed that a total of 447 cases of adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) have been reported in India over the past two days. Out of these 447 cases of the vaccine beneficiaries developing adverse symptoms after getting vaccinated, only three required hospitalisation.

Out of the three who had to be hospitalised, only one is still under observation at AIIMS Rishikesh, the other two have been discharged. While one was discharged from the Northern Railway Hospital, Delhi, after 24 hours, the other was discharged from AIIMS Delhi.

Most of the other AEFIs reported so far include minor symptoms like fever, headache, nausea, etc.

Follow our coverage of the coronavirus crisis here
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A woman poses for a photo showing a bottle of "El Chapo" beer, crafted by a company of Alejandrina Guzman, daughter of Mexican kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, at the Expo Guadalajara, in Guadalajara, Mexico. REUTERS/Fernando Carranza.

The human heads stared up from the dance floor, fresh blood running on to the grimly black-and-white tiles, stained with cheap beer and dried sweat. Fifteen years ago, one September night in 2006, a group of sicarios, professional assassins for the La Familia Michoacana narco-cartel, had pushed their way into the seedy Sol y Sombre nightclub in the city of Uruapan, firing shots in the air and screaming at the revellers to lie down. Then, they lobbed the headsslowly severed from their preys bodies with bowie knives, while the victims screamed in paininto the crowd.

La Familia doesnt kill for money; it doesnt kill for women; it doesnt kill innocent people; only those who deserve to die, die, the sicarios intoned, reading from a written cartel communique. Everyone should know that this is divine justice.

In the years since the Sol y Sombre executions, which marked the beginning a new, lethal phase in the rise of Mexicos cartels, the United States of America has spent over $3 billion on counter-narcotics efforts in that country. The results are less than luminous: Large swathes of Mexico are, for all practical purposes, ruled by narco-cartels; fuelled by drug-related violence, the countrys intentional-homicide rate far exceeds that of terrorism-torn countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. A staggering 31,000 people were killed in 2019 alone.

Theres good reason for us to reflect on what might appear to be a colourful but ultimately irrelevant gangster story. In many ways, Mexico is India seen through the looking glass, a developing nation which failed to employ a burgeoning youth cohort, diminish economic deprivation, address corruption, and build the infrastructure necessary to ensure the rule of law.

As President-elect Joseph Biden enters office, his topmost foreign policy objective likely wont lie across the Pacific: It will be the country next door. Last year, the RAND Corporation estimated Americans are spending up to $146 billion on illegal drugsroughly the same size of the legal alcohol marketand twice as much as in 2010. The consumption of cocaine and heroin have continued to increase; theres also sharp growth in the demand for synthetic narcotics, like methamphetamine and fentanyl. Nine-tenths of those drugs are made in, or transit through, Mexicobefore ending up destroying the lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year.

Last month, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador threw his weight behind a bill seeking to regulate the actions of foreign agentsa phrase widely interpreted to mean United States counter-narcotics officials operating inside Mexico. President Obradors push was in part driven by the nationalist outrage which erupted after the arrest of a former chief of Mexicos army by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency.

Theres more than nationalism, though, driving the growing reluctance of Mexican leaders to cooperate with the war on drugs. In 2019, Mexican authorities attempting to arrest Ovidio Guzman Lopezthe son of the incarcerated druglord Joaquin El Chapo Guzmanfound themselves under full-blown attack from several hundred Sinaloa cartel gunmen, equipped with armoured vehicles, .50-calibre machine guns, and rocket launchers. Government officials were forced to ask Ovidio Lopez to phone his brothers and ask for the counter-attack to be called off. The officer who arrested Lopez was assassinated soon after.

In the summer of 2020, the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, or CGNG, released video showing off part of its arsenal, which included multiple armoured personnel carriers, .50-calibre weapons, assault rifles and grenade launchers. The message was simple: taking on the cartel would involve full-blown civil war.

Efforts to eliminate the cartel leadership, moreover, have had little impact. In 2014, El Chapo was extradited to the United States. His trialwhich among other things, led to bizarre revelations of the quasi-ritual rape of teenage girls who the ageing druglord described as vitamins, a string of narco-mistresses he obsessively spied on, and a private zoowas hailed as breakthrough. Inside months, though, the cartel itself reorganised under the druglords sons, with competitors enriching themselves by taking over parts of its lost territory.

Last year, at a crossroads in Culiacan, El Chapos home town, someone built a small shrine to Santa Muertethe goddess of death, and patron saint to the millions enmeshed in narco-culture. In their heartlands, the cartels are not just crime syndicates: they are at the core of popular culture, and social organisation itself.

Eric Hobsbawms 1969 historical masterwork, Bandits, described how the world of the highwayman, the brigand and the desperado had, through history, overlapped with that of the revolutionary: The outlaw was, as it were, a primitive rebel, challenging the structure of power in impoverished peasant societies. The post-modern social bandit, the narco, is viewed as men who not so much right wrongs but serve as avengers who exert power, the scholar John Sullivan has written, proving that even the poor and weak can be a terrible force to be reckoned with.

From the 1990s, neoliberal economic policies brought unprecedented prosperity to Mexicobut also, the scholar Asa Cristina Laurell has recorded , gross disparities of wealth, corruption, diminished access to public services, and catastrophic social dislocation. Endemic criminality embedded itself in society: Narcotics trafficking was just part of a larger landscape of extortion, the traffic of migrants into the United States, and kidnapping.

The cartels remain embedded in many of these activities, alongside trafficking narcotics. Punjabi migrants interviewed in 2019 by Moneycontrols sister publication, Firstpost, graphically described the role of narcos in their journey through La tin America. The United States governments Congressional Research Service, similarly, has recorded that cartels like Los Zetas siphon off billions of dollars from Mexicos state-owned petroleum giant, Pemex.

For many years, the narcocartels survived through strategies some scholars describe as collusive corruptionsharing the gargantuan profits they raise by trafficking marijuana and cocaine into the United States with political leaders and law-enforcement. This happy symbiosis, though, broke under the sheer weight of the power the cartels amassed. As the power of cartels has increased they have been able to overpower state institutions in some areas , scholar David Campbell notes. Thus, cartels have become the de facto local powers.

In 2006, President Felipe de Jesus Calderon launched a ferocious, military-led effort to retrieve State power from the cartels, sparking off years of savage fighting, which is estimated to have claimed 150,000 lives, not counting 62,000 missing. At its peak, in 2014, there more than 250,000 prisoners in Mexicos jailsamong the highest rates of incarceration in the world.

President Calderons war, though, soon ran into the realisation that killing druglords did little to diminish the power of the cartels. The enormous profits to be reaped from the United States market meant there were endless new recruitsand guns to arm them. Worse, the indiscriminate violence unleashed by the State during the war diminished its own legitimacy, especially among the poor. President Enrique Pena Nieto sought to retrieve the situation from 2012. El Chapos arrest in 2014, however, destabilised the balance of power between the cartels, leading to renewed warfare.

In recent years, President Obrador has sought to retrieve the situation, using what he has called a hugs, not bullets strategy: Police reform, criminal justice reform, wealth redistribution and an expansion of social services, he hopes, will succeed where war didnt.

Theres little reason, though, for optimism. Narcocartels have now come to resemble statesproviding social services, dispensing employment, and collecting taxes from businesses. CGNGs leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes El Mencho, has, for example, ordered the cartel to engage in social relief work through the pandemic, and often appeared to hand out cash to the poor in the territories he controls. El Chapo earned massive support from the poor of Culiacan, using cartel revenues to aid families in need. For many of Mexicos poor, the cartels are more reliable sources of patronage than the State.

Legitimacy for these narco-states has been won by building an alternative moral universe. In territories under its control, La Familia has flogged sinners, ranging from sex-workers to teenagers wearing sagging pants or hairnets. La Familia was for a time replaced by an organisation calling itself Los Caballeros Templarios, or Knights Templars. Los Caballeros used Christian imagerya shield with a red cross, a white battle flag with a white cross, and an armoured knight holding a sword  and cast themselves as vigilantes who seek to safeguard order; avoid robberies, kidnappings, extortion; and to shield the state from possible rival intrusions.

Folk religionslike the cult of Santa Muerte and El Chapos preferred Jesus Malverde, or Jesus the Evil-Greenhave provided narcoculture with the foundations of an alternative belief system, complete with its own rituals and liturgy. These new religionsor, rather, reinvented traditionsaddress a world where killing, and death, are the norm.

This has come, of course, at no small cost: Skinning people, cutting out their hearts, castrating them or cutting off their breasts, throwing them in a vat of acid, or setting them on fire while they are alive is incrementally becoming more accepted in narcoculture, the scholar David Martinez Amador observes. The continuing forms of extreme barbarism evident in the torture and killings of cartel and gang victims in Mexico is creating a growing cadre of hardened killers; some of whom are still in their childhoods.

Thomas Pynchon famously wrote: What is called society, with its law and order, is as frail, as precarious, can be snuffed out and assimilated back into the desert as easily as a corpse can.

Mexico is what happens when nation-states implode. That implosion raises a profoundly disturbing question: if the resources of the worlds preeminent superpower cant fix problems on its own doorstep, could it be that its reach and influence are mere illusion?
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Police today found a body during a search for a missing 16-year-old in Perth and Kinross after he disappeared two days ago.

Santino Hogan, known to his friends and family as 'Sonny', left his home in Glenfarg, Perth and Kinross at around 6pm on Friday.

Police Scotland said officers found a body in a local park at 2pm and believe it to be Sonny - though formal identification is yet to take place.

A spokesperson for Tayside Police Division said: 'Around 2pm on Sunday 17 January the body of a male was found in a park in Glenfarg.

Santino Hogan, known to his friends and family as 'Sonny', left his home in Glenfarg, Perth and Kinross at around 6pm on Friday. Police Scotland said officers found a body in a local park at 2pm and believe it to be Sonny - though formal identification is yet to take place

A spokesperson for Tayside Police Division said: 'Around 2pm on Sunday 17 January the body of a male was found in a park in Glenfarg' (Pictured, Greenbank Road, Glenfarg)

'The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

'Formal identification is yet to take place however it is believed to be 16-year-old Santino Hogan who had been reported missing from his home in Glenfarg.

'His family have been made aware.'

Police had earlier published a description of Sonny and asked members of the public to check their sheds and garages for the teenager.

Police Constable Mike Brown said: 'We are continuing to carry out enquiries to find Sonny and are asking members of the public to check any outbuildings they may have, in case he has tried to find shelter overnight.

'Specialist search officers, with the assistance of our trained police dogs are also carrying out searches in the area.

'We would ask members of the public who are out in the area walking their own dogs to please keep them on a lead so as not to distract from the search.

'It is completely out of character for Sonny to not return home and therefore as more time passes, his family are growing increasingly concerned.'
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Egyptian parliament's industrial committee said that the government's decision to liquidate the 67-year-old Egyptian Iron and Steel Company should be a matter of careful study.

"The liquidation process should be based on a logical review of the company's performance in terms of losses and profits in the last few years," said the statement.

It argued that the government's liquidation resolution has split society into proponents and opponents.

"So, there should not be a final scenario about the future of the company, but there should be a public debate supported by studies, figures, and scientific research about the capacities of the Helwan-based Egyptian Iron and Steel Company in the future," said the committee.

The statement indicated that the accumulated losses of Helwan's Iron and Steel Company, an affiliate of the Holding Company for Metallurgical Industries, have hit a record EGP 8.5 billion on 30 June 2020.

"Studies have also shown that the working capacity of the company's factories, estimated at 1.2 million tones per year, has greatly deteriorated," said the statement, indicating that "in 2017/18, the company's production reached 133,000 tonnes only  or just 11 percent of the working capacity  and in 30 June 2020, it further dropped to just 10 percent."

"This deterioration caused production costs to skyrocket and represent a big burden to the company," said the statement.

Chairman of the committee Moataz Mohamed Mahmoud said the committee will study the Egyptian Iron and Steel Company's financial and administrative conditions in a logical way.

"We will study all the figures and documents provided by the government in a careful way before we issue a judgment in this respect," said Mahmoud.

The above statement comes a few days after the board of directors of the Egyptian Iron and Steel Company (EISC) passed, on 11 January, a resolution liquidating the company and dividing it into two new entities.

The EISC has been one of the country's industrial icons since its establishment in 1954 and the start of its operations in the early 1960s.

The resolution stipulated that the EISC will be divided into a company for iron and steel and another for mines and quarries.

The move lays the groundwork for private sector investments to play a role in the two companies in the future considering the states plan to make use of its loss-making assets and untapped opportunities.

The EISCs board said the decision was made as a result of the heavy losses that have been accumulating over the years, which hit EGP 9 billion, EGP 982.8 million of which were lost between July 2019 and June 2020.

Meanwhile MP Mostafa Bakri accused Minister of Public Enterprise Hesham Tawfik of invoking aggressive and arbitrary measures against public sector companies.

"Since he came into office two years ago, Minister Tawfik has never visited the company and most of his policies led the company to incur losses," said Bakri.

Bakri said Tawfik's policies aim at privatising public sector companies rather than encouraging local industries.

"Minister Tawfik's policies only aim to serve the private sector and sell loss-making public companies at cheap prices," said Bakri, warning that "Minister Tawfik's policies will lead to laying off the Egyptian Iron and Steel company's 7,500 workers."

"This company was established 67 years ago by late president Gamal Abdel-Nasser to meet Egypt's iron and steel needs and now comes minister Tawfik to sell off this iconic company rather than reform its conditions," said Bakri.

Bakri vowed that he would direct an interpellation against Tawfik in parliament, accusing his policies of undermining one of the Middle East's great iron and steel companies.

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William Brent Christensen, the Taipei Offices director of the American Institute in Taiwan (3rd from L), and Taiwans foreign minister Joseph Wu (4th from L) pose for pictures at a symposium in Taiwan on Jan. 16, 2021. (NTD Television)

US Official Encourages People to Do Language Exchange Programs in Taiwan Instead of China

TAIPEI, TaiwanU.S. de-facto ambassador to Taiwan said on Jan. 16 that people should turn to Taiwan to learn the Chinese language instead of mainland China. He especially warned about the language programs offered by Beijing-funded Confucius Institutes (CIs) on U.S. college campuses.

William Brent Christensen, the Taipei office director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which is the de-facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan, made the remarks at a local Chinese language symposium. The event was part of the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative the two sides launched in December last year.

We have all read news stories about the closing of many of the PRCs [Peoples Republic of China] Confucius Centers in the U.S. Now is the time for Taiwan to step forward and help fill this gapnot only to teach Mandarin and learn English, but to more fully tell Taiwans story to their American students, said Christensen in a speech given in Mandarin Chinese, according to a translation provided by the AIT.

William Brent Christensen, the Taipei Offices director of the American Institute in Taiwan, speaks at a symposium in Taiwan on Jan. 16, 2021. (NTD Television)

He added: [Y]ou have the opportunity to introduce Taiwanits people and its welcoming cultureand to tell a different version of history than the one that is taught at Confucius Centersthere is no better place to learn Chinese than here, Christensen concluded.

CIs have come under increasing scrutiny by U.S. officials over concerns that they spread Chinese propaganda, restrict academic freedom, and facilitate espionage in U.S. classrooms. In August last year, the State Department designated a Washington-based center that promotes CIs in the United States as a foreign mission.

More than 100 Confucius Institutes have been established at U.S. universities since 2004.

The National Association of Scholars (NAS), an education advocacy group, reported that 54 CIs have closed or are in the processing of closing, as of Sept. 7 last year. At that time, 67 CIs remained open in the United States.

Meanwhile, Taiwan and the United States signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen their cooperation on international education in December last year. Specific areas of collaboration included expanding existing Fulbright programs to send Chinese language teachers from Taiwan to the United States.

Under the MOU, the United States will also promote the availability of Taiwans exchange programs to encourage more American students to study on the island.

The U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative in Taipei, launched last December, seeks to enhance Taiwans role in providing Mandarin Chinese language instruction to people around the world, including Americans. The initiative also advocates academic freedom, according to the AIT.

According to Christensen, education opportunities in Taiwan are now being shared through the websites of the U.S. Department of Education and Talent Circulation Alliance, the latter founded as a partnership between AIT and Taiwanese authorities.

The Saturday symposium was attended by Taiwans foreign minister Joseph Wu; Hsu Szu-chien, deputy secretary-general of Taiwans National Security Council; Chen Yuan-tung, minister of Taiwans Overseas Community Affairs Council; and Lio Mon-chi, Taiwans deputy education minister.

Many countries have come to realize that the Chinese Communist Party is using Confucius Institutes to infiltrate education systems [around the world], and the [Chinese] schools are a tool for Beijing to expand its influence globally, Hsu said in remarks at the symposium.

Hsu added that Taiwans success in containing the local spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, also made Taiwan the top destination for learning Chinese.

Taiwan, after reporting its first infection case on Jan. 21 last year, has recorded a total of 855 COVID-19 cases, with seven deaths, as of Jan. 17. The island has a population of about 24 million and sits just 80 miles from mainland China.

U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar, in a speech at the Washington-based think tank Heritage Foundation on Jan. 14, said the U.S. government first learned about the virus in December 2019, not through China, but through Taiwans Economic and Culture Office, the islands de-facto embassy in the United States.

Beijing hid the outbreak, silencing whistleblower doctors who tried to warn the public about a new pneumonia disease via Chinese social media.

Wu said that the education initiative signed by the two sides will better allow Americans to understand how Taiwan is a valuable U.S. partner, as the two share common values such as freedoms, democracy, and human rights.

When Brent Phillips was called for jury duty in 2014 after studying criminology at university, he was keen to serve.

But Mr Phillips, who is deaf, had an extra hurdle in the selection process.

Although people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision are not expressly prohibited from serving on juries in Victoria, Auslan interpreters arent allowed into the jury room and the Juries Act excludes people who have disabilities that could render them incapable of participating.

Brent Phillips was blocked from serving on a jury in 2014. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

His participation was prevented by whats called the 13th person rule that forbids non-jurors, including interpreters, in the jury room to protect the confidentiality of the deliberation process.
Supported by a new brand slogan, Movement that inspires, Kia unveiled a strategy which will see the company go beyond vehicle manufacturing to create sustainable mobility solutions for customers.

Signalling the brand breaking away from its traditional manufacturing-driven business model, Kia has announced a new corporate name. Removing the Motors from its name (previously Kia Motors Corporation), Kia will expand into new and emerging business areas by creating innovative mobility products and services to improve customers daily lives.

Ho Sung Song, President and CEO of Kia Corporation, comments: At Kia, we believe that transportation, mobility, and movement represent a human right. Our vision is to create sustainable mobility solutions for consumers, communities, and societies globally. Today we start putting this vision into action with the launch of our new brand purpose and strategy for the future.

MOVEMENT THAT INSPIRES

Kias new brand slogan, Movement that inspires, is introduced today at the heart of a brand manifesto which reflects Kias new purpose of inspiring consumers through products and services, and their experiences with the brand.

Kias new brand purpose emphasises that movement is at the genesis of human development. Movement enables people to see new places, to meet new people, and to have new experiences. This connection is the essence of Kias new brand  to enable human progress by providing innovative in-car spaces, exciting new products, and meaningful, convenient services that inspire customers and free up time for the activities that they enjoy the most.

Artur Martins, Senior Vice President, Head of Global Brand and Customer Experience at Kia, said Movement has always been at heart of our brand, and moving people at the core of our business. Movement helps humankind to constantly progress, improve, and evolve. That is why at Kia we believe that movement inspires ideas.

Kia has been in the movement industry for more than 75 years, and the company went on to create Koreas first domestic bicycles and to manufacture motorcycles and delivery trucks. Today, Kia is one of the biggest automakers globally, providing high-value passenger vehicles to millions of people around the world.

Under its new brand purpose, Kia will meet changing customer expectations about how they move, and how their movement impacts the world around them. Consumers are increasingly seeking out flexible, environmentally conscious, and integrated forms of transportation.

Kias new brand strategy is to respond to  and shape  these changing expectations by developing a range of products and services to meet customers needs in markets around the globe. These will offer greater access to a wider range of environmentally conscious mobility products and services to meet growing demand from customers worldwide for flexible, customisable, individualised mobility solutions, enabled by data and new technologies.

Reflecting the brands broader vision for mobility, Kia has announced today a new corporate name as it expands into new business areas to promote sustainable mobility. By removing the Motors from its name, Kias new corporate name shows a commitment to its long-term Plan S business strategy. This was announced in 2020, and will see the brand establish a leadership position in the future mobility industry, expanding its business to encompass EVs, mobility solutions and services, purpose-built vehicles, and more. Alongside these efforts, Kia will simultaneously promote more sustainable production through the usage of clean energy and recyclable materials.

Kia is focused on popularising battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and plans to reinforce its global product line-up with the introduction of seven new dedicated BEVs by 2027. These new models will include a range of passenger vehicles, SUVs and MPVs across several segments, each incorporating industry-leading technology for long-range driving and high-speed charging from Hyundai Motor Groups new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP).

Kia is also developing a range of new Purpose-Built Vehicles (PBVs) for corporate customers. These specialised vehicles will be based on flexible skateboard platforms, with modular bodies designed to meet the specific mobility needs of a broad range of corporate and fleet customers. Partnerships with the likes of Canoo and Arrival will mean Kia PBVs can offer different bodies mounted on top of an integrated modular skateboard platform, tailored to users functional requirements.

Demand for PBVs is expected to grow five-fold by 2030 due to rapid and sustained growth in e-commerce and car-sharing services. Bespoke Kia PBVs will be tailored to meet the needs of corporate and fleet customers. For instance, these could include car-sharing vehicles, low-floor logistics vehicles, and delivery vehicles.

The change in the companys corporate name also means transforming the organisations working culture. President Song explains: Changing our corporate name and logo is not only a cosmetic improvement. It represents us expanding our horizons and establishing new and emerging businesses that meet and exceed the diverse needs of our customers worldwide. More importantly, it also means adapting our working culture, enabling the creativity of all our employees and establishing an inspiring work environment.

ECO-FRIENDLY MOBILITY SERVICES

Another strategic objective under Plan S is a commitment by Kia to diversify its business to offer eco-friendly mobility services, centreed on electric and autonomous driving across major global cities.

In addition, Kia is ramping up collaboration and partnerships with global mobility solutions businesses, diversifying mobility services in global strategic regions. In 2018, the company invested in Grab, Southeast Asias largest ride-hailing service, food delivery and payment solutions company; and in Ola in March 2019, an Indian company offering peer-to-peer ridesharing, ride-service hailing, taxi, food delivery and other mobility services.

Kia is also establishing other mobility services, including WiBLE, a car-sharing joint venture with Repsol, Spains major energy corporation, in Madrid. Launched in September 2018, WiBLE operates 500 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid EVs (PHEVs) through a free-floating method that allows users to freely rent and return vehicles within the service area. WiBLE remains one of Europes most successful shared mobility schemes, with over 130,000 members having registered since its inauguration. A new service, KiaMobility, was also launched in locations across Italy and Russia in September 2020, accelerating the companys transformation to becoming a mobility solutions provider. KiaMobility will be introduced to several new markets in the years ahead.

COMING SOON

The first of Kias next-generation BEVs will be revealed in the first quarter of 2021, embodying Kias shifting focus towards electrification. Based on new E-GMP technology, this dedicated BEV will boast a crossover-inspired design, while offering an electric driving range of over 500 kilometers and a high-speed charging time of under 20 minutes. This will also be the first global model to bear Kias new logo.

With its growing range of BEVs, Kia is targeting a 6.6% share of the global BEV market by 2025, and global annual sales of 500,000 BEVs by 2026.

Kia will also reveal more information about the new design direction of its future products and services in the weeks ahead, with a new design philosophy which reflects the brands transformation.

Karim Habib, Senior Vice President, Head of Kia Global Design Centre, explains: We want our products to deliver an instinctive and natural experience that can improve the daily lives of our customers. Our aim is to design the physical experience of our brand and to create original, inventive, and exciting electric vehicles. The ideas of our designers and the purpose of the brand are more connected than ever, with our customers at the centre of what we do. -- Tradearabia News Service
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines)  ExxonMobil has appointed McKupler Inc. as the sole authorized distributor for Mobil-branded commercial and consumer lubricants in the Philippines.

The distribution rights took effect on December 15, 2020. The agreement also allows McKupler Inc. to fully integrate the Mobil product offerings and services into its portfolio to cater to Philippine consumers, and industrial sectors.

Through this commercial arrangement between ExxonMobil and McKupler Inc., we remain committed to serving customers and the motoring community in the Philippines. This expanded relationship enables a truly seamless experience as well as the supply continuity and lubricant technology that customers have come to associate with the Mobil brand," said Yap Peng Ann, Senior Director, South Asia Pacific Lubricants, ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. "We look forward to working with McKupler to provide customers with the high quality of products and lubrication solutions they deserve."

McKupler Inc.s experience and expertise in the market will enable them to deliver over 130 years of Mobil brand legacy and presence in the Philippines and provide customers with quality lubricant products and services that the Mobil brand is known for.

With decades of experience and expertise with the Philippines market, we are pleased to connect with customers via our extended network, offering easy access to the high-quality Mobil lubricants and lubrication solutions that cater to their needs. We are confident that this commercial arrangement between ExxonMobil and McKupler Inc. will enable us to deliver an exceptional and customer-first experience, said Efren D. Marquez, President, McKupler Inc.

McKupler Inc. is a joint venture company established by Kupler Industries Inc. of the Philippines and McLarens Lubricants Limited of Sri Lanka, which brings a cumulative experience of 60 years within the lubricant industry along with a wealth of knowledge in advances both technological and technical.

McKupler Inc. will provide customers in the Philippines with superior-quality lubricants and lubrication solutions for various vehicle types and applications. Among these products are Mobil 1, the worlds leading synthetic motor oil; Mobil Delvac, the pioneering diesel engine lubricants, and Mobil Super, the ever-dependable series engine-oil for petrol engines. McKupler Inc. will also offer best-in-class industrial lubricants and lubrication solutions to various businesses, such as manufacturing, fleet, and agriculture.

McKuplers offices span the Philippines, serving both commercial and corporate needs in their head office at BGC, Taguig City, with warehouses and satellite offices in Paranaque City, Bulacan, Cebu City, Davao City, and Cagayan de Oro City. For more information about available McKupler and Mobil lubricants, visit https://mckupler.com, or direct general inquiries to info@mckupler.com.
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Vice-Chairman of HCM City People's Committee Le Hoa Binh on Friday met with Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam, Elizabeth Akkerman, to discuss co-operation over sustainable flood prevention planning for Thu Duc City.

According to Binh, in May 2019, a delegation of HCM City People's Committee visited the Netherlands and gained new insights into flood prevention. HCM City and the Netherlands have previously signed several memorandums about flood prevention and clean water supply so he called for the Netherlands' support in fighting flood and climate change in Thu Duc.

Akkerman expressed high regards to HCM City's recent achievements and wished for its economic development with the establishment of Thu Duc City and Long Thanh Airport Project. She said Vietnam and HCM City were among the top destinations for Dutch firms and foreign policy priority.

"The Netherlands is willing to help HCM City and Thu Duc City in building a smart city, fighting flooding and transferring technology," she said.

Thu Duc City aims to be among the most modern cities in the region with hi-tech industrial zones, quality universities and convenient connections to the world via sea, road and air transport.

According to Thu Duc Development Plan to 2040, the city could be flooded once every five years. The estimated investment for the flood prevention plan is USD1bn. This will be a public-private partnership project.

Tran Phuoc Anh, director of HCM City Department of Foreign Affairs, said they had asked HCM City authorities and related agencies to work together to carry out the project.

According to the Department of Construction, after the Consulate General of the Netherlands announced the co-operation project for flood prevention for HCM City, they asked member agencies to support the Consulate General of the Netherlands while they carried out the research in District 2, District 9 and Thu Duc City.

The report from the Department of Planning and Architecture showed that in order to meet the goals set in the 2020-2025 development plan, it will need VND41.6trn (USD1.8bn) from the state budget.

dtinews
Posted Sunday, January 17, 2021 6:50 am

OLYMPIA  The Washington State House of Representatives voted to extend Gov. Jay Inslee's COVID-19 emergency orders, despite Republican objection to the length of the extension.

Similar to the Senate debate Tuesday, Republicans introduced amendments to shorten the length of time the emergency orders will stay in place, currently set to expire when the COVID state of emergency does. The amendments failed.

It will likely be the first of many debates this session regarding the governor's emergency orders and COVID restrictions.

"I don't believe the spirit of the law of the state that enables the proclamations of the state ever intended for these emergency powers to go on for a year," said Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen.

According to state law, governors' emergency proclamations cannot be extended for longer than 30 days without approval from the Legislature. If the Legislature is not in session, House and Senate leadership can extend them. Through the past interim, leaders in all four caucuses have extended Inslee's proclamations, but Republicans have long criticized Inslee for "overstepping" and implementing emergency orders that have shut down businesses and indoor dining without consulting the Legislature.

One proposed amendment would have changed the end date of the restrictions to 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 31. Republicans argued that because the Legislature is now in session, it is up to lawmakers to "be the voice of the people" and look at these proclamations on a periodic basis.

Passing the resolution without the amendments would be "ceding legislative authority to the executive branch," said Rep. Greg Gilday, R-Camano Island, who sponsored one of the amendments.

"There is a right way to change laws, and it's not by issuing proclamations," he said.

Senate Minority Leader John Braun told reporters on Wednesday that he would have no problem extending the proclamations for two weeks at a time, if it meant the Legislature could weigh in.

Democrats argued lawmakers can still take legislative action throughout the session to address the issues in the proclamations.

"The Legislature is by no means abdicating our responsibility," said Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane.

Now that the session has started, the Legislature will work to address these issues and pass legislation to further help constituents, said Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver.

"We are here to govern," Stonier said. "We are doing our responsibility and we will do so diligently, thoughtfully."
alcohol

If, like me, you were glued to your television sets watching India and Australia slugging it out in the test series over the last one month, you couldnt have missed seeing the plethora of ads for music CDs from brands such as Blenders Pride, Jacob's Creek, 100 Pipers, Absolut and Chivas. While most of us get our music now from streaming sources, there is a special feeling to these collectibles. Except that none of these companies are really in the music business. When I last checked, they make whiskies, wines or vodkas.

It's the age-old workaround for companies forced into this chicanery by regulation which prohibits the advertising of liquor in India, but not its consumption. The surprise is that they are airing despite a September 15 advisory by the Information & Broadcast ministry stating that surrogate advertisements such as these are to be previewed and certified by the Central Board of Film Certification to ascertain whether they are suitable for unrestricted public exhibition, and are in accordance with stipulated conditions. The problem, of course, is that as an advisory it isnt legally binding.

Late last year, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) said it had registered cases against liquor brands for possible 'surrogate advertising' during the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament in the United Arab Emirates. But again as a voluntary organisation, the ASCI can only press for self-regulation in advertising with little power to enforce it.

Given this strange conundrum, maybe we should just shed this hypocrisy and accept that some adults do drink and reaching them is a legitimate part of a companys brief. Sure, there are dry states such as Bihar and Gujarat, but others such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala as well Punjab, or even the national capital, allow free sale and purchase of alcohol.

What's more, after the COVID-19-induced lockdown it should be evident that revenues from these sales constitute a sizable share of most states' tax collections. Which is why bars and liquor vends were among the first few commercial establishments to be given permission to open. The long queues outside the stores even despite the steep hike in prices, were testimony to the huge suppressed demand. In fact, most liquor dealers are reporting an increase in sales even though most pubs are not yet open to full capacity.

For the last 25 years, India has had a ban on advertising liquor products. In this period their sales have zoomed with India now the highest consumer of whisky in the world. The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 prohibited the direct or indirect advertising of cigarettes, tobacco products, wine, alcohol, liquor or other intoxicants though in 2009, the I&B ministry allowed advertisements of products even if they shared a brand name with a liquor or tobacco product so long as it wasnt a manifestation of the prohibited product. Thats about the only part of the rule the advertisements seem to follow.

Clearly the ban hasnt achieved the desired result. What it has done is to create a whole genre of surrogate advertising of the kind that we have been seeing. Companies have promoted such products as bottled water, soda and fruit juices as substitutes, but the effect is the same since the brand extensions promote exactly the lifestyle that the original product seeks.

Alcohol does have its dark side and it is legitimate for the State to try and regulate its consumption. But ultimately, unless it is banned, prohibiting its advertising achieves little. It might be far better to focus on promoting safe and moderate drinking.

Thanks to the steep excise duty on alcohol, it accounts for 10-15 percent of the tax revenues of most states barring the two that have active prohibition. It seems a bit rich for the government to collect these proceeds with one hand even as the other bans their promotion.
Disgraced Missouri Senator Josh Hawley is facing an escalating financial crisis after his $5,000 a ticket 'family fun' fundraiser was canceled by a hotel in Florida.

The fundraiser was canceled after liberal lawyer Daniel Uhlfelder tweeted a photo of the event on Friday branding Hawley a traitor. He also asked Loews Hotels and Universal Orlando why their Portofino Bay Hotel were hosting the February event for the Republican.

Hawley, 41, once considered a rising Republican star, has been branded a 'traitor' by multiple Democrat and Republican politicians for his highly publicized 'fist pump' to the pro-Trump crowds, who later stormed the Capitol in a violent assault on January 6.

He had spear-headed objections to President-elect's Joe Biden's win in Congress, a narrative that fanned the flames of the attack that killed four.

The hotel chain cancelled Hawley's three-day booking from February 12 shortly afterwards and released a statement saying it was 'horrified and opposed' to last week's US Capitol riots.

The cancellation is the latest in a series of incidents, including former donors requesting their money back, that is leaving Hawley strapped for cash.

Josh Hawley was accused of inciting last week's violent siege of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of MAGA supporters

Lawyer Daniel Uhlfelder tweeted the flier for Hawley's $5,000 a ticket 'family fun day' in February calling him a traitor

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel was due to host Hawley's fundraiser February 12-15 where the tickets cost $5,000 for a family, $3,000 per couple and $1,000 for individuals

Loews Hotels cancelled the booking at the Portofino Bay Hotel shortly afterwards

State representative Anna Eskamani tweeted that Hawley was 'treasonous'

The event was listed as being by a Hawley-affiliated political committee, Fighting for Missouri, which raised more than $272,000 for Hawley in the 2020 election cycle. Hawley does not face reelection until 2024, as reported by The Orlando Sentinel.

The flier read: 'Please join U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley for a fun-filled-family-friendly Orlando weekend event'.

Families who attended were expected to spend $5,000, couples $3,000 and $1,000 for individuals.

Uhlfelder told The Sentinel that it was 'totally inappropriate'.

He added: 'I guess he may be having problems raising money at this point . So now hes trying to promote some family-friendly event for $5,000 and you bring your family down and go to Universal in the middle of a pandemic, after [hes] incited an insurrection? You cant make this stuff up. I was shocked, I thought it was a joke.'

He added that the cancellation showed 'good corporate responsibility.'

Uhlfelder previously tweeted a photo of himself dressed as the Grim Reaper posing on a beach lifeguard station; a stunt he carried out to criticize Governor Ron DeSantis' COVID-19 policy when the beaches re-opened.

Daneil Uhlfelder said it was 'inappropriate' of Loews to host Sen Hawley's February event andit was 'good corporate responsibility' that they cancelled it

Loews said in a statement on Twitter: 'We are horrified and opposed to the events at the Capitol and all who supported and incited the actions. In light of those events and for the safety of our guests and team members, we have informed the host of the Feb. fundraiser that it will no longer be held at Loews Hotels.'

News of the event received much criticism online, including state representative Anna Eskamani who retweeted Uhlfelders original tweet, and added" 'Is @Loews_Hotels / @UniversalORL going to cancel this fundraiser being hosted by seditionist @HawleyMO in Orlando or are they going to just be chill with a treasonous politician who would rather see Democracy burn for his own political gain?'

The Lincoln Project, the anti-Trump Republican group, also tweeted: 'Let @Loews_Hotels know we dont like businesses that work with traitors.'

Comcast, Universals parent company, joined Disney and other major corporations last week in suspending contributions to Republicans who voted against Bidens win.

A spokesperson for Universal Orlando did not return requests for comment.

Hawley was one of the Republican Party's rising stars, and considered a top contender to be the party's presidential candidate in 2024. It remains to be seen whether he can make a political comeback

The Senator stated that he roundly condemned the destructive scenes that played out at the Capitol, but insisted that 'democratic debate is not mob violence'. The attack left four dead

The controversy over the fundraiser was just the latest for Hawley in the wake of his objections to Bidens win, which he pushed forward with even after Congress reassembled at Capitol Hill in the hours after the assault.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star, the two biggest newspapers in his home state of Missouri, have called for Hawley to resign, with the Post-Dispatch slamming him for having 'the gall to stand before the Senate Wednesday night and feign shock hours after he had fist-pumped and cheered the rioters as they arrived on Capitol Hill.'

The day after the riots publisher Simon & Schuster cancelled Hawley's books contract for The Tyranny of Big Tech', despite the cover having been released ahead of its June publication date.

On Twitter Hawley called the cancellation of his book contract in the wake of his behavior, 'cancel culture'

'We did not come to this decision lightly,' Simon & Schuster told The New York Times. 'As a publisher it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints: at the same time we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens, and cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat.'

The Missouri Republican responded by tweeting a statement 'on the woke mob.'

On January 11 Hallmark's political action committee told Popular Information's Judd Legum that it had requested a $3,000 donation back from Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and one of the ringleaders of the so-called 'treason caucus.'

Hallmark is based in Kansas City, Missouri.

Some senators have called for Hawleys expulsion from the Senate under the 14th amendment for supporting insurrection.

In a statement, Hawley said that 'to equate leading a debate on the floor of the Senate with inciting violence is a lie, and its dangerous. I will not be deterred from representing my constituents and I will not bow to left-wing corporate pressure.'
Portland police say theyve arrested a driver who struck and killed a pedestrian in November.

The pedestrian, 27-year-old Daniel Lopez-Herrera, died 10 days after being hit on Southeast Stark Street the evening of Nov. 17. Witnesses reported the driver fled.

Portland police on Saturday said they found the suspects vehicle, a silver 2002 Infiniti Q45, earlier in the week, and that they arrested the driver Friday.

Police identified the driver as Jason S. McFadden, 44, and said he was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center pending charges that include first-degree manslaughter, failure to perform the duties of a driver involving death or serious injury, and reckless driving.

It was not immediately clear if McFadden had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

McFadden has been cited more than a dozen times for driving with a suspended or revoked license, and he was supposed to have a court appearance a day before the crash on a stolen vehicle charge.

 The Associated Press
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 13:15:06|Editor: huaxia

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Afghan security force members inspect the site of an attack on two female judges in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan. 17, 2021. Two gunmen on a motorcycle fired on a car carrying female judges near a bus stop in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Sunday, killing two and injuring two others, a security source said. (Photo by Sayed Mominzadah/Xinhua)

KABUL, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Two gunmen on a motorcycle fired on a car carrying female judges near a bus stop in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Sunday, killing two and injuring two others, a security source said.

The incident came in the morning rush hour in Taimani neighborhood, Police District 4 of the city, the source told Xinhua anonymously. The capital police will issue a statement regarding the incident later in the day, he said.

Sunday's shooting was the latest in a string of targeted killings in the war-hit country.

On Tuesday, two female army officers died and two female officers and a driver wounded in a similar incident in northern Balkh province.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far. Enditem
Tory MPs have urged Boris Johnson to publish a 'clear road map' to start easing the national lockdown from March 8 as they warned the Prime Minister there 'cannot be any more excuses'.

Mark Harper, the Tory chairman of the lockdown-sceptic Covid Recovery Group, said the Government needs to give people 'hope' while 'businesses need a plan in order to survive'.

The Government is aiming to have vaccinated the 13.9million most vulnerable people in the UK by the middle of February.

Mr Harper, a former chief whip, argued that on the basis it will take those people time to build maximum immunity to coronavirus, ministers should target March 8 for the gradual loosening of restrictions.

His intervention came as Government sources were increasingly bullish about the vaccine roll-out, with ministers now hoping that every UK adult will have had the jab by the end of June.

Boris Johnson is under growing pressure from Tory MPs to publish a strategy for lifting the national coronavirus lockdown

Senior Tory MP Mark Harper, the chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, said measures must start to be lifted from March 8

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Harper said that the PM must publish a draft plan this week setting out how curbs will be lifted.

The Government is due to conduct its first formal review of lockdown on February 15 and Mr Harper said ministers could at that point firm up the proposals ahead of an easing of rules in March.

He said: 'The top four at-risk groups, which the Government aims to have given a first dose by Feb 15, will have got the maximum immunity from that within three weeks - by March 8.

'That has got to be the point at which we start to lift restrictions in a way proportionate to the reduction of risk.'

Mr Harper said that 'nobody is expecting nightclub doors to be flung open on March 8' because it is 'obvious that not every restriction can be lifted straight away'.

He pointed to Mr Johnson's previous suggestion that there will be a 'gradual unwrapping' of lockdown and said he agreed that will be the best approach to take.

'People need hope and businesses need a plan in order to survive, especially those in the hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors,' he said.

'That's why this week, we need a draft plan for the progressive lifting of restrictions from March 8 so that the public, businesses and scientists can use it as the basis for a sensible debate, as the Prime Minister suggested on Friday.

'That will allow a definitive plan to be published ahead of Feb 15.'

He added: 'There cannot be any more excuses and there's no need to wait until Easter.

'We need a clear road map to all our freedoms, economy and health prospects being fully restored.'

Mr Harper's intervention came as it emerged that the Government is increasingly optimistic about the speed of the UK's vaccination drive.

Ministers are said to have privately set an ambitious target of giving every adult the jab by the end of June.

Whitehall sources are confident of accelerating the pace of the rollout to a point where four to five million people are receiving their shots each week.

The UK's virus-fighting power was dealt another boost yesterday after the boss of a new state-of-the-art vaccine production factory said it was on standby to tackle any future variants and produce jabs at breakneck speed.

And in a triple lift for vaccination efforts, the Mail on Sunday revealed French drugs firm Valneva is just 'days away' from kick-starting manufacture of its jab on British soil - with the UK set to receive 60million doses.

The Government is increasingly bullish about the speed of Britain's vaccination drive and has privately set an ambitious target of giving every adult the jab by the end of June, it was claimed last night (vaccines in Salisbury Cathedral)

The country is currently pressing ahead with the biggest vaccine rollout in its history and by Saturday over 3.5million people had received their first doses.

Care home residents, the over-80s, extremely vulnerable people and frontline health staff are the first in line and have been receiving shots of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.

Mr Johnson is aiming to have vaccinated the nation's most at-risk people by mid-February, with the hope of having injected 'tens of millions' by April, but no longer term targets.

But in a confident forecast that will bring hope to millions, a senior Government source told the Telegraph: 'All over-18s by June - yes. It is delivery, delivery, delivery.'
Nine men in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district abducted and gang-raped a 13-year-old twice within five days, the MP police said.

The horrific act took place on January 4 when the teenager was first kidnapped by a youngster known to her. For the next two days, she was raped by six of his friends.

According to police, the accused let the minor go on January 5 after threatening her that she would be killed if she told anybody about the crime or filed a complaint. But on January 11, one of the seven men kidnapped and she was raped by him and two other men again.

The horror didnt end for the teenager there. After she was released for the second time by the accused, she was again abducted and raped by two truck drivers, the NDTV reported. She somehow managed to flee and return to her house on Friday, the cops said.

The incident was reported to Katni police on Friday, after which multiple police teams were formed and searches were conducted.

"We've so far arrested six accused and hope to catch the others. The case is registered under POSCO and relevant sections of the IPC," police spokesperson Arvind Tiwari was quoted by NDTV as saying.

The incident has come to light merely a week after a 45-year-old woman was grievously injured after four men allegedly raped her and inserted an iron rod into her private parts in MP's Sidhi district. The police detained the four accused on Sunday and questioned them. The accused belong to the same village as the woman.

Based on the complaint, a case has been registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 376 (rape), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint) and 34 (common intention), police said said.
Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NPP, Sam Pyne has warned the NDC Members of Parliament not to disturb the smooth running of the economy.



According to him, the NPP will resist any attempt made to frustrate President Akufo-Addo's second term in office.



The 8th Parliament is led by an NDC member, Speaker Alban Bagbin. There is the notion that as 'an NDC Speaker', he can team up with NDC MPs to frustrate the government.



However, Sam Pyne says it will not be tolerated.



Listen to him in the video below





Meanwhile, Speaker Alban Bagbin has promised to be impartial in the discharge of his duties.Address the House, he said: "Hon Members, I intend to live by the Oath I swore on the occasion of my election to this office, to respect, obey and abide by the will of the House. I am fully committed to being fair and impartial. But I am also fully committed to being firm. Members must also in reciprocity, respect and abide by my rulings and instructions. When in disagreement, the Standing Orders of the House, has the answer. I will apply the authority of the House as symbolized by the Mace, to protect and defend the prerogatives, privileges and immunities of Parliament, members and staff as provided under the laws of the country".

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Haiti - News : Zapping...





Delivery of fuel to service stations

Saturday Fils Aime Ignace Saint-Fleur, the Director General of the Office for the Monetization of Development Assistance Programs (BMPAD) confirmed that the petroleum products have arrived in the country (Gasoil in Varreux and Gasoline in Thor) and that the delivery to the stations services are scheduled starting this Sunday, January 17.



4 arrests and seizures of arms and ammunition

On Saturday evening, January 16, officers from the Departmental Unit for Maintenance of Order (UDMO) carried out an operation in the town of Domond (Mirebalais, Dept.Centre) and arrested 4 individuals. An automatic rifle, 2 magazines, a revolver and ammunition were seized during the operation.



Not recommended to drive after 6:00 p.m.

The central office of the Association of Owners and Drivers of Haiti (APCH) informs all drivers without distinction that it is not advisable to travel after 6:00 am to reduce the case of victims of insecurity and kidnapping in the transport sector. "We have already recorded many cases. It is important for the drivers to determine when they will reach the capital," said Changeux Mehu, President of APCH)



Closure of the Haitian Consulate in Atlanta

The Consulate General of Haiti in Atlanta is informing the general public and the Haitian community in particular that its offices will be closed on Monday, January 18, 2021, on the occasion of "Martin Luther King, Jr. Day". Activities will resume as usual on Tuesday, January 19 from 9:00 a.m.



New South Departmental Director

The Divisional Commissioner Frantz Saint-Armand is the new Southern Departmental Director of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), he replaces in this post the Divisional Commissioner Jacques Joel Orival. It was installed this week by Inspector General Paul Thomas.



Launch of the National Bank for Agricultural Development

Jose Luis Fernandez, Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), participated in the launch of the National Bank for Agricultural Development (BNDA) by the President, Jovenel Moise, Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe, Ministers Patrix Severe (Agriculture) and Patrick Boisvert (Economy). FAO congratulates the Haitian Government and stands ready to support it in the implementation of this important initiative for the development of the agricultural sector.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Technical might seem to be a curious word to use in association with the brutal, violent sport of mixed martial arts.

Yet, Albuquerques Carlos Condit, in confidently predicting victory over Matt Brown in his fight Saturday, had described himself as the technically superior fighter.

So he was.

Condit, far more active while exploiting a far deeper bag of tricks, defeated Brown by unanimous decision on a UFC Fight Night card in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

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All three official scorecards read 30-27 for Condit (32-13). Brown, a highly respected 40-year-old battler from Cincinnati, is 22-18.

Twice before, Condit and Brown had been scheduled to face each other. Both times the match was scrubbed by injuries to Brown.

I feel good, Condit said. I was stoked to get in there and finally face Matt. Standing across the cage from him was awesome.

I had the hair standing up in the back of my neck, I was so stoked to get in there and get my hand raised. Im very happy.

Saturdays fight was Condits last on his current UFC contract, and the 36-year-old had acknowledged last week that he might be fighting for his UFC life on Saturday. From January 2016 though December 2018, hed lost five fights in a row.

But after Saturdays performance its hard to imagine anyone, including UFC President Dana White, thinking Condit has no future in the Octagon. Hes now on a two-fight win streak, having defeated Court McGee at the same venue  UFCs Fight Island  in October.

The fight didnt begin particularly well for Condit. Brown took him down a minute into the first round and kept him on the ground for the next 3 minutes. Yet, Condit was more active from his back than Brown was from the top, landing elbows and forcing Brown to fend off triangle choke attempts.

Round two was almost all Condit, who scored two takedowns  one that particularly impressed the ABC-TV commentators with its creativity  and threatened to secure a rear naked choke.

The fighters traded takedowns in the third and final round, but Brown was relatively inactive from the top while Condit, whether from the top or the bottom, found ways to stay active and pose a threat.

In Saturdays main event, former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway (22-6) defeated Calvin Kattar (22-5) by overwhelming, unanimous five-round decision.
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BERLIN/MOSCOW: Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny took off on a plane bound for Russia on Sunday, to return home for the first time since he was poisoned last summer, despite Russian authorities stated desire to arrest him and potentially jail him for years.

Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putins most prominent domestic critics, was flown to Berlin in August last year for emergency medical treatment after being poisoned with what German tests showed was a Novichok nerve agent.

This is the best moment in the last five months," he told reporters after he boarded the plane in the German capital, bound for Moscow. I feel great. Finally, Im returning to my home town."

He announced his decision to return from Germany on Wednesday, and a day later Moscows prison service said it would do everything to arrest him once he returned, accusing him of flouting the terms of a suspended prison sentence for embezzlement, a 2014 case he says was trumped up.

The 44-year-old, who boarded a plane in Berlin at the last minute from a car sitting on the tarmac, hence avoiding other passengers, said made light of the risk of being arrested.

He said he didnt think he would be arrested, calling himself an innocent person.

What do I need to be afraid of? What bad thing can happen to me in Russia?" he added. I feel like a citizen of Russia who has every right to return," he added.

He was accompanied by his wife Yulia, and his spokeswoman.

Navalny, who is hoping for success in parliamentary elections in September, faces potential trouble in three other criminal cases too, all of which he says are politically motivated.

CONUNDRUM FOR KREMLIN

His return poses a conundrum for the Kremlin: jail him and risk protests and punitive Western action by turning him into a political martyr. Or do nothing and risk looking weak in the eyes of Kremlin hardliners.

He is expected to arrive in Moscow at around 1630 GMT.

The opposition politician, who says he has nearly fully recovered, says Putin was behind his poisoning. The Kremlin denies involvement, says it has seen no evidence that he was poisoned, and that he is free to return to Russia.

Navalny says the Kremlin is afraid of him. The Kremlin, which only refers to him as the Berlin patient," laughs that off. Putin allies point to opinion polls that show the Russian leader is far more popular than Navalny, whom they call a blogger rather than a politician.

SUPPORTERS PLAN TO GREET HIM

Navalny took a flight operated by Russian airline Pobeda, owned by state-controlled Aeroflot.

His supporters plan to meet him at Moscows Vnukovo airport despite a forecast of bitterly cold minus 20 Celsius weather and over 4,500 new coronavirus cases a day in the Russian capital.

So far, at least 2,000 people have used a Facebook page to say they plan to be there, with another 6,000 expressing an interest. Pro-Kremlin activists are also expected to turn up.

The Moscow prosecutors office, which says it has officially warned 15 pro-Navalny organisers, has said the event is illegal because it is not sanctioned by the authorities. That means that people who turn up could be detained, fined or jailed.

Reuters reporters saw a heavy police presence at the airport with dozens of police trucks.

Citing COVID-19 restrictions, the airport has said it will not allow media inside.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
On Saturday, French authorities moved the national curfew back to 6 pm for the country's entire territory.

While 25 departments had already implemented stricter curfew measures, the entirety of France is now back to a 6 p.m. curfew, starting last Saturday and set to last for at least 15 days.

The announcement was made by PM Jean Castex on Thursday. France's number of cases have remained elevated over the past weeks, recently recording 21,217 confirmed cases within 24 hours.

When it comes to the curfew, the rules remain the same as before: businesses will have to close at 6 p.m., and private citizens may only break the curfew for professional reasons, medical appointments, or emergencies.

Exempt from the curfew

A certain number of movements will thus still be allowed in France after 6 pm:

Travelling to and from work. A permit needs to be filled out by the employer.

Attending a medical appointment. Permits can be obtained for doctor's examinations that cannot be performed remotely.

Treating family issues. People will still be allowed to visit family members for urgent medical support or in case of decease.

Supporting people with disabilities.

Attending a legal or administrative meeting.

Travelling abroad. In these cases, plane or train tickets will suffice as official permits.
New Delhi, Jan 17 : Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said that the current standoff between the protesting farmers and the Centre will resolve only through dialogues.

"We cannot forget the farmers' efforts in increasing the food production even during the Covid times," Naidu said while speaking at an awards ceremony jointly organised by Rythu Nestham and Muppavarapu Foundation at the Swarna Bharat Trust in Hyderabad.

He also added that he sees the possibility of a certain meeting ground.

"Restriction-free marketing of farm produce has been a long-standing demand. One country and one food zone has been the demand for a long time. The development of the country is closely tied to farmer's progress," Naidu said.

Comparing the farmers' compassion with that of a mother, he said: "It is the duty of everybody to support the farmers." The Vice President lauded the farmers for rendering a great service to the nation during the pandemic by pro3ducing record food grains despite hardship.

He also appreciated the efforts shown by the doctors, sanitation workers, police and media personnel during the pandemic.

"Both the Centre and state governments should work as 'Team India' in addressing the needs of the farmers. Apart from ensuring remunerative prices, the farmers should be provided with timely and affordable credit.

"There was also a need to increase the cold storage facilities and the godowns at all levels. As a matter-of-fact, every tehsil must have a cold storage facility," Naidu added.

Vice President pointed out that the people of India always accorded a very high status to agriculture and this was the reason why our festivals and rituals are closely associated with agriculture.

Referring to a FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) report which cautioned about the food crisis in the coming times, Naidu asserted saying, "If we support our farmers, India would not only be food secure, but would also be able to feed the world." Naidu emphasised for a change in perspective towards agriculture among the public and urged the youth to become proactive partners in promoting farming.

Earlier in the day, Naidu interacted with the youth undergoing training at the Swarna Bharat Trust and advised them to maintain discipline, eat healthy food and always remain fit. He said that the youth in India were highly talented and their skills need to be upgraded through regular training.

Children as young as nine returning unaccompanied to Australia are being forced to isolate alone for two weeks in the same quarantine facilities where adults sick with mutant strains of COVID-19 are taken.

Parents told of their shock at a policy change that has children arriving in NSW from overseas being forced into solo hotel quarantine.

A COVID-19 patient is dropped off at Special Health Accommodation, where young children are in quarantine alone for two weeks.

The news came as NSW reported six new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, including a Sydney hospital worker.

All six cases are close contacts of a western Sydney man who was the state's only locally acquired case announced on Saturday. There were three cases also recorded on Sunday among returned overseas travellers.
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
Chinese agents raid homeschool run by persecuted megachurch

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A large group of police officers and other government officials raided a house where children from a heavily persecuted megachurch were being homeschooled in Chengdu, China, the church said on social media, pleading for Christians worldwide to pray for them.

Police officers, education bureau officials, national security officers and urban management officers on Thursday morning raided a home where homeschooled children of Early Rain Covenant Church were playing together, the 5,000-member church said in a Facebook post.

The police are now raiding the home. There are a large number of police officers outside and inside of brother Liang Huali and Sister Shu Qiongs home, and they are currently removing brother Liangs personal belongings. Please pray! the church wrote.

In December 2018, police shuttered the church, broke down the doors of church members and leaders homes and arrested more than 100 people. Police have continued to harass ERCC members since then, according to a report from China Aid.

ERCCs Pastor Wang Yi was later sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of subversion of power and illegal business operations.

China has more than 60 million Christians, at least half of whom worship in unregistered or illegal underground churches. The country is ranked as one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians, according to Open Doors USAs World Watch List.

On Dec. 30, dozens of officials in Taiyuan city, the capital of Shanxi province, raided Xuncheng Church, which was planted by ERCC and meets at the home of preacher An Yankui, confiscated Christian books, and detained the preacher and five members during a Bible study, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern.

The officials cordoned off the church members who were studying the Bible, confiscated their choir robes and books, and apprehended the preacher and five women, ICC said.

Officials released the five female detainees around midnight on New Years Eve, but An was held in administrative detention for 15 days.

Xuncheng, which was targeted possibly due to its association with the ERCC, was earlier raided on Nov. 15 and received a disbandment notice from the police.

Last April, several members of the church were arrested by the Public Security Bureau for participating in an online Easter worship service on Zoom and ordered to cease all religious activity.

A supporter of ERCC shared on Twitter at the time: Since 8:30 a.m., some security officials have entered these Christian families homes and pretended to be chatting with them casually. At 9:30 a.m., the worship began, and they were also invited to participate. Once they realized that the sermon was from ERCCs imprisoned pastor Wang Yi, they immediately shut it down.

A November 2020 report from the Pew Research Center showed that restrictions on religion in China had risen to a record level. Researchers found that China continued to have the highest score on the Government Restrictions Index out of all 198 countries and territories in the study.

In addition to ERCC, the Chinese Communist Party has forced a number of well-known churches to shut down, including Rongguili Church in Guangzhou and Xunsiding Church in Xiamen.

China has also been labeled by the U.S. State Department as a country of particular concern for continuing to engage in particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
US continues to face very serious problems in trade and economic relations with China

Armenia 1st President: There is a risk of civil war

Scenes of apprehension of Azerbaijani who attacked Armenian in Moscow disseminated on the Internet

Germany, France, Netherlands urge tech giants to test start-up purchases

Armenia 1st President: There has never been such rough dialogue between Armenian and Azeri leaders as there is now

California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development opening office in Yerevan

US Department of State issues statement on detention of Armenian soldiers by Azerbaijani forces

Armenia 1st President says Aliyev is certain that Pashinyan won't win elections and is trying to get all that he can

UN calls for $ 95 million in aid to Palestinians

Twitter is concerned about safety of its employees in India

Artsakh hero: Impotent and perhaps also treacherous authorities of Armenia need to be removed from power immediately

France MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to show maximum restraint

Azerbaijani attacks Russia citizen of Armenian descent in Moscow

Armenia acting MOD provides President with information about capture of Armenian servicemen

Lithuania MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to go to de-escalation of situation and pull out troops

Russian Deputy FM, EU Special Representative discuss situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia acting FM resigns

Acting Deputy FM: Armenia reserves itself the right to take necessary steps to protect its territorial integrity

China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

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Bahrain-based Arab Banking Corporation (Bank ABC), a leading financial institution in the Middle East, said that it has entered into an agreement with Blom Bank Lebanon to acquire its 99.4% stake of Blom Bank Egypt.



The proposed cash consideration to be offered by Bank ABC for 100% of Blom Bank Egypt under the acquisition is EGP6.700 million ($427 million).



The acquisition, subject to regulatory approvals in Bahrain, Egypt and Lebanon, is expected to complete in the second quarter (Q2) of 2021.



The acquisition will contribute to:



 Reposition Bank ABC's Egyptian franchise amongst the top 20 banks in Egypt, delivering significantly greater scale and a more efficient platform

 Provide the Bank ABC Group with a highly profitable franchise with significant future growth potential in one of the most fundamentally attractive markets in Mena

 Build new capabilities, particularly in Retail, Corporate and SME lending leveraging Bank ABC's strong digital and mobile banking capabilities and its Group centres of excellence

 Provide customers with an enhanced product offering, with a more capable and expansive branch network through the addition of 41 branches

 Help facilitate greater international connectivity for the enhanced customer base and a stronger platform for access to Egypt for Bank ABC's broader client base



Status of the acquisition and next steps



Bank ABC and Blom Bank Lebanon will commence working together to satisfy the conditions required to complete the acquisition, including obtaining the relevant regulatory approvals and will continue to carry out their activities independently in Egypt until all regulatory approvals are obtained, a Bank ABC statement said.



HSBC Bank Middle East is acting as the sole financial advisor to Bank ABC, with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Zulficar & Partners acting as legal advisors. Blom Bank Lebanon was advised by CI Capital, while Baker McKenzie acted as legal counsel.



Dr Khaled Kawan, Group CEO of Bank ABC said: The acquisition of Blom Bank Egypt is a unique opportunity for Bank ABC to fulfil its longstanding strategic commitment to inorganically expand its core business, giving us a significantly enhanced platform for future growth, in one of the most attractive markets in the region.



We have an active relationship with our regulators and will be working to secure their approvals to complete the deal as swiftly as possible. We will then look forward to working with our new Blom Bank Egypt team to combine Bank ABC Egypt and Blom Bank Egypt thereby creating a new powerhouse in the Egyptian banking sector. We also thank the management teams of Blom Bank Lebanon, Blom Bank Egypt and their advisors for the seamless execution process that has led to this agreement.



Saad Azhari, Chairman and General Manager of Blom Bank Lebanon, commented: This transaction demonstrates our continuous commitment to our stakeholders and dedication to our strategy. It will allow Blom Bank Lebanon to comply with the latest regulations issued by the Central Bank of Lebanon, which stipulate that all Lebanese banks must increase their equity by 20%.



I would like to take this opportunity to thank our team in Blom Bank Egypt for their dedication and perseverance that have made our operation in Egypt successful. I would also like to thank the management and transaction team at Bank ABC for their cooperation and professionalism during the entire transaction process as well as the CI Capital Investment Banking and Baker McKenzie teams for their commitment and dynamism, he added.



Bank ABC undertakes a significant level of business in Egypt, which is a key strategic market for ABC, having established its presence through the acquisition of Egypt Arab African Bank in 1999. It currently operates through Bank ABC in Egypt, which is spread across 27 branches in the country. Blom Bank Egypt will contribute to upscale Bank ABCs Egyptian footprint, which is fully aligned with Bank ABCs strategy to be Menas leading international bank.  TradeArabia News Service
An Instagram influencer and barmaid risk being stripped of luxury cars and thousands of dollars given to them by an ex-boyfriend accused of laundering money.

Tori Maddison Preiss, 25, and 24-year-old Kaori Celine Nakase previously dated a man purported to have a $10million Bitcoin fortune.

That man, Benjamin Thomas Nelson, is being investigated by the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission, who allege he is a money launderer.

Both women face losing assets provided by Mr Nelson, in a case brought before the Queensland Supreme Court by the CCC, the Courier-Mail reported.

Tori Maddison Preiss (pictured) risks losing a luxury car and having cash in bank accounts frozen after they were allegedly provided by an ex-boyfriend accused of money laundering

Ms Preiss (pictured) has not been charged with any criminal offence but is alleged to have held assets which belong to Benjamin Thomas Nelson

The CCC are attempting to remove assets from Mr Nelson and his associates, under laws aimed at removing assets from alleged criminals prior to a criminal conviction being recorded.

The CCC alleges Ms Preiss' $75,000 Audi A5 cabriolet was purchased using 'dirty' Bitcoin money.

The money is suspected to have come from illegal activity, such as drug sales, with Ms Preiss, an Instagram influencer, at risk of losing the car.

Four bank accounts in Ms Preiss' name face being frozen, including a $100,000 term deposit and an account which had $220,000 transferred from a Bitcoin account.

Ms Preiss, who has been named as an interested party in the case, has not been charged with any criminal offence.

However, she is alleged to have held assets which belong to Mr Nelson.

The CCC alleges a $637,800 Lamborghini Huracan registered in the name of Ms Nakase, a former bartender, and purchased using Bitcoins in October 2019 was paid for with laundered money.

The car, bank accounts containing more than $140,000, several Bitcoin accounts and a Gold Coast home are 'tainted property', CCC Proceeds of Crime director Sharon Raabe alleges in her affidavit.

Kaori Celine Nakase (pictured) jointly owns a house with Mr Nelson, which was allegedly purchased outright 'using a deliberately complex series of transactions'

A $637,000 Lamborghini Huracan (pictured) registered in Ms Nakase's name was allegedly purchased using laundered money

The $745,000 four-bedroom home in Pimpama, jointly owned by Mr Nelson and Ms Nakase, was purchased outright 'using a deliberately complex series of transactions' to avoid detection by authorities, the CCC alleges.

The home has currently been restrained under proceeds of crime laws.

Queensland Supreme Court Justice Frances Williams on Thursday ordered Mr Nelson to provide details of his assets of $5000 he now owns and has owned in the past six years.

Ms Nakase also has to give details of assets of $5000 or more.

The CCC told the court Mr Nelson made statements that he never wanted certain assets in his name as 'he was worried the police would know'.

The case continues on Friday.

In June last year, Ms Nakase pleaded guilty to two counts of perverting the course of justice, two counts of possessing property suspected of being the proceeds of a drug offence and one count of driving with a drug in her system.
THE Government is set to vaccinate at least 80 percent of the population once negotiations with potential suppliers of the vaccine, China, Russia and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have been completed.

China, which developed its own vaccine and has already started vaccinating its entire population, has already listed Zimbabwe as one of the countries which it intends to assist with the vaccine. Health and Child Care Principal Director, Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Robert Mudyiradima, who is in charge of the vaccination programme said Government had already agreed to take the vaccine and all the necessary resources have been made available.

Dr Mudyiradima said the country intends to vaccinate at least 80 percent of the population once the vaccine is made available. This translates to at least 11,2 million doses of the vaccine out of a population of about 14,65 million.

We are in negotiations with China, Russia and the World Health Organisations (WHO) so that we get the vaccine. As Government we have already decided to take the vaccine and its not a matter of if, but when and which one, we are going to use. We need to vaccinate at least 80 percent of the population initially. We will however, eventually vaccinate everyone. We have been informed by the financier that all the resources we need are available, he said.

Dr Mudyiradima said Government was waiting for official communication from the African Union (AU) on the vaccine that is said to have been facilitated by the continental block with the assistance of Afrieximbank.

We only learnt of that development through the media. We are waiting for official communication from the African Union, he said.

Zimbabwe has adopted a measured approach where experts are interrogating all safety concerns over the vaccination against Covid-19 which will be done on a voluntary basis. In a statement on Friday, the Minister of Health and Child Care, Vice-President General (Retired) Dr Constantino Chiwenga said the Government was doing everything possible to ensure that citizens were safe from possible side effects of some newly introduced Covid-19 vaccines.

He said the vaccination will be only rolled out to citizens on a voluntary basis once all the technical and administrative obligations are met.

I am also aware that some of our citizens are anxious to get vaccinated. The Government is following the development and dissemination of Covid-19 vaccines by other states, with keen interest. Despite the observations made that other African, European and Asian countries had started rolling out vaccines, Zimbabwe adopted a measured approach, with experts interrogating all safety concerns. As soon as all technical and administrative obligations are met, Zimbabweans can expect to be vaccinated.

The vaccination is going to be voluntary. Let me underscore that my ministry is doing everything possible to ensure that our citizens are safe from possible side effects of some Covid-19 vaccines, currently on the shelf, he said. Sunday News
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LONDON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Britain will host the first in-person Group of Seven (G7) summit in almost two years in June this year, according to a statement released late Saturday by the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use Britain's G7 Presidency "to help the world build back better from coronavirus and create a greener, more prosperous future," said the statement.

It also said the summit will be held in Carbis Bay, Cornwall in southwestern Britain from June 11-13. Australia, India and South Korea are invited as guest countries.

The leaders will "address shared challenges, from beating coronavirus and tackling climate change, to ensuring that people everywhere can benefit from open trade, technological change and scientific discovery," said the statement.

The G7 gathers Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union is an invitee to the G7.

"Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced. It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future," said Johnson.

Britain will also host a number of meetings throughout the year between government ministers from the G7, both virtually and in different locations across Britain. These ministerial meetings will cover economic, environmental, health, trade, technology, development and foreign policy issues, according to the statement. Enditem
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Sam Armytage has revealed she planned her Southern Highlands wedding to businessman Richard Lavender in just three days.

The TV presenter, 44, spoke about her last-minute nuptials on Monday after returning to work on Channel Seven breakfast show Sunrise.

She said of the 'hastily arranged' ceremony: 'Three days before, we decided that we'd do it for New Year's Eve, and we did it, we got it done and it was lovely.'

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'Hastily arranged': Sam Armytage has revealed she planned her Southern Highlands wedding to Richard Lavender in just three days. Pictured on her wedding day on December 31

Sam said it was her father's idea for the couple to get married on New Year's Eve.

'We were all sitting outside as you do around Christmas time, having a champagne and beer on the verandah,' she revealed.

'Dad said, "Just do it, for God's sake, just do it." So we did it! It was nice, there was 12 of us there, we organised it in three days and it was fun.'

She's back! The TV presenter, 44, spoke about her last-minute nuptials on Monday after returning to work on Channel Seven breakfast show Sunrise. Pictured with co-host David Koch

Sam was also introduced on Monday by her married name, Samantha Lavender.

The Lavenders tied the knot at Richard's 40-hectare property in the picturesque Southern Highlands on December 31.

They exchanged vows at his home shortly before midday, then moved to a luncheon at the Centennial Vineyards Restaurant in Bowral.

New surname: Sam was also introduced on Monday by her married name, Samantha Lavender. Pictured: Sam and Richard on October 3, 2020, in Sydney

Sam looked stunning on her special day in a white long-sleeve dress by Carla Zampatti with a matching ribbon in her hair.

The intimate ceremony only featured a small number of guests due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Richard's daughters, Sasha and Grace, believed to be in attendance.

Sam's father, Mac, was seated at the head of the table at the reception, while her younger brother, Charlie, sat nearby.

Wedded bliss: Sam and Richard tied the knot at his 40-hectare property in the picturesque Southern Highlands on New Year's Eve. Pictured at their wedding reception

A source told Daily Mail Australia of the nuptials: 'Champagne was flowing, and at one point they had several waiters attending to their every need.

'However, they didn't get any VIP treatment, and while they were away from other guests, they were sitting among locals and tourists.'

Sam and Richard started dating in April 2019, and announced their engagement in June last year.
Former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption said his remark apparently telling a Stage 4 bowel cancer sufferer that her life was 'less valuable' than others were 'taken out of context'.

Anti-lockdown figurehead Jonathan Sumption, who sat on the Supreme Court until 2018, made the comment to podcaster Deborah James, 39 while appearing on the BBC's The Big Questions this morning.

Lord Sumption was discussing the cost of lockdown on the show and argued that he believed his children's and grandchildren's lives were worth more than his 'because they've got a lot more of it ahead'.

Miss James - who suffers with Stage 4 metastatic bowel cancer - was brought into the discussion as a younger person with a life-threatening condition.

She said: 'With all due respect, Im the person who you say their life is not valuable. I live with metastatic bowel cancer'.

Lord Sumption then interrupted her and said: 'I didn't say it was not valuable, I said it was less valuable.'

His comment proved controversial online, with outraged viewers blasting him as 'inhuman', 'almost grotesque' and 'morally bankrupt'.

But Lord Sumption insisted that it had been made in the context of his earlier remarks on the harm done to the young through lockdowns designed to save the elderly from Covid-19.

Jonathan Sumption, who sat on the Supreme Court until 2018, made the comment while appearing on the BBC's The Big Questions this morning (pictured)

He said: 'I object extremely strongly to any suggestion that I was inferring that Miss James's life was less valuable because she had cancer.

'I thought she was responding to my earlier comments about older people being protected by a total lockdown which is causing immense harm to the young who are unaffected.

'That harm can be to their mental health or through cooping undergraduates up at university or through the loss of jobs.

'I was saying this should not be inflicted on the young to protect old people like me.

'If Miss James has misinterpreted that then I can only apologise to her as it was not my intention to suggest she was less valuable. Sometimes on videolinks it can be difficult to hear what the other person is saying.'

Host Nicky Campbell invited guests to discuss the cost of lockdown and whether it was 'punishing too many for the greater good'.

Lord Sumption, who argues that vulnerable people should be able to isolate if they want while leaving the rest of the population to continue without lockdown, said: 'All lives are not of equal value - the older you are, the less valuable yours is because there's less of it left.'

Lord Sumption (left) was discussing the cost of lockdown on the show and argued that he believed his children's and grandchildren's lives were worth more than his 'because they've got a lot more of it ahead'. Miss James (right) - who suffers with Stage 4 metastatic bowel cancer - was brought into the discussion as a younger person with a life-threatening condition.

Miss James, who hosts the BBC's You, Me And The Big C podcast, has had 17 tumours in her lifetime and had her latest cancer operation just six weeks ago.

Following his comment during Miss James' appearance on the show, viewers took to Twitter to vent their anger - calling him 'dangerous' and 'callous'.

Human rights barrister Adam Wagner said: 'My goodness. Lord Sumption's response to a woman with Stage 4 cancer asking why her life isn't valuable is he didn't say it isn't valuable just 'less valuable'.

'This is the figurehead of anti-lockdown movement - comes across as inhumane, almost grotesque.'

Employment and personal injury barrister David Green said: 'Lord Sumption is a far cleverer lawyer than I will ever be, but I'd swap every brain-cell in my head to avoid being as horrible as he evidently is.'

Lotty Burns wrote: 'I'm sorry, but if you're OK to play "who's life is more valuable than others'' - you're morally bankrupt. It's dangerous. It's callous.

'And even if you thought it wasn't, it's subjective so isn't a way to decide who lives and dies.'

Ethics professor John Tasioulas said: 'Important to be reminded that ethics by numbers yields results that are, indeed, grotesque. Yet the apparent simplicity of it all makes it irresistible to many.'

Miss James (pictured in hospital), from London , known as Bowel Babe, has had 17 tumours in her lifetime and had her latest cancer operation just six weeks ago

His comment sparked outrage among viewers who branded him 'morally bankrupt' and 'horrible'

NHS mental health doctor Benjamin Janaway added: 'Firstly, it's more than worth saying it was an abhorrent and thoughtless comment devoid of empathy.

'No matter what utilitarian argument you may field, it cannot be made on a 1:1 basis, or on the inherent value of life. That is beyond any of us.'

James Foster wrote: 'Lord Sumption to a woman with Stage 4 cancer: "I didn't say your life wasn't valuable, I said it was less valuable".

'WTF's wrong with these people? My mum had Stage 4 cancer. 42. It killed her. Her life wasn't "less valuable" but, actually, it was more valuable.'

Kerry said: 'I have tears in my eyes listening to this. I am an ex-cancer patient, how can a stuck up b****** say that some people's lives are less worthy of saving.

'For f**** sake! How can a human being say that to another human being on national TV. All lives need saving.'

Others sided with Lord Sumption, saying they value their lives less highly than the lives of their younger loved ones.

Clare said she 'did see Lord Sumption's point', adding: 'I would stand in front of a train for my grandchildren.

'Their life does have more value than mine at 59. This isn't to say I have no value but he did have a valid, and personal, point.'

Emma Robertson said: 'Watch the whole debate for context. I am a Stage 4 cancer patient myself and actually agree with Lord Sumption.

'I am not sure I understand the outrage around this.

Others sided with Lord Sumption, saying they value their lives less highly than their younger loved ones

'I think Lord Sumption made his point pretty clear and I think people are willfully misinterpreting it and feigning outrage to skew the debate.

'You don't win an argument by turning on the tears, you just shut it down.'

Talk Radio presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer added: 'Rubbish. If you had the chance to save only one person from a fire and had to choose between an eight year old and an 80 year old, you know perfectly well which one you'd save.

'It doesn't mean all lives don't have value, it's about relative value when tough decisions have to be made.'

Mark said: 'All those lockdown fanatics spitting feathers because they know he's right. Totally agree with Lord Sumption.

'My life is less valuable than my kids'. They have everything ahead to live for and to experience and I'm 52. I've lived a great life and I would save them ahead of me.'

Miss James, from London, known as Bowel Babe, replied to Lord Sumption saying her life was 'less valuable', adding: 'Who are you to put a value on life? In my view, and I think in many others, life is sacred and i don't think we should make those judgement calls.

'All life is worth saving regardless of what life it is people are living.

'I'm fully aware and I've seen first hand and said goodbye to best friends in terms of collateral Covid is causing but at the same time I'm grateful to be somebody who is kept alive because of the NHS...

'Only six weeks ago I was in intensive care for a cancer operation that has got me back up on my feet and without that I wouldn't be here.

'And we have to protect the NHS to allow the collateral to be as minimal on all health conditions as possible.'

Miss James said she has seen 'many friends' who she met through cancer die in the four years since her diagnosis.

One was a fellow host of the podcast, Rachael Bland, who died of breast cancer in 2018, aged 40.

Last night, her widower Steve told the Mail Lord Sumption's comments were 'extraordinary and outrageous'.

He said: 'It's one thing to think what he said but another thing to say it to a cancer patient.

'I'm super-proud of Deb for the way she came back at him.

'If that had been Rachael [being spoken to like that] I would have been raging. But I thought Deborah handled herself really well.

'To hear this man saying that their lives are somehow less valuable must be very painful for any cancer patient, some of whom may have suffered delays to treatment in the pandemic.'

Miss James later tweeted of the row: 'Politics aside, have we scooped so low in all this and lost our moral compass?'

Professor Pat Price, a leading oncologist and founder of the Catch Up With Cancer campaign, said: 'This is outrageous  every patient's life is important.'

Lord Sumption added in his response to the outrage: 'I was certainly not saying her life was less valuable. I was saying the lives of older people are worth less because they have less time to live.

'I understood her to be disagreeing with my proposition.

'I do not deny saying what is recorded on the footage.'

He said: 'You are interpreting that as meaning her life is less valuable because she had metastatic bowel cancer. It's a question of age.

'I was saying that young people should not be sacrificed to save old people.'

During his appearance on the BBC's The Big Questions, Lord Sumption also claimed there was no real evidence to suggest that lockdowns are an effective method for reducing fatalities from coronavirus and instead said there are a 'large number' of statistical studies into the relationship between lockdown and mortality and 'there is almost no correlation at all'.

He added that they show variables which determine mortality depends primarily on the age boundary balance and underlying state of health of the population.

Lord Sumption said: 'Covid attacks vulnerable groups... 90 per cent of the deaths from Covid have been of people over 70 and 90 per cent of those have other very serious underlying clinical conditions.'

He added: 'Instead of isolating the old and the vulnerable who need it, we have chosen to isolate everybody.

'The argument is that if the young fit and healthy get Covid they will pass it on to the old and vulnerable but that is not correct because the old and vulnerable can isolate themselves if they want to.'

In October Lord Sumption accused ministers of keeping Britons 'under a form of house arrest' for three months in the spring under the original lockdown.

Miss James, who hosts the BBC 's You, Me And The Big C podcast (pictured with her cohosts Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland), has had 17 tumours in her lifetime and had her latest cancer operation just six weeks ago

Giving a prestigious Cambridge University law lecture he attacked the control ministers had had over everyday life, saying they went further than any previous curbs, even during wartime.

The peer, a seasoned critic of the lockdown, accused Mr Johnson and his Cabinet of acting by ministerial decree and sidelining MPs.

His concerns echo those of many MPs who have demanded more power to oversee Government coronavirus measures.

Tonight he gave a speech, Government by decree - Covid-19 and the Constitution, to the Cambridge Law faculty.

Speaking via Zoom from Milan he said: 'During the Covid-19 pandemic the British state has exercised coercive powers over its citizens on a scale never previously attempted.

'This has taken effective legal control enforced by the police over the personal lives of the entire population, who they could meet, what they could do, even within their own homes.

Pictured: BBC podcast cohost Rachael Bland who died of breast cancer in 2018

'For three months it placed everybody under a form of house arrest qualified only by their right to do a limit number of things approved by ministers

'All of this has been authorised by ministerial decree with minimal parliamentary involvement.

'It has been the most significant interference with personal freedom in the history of our country. We have never sought to do such a thing before, even in war-time and even when faced with health crises far more serious than this one.'

Lord Sumption, 71, who sat in the Supreme Court from 2012 until his retirement in 2018, has repeatedly warned that ministers have been exceeding their rightful powers.

He added: 'I do not doubt the seriousness of the epidemic but I believe that history will look back on the measures taken to contain it as a monument of collective hysteria and governmental folly.'

In another swipe at Mr Johnson, he drew a parallel with its attempt last year to prorogue parliament to force through Brexit legislation.

He said: 'Governments hold power in Britain on the sufferance of the elected chamber of the legislature. Without that we are not a democracy.'

Orders to remain at home and rafts of new laws to restrict what people can do amount to a 'breathtaking' infringement of democratic rights, he said.

He accused ministers of using the police to suppress opposition to their policies, of creating new criminal offences without the legal right to do so, and of grabbing unconstitutional powers by issuing misleading guidance.

He warned the methods used by ministers will undo the unity of society and will lead to long-term authoritarian government.


He's best known for his dramatic split with his co-star Cartier Surjan on season two of Love Island in 2019.

But now it appears model and plumber Adam Farrugia may be moving on.

In a series of cosy Instagram Stories shared on Friday, the 28-year-old posed alongside a mysterious blonde beauty, named Renee Ashley.

Cute! Former Love Island star Adam Farrugia has shared a series of cosy Instagram Stories with blonde university student Renee Ashley this weekend. Pictured together

Clearly relaxed, Renee appeared to be wearing a clay beauty mask and pulling faces alongside Adam, who was propped up against a pillow.

In a second photo, the two giggled as they used a filter which stretched out their naturally gorgeous features.

In a third photo, simply captioned, 'Miss u', the former reality star's arm appears to be affectionately wrapped around Renee's neck.

Fun! Clearly relaxed, Renee appeared to be wearing a clay beauty mask and pulling faces alongside Adam, who was propped up against a pillow

Close: According to their Instagram pages, Adam is still living in Queensland, meanwhile university student Renee is based in Melbourne

Missing Adam? The blonde bombshell has since returned to Melbourne and posted cryptic comments online

According to their Instagram pages, Adam is still living in Queensland, meanwhile university student Renee is based in Melbourne.

Renee spent most of December and the festive season on the Gold Coast, where she would have had plenty of time to spend with Adam.

The blonde bombshell has since returned to Melbourne and posted cryptic comments online.

Boo! 'Just pretending that I'm happy to be back,' she captioned this smiling photo of herself

A fan! This month, Renee has also been leaving suggestive love-heart eyed emoji comments on Adam's shirtless Instagram photos

'Just pretending that I'm happy to be back,' she captioned a smiling photo of herself.

This month, Renee has also been leaving suggestive love-heart eyed emoji comments on Adam's shirtless Instagram photos.

Adam has also been liking her photos and replying to her comments with a red-heart emoji.

Daily Mail has reached out to Adam Farrugia and Renee Ashley for comment.
Umesh Mohanan, CEO Indel Money

The current size of organised gold loans in the whole gold loan market is five percent and with growing competition, the organised gold loan segment will eat into the unorganised gold loan segment, said Umesh Mohanan, Executive Director & CEO, Indel Money in an interview to Moneycontrol.

Mohanan holds an MBA from LSE and is a seasoned investment professional with a proven track record of heading a multi-billion dollar Middle East-based conglomerate.

He said that the gold loan demand is being fuelled by the current credit crunch, lower credit eligibility requirements, liquidity needs and faster disbursal.

The Kerala-based gold loan company is the first NBFC in the country to offer a two-year old gold loan product and mostly cater to the rural areas. Indel Money is the flagship financial institution of Indel Corporation with a total paid up capital of Rs 200 crore plus and a total turnover crossing Rs 1,000 crore.

Edited excerpts:

Q: Gold loan industry is on a growth curve despite the pandemic. What are the key drivers?

Gold loan sector is witnessing a healthy growth in terms of demand and disbursal because of the intrinsic advantages that gold loans bring to the table and the prevailing market scenario. The gold loan can easily be availed thanks to its lower credit eligibility requirements. Hence, it fulfils the liquidity needs quicker than any other loan instrument. Given the prevailing credit crunch in the market and higher gold price leading to higher LTV ratio, the demand will grow further from here.

As per various estimates, the household gold reserves stand at 25,000 tonnes in volume terms and approximately Rs 110 lakh crore in value. So, the gold loan sector has a huge growth spectrum to leverage.

Q: What is the present liquidity condition of the NBFCs?

The liquidity scenario in the NBFC sector has improved significantly, thanks to fresh fund infusion by RBI through various schemes. Having said that, easing liquidity stress or increasing disbursement depend on the collection efficiency which varies across sectors. The sectors which have been affected are microfinance institutions, consumer vehicle finance, etc.

Q: Are you exploring any inorganic opportunity for growth given the fact that there are many distressed assets up for sale in the NBFC sector?

We are open to the options if those are good underlying assets with potential for a turnaround.

Q: NBFCs have recently come under the scanner for poor corporate governance. Being a fast-growing NBFC, how are you addressing the issue?

We are following stringent corporate governance standards. Even though we are a 100 percent family-owned company, in the eight-member Board of Directors, only three members are from the family and the rest five are eminent dignitaries and experienced industry professionals such as the current Association of Mutual Fund India, CEO, former deputy managing director of State Bank of India, former principal chief general manager of Reserve Bank of India and practising chartered accountants.

Besides, we have hired a team from KPMG which operates in our corporate office. The team functions as the CEOs back office, performing concurrent audits on procedures and processes throughout. Before any proposal is tabled to the board of directors, it is vetted by the KPMG team. One of the KPMG partners is always a special invitee to the board meetings.

Q: What makes Gold loan NBFC a de facto choice of consumers at a time when banks are aggressively foraying into the segment?

The gold loan NBFCs offer specialised services to its customers when compared to banks which have gold loans as a part of its bouquet of loan products. So, banks dont have a focused approach to gold loans. Also, gold loan NBFCs cover a major part of the population, especially in the rural area which doesnt belong to the service networks of banks.

Moreover, the gold loan NBFCs score over the banks in terms of service efficiencies such as faster turnaround time, more attractive schemes, convenience and faster disbursals. Add to that gold loan product innovation. For instance, our long-tenured gold loan has redefined the conventional gold loan narrative in a big way.

Q: The gold loan market is majorly unorganised. Will the intensified competition in the organised gold loan segment alter the scenario?

Five percent is the size of organised gold loans in the whole gold loan market. Thanks to the growing competition, the organised gold loan segment will eat into the unorganised gold loan segment. On the other hand, the organised gold loan market has also been witnessing growth, thanks to increasing market penetration and geographical presence. So, both landscape and intensity of competition are growing in the organised gold loan segment. Having said that, gold loan NBFCs will continue to hold sway thanks to their operational efficiency, flexibility and customised approach.

Q: Indel Money has done some innovative fundraising transactions during the pandemic. Can you please elaborate on those transactions?

After the lockdown, we are exploring various fundraising options to keep the onward lending active and cater to the gold loan demands. We were the initial ones to perform a pass through certificate (PTC) transaction immediately post-lockdown. We also performed India's first revolving gold loan PTC transaction to expand our gold loan book. We are also exploring co-lending opportunities as well as BC partnerships.

Q: You have recently launched a first-ever long-term gold loan with a two-year-tenure in the country. How has been the response?

We take pride in the fact that we are India's first NBFC to have launched a two-year old gold loan product. The response so far has been excellent as more and more business owners and household members are recognising gold loans as a usual source of arranging funds, which was quite uncommon previously. The gold loan demand is also being fuelled by the current credit crunch. Hence, ample long term loan requirements are emerging which can be met with gold loans.

Q: You have recently got approval to raise more funds. What is the strategy going forward?

We are in the process of exploring various options such as capital injection by the group holding company, raising funds through public NCDs and PE/VC placement.

Q: You have a strong presence in the southern part of the country with 169 branches. What is your expansion plan? What are the other markets you are planning to target?

We are planning to strengthen our presence in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by FY20-21 and in FY21-22, we aim to cover the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat with our conventional brick and mortar format. And to spread our doorstep gold loan facility which runs on virtual branches, for which we are planning to set up a support hub in every major city across India.

Q: What is your current turnover?

Always finance companies quote on the basis of their book size. The company has got both a balance sheet and off-balance sheet put together with an AUM (Assets Under Management) of Rs. 700 crore.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 21:51:12|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are highlights of China's local business news from the past week.

-- ONLINE RETAIL SALES

Zhejiang Province, an e-commerce heartland and foreign trade hub in east China, reported a robust increase in both online retail sales and cross-border e-commerce trade last year.

The online retail sales of the province in 2020 exceeded 2.26 trillion yuan (about 350 billion U.S. dollars), up 14.3 percent from the previous year, data from the provincial department of commerce showed.

-- RECORD CARGO VOLUME

The import and export goods volume via Erenhot, the largest land port on the China-Mongolia border, rose 13.5 percent from the previous year to more than 17 million tonnes in 2020, according to the port's customs.

In 2020, around 14.7 million tonnes of goods were imported via the port, up 11.9 percent in volume, while exports weighing about 2.44 million tonnes increased by 24.3 percent compared with the same period in 2019.

-- RECORD FDI

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Shanghai hit a record high in 2020 despite the COVID-19 epidemic, according to data from the municipal government.

The actual use of FDI in Shanghai topped 20.2 billion U.S. dollars last year, up 6.2 percent year on year.

-- CHINA-EUROPE FREIGHT TRAIN

A total of 1,273 China-Europe cargo train trips from or to east China's Jiangsu Province were made in 2020, a rise of 36.4 percent compared with the previous year, Nanjing customs said Friday.

The trains carried cargo worth 12.31 billion yuan, surging 53.8 percent from 2019, said Zhang Yaping, deputy head of the customs.

-- AUTO JOINT VENTURE

Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding) and Foxconn Technology Group (Foxconn) have signed a strategic cooperative agreement to establish a joint venture company providing original equipment manufacturer (OEM) production and comprehensive customized consulting services.

-- FOREIGN INVESTMENT

With free trade port policies helping woo investors, China's southern island province of Hainan reported strong foreign investment growth last year.

Preliminary statistics showed that the actual use of foreign investment in Hainan totaled about 3 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, doubling the figure for 2019, according to the provincial department of commerce on Wednesday.

-- PROTOTYPE TRAIN

A prototype train using high-temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev technology was rolled out on Wednesday in southwest China's city of Chengdu.

The domestically developed maglev train boasts a designed speed of 620 kph, according to Southwest Jiaotong University, one of the train's designers.

-- CAR EXPORTS

Chinese automaker Chery Holdings Co., Ltd. reported year-on-year vehicles export growth of 18.7 percent in 2020, with overseas sales of vehicles hitting 114,000 units.

Chery sold a total of 730,000 vehicles in 2020, slightly lower than the 745,000 units in 2019.

-- LIQUOR SALES GROWTH

China's leading liquor producer Wuliangye Yibin Co., Ltd. posted an estimated year-on-year revenue increase of 14 percent to reach 57.2 billion yuan (about 8.76 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020.

The company's net profit attributable to its shareholders rose to about 19.9 billion yuan, also up around 14 percent year on year, according to the company's annual report on major performance data. Enditem
Siemens Mobility has signed an agreement with Egypt to design, install and commission the countrys first ever high-speed rail transportation system with a network of around 1000km, with the first being a 460km project valued around $3 billion.



The National Authority for Tunnels, a governmental authority under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport of Egypt, and Siemens Mobility signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) - together with the local companies Orascom Construction and The Arab Contractors (Osman Ahmed Osman & Co.)



The scope of the project includes turnkey engineering, procurement and construction as well as 15 years of maintenance services.



The MoU was signed by Essam Waly, Chairman of Egypts National Authority for Tunnels, and Michael Peter, CEO Siemens Mobility, in a meeting on January 14 in Cairo. This was witnessed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Transport Egypt Kamel Al Wazir, as well as Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser and Siemens Deputy CEO Roland Busch.



"We are honoured and proud to expand our trustful partnership with Egypt. By building a high efficiency rail system for the country, we will support the Egyptian people with affordable, clean and reliable transportation," said Joe Kaeser, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens AG.



"After the highly successful energy Mega project, we are now keen to repeat this visionary spirit in the mobility sector together with our partners."



Michael Peter, CEO Siemens Mobility, said: We are delighted that the Ministry of Transport is seeking to put their trust in us to deliver this important project. Our digital leadership and comprehensive turnkey services will bring an integrated and state of the art high-speed rail system, that will provide a technology boost for the country and create local jobs. The system will significantly enhance passenger experience and reduce travel time for millions of Egyptian people.



The first 460 km long high-speed line will connect the vastly developing cities of El-Alamein on the Mediterranean Sea to Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea, while also passing through the New Administrative Capital. The line will also be operable for freight transport purposes which will further foster economic growth in the region.



Siemens Mobility is the global leader in high-speed rail operations and is one of the leading companies in the Egyptian mobility market since the 1960s. The company has also extensive experience in delivering high-speed rail projects in the Middle East and Africa region.



As a leading global rail turnkey project provider with a proven track record of delivering projects on time, Siemens Mobility integrates its portfolio elements and delivers complete rail systems reliably and from one single source.



So far, the company has successfully completed around 50 turnkey projects all over the world  delivering many ahead of schedule. Latest projects include the extension of the Blue Line metro in Bangkok finished last year and the Copenhagen Light Rail project.  TradeArabia News Service
Sam Frost was ready for action on Channel Seven's Home and Away set in Sydney's Palm Beach last week.

The 31-year-old actress was spotted working up a sweat in colourful activewear as she filmed scenes for the long-running soap.

The former Bachelorette showed off her gym-honed physique wearing a maroon coloured crop top and matching leggings with spots.

Home and Away star Sam Frost, 31, looked hotter than ever as she was spotted filming a workout scene in Sydney's Palm Beach on Wednesday

The blonde wore her hair up in a loose ponytail, with a number of loose strands blowing in the wind.

Sam finished the look with a pair of grey sneakers and wore AirPods as she pretended to run around Summer Bay.

At one point, Sam was seen getting sprayed with water in an attempt to cool down by crew between takes.

Matching! The former Bachelorette showed off her gym-honed physique wearing a maroon coloured crop top and matching pants which featured a black and white floral print

Relaxed: The blonde wore her hair up in a loose ponytail, with a number of loose strands blowing in the wind

For makeup, the team had applied a natural look and a nude lipstick in a pale tone for the scenes.

Sam appeared in good spirits, laughing and smiling with the crew as she waited for action to be called before she began running.

The reality star-turned-actress is celebrating four years on the show this year.

Sporty: Sam finished the look with a pair of grey sneakers and opted to skip any accessories

Hot: At one point, Sam was seen getting sprayed with water in an attempt to cool down by crew between takes

And while most actors use the long-running soap as an opportunity to springboard into Hollywood, Sam appears to be happily staying put in Summer Bay.

Sam was recently able to jet to Victoria after finishing filming her scenes for the show just before a cluster of COVID cases hit the Northern Beaches in December.

The blonde beauty shared photos from her festive family reunion featuring her brothers Josh and Alex.

Happy: She appeared in good spirits, laughing and smiling with the crew as she waited for action to be called before she began running on the spot

Milestone: The reality star-turned-actress is celebrating four years on the show this year

Good to be back! Sam recently shared photos from her festive family reunion featuring her brothers Josh and Alex. She wrote: 'Finally back in Melbourne with my brothers'

'Home. Finally back in Melbourne with my brothers. Only two out of four pictured. I cannot even tell you how happy I am!!! My heart feels so full,' she added.

Sam's return to set comes as her character, Jasmine Delaney, embarks on a sizzling romance with Lewis Hayes, played by Luke Arnold.

Luke, who became a household name starring as Michael Hutchence on the 2014 mini-series INXS: Never Tear Us Apart, spoke to Daily Mail Australia about joining the long-running soap.

'It's such a staple of Australian TV, and everyone is so friendly, and it's such a well-honed machine, so I have had a really great time on it,' he said.

From reality TV to acting: Sam first rose to fame as Australia's first Bachelorette. Pictured left to right is Sarah Roberts, Emily Symons, Georgie Parker and Lynne McGranger with Sam

Joe Biden's top aide said Saturday the incoming president would sign about a dozen executive orders on his first day in office, as police fearing violence from Trump supporters staged a nationwide security operation ahead of the inauguration.

Authorities in Washington, where Wednesday's inauguration will take place, said they arrested a man with a loaded handgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition at a security checkpoint, underscoring the tension in the US capital which is resembling a war zone.

However, the man said it was "an honest mistake," and that he was a private security guard who got lost on his way to work near the Capitol.

Incoming Biden chief of staff Ron Klain said in a memo to new White House senior staff that the executive orders would address the pandemic, the ailing US economy, climate change and racial injustice in America.

"All of these crises demand urgent action," Klain said in the memo.

"In his first ten days in office, President-elect Biden will take decisive action to address these four crises, prevent other urgent and irreversible harms, and restore America's place in the world," Klain added.

As he inherits the White House from Donald Trump, Biden's plate is overflowing with acute challenges.

The US is fast approaching 400,000 dead from the Covid-19 crisis and logging well over a million new cases a week as the coronavirus spreads out of control.

The economy is ailing, with 10 million fewer jobs available compared to the start of the pandemic. And millions of Americans who back Trump refuse to recognize Biden as the legitimate president.

Biden this week unveiled plans to seek $1.9 trillion to revive the economy through new stimulus payments and other aid, and plans a blitz to accelerate America's stumbling Covid vaccine rollout effort.

On Inauguration Day Biden, as previously promised, will sign orders including ones for the US to rejoin the Paris climate accord and reverse Trump's ban on entry of people from certain Muslim majority countries, Klain said.

Story continues

"President-elect Biden will take action -- not just to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration -- but also to start moving our country forward," Klain said.

- 500 rounds of ammunition -

Meanwhile, Washington was under a state of high alert after a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6. The assault left five people dead, including a police officer.

Security officials have warned that armed pro-Trump extremists, possibly carrying explosives, pose a threat to Washington as well as state capitals over the coming week.

Thousands of National Guard troops have been deployed in Washington and streets have been blocked off downtown with concrete barriers.

On Friday night, police arrested a Virginia man at a security checkpoint where he tried to use an "unauthorized" credential to access the restricted area where Biden will be inaugurated.

As officers checked the credential, one noticed decals on the back of Wesley Beeler's pick-up truck that said "Assault Life," with an image of a rifle, and another with the message: "If they come for your guns, give 'em your bullets first," according to a document filed in Washington, DC Superior Court.

Under questioning, Beeler told officers he had a Glock handgun in the vehicle. A search uncovered a loaded handgun, more than 500 rounds of ammunition, shotgun shells and a magazine for the gun, the court document said.

Beeler was arrested on charges including possession of an unregistered firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition.

"It was an honest mistake," Beeler told The Washington Post after being released from jail.

"I pulled up to a checkpoint after getting lost in DC because I'm a country boy," he said. "I showed them the inauguration badge that was given to me."

Beeler told the newspaper he works as a private security guard near the Capitol, and presented a credential provided by his employer.

He said he was licensed to carry his gun in Virginia, but forgot to take it out of his car before leaving home for his overnight shift in Washington.

Prosecutors did not object to Beeler's release from jail, the Washington Post said, though he was ordered to stay out of Washington except for court-related matters.

In addition to the heavy security presence in the US capital, law enforcement was out in force at statehouses around the country to ward off potential political violence.

Mass protests that had been planned for the weekend did not materialize on Saturday, with security far outnumbering Trump supporters at several fortified capitols, US media reported.

In St Paul, Minnesota, for example, hundreds of law enforcement officers, some armed with long guns, ringed the Capitol with National Guard troops providing backup.

The number of protesters totaled about 50.

acb/dw
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Five Northeast Ohio bars  four in Cuyahoga County and one in Summit County  were cited Saturday for violating the orders put in place by the Ohio Department of Health in order to try and curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

None of the bars have previously been cited by the Ohio Investigative Unit. Here are the establishments cited Saturday, in alphabetical order by city, according to a news release from the OIU:

Papa Dons Pub, Akron

Papa Dons Pub, on East Market Street near Interstate 76, was cited about 8:50 p.m. Saturday. OIU agents went to the bar and saw more than 50 patrons packed inside, with no social distancing measures in place. Every seat at the bar was occupied, and people were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, an OIU news release says. The bar received a citation for improper conduct  disorderly activity.

Backstage Bar, Cleveland

Backstage Bar, on Lorain Avenue in Clevelands Kamms Corners neighborhood, was cited about 10:40 p.m. Saturday. OIU agents cited the bar for improper conduct  disorderly activity after they observed numerous patrons still inside drinking alcohol, with bartenders still serving drinks. Gov. Mike DeWine put a cut-off on alcohol sales at 10 p.m. over the summer.

In the Drink, Fairview Park

In the Drink, a bar on Lorain Road near Fairview Parks border with Cleveland, was cited about 10:25 p.m. Saturday for improper conduct  disorderly activity. Patrons were still inside and drinking alcohol past the 10 p.m. cut-off.

Riverwood Cafe, Lakewood

Riverwood Cafe, on Detroit Road on the west end of Lakewood, received a citation for improper conduct  disorderly activity about 9:15 p.m. Saturday. Agents cited the bar after observing about 100 patrons inside, standing shoulder-to-shoulder while the bar was packed. There were no social distancing measures or physical barriers in place.

Shadows Bar & Grill, Parma Heights

Shadows Bar & Grill, on West 130th Street near the intersection with Pearl Road, was cited about 8:15 p.m. for improper conduct  disorderly activity. OIU agents were joined by Parma Heights police in their investigation. Authorities saw about 100 patrons at the establishment, with many closely congregating. There were some safety precautions in place, but the social distancing measures or physical barriers to separate groups were not.

These administrative cases will be heard by the Ohio Liquor Control Commission for possible penalties, including fines or the suspension or revocation of liquor permits, according to the OIU. You can find cases that have been heard by the liquor control commission and their findings here.

Read more coronavirus-related coverage on cleveland.com:

COVID-19 vaccine dates for seniors, school employees set for Cuyahoga County

At least 17,000 more people than usual died last year in Ohio amid coronavirus

Try to focus on the blessing: Concord woman keeps positive thoughts despite long-haul coronavirus  Coping Through Covid

Photo: (Photo : Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)

A young Orlando boy was rescued from abuse by a waitress through a note. The 11-year-old boy was removed from his home while his mom and stepfather are in jail.

The Orlando waitress, Flavaine Carvalho, noticed that there was something wrong with the young Orlando boy. The waitress wrote a note and showed it to the young boy. When the boy nodded yes, Carvalho decided to call 911.

ALSO READ: Mom and Dad Abandon Newborn Baby Because They Feel There Is No Connection





Orlando waitress observes the young boy

Carvalho was not supposed to work on New year's day. However, because the restaurant where she works was short-staffed, she had to report for duty.

While on her shift, the Orlando waitress noticed that a young boy had a scratch between his eyebrows. This young boy was with two adults and a young girl.

Aside from the scratch, what alarmed Carvalho was that the young boy did not order anything. The adults with the boy said that the child will eat dinner at home.

The waitress said, " You don't deny food for a kid, especially in a restaurant." After noticing this, she also saw bruising on the boy's arm and face.

That is why she thought of doing something.

Orlando boy was rescued though a note

For the waitress to be able to ask the young Orlando boy if something was wrong, she thought of writing a note asking if he was okay. She showed this to the boy in a way that his parents will not be able to see it.

When the boy gestured no, Carvalho wrote another note and asked if he needed help. The boy nodded yes. That is when the Orlando waitress called for help.

In the 911 call that she made, she shared that she was worried about a kid with many bruises on his arms.

ALSO READ: Texas Baby Killed, Brother Wounded in the Shooting of a Teenager





Young Orlando boy claims he was abused.

The Orlando police came to the scene and questioned the young boy.

He claims that he suffered abuse from his stepfather. In his claims, the young boy said he was hit with a broom and was denied food as a punishment.

This stepfather was arrested immediately.

On the other hand, the mother of the 11-year-old boy admitted that she is aware of the abuse. This led to her arrest, and she was charged as well.

A 4-year-old child was also removed from the custody of these adults. This child was not abused.

Police investigation

After the Orlando boy was rescued, he was taken to the hospital.

Upon check-up, the boy appears to be underweight for his age.

According to the Orlando police, he had gone through torture. The police added, "If Ms. Carvalho would not have said something when she saw it that little boy would probably not be with us much longer."

ALSO READ: Detroit Mom Accidentally Shoots Daughter After an Argument with Neighbor over Food Delivery
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will wait for a recommendation from his intelligence advisers on whether to share classified information with President Donald Trump after the Republican leaves office, Biden's top aide said on Sunday.

Ron Klain, the incoming White House chief of staff, made the comment after former principal deputy director of national intelligence, Sue Gordon, wrote an op-ed arguing against sharing such information with Trump once he has left the presidency.

"With this simple act  which is solely the new presidents prerogative  Joe Biden can mitigate one aspect of the potential national security risk posed by Donald Trump, private citizen," Gordon said in a Washington Post piece headlined "A former president Trump won't 'need to know.' Cut off his intelligence."

Asked about Gordon's recommendation, Klain told CNN's "State of the Union" program that Biden would want to hear from his own intelligence professionals before making any decision.

"We'll certainly look for a recommendation from the intelligence professionals in the Biden administration ... and we will act on that recommendation," he said.

Gordon, who resigned in 2019, said any former president was a foreign intelligence target but Trump "might be unusually vulnerable to bad actors with ill intent," citing, among other things, his business interests abroad.

"It is not clear that he understands the tradecraft to which he has been exposed, the reasons the knowledge he has acquired must be protected from disclosure, or the intentions and capabilities of adversaries," she added.

Democratic House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff was more blunt, telling CBS' "Face The Nation" program, "I don't think he can be trusted with it."

(Reporting By Arshad Mohammed and Jan Wolfe; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
A year-long hunt by The Mail on Sunday and Western intelligence officials for a Chinese lab researcher believed to be the worlds first Covid-19 patient has been thwarted by a suspected state cover-up.

Huang Yanling, who worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, was named as Patient Zero in online reports that were widely shared inside China in the early weeks of the outbreak last February. The revelation created a direct link between the pandemic and the lab suspected to have accidentally unleashed it while conducting dangerous experiments on bat coronaviruses.

The reports did not say when she contracted the virus or if she survived. However, they support the US State Departments belief she was the first of several researchers at the controversial institute who fell ill with Covid-19 in the autumn of 2019, before it was officially acknowledged.

PATIENT ZERO: The only picture thought to show missing former Wuhan lab worker Huang Yanling (left)

Chinese government and lab officials stepped in swiftly to deny the reports at the time and remove them from the internet, claiming Huang was safe and well elsewhere in China.

A post purporting to be from Huang appeared on WeChat, Chinas equivalent of WhatsApp, telling colleagues and teachers at the institute she was alive and insisting the reports were false.

The message read: To my teachers and fellow students, how long no speak. I am Huang Yanling, still alive. If you receive any email [regarding the Covid rumour], please say its not true.

A separate post by her former boss, Professor Wei Hong Ping, claimed Huang left the institute in 2015 and had contacted him by phone to deny the reports.

A day later, a Chinese news agency made a vague claim to have spoken to her new employer without providing details.

Inexplicably, however, Huang has disappeared from social media and has not been heard from since being identified as Patient Zero, while her biography and research history have been scrubbed from the institutes website.

Almost one year on, the only trace of the student researcher is a grainy picture of her salvaged from the institutes website and circulated on the internet.

In the days after the initial reports, bloggers and internet users in China suspicious of officials denials pleaded with Huang to make a public appearance to prove she was alive. To stop this rumour spreading, Huang should just come forward and do a blood test, said one. Another posted: No matter where you live, Huang, you will be found.

Chinas internet censors quickly stamped out discussion of Huang, and extensive enquiries within the country by The Mail on Sunday, including messages to her former colleagues, have failed to turn up any trace of her.

Chinese government is under growing pressure to reveal the true origins of the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: Researcher at a lab in Wuhan

Huang remains an enigma, the only picture of her showing a woman in her 20s with long hair, peeking out from behind a colleague. Her name is included among the writers of three scientific papers issued by the Wuhan institute between 2013 and 2015, including research into staphylococcus bacteria.

Western governments and intelligence agencies are also understood to have tried and failed to locate Huang amid a ferocious crackdown on any challenge to Chinas official narrative that the outbreak has no link to the Wuhan facility.

In its statement yesterday, the US State Department complained that the Chinese Communist Party had prevented investigators and global health authorities from interviewing researchers at the Wuhan institute including those who were ill in the fall [autumn] of 2019.

Beijing continues today to withhold vital information that scientists need to protect the world from this deadly virus and the next one, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added.

Chinas reluctance to produce Huang to quash the alleged rumours has fuelled the belief that she is either dead or is being held by the state to cover up the institutes culpability for the pandemic. It has also generated lurid speculation about her fate, with some claiming Huang must have been hastily cremated. Everyone on the Chinese internet is searching for Huang. Most believe she is dead, said one blogger.

In the same month that Huang was named as Patient Zero, a user of Chinese social-media platform Weibo, claiming to be a researcher in Wuhan, alleged the virus had leaked from the institute.

The lab denied the allegation and said the claim came from an overseas impostor posing as one of its researchers.
Baghdad, Jan 17 : Iraqi security forces killed two Islamic State (IS) terrorists and arrested six others from across the country, the military said.

An army force, backed by Iraqi aircraft, attacked an IS hideout near the town of al-Garma in Fallujah, some 50 km west of the capital Baghdad, leaving two IS militants dead, Xinhua news agency quoted commander of Anbar's Operations Command Nasir al-Ghannam as saying in a statement on Saturday.

Separately, the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) carried out operations in the provinces of Kirkuk, Salahudin, Anbar, and Baghdad, which resulted in the arrest of six IS militants, including an IS local leader, spokesman of the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces Yehia Rasool said in a separate statement.

The operations came as the extremist IS militants have intensified their attacks on the security forces, including Hashd Shaabi forces, and civilians in the formerly IS-controlled Sunni provinces, resulting in the killing and wounding of dozens.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017.

However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.
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The specially selected film program includes MegaHit on bTV every Sat and Sun at 8:00 pm, romantic movie title every Saturday and Sunday afternoon and one of the most iconic on-screen love stories The Notebook aired on the 14th of February at 9:00 pm on bTV Cinema.

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More Tourism Jobs to Flow From SA Grants

A $2 million boost to South Australias tourism sector will create more than 100 jobs and help regional communities overcome the twin impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and last summers bushfires, Premier Steven Marshall says.

Wineries, boutique accommodation venues, a distillery and a micro-brewery are among the latest venues to receive money from the states Tourism Development Fund.

Todays cash injection will create more than 100 jobs and support regional communities from the bushfire-affected Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island, to the Flinders Ranges and the Riverland, Marshall said on January 17.

This will not only help them attract more visitors to their businesses, but to their region as well.

The SA government has allocated $20 million to the development fund with $3.7 million handed out so far.

Applications for grants will continue until the end of March 2022, or until all the grant money is exhausted.

Tim Dornin in Adelaide

As Bloomberg reports, this adds six to the number of known fatalities in Norway, and also lowers the age group thought to be affected from 80.

Until Friday, Pfizer/BioNTech was the only vaccine available in Norway, and all deaths are thus linked to this vaccine, the Norwegian Medicines Agency said in a written response to Bloomberg on Saturday. There are 13 deaths that have been assessed, and we are aware of another 16 deaths that are currently being assessed, the agency said. All the reported deaths related to elderly people with serious basic disorders, it said. Most people have experienced the expected side effects of the vaccine, such as nausea and vomiting, fever, local reactions at the injection site, and worsening of their underlying condition.

Norways experience has prompted the country to suggest that Covid-19 vaccines may be too risky for the very old and terminally ill... the exact group that 'the science' shows are actually at risk from this virus.

Pfizer and BioNTech are working with the Norwegian regulator to investigate the deaths in Norway, Pfizer said in an e-mailed statement. The agency found that the number of incidents so far is not alarming, and in line with expectations, Pfizer said.

However, it's not just Norway as The Epoch Times' Zachary Stieber reports that fifty-five people in the United States have died after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, according to reports submitted to a federal system.

Deaths have occurred among people receiving both the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, according to the reports.

In some cases, patients died within days of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

One man, a 66-year-old senior home resident in Colorado, was sleepy and stayed in bed a day after getting Modernas vaccine. Early the next morning, on Christmas Day, the resident was observed in bed lying still, pale, eyes half open and foam coming from mouth and unresponsive, the VAERS report states. He was not breathing and with no pulse. In another case, a 93-year-old South Dakota man was injected with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Jan. 4 around 11 a.m. About two hours later, he said he was tired and couldnt continue with the physical therapy he was doing any longer. He was taken back to his room, where he said his legs felt heavy. Soon after, he stopped breathing. A nurse declared a do-not-resuscitate order.

In addition to the deaths, people have reported 96 life-threatening events following COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as 24 permanent disabilities, 225 hospitalizations, and 1,388 emergency room visits.

It's not just the old and frail, in Israel, which proudly lays claim to the greatest vaccination effort in the world (largest percentage of the population inoculated),

As RT reports, at least 13 Israelis have experienced facial paralysis after being administered the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, a month after the US Food and Drug Administration reported similar issues but said they werent linked to the jab.

Israeli outlet Ynet reported, citing the Health Ministry, that officials believe the number of such cases could be higher.

For at least 28 hours I walked around with it [facial paralysis], one person who had the side effect told Ynet. I can't say it was completely gone afterwards, but other than that I had no other pains, except a minor pain where the injection was, but there was nothing beyond that.

Ynet quoted Prof. Galia Rahav, director of the Infectious Diseases Unit at Sheba Medical Center, who said she did not feel comfortable with administering the second dose to someone who had received the first jab and subsequently suffered from paralysis.

No one knows if this is connected to the vaccine or not. That's why I would refrain from giving a second dose to someone who suffered from paralysis after the first dose, she told the outlet.

Finally, as we noted yesterday following the news of rising post-vaccination deaths in Noway, health experts from Wuhan, China, called on Norway and other countries to suspend the use of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines produced by companies such as Pfizer, especially among elderly people.

China's Global Times reports Chinese experts said the death incident should be assessed cautiously to understand whether the death was caused by vaccines or other preexisting conditions of these individuals.

Yang Zhanqiu, a virologist from Wuhan University, told the Global Times on Friday that the death incident, if proven to be caused by the vaccines, showed that the effect of the Pfizer vaccine and other mRNA vaccines is not as good as expected, as the main purpose of mRNA vaccines is to heal patients. ... A Beijing-based immunologist, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Friday that the world should suspend the use of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine represented by Pfizer, as this new technology has not proven safety in large-scale use or in preventing any infectious diseases. Older people, especially those over 80, should not be recommended to receive any COVID-19 vaccine, he said.

All of which is a problem since it is the elderly who are at most risk (quite frankly at any real risk at all) and thus who need the protection the most.

The Chinese health experts instead say that the most elderly and frail should be recommended to take medicines to improve their immune system.

Of course, one cannot help but note the irony of scientists from the source of the plague that has killed millions around the world and destroyed lives/economies almost everywhere, is now calling for the cessation of the process to protect against the plague.

New Delhi, Jan 17 : Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Sunday that the third peak of coronavirus had almost come down as positivity rate had dipped to 0.42 per cent a day earlier.

"Now, we can say that the third peak of Covid-19 infections has come down, though I will still urge the people of Delhi to follow the prescribed health guidelines." Pointing out that the vaccination drive against coronavirus was rolled out at 81 health centers across Delhi on Saturday, the Minister confirmed that one serious adverse reaction case had been reported from All India Institute of Medical Sciences here.

"There were 51 minor incidents but all persons were allowed to go after a few hours of medical observation, except one patient who was a bit serious and admitted in AIIMS," Jain added.

The AIIMS patient is a 22-year-old security guard working at the hospital. He was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit till Saturday night but was stable.

The Minister said that the healthcare workers of Delhi Municipal Corporations (MCDs) were not listed for vaccination on the first day of the drive because of their ongoing protest.

"Excluding MCD health workers on the first day of vaccination drive was not a politically motivated decision but was done because they are holding protest for the last two weeks. The Delhi government has already ensured that vaccination shots are given to all those eligible in the first phase." As for lesser number of vaccinations undertaken on the first day, he said: "It was the case throughout the country, and not only in Delhi. The Delhi government will not force anyone for vaccination. It will be voluntary. Even those whose names have been registered will not be forced to take the vaccine shots."
Many Australians would think the shocking political violence seen at the US Capitol in Washington DC could never happen here.

But witnesses who saw blood spilled when unionist rioters stormed Parliament House, Canberra, almost a quarter of a century ago beg to differ.

Ben Fordham, now 2GB's Breakfast host, remembers it was his first day as a cub reporter at Radio 2UE's Canberra bureau.

It was August 19, 1996 and he was sent down to cover a protest by the Australian Council of Trade Unions against John Howard's industrial relations laws.

It started peacefully enough, with 25,000 demonstrators on the promenade ... but the broadcaster will never forget the shameful scenes that unfolded next.

'It was absolutely chaotic,' he said.

'I can still remember seeing a young female police officer being helped away by a colleague, blood pouring out.'

The 1996 Parliament House riot turned bloody (above, in the Marble Foyer). But it has mostly been forgotten about in modern history

Some 25,000 demonstrators swarmed Parliament House, Canberra, to protest against Prime Minister John Howard's industrial relations laws. It started peacefully but ended with a breakaway group of rioters smashing into the parliamentary gift shop

A breakaway group - many who had reportedly fuelled up on booze at a barbeque - made a run for the front doors of the seat of Australian democracy.

They tried to smash their way in, screaming 'our house, let us in'. Soon after, rioters managed to break in via a separate entrance: the parliamentary gift shop.

Dozens stormed inside and mayhem ensued - with several ransacking the gift shop in the process, pilfering teaspoons and tea towels.

'I was standing in the gift shop looking at people filling their bags, pockets and bras with whatever they could find,' Fordham recalled.

A young Ben Fordham was a cub reporter in Radio 2UE's Canberra bureau at the time

Police and parliamentary security officers rushed to block the rioters off in the foyer.

Punches were thrown and protesters used gift shop objects, including political books, as missiles.

Some rioters cried out to the prime minister: 'We're coming to get you Johnny!'

Walls were graffitied. A few rioters tried to get past the police line by crowd-surfing over their heads.

A paint bomb was thrown. Legend has it that it ruined the suit of press gallery legend Laurie Oakes.

'He got covered,' Fordham said.

It took two hours for about 200 police to push the mob back. Forty-nine rioters were arrested and some 90 police and parliamentary security staff were injured, according to a history by academic Luke Deer.

Fordham said: 'The most remarkable aspect of it was it came from no where. When it blew up, it exploded.'

Newly-elected prime minister John Howard condemned the storming of Parliament as an attack on the democratic process

Prime Minister Howard condemned the violence as an insult to the democratic process.

'What occurred here today was un-Australian,' he said. 'Never under any circumstances will my government buckle to threats of physical violence or behaviour of that kind.'

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley was likewise scathing, calling rioters 'lunatics' and 'louts' who had spoiled a peaceful protest.

Speaker of the House Bob Halverson described it as one of the 'most shameful' episodes in the nation's history.

The union movement suffered major political fallout. Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Bill Kelty gave a disastrous interview hailing the protest as a success. 'It was so out of touch with reality,' Fordham said.

But the country moved on, and the riot has mostly been forgotten about - until now, when parallels have been drawn with the US Capitol attack, in how the 'people's house' was targeted.

A mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Congress last week. Above, a man in camouflage carries a set of flexible handcuffs. Others wore bullet proof vests

The angry mob climbed the walls of the 'temple of democracy' and stormed the Congress

All who were present at Parliament decades ago are thankful the protest, violent as it was, lacked the military hardware and sinister intent of those who attacked Washington to disrupt the confirmation of Joe Biden's election.

Jim Middleton, the ABC chief political reporter at the time, told Daily Mail Australia the Parliament House riot was 'frightening, confronting, violent and counter-productive'.

'But they weren't trying to overthrow the government,' he said. They were simply trying to make a point, and if anything, did harm to their cause.

Likewise, the rioters came armed only with fists, not guns.

Mr Middleton said that didn't excuse their behaviour at all - 'but it's not quite the same as turning up with body armour and flash bombs and Tasers.'
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Mr Garske said he was shocked to learn his rates would jump by an estimated 24 per cent, with similar increases for his neighbours across the former Marrickville council area. "I thought, 'holy shit,' to be honest. I looked at a place I used to live in Birchgrove and it's going down 4.4 per cent, and it was about the same for that whole area," he said. Jane Sinclair is frustrated her rates bill will rise, while many residents in areas with higher property prices will pay less. Credit:Brook Mitchell Marrickville homeowner Jane Sinclair was angry she would have to pay $396 more per year when she said property values and household incomes in suburbs such as Balmain were mostly higher than in her suburb. "We've got friends in Ashfield and Balmain, and their rates are going down while ours are going up and there's been no increase in council services. If anything they've gone backwards," she said.

Loading Independent councillor Pauline Lockie said merged councils did not have many other options to distribute rates more fairly in NSW, where rates are calculated according to each propertys land value rather than market value. "I can completely understand why people are so angry and shocked about this, because it is incredibly frustrating to be in this position due to a bad government policy. We're part of a council a lot of us didn't want to be part of." The council's online calculator shows, for example, the rates for a house in Marrickville jump from $1659 to $2055, while those paid by the owner of a waterfront home on Louisa Road in Birchgrove fall from $8225 to $7859. The rates for a house in Ashfield would drop from $1734 to $1297. Payments for a house in Balmain might drop from $2392 to $2285.

The council also wants to lift its minimum rate, the amount paid by most apartment owners, by about 20 per cent  from $710 to $850. Leichhardt homeowner Matt Bowen assumed his rates would go up and was surprised his bill would drop from $1263 to $1207. "I'm happy for an extra $60," he said. Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne pushed for the proposed changes to be phased in over several years. "While we won't be increasing rates overall, if you harmonise three different rates systems there are definitely going to be winners and losers, so the more gradually that can happen [the better]," he said. In Bayside Council, formed through a merger of Botany Bay and Rockdale, rates for a house in Hillsdale could jump from $1069 to $1415. But rates for a waterfront house in Sandringham drop from $2483 to $2215.

"Unfortunately, we don't like it," Bayside Council mayor Joe Awada said of the government's mandate. "The issue in Bayside is ratepayers on the Botany side are paying a lot less, an average of $700, than the ratepayers on the Rockdale side, who pay an average of $1200 [in rates]." Homeowners in areas such as Rosebery, in the Bayside Council area, could face significant increases to their rates. Credit:Dean Sewell Cr Awada also hopes the government will give councils the flexibility to spread the changes over three to five years as "a lot of people can't afford an extra $50 a year". Cr Christina Curry said a planned 39 per cent increase in the minimum rate meant residents in the former Botany Bay council area would be slugged with significant increases of between 20 to 40 per cent.

"Our community feels very hurt that this is going to be put on them," she said. Cumberland Council mayor Steve Christou said former Auburn council residents, who are among the area's poorest, faced an average one-off rise in rates of 23 per cent, or an annual increase of 9.2 per cent over five years. Residents in the former Holroyd council's suburbs, the area's most affluent, will experience a 1.97 per cent drop on average over five years. "I'm most unhappy with the 9.2 per cent increase for [Auburn ratepayers] but council's hands are tied," Cr Christou said. The City of Parramatta estimates residents in parts of the former Hills council who pay an average of $1021 in rates face a $22 increase. An average ratepayer in the former Auburn council area would have their $687 bill jump by $172.

Loading But average yearly rates for residents in the old council areas of Parramatta ($942), Hornsby ($1136) and Holroyd ($861) would drop by $33, $46 and $119 respectively. Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock said she heard "loud and clear" that merging rating systems was "an issue", prompting her to extend an earlier completion deadline and set up a working group of affected councils. "The government understands that creating a new residential rating structure is a complex task and thats why we are introducing sensible reforms to provide greater flexibility for councils harmonising their rating structures in 2021," she said. Mrs Hancock said councils that chose to bring in the changes gradually would be required to set out to their communities their "intended approach".
The Duchess of Sussexs father Thomas Markle is to make a documentary about his life, he revealed yesterday.

Mr Markle, 76, said the film would feature previously unseen home videos and photographs of Meghan.

Meghan, 39, has not seen her father since before her wedding to Prince Harry.

Mr Markle, a retired Hollywood lighting director, told The Sun on Sunday of the documentary: It begins with my life, my family, my love of theatre and television and how I got there.

'Then my life with Meghan, growing up, her school days until she went off to college, and when her career began.

Thomas Markle has not seen daughter Meghan since before her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018

The documentary, which could premier this year, will feature unseen pictures and videos of the Duchess of Sussex

We had a good life together, up through her first marriage and her move to Canada. Then a new story begins. Its kind of like What happened to my baby girl?.

Mr Markle, who lives in Mexico, said he hoped the film could be ready by the end of the year. In a Channel 5 documentary last year, Mr Markle detailed the breakdown of his relationship with his daughter.

Meghan lived with her father between the ages of 11 and 18 and Mr Markle claimed he paid her school fees and college tuition. But he said their relationship soured after he was unable to attend her wedding in 2018 after he had emergency heart surgery.

Mr Markle said he had never met his grandson Archie and had only learned his daughter was pregnant when he heard it on the radio.

Mr Markle says his relationship with the Duchess of Sussex soured when he was unable to attend her wedding

He accused the couple of saying trashy things about him and said he believed his relationship with Meghan was damaged beyond repair.

In the film, Thomas Markle: My Story, he said he was embarrassed and disappointed by Meghan and Harrys decision to step back from their duties as senior royals.

He said they had an obligation to represent the Royal Family and said their new freedom to make commercial deals to earn money risked jeopardising the reputation of the royals.

Harry, 36, and Meghan have signed contracts to produce programmes for Netflix and podcasts for Spotify as part of their new life in Los Angeles.

The deals were signed as part of their new life with son Archie in Los Angeles, after their decision to step down from royal duties last year.
DUBAIIrans Revolutionary Guards on Saturday fired long-range ballistic missiles into the Indian Ocean on the second day of a military exercise, state media reported.

The drill, which comes in the waning days of high tensions with U.S. President Donald Trumps administration, was conducted in the countrys central desert region.

It followed Fridays testing of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and locally manufactured new drones in the same area.

One of our most important defence policy goals is to use long-range ballistic missiles against enemy warships, including aircraft carriers and warships, state media quoted Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami as saying.

With these missiles, which have a range of 1,800 kilometres, he said, we can now strike moving targets in the ocean, instead of the usual low-speed cruise missiles.

Saturdays drill targets were in the Gulf of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean.

Chief of Staff General Mohammad Baqeri said while Iran had no offensive intentions, it would now be able to respond to any hostile and malicious act in the shortest time.

On Wednesday, Iran tested short-range naval missile in the Gulf and there were exercises earlier this month that featured a wide array of drones.

Iran has one of the biggest missile programmes in the Middle East, regarding them as a deterrent and retaliatory force against the United States and other adversaries in the event of war.

There have been periodic confrontations between Irans military and U.S. forces in the Gulf since 2018, when Trump abandoned Irans 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reinstated harsh sanctions against Tehran.

Related Coverage Irans Violations of Nuclear Deal Deeply Concern European Participants

President-elect Joe Biden has said the United States will rejoin the nuclear deal if Iran resumes strict compliance.
Nguyen Thi Tu Anh (L), Chief Representative of GFA of Germany in Vietnam hands over the FSC certificate to Tran Nguyen Tu, Chairman of Quy Nhon Forestry C/. Ltd (Photo: VNA)

This is the first State-owned enterprise in Binh Dinh province to win the FSC certificate for plantation forest.

Chairman of Quy Nhon Forestry Co., Ltd Tran Nguyen Tu said that the FSC forest certification will help raise the economic value of products from forest of the company.

In the coming time, the company will invest in developing a processing plant to complete a complete chain of forestry development, including high quality saplings production, afforestation, sustainable forest management and wood processing.

Standing Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Tuan Thanh said that the FSC certification is a great encouragement, recognising efforts of the firm in sustainable and responsible forest management and development.

This is also a model that other units and organizations in the locality should follow, towards improving the value of forests and the quality of the environment, he stressed.

Implementing the sustainable forest management programme under the National Forestry Development Strategy in 2006 - 2020, Binh Dinh authorities have implemented a project to plant big wood trees. The locality aims to have 30,000 ha of big wood tree forest by 2035.

Binh Dinh is currently one of the four top localities in the country in terms of wood furniture production value, Thanh said, adding that the locality plans to further develop the sector while simultaneously improving the quality of forests and the environment to serve the community.

The Forest Stewardship Council is a global not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting responsible forest management around the world. Officially founded in 1994 with a mission to stop global deforestation, the FSC certification scheme ensures that forests products are responsibly managed and harvested./.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Kingsford Bagbin has reacted to claims that he was selected by consensus.



Unlike claims by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that Hon Bagbin won by 138 votes in the election held on January 7, 2021, Leader of the NPP Caucus in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu said he was chosen by consensus and that he did not win the election.



In response, however, Alban Bagbin in his maiden address said: "That is the message in the votes of 136 in favor of Rt Hon. Aaron Mike Oquaye, as to 138 for Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, with one spoilt ballot, which propelled me to this high office of Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana



I fully subscribe to that view. No more, no less. Cooperation, dialogue, accommodation, and consensus-building must guide this Parliament in the conduct of its business. We must work together for the betterment of Ghana and Ghanaians" he added.





Read his full address below



Hon Members,



I would like, first and foremost, to express my gratitude, once again, to all of you for your support in electing me as Speaker of the 8th Parliament of the Republic of Ghana, in accordance with Article 95, clauses (1) and (3) of the Constitution and Orders 8 and 9 of the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana. As I pledged to you and the Nation on the occasion of my election as Speaker, I am fully committed to serving this House and this Country faithfully and conscientiously as the Speaker for Members of Parliament and indeed all Ghanaians.



SPECIAL WELCOME TO FIRST-TIME MEMBERS



Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate each and every one of you, once again, on being elected or re-elected as a Member of the eight Parliament of the Fourth Republic. I am particularly delighted to welcome the one hundred and twenty-seven fresh hands, who are assuming your seats as Members of this House for the first time. You have now earned the privilege to be addressed in this Chamber as Honorable. And honorable you must be.



Whatever may have been your inspiration for choosing to embark on this path, I would like you to know that the position you now occupy as a Member of Parliament is a position of leadership, of honor, of privilege, of trust, and, above all, of service. Your constituents have reposed in you, as in the rest of your colleagues, an enormous amount of confidence and trust in electing you to represent them and their interests in this House of the People of Ghana. You have a reciprocal responsibility and obligation to serve them and the Nation with honor, and integrity. Remember at all times, that you lead your people best by serving them with respect, with humility, and with diligence.



My office, together with the Office of the Clerk of Parliament and the Parliamentary Service as a whole, stands ready to assist you with a range of services and resources, including training, necessary to make your transition into your new role as smooth as possible. I am also confident that you will find among your returning colleagues many who are able and willing to help you navigate and learn the ropes here as quickly as you can, so that you can contribute effectively to the business of this House and make an impact within the shortest possible time.



Ultimately, responsibility for having a successful career in this House rests with you. Remember that, this House is a house of rules and procedures. Thus, knowledge and, with time, mastery, of the rules and procedures that govern the business and proceedings of this House will be indispensable to your success as a Member, as well as make my job as Speaker, all the more effective. May your career in this House be as long and as productive as mine has been.



MEMBERS WHO BECOME MINISTERS



Honourable Members, by the dictates of the Constitution of the Fourth Republic, some of you will, in due course, be nominated and, with the approval of this House, appointed by the President to positions in his Administration as Ministers and Deputy Ministers of State. During my 28-year career as a Member of Parliament, I had the opportunity to serve as a Minister of State in different capacities. This so-called hybrid feature of our Constitutional system means, in effect, that a certain number of you will, at any given time, be under a duty to serve three Masters: Constituency, Parliament and the President.



Hon Members, you are well aware, of the Biblical injunction to not serve two masters, lest you become devoted to one and despise the other. (Matthew 6:24). In your situation, it is even worse. You are enjoined to serve three masters. Needless to say, our experience has shown that, in the case of Members who double as Ministers, the master that is often sacrificed and left holding the shorter end of the stick is Parliament. Members who are appointed to Ministerial office generally prioritize their Executive Branch roles over their Parliamentary roles. Scholars and students of governance have observed and noted the myriad ways in which this arrangement has served to unbalance the relationship between the Executive and Parliament and affected adversely the ability of Parliament and of MPs to carry out faithfully their representative, oversight, deliberative, and legislative roles.



Until we reform this constitutional arrangement to improve the countrys governance, however, I believe all parties or players implicated in this arrangement, namely the President, Parliament itself, and those Members appointed as Ministers, have each a responsibility to take steps to minimize the negative impact of this arrangement on the business, mandate, and performance of the House. As a former Member of this House, with a parliamentary career as long and as old as this 4th Republic, one thing I do know for sure is that drawing a large number of Ministers and Deputy Ministers of State from the Membership of Parliament is unhelpful to the business of Parliament and also weakens Parliaments ability to perform its proper role in the promotion of good governance.



Be that as it may, Members appointed to serve as Ministers or Deputy Ministers must understand that, you are Members of Parliament, first and foremost. In fact, in most or nearly all cases, you will have earned your appointment as Minister of State on account of your position or standing as a Member of Parliament. It behooves such Members, therefore, to continue to take your Parliamentary roles and responsibilities seriously. Indeed, the anecdotal evidence suggests that, among Members who double as Ministers, those who strive to balance their responsibilities to both Branches of Government, as difficult as that may be, tend to have more successful and longer careers on both sides.



WHAT THE PEOPLE OF GHANA EXPECT OF THE 8th PARLIAMENT



Hon Members, in the General Elections of December 7, 2020, out of which this 8th Parliament has emerged, the People of Ghana sent a loud and clear message to the political class when they voted to deny both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) single-party control of the Legislative Branch. The score of 137 for NPP and 137 for NDC, with one Independent, the decision of no Majority Party and no Minority Party, in Parliament, is a call for us to chart a new path, to embark on new ways of transacting Parliamentary business, which you know or ought to know, is the business of the people. I urge the leadership of both sides of the House to put their heads together to smoothen out any bottlenecks or challenges that may impede the conduct of business in the House.



The message which these results convey, I believe, may be summed up in the common expression enough is enough. Or to put it differently, No more business as usual.



I believe that the People of Ghana, in voting as they did in the last elections, have signaled their frustration with and disapproval of the Party First mindset and the associated unbridled partisanship and partisan polarization that have taken root in our politics and are giving our option of multi-party democracy a bad name. I would like to believe also that the first indication that this message may have begun to sink is the very fact of my election as Speaker of Parliament, despite not being the nominee or preference of those Members whose partys flagbearer has been declared by the Chair of the Electoral Commission as President-elect. I am sincerely grateful for the bipartisan approval of my speakership of this Parliament by you. God richly bless you all.



Hon Members, the People of Ghana would like us to prioritize the needs and concerns of the Country and of all Ghanaians above our own private or parochial interest or the narrow interest of one or the other political party. The People of Ghana are growing tired of politics as usual; of seeing their elected and appointed officials treat their political parties and political party identities as if those were bigger and more important than our common citizenship and as if those artificial identities were ends in themselves, as opposed to a means to the ultimate end, namely the collective progress and development of the country. The People of Ghana are demanding sound and effective solutions to their everyday problems, needs, frustrations, anxieties, and fears. The youth in particular wants to be inspired, motivated and given hope for a better future of unlimited opportunities. They want this country to grow and to prosper; to realize and live up to its full potential; to use its bountiful resources to deliver opportunity and generate prosperity and hope for its peoples. And they are entitled to no less.



In case we are at a loss as to what this means for the substance of the work we must do here in this House, you and I would do well to refer to the Directive Principles of State Policy, contained in Chapter Six of the Constitution. The Directive Principles of State Policy stands as a constant reminder to us of what duty Parliament, and Members owe, individually and collectively, to our dear Country and its People. In swearing fidelity to the Constitution, as we did on the occasion of our respective assumptions of office, what we undertook to do, at a minimum, is to use the public power, the privilege, and the associated opportunities and resources entrusted to us in ways and for purposes that would bring us closer as a Nation to realizing the ambitions, goals, principles, and policies we have set for ourselves in Chapter Six of the Constitution.



I entreat all of you, Hon Members of this august body, to make the Directive Principles of State Policy your primary guide to action in the discharge of the responsibilities and roles of your office. Together with the provisions of Chapter Five of the Constitution, including, notably, the provisions on economic rights, educational rights, cultural rights, womens rights, childrens rights, rights of disabled persons, and rights of the sick, contained in Articles 24 through to 30 of the Constitution. The Directive Principles of State Policy are, in essence, our own domestic version of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) whose realization we have committed ourselves internationally. Those ambitions, goals, principles and policies are the barometer by which we must measure our service and performance in this House.



In addressing the issue of what the people of Ghana expect of this Parliament, I would be remiss if I did not express my deepest regret, both as a former Member of this Parliament and a citizen of this great Nation, at the rather unruly behavior and commotion that took place on the floor of this House last week, including the presence of armed soldiers on the floor, and the breaches of the sanctity of a vote, that would otherwise attract severe punishment in connection with the election of the Speaker of the 8th Parliament. It was, to put it mildly, despicable conduct unbecoming of people of honor. What makes it worse is the total absence of justification or reasonable excuse. As Speaker, I would like to believe that the spectacle of that historic day would not be repeated. Certainly not on my watch. I take a strong exception to such conduct and behavior and urge Leadership to take a serious view of it and take the necessary measures to restore the lost dignity of the august House. It is at variance with the message of the 2020 general elections.



THE CORE MANDATE AND MISSION OF PARLIAMENT: NEITHER OBSTRUCTIONIST NOR A RUBBER STAMP



Hon Members, the outcome of the recent General Elections implore us to re-dedicate ourselves to the true and core mandate and mission of Parliament. There appears to be some amount of confusion and misunderstanding as to what the appropriate role of Parliament is in our constitutional system. Much of this, is as a result of the two-party structure and composition of the House, within the context of our winner-take-all politics.



Because of this, whenever Parliament is dominated by the same party that holds the Presidency and forms the Government, the common perception and expectation is that Parliament will automatically support the Governments agenda, without regard to its merits. In short, we have come to assume that Government is entitled to have its way in Parliament. And because this has been the Ghanaian publics perception of how Parliament has conducted itself under various Administrations in the Fourth Republic, this current development of a House in which neither Party has a secure or dominating Majority, in other words, no Majority Party and no Minority Party, and of a Speaker who is not beholden to or endorsed by the President, is causing many of our citizens both in and out of Government, including in this House, a great deal of consternation. To them, if Government is not guaranteed its way in a Parliament, then such a Parliament can only be obstructionist.



Hon Members, this concern is needless, as it is based on an incorrect view of what this Parliaments role is and indeed what its role has been in the Fourth Republic. Regardless of which party has the upper hand in the House, it would be wrong to see Parliaments role as either obstructing or rubberstamping Governments agenda. Parliament cannot discharge any one of its core mandatesdeliberative, legislative, financial control, oversight, and representationalby being either obstructionist or a rubberstamp. As the foremost accountability institution in our constitutional system, Parliaments role is to check-and-balance the Executive, not to obstruct or rubberstamp the Executives agenda. Parliament does its job, as it must, when it questions, investigates, reviews, and scrutinizes the Executive, its bills, its nominations, and its proposed agreements, and then proceeds to approve, to amend, or to reject them, as the case may be.



As one who comes to the Speakership with the longest record of previous service as a Member of this House, I can recount instances of Parliament playing precisely this role and, thereby, helping to improve the quality of our Nations governance. Even in the First Parliament, when the NPPs boycott of the 1992 Parliamentary Elections left the House with no real Opposition party, bills proposed by the Executive were not accorded routine, rubber-stamp treatment; they were subjected to close review, scrutiny, and modification, where necessary. A case in point is the bill that later became the law criminalizing Causing Financial Loss to the State. When it was introduced in the First Parliament, the bill as drafted had no mens rea requirement; it would have made causing financial loss to the State a strict liability offence. I recall, and the Hansard record will show, that the amendment to add the word willfully to the law came from the floor of the House. With its almost total control of the House, the dominant Party at the time, could have simply rubberstamped the bill; it did not. I also recall that Parliament has had occasion in the past to decline to approve certain nominations of the President. A case in point was the refusal of the House to consider and to approve the nomination of a Court of appeal Judge to be appointed as Justice of the Supreme Court. As long as it is done in good faith and with transparent justification, such cases cannot be called rubber-stamping or obstructionist. As Speaker, I will not yield to pressure from any quarter to allow this august House to be turned into a rubber stamp or an obstructer.



IMPARTIALITY OF THE SPEAKER



Let me also say a few words about the office of Speaker as envisioned under our Constitution. While past practice might lead some to think otherwise, the truth of the matter is that, the Speakership is not a partisan-political office. Regardless of which party nominated or voted to elect him or her, and regardless of his or her previous political background, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana occupies a nonpartisan, impartial office. There is no NPP Speaker or NDC Speaker; there is only a Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana.



Unlike my counterpart in the American House of Representatives, the Ghanaian Speaker is not a Member of the House. The Ghanaian Speaker presides over but does not participate in proceedings of the House; and he or she has no vote, not even a casting vote, in matters before the House. In fact, the Speakership in Ghana is designed to be even more impartial and more apolitical than the Speaker of the House of Commons in Westminster. It is indeed to ensure that the Speaker remains impartial in presiding over the affairs of this House and Parliament that his election is done by secret ballot.



The independence and impartiality of the Speaker is particularly evident from one line in the Speakers Oath. That line is not found in the Presidential Oath, the Oath of Vice-President, the Oath for Ministers of State and Cabinet, or the Oath of a Member of Parliament. That line reads: And I will do right to all manner of persons in accordance with the Constitution and the laws and conventions of Parliament without fear or favor, affection or ill will. That last phrase, without fear or favor, affection or ill will, defines the office of Speaker as an impartial, nonpartisan office. I assure you I dont take this Oath lightly at all. The only other Oaths in the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Fourth Republic in which you find this same language are the Judicial Oath and the Oath of the Auditor-General. This is because, like the Speaker, these offices too are meant to be nonpartisan, impartial, and independent.



Hon Members, much has been made of the fact that I come to this position from a long career as a politician and member of the National Democratic Congress, one of the two parties represented in this House. As far as I am concerned, that fact is of no consequence to my new role as Speaker. In fact, it is not a novelty in this House. I myself have worked harmoniously with Speakers of diverse political backgrounds, including on one occasion supporting the nomination for re-election as Speaker of the 4th Republic, a well-known figure of the New Patriotic Party.



But more importantly, as I have made clear, the office I now occupy is an impartial, independent, and apolitical office, akin, in that regard, to the position of a Justice or Chief Justice. Just as a person with a known party affiliation like myself could be appointed to the Supreme Court, so it is with the Speakership. What matters, above all, is that, once appointed as a Chief Justice or Justice or elected as a Speaker, that person, regardless of his political past, must conduct himself or herself in accordance with the requirements and ethics of his or her new office and, as expressed in the Oath of that office, without fear or favor, affection or ill-will.



Hon Members, I intend to live by the Oath I swore on the occasion of my election to this office, to respect, obey and abide by the will of the House. I am fully committed to being fair and impartial. But I am also fully committed to being firm. Members must also in reciprocity, respect and abide by my rulings and instructions. When in disagreement, the Standing Orders of the House, has the answer. I will apply the authority of the House as symbolized by the Mace, to protect and defend the prerogatives, privileges and immunities of Parliament, members and staff as provided under the laws of the country.



Let me at this juncture, acknowledge the many contributions made by my predecessors, in whose shoes I walk today. The Rt. Hon Justice Daniel Francis Annan laid a solid foundation to anchor the growth and development of parliamentary law, practice and procedure in the Fourth Republican Parliament.



I acknowledge with great appreciation and respect the contributions of Rt. Hon. Peter Ala Adjetey, Rt Hon Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes, Rt. Hon. Justice Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, Rt. Hon. Edward Kobla Doe Adjaho and Rt Hon. Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye. I have worked with all these Speakers as a leader and a member of the Parliamentary Service Board, and I can attest to the tireless efforts each and every one of them made to consolidate, strengthen the Institution of Parliament and to build the capacity of members and staff of Parliament. I pledge to build on these achievements and to widen and deepen the frontiers of parliamentary governance even further.



Hon Members, some critical laws could not be passed by the previous Parliaments and these have gone into abeyance with the dissolution of the 7th Parliament. Draft Legislations such as the Affirmative Action Bill, Spousal Rights Bill, Standing Orders of the House which has been pending before the House since 2002, the Budget Bill, International Business and Agreements Bill, etc. calls fo0r urgent action. I call on the responsible sponsoring government agencies or Institutions to resubmit these Bills to the House early for consideration. In particular, I call on Parliament to expedt5ioiusly deal with the review of the Standing Orders of the House. I vision a bipartisan, inclusive, participatory, responsive, efficient and effective Parliament. The eight Parliament will have to work to earn the respect of the people of Ghana and to restore the image and dignity of the Institution. There is nothing more noble and satisfying than to render service to the people.



I would like to end by echoing the words of President Akufo-Addo, when he delivered his Message on the State of the Nation on the dissolution of the 7th Parliament (and I quote): The good people of Ghana have spoken and given Parliament almost equal strength on both sides of the House; we have no choice but to work with the consequences of the desires of the People. The House would have to be more accommodating of each others views and, probably, devise new ways of conducting its affairs.



I fully subscribe to that view. No more, no less. Cooperation, dialogue, accommodation, and consensus building must guide this Parliament in the conduct of its business. We must work together for the betterment of Ghana and Ghanaians. That I believe is the demand of Ghanaians and the loud and clear message of the 2020 general elections. That is the message in the votes of 136 in favor of Rt Hon. Aaron Mike Oquaye, as to 138 for Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, with one spoilt ballot, which propelled me to this high office of Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana. The battle is always the Lords. Glory be to the Most High God.



I thank you for the patience and attention.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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SAN FRANCISCO  The Bay Area struck a hard bargain with its tech workers.

Rent was astronomical. Taxes were high. Your neighbors didnt like you. If you lived in San Francisco, you might have commuted an hour south to your job at Apple or Google or Facebook. Or if your office was in the city, maybe it was in a neighborhood with too much street crime, open drug use and $5 coffees.

But it was worth it. Living in the epicenter of a boom that was changing the world was what mattered. The city gave its workers a choice of interesting jobs and a chance at the brass ring.

That is, until the pandemic. Remote work offered a chance at residing for a few months in towns where life felt easier. Tech workers and their bosses realized they might not need all the perks and after-work schmooze events. But maybe they needed elbow room and a yard for the new puppy. A place to put the Peloton. A top public school.

They fled. They fled to tropical beach towns. They fled to more affordable places like Georgia. They fled to states without income taxes like Texas and Florida.

Thats where the story of the Bay Areas latest tech era is ending for a growing crowd of tech workers and their companies. They have suddenly movable jobs and money in the bank  money that will go plenty further somewhere else.

But where? The No. 1 pick for people leaving San Francisco is Austin, Texas, with other winners including Seattle, New York and Chicago, according to moveBuddha, a site that compiles data on moving. Some cities have set up recruiting programs to lure them to new homes. Miamis mayor has been inviting tech people to move there in his Twitter posts.

I talked to more than two dozen tech executives and workers who have left San Francisco for other parts of the country over the past year, like a young entrepreneur who moved home to Georgia and another who has created a community in Puerto Rico. Here are some of their stories.

Ah, the Normal Life

I miss San Francisco. I miss the life I had there, said John Gardner, 35, the founder and CEO of Kickoff, a remote personal training startup, who packed his things into storage and left in a camper van to wander America. But right now its just like: What else can God and the world and government come up with to make the place less livable?

A couple of months later, Gardner wrote: Greetings from sunny Miami Beach! This is about the 40th place Ive set up a temporary headquarters for Kickoff.

Remote personal training happens to coincide well with remote life, but he said his startups growth this past year was also due to his leaving the tech bubble and immersing himself in more normal communities, a few days at a time.

Lucas Foglia/NYT

The biggest tech companies arent going anywhere, and tech stocks are still soaring. Apples flying-saucer-shaped campus is not going to zoom away. Google is still absorbing ever more office space in San Jose and San Francisco. New founders are still coming to town.

But the migration from the Bay Area appears real. Residential rents in San Francisco are down 27% from a year ago, and the office vacancy rate has spiked to 16.7%, a number not seen in a decade.

Though prices had dropped only slightly, Zillow reported more homes for sale in San Francisco than a year ago. For more than a month last year, 90% of the searches involving San Francisco on moveBuddha were for people moving out.

Twitter, Yelp, Airbnb and Dropbox have tried to sublease some of their San Francisco office space. Pinterest, which has one of the most iconic offices in town, paid $90 million to break a lease for a site where it planned to expand. And companies like Twitter and Facebook have announced work from home forever plans.

Moving into a $1.3 million house that we saw only on video for 20 minutes and said yes, wrote Mike Rothermel, a designer at Cisco who moved from the Bay Area to Boulder, Colorado, with his wife last summer. Its a mansion compared to SF for the same money.

The amount of room they have felt surreal after various Bay Area apartments. He told me they have so much counter space, they can keep appliances like the food processor in the kitchen itself.

Lucas Foglia/NYT

And then the people around them  neighbors  started doing something strange. They brought cinnamon rolls and handwritten welcome notes.

Wait, No Income Tax?

Were selling our house and moving out of SF. Where should we go and why? Justin Kan, a serial entrepreneur who co-founded Twitch, asked on Twitter in August.

Joe Lonsdale, a co-founder of software company Palantir, which moved from Silicon Valley to Denver, wrote back: Come to Austin with us. Growing tech ecosystem and Texas is the best place to make a stand together for a free society.

Also: no state income taxes.

Austin, population 1 million and the Texas city most would say is closest in spirit to the Bay Area, has long had a healthy tech industry. Computer giant Dell is based nearby. The University of Texas is one of the top public colleges in the country. And the music scene is eclectic and creative.

Now the local tech industry is rapidly expanding. Apple is opening a $1 billion, 133-acre campus. Alphabet, Amazon and Facebook have all either expanded their footprints in Austin or have plans to. Elon Musk, the Tesla founder and one of the two richest men in the world, said he had moved to Texas. Startup investor money is arriving, too: The investors at 8VC and Breyer Capital opened Austin offices last year.

Some of the favorite gurus of tech workers are already there, like Tim Ferriss, life-hacker, who left for Austin in 2017, and Ryan Holiday, whose writing about stoicism is influential among the startup set.

Sahin Boydas, the founder of a remote-work startup who had lived in San Francisco and its suburbs over the last decade, saw all of that. He looked at his wife and two young children, working and learning from home while crammed into a Cupertino rental that had seen better days. Much of the late summer, the air was full of smoke from wildfires. For days, electricity would go in and out at his house.

You start to feel stupid, said Boydas, who is 37. I can understand the 1% rich people, the very top investors and entrepreneurs, they can be happy there.

So he and his family moved to Austin. For the same price as their three-bedroom apartment in Cupertino, they have a five-bedroom home on an acre of land. For the first time, Boydas has outdoor space. He just acquired two rabbits for his children. Sure, its (very) hot, but hes ready for it.

Were going to get a cat and a dog, he said. We could never do that before.

And its not just the cost of rent that is lower  the water bill is lower; the trash bill is lower; the cost of a family dinner at a restaurant has fallen significantly. Boydas said he hadnt even known about the taxes.

I run payroll for myself, and when I saw zero, I called the accountant like theres an error  theres no tax line here, he said. And they were like, Yeah theres no tax.

Nevermind the Mosquitoes

Ok guys hear me out, what if we move Silicon Valley to Miami, tweeted Delian Asparouhov, a principal at Founders Fund, which invests in startups.

The mayor of Miami wrote back last month: How can I help?

Now there is a very vocal Miami faction, led by a few venture capital influencers, trying to tweet the citys startup world into existence.

The San Francisco exodus means the talent and money of newly remote tech workers are up for grabs. And its not just the mayor of Miami trying to lure them in.

Topeka, Kansas, started Choose Topeka, which will reimburse new workers $10,000 for the first year of rent or $15,000 if they buy a home. Tulsa, Oklahoma, will pay you $10,000 to move there. The nation of Estonia has a new residency program just for digital nomads.

A program in Savannah, Georgia, will reimburse remote workers $2,000 for the move there, and the city has created various social activities to introduce the newcomers to one another and to locals.

We try to make the transition easy, said Jennifer Bonnett, vice president of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the Savannah Economic Development Authority, whose program started in June.

Keyan Karimi, 29 and a startup investor, took Savannahs invitation to move there (though he didnt ask for the reimbursement).

Seeing the inequality of billionaires in San Franciscos wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood and the homeless camps down the hill ground on him. So Karimi went home to his parents house in Atlanta to ride out some of the pandemic. Then he detected something strange. The city he thought was boring had gotten pretty interesting. Or maybe he had just never noticed before.

Stephen B. Morton/NYT

I had no idea how much was going on here. I was sort of myopic, he said, pausing and correcting himself: No, I was arrogant.

Karimi started looking at Zillow and studying the Southern cities he had ignored. He likes old houses and wants to fix one up. Savannah has a lot of those. So just a few months after leaving his $4,000-a-month one-bedroom in San Francisco, hes working with the local business development group to put together a maritime innovation center in Savannah to invest in and guide shipping and logistics startups. He bought one of those old houses.

Savannah has one of the largest ports in the country. No one knows that, Karimi said. I figure we can do something with that.

The only downside is mosquitoes, he said. I get eaten alive.

There are 33,000 members in the Facebook group Leaving California and 51,000 in its sister group, Life After California. People post pictures of moving trucks and links to Zillow listings in new cities.

The founder of both groups, Terry Gilliam, is planning to take members on a house-hunting road trip through eastern Tennessee this spring with stops in popular post-San Francisco destinations. One tour will be Chattanooga, Knoxville and Johnson City.

When people decide to leave San Francisco, they usually dont know where they want to go, they just want to go, Gilliam said.

Gilliam, who met his wife when they worked at a Bay Area Chilis restaurant, said she wouldnt let the family move yet. And so the Pied Piper of the California-bashing Facebook community is still in Fremont, on the eastern end of Silicon Valley.

The Gangs All ... Here Now

People always get pissed at me when they hear birds in my Zoom, said Ed Zaydelman, a longtime leader in San Franciscos Burning Man community (and former New York City club promoter), who is forming an entrepreneur community in Costa Rica. And I say, Come join. 

If San Francisco of the 2010s proved anything, its the power of proximity. Entrepreneurs could find a dozen startup pitch competitions every week within walking distance. If they left a big tech company, there were startups eager to hire, and if a startup failed, there was always another.

They could live jammed into a rambling Victorian with fellow nerds who  thanks to the popularity of polyamory  were having a lot of sex. More money was made faster in the Bay Area by fewer people than at any other time in American history.

No one leaving the city is arguing that a culture of innovation is going to spring up over Zoom. So some are trying to recreate it. They are getting into property development, building luxury tiny-home compounds and taking over big, funky houses in old resort towns.

All these people want to do is this live-on-the-land stuff, but its not as easy as people think, Zaydelman said.

He calls his new development company Nookleo, and he is building five tiny-home communities for remote workers. The little houses cost between $30,000 and $40,000. Each compound has four to six homes, a small organic farm, a yoga deck, a swimming pool and a kitchen clubhouse. Two clusters are already underway in Costa Rica, with Mexico and Portugal next.

In Puerto Rico, Gillian Morris, founder of travel app Hitlist, is also recruiting. Her San Francisco breaking point came after her roommate was attacked on their street, and she did a sort of gut check of herself over whether the street scenes and feeling of danger were worth the high rent. She moved to San Juan in 2019, even though it also has a crime problem. But now she lives in a huge house in the middle of the city.

I have 12 people leaving San Francisco over the next three months to join a co-living community I set up, she said. Its amazing here.

And for the Baja-leaning, there is Bear Kittay, a co-founder of Good Money, an online banking platform. Now Kittay, another longtime fixture of the Burning Man festival turned developer, is building a property for the new digital nomads.

The things that make this city ill are not within my control to change, he said of San Francisco. A lot of people are choosing to go to places where theres opportunity, and maybe its a place that is more conservative and there can be an integration of dialogue. Or a place where they can live closer to nature. Thats what were doing.

Nikil Viswanathan, who co-founded blockchain startup Alchemy, recently fled San Francisco. He said that there was no reason anymore for him or his colleagues to be there, and that he had always wanted to live on the beach. So now he does, in San Diego.

But the expats still find one another. Not long ago, he stumbled on a cluster at a party.

I knew it was an SF crew because when I walked in because they had the full dual monitor with the ergonomic keyboard on a standing desk, Viswanathan said, adding that conversation revolved around the lower cost of living. One of the SF guys was like: I just had a burrito for $6. It was amazing.

John Francis Peters/NYT

The last burrito he had in San Francisco cost $15.

They Wont Necessarily Be Missed

Longtime Bay Area residents may well say good riddance to people like Viswanathan. People who distrusted the young newcomers from the start will say this change is a good thing. Hasnt this steep growth in wealth and population in a tiny geography always seemed unsustainable?

These tech workers came like a whirlwind. Virtually every community from San Jose in the south to Marin County in the north has fought the rise of new housing for the arrivals of the last decade. Maybe spreading the tech talent around America is smart.

Locals have also seen this play before. Moving trucks come to take a generation of tech ambition away, and a few years later moving trucks return with new dreamers and new ambitions.

After the dot-com bust in 2001, there were fallow years before the latest, long-lasting boom  just as there were fallow years after the PC industry consolidated a decade earlier. That led to the dot-com boom. It is the circle of life in the Bay Area.

And those who are staying are digging in. When 12 friends left, it felt like powerlessness, said Diana Helmuth, a 32-year-old writer and marketer in Oakland. Like these forces were too big. The forces of the world felt too big.

Now, though, she is hardening toward those who say life is better somewhere else and were in town only for a job. I say, Great, goodbye, have a great time somewhere else.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Berger said when he read the findings of the first probe, "it was pretty clear to me we needed to do a follow-on...
An 8-minute video that went viral this week shows anti-mask protesters attempting to enter a Salem Trader Joes and the store managers upbeat but firm rejection.

The video, posted by an Instagram user identified as @davenewworld_, has been viewed almost 250,000 times.

A store representative confirmed the incident happened outside the Salem grocery store but referred other questions to corporate representatives who did not immediately respond.

The incident begins with the store manager, whose name tag reads Karim, greeting what appears to be at least a dozen protesters. Having a good day? he asks. I know why you guys are here.

Were here to shop, one protester says. Peacefully shop, another says.

As other masked customers enter the store, the manager repeats that the protesters are welcome to shop too, as long as they wear masks. He says he is more than willing to talk to the group but isnt interested in debating policy.

Trader Joes nationwide policy requires customers to wear masks in stores.

Were not demonstrating, were buying groceries, a protester says. Thats why Im here.

The manager says he is enforcing the stores mask mandate.

Its not a law. You cannot enforce non-law, a protester says. You cannot deny somebody the right to commerce.

The store manager appears to offer to shop for the protesters and bring out what they want. Amid growing shouting, a woman says: I need to buy groceries. I dont know what I want until I go in and see it. The Civil Rights Act protects me to go in and shop like everybody else.

Legal experts have told USA Today that the 1964 Civil Rights Act does not give people the right to shop without a mask.

The video ends as protesters begin moving to block a different entrance to the store, where they say customers are being allowed in. The footage leaves the resolution to the conflict unclear. But it does not appear the protesters were granted access without masks.

Thats our goal here, to shop, one woman says.

Karim, the store manager, replies: Thats not going to happen.

 Rob Davis

rdavis@oregonian.com

503.294.7657; @robwdavis

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) has been very real. Im sure by the time the American Psychiatric Association releases the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Twelfth Edition (DSM-12) medical anthropologists will have included it, at least as a footnote. Were currently on DSM-5.

Suffering from TDS is euphemistically referred to as allowing Big Donny Trump to live rent-free in ones head. It is a self-inflicted disorder characterized by severe anxiety leading to unreasoning hysteria; finding Trump as the core fault in every misfortune, from personal to global; and the immediate onset of complete blindness to ones own hypocrisy and double-speaking. A thorough discussion of this disorder is found here.

Whats next, though, as Trump exchanges, at least for the time being, what is possibly the most powerful position among humanity for a lesser role? Perhaps the worst-afflicted will spend the rest of their days grumbling and mumbling Its all Trumps fault.

Certainly, we can expect months of continuing references to Trump from the incoming administration, as well as those paragons of objective journalism at MSNBC, CNN, The View, and other such organizations. You hear me, Fox News? Celebrities will go with whatever keeps their names, faces, and figures in the public eye, of course.

Some fortunate TDS victims have been able to achieve escape velocity through the assistance offered by such groups as WalkAway and Blexit. Others were so thoroughly offended by the antics of the Lincoln Project and their RINO ilk that they were pushed right out of the TDS family.

However, in recent days we have discovered that Trump was right when he said, They're not after me, they're after you. Following five years of miserably failing in their efforts to cancel Trump, they (as in all of them) are now canceling us. First, with fraudulent elections silencing the will of the people; now, with cutting the free speech vocal cords of any who might dare to disagree. Theyre not limiting themselves to Republicans, conservatives, abhorrent white supremacists, and religious folks of every stripe. Theyre also canceling Libertarians and the I dont care, just leave me alone crowd.

Its not just disagreement theyre bothered by, but anything less than total agreement and adherence to their very fluid way of thinking. Anyone other than themselves and their mirror images. They are the New Segregationists.

Trump Derangement Syndrome is mutating to Other Derangement Syndrome -- ODS. Say it out loud -- ODS. It is, and they are. And now we are all going to be living rent-free in their heads until we rise, starting now, and take this country back, elected representative by elected representative. I almost wish I was a Californian so I could vote to recall Newsom. Bidens disastrous promises and policies will, one hopes, help the process along nicely.

ODS. Hee-hee-hee, I love it.

Anony Mee is a retired public servant.
Tribhanga is the kind of film that'll probably sensitise children towards their mothers, so that they don't expect their mothers to be superhumans all the time.

The Netflix original, Tribhanga: Tedhi Medhi Crazy starring Kajol, Tanvi Azmi and Mithila Palkar, explores the dynamics between three generations of mothers and daughters. Mothers, too falter, and it is important to not judge them for it, the film appears to say. That exploration resulted in Tribhanga: Tedhi Medhi Crazy, which is written and directed by Renuka Shahane, starring Tanvi Azmi as the eminent writer Nayan, Kajol as her daughter Anu, and Mithila Parkar as her granddaughter Masha. Anu is a tempestuous movie star and Odissi dancer whose bitterness towards Nayan is unshaken even when Nayan is hospitalised after a stroke. There are definitely parallels in the story that I can relate to but the situations are completely different. There are so many things that my character Anu said resonated with me totally but my relationship with my mother is completely different from what is shown and my relationship with my daughter is a lot like it but my daughter is completely different, says Kajol.

The story came from a desire to explore how our relationships with the mother figure affects our journeys, especially when we become mothers, says Shahane. And someone who shares a loving relationship with her mother, helming the project was definitely a challenge yet interesting. My mother is my support and I have a very loving relationship with her which is certainly my core. This whole thing  if the core of my being is unsettled in some way, what would I have been  was something I wanted to delve into. Some time back I met an acquaintance who hated her mom. She had recently got married and she very casually said that she was glad to escape her mother. Meeting her was the beginning of the story that was the starting point for me. This was the first time that I had met a person who said that she hated her mother. It was very strange for me to experience that. It's a reaction to the kind of relationship I have with my mother. It is so well rounded and complete and I have so much gratitude and that itself I turned it around. Also, the cultural milieu is very familiar to me because my mom is a writer, says Shahane.

What drew Kajol to the film is the way the three lives and relationships are woven together. I loved the script and all the characters in it. Every scene is so well written. For me, the script has to be like one of those fantastic books and it was so good Renuka directing me. When she narrated the film she was so clear about each and every character in the film, why they are there, who they are and the motivation behind them. Renuka had a very firm grasp on what she wanted to say. She would even enact every actors scene with their dialogues. The film is made in three different languages  English, Hindi and Marathi which lends authenticity to the film. Tanvi's character is a Maharashtrian writer, she is so much in character, you identify with her and at no point do you feel there is something off or wrong in the film. It doesn't sound incorrect, says Kajol, who could relate to the characters of both, Anu and Nayan. Ive always had strong women around me  like my mother and my grandmother  who made non-conformist decisions and encouraged that in me as well, she adds.

While Shahane was a bit hesitant of working with a star initially, Kajol feels the director never had that problem with her. "I have always respected her as an actor. I worked with her husband (Ashutosh Rana) in Dushman and have the highest regard for him as well. When she narrated the script there was an instant camaraderie. I dont do anything half heartedly. I also want to have fun when I am doing something. On the set it was full madness, says Kajol. I have always chosen films that I wanted to do and I have never worried about mainstream or art. If I don't like the script then it doesn't matter however mainstream it is. I have never bothered about what others say about a film, if I believe in it I will stand by it. Tribhanga is made with people with no ego or insecurity. There are so many strong and a great mix of women who put it together and that was amazing to experience. Everybody was so cool and comfortable about who they are, she adds.

When I wrote the script my main characters, the women were of different ages, they were older than what they are shown now. Nayan was 80, Anu was 58, Masha was 37 who had a 12-year-old daughter. But the equation between four generations was pulling it too long. When Siddharth P Malhotra (producer) heard the script he immediately thought of Kajol for Anu. In my wildest dreams I didnt think of her firstly because she looks so young. I didnt want to cast her as a mother of a grown up girl, secondly she is such a huge superstar. Luckily for me Kajol loved the script. I narrated to her in a period of time and it was a huge thing for me that she agreed and then Ajay Devgn stepped in as a producer. Eventually Kajol felt that Anu was meant for her. Kajol is an absolute dream to work with. Once she loved the character, she put her soul into it. She was like clay, she was open to everything that I told her because of the trust we had in each other. I was very happy to get all the three women. They look like they are from the same family, and yet they are so different from each other, says Shahane.

Shahane, who adores Odissi, uses the classical dance form as a metaphor for her characters. Anu describes Nayan as the slightly off-centre pose abhang, Masha as the in-balance sama-bhang, and herself as Tribhanga, the pose with three bends at varying angles. I love Odissi and I find it so correct to name the film Tribhanga because it has three different women from the same family, they are connected. It is like an obtuse triangle, all the angles are different but they are all connected. Tribhanga reflects that beautifully, says Shahane. The way Renuka has put it is great. Tribhanga, the pose is actually asymmetrical but it looks so symmetrical because it is attached to one body. It is like you may think differently from your parents, you may have different opinions and a completely different view point on your life but the roots are the same. The umbilical cord relationship never gets cut. You have to face it, fix it before you go further in your life, adds Kajol.

Apart from being set in a world of writers, dancers and performers, the film in a way also addresses feminism with three strong female characters having different viewpoints. These women want to lead their lives on their own terms, especially Nayan and Anu. Because of the choice that Nayan made, Anu became the person she was. Because of the choices that Anu made, Masha became the person she was. We are not saying right or wrong, correct or incorrect. These are reactions, says Azmi, adding that she found it fascinating how Anu is almost actually exactly like her mother, which she doesnt realise till she has a daughter of her own. This is the kind of film that is going to open up doors to many equations and probably children will also be sensitized to their mothers and not expect their mothers to be superhumans all the time. They will understand that mothers are also humans, they have feelings and it is possible that they make wrong decisions but not with wrong intent. Tribhanga is about human beings, feelings, resurrection, realization, it is about acceptance, says Azmi.

Whenever we talk about feminism we have a very rigid way of looking at it. Feminism is about inclusivity and therefore each person has the freedom of choice, the fact that choice is not imposed on anybody is the key for me, says Shahane. Feminism at its root is making your own choices without coming under any kind of pressure. That is exactly what the three characters do with their lives even though they have different viewpoints. They are different from each other but they are part of one unit, they are strong personalities in their own way. They have their differences but at the same time they love each other as they say that it is only the person you love so much that you can hate to this extent, sums up Kajol.

(All images from Twitter)
Online misinformation about election fraud plunged 73 percent after several social media sites suspended President Donald Trump and key allies last week, research firm Zignal Labs has found, underscoring the power of tech companies to limit the falsehoods poisoning public debate when they act aggressively.

The new research by the San Francisco-based analytics firm reported that conversations about election fraud dropped from 2.5 million mentions to 688,000 mentions across several social media sites in the week after Trump was banned from Twitter.

Election disinformation had been a major subject of online misinformation for months, beginning even before the Nov. 3 election, pushed heavily by Trump and his allies.

Zignal found it dropped swiftly and steeply both on Twitter itself and other platforms in the days after the Twitter ban took hold on Jan. 8.

The president and his supporters also have lost accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitch, Spotify, Shopify and others. Facebook called its suspension "indefinite" but left open the possibility Trump's account could later be restored.

The findings, from Saturday through Friday, highlight how falsehoods flow across social media sites - reinforcing and amplifying each other - and offer an early indication of how concerted actions against misinformation can make a difference.

Twitter's ban of Trump on Jan. 8, after years in which @realDonaldTrump was a potent online megaphone, has been particularly significant in curbing his ability to push misleading claims about what state and federal officials have called a free and fair election on Nov. 3.

Trump's banishment was followed by other actions by social media sites, including Twitter's ban of more than 70,000 accounts affiliated with the baseless QAnon ideology, which played a key role in fomenting the Capitol siege on Jan. 6.

"Together, those actions will likely significantly reduce the amount of online misinformation in the near term," said Kate Starbird, disinformation researcher at the University of Washington. "What happens in the long term is still up in the air."

Zignal found that use of hashtags affiliated with the Capitol riot also dipped considerably. Mentions of the hashtag #FightforTrump, which was widely deployed across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media services in the week before the rally, dropped 95%. #HoldTheLine and the terms "March for Trump" also fell more than 95%.

The research by Zignal and other groups suggests that a powerful, integrated disinformation ecosystem - composed of high-profile influencers, rank-and-file followers and Trump himself - was central to pushing millions of Americans to reject the election results and may have trouble surviving without his social media accounts.

Researchers have found that Trump's tweets were retweeted by supporters at a remarkable rate, no matter the subject, giving him a virtually unmatched ability to shape conversation online. University of Colorado information science professor Leysia Palen declared in October, after months of research, "Trump's amplification machine is peerless."

"Bottom line is that de-platforming, especially at the scale that occurred last week, rapidly curbs momentum and ability to reach new audiences," said Graham Brookie, director of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, which tracks misinformation. "That said, it also has the tendency to harden the views of those already engaged in the spread of that type of false information."

Trump reportedly has been looking for a new social media home - with public speculation focusing on Parler, Gab or Telegram, all of which are popular with conservative users - but apparently has not settled on one yet. Parler has been offline for most of the week but reportedly is seeking to resume operations after Google and Apple removed it from their app stores because of scant moderation of violent talk on the site. Amazon Web Services also suspended Parler, taking it offline.

The left-leaning media watchdog Media Matters for America found that the number of people clicking and sharing content from right-leaning political Facebook pages also fell substantially in the days after Facebook issued its temporary ban of Trump's account.

Trump and political allies have railed for years against what they call "Big Tech," alleging bias against conservative voices without providing systematic proof and pushing companies to take a lighter hand in moderating content and punishing violators of policies. Twitter and other platforms cited policies against hate speech, inciting violence and dangerous conspiracy theories in suspending accounts in the aftermath of the Capitol attack.

Disinformation researchers consistently have found that relatively few accounts acted as "superspreaders" during the election, with their tweets and posts generating a disproportionate share of the falsehoods and misleading narratives that spread about election fraud, mail-in ballots, and other topics related to the vote.

A study released the week before the presidential election by the Election Integrity Partnership, a consortium of misinformation researchers, found that just 20 conservative, pro-Trump Twitter accounts - including the president's own @realDonaldTrump - were the original source of one-fifth of retweets pushing misleading narratives about voting.

The Zignal report also found that hashtags and phrases used by QAnon adherents declined over the past week but mentions of it and of its anonymous leader "Q" increased by 15 percent - a finding that could be explained by the coverage and conversation about its role in the attack on the Capitol.

A recent report by Advance Democracy, founded by Daniel J. Jones, a former FBI analyst and Senate investigator who led the review of the CIA's torture program, found that social media sites had "successfully purged" large amounts of content pushing false claims of election fraud. The report also found "incendiary and implicitly violent narratives continue to spread at the peripheries of the social media platforms we are monitoring."

This includes using the word "traitors" on Twitter to describe Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. One post on the site referring to Pence, whom Trump has repeatedly criticized in recent weeks, showed a dangling noose and the word "TREASON."

On Tik Tok, Advance Democracy found that supporters of the militia group Three Percenters were implicitly calling for violence in videos, including one that had been viewed 139,000 times. One showed a man saying, "And for all the people saying: 'It's un-American. It's an act of terrorism.' How do you think we started this country?"


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New Delhi:

Delhi CET Polytechnic results 2017 were on Friday declared by the Delhi Department of Training And Technical Education (DTTE) on Friday. Candidates can access their results by logging on to the official website - cetdelhi.nic.in. Thousands of candidates had applied for the CET to get admission in diploma courses in AICTE approved institutions across Delhi.

Below are the steps to check your Delhi CET Polytechnic results 2017:



1. Logon to the official website  cetdelhi.nic.in



2. You will see the link Result link of the desired course on the right side of the home page, click this link



3. You will be redirected to a new page.



4. Now enter your details such as roll number

5. The Delhi CET Polytechnic results 2017 will be displayed on your screen

6. Download your result and take a print out for future use

The selection of candidates is done through CET based on their performance. For final admission, the order of merit and the preference given by the candidate in their application are considered. The counselling of the candidates will take place in Delhi and it will start from June or July, while the classes will start in August.



Documents require during counselling:

#Payment receipt of Online Part  payment made by the candidate.

#Copy of Provisional Allotment letter, online registration slip, copy of choices submitted by candidate

#Two latest identical colour photographs of 7.0 cm x 5.5 cm size same as that of on the admit card

#Admit card of CET 2017(Original)

#Proof of date of birth (Secondary School Certificate) (Original and two self-attested photocopies).



#Certificate and Mark Sheet of the qualifying examination issued by the Board/University (Original and two self attested photocopies). In case the original certificate is not awarded at the level of the School, provisional certificate/ downloaded copy of mark sheet duly authenticated by concerned the school principal.
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Dr. Anthony Fauci says that public health officials are taking contagious mutations of the coronavirus very seriously including more ominous strains seen in Brazil and South Africa, though help could be on the way in the form of two new vaccines.

Fauci, one of the nations foremost experts on infectious diseases, added that America was weeks away, not months away from granting emergency use authorization of two new COVID-19 vaccines.

He told NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday that he was confident President-elect Joe Biden could deliver on his pledge to vaccinate 100 million people in the first 100 days of his term in office, which begins on Wednesday.

Since last months rollout of the Pfizer BioNTech and Modern vaccines, the United States has struggled to get more of its population inoculated.

Complicating matters is a surge in coronavirus cases that is being compounded by new mutations.

Dr. Anthony Fauci told Meet the Press on Sunday that public health officials are taking contagious mutations of the coronavirus very seriously including more ominous strains seen in Brazil and South Africa

A third 'more infectious' strain of coronavirus similar to the British and South African variants has been identified after mutating in Brazil. The above file photo from last year shows the original SARS-CoV-2 virus as seen from an electron microscope

You dont want people to panic, Fauci told Meet the Press on Sunday morning.

But ... people need to realize, theres more than one mutant strain.

Theres one from the U.K thats essentially dominated, thats the one that is actually seen in the United States.

Theres another more ominous one in South Africa and Brazil.

Were looking at all of them very, very carefully.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE BRAZIL VARIANT? Name: B.1.1.248 or P.1 Date: Discovered in Tokyo, Japan, in four travellers arriving from Manaus, Brazil, on January 2. Is it in the UK? Public health officials and scientists randomly sample around 1 in 10 coronavirus cases in the UK and they have not yet reported any cases of B.1.1.248, but this doesn't rule it out completely. Why should we care? The variant has the same spike protein mutation as the highly transmissible versions found in Kent and South Africa  named N501Y  which makes the spike better able to bind to receptors inside the body. What do the mutations do? The N501Y mutation makes the spike protein better at binding to receptors in people's bodies and therefore makes the virus more infectious. Exactly how much more infectious it is remains to be seen, but scientists estimate the similar-looking variant in the UK is around 56 per cent more transmissible than its predecessor. Even if the virus doesn't appear to be more dangerous, its ability to spread faster and cause more infections will inevitably lead to a higher death rate. Another key mutation in the variant, named E484K, is also on the spike protein and is present in the South African variant. E484K may be associated with an ability to evade parts of the immune system called antibodies, researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro said in a scientific paper published online. However, there are multiple immune cells and substances involved in the destruction of coronavirus when it gets into the body so this may not translate to a difference in how people get infected or recover. Will our vaccines still protect us? There is no reason to believe that already-developed Covid vaccines will not protect against the variant. The main and most concerning change to this version of the virus is its N501Y mutation. Pfizer, the company that made the first vaccine to get approval for public use in the UK, has specifically tested its jab on viruses carrying this mutation in a lab after the variants emerged in the UK and South Africa. They found that the vaccine worked just as well as it did on other variants and was able to ignore the change. And, as the South African variant carries another of the major mutations on the Brazilian strain (E484K) and the Pfizer jab worked against that, too, it is likely that the new mutation would not affect vaccines. The immunity developed by different types of vaccine is broadly similar, so if one of them is able to work against it, the others should as well. Advertisement

Fauci said that while the new strains do not appear to be more virulent, they are more contagious, which means more people will get sick.

'The more cases you have, the more hospitalizations you have ... the more deaths youre going to have,' said Fauci.

The important question is, does that mutation lessen the impact of the vaccine, Fauci said.

'If it does ... then were going to have to make some modifications.'

A third 'more infectious' strain of coronavirus similar to the British and South African variants has been identified after mutating in Brazil.

The mutated variant of Covid was discovered in Tokyo, Japan last week in four people who had arrived on a flight from South America.

Scientists have said that the strain has similarities to those of the highly contagious variants found in England and South Africa.

Namely, it has a genetic mutation called N501Y, which changes the shape of the spike proteins found on the outside of the virus.

The mutation makes Covid more able to latch onto the receptors inside the body that it targets, meaning it makes it past the body's natural defences more often.

People who are exposed to the virus therefore become infected more often than they would if the other person was infected with an older, less contagious strain. However, there is no evidence to suggest the mutation makes the virus more deadly.

A World Health Organization report on the variant last week said: 'The variant was identified when whole-genome sequencing was conducted on samples from 4 travelers from Brazil who were tested at the airport.

'Through our regional offices, we are working with both Japanese and Brazilian authorities to evaluate the significance of these findings.

'We are also working with our Viral Evolution Working Group to assess the significance of this, and if this variant as well as others identified in recent months result in changes in transmissibility, clinical presentation or severity, or if they impact on countermeasures, including diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

'The same comprehensive approach to controlling Covid-19 works against these variants. At an individual level, protective measures work for all identified variants: physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding crowds, cleaning hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue.'

The new variants from South Africa and Brazil have the world on edge because they may not respond as well to vaccines, but they are still relatively rare.

A new variant in Brazil was first identified in Rio de Janeiro, the sprawling but densely populated city on the country's seaside in October.

At first, it was mostly isolated to the city, but already driving cases and infections back again in the hard-hit city, which has seen 470,138 cases to-date.

But, by December 23, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro researchers who discovered it were becoming concerned.

'The significant increase in the frequency of this lineage raises concerns about public health management and the need for genomic surveillance during the second wave of infections,' they wrote.

At the time, it was clear that the variant was becoming more common, but how exactly it differed an might be more dangerous wasn't clear.

But by December 26, the potential risks of its mutations were becoming clearer.

It is too early on in the variant's discovery for politicians or scientists to be confident about how the changes to the virus will affect outbreaks.

One of the new, more infectious variants has already become dominant in Columbus, Ohio, where it was discovered.

This unique US variant has three mutations not seen in the others from the UK and South Africa.

So far, this homegrown variant has been seen in about 20 samples since Ohio State University (OSU) scientists first detected it in December. It's now present in most of the samples they are sequencing.

A second variant has mutations identical to the UK variants, but arose completely independently on American soil, according to Ohio State University scientists. Just one person with this variant has been found.

'We are now in a period where the virus is changing quite substantially...so we are concerned,' Dr Daniel Jones, one of the Ohio State University (OSU) scientists involved in the discovery, told local press.

It comes after Dr Deborah Birx warned over the weekend that the patter of COVID-19 case spikes suggested the US could already have its own 50 percent more infectious 'super-covid' variant.

Scientists are quite sure both American variants are more infectious, but don't know yet whether they will be immune to vaccines.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Sunday that Biden's goal of delivering 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine within the first 100 days of his presidency 'is absolutely a doable thing.'

He said two new vaccines under development by AstraZeneca and Johnson &Johnson could 'very soon' be presented to US regulators for approval, which would increase the pace of vaccinations.

'We're weeks away, not months away, for sure,' he said.

He said more vaccinations - coupled with mask-wearing and avoiding crowds - would be the best way for the United States to tackle a new, more infectious strain of the coronavirus.

'If we can get the overwhelming majority of the population vaccinated, we'd be in very good shape and could beat even the mutant,' he said.

Fauci's remarks came amid criticism of the pace at which the United States is administering vaccines for a disease that has killed more than 390,000 people in the country.

About 13.7 million Americans have so far been vaccinated, some 6 million shy of the number that President Donald Trump's administration hoped would have received injections by the end of 2020, according to Bloomberg.

Biden has said ramping up the pace of vaccinations will be one of his top priorities when he takes office on Wednesday.

'One thing that's clear is that the issue of getting 100 million doses in the first 100 days is absolutely a doable thing'" Fauci said.

'The feasibility of his goal is absolutely clear. There's no doubt about that, that that can be done.'
Srinagar:

A 22-year-old man died as security forces opened fire on a stone-pelting mob in Rangreth area on the outskirts of the city, police said.

A group of youth pelted the security forces vehicles with stones at Rangreth, a police official said.

The security personnel opened fire to chase away the protestors in which one person was injured.

Nazir Ahmad was rushed to SKIMS hospital at Soura in a critical condition where he succumbed on the intervening night of June 15 and 16, the official said.

Jammu and Kashmir: Man killed after security forces opened fire on stone pelting mob, in Srinagar's Rangreth last evening.  ANI (@ANI_news) June 16, 2017

Also Read: Clashes in parts of Kashmir during separatist-sponsored strike

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JAKARTA: At least 73 people have been killed after an earthquake struck Indonesias West Sulawesi province on Friday, the disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said on Sunday, the latest in a string of disasters to hit the Southeast Asian country.

More than 820 people were injured and over 27,800 left their homes after the 6.2 magnitude quake, BNPB spokesman Raditya Jati said. Some sought refuge in the mountains, while others went to cramped evacuation centres, witnesses said.

Police and military officers have been deployed to crack down on looting in several parts of the region, Jati added.

An emergency response status, intended to help rescue efforts, has also been put in place for two weeks, he said.

Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of Indonesias meteorological, climatology and geophysical agency (BMKG), has said that another quake in the region could potentially trigger a tsunami.

Straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is regularly hit by earthquakes. In 2018, a devastating 6.2-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami struck the city of Palu, in Sulawesi, killing thousands.

Just two weeks into the new year, the worlds fourth-most populous country is battling several disasters.

Floods in North Sulawesi and South Kalimantan province each have killed at least five this month, while landslides in West Java province have killed at least 29, authorities said.

On Jan. 9, a Sriwijaya Air jet crashed into the Java Sea with 62 onboard.

East Javas Semeru mountain erupted late on Saturday, but there have been no reports of casualties or evacuations.

Dwikorita said extreme weather and other multi-dangers" of hydrometeorology are forecast in the coming weeks.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Russia to roll out 3rd indigenous COVID-19 vaccine in March

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Jan 17 (UNI) The coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chumakov research center of the Russian Academy of Sciences may be rolled out for civilian circulation in March, Development Director Konstantin Chernov told the Rossiya 1 channel.

The Chumakov center is currently completing phase 2 clinical trial for its inactivated vaccine. The Russian public health watchdog said earlier in the week that the vaccine is expected to receive an authorization in the coming days.

"Ours [vaccine] is to be expected to enter civil circulation, probably around March," Chernov said.
More COVID-19 Alerts in Sydneys West

New South Wales (NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian is due to make an announcement following new COVID-19 public health alerts in western Sydney.

The new public health alerts have been issued for a western Sydney venue and additional public transport routes following confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Anyone who attended Centrelink in Auburn on Jan. 14 in the afternoon should get tested immediately and self-isolate until a negative result occurs.

Those who travelled on train services between Warwick Farm and Auburn on Jan. 14 and Jan. 15 have also been given the same health directions.

One local case of COVID-19 infection was reported on Saturday in a western Sydney man believed to be linked to the Berala bottle shop cluster.

It comes after days without a locally transmitted infection.

All people who were in the dental, physio and imaging waiting room of the Wentworthville Medical and Dental Clinic between 11.30 a.m. and 1.15 p.m. on Friday are now considered close contacts.

(They) must immediately get tested and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of the result, NSW Health said on Saturday afternoon. Anyone who was in other areas of the clinic at that time should monitor for symptoms and immediately isolate and get tested if they appear.

Just 14,547 tests in NSW were reported to 8 p.m. on Fridaydown on the previous days total of 16,070.

NSW has flagged the possibility of loosening restrictions on Greater Sydney next week but one of the conditions is high testing rates.

The testing rates are not where we would like them to be, Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Friday.

The premier is due to provide the state with an update on Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, Victoria is also watching Sydney closely, as it considers moving parts of the city from red to orange in its traffic-light permit system.

Travellers from orange zones still need to self-quarantine for 14 days but dont need to apply for an exemption to enter Victoria.

There are clearly some local government areas within Greater Sydney that have now gone a number of days of cases without transmission, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said in Melbourne. I will look very intensively at the epidemiology across Greater Sydney over the next couple of days.

By Greta Stonehouse and Luke Costin
The Church in Africa has lost yet another of its Shepherds. Coadjutor Archbishop Abel Gabuza of the Archdiocese of Durban passed on Sunday morning after a battle with COVID-19.

Paul Samasumo  Vatican City

South Africas Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier OFM, the Archbishop of Durban, has announced his Coadjutors death, Archbishop Abel Gabuza.

A tremendous loss to the Church

It is with the greatest sorrow that we announce the death of our Coadjutor Archbishop, Abel Gabuza, Cardinal Napier said. Archbishop Gabuza died at Hillcrest Hospital at 11.45 on Sunday morning, said the Cardinal. He added, The Archbishop had not been with us in Durban long -just short of two years- but in that time we came to recognise him as a gentle, caring and warm-hearted pastor. Through his gentleness, caring and warmth, he made an immediate impact on everyone who was privileged to make his acquaintance. Thats an added reason why his passing is such a tremendous loss to us and the entire Church in Southern Africa, said Cardinal Napier.

In a tweet posted on 10 January 2021, Cardinal Napier appealed for spiritual solidarity with Archbishop Abel Gabuza. At the time, the latter was said to be in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with the second strain of COVID-19. Please pray for the Coadjutor Archbishop of Durban, Abel Gabuza, who has tested COVID-19 positive, and is in ICU, Cardinal Napier wrote.

Appointed future Archbishop of Durban

As Coadjutor, it was foreseen that Archbishop Gabuza would succeed Cardinal Napier as the Archbishop of Durban. The Cardinal who has been Archbishop of Durban since 1992 and who was raised to the College of Cardinals in 2001, tendered his resignation in 2016 on his 75th birthday, in line with the provisions of Canon Law. Pope Francis, however, asked Cardinal Napier to stay on for a while as Ordinary of the Archdiocese.

Archbishop Gabuza was born on 23 March 1955. Pope Francis on 9 December 2018, appointed Archbishop Gabuza, until then Bishop of Kimberley Diocese in South Africa, as Coadjutor of the Archdiocese of Durban.

Strong on social justice issues

Archbishop Gabuza was raised in the township of Alexandra, during the difficult days of Apartheid. He would recall the challenges of growing up in the township. His mother sent him to a boarding school, partly as a way of protecting the young Gabuza. His father died when he was still young. Archbishop Gabuza always gave his mother credit as one of those who shaped his call and outlook on life. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Pretoria on 15 December 1984.

During his time as Bishop-chair of the Justice and Peace Commission under the auspices of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Gabuza furthered his reputation as a forthright, respected and even outspoken Bishop on matters of corruption and social justices.

At the time of his appointment as Coadjutor Archbishop of Durban, Archbishop Gabuza spoke of his apprehension about moving from a mostly rural Kimberley Diocese to the more cosmopolitan Archdiocese of Durban.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced that the government will be investing Rs 1000 crore as a seed fund to support startups and upcoming entrepreneurs. The seed fund would be aiding the business visionaries to develop into big companies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced that the government will be investing Rs 1000 crore as a part of the Startup India Seed Fund to enable upcoming entrepreneurs pursue their dreams. The fund will enable the setting up of new startups and promote their growth, said PM Modi while addressing the Prarambh: Startup India International Summit on the fifth anniversary of Startup India, an initiative launched by PM Modi in 2016.

Calling India, the third-largest ecosystem, PM Modi reiterated that there were more than 41000 startups actively operating in the country. He further stated that more than 30 startups in India had crossed the 1 billion mark, 11 of which had done so in the unprecedented times of Corona, thus showcasing their capabilities. When large companies struggled to survive globally, amid the pandemic, startups powered Indias drive for being self-reliant. The seed fund would be aiding the business visionaries to develop into big companies.

Recognizing that easy access to funds was required at the initial stages of growth, PM Modi announced that financial assistance up to 20 lakhs would be provided to startups for showing proof of concept, and up to 50 lakhs grant would be available for commercialization purposes. Grants would further be available for prototype development, product trials, market-entry, said the PM.

Also read: UN body disclosed dissenters names to China: Senior UN staffer

Also read: US retains Foreign Terrorist designation of Pak-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba

Deeming it to be the century of digital evolution and new new-age innovations, Prime Minister in the summit held on January 16th expressed that it was necessary to promote future entrepreneurs in the nation. The startup seed would be available to the entrepreneurs through selected incubators spread across the country.

Also read: Unrest in Pok: Massive protests break out over rising inflation, lack of commodities
A great-grandmother who died after contracting Covid-19 just a week earlier has been praised for going 'above and beyond' in her NHS job.

Val Stimson, a receptionist at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, had been helping with traffic management for the Covid team in recent weeks and handing out masks on the front door during the pandemic.

The 62-year old, from the village of Birchington, died on Tuesday, just seven days after testing positive for coronavirus.

Val Stimson (pictured) who died after contracting Covid-19 has been praised for going 'above and beyond' in her NHS job

The hospital staff have said that their thoughts are with Mrs Stimson's family and friends and that she went 'above and beyond' during the pandemic

Susan Acott, Chief Executive of the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, described Ms Stimson as 'a real character who will never be forgotten'.

She said: 'We are all deeply saddened to lose one of our trust family and our heartfelt condolences go to Val's family, friends and colleagues.

'She truly went above and beyond to support her team, the wider trust and our patients, and was quick to volunteer when there was a task that needed doing.'

Ms Stimson, who previously worked in banking, joined East Kent Hospitals in 2018.

Her daughter Tina Bass said: 'Mum was passionate about working for the NHS, and really liked the fact she could help people.

Ms Stimson, a receptionist at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital (pictured), had been helping with traffic management for the Covid team and handing out masks on the front door during the pandemic

'She was strong-minded until the end and didn't let on how ill she was.

'We were so proud of her. She made me as strong as she was. She was outspoken but we loved her for it, and we took it for granted that she would always be there.'

Ms Stimson left behind two daughters  Tina and Kelly  eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Ms Bass added: 'She was not a conventional gran but she was a fantastic one and she really loved the children.

'She cared so much about other people; she was always worrying about her neighbour, and had a real drive to help people.

'We are heartbroken  she has left a big hole in our family that can never be filled.'
After my second dose, I will go meet them more often. My family has their reservations but they have been supportive of the vaccine, says 28-year-old Nitin Dhama, a lab technician at Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya in Delhi for whom getting inoculated meant being able to meet his family more frequently.

The father of a three-year-old, Dhama had been living at the hospitals hostel for the past 10 months to avoid infecting his family comprising his wife, mother, and grandmother living in Haryanas Gannaur.

As per a report by The Indian Express, Dhama got vaccinated on Saturday morning. At 1 pm, he heaved a sigh of relief as he stepped out of the vaccination centre, Everything was good. I did not have any side effects.

Nitin was among 100 healthcare workers who received the Covid vaccine on day 1 of the country-wide immunization drive.

A 34-year old nurse, Adeethi K, was the first beneficiary. Having contracted Covid-19 in the past, she was apprehensive about the safety of her children who were sent off to her hometown in Kerala.

They have come back now so we do not want them to get exposed. I am glad to be among the first to get vaccinated. I feel no pain or side effects, expressed the mother of two.

Also read: Covid-19 Vaccination Begins in Full Force in Delhi, Healthcare Workers Get First Shots

By 5 pm on Saturday, 49 beneficiaries had been vaccinated. Hospital officials said there was a slight delay initially as the Co-WIN app was down for a short while in the morning.
Stocks in Europe and the US plunged to finish last week and SPI Futures are pointing to a 0.24 per cent drop for the ASX/200 when trade begins on Monday.

US President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in as Americas 46th President on Thursday morning (AEDT). Investors will be wary of any potential for armed protests in the lead-up to the event, especially as impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump continue. However, the primary concern in the markets will likely remain Bidens expansive fiscal stimulus agenda. Biden announced a larger than expected $US1.9 Trillion worth of spending last week that will see higher direct payments to individuals, more money to combat the pandemic, and beefed-up support for state governments.

US earnings season

US earnings season has kicked-off on a positive note. Only 26 companies across the S&P500 have reported so far. But according to data compiled by Bloomberg intelligence, 96 per cent have exceeded analysts forecasts. Financial sector stocks dominated the headlines last week, with Wells Fargo, Citigroup and JP Morgan delivering a mixed set of results. However, despite that, investors welcomed moves from all 3 institutions to reduce the provisions set aside for bad loans. In the week ahead, US big banks will remain in the limelight, while Netflix will also hand down results.

Australian jobs and Chinese data

Jobs data will highlight the local calendar in the week ahead. Economists are forecasting another month of solid jobs growth for the Australian economy, with consensus estimates suggesting a gain of 50,000 jobs, which ought to push the unemployment rate down to 6.7 per cent. More broadly, Chinas monthly economic data dump will also garner attention this week, and will include the countrys latest GDP figures. Economists are tipping that the Chinese economy expanded 6.2 per cent on a quarter-over-year basis, as the Middle Kingdoms recovery continues to outpace the rest of the worlds.
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A former minister of commerce and industry, Jubril Martins-Kuye, is dead.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Martins-Kuye died on Sunday morning at his hometown, Ago-Iwoye in Ogun State.

His death was confirmed to our correspondent by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kunle Somorin, in a telephone interview.

He said he has been ordered to write a condolence message on behalf of the governor to the family.

The chief of staff has told me to write a condolence message to the family, the spokesperson said.

The politician, born on August 16, 1942, died at the age of 78.

During his lifetime, he served as a senator during the Third Republic. Upon the return of democracy in 1999, he contested for governor of Ogun State under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but lost to Olusegun Osoba.

In the same year, he was appointed by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration as the minister of state for finance where served till 2003.

Former president Goodluck Jonathan appointed him as the minister of commerce and industry between 2010 and 2011.

Mr Jonathan made the appointment while completing the remaining tenure of departed late President Umar Yar-Adua.

Mr Martins-Kuye for several years also served as Aare Musulumi of Ogun State.
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PRESIDENTS MOB: Members of US Capitol Police try to fend off Trump supporters as one tries to use a flag as a spear during the January 6 riots. Photo: Leah Millis/Reuters

When the mob stormed the US Capitol building on January 6, Leslie hoped that this would be her Trump-supporting parents' wake-up call. She hoped they were watching, and maybe feeling ashamed.

Then, a friend called. "Do you know already?" the friend said, and Leslie wondered briefly if someone had died.

The politically liberal 35-year-old then looked at her mother's Facebook page, and cried when she saw the posts defending the pro-Trump crowds and the pictures suggesting that Leslie's mother made it at least to the Capitol's steps. Then she emailed the FBI and reported her mother - because "actions should have consequences".

"I think before I realised she was this far gone... there was a sense that perhaps there was some way to reconcile," said Leslie. "It felt like a death, honestly."

In relationships already strained or severed, the violent spectacle of democracy under siege has pushed some people to take a drastic new step: warning law enforcement. Anguished Americans are turning in friends and family for their alleged involvement in the Capitol riots, contributing more than 100,000 tips to the FBI and playing a role in at least one high-profile arrest.

For months - sometimes years - the informants say they have watched helplessly as loved ones embraced far-right ideology and latched on to conspiracy theories, from QAnon to viral-video claims of a coronavirus "Plandemic". Extremism has thrived in the Trump era and under pandemic lockdowns, experts say, with more people isolated at home and misinformation rampant online.

"Far-right extremism is not a small-fringe worldview, it's not an insular cult that only reaches a few dozen or a few hundred people - it's a wide-ranging worldview embedded in society," said Peter Simi, an associate professor of sociology who has studied far-right extremist groups and violence for more than 20 years.

Increasingly estranged friends and relatives say they were driven to law enforcement by their own politics, a sense of moral obligation and a fear of what their loved ones could do next.

"They left me no choice because they are on such a destructive path and I do worry about other people's safety as well as theirs," said a Texas woman who recounted learning through social media that family members were on the Capitol lawn, apparently beyond the barriers that rioters toppled. Her husband said he can corroborate that she informed the FBI.

Authorities say they have just started making arrests in the wake of the four hours of chaos at the Capitol, which sent lawmakers into hiding, halted certification of the US presidential vote and left five people dead, including a police officer. Hundreds could eventually face charges, and people around the country are volunteering information.

Online forums urge users to turn in even those closest to them - and comfort those who say they did. Some of these online spaces have become safe havens where people share their struggles with the radicalisation of a loved one.

"Maybe being held accountable will do them some good," one Reddit user writes in a thread about reporting Capitol rioters, making sure to include the FBI's Web form for tips. Elsewhere, it is noted that Ted Kaczynski, the terrorist known as the "Unabomber", was turned in by his brother.

The FBI did not respond to questions about the sources of its Capitol riot tips. But one of their agents described a witness in the case of Larry Rendell Brock, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, who called in identifying herself as Brock's ex-wife. According to the FBI, Brock was photographed last week in the well of the Senate chamber with zip-tie handcuffs - and a military patch recognised by the FBI's tipster, who explained that she was married to Brock for 18 years.

Some family members have stuck by those arrested, defending them to the media. And for others, contacting the FBI feels drastic. Waking up from a nap to see the Capitol riots on TV, Robyn Sweet said, she had a feeling that her father, Douglas Sweet, was there. She knew he went to the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, she said, and she has listened to him spout QAnon conspiracy theories, speaking of paedophile rings and a chemical compound supposedly extracted from young captives' blood.

By the time family located him, Robyn said, her father had already been arrested. She says she would not have contacted law enforcement anyway, since she does not believe her father harmed anyone. But she says she has heard from a large community of people who are also mourning their own relatives' descent into conspiracy - and who say that if they were in her shoes, they would report.

"I have had a lot of people around the world reaching out to me and saying they feel like they've lost their parents to this radical Trumpism," she said. "They feel like they don't have a family any more."

Posting on Facebook after his arrest, Douglas Sweet dismissed his unlawful-entry charge as the equivalent of a "ticket".

Professor Simi argued that right-wing extremism has been building - and ignored - for decades but it has gained greater force during the Trump administration, fomented not only by the US president but other federal officials.

This has brought political extremism in America to unprecedented levels, Simi said, adding, "We really are in uncharted territory."

The coronavirus pandemic has proved a "terrible recipe for extremism", Simi said. Then came the Capitol riots: "What we saw was the culmination of something that has been burning and building for quite some time, and in that sense, what happened was quite predictable," he said.

The Texas woman who says two of her relatives were on the Capitol lawn also described radicalisation long in the making.

"They have closed themselves off from the rest of society, everybody else is the enemy," she said of her relatives. One family member has argued for a "white ethnic state" and the separation of races, she said.

"It's almost like a cult," she said. "They all sit around and share conspiracy theories, that the media is lying to them, they don't want to believe any kind of fact outside of their circle."

Stunned after learning her relatives were at the Capitol last week, she slept on the issue and then tried to discuss it with other family members. The woman says they brushed her off, echoing claims of widespread voting fraud.

"They said I was being ridiculous and overreacting," she said. That response helped push her to call the FBI. "I felt I had to do something because it seemed like no one else in their immediate circle was going to talk to them."

Another woman said she informed the FBI about a former friend - estranged because of her increasingly radical politics - who appears in video close to the overrun Capitol, shouting towards police: "Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!"

The ex-friend, a California attorney named Leigh Dundas, also posted video of herself telling a crowd the day before the Capitol chaos that "we would be well within our rights" to take traitorous Americans "out back and shoot 'em or hang 'em."

The ex-friend shared screenshots of a group chat where she said she reported Dundas to the FBI, and her daughter also corroborated that her mother notified law enforcement.

On Facebook last week Dundas wrote that "the police were the aggressors" and blamed "Antifa thugs" for the destruction inside the building. The FBI has said it does not believe Antifa was responsible for the day's violence.

Dundas's former friend said she initially felt some hesitation about contacting the FBI. But Dundas's words erased "all of the great things we did together and the wonderful things she did for me" she said.

"What she said about killing people... she was talking about killing me."

Washington Post
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PORT SHELDON TWP., MI -- A mother suffered serious injuries Sunday after she and her 4-year-old daughter crashed into a tree while sledding in Ottawa County, police said.

Officers responded to the accident at 10:16 a.m. on Jan. 17 to the Van Buren Street Dunes in Port Sheldon Township, said the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office in a release.

The 38-year-old mother suffered non-life threatening but serious enough injuries to require transportation to a local hospital by AMR Ambulance, police said. The 4-year-old suffered minor injuries that medical staff treated on scene, police said.

Medical personnel from Port Sheldon Township utilized an ATV to enter the dune area and evacuate the mother, police said, before the ambulance transported her for additional treatment of her injuries.

The victims, both from St. Clair, were in the Holland area visiting family members at the time of the incident, police said.

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Heavy police presence at Michigan capitol ahead of potential protests, threats

Woman, 18, shot at Montcalm County home has died

Whats the name of that snowplow? You tell us, MDOT says
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
By Angelica Berrie

As daunting a burden as the COVID-19 pandemic is by itself, it also magnifies racial inequality and other societal fissures that make it even worse for many people. Challenging times like these can be softened by extraordinary individuals who see a need and step up.

These are real heroes who make a difference in their community by unselfishly giving of their time, talent and even their own personal resources to make things better for others.

Five years before his death in 2002, my husband Russell Berrie created a way to salute New Jerseys unsung heroes  everyday people who, over the course of a lifetime, or in the flash of a moment  who made their neighborhood, community, state or society as a whole a better, safer, healthier place.

Each year, the Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award provides $50,000 in cash to a selfless New Jerseyan whose deeds stand out. There are two $25,000 awardees and several who receive $7,500 awards. These awards were Russs way to recognize people in a tangible way  realizing that honorees often sacrificed their financial resources and gave up their time to use their talents to help others and make change.

The deadline to nominate an unsung hero for the 25th anniversary Making a Difference Award is February 12. Ramapo College of New Jersey administers the award process and an advisory board of prominent New Jerseyans reviews the nominations and recommends honorees to be recognized in May.

Russ Berrie was a grown man who had a childs heart. His success was fueled by selling trolls, teddy bears, sculptures bearing the inscription I love you this much  and every tchotchke in between. What started in a garage grew into a $300 million business. He went on to launch the Russell Berrie Foundation, based in Teaneck, to support advances in medicine, focusing on diabetes and humanism; foster religious understanding and pluralism; promote the continuity and enrichment of Jewish communal life and elevate the profession of sales.

But Russ didnt want to just make large philanthropic gestures. He also wanted to, as he put it, honor outstanding people  just common folks, not great scientists or people of great wealthpeople who work really hard and spend a lifetime giving up a lot of themselves.' Russ didnt care if you were the president or a cab driver  he had a sense of humanity that connected him to everyone.

The list of Making a Difference Award winners reads like a roster of those who gave of themselves  not for fame and certainly not for money. They are folks like:

Pino Rodriguez of Camden, who inspired and empowered those around him to deter crime in their neighborhood through a program that grew into the Block Supporter Initiative.

Chief Vincent Mann of the Ringwood-based Turtle Clan of the Ramapough-Lenape Tribe, who rallied his people and won media coverage that pressured the federal EPA to reopen a Superfund site at the former Ford plant in Mahwah and force the company to do additional cleanup.

Joyce Jenkins of Marlboro, founder and director of the Paul M. McGuire Family Health Center in Freehold, who convinced a clinic to donate the trailer they had been using to provide medical services to Jenkins church. She recruited a medical director and medical professionals and secured funding to start a family health center to serve the uninsured.

Angelica Mercado, RN, of North Bergen, saved the life of a driver whose gas tanker overturned and exploded. She assisted at the scene of the accident and transported the driver to the hospital.

Making a Difference Award winners come from all walks of life. They all have in common an altruistic gene that helps them realize no person and no deed is too small to make a difference.

Since 1997, the Award has given 366 New Jerseyans, from every county, more than $3.5 million in cash awards. They, and the nearly 4,000 who were nominated and didnt win an Award, continue to inspire us. In many cases, their organizations now work with each other, proving that the ripple effect of people influencing others to do good is one of the most powerful benefits of the award.

Has an unsung hero touched your life? Do you know someone who is taking little-known action for the good for others? Please nominate him or her for a Making a Difference Award.

New Jerseys post-pandemic reality will require everyone to pitch in, whether to feed the hungry, help someone find a job, fight injustice or give hope to the forgotten  because no one can do it alone.

Angelica Berrie is president of the Russell Berrie Foundation board of trustees.

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WOOD RIVER  Marks Mortuarys office manager Paul Sauls recently retired from the business, but not from the Marks family.

Mr. Marks already retired when I started part time in 1969, and then went full time in 1971, Sauls recalled. Grandpa (Harry) Marks only worked a few funerals, but I did work with him.

Patricia Marks, of the second generation and whos the sole owner of Marks Mortuary, recently celebrated her 99th birthday. Sauls still helps her with errands such as getting groceries and running to the beauty shop. The mortuary is operated by her nephew, Martin Marks, third generation, and his son, Blake Marks, who works there now and is set to continue the legacy, fourth generation.

Ive had the best relationships there, said Sauls, of Wood River, whose wife died four years ago. Im very honored to have worked with them for four generations.

Sauls former office assistant, Scott Levan, who has taken care of insurance for Marks, along with newcomer Megan Simmons, trained by Sauls, are taking over all of Marks Mortuarys office duties. Levan has been at Marks for nearly 35 years, said Sauls, who worked there for 51 years and three months, starting at age 17.

Sauls went to school with Harry Edwin Marks, who was the son of the funeral homes founder, Harry F. Marks.

Harry asked me if I could help out one day, and Ive been there ever since, he said. I have loved working there.

I felt like I was helping people, he said. I almost feel its ministry. Its among the worst three days of peoples life during a funeral, youre comforting people. I worked there so long, Ive known most people weve had at Marks. I got very attached to people over the years. I finally threw away two big boxes of thank you cards I came across recently. Not everybody can work in a funeral home.

He recalled one family of which a 9-year-old daughter died from leukemia.

To this day, if I run in to them and they see me, they hug me, he said. In your life, you can lose a mom, a dad, but if you lose your child, its the worst. Ive never seen anything worse than the death of a child. They never forget that, never fully get over that.

Sauls also has played organ or piano for numerous funerals over the years, which he considers all a part of his ministry.

Ive repeated over the years playing for peoples grandmas, parents, and now multiple generations funerals, and will continue to play there, Sauls said. God gave it to me; I never had any lessons. Some of my very good friends are church musicians.

At Schnucks after Thanksgiving, Sauls twice ran into a couple among the aisles, the second time they asked him, Are you Paul?

I said, Im Paul and they told me about 40 years ago when they got married, he recounted. They asked to take my picture, as I stood with my mask on, they had masks on, too. To this day I dont know who that couple was. Theres no way I can remember all Ive played for.

Wood Rivers Marks Mortuary original owners Harry and Freda Marks eventually sold the funeral home to their sons and the wives, the late William, who died Jan. 21, 1986, and Carol Marks, who was bought out in the 1980s, and Edwin Marks, deceased, and his wife, Patricia, the sole owner since his death, Jan. 31, 2002. The brothers hired Sauls, who made an impact and influenced the entire family, including by babysitting for the William Marks family.

Sauls four charges included brothers Eddie, now deceased, Fred and Marty Marks and their sister, Paula (Marks) Carach, 59, who grew up in Wood River, now of Bunker Hill.

Laughing, Carach recalled many Adventures in Babysitting stories about when her parents were out of town.

He was so brutal; we got away with murder with my mom, she took care of everything, such a sweet person, she said. He would wake us up in the morning, Boys and girls, its time to get up. We were, like, go away, and he made me make my bed and do chores we never had to do before.

I grew to respect and love him when I got older, she said. Paul became family to us. He even went shopping with me to find my wedding dress, and he sang at Freds wedding.

She recalled that Sauls also ultimately led her to seek Christ.

He went to Calvary Temple, in Alton, and they were having a contest. If you brought the most visitors, you would win a watch. We went to church with him on the joy bus. It was pentecostal. I wasnt raised to have to go to church and I thought everyone was really rowdy.

But, I want you to know, thats where I ended up getting saved years later and went back to that church, Carach said. Paul introduced me to the Lord, really.

When she lived in Wood River, Sauls was her neighbor.

I really enjoyed living next door to him, she said.  I just love Paul. The funeral home used to have an ambulance service. Paul was a big part in making the ambulance call trips. He was always very much a comfort to those families at such a critical time. Everyone knows and loves Paul. He will be greatly missed at the funeral home.

Sauls good friend Mary Lou Pitt, of Roxana, agreed.

Hes got the biggest heart, she said. Hes so kind and so caring with everyone.

Now Sauls is going to do a bit of traveling to visit other family in Houston and Largo, Florida, and rest a bit here and there.
The broking industry is in a bitter-sweet spot with yields sliding but revenues managing to grow. The decline in yields for the industry is because of the advent of discount brokerages, which typically charge a flat fee of as low as Rs 10 per transaction.

Revenues, on the other hand, have gone up as the trading volumes have surged, partly because of the new fee structure and more due to the buoyancy in the market. A look at ICICI Securities blended yield and revenue for the broking business since 2014-15 throws a good light on this trend. Indias largest listed brokerage has seen ...

Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  A member of the House of Representatives on Sunday questioned the Duterte government's move to limit healthcare workers' deployment abroad to 5,000, stressing there was "no point in restraining" them when the Philippines only offers low wages.

Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor in a statement urged the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases to reconsider the annual supply of Filipino health professionals that are allowed to go abroad.

"As far as we're concerned, there's really no point in restraining our healthcare workers from leaving for abroad, if we can't provide them good-paying jobs here at home," he said in the statement.

"If they've already received hiring notices from foreign employers, we should just allow them to leave," Defensor added.

Defensor also expressed worries about possible exploitation from securing overseas employment certificates to point of departure in immigration counters if the IATF still pursues this move.

The IATF late last year said the move was needed given the "national demand" for healthcare workers amid the pandemic.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration in December said the supply cap would begin this year.
The U.S. government carried out its 13th and final federal execution under the Trump administration on early Saturday.

The execution took place mere days before the end of the Trump administration and the inauguration of anti-death penalty President-elect Joe Biden.

Unlike the Trump administration, Biden appears to have a clear mission against death penalty as he vowed to put an end to it, reported Reuters.

Dustin Higgs, 48, was convicted for ordering the killings of three women in a Maryland wildlife refuge in 1996. He had his execution through lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.

He was the third to receive the lethal injection this week, said a report from The Associated Press. Higgs was pronounced dead at 1:23 a.m. local time on Saturday.

Higgs's Last Words During Execution Claim Innocence

For his last words, Higgs named each of the women prosecutors said he ordered to get killed: Tanji Jackson, Tamika Black and Mishann Chinn.

He also said he was innocent. "I am not responsible for the deaths," he said. "I did not order the murders."

Read also: Joe Biden Chooses Familiar Faces for Top FEMA, CIA Roles

No apologies were made for the things he was convicted for, on the night 25 years ago where the women by shot by a man named Willis Haynes who received a life sentence.

Higgs turned to a room reserved for relatives and lawyers as the injection began to flow into his veins and said, "I love you."

Uncontrollable sobs from Higgs's older sister, could be heard from the room as he died.

Relatives of the victims were also in attendance, with Jackson's sister releasing a statement saying: "When the day is over, your death will not bring my sister and the other victims back. This is not closure, this is the consequence of your actions."

The sister's name was not revealed.

Trump Administration Oversaw Most Executions in 120 Years

After a 17-year hiatus from holding federal executions, President Donald Trump resumed holding federal executions last year.

With a 13-person death toll, no president has overseen as many federal executions over a 120 year period, noted a report from Al Jazeera.

It is also more than the death sentences over the past 56 years combined, reducing the number of federal death row inmates by nearly a quarter.

Since Biden does not plan on brining death penalty back, it's unlikely that the 50 men remaining on death row will face execution anytime soon.

Related story: Execution of Only Woman on Federal Death Row Postponed

The only woman on it, Lisa Montgomery, was executed on Wednesday for killing a pregnant woman. She was the first woman to face execution in nearly 70 years.

Before Trump's presidency, only three people were put on death row by the federal government since 1963. But last year, 10 people went through federal execution.

It marked the first time it held more executions than all of the U.S. states combined, data from the Death Penalty Information Center said.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said Higgs's execution marked the end of a "cruel, inhumane and lawless" practice in federal government.

They also called on President-elect Biden to meet his promise of putting an end to the federal death penalty.
On Thursday, Zendaya and Tom Holland were spotted filming on the snowy Atlanta set of the upcoming Spider-Man 3 film.

The 24-year-old actor was first seen taking a stroll through a winter landscape while carrying a letter in his hands.

Holland later entered a pastry shop in order to talk to his 24-year-old costar, who initially appeared to be happy to see him before casting a stern expression.

Hard at work: On Thursday, Tom Holland and Zendaya were seen filming on the snowy set of the upcoming Spider-Man movie

The Spies in Disguise actor was costumed in a multicolored jacket in order to keep out the wintertime chill.

He also wore a plaid shirt underneath a blue sweater, which he contrasted with a set of loose-fitting brown jeans and a pair of Vans Old Skools.

His castmate could be seen in a pastel green-and-pink button-up shirt on top of a long-sleeve white t-shirt.

The Euphoria star appeared to have her gorgeous brown hair tied back during the film shoot.

Location shoot: The future release is currently being shot in Atlanta after the production crew finished filming in New York City

Staying warm: The 24-year-old actor was pictured wearing a multicolored jacket to keep himself comfortable on the icy set

Familiar role: The new feature will mark the third time that Holland has taken up the role of Peter Parker, as he previously featured as the character in multiple films across the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Development on the upcoming sequel to the 2019 blockbuster Spider-Man: Far From Home first began while the original 2017 film was being filmed.

Series director Jon Watts is helming the production of the third film.

During the development stage of the first sequel, a conflict ensued between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios regarding the film rights to the character; an agreement was eventually reached that stipulated that both parties would be allowed to produce their own Spider-Man pictures.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige reportedly negotiated an agreement where the character would be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe while Sony would be allowed to produce their own Spider-Man films.

Known for it: Zendaya is also reprising her role as MJ from the past three films in the new Spider-Man film series

Familiar faces: Jamie Foxx and Alfred Molina will be reprising their parts as Electro and Doctor Octopus from the older Spider-Man films

In addition to Holland and Zendaya reprising their roles as Peter Parker and MJ, the upcoming film will also see the return of both Marisa Tomei and Jacob Batalon, who portray Aunt May and Ned Leeds.

Jamie Foxx will appear as Electro, whom he played in The Amazing Spider-Man 2; the film was originally released in 2014.

In another throwback casting choice, Alfred Molina is set to take up the mantle of Doctor Octopus, whom he first portrayed in the 2004 picture Spider-Man 2.

Benedict Cumberbatch will also appear in the upcoming feature as Doctor Strange; the British actor has been a mainstay in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2016.

Staying in the universe: Benedict Cumberbatch will appear as Doctor Strange in the upcoming superhero movie

Sticking around: The future release is being directed by Jon Watts, who also helmed the previous two Spider-Man live action films

Filming originally began in mid-October with the production crew being spotted at various locations in New York City; shooting then moved to Atlanta in the latter days of that month, where it has remained since.

Principal photography on the upcoming feature is expected to last until March.

The film was first set to be released this coming July, but due to the impact of COVID-19 on the motion picture industry, the premiere date was pushed back to December 17th.

A fourth film in the franchise is reportedly in development.
Brazil government sought more data on Sputnik V, first coronavirus vaccine developed by Russia, before considering it for approval for emergency use. Documents supporting drugmaker Uniao Quimica's application for emergency use of the vaccine have been returned to the company because they did not meet its minimum criteria, Brazil's health regulator said on Sunday, according to Reuters.

In a statement on the Health Ministry's website, regulator Anvisa said the request failed to provide adequate assurances on Phase III clinical trials and issues related to the manufacture of the vaccine. Uniao Quimica is seeking approval for the use of 10 million doses of Sputnik V in Brazil in the first quarter of this year.

Russian Direct Investment Fund, Russia's sovereign wealth fund which is promoting Sputnik globally, on Sunday said that Anvisa had requested additional information that would be provided shortly. "Such requests from regulators were standard procedure and do not mean the registration bid has been rejected," RDIF said in a statement. It also said that legislation going through the Brazilian Senate, if approved, would allow use of vaccines approved by other countries.

Anvisa officials earlier stated that the Sputnik V vaccine would have to be submitted to Phase III clinical trials in Brazil before its use could be authorised. Brazil health regulator already mentioned that any applicant requesting emergency use authorisation must show that the vaccine would deliver long-term safety and effectiveness.

Sputnik had already been registered in nine countries which includes Serbia, Belarus, Argentina, Bolivia, Algeria, Venezuela, Paraguay and Palestine.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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An Irish wind energy developer linked to EMPower has plans to develop a 54.9m wind farm in Shronowen, Co Kerry, a project which could create more than 100 new jobs.

Shronowen Wind Farm Limited posted its intention to apply for 10-year planning permission to An Bord Pleanala last week. Shronowen Wind Farm Limited shares directors with EMPower and has a website hosted by the company.

According to the website, Shronowen wind farm will involve a 54.9m investment in Irish renewable energy.

Direct corporate tax earnings for the Irish Government are estimated to exceed 21.7m over the project lifetime, and may contribute 9.1m in county council rates.

Shronowen Wind Farm is also expected to provide a community fund of approximately 302,000 per year, to be made available to the local community for the 15-year duration of the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS). This fund will be allocated as per the RESS auction terms and conditions, with a minimum of 40pc being directed towards local not-for-profit initiatives and enterprises focusing on climate.

The website also said the 50-megawatt capacity of the wind farm may create 105 jobs. Following the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's calculations, 85 of these would be for the construction phase, while 20 operations and maintenance jobs would endure throughout the project's lifetime.

Shronowen wind farm is expected to generate enough green electricity to power over 35,000 Irish homes, the website claims.

The proposed development area of Shronowen Wind Farm is located 5.5km north of Listowel.

According to the planning notice, the proposed development will consist of 12 wind turbines with a maximum turbine tip height of 150 metres.

The proposed development would also see new and upgraded internal service roads and underground cabling systems within the wind farm site. It also suggested six peat deposition areas located across the development.

The company behind the proposed development also plans to build a 110-kilovolt substation, including two single-storey buildings for the system operator and the wind farm operator.

Shronowen Wind Farm Limited also noted in the planning notice that it would look to fell 3.15 hectares of conifer trees to facilitate development on the site. It also included plans for two new junctions on local roads near the area.

The company is set to apply for 10-year permission and an operational period of 30 years for the development from its commissioning date.

EMPower is an Irish-based international wind energy developer with over 700 MW in development in Europe and Africa. It is owned by GGE Ireland Limited, EMP Holdings Limited and Wind Power Invest A/S.

The company said its vision is to provide "low carbon, ecologically non-invasive, affordable energy to facilitate Ireland's expanding economy and sustainable energy targets".

Last February, the Sunday Independent reported that EMPower agreed a new 50-50 partnership with Morrison & Co, which is backed by several significant Australian and New Zealand pension funds, to develop seven wind farms in Ireland.

The Irish wind-energy developer and New Zealand-based alternative-asset manager were reportedly set to pump as much as 160m into the seven greenfield wind farms located across the south-west of Ireland.

According to the report, the exact amount will depend on how each of the seven sites fares in the planning and regulatory process. The partnership ultimately aims to jointly develop a 300MW portfolio of greenfield wind farm sites in Ireland.

EMPower founder Diarmuid Twomey said about half of that total was, in reality, likely to reach the construction phase under the current funding arrangements due to attrition in the planning process.

In total, Morrison had put together a 220m funding facility for renewable projects in the European market.

EMPower did not respond to a request for comment.
What's the story with this vaccine?

According to HSE figures, 77,303 people have received a vaccination here, but those figures have not been updated since last Wednesday so it's hard to say what the progress has been like since.

Does that not seem slow?

Apparently not, and that roughly equates to the population of Galway being vaccinated in a little more than two weeks.

OK, so let's say that's Galway sorted. What about the rest of us?

Well actually that isn't the equivalent of Galway sorted because there is meant to be three weeks between the first and second dose of the vaccine, next Tuesday will only mark three weeks since the first jab was issued here.

Read More

Yes, that all still seems slow. What's happening everywhere else? Half of the UK must be vaccinated by now.

We are pretty high in an EU league table for vaccinations. We were as high as second at one point last week, but there are extreme examples elsewhere that could make us look like a bit of a laggard. Israel has vaccinated almost a quarter of its 8.6 million inhabitants, but it has been administering vaccines for almost a month and will be watched closely by other countries in case any issues arise there. Meanwhile, the UK has vaccinated about 3.5 million people. This includes more than 400,000 second doses of the vaccine, according to the UK's NHS.

And we aren't slow?

The trend pretty much everywhere else has been to start slow and then ramp things up. That's not to say there aren't concerned here.

What are the concerns here?

Well, some healthcare workers are very concerned about progress being made and on Friday staff at a hospital in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, took to social media to complain they had not received their vaccines even though they are working with Covid-19 patients. Yesterday, the INMO moved against rumours that the vaccine rollout plan could be changed to accommodate other sectors. It came after it emerged staff at private hospitals and clinics were vaccinated ahead of frontline public healthcare workers, and calls for teachers and other sectors to be considered for a bump up the vaccine ladder. The vaccination of healthcare workers against coronavirus is to be scaled down for at least 10 days in order to allow for greater focus on nursing homes and other care facilities.

When should we expect to start seeing things ramp up?

Technically the speed should have started to kick in from yesterday. First doses of the Moderna vaccine were administered in Co Laois yesterday. It also requires a second dose to be given to patients 28 days later, but a second supplier coming on-stream should mean greater availability. Those jabs yesterday were given at one of three mass vaccination centres around the country, and the idea of those is to make the vaccine a bit more accessible. These should become more common, especially once care settings such as nursing homes are clear and vaccination teams can work efficiently from one location instead of moving around. The hope is things do start getting quicker now.

And what is this about more vaccines being available from vials?

The Pfizer vials contain six doses, but vaccinators have been getting a seventh dose out of many of them to vaccinate more people. The Moderna vaccine comes in a 10-dose vial but the HSE has been given permission to try push that out to 11.
Nurpur (HP):

At least 11 people were feared dead after a three-storey building collapsed on Friday in Nurpur sub-division of Himachal Pradeshs Kangra district.



About a dozen labourers were working at an adjoining construction site when the building collapsed.



The workers were digging up the foundation when the adjoining building housing a footwear shop fell down, the police said.



One body has been pulled out of the rubble. The deceased has been identified as Motu Ram (45) of Chhattisgarh, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Nurpur, Abid Hussain said.



Two injured persons were rushed to hospital. The exact number of labourers trapped under the debris was yet to be ascertained.



A person who had gone to the site to serve tea to the labourers is also feared dead.The police and local people rushed to the spot and an NDRF team also joined the rescue operations.



The rescue teams are cutting through the concrete to reach out to the victims, the police said.

One body recovered and two ppl rescued by NDRF from a collapsed building in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra pic.twitter.com/bO3G3hQ7du  ANI (@ANI_news) June 16, 2017

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A 60,000 life-size bronze statue of legendary Hollywood actress Maureen O'Hara due to be unveiled in west Cork has been scrapped.

The statue has been discarded as it was "not a good likeness," local sources said.

The statue of the Dublin-born acting giant was due to be unveiled in Glengarriff in west Cork, which became the actor's adopted home after she moved there permanently in 2005.

Cork County Council confirmed that the 60,000 statue has now been abandoned, telling the Sunday Independent in a statement: "The commissioned statue of Maureen O'Hara is not due to be unveiled in its current form Glengarriff Tourist & Development Association informed Cork County Council in 2017 that they had commissioned a life-size statue which would be modelled by a sculptor and subsequently cast in bronze by a third party.

"The council has since been advised by the Tourist & Development Association that the statue, which was provided from this commission, was not suitable for installation."

The council also confirmed the overall cost of the statue was 60,000, adding: "Cork County Council has incurred costs of 27,726 to date to carry out ground works to prepare the location for the statue."

The council went on to say that Glengarriff Tourist & Development Association advised the council that it would commission an alternative supplier but the community group later advised that, "the cost of a life-size representation was not within their financial scope and they were not in a position to deliver the commission as originally intended", according to Cork County Council.

When contacted, a spokesman for Glengarriff Tourist & Development Association said: "The council have withdrawn support for our project and I believe they are doing a project of their own."

Cork County Council confirmed a new sculptor was enlisted last month to start the project afresh. "Cork County Council commissioned a sculptor in December 2020 to deliver and install a life-size statue of Maureen O'Hara in Glengarriff from the funds allocated through the Town and Village Scheme. This decision was made in order to conclude the project on behalf of the community and reflect their commitment to commemorate this former resident of the village."

The statement added: "A date has not yet been agreed for the installation and unveiling of the statue, but it is intended that the project will be delivered this year, subject to a return to normal working conditions and the lifting of travel constraints following Covid-19 restrictions."

The statue was due to be unveiled in August last year to mark Maureen O'Hara's 100th birthday. She died, aged 95, on October 24, 2015, in Idaho.

The actress was ahead of her time when she took a stand against sexual harassment in Hollywood in 1945. She was just 25 when she spoke publicly about being harassed by film directors and producers and said she was ready to "quit" over their behaviour.

She repeated her concerns in 2004, when she told the Daily Telegraph that she refused to sleep with The Quiet Man director John Ford as well as co-stars Errol Flynn and Howard Hughes, stating that it cost her parts.

British actor Charles Laughton was the first Hollywood name to spot the actress's potential and arranged for her to co-star with him in Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn, in 1939.

Her first collaboration with director John Ford came with How Green Was My Valley (1941). Ford directed her in several more famous films, including The Quiet Man, with co-star John Wayne.


The pandemic which shook our lives and showed us times which we have never experienced is finally going to be defeated. Yesterday, a COVID-19 vaccine drive was started in India where healthcare workers were the first ones to be given vaccines and Priyanka Chopra Jonas lauds this move.



UNICEF India tweeted about the big move in India and said, A big moment for India as it starts the #LargestVaccineDrive today! Health workers are the first to receive the #COVID19 vaccine across India. #TogetherAgainstCOVID19. Priyanka Chopra Jonas took to her Twitter account to express her happiness. Priyanka Chopra Jonas whos a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF quoted UNICEF India and said, Bravo India! Congratulations to Indian authorities, medical & health teams for starting off the massive Covid vaccination drive. Forever grateful to our frontline heroes who have been risking their lives this past year to save others. Its truly an amazing moment for all of us and heartfelt gratitude for our frontliners.

Bravo India! Congratulations to

Indian authorities, medical & health teams for starting off the massive Covid vaccination drive. Forever grateful to our frontline heroes who have been risking their lives this past year to save others AAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAA https://t.co/VA56OzVLUy  PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) January 16, 2021



Priyanka Chopra Jonas is in London and has been shooting for her new Hollywood flick Text For You. She also has Matrix 4 in her kitty and a big Amazon deal. The actress who loves to work round the clock is making sure she doesnt waste any more time and immerses herself in work as an actor, producer, an artiste and a humanitarian. This desi girl is a global icon and rightfully so.
Representative image: Reuters

Pharma giant Pfizer tried to ease concerns in Europe about deliveries of its coronavirus vaccine as nations across the world doubled down on restrictions to fight the rampaging COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down, with infections surging past 94 million and more than two million deaths, and Europe among the hardest-hit parts of the world.

Worries have grown that delays in the delivery of Pfizer-BioNTech shots could hamper a European vaccine rollout which has already faced heavy criticism across the continent.

Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the coronavirus pandemic

Work is ongoing at the Pfizer plant in Belgium to increase capacity, and the firm and its German partner BioNTech said Saturday it would allow them to "significantly" scale up vaccine production in the second quarter.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Deliveries would be back to the original schedule to the EU from January 25, they pledged.

Several Nordic and Baltic countries have described the situation as "unacceptable", while Belgium's vaccination strategy task force condemned a lack of consultation by Pfizer over the deliveries as "incomprehensible".

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: All you need to know about manufacturing and pricing

France, which crossed 70,000 Covid-19 deaths on the weekend, is set to begin a campaign to inoculate people over 75 from Monday. Russia plans to begin mass vaccinations the same day.

Despite the rollout of vaccines, countries still have few options but to rely on movement and distancing restrictions to control the spread of the virus.

Curbs will be tightened in Italy and Switzerland from Monday, while Britain will require testing of all international arrivals.

Click here for Moneycontrols full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic

STATEMENT BY THE PANGUNA TANGKU'URANG CHAIRMAN & SPOKESPERSON

PANGUNA, Papua New Guinea, Jan. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As we welcome the start of 2021 with open arms, on behalf of the Panguna Tanku'urang Chiefs, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the previous and current ABG and PNG governments for their ongoing support. We look forward to continuing to work closely with them in a transparent and respectful manner in order to succeed in our common goals.

Today, we are very happy and honoured to announce that we have chosen Jeff McGlinn and Caballus Mining, based in Perth Western Australia to be our partner in re-opening Panguna Mine and as a direct result, rebuild Bougainville for all Bougainvilleans.

As part of the due diligence process, the ABG having spent 5 separate occasions meeting with government officials and large corporations in Australia. It was only after this, that Jeff accepted the ABG's invitation for him to travel to Bougainville.

At the recommendation of the ABG, the Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs performed our own due diligence instead on Jeff and sent our former Chairman, Edwin Moses to Perth to spend three weeks with Jeff in Perth. Whilst in Perth, Jeff arranged for a meet and greet with the Deputy Prime Minister and Attorney General of Australia, Mayor of the Shire of Swan, took him to meet one of Australia's largest engineering companies, Calibre Group and various other businesses that would in future benefit Bougainville.

Edwin returned back to Bougainville and advised the Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs that he agreed with the ABG, that Jeff and Caballus would indeed make the perfect partner. The ABG had already chosen Caballus as their partner, however were just awaiting for Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs to perform their own due diligence.

Jeff McGlinn is an entrepreneur who brings with him over 4 decades of expertise in a wide range of industries globally. He was the Founding Partner and Managing Director of one of Australia's largest and most successful ASX listed mining construction contractors, NRW Holdings (NWH). He has a proven track record in bringing exceptional value into any business he is involved in and has a wealth of knowledge and business acumen, with a passion in working alongside Indigenous people around the world.

With Jeff by our side, working with us, encouraging us and negotiating the best opportunities for us, we know we will be able to take that first step towards economic recovery and financial independence.

Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs believe and trust that share benefits are equally distributed amongst all major clans (especially Barapang, Kurabang and Bakoringku clan). Late Francis Ona explained in many of his statements that economy recovery would come from the Mine Pit Area and surrounding areas, and that it would benefit all Bougainvilleans. It is only fitting that the Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs answer the call to make his dreams and visions on his economic foundation a reality.

Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs strongly believe that once operation begins, all other business opportunities, job creations and investments will open up, and it is hoped that Arawa town be resurrected to its fitting glory.

Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs welcome any new ideas or suggestions for turning our vision of economic recovery of our young nation into a reality.

Thank you, and may God be with you always and bless you abundantly.

VINCENT BANGKI

Panguna Tangku'urang Chairman and Spokesperson

Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs, PO Box 195, Arawa,Autonomous Region of Bougainville,Papua New Guinea, E: pangunatwc@gmail.com

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Screen shot shows a post on the Facebook page of Guangming Daily. Read more at: https://www.facebook.com/1671889933091659/posts/2939326766347963/?d=n

Twenty-three people died in Norway within days of receiving their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Norwegian Medicines Agency. A probe was accordingly launched by the authorities into the death cases.

Although it's hard to tell the connection between these deaths and the vaccine, the agency noted that the vaccine may indeed be too risky for the very old and terminally ill.

Screen shot shows a post on the twitter page of Guangming Daily. Read more at: https://twitter.com/Guangming_Daily/status/1350500548898816000

At the end of December 2020, Norway has implemented mass vaccination campaign, beginning with the vaccination of the very oldest citizens and residents of nursing homes, including those over the age of 85.

Common side effects such as fever and nausea caused by Pfizer vaccine, a mRNA-based vaccine candidate, may have contributed to severe consequences in frail, elderly people. Norwegian authorities have asserted that 13 deaths out of 23 have apparent relation with the vaccine.

While western media stay silent on the possibly fatal side effects of the Pfizer/BioNTech, similar cases keep emerging in some countries.

Screen shot shows a post on the Facebook page of Guangming Daily. Read more at: https://www.facebook.com/1671889933091659/posts/2939547306325909/?d=n

The Israeli Health Ministry announced on Monday (local time) that a 75-year-old man died hours after getting a Pfizer vaccine.

This Friday, the French medicine safety agency has recorded six cases of serious side effects, mostly an allergic reaction, caused by the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

US CDC is also looking into the case of Gregory Michael, a 56-year-old obstetrician who had taken the shot 16 days before his death.

Chinese media Global Times quoted several Chinese medical experts as saying that the efficacy of the vaccine is never the only indicator to evaluate, the safety and possible side effects of the vaccine are of more concern. More comprehensive trials are needed for new technological routes like mRNA development strategy.

The correlation between side effects of the shots and the death of people vaccinated is still unclear. The death incident should be assessed cautiously to understand whether the death was caused by vaccines or other preexisting conditions of these individuals, the paper said.

During the ongoing vaccination in Norway, extra evaluation of very sick people is recommended to be carried out. The Norwegian government will also consider adjusting their vaccination instructions to take the patients' health into more consideration.

"We are not alarmed by this," said Steinar Madsen, medical director with the agency, "It is quite clear that these vaccines have very little risk, with a small exception for the frailest patients."

[ Editor: WXL ]

The U.S. government recently advised those with COVID-19 and at risk for serious complications to ask their health care provider about one of the monoclonal antibody therapies authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November for emergency use.

The outpatient therapies, Eli Lillys bamlanivimab and Regenerons casirivimab and imdevimab (REGEN-COV2), contain laboratory-made antibodies designed to mimic the bodys immune system and block the virus that causes COVID-19 from infecting cells. President Donald Trump was given REGEN-COV2 when he tested positive in October. The therapys potential for lessening the severity of the disease was widely promoted at the time, but the federal government has seen little demand for the doses it has stockpiled.

Baystate Medical Centers Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Doug Salvador, who trained in infectious diseases at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and serves as chief quality officer of Baystate Health, was asked about the therapies and why they have not been more widely used.

What do you think of United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azars advice during a recent press conference to people 65 and over with underlying medical conditions who test positive for COVID-19 to ask their health care provider why they are not being given one of the antibody therapies?

I think that patients with newly diagnosed COVID should discuss monoclonal antibodies as a treatment option. Not all patients will qualify based on the indications for the drug. Some patients will hear about the drug and choose not to take it because this treatment is still experimental and not the recommended standard of care for all patients. Some, after hearing all of the information and understanding their options will opt for the treatment. That is why we have worked to make it available to the people of Western Massachusetts.

There was much interest at the time in these laboratory-produced antibodies designed to block the virus ability to infect cells, but apparently much of the governments 300,000 doses of each drug has not been administered. What happened? Studies have shown the drugs not to be effective in hospitalized patients whose complications require oxygen therapy, but is there still not enough evidence of their effectiveness for infected patients at high risk for complications?

Unfortunately, there is very limited data on the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies at this time. As far as published data from clinical trials, there is information from fewer than 1,000 patients who have received the drug. The available data indicates that the drug may prevent emergency room visits and hospitalizations in patients with mild symptoms of COVID when given early in the disease course. We have no long-term safety data and no data has been published from Phase 3 trials yet. We have a lot more to learn about whether or not these drugs work and in which patients. The initial data are promising, but definitely inconclusive.

How much of a challenge is presented by the fact that these drugs have to be given fairly early on to COVID-positive patients at high risk for complications for providers in terms of identifying patients and prescribing the drugs as well as the fact the drugs have to be infused intravenously in an outpatient setting?

The way the antibodies work tells us that they are likely to be most effective very early in the infection. This poses a massive challenge for patients, physicians, and the health system. There are many places in the country where people can get a test and wait days for the result. We have done better than that in most of Massachusetts, but there are still so many steps from getting a diagnosis to completing an infusion. It involves identifying patients with early infections, talking to them to see if they qualify based on their age, body mass index, and health conditions, having an in-depth conversation about the pros and cons of taking the drug and getting to a decision. After this, they have to be scheduled for an available slot at one of the relatively few infusion centers in the state, and finally make arrangements to safety get to the infusion center.

Has your hospital/providers been involved in the drugs being prescribed and administered to patients?

Baystate Health is one of two health systems in Western Massachusetts, along with Berkshire Health that began infusing monoclonal antibodies shortly after they were made available by the commonwealth.

If so, what results have been seen?

We have been able to successfully infuse almost 50 patients in less than a month. Weve learned how to manage the complex steps I described and it has been done safely. We have seen only a few minor reactions to the infusions.

What advice would you offer providers in prescribing these drugs? Do you see them as an effective form of treatment for infected patients at high risk?

For any providers interested in offering these infusions, I would recommend bringing together a team of people to plan ahead. They should include nurses, pharmacists, people who run clinics or infusion centers, and infectious diseases experts. The group will have to reach out to local primary care physicians and testing centers and open up lines of referral. It is very important to have expert communicators to spend time with patients to explain the pros and cons in what we call a shared decision-making process. Because this is not yet the standard of care, we want to make sure that patients get all the information and make the decision that is best for them. The group needs to think about how to safely get patients to the clinic because every patient receiving the infusion will have COVID infection and can spread it to others.

We dont yet know if this is an effective treatment. There is promising preliminary data and we are all hopeful that this will prevent people with early mild illness from deteriorating and needing to be in the hospital.

What advice would you give patients who might be eligible for these therapies?

Id tell patients to take the time to understand the possible benefits of getting this drug, but also the potential side effects like allergic reaction. Ask questions about it. Understand that this drug is still experimental.

Dr. Doug Salvador is chief medical officer of Baystate Medical Center, and chief quality officer for Baystate Health.

Related content:
The minister has underlined, refuting Russian propaganda claims, that in no way does the new law mandate the Ukrainian language in private communication.

Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko says the purpose of the latest amendments to the law "On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language", which came into force on January 16, 2021, is to introduce a culture of communication in the state language.

In a video address posted on Facebook, Tkachenko explained that the changes primarily concern business entities, including shops, cafes, restaurants, pharmacies, gas stations, as well as online shops and catalogs.

"Information about the goods and services shall now be provided in Ukrainian, including on menus, tickets, price tags, manuals, and markings," the minister explained.

He noted that the staff in shops shall address customers in Ukrainian. If visitors continue the conversation in another language known to the employee, both pursue in a language that is more convenient for the customer, at the latter's will.

Tkachenko stressed that fines for violating the law do not apply to private communication.

"Speaking of fines, we are talking about business entities, and only if their employees refuse to speak Ukrainian. But it is important to understand that fines as such are not the ultimate goal. Nobody has the right to impose them just like that. That's only on condition that violations have been duly recorded and a warning was issued first, which must be taken into account within a year's term," the minister explained, adding that each alleged violation will be considered separately.

Read alsoLanguage law: Applicants for civil service, citizenship to pass Ukrainian language tests in 2021As for the latest amendments to the language law, Tkachenko believes they are about respect for each other, as well as for the state.

"As citizens, you are free to continue communicating in private life in the language that's more convenient for you. It's just that from now on, having entered any institution, you will definitely hear "Vitayu!" ("hello" in Ukrainian) Let us cherish the language and respect for each other," the minister said.

Amendments to language law

On January 16, the norms of the law on mandating consumer services in Ukrainian language came into force.

According to Article 30 of Law "On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language", all service providers, regardless of their form of ownership, shall serve consumers and provide information about goods and services in Ukrainian.

However, at the request of the client, services can be rendered in another language acceptable to the parties. These requirements apply both to businesses that operate offline (for example, catering, salons, shops, etc.) and online shops.

The Verkhovna Rada adopted the law on April 25, 2019, laying down a phased implementation of its norms.

Russian propaganda has massively attacked the new law in an attempt to sow splits in Ukrainian society and agitate Russian speakers, claiming that they would be persecuted for the use of their native language in private life. Despite multiple refutations of such bizarre claims, the narrative is still being spun across pro-Russian platforms and circulated by certain commentators manipulating public opinion.

Reporting by UNIAN
The achievement of these top national and regional rankings reflects the commitment and vision of the academic leadership and faculty of the Division of Nursing and Health Professions

Following a comprehensive evaluation of more than 3,000 nursing schools across the nation, Nursing Schools Almanac has ranked Rivier University as a top 100 school. In rankings across four categories, Rivier earned top rankings both nationally and regionally, and placed as the #1 private nursing school in New Hampshire.

The achievement of these top national and regional rankings reflects the commitment and vision of the academic leadership and faculty of the Division of Nursing and Health Professions, states Sr. Paula Marie Buley, IHM, Riviers President. Riviers scope of nursing programs from associate degree to doctoral degree is unique and allows Rivier to leverage clinical experiences and employment relationships throughout the region. The University has graduated more nurses than any other institution in New Hampshire, while maintaining the highest standards for nurse preparation. 

Nursing Schools Almanac assessed schools on three critical dimensions: academic prestige and perceived value, breadth and depth of nursing programs offered, and student success, particularly on the NCLEX licensure examination. Rivier students have achieved an aggregate NCLEX pass rate of 99% over the past three years.

Academic prestige and perceived value scores were based on several quantitative measures including graduates ability to repay their student debt in a timely manner; professional designations; the award of grant funding for nursing research from the National Institutes of Health; and each schools number of years in operation, particularly at the graduate nursing education level.

We are honored by these top rankings for excellence in nursing education, says Dr. Paula Williams, Dean of the Division of Nursing and Health Professions. Consistently, Rivier-educated nurses are hired and recognized for their strong clinical skills, compassionate care, and dedication to lifelong learning for improved patient outcomes. Throughout the pandemic, Rivier nurses have been working tirelessly on the front lines, protecting and serving their communities.

Rivier offers on-campus and online nursing degrees from the associate to the doctoral level, and all programs are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). For complete information, view the Universitys expansive nursing program offerings.

Prospective students can contact the Office of Admissions at or admissions@rivier.edu or (603) 897-8507 to learn more and receive application and financial aid assistance. High schools students and their families are invited to schedule an in-person campus tour and interview.
Ugandas President Yoweri Museveni has dismissed claims that the just-concluded presidential elections, in which he won a sixth term in office, was rigged in his favour.



He warned the opposition that any attempt to disrupt social order will be dealt with decisively.



In a speech that had no kind words for western nations, foreign media an unnamed neighbour and Ugandan opposition, Mr Museveni said intimidation will not be tolerated in Uganda.



In an address to the nation from his Rwakitura home, Western Uganda, Mr Museveni, who was declared the winner of the Thursday presidential election, said he is ready for dialogue with the opposition but only if they choose a non-violent path.



If you are a friend we can engage but we dont want intimidation, he said warning that attempts to disrupt peace will be met decisively.



Mr Museveni received 5.8 million votes, representing 58.6 per cent of the total vote cast to retain the seat he has held since January 1986.



Accept outcome



The electoral commission asked all the other contestants to accept the outcome.



Musician Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, of the National Unity Platform (NUP) garnered 3.4 million votes, translating to 34 per cent of the vote.



Mr Wine has rejected the outcome of the vote, describing the results as announced by the electoral commission as fake.



I congratulate the people of Uganda for coming out in large numbers to vote but they must avoid violence, the President said, declaring that Ugandas match into the future is unstoppable.



He, however, reserved his harshest criticism to western nations which he accused of interfering in Ugandas internal affairs, something he described as immoral.



Foreign interference will not be tolerated, he said, singling out western nations.



When I talk about foreign interference I am not referring to China, India or Arabs states, I am referring to a mzungu because of their history of giving lectures to Africa, he said, using a Kiswahili term that refers to a white man.



He also talked of a regional country he accused of meddling in the affairs of his country. The country has been sending agents to meddle, he said.



Of course we have counteracted with their action but these meddlers from the region must stop.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Undergraduate Students to Get Free Textbooks with EKU BookSmart

Eastern Kentucky University announced today, for academic year 2021-2022, every undergraduate student will receive their required textbooks for free. The initiative, called EKU BookSmart, is a new and innovative program developed by EKU and powered by the long-standing partnership between the University and Barnes & Noble College. BookSmart will provide all required textbooks and course materials for students on all Eastern Kentucky University campuses, as well as eCampus students. Textbooks and course materials will be delivered to students in a customized Big E Box, or they can be picked up at the Barnes & Noble @ EKU Bookstore on campus prior to the start of classes.

EKU BookSmart was developed by our EKU team as the first program of its kind in partnership with Barnes & Noble College in Kentucky. With todays announcement, its undeniable that Eastern Kentucky University is the School of Opportunity, said EKU President Dr. David McFaddin. Over the last year, we have been focused on adding affordability and accessibility elements to a program we call the EKU Advantage. With the addition of free textbooks to the EKU Advantage, a college degree from EKU is now more accessible and affordable than it has been in many years. We are investing in our students so they will be prepared to succeed when their classes begin.

Barnes & Noble College has proudly partnered with Eastern Kentucky University for over twenty years, and we are very excited to support the University in bringing the EKU BookSmart program to life. We know that this program will go a long way in driving affordability, access and achievement for EKU students, said Michael P. Huseby, chief executive officer and chairman, Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. We believe that all-inclusive course material delivery models are the future of higher education, and with the launch of EKU BookSmart, our partners at EKU are proving that they are leaders in the education space.

The EKU Advantage , now with the added power of the BookSmart Program, ensures EKU students of a scholarship model that rewards high achievers, helps low-income students, keeps a keen focus on the service region, and does so while continuing to deliver high-quality programmatic offerings that will give graduates the skills needed to power their communities with EKU degrees, and so much more.

Because of the BookSmart Program, no EKU student will have to drop an undergraduate class because they realize they can't do the work without the book they couldn't afford to buy, said Dr. Tanlee Wasson, senior vice president for student success. No EKU student will choose not to take an undergraduate course because the books are more than she can afford. No EKU student will have to weigh the cost of an undergraduate textbook against meeting essential needs like food, housing, or transportation.

Eliminating financial barriers to success is our job, said Barry Poynter, senior vice president for finance and administration. Weve all seen the national studies showing an average annual cost of textbooks for an academic year at about $1,200. Removing a barrier to academic access and student success of this magnitude is opportunity in action. We are directly reducing the cost of attendance at EKU by providing textbooks and course materials to our students, and also providing some additional stability.
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If youre inclined to smoke allergies, you may want to call Lakepoint State Park before heading there for a camping, fishing or hunting trip over the next several months. Two prescribed burns are planned to take place on park lands sometime between Tuesday, January 19 and March 2021, weather permitting.

The first planned burn will take place in an area of recently planted longleaf pine located near the campground. The second burn will take place in an area adjacent to the lodge and cabins. The parks division says efforts will be made to ensure safety and proper smoke management during the burns, and the project is permitted by the Alabama Forestry Commission.

Prescribed fire is an effective way to reduce wildfire risk, getting rid of dry undergrowth with a low cold fire thats typically set on a calm, cool morning. The flames stay low and travel slowly, getting rid of undergrowth and excessive sprouting trees while giving wildlife plenty of time to move away ahead of it. The fire does not affect larger trees, which are protected by their bark as well as their height.

Biologists say controlled fires renew vegetation, creating improved habitat for deer, turkeys, quail and other wildlife as well as allowing better growth of harvestable pines. For more information about the benefits of prescribed fire, visit www.outdooralabama.com.

Hunters Food Drive This Week

The Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association (ALBBAA) is encouraging hunters across the region to donate a harvested deer during the inaugural Black Belt Hunters Food Drive to the Hunters Helping the Hungry program, continuing through Monday, January 18.

A program of the Alabama Conservation and Natural Resources (ACNR) Foundation, the Hunters Helping the Hungry (HHH) program began in 1999 and has donated nearly half a million pounds of venison to food banks across the state since that time.

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship chairs the ACNR Foundation and noted the importance of the HHH program. This established program has been a staple for wildlife managers over the past 20 years and helps fill a critical need in communities across the state as well as allows for quality deer management. We are proud to offer this program and are grateful to the participating processors. This is a fantastic way for hunters to take advantage of our abundant deer population, months-long season and liberal bag limits to provide meat for the freezer for their own families as well as those in need.

There is no charge to the hunter for processing deer provided for the event. Currently, there are seven processors participating in the HHH program within the Black Belt along with 15 food banks participating within the region. For a full list of participating processors and food banks, visit: https://www.outdooralabama.com/programs/hunters-helping-hungry.

For more on hunting Alabamas famed Black Belt region, visit www.alabamablackbeltadventures.org.

College Tournament on Lake Pickwick Announced for April 10-11

The Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) returns to Lake Pickwick or the 11th year in a row for the Pickwick Slam Tournament, set for April 10-11. This is a no-entry fee event, with no limit on how many 2-angler teams a school can send. Over $25,000 in prizes will be awarded according to organizers.

Pickwick should be near prime fishing on tournament weekend, with lots of bass still in the shallows on or near spawning areas. The tournament launches and returns at McFarland Park in Florence adjacent the Highway 72 bridge daily, and weigh-ins are anticipated to be open to the public with social distancing; www.collegiatebasschampionship.com

President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied accusations of interference at Eskom made against him by the power utilitys former CEO Brian Molefe, The Sunday Times has reported.

Molefe  who himself is the subject of a civil and criminal lawsuit  this week testified before Judge Raymond Zondo at the State Capture Commission of Inquiry.

Among the accusations levelled against the President, Molefe inferred that he had interfered with the irregular Glencore coal procurement contract and had contributed to the return of load-shedding.

Molefe accused Ramaphosa of using his political power to further his own financial ends and that of Glencore, in which Molefe said he had a 9.6% stake when assuming the role of Deputy President.

Molefe pointed out that when the Eskom war room was established in 2015, Ramaphosa served as the chairman.

Mr Cyril Ramaphosa was the chairman of the war room, Molefe said. He was in fact the de-facto chairperson of Eskom.

Molefe alleged that during his stint as chairman of the war room, Ramaphosa had put pressure on the board to renegotiate a deal with Glencore.

He noted that Ramaphosa had sold his shares in Glencore, but the deal had not gone through at the time when Molefe was appointed CEO of Eskom.

He claimed the sale of Ramaphosas shares was still awaiting approval by the Competition Commission at that time. Therefore, he suspected that there had been conflict of interest.

Ramaphosa denies allegations

However, Ramaphosa vehemently denied the accusations made by Molefe during an interview with The Sunday Times on Friday.

No, no, no, never. I never gave that instruction, and obviously he will have to prove it, Ramaphosa told the newspaper.

Issues of conflict of interest, I take very seriously, and have always done so, whether I was in business or whether I was in the public sector, I take it very seriously.

That for me has been the golden standard and in this regard, as soon as I was appointed deputy president, I wrote a letter to the president and I said I have had business dealings and these business dealings I am going to extricate myself through either disposal or sale of those businesses dealings so that I can completely move away from those business dealings, Ramaphosa stated.

Glencore acquired Optimum, and to do that deal there needed to be a BEE partner and that deal was done, I think, in 2013, and the shares were not given, they were paid for in a loan that was acquired, Ramaphosa said.

The president added that he will respond to all the accusations in time.

Load-shedding to last until April

The developments at the Zondo Commission come at a time when Eskom has once again been forced to implement load-shedding.

It announced this week it would have to implement Stage 2 load-shedding from Thursday until Saturday, following two generation units at the Kusile power station tripping due to the failure of conveyor belts supplying coal to the units.

In addition, a unit each at the Kriel and Duvha stations tripped due to unforeseen breakdowns, Eskom added.

According to report from Bloomberg, the power utility expected electricity supply shortages on a weekly basis for the next three months, which could mean load-shedding will need to be implemented through April

This is based on Eskoms most recent status report, which showed the utilitys most likely risk scenario included a deficit of more than 2,001 megawatts to meet demand and reserves in the next three months.
Indonesias Mount Semeru on January 16 erupted and spewed hot clouds as far away as 4.5km into the sky above the countrys most densely populated island, Java. According to BBC, no immediate evacuations orders were issued, however, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (NDMA) warned that people who live in the villages on the slopes to be vigilant in looking for signs of danger. A video posted by the agency showed hot clouds falling from the volcano, looming over homes.

The NDMA said, There has been a Falling Hot Cloud (APG) of Mount Semeru with a sliding distance of approximately 4.5 KM on Saturday.

Telah terjadi Awan Panas Guguran (APG) Gunung Semeru dengan jarak luncur kurang lebih 4,5 KM pada Sabtu (16/1) pkl 17.24 WIB. #Semeru #InfoBencana #BNPBIndonesia pic.twitter.com/H6ndVbLU1w  BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) January 16, 2021

READ: Indonesia: Rescue Team Struggles After 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Sulawesi Island

While speaking to the media outlet, local official Thoriqul Haq said that the villages of Sumber Mujur and Curah Koboan are located in the trajectory of the hot clouds. He informed that the residents of the Curah Kobokan river basin have been urged to watch for possible cold lava mudflow, which can be triggered by intense rainfall combining with volcanic material. Further, NDMA spokesperson Raditya Jati also reiterated the same and said that people around the river basin on the slopes of the mountain should beware of high rainfall intensity that can trigger Lava floods.

In another update, NDMA said, The Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation stated that the status of Mount Semeru is still at level II or 'Alert', following the fall of the Hot Clouds (APG) which slid approximately 4 kilometres.

Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi menyatakan status Gunung Semeru masih dalam level II atau 'Waspada', menyusul terjadinya Awan Panas Guguran (APG) yang meluncur sejauh kurang lebih 4 kilometer. Selengkapnya: https://t.co/vTpiVwuDuF#InfoBencanaBNPB #BNPBIndonesia pic.twitter.com/Rq9RVDBjU3  BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) January 16, 2021

READ: US NTSB Team Arrives In Indonesia To Look Into Jet Crash

Home to 130 active volcanoes

Meanwhile, with a population of over 27 crores, Indonesia is reportedly home to at least 130 active volcanoes because of its position on the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire is a belt of tectonic plate boundaries that circle the Pacific Ocean and are prone to frequent seismic activities. In 2018, a volcano in the strait between Java and Sumatra islands, Anak Krakatau erupted and caused an underwater landslide that later on unleashed a tsunami that killed hundreds of people.

Moreover, last month, following the detection of rumbles in Indonesias most active Mount Merapi volcano, the evacuation was also initiated. The authorities began evacuating the people who were living on the slopes due to increased volcanic activity. As per a PTI report, the head of Yogyakarta's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center, Hanik Humaida, cautioned that Mount Merapi volcano could erupt at any time and its clouds could unleash up to the height of 5 kilometres.

READ: Damaged Roads, Lack Of Gear Hinders Indonesia Quake Rescue

READ: Rescuers Extract Body From Rubble Of Indonesia Quake
Ministers are considering replacing council tax and stamp duty with a new national property levy which could hit Tory Shire heartlands hard, it was claimed today.

The Government is said to be looking at what the impact would be of doing away with the two taxes.

But the suggestion of replacing them with a property tax, likely based on the current value of a home, could spark a Conservative rebellion.

Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak is reportedly weighing up tax hikes at the Budget on March 3 in an attempt to start repairing the damage done to the public finances by the coronavirus crisis.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is said to be considering increasing corporation tax at the Budget on March 3 while officials are reportedly examining scrapping stamp duty and council tax

Replacing stamp duty and council tax with a property levy would be likely to spark a Tory rebellion in the Conservative Party's heartlands. Guildford High Street is pictured on January 5

The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted ministers to borrow money at record levels in order to prop up UK plc.

The UK's national debt continues to climb above 2trillion - its highest level since 1962.

Official forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predict borrowing could reach 393.5 billion by the end of the financial year in March, which would be the highest seen since the Second World War.

Meanwhile, official figures publishes last week show the UK is on track for another recession, with GDP tumbling by 2.6 per cent amid the second coronavirus lockdown in November.

There are growing concerns about how the crisis will be paid for and Mr Sunak is said to be considering increasing corporation tax as a first step.

At the 2020 Budget ministers announced that the main rate of corporation tax would remain at 19 per cent.

A corporation tax hike is viewed by some in Whitehall as an appropriate first step in starting to pay for the current crisis because it would target business profits rather than struggling households.

It is thought that Mr Sunak could go ahead with such a move if the UK's coronavirus vaccination programme continues to go smoothly.

A senior Whitehall source told the Sunday Times: 'Things would have to go pretty badly wrong for us not to begin some consolidation in the budget.'

It is thought Mr Sunak could use the Budget to announce an extension of the Government's furlough programme beyond the end of April while a stamp duty holiday could be extended.

The Chancellor announced the stamp duty holiday at the start of July and it is due to last until March.

GDP tumbled by 2.6 per cent in November as the second coronavirus lockdown hammered the economy

Coronavirus is thought to have inflicted the worst hit to GDP since the Great Frost of 1709

Ministers and officials are also said to be looking at long term plans to replace stamp duty as well as council tax with a national property levy.

No changes are believed to be imminent but the Treasury is examining what the impact would be.

One of the main criticisms of the council tax system is that it is based on property valuations dating back to 1991 while stamp duty is viewed by critics as a barrier to people getting onto, and moving up, the housing ladder.

However, a national property tax based on more up to date valuations would almost certainly prompt a backlash in Tory Shire heartlands where owners of expensive homes would likely see their bills increase.

https://www.aish.com/jw/id/Israeli-Eye-Doctor-Treating-Thousands-of-Ethiopians.html

When Dr Morris Hartsteins children asked to go on a volunteering trip together, he had no idea that it would change their lives and help over 5000 Ethiopians.

One of Israels leading eye surgeons, Dr. Morris Hartstein, 57, was born in St Louis, Missouri. Following in his fathers footsteps, he qualified as an ophthalmologist and then specialized as an oculoplastics surgeon operating on bone and soft tissue around the eye. In 2004, he was working for Saint Louis University when he and his wife Elisa embarked on a ten-month sabbatical in Israel.

With four kids under the age of six, it had been an intense few years, developing our careers while building our family. We were looking for something, and had spent a very meaningful six months in Israel just after we were married, so we decided to go back.

Dr. Hartstein examines the eyes of those waiting for his help, photo credit Zohar Tsabari

Assigned to the Asaf Harofeh Hospital near Tel Aviv, the Hartsteins settled into their new life. We felt an energy we really liked and the kids were happy. A few months in, it was already clear to us that we didnt want to leave. After extending his sabbatical for a second and third year, he made the move permanent.

South African Safari

Morris Hartstein opened up his own practice and Elisa started a clothing line for nursing mothers. In 2012, the family traveled to South Africa for a safari vacation where a drive past some of the countrys shanty towns made a deep impression on their youngest son Zack, then 12. He asked if we could go somewhere on our next family trip where we could volunteer.

The idea registered with the whole family and they began looking into all kinds of ideas, but nothing seemed right. Eventually, they wondered if there was still a Jewish community in Ethiopia. This happened the same time that an acquaintance was hosting an Ethiopian cuisine night. The family went and were put in touch with several key figures involved in supporting the remnant Jewish community of Ethiopia  10,000 men, women and children in the Gondar compound in the north of the country who were waiting to emigrate to Israel.

Zack and Eliana on the families first trip in 2012

They met Abraham Nagussi, a longtime activist and former Member of the Israeli parliament (Knesset), and Rabbi Menachem Waldman, who had also dedicated his life to bringing Ethiopian Jewry to Israel.

Im coming over, Rabbi Waldman said, after Dr. Hartstein called him to ask about the possibility of volunteering. He showed up in the familys living room later that evening, filling them in on what was happening on the ground in Gondar, and the groups of volunteers who had visited in the past. By the time he left, our minds were made up. The Hartsteins planned their trip for January 2013.

Dalia Hartstein, with children in Gondar.

They have come to see you

When the family landed in Gondar, they were struck by what they saw. The living conditions were dire. There was no clean water for washing and bathing or access to medical care. In our modern times seeing dozens of people living in one-room mud huts with no toilets, refrigeration, or enough food was shocking.

The family got busy playing guitar, singing and teaching songs among other things, and it didnt occur to Morris to share his profession with those he met. We were there to volunteer with our children. But one morning he met one of the contacts from Israel who had helped him arrange the trip and word got out.

A few hours later, a crowd of 300 people gathered as the Hartsteins finished afternoon prayers. What are they waiting for? Dr. Hartstein asked a translator.

They have come to see you, he replied. They want you to check their eyes.

The Hartsteins teaching songs to families in Gondar

Taken aback, he looked to his children. Check them dad, they urged him. Thats why were here. Armed only with a penlight and aided by a translator, Dr Hartstein spent the remainder of the day examining an array of eye conditions that he could recognize but do very little about. All I could do was say what I had seen and suggest that they seek help from a hospital nearby.

That first trip to Ethiopia opened our eyes to a level of poverty we had never seen before. We could not stop thinking about the kids and the people and the utter need. Unable to let the experience go, they decided to return later that year, but this time to open a fully functioning eye clinic.

Eye Clinic in Gondar

Dr. Hartstein applied for a license to practice in Ethiopia and trained his family in the various jobs needed to open an eye clinic. He taught his then teenage sons Zack (14) and Jonah (12) to use a portable eye chart and how to refract lenses, while Eliana (18) and Dalia (17) would dispense the medicines he would prescribe.

When they arrived back in Gondar, excitement swelled as an even bigger crowd had gathered, eager to be seen. Hartstein examined each person himself and gave instructions to his children on what to do next. Elisa coordinated the clinic, managing the queues and keeping things moving.

Elisa Hartstein coordinating the eye clinic

It was an incredibly bonding and energizing experience. Nobody ever got tired. Late at night, we would come back to this kind of hotel where the shower dripped one drip at a time, and the beds were ridden with bedbugs, but no one complained.

Zack and Jonah with boys at the compound

It was a thrill to be able to share with my kids how it is possible to help people and how you can turn around someone's life around by improving their eyesight.

Returning to Ethiopia

Since this first official trip as an eye doctor, the Hartstein familys ties to Ethiopia and the Jews at the Gondar compound has grown and expanded. Every time weve gone back another opportunity arises for us to help. Each of the children has been back multiple times. Whether it is assisting with my medical efforts, playing with the kids, teaching them Hebrew, or distributing clothing and other donations that we bring, they are always keen to go back and help.

Checking eyes in Gondar even during COVID

Hartsteins work expanded in a significant way in a partnership with the Himalayan Cataract Project. The charity, which funds surgery, also operates in Ethiopia where cataracts are the leading cause of blindness. With a team of surgeons, Hartstein established a makeshift operating room in a village near Gondar, where they plowed through a backlog of 200 cataract surgeries for both Jewish and non-Jewish Ethiopians alike.

Over a week, we worked pretty much non-stop. The need is overwhelming in every way shape or form.

Dr. Hartstein examines a man ahead of a cataract operation.

Training in Israel

Seeing the need to help develop the expertise of local doctors, in 2015 the first Ethiopian doctor landed in Israel to train under Hartstein for a month. During his trip Dr. Tesfalem Hagos from Gondar University learned about advanced technology and practices that he could take back to Ethiopia.

Dr Alemnew Demissie spent a year training with Hartstein at the Assaf Harofeh Hospital. He is the sole oculoplastics surgeon for 18 million people.

At the time, there were only 200 eye doctors in Ethiopia, which has a population of 110 million. Fifteen of them have received training in Israel. Today there are only five oculoplastic surgeons in Ethiopia; three of them received training in Israel, including Dr. Alemnew Demissie who received funding to train for an entire year. It will make a big difference, Hartstein says, but its just a drop in the ocean. This doctor returned to Ethiopia and is responsible for a population of 18 million people.

Food project

Concerned for the overall health of the children in the compound, Hartstein returned, this time, with doctors and officials conducting a four day study of 1000 children which showed they were severely malnourished. The results triggered an emergency feeding program, sponsored by SSEJ.ORG (Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry), providing 500 children and 200 nursing mothers with two meals a day. Other contributors to the project include The Dear Foundation, The Mandel Foundation, NACOEJ, and the Jewish Agency.

In 2018 Hartstein was invited to accompany President Reuven Rivlin on Israel's first state visit to Ethiopia.

Invitation to the Knesset

In August 2020, while a civil war was ongoing in Ethiopia, Hartstein was invited to present his findings at the Knesset. Among those present was Pnina Tamano-Shata, Minister for Aliyah and Integration, who was very moved by what she heard of the declining conditions at the compound. Tamano-Shata was inspired to put extra pressure and find extra funding to speed up the aliyah of the remaining Jews.

On December 3 2020, Hartstein joined a special delegation led by Tamano-Shata which brought back 315 Ethiopian new immigrants.

Among the new immigrants were many who I had treated over the years, Hartstein said. Seeing them actually arrive to start their new lives in Israel was incredible.

With Israeli Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata and community leaders at the Addis Ababa compound

The power of listening to your children

When I look back, it is a real expression of tikkun olam, the Jewish concept of fixing the world. To me this is a big part of what being Jewish is all about.

Dr Hartstein and his family have improved the eyesight of approximately 5,000 Ethiopians, and the number is far higher when considering the impact of the training Hartstein has helped make happen.

With some of the 315 new immigrants on their way to Israel, December 2020

There is no question that it has given our kids a sense of context in the world and a deep appreciation for things we may not have always thought to be thankful for  a stable house, food to eat, clean bathrooms, warm showers, medical care. It puts things in perspective.

However, my wife says the most important thing she has learned is the power of listening to your children. They deserve the credit here. They wanted to do something to help; they wanted to make a difference.
Washington Highly Militarized Ahead of Bidens Inauguration

Fences with coiled barbed wire, security checkpoints, barricades, and heavily armed guards are what you would expect in a military encampment for a warzone, not in downtown Washington. But these are only some of the measures that have been put in place in preparation for President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration next week.

Federal authorities have said theyre tracking an extensive amount of concerning online chatter about potential threats to the inauguration, including armed protests, potential threats linked to the Capitol breach, and other types of potential threats.

The fortification of the city, particularly around the White House and U.S. Capitol, began over the past few days and is expected to ramp up nearing Jan. 20.

Videos by reporters, workers, and residents in the area show street closures, workers putting up miles of barricades and fencing, shops and offices being boarded up, and an increased military presence. Military vehicles can be seen parked on downtown streets, and armed guards are checking identification for people leaving and entering the city.

The locked-down city has been separated into Green and Red zones as part of the 2021 Presidential Inaugural Subcommittees transportation plan. The U.S. Secret Service has posted a list of all the street closures on its website, many of which began at 6 a.m. on Jan. 16, and are scheduled to end at 6 a.m. on Jan. 21. A number of bridges and interstate highways into Washington are also scheduled to close at 6 a.m. on Jan. 19.

Concertina razor wire tops the 8-foot non-scalable fence that surrounds the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 14, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Fences block off the White House South Lawn on Jan. 16, 2021. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

As many as 25,000 National Guard members from all 50 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia will be stationed in the city next week, the U.S. Army confirmed, which is an increase of 5,000 from numbers earlier this week. The number of guardsmen sent to Washington exceeds the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, which has been reduced to 2,500, the Pentagon said on Jan. 15.

National Guardsmen were given the authorization to be armed on Jan. 12 in order to support law enforcement in the Capitol and the city, according to a statement by the D.C. National Guard. The authorization came after a request by federal authorities. Troops have been on 24-hour watch in the U.S. Capitol, and off-duty troops have been photographed sleeping in building hallways.

The increased number of National Guard members will be there to supplement the already ramped-up forces from the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Capitol Police, and D.C.s Metropolitan Police Department.

Members of the National Guard stand guard behind fences erected around the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 16, 2021. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Virginia National Guard soldiers march across the east from of the U.S. Capitol on their way to their guard posts in Washington on Jan. 16, 2021. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Before resigning from office, former Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in a statement on Jan. 11 that he had instructed the U.S. Secret service to begin National Special Security Event operations for the inauguration from Jan. 13.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has also increased its security measures ahead of the inauguration. TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement that the agency is currently processing hundreds of names with law enforcement agencies as part of a risk assessment. The agency will also add additional layers of security at all three D.C.-area airports.

Those security layers include more law enforcement and explosives detection canine teams, random gate screening, increased number of Federal Air Marshals on certain flights, and additional Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response teams to provide greater security presence at certain rail transportation hubs, Pekoske said.

A person crosses the street at a road block guarded by Pennsylvania 112th Infantry Regiment National Guard in Washington on Jan. 16, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard stand guard in Washington on Jan. 15, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and security officials have also urged Americans to stay home to watch the inauguration virtually.

We know this is the right request for our public safety and our public health, she said on Jan. 15.

D.C. officials estimate the inauguration will cost roughly $45 million due to the increased security measures. So far, Congress has approved $34.9 million, Christopher Rodriguez, director of D.C.s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said in a press conference on Jan. 15.

Rodriguez said the amount was keeping in mind deficits that the district had run because of the heightened number of first amendment demonstrations seen throughout 2020.

In 2017, security for President Donald Trumps inauguration cost around $27 million, according to Rodriguezaround $7 million more than the $19.995 million approved by Congress.

Civil Liberties

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky) has criticized the way the government and authorities have reacted to the events on Jan. 6, noting that civil liberties of the individual can be lost very quickly during times of crisis.

You know government. They either underreact or overreact. So I think there was too little security obviously last week, and now were going to become a militarized zone, Paul said in an interview with Fox News Ingraham Angle.

And theyre checking congressmen as they come in to see if they have a sharp pencil or a sharp pen. So, its gotten ridiculous. And so well see what happens, and whether its permanent. But most people who write about civil liberties say that in times of war, or in times of stress, or in times of crisis, you lose your civil liberties very quickly.

He also noted that once Americans civil liberties are lost, its very difficult to get them back.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in the Senate subway area of the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Because government, once it grows large, never wants to give up on this. But yes, we have to resist this. And we have to have security, obviously. But I think living in a wartime state with  we have troops in the Capitol, theyre staying in the Capitol. Theyre platooning and camping in the Capitol. So I understand that last week, we werent prepared, and that was a real problem, and I regret everything that happened last week with that, but going forward, this week, I think wetheres a danger of overreacting, he said.

Others are worried that the D.C. lockdown could hurt businesses already struggling due to pandemic lockdowns.

Vice President Mike Pence during a security briefing on Jan. 14 said the Trump administration is committed to ensuring a safe transition of power to Biden.

We all lived through that dayJanuary 6. And as the president made clear yesterday, we are committed to an orderly transition and to a safe inauguration. The American people deserve nothing less, Pence said.

The U.S. Capitol Police on Jan. 16 announced that it had arrested a man at an inaugural security checkpoint on Jan. 15 who had presented a non-government-issued credential. The man, Wesley Allen Beeler, 31, of Virginia, was carrying a handgun in plain sight in his vehicle, and a search of his car revealed numerous rounds of ammunition, authorities said.

Hes been charged with carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm, and possession of unregistered ammunition.

Beeler told media following his release on Jan. 16 that he was working as hired security in downtown Washington, according to The Washington Post. He said he had forgotten that his firearm was in his truck when he left home in Virginia, where he has a license to carry.

I pulled up to a checkpoint after getting lost in D.C. because Im a country boy, he told the newspaper. I showed them the inauguration badge that was given to me.
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In the twin Crate Late Model $10,000 race, Michael Page of Douglasville, Ga., repeated his Thursday night run against 63 other 604/GM Performance-powered raceteams. Kyle Bronson (Thursday's WoOLM winner) was runner up with Tennessean's Mack McCarter, Cory Hedgecock and Jason Welshan rounding out the Top 5 respectively. The first really full weekend hit for race fans of all calipers Saturday as everything from Super Late Models, to Crate's to Midget Sprints raced across America. At Volusia Speedway Park outside Daytona, Fla., Saturday, the World of Outlaw Late Model series wrapped up its 2021 season opener weekend with a $10,000 Sunshine Nationals race. Virginia's Kyle Strickler held off Tennessean Scott Bloomquist for the "W". Fellow Tennessean Jimmy Owens of Newport was fifth overall, while Dale McDowell of Chickamauga was ninth.In





In the desert of Arizona Saturday's Wild West Shootout was exactly that as Texan Tyler Erb (# 1) and Georgian Jonathan Davenport battled a non-stop 40-lap, $5,000 to win Super Late Model feature race. Erb took "No Bull" and roared back past JD with two laps remaining and at the finish narrowly getting the win by 0.122 seconds. Both racers have a $10,000 bonus opportunity Sunday in the $25,000 to win Arizona Speedway finale.


On Saturday, January 16, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching the world's largest COVID-19 vaccination drive. Congratulations PM @narendramodi and the Government of India on taking this very important step with this massive #COVID19Vaccination drive. We are starting to see the beginning of the end to this devastating pandemic, Rajapaksa wrote on his official Twitter handle. Shots of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines were administered at various medical centres all across the nation.

India launches mass COVID vaccine drive

PM Modi launched the pan-India rollout of COVID-19 vaccination drive via video conferencing. He said that everyone had only one question in their minds and that is "when will the vaccine be available?" PM Modi said that the vaccine is now available and the world's largest vaccination rollout will begin in a few minutes.

Read: Covaxin Doses To Be Sent To Six Maharashtra Districts

"With self-confidence and self-reliance, we fought with the virus. The pledge that we will not let our confidence down in this battle is shown by every Indian," PM Modi said. "Today when we take a look at the last year, we realise that we have learnt a lot as a person, a family and as a nation. Today, when we start our vaccination drive, I want to remember those days when everyone wanted to do something but were not able to find a way due to Coronavirus," he said. The drugs regulatory body of India has currently approved two vaccines. Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) has developed the Covishield vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University while the Covaxin has been developed by Hyderabad's Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Medical Council of research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology.

Read: Bhutan PM Congratulates PM Modi For Historic Vaccine Launch, Hopes 'will Pacify Suffering'

Jaishankar's visit

Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Sri Lanka and said that the two countries are now looking at post-COVID cooperation. He said that the pandemic has given both the countries an opportunity to work closely. "We are now looking at post-COVID cooperation and I carry back with me Sri Lankas interest in accessing vaccines from India, said Jaishankar. He further added, India has been strongly committed to the unity, stability and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. Our support for the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka is long-standing as indeed for an inclusive political outlook that encourages ethnic harmony.

Read: PM Modi Addresses National Youth Parliament: Bats For Service & An End To Dynasty Politics

Also Read: PM Modi To Launch 'World's Biggest COVID Vaccination Drive' Tomorrow At 10:30 AM

(Image Credits: PTI)
West Bengal Elections 2021: Views misinterpreted says Bengal minister

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Kolkata, Jan 17: Amid speculations over his next political move, disgruntled Bengal minister Rajib Banerjee on Saturday said some of his colleagues "misinterpreted" his intention when he tried communicating the problems faced by grassroot workers to the party's top brass.

Banerjee, during a Facebook Live session, said he was patiently waiting for the time when his grievances, "solely concerning the wellbeing of people", would be redressed.

The state cabinet minister, who had in the past, too, voiced his anguish against a section of TMC leaders, insisted that "corrective steps" have to be taken to bridge the gap between the party and the people of the state.

"Quite like my party supremo (Mamata Banerjee), I believe in giving respect to ordinary grassroot workers who toil hard for the organisation selflessly. However, if I see that these workers are not getting their due respect... if they are frustrated and pained, I try to communicate their sentiments to the top leadership," the forest minister said.

West Bengal Elections 2021: Bureaucratic reshuffle effected

Indicating that he had never breached party discipline, as claimed by some, Banerjee said, "Whenever there was an obstacle in the way of my mission, which is to work for betterment of masses, I tried to raise the matter before the party leadership... especially in the recent times. Some of our leaders, however, misinterpreted and distorted my views."

Pointing out that he always responded to all appeals for talks with the party's top brass to resolve disputes, the Domjur MLA further asserted that he has "diligently performed the responsibilities" given to him over the years.

Banerjee, who skipped the last few state cabinet meetings citing health reasons, said, "However, I don't believe in performing my role in accordance with the laid down norms. In a democracy, man is the last word. If I want to play greater roles, serve people in a bigger way, then that space should be given to me."

Reacting to a comment by a Facebook user, who sought to know if he was "indulging in theatrics" ahead of Assembly polls, due in April-May, Banerjee said "I don't hanker after any post. My only concern remains development of the people and for the people."

Voicing concern over "lack of employment opportunities" in the state, the cabinet minister said, "It pains me when I see scores of young men and women leaving Bengal for better jobs outside. Our state has the best talents, best human resources. But we need big investments, big industries."

Two of Banerjee's videos at "non-political" programmes had triggered a storm in December, as he was seen suggesting that "some of TMC's leaders who sit in air-conditioned rooms were getting more importance in the party while hard-working activists in the lower rung were being sidelined".

State urban development minister Firhad Hakim said Banerjee, instead of going live on social media, should have discussed matters of concern during cabinet meetings.

"If Rajib had any grievances, he could have discussed it during cabinet meetings. He, instead, chose to talk about it on social media," Hakim stated.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said the disgruntled TMC MLA was welcome to join the saffron party, if he had difficult working in the state's ruling camp.

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Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2021, 8:53 [IST]

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  A program meant to help farmers in Sagada make their produce accessible to consumers in the lowlands has expanded, including more towns and communities.

Speaking to CNN Philippines on Sunday, Tracey Santiago, founder of Sustainable Sagada, said they were looking at helping more people earn a living during these difficult times.

"'Yung Sustainable Sagada, nagsimula ito bilang proyekto sa tulong ng local government ng Sagada. Dahil sa success nito...ito rin 'yung gusto naming i-replicate sa ibang mga bayan...Naisip namin na dahil sa success nito...now we are entering into a social enterprise and extending the reach to other towns. Kaya ito ay tatawagin namin, o tinatawag na namin ngayon na Sustainable Towns," Santiago told Newsroom Weekend.

[Translation: Sustainable Sagada started as a project with the help of the local government of Sagada. Because of its success...we want to replicate this in other towns. We thought, because of its success, we now are entering into a social enterprise and extending the reach to other towns. So now we are calling it Sustainable Towns.]

Santiago said she hoped the project's success in Sagada can be reproduced in other places nationwide.

"Napakalaking bagay 'yung natutulungan hindi lang 'yung local farmers, pero 'yung masuportahan at talagang matulungan natin 'yung mga komunidad para sila ay magkaroon ng kabuhayan," Santiago added.

[Translation: It's great to be able to help not just local farmers, but also to support and really help communities so that they could have a means of livelihood.]

Sustainable Sagada began as lockdowns were implemented in the country in 2020, working with farmers to bring their produce to the public by selling them online.

Santiago said tourists already familiar with products and items from Sagada were glad that they can still buy them without leaving their homes.

Among the goods initially sold were fruits and vegetables, but eventually included smoked meats, baked goods, jams, and yogurts.

Dr. Rebecca Parish, a Lafayette internist, was getting calls from patients in their 70s, 80s and 90s who were stressed out, frustrated and, frankly, frightened that they didnt know how to get their vaccination against the coronavirus now that its starting to become available.

While some clinics and hospitals in California began giving vaccinations to seniors last week, many people spent hours waiting on the telephone or wrestling with crashed or confusing websites, trying frantically to make appointments or find out when they might be able to get shots.

People were calling me in tears, Parish said. This pandemic is the first time, at least in my time, that theres this scale of vulnerability. People are feeling desperate. They dont know how to get help. Theyre not used to having to push to get basic care, in this case vaccinations, that they can count on.

Fed up with the creeping pace at which California is getting its oldest residents vaccinated, Parish and others at her independent private practice, Comprehensive Wellness, worked with officials in the Lafayette-Moraga-Orinda area and community groups to set up a drive-through clinic in Lafayette that started giving free shots to people over 75 in their cars on Saturday.

More than 100 volunteers  from health care workers to police officers and folks from community organizations  were expected to help ensure that about 250 people on Sunday, in addition to 250 on Saturday, got their shots. The doses came from Contra Costa Countys health department  and if the group can get more, theyll return next week.

Vaccinations were by appointment only, and only for those over 75 who pre-registered. The slots filled quickly after people heard about the program online and by word of mouth. A waiting list bore the names of hundreds of people eager to get vaccinated.

A waiting list of volunteers is nearly as long, Parish said.

People were desperate to feel they could do something to help and to have a little hope that we can make some progress, she said.

Nina Riggio / Special to The Chronicle

Those who registered were given appointments scheduled every half-hour between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. They were checked in and lined up and directed in their cars to eight vaccination stations, where they rolled their windows down and sleeves up and were given their shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Then the small convoy of cars headed to an area where they rested and were watched for 30 minutes to make sure there werent any allergic reactions.

Wayne Hahn, 79, of Lafayette, said he he felt a little prick when I got the shot but now I feel great. But it felt even better knowing that hes had the first of two doses of the vaccine  and is now better protected against the coronavirus.

I am definitely more relaxed than I was before, he said, minutes after getting poked with a needle.

Ron Judson, 75, of Lafayette, said he had already managed, with some technical difficulties, to schedule appointments for himself and his wife next week in San Pablo through the county health department when he learned of the local pop-up clinic at Stanley Middle School in central Lafayette.

Its a dream come true to have it all so organized and not to have to go through the county or a hospital and jump through all those hoops to get signed up, he said. I wish everyone could get a community-type (clinic) like this. It makes it so much easier.

Parish shares that wish, and said she hopes the Lafayette setup can serve as a model or at least offer encouragement to other communities that are struggling to get their most vulnerable populations vaccinated.

Theres no reason it cant be replicated elsewhere, she said.

The biggest challenge, Parish said, was not finding people certified to give vaccinations or volunteers to help direct traffic and handle logistics, but obtaining the vaccines. She credited the Contra Costa County health department with coming through with 500 vaccines and the promise of 500 more when those vaccinated over the weekend need their second doses in three weeks.

Other community groups are also heading the pop-up route and not waiting for counties or medical systems. In the Napa Valley, the St. Helena Hospital Foundation switched from operating a mobile coronavirus testing van last week to running a vaccination clinic at Napa Valley College. In four days, 2,006 people, referred by their doctors or via an online posting to Nextdoor, received vaccinations, said Joe Schoendorf, a volunteer with the foundation who helped organize the event.

Our goal is simple, he said  to get as many vaccinations into as many people as possible.

The foundation pays medical professionals to give the vaccinations and covers the program through donations, many of them from valley wineries, he said. It uses volunteers to help run the clinic. It will be back in operation on Monday, he said, and hopes to continue for the rest of the week as well.

The outpouring has been wonderful, he said. Were going to keep it going as long as we can get the vaccine.

Schoenfeld also believes in the community model, saying it makes it easier to cut through the bureaucracy.

It may be the way the vaccination program finally gets into gear, he said.

Dr. Denise Hilliard, who helped organize the Lafayette clinic, said community efforts have an important side effect.

With everything thats going on in our country, its great to see a thing like this going on, she said. It gives you hope, right?

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
The power of cooperation is the only tool we have to emerge from the shadow of Covid-19, says the Chinese infectious disease expert

May 27, 2021 08:27 PM
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Dining indoors is still illegal in New York City. So if staying on Staten Island to patronize a restaurant, were looking at dining in an igloo for up to four guests or in a heated, two-sided tent. At this point in winter with the bare trees and frozen earth, I turn to nature and wonder, What would the Lenape do right now in January on this hilly, marshy Island?

When the first Europeans visited Staten Island 350 years ago, they encountered the Lenni-Lenape, a diverse group of Raritan, Hackensack and Canarsie tribes with contacts throughout the region. (Staten Island Museum)staten island advance

Well, two things  first, tap the maple trees. And then start looking for the skunk cabbage.

Indeed the maple trees are alive on Staten Island. Staff members at Clay Pit Ponds Park, Charleston, are there to educate visitors with a tour, talk and taste of sap tapped from the sweet gum-maple grove in the 265-acre state preserve.

Tapping a tree with a ranger in Clay Pit Pond Park. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

Last year, I went on a tour led by Emily Becker, an environmental educator at the facility. She taught about the three Bs on how to locate a maple: Use its bark, branch and buds as a guide to nailing down a tap-able tree.

There is a six-week window in which to harvest maple syrup, February as peak time, in the spirit of Maple Syrup Saturdays at the state park. Hikes happen each Saturday from Jan. 23 to Feb. 27 at either 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. with a max of nine guests on the tour. Tickets are free and social distancing, masks are enforced  https://parks.ny.gov/parks/claypitponds/details.aspx.

But just in case its booked out, heres what you should know about tapping into our trees.

Red maple leaves in fall. (Staten Island Advance File Photo)N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com

Sap comes from the the kind of maple with a three-tipped leaf, commonly found on Staten Island. In the fall, those leaves are a blazing red. But in winter, one can tell a maple from its branches and bark. Branches should be opposite each other to make Y shapes. Bark of the maple is silver and gray with deep, river-like ridges.

What the bark of a maple tree looks like. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

Our ability to make maple syrup on Staten Island is heavily affected by climate change, actually, Becker told a tour group last year. So sap flows best when temperatures drop well below freezing at night and rise above freezing during the day. An ideal day would be when it drops to 25 degrees at night and goes to 40 to 45 during the day.

Branches of a maple tree form a Y with opposite sticks. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

A hole should be drilled into the bark of the tree. That aperture can be fitted with a tap with a hook on which to hang a bucket. This collects the sap which  spoiler alert  looks like water and has no taste. It contains a mere 2% sugar, which requires significant simmering to turn it into a concentrated form of yummy maple syrup.

The region of maple syrup production in the United States and parts of Canada. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

Climate change obviously affects those temperatures. Our winters are getting warmer. And what we are finding is we have less sap-flow days. Maple sap is starting to flow earlier and earlier and earlier every year throughout the world, she added.

Another fun fact of our forests: Maple and gum trees tend to grow together.

What does maple sap taste like? Nothing! Clay Pit Pond Park features Maple Syrup Saturdays in February from 1 to 3 p.m. (Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

And finally, in our escape away from the non-existent world of indoor dining in New York City, we walk through the woods to stumble upon any green Mother Earth can deliver unto us. That soon will come from a very Staaten thing  the skunk cabbage. Maybe youve seen these?

The pungent skunk cabbage, a plant that produces its own heat in an effort to attract early pollinators, is easily identified in late winter by its hooded form. It often appears in wetlands abutting trails. (Chris M. Worrell, special to cleveland.com)

Skunk cabbage can be found in the woods at Allison Pond, said Michele Froelich-Perosi of West Brighton.

She said to look for it on the path going to Goodhue, particularly near the old well a bit further into the brush.

Skunk Cabbage pokes up from the floor of the woods at High Rock Park in the dead of winter. (Staten Island Advance File Photo) Staten Island Advance

Chef Mario DiBiase combs through the woods of Staten Island to explore its edibles  mushrooms, sarsaparilla, for instance  and to photograph the often super colorful natural art displays. The owner of Sotto Voce in Brooklyn said, Skunk cabbages flower in January and February, then the leaves sprout in March. You pick them when they are closed. They are all over the Island.

The spadix is seen inside the spathe of a sprouting skunk cabbage. (Photo by Lisa DeJong)The Plain Dealer

He said, Skunk cabbage smells like a skunk. The name does not disappoint. Mario grew up living right on top of them in Huguenot. His house was behind a section near Maguire Avenue and Amboy Road he referred to as Dead Mans Woods.

This is a mature skunk cabbage. (Mark Bugnaski / Kalamazoo Gazette) Staten Island Advance

He recalled, There was a a small pond/swamp and it was filled with skunk cabbage. You can actually eat them. You have to peel them, lay them on a screen and pour boiling water over them a few times. The Lenape used the plants for medicinal purposes. According to the College of Staten Island Library, The Lenape used the leaves and roots to treat epilepsy and whooping cough.

Yes, nature is a great distraction in these odd times. The sun starts to set a little later each day and babies continue to bring us joy. The only things different compared to now is that last year we didnt have to think about wearing masks or declining a hug. Life keeps on going.

Joe Fauci from La Fontana with his new grandson. (Courtesy of the Fauci family)

One little thing I enjoy is watching our chickens plod around, particularly this one white hen  one of several my older son all named Linda  who flies the coop daily, follows us around the yard and thinks of herself more like a friendly dog. We cannot figure out her escape route and have come to expect shell be cocking her head looking back at her cackling sisters in their pen. Like writing about the precarious state of our restaurant industry and upending of the food chains supply-demand cycle, I accept these things to be the norm these days.

Linda toddling around the yard as Linda looks at the free bird. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

Keep in touch.

Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.
Australia's tertiary education industry faces a devastating economic hit this year as international students from key markets switch their applications to countries with more open borders including Canada and COVID-ravaged Britain.

University vice-chancellors and international education agents have reported students in India, Nepal and China, who were originally bound for Australia, this month have started making other arrangements because they want to study on a real campus instead of online.

Education agents have reported an increasing number of international students are considering studying in Canada and the UK instead of Australia. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Western Sydney University vice-chancellor Barney Glover said his agent networks told him some students who had been offered a place at his university had eventually declined the offer to take a place at a UK university.

"The information we are getting from our agent network is that students are deciding to take UK offers because the UK borders are open," he said. "Although the students and families are concerned about COVID, they are prioritising being able to enter the country and to begin studies in the UK over the risks of COVID."

A charity that works on behalf of gypsies, Roma and travellers has described new laws aimed at tackling illegal camps across Britain as deeply unfair.

Families, Friends and Travellers have accused the UKs Home Secretary of working to create laws to imprison and fine families living on roadside camps for the crime of having nowhere else to go.

The Government must do more to identify land for gypsy and traveller people to live and stop placing blame on the very families they have failed, the spokesperson said.

The Home Office is expected to reveal full details of the changes next week to legislation, included in a forthcoming Criminal Justice Bill, that will speed up the process of removing unauthorised camps.

Under Home Secretary Priti Patels tough measures police will be able to arrest anyone suspected of intentional trespass and seize their vehicles if they refuse to move on.

Under the proposals, travellers who ignore a landowners request to move their vehicles on will face arrest under intentional trespass laws carrying a three-month maximum prison sentence or a fine of up to 2,500, or both.

The Home Office source said: We are delivering on our manifesto commitment to crack down on the blight of unauthorised encampments.

These camps cause distress and disruption for millions of people right across the country, so its right we are giving the police the powers they need to bring this to an end.

Currently, most cases of trespass are not a criminal offence and unauthorised camps are dealt with as civil matters. Only aggravated trespass can lead to arrest, and it is difficult to prove.

It is understood police will be able to use the powers where intruders are causing significant damage, disruption or distress, such as interference with utility supplies, excessive noise pollution, or litter.

It will not apply to unintentional instances of trespass, such as by ramblers and walkers, sources said.

But Families, Friends and Travellers said everybody needs a place to live.

It is deeply unfair that while the Government is dramatically failing to identify enough land for gypsy and traveller families to live on, the Home Secretary is working to create laws to imprison and fine families living on roadside camps for the crime of having nowhere else to go.
A food delivery worker wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus prepares to deliver foods for his customers outside a restaurant in Beijing on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. The e-commerce workers and delivery people who kept China fed during the pandemic, making their billionaire bosses even richer, are so unhappy with their pay and treatment that one just set himself on fire in protest. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

E-commerce workers who kept China fed during the coronavirus pandemic, making their billionaire bosses even richer, are so unhappy with their pay and treatment that one just set himself on fire in protest.

China's internet industries already were known for long, demanding days. With millions of families confined at home, demand surged and employees delivered tons of vegetables, rice, meat, diapers and other supplies, often aboard scooters that exposed them to sub-freezing winter cold.

For white-collar workers in the technology industry, pay is better than in some industries but employees are often expected to work 12 hours a day or more.

The human cost caught public attention after the deaths of two employees from e-commerce platform Pinduoduo, known for selling fresh produce at low prices. Their deaths prompted suggestions they were overworked. In an indication of high-level concern, the official Xinhua News Agency called for shorter work hours, describing long hours of overtime at the expense of employees' health as an "illegal" operation.

Renewed concerns over dire working conditions for delivery drivers also came to the forefront when a video circulated on Chinese social media showing what it said was a driver for Ele.me, part of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, setting himself on fire to protest unpaid wages.

The controversy is a blow to the image of internet industries that are transforming China's economy and generating new jobs. They have made some of the founders among the world's wealthiest entrepreneurs. During the heights of the pandemic, the fortunes of the biggest, including Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Pinduoduo founder Colin Huang, swelled as online consumer spending boomed.

In a video widely circulated on Chinese social media, 45-year-old delivery driver Liu Jin poured gasoline and set himself on fire outside a distribution station for Eleme in the eastern city of Taizhou, shouting that he wanted his money. Others snuffed the flames and rushed him to a hospital, where he is being treated for third-degree burns on his body.

A food delivery worker wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus prepares to deliver foods for his customers at a shopping mall in Beijing on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. The e-commerce workers and delivery people who kept China fed during the pandemic, making their billionaire bosses even richer, are so unhappy with their pay and treatment that one just set himself on fire in protest. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Details of Liu's complaint could not be verified and Eleme did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Separately, a 43-year-old delivery driver collapsed on the job and died last week while delivering food for Eleme.

The company said in a statement that it will give 600,000 yuan ($92,700) to the driver's family and raised its insurance coverage for drivers to that level. Its statement said Eleme "had not done enough in terms of accidental death insurance, and needs to do more."

The issue was highlighted again after a Pinduoduo employee surnamed Tan committed suicide after taking leave from the firm to return to his hometown, less than two weeks after a 22-year-old employee surnamed Zhang in Urumqi collapsed while walking home from work with colleagues, and later passed away.

Pinduoduo, China's third-largest e-commerce firm, released statements saying it was providing assistance and support to the families of the two employees who died. Shanghai authorities also are reviewing working hours, contracts and other conditions at the company.

The deaths raised an outcry on social media, with many people suspecting that they were a result of overwork. Chinese social media users blasted the country's technology sector, criticizing not just Pinduoduo for a culture of long hours but pointing out that this was an industry-wide problem, with similar company cultures seen at most of China's large technology companies.

They also revived a national debate over the tech sector's so-called "996" working culture, in which employees often work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week. Companies sometimes pay huge bonuses to some employees, enticing them to work more overtime.

A food delivery worker and office workers wearing face masks to protect themselves from the coronavirus wait to cross a street in Beijing on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. The e-commerce workers and delivery people who kept China fed during the pandemic, making their billionaire bosses even richer, are so unhappy with their pay and treatment that one just set himself on fire in protest. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

"We must strive to succeed in pursuit of dreams, but the legitimate rights and interests of workers cannot be ignored or even violated," said state-owned Xinhua News Agency in a post on microblogging site Weibo.

The issue has also cast a spotlight on the working conditions of delivery drivers, who are under heavy pressure to get orders to customers quickly and at times make less than 10 yuan ($1.55) per delivery. If they fail to meet deadlines, fines imposed can range from as little as 1 yuan ($0.15) to as much as 500 yuan ($77.30) if a customer lodges a complaint.

As part of the gig economy, such delivery workers often do not get the benefits provided to full-time employees, such as social or medical insurance.

Since there are many people willing to work under those conditions, it is hard for employees to negotiate better pay and conditions.

Last August, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU)the only trade union allowed to legally exist in communist-ruled Chinasaid that 6.5 million delivery workers had joined it since 2018. However, the worker rights group China Labor Bulletin, which tracks labor relations in China, says little has been done to improve workers' ability to win better treatment from companies. The union provides only skills training, legal assistance and some medical benefits.

"Labor unions need to become more effective, otherwise labor laws cannot be enforced," said Li Qiang, founder of China Labor Watch, another organization that monitors labor rights.

Under China's labor laws, workers and laborers should work no longer than eight hours a day, or more than 44 hours a week on average. Total amount of overtime should not exceed more than 36 hours in a month, and should only be done "after consultation with the trade union and laborers".

A food delivery worker wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus rides on a street in Beijing on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. The e-commerce workers and delivery people who kept China fed during the pandemic, making their billionaire bosses even richer, are so unhappy with their pay and treatment that one just set himself on fire in protest. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

However, even though the labor laws exist, they are rarely enforced as employees become mired in a culture of overwork while striving for bonuses or in cases of delivery drivers, to eke out a living.

Delivery workers are part of a corporate culture where even white-collar employees in the technology sector work excessively long hours, Li noted.

"Employees who do not work overtime cannot survive in technology or white-collar jobs. Everyone is working overtime. If they do not work overtime, they will be terminated," Li said.

Putting workers at an even bigger disadvantage, indemnity clauses are at times written into workers' contracts in some industries, absolving a company from responsibility for death on the job and other such events, said Li of China Labor Watch. Although such clauses may violate China's labor laws, the legal system in China is opaque and laws can be difficult to enforce.

"In Western countries, if an employee dies because of working overtime, then the legal and economic costs will be greater, and they are generally more restrained as the country's laws will intervene," said Li. "But in China, there is no bottom line when it comes to working overtime, and companies are generally not held liable in the event of death."

Explore further China state news agency urges end to long work hours in tech

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Vials of coronavirus vaccine and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Pfizer logo, on Oct. 31, 2020. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Australia Is Seeking Additional Information Regarding Norway Pfizer Concerns

Australia is investigating reports that Norwegian authorities are concerned about the safety of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine after a number of elderly and frail people died after being inoculated.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency has reported 29 people had suffered side effects from having the vaccine, 13 of them fatal.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt is seeking additional information through the Therapeutic Goods Administration from the company and the Norwegian medical regulator.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has also tasked the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to seek advice directly from the Norwegian government.

So as further information is available, well share that with the Australian public, Hunt said.

There is no change in our timeframes at this point, but the medical regulator is completely empowered to make independent decisions.

The Pfizer vaccine forms only part of Australias response to COVID-19, as there will be a greater use of the AstraZeneca, and home produced, vaccine once it has been approved by the TGA.

Vaccinations are due to start next month.

Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack said concerns over Pfizer is why Australia has not put all its eggs in one basket when it comes to a vaccine, with the AstraZeneca, Novavax and other options available.

Weve got enough doses to, of course, roll out right across the nation, free of charge, and to also provide a vaccine, from February, for the Pacific Islands as well, he told the Seven Networks Weekend Sunrise program.

So throughout the year, were going to ensure that the vaccine is swift, yes, but safe. Absolutely paramount it will be safe.

Colin Brinsden in Canberra
New Delhi:

Once again in a shocking incident a youth assulted a girl in broad daylight in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit area after she allegedly rejected his love proposal.

The entire incident was captured in a CCTV camera. However, the Police has registered a case against the accused.

In the video, the youth is seeing talking with one of the two girls, and suddenly starts slapping her.

Video here:

#CCTVVisuals: Youth assaults girl in broad daylight in UP's Pilibhit, after she allegedly rejected his love proposal; police registers case pic.twitter.com/uIamcAovuN  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) June 16, 2017

More reports awaited.

Also Read: Mentally-challenged woman thrashed with pipe, forced to say 'Allah', 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Jai Hanuman' in Rajasthan

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Nearly two-thirds of Americans think Donald Trump has caused or widened divisions in US society, while a majority think he is racist, a new mega-poll by former Conservative Party deputy chairman Michael Ashcroft has found.

Trump last week became the first US President to be impeached for a second time, following allegations that he incited supporters to storm the Capitol. Now 60 per cent of voters say he has opened up splits in society  with even a quarter of Trump supporters agreeing.

In a 20,000-sample survey, 57 per cent of Americans think Trump is racist, with only 37 per cent disagreeing: 12 per cent of his own backers think he is racist, rising to 93 per cent of supporters of President-elect Joe Biden.

Two thirds of most Americans think Donald Trump has widened divisions in the USA

Lord Ashcroft examines the Trump conundrum. He became the first President to be defeated after his first term since George Bush in 1992 despite assembling the largest ever voting coalition for a Republican nominee, with 74 million votes  11 million more than he received four years earlier, giving him a higher vote share.

Lord Ashcroft argues that Biden, who will become the oldest President after winning more votes than any previous candidate, did so because for millions of Americans he had just one job  removing Trump from the White House. It was a referendum on the incumbent which Trump lost.

In trying to discern whether there can be Trumpism without Trump in the US, the peer  who over the past four years has polled more than 100,000 people, running focus groups in 19 states  finds that two-thirds of Trumps supporters said they approved of his actions and the way he conducted himself, suggesting his outrageous behaviour was an integral part of his appeal.

Lord Ashcroft concludes that Trumps electoral appeal derives from issues such as an enduring belief in American exceptionalism, the conviction that constitutional freedoms are important, a positive view of American life and the rejection of political correctness, along with a willingness to tolerate a high degree of friction in politics in the cause of advancing these principles.

The report sums up the divide between the two candidates: While the pandemic was the most important issue facing the country for Biden voters, the economy and jobs were top of the agenda for Trump enthusiasts. While Biden enthusiasts prioritised race relations and the environment, Trumpers highlighted immigration and national security.

The frustration of Trump supporters who thought the election was stolen from them can be explained by the fact more than nine out of ten expected him to be re-elected.
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Ithaca, N.Y. -- Two people were able to flee to safety from a home invasion in Ithaca on Saturday, according to Ithaca police.

Just before 5 p.m., two people walked into Ithaca police headquarters and told police theyd just been robbed, police said.

The victims told police theyd been in a home in the 300 block of North Cayuga Street at about 4:30 p.m. when multiple people entered the home without permission, according to police. One of the people who came into the home had a gun, police said.

The suspects ordered the pair to give up several items, including money, and one of the suspects pistol whipped one of the victims, according to police.

Eventually, the pair were able to escape the house through an open window and ran to police headquarters, police said.

By the time police arrived, the suspects had left, according to police.

The incident is currently under investigation.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter.
A woman who had a violent altercation with a black security guard prior to the storming of the U.S. Capitol has been ousted from her hospital job after her daughter revealed her identity on Twitter.

Therese Duke, 50, said she felt 'forced' to resign from UMass Memorial hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts following the January 5 incident in Washington DC, she told the Boston Herald.

Duke said she had worked at UMass as a medical assistant for 15 years and worries about her future job prospects.

She was identified after her daughter Helena, 18, tweeted video of the confrontation, adding a caption that read: 'Hi mom remember the time you told me I shouldn't go to BLM protests bc they could get violentthis you?'

Footage from a protest on January 5, the day before the Capitol riot, shows Duke trying to snatch a phone out of the hands of security guard Ashanti Smith, 28, who immediately wheeled around and jabbed the Trump supporter in the face with her fist.

Smith was fired after the incident and charged with assault, but insists that she acted in self-defense.

Therese Duke, 50, was ousted from UMass Memorial hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts following the January 5 incident (above) in Washington DC

Security guard Ashanti Smith was also fired after the incident and charged with assault, but insists that she acted in self-defense.

UMass Memorial released a statement after receiving multiple tips about Duke, appearing to confirm her firing without naming her.

'Over the past 24 hours, we have received numerous expressions of concern through social media regrading a UMass Memorial caregiver who may have been involved in this week's violent events at the nation's Capitol,' the hospital said.

'The employee in question is no longer part of our organization,' the statement added.

After being charged with assault, Smith spoke out to insist she punched Duke in the face in self-defense.

'I feared for my life. I'm hearing, "Hang her, we'll kill her, she deserves to die,"' Smith told WHUR-FM on Thursday.

'She kept trying to take my phone and take my mask off because I kept asking them to stay away from me, stop following me, and stop being so close in my personal area,' Smith said.

Helena Duke, 18, from Massachusetts, took to Twitter in Thursday to identify her mother as a US Capitol rioter who was seen in a viral video being punched in the face by a guard

Ashanti Smith, 28, has been fired from her job as a security guard after punching Capitol rioter

Helena shared a photo of herself with her mom, who she believes was brainwashed by Trump

She claimed that many in the pro-Trump crowd that had gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza were calling her the N-word and accusing her of being Antifa.

Video from the incident shows that after Smith threw the punch, the Trump supporters pushed her back toward a wall of cops, who used pepper spray to break up the melee.

Helena said that until about thee years ago, her mother had been a Democrat, but a year into Trump's presidency she became 'brainwashed' by the Make America Great Again movement.

Helena told The New York Post that she only learned that her mother was responding to Trump's call to attend his 'wild' rally after seeing videos online.

According to the teen, her mother told her she was going out of town for three days to drive her aunt to a medical facility to undergo a procedure.

To prove the woman in the video is her mom, Therese Duke, Helena posted these two side-by-side photos

'She didn't give me any more information about it, she was very vague When I found out about the Capitol being stormed, I looked at her location sharing and it had been off for two days, so I assumed in that moment, I was like, "Oh my gosh, she might actually be there,"' Duke told The Post.

'And then the next day, my cousin shared a video of her getting punched in the face.'

Helena said initially she had misgivings about publicly shaming her mother, but ultimately she decided to do it because of her mother's past conduct, including kicking the daughter out of the house for attending Black Lives Matter protests last year.

'At first I was kind of uneasy about it, but I think it was definitely so hypocritical of her to end up kicking me out of the house for going to peaceful protests because she assumed they'd be violent, and then end up going to this, which was obviously a very violent attack on the Capitol  and end up harassing a cop,' she said, referring to Smith, who was wearing a security guard uniform at the time.

'Her actions were appalling and I did not think she could possibly stoop this low,' Helena told Newsweek. 'Seeing her harass a black woman and attending a violent event is very hypocritical of her.'

Helena said that her aunt and uncle also took part in the unrest in Washington DC.
Mr Garske said he was shocked to learn his rates would jump by an estimated 24 per cent, with similar increases for his neighbours across the former Marrickville council area. "I thought, 'holy shit,' to be honest. I looked at a place I used to live in Birchgrove and it's going down 4.4 per cent, and it was about the same for that whole area," he said. Jane Sinclair is frustrated her rates bill will rise, while many residents in areas with higher property prices will pay less. Credit:Brook Mitchell Marrickville homeowner Jane Sinclair was angry she would have to pay $396 more per year when she said property values and household incomes in suburbs such as Balmain were mostly higher than in her suburb. "We've got friends in Ashfield and Balmain, and their rates are going down while ours are going up and there's been no increase in council services. If anything they've gone backwards," she said.

Loading Independent councillor Pauline Lockie said merged councils did not have many other options to distribute rates more fairly in NSW, where rates are calculated according to each propertys land value rather than market value. "I can completely understand why people are so angry and shocked about this, because it is incredibly frustrating to be in this position due to a bad government policy. We're part of a council a lot of us didn't want to be part of." The council's online calculator shows, for example, the rates for a house in Marrickville jump from $1659 to $2055, while those paid by the owner of a waterfront home on Louisa Road in Birchgrove fall from $8225 to $7859. The rates for a house in Ashfield would drop from $1734 to $1297. Payments for a house in Balmain might drop from $2392 to $2285.

The council also wants to lift its minimum rate, the amount paid by most apartment owners, by about 20 per cent  from $710 to $850. Leichhardt homeowner Matt Bowen assumed his rates would go up and was surprised his bill would drop from $1263 to $1207. "I'm happy for an extra $60," he said. Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne pushed for the proposed changes to be phased in over several years. "While we won't be increasing rates overall, if you harmonise three different rates systems there are definitely going to be winners and losers, so the more gradually that can happen [the better]," he said. In Bayside Council, formed through a merger of Botany Bay and Rockdale, rates for a house in Hillsdale could jump from $1069 to $1415. But rates for a waterfront house in Sandringham drop from $2483 to $2215.

"Unfortunately, we don't like it," Bayside Council mayor Joe Awada said of the government's mandate. "The issue in Bayside is ratepayers on the Botany side are paying a lot less, an average of $700, than the ratepayers on the Rockdale side, who pay an average of $1200 [in rates]." Homeowners in areas such as Rosebery, in the Bayside Council area, could face significant increases to their rates. Credit:Dean Sewell Cr Awada also hopes the government will give councils the flexibility to spread the changes over three to five years as "a lot of people can't afford an extra $50 a year". Cr Christina Curry said a planned 39 per cent increase in the minimum rate meant residents in the former Botany Bay council area would be slugged with significant increases of between 20 to 40 per cent.

"Our community feels very hurt that this is going to be put on them," she said. Cumberland Council mayor Steve Christou said former Auburn council residents, who are among the area's poorest, faced an average one-off rise in rates of 23 per cent, or an annual increase of 9.2 per cent over five years. Residents in the former Holroyd council's suburbs, the area's most affluent, will experience a 1.97 per cent drop on average over five years. "I'm most unhappy with the 9.2 per cent increase for [Auburn ratepayers] but council's hands are tied," Cr Christou said. The City of Parramatta estimates residents in parts of the former Hills council who pay an average of $1021 in rates face a $22 increase. An average ratepayer in the former Auburn council area would have their $687 bill jump by $172.

Loading But average yearly rates for residents in the old council areas of Parramatta ($942), Hornsby ($1136) and Holroyd ($861) would drop by $33, $46 and $119 respectively. Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock said she heard "loud and clear" that merging rating systems was "an issue", prompting her to extend an earlier completion deadline and set up a working group of affected councils. "The government understands that creating a new residential rating structure is a complex task and thats why we are introducing sensible reforms to provide greater flexibility for councils harmonising their rating structures in 2021," she said. Mrs Hancock said councils that chose to bring in the changes gradually would be required to set out to their communities their "intended approach".
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

During her four months as a social worker at the state penitentiary in Santa Fe, Thelonika McCollum found herself facing a personal crisis. After being told to falsify mental health evaluations for solitary confinement inmates and clashing with her supervisors over other practices she considered unethical, McCollum decided the best thing to do to resolve her moral dilemma and continue the career she found fulfilling was to quit her job.

After serving nearly 20 years as a corrections officer, Ernie Garcia left his job at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas in October. He quit over long hours and working conditions but, even though he worked at another facility and in a different position than McCollum, he reported seeing some of the same things regarding the handling of inmates in solitary confinement.

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Although a law was passed two years ago to address how people assigned to solitary are treated, Garcia says he didnt see it make a difference. The same number of people were being placed in solitary cells, which were always full.

In 2019, state Legislature passed the Corrections Restricted Housing Act, which bans correctional facilities from keeping juveniles, pregnant women and people with mental illness in solitary confinement. In addition, the law requires the New Mexico Department of Corrections to report the number of inmates in solitary confinement, the reason(s) they were placed there and for how long.

But that system relies on accurate information, and McCollum and Garcia both independently told the Journal that wasnt necessarily the case and that records were fudged to make it look as if the facilities were compliant.

A spokesman with the state Department of Corrections said he couldnt speak to the validity of the former employees claims.

Any time there is a complaint of any kind brought to our attention, it is taken seriously and looked into by the appropriate staff, Eric Harrison, Corrections public information officer, said in an emailed statement.

Harrison said inmates with serious mental illnesses who are deemed dangerous or disruptive are sent to a Mental Health Treatment Center in Los Lunas instead of restrictive housing.

These inmates receive sustained, meaningful human interaction outside of their cells every day in the form of recreational therapy, individual and group therapy, substance use treatment, anger management, social skills training and various educational programs, Harrison said via email. Inmates are admitted and discharged by psychiatric staff to ensure that every individual with a current serious mental health need receives the necessary treatment.

Taking a toll

McCollum says she was tasked with completing mental status examinations for anyone in restrictive housing  the term used by the department for solitary confinement. People placed in solitary are restricted to their cells for at least 23 hours a day.

The mental health evaluations were important, she said, because they were used to monitor how an inmate was faring under solitary conditions. Multiple studies show that prolonged isolation can lead to, or exacerbate, mental health problems.

McCollum said she was asked by her supervisor to fill out mental examination forms before meeting with an inmate. She also said that a supervisor would randomly assign social workers names to a spreadsheet to make it look like inmates were being evaluated according to a schedule when they werent.

Were going around, basically, with (evaluations) pre-filled out, she said. And you just get the inmate to sign it. You dont actually spend time with them, or be like, Oh, hows your mental health right now? 

She said she was also discouraged from putting inmates displaying mental health issues on a treatment plan because her supervisor said they didnt have the resources and that it would only result in paperwork in their file.

McCollum said there were inmates that werent doing well in solitary confinement, but she felt pressure to minimize their issues.

I addressed that with my supervisor and he was like, Well, this is prison, you need to get used to it,  she said.

By the time McCollum decided to resign, she said it was pretty clear that filing complaints and pushing back against her supervisor wouldnt work.

She said inmates werent being given the resources they need. Most times, McCollum said she was helping inmates in such crises that they were self-mutilating or acting as if they were completely delusional.

Its just crisis management. Theyre not being given services that they need  because theres a regular shortage of staff, she said. And then, when they do get people there like me, they drive you out if you are honest.

Garcia, a prison guard at the corrections facility in Los Lunas, recounted similar charges as McCollum.

He says nothing really changed at the facility after the Corrections Restricted Housing Act was passed in 2019.

He said solitary confinement numbers can easily be manipulated, and he saw it happen. The department would classify an inmate as non-solitary, but keep them in solitary cells by saying the prison had run out of room in the main compound.

The isolation took a toll on inmates, he said.

You would hear a call on the radio that an inmate in solitary confinement was making a noose and getting ready to attempt to hang himself, he said.

Garcia also remembers hearing calls over the radio about inmates in solitary confinement hearing voices, having suicidal thoughts and hurting themselves.

Not a game

Former Behavioral Health Bureau Chief Bianca McDermott also told the Journal that the department would play games with different inmate classifications to avoid reporting them as solitary confinement.

McDermott last year agreed to a $1.4 million settlement after she alleged that she was retaliated against and later fired after she reported that the department wasnt auditing the performance of its health care provider.

She equates keeping someone with a mental illness in solitary confinement with torture and supports the new law. But she now questions how the department goes about screening inmates for solitary.

Even people without mental illnesses can develop severe psychological problems through isolation, McDermott said, referencing research that shows people deprived of environmental or social stimulation can develop stupor and delirium.

But solitary confinement goes beyond conditions of confinement. It can be a matter of life and death.

Attorney Matt Coyte previously represented the estate of former inmate Michael Mattis, who died by suicide at the Guadalupe County Correctional Facility in Santa Rosa.

Mattis suffered from severe mental illnesses, but Coyte says mental health records were falsified by the department to keep him in solitary confinement.

Mattis, who was 22, ultimately hanged himself in his cell in October 2014.

The use of solitary confinement is terrible on the scale that we use it, but its even worse when the mental health forms are forged, or rubber stamping the continued use of solitary when the person inside is deteriorating mentally, Coyte said.
Police and National Guard troops stood sentry at newly fortified statehouses Sunday ahead of demonstrations planned for the leadup to President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration, as authorities worked to deter a repeat of the recent riot that overran the U.S. Capitol. A few protesters were starting to gather in some cities, but streets in many others remained empty.

About two dozen people, several carrying long guns, protested outside the Ohio Statehouse, observed by several of the dozens of state troopers positioned around the building. Several dozen people  some carrying American flags  gathered at South Carolinas Statehouse. And at Michigans Capitol, a small group of demonstrators, some armed, stood near a chain-link fence surrounding the building as state police walked the grounds and National Guard vehicles were parked nearby.

Tall fencing also now surrounds the U.S. Capitol, the National Mall is closed to the general public, and the District of Columbias mayor asked people not to visit. Some 25,000 National Guard troops from around the country were due in the city in the coming days.

The stepped-up security measures were intended to safeguard seats of government from the type of violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, when a supporters of President Donald Trump swarmed the building while Congress was certifying the Electoral College vote.

The FBI has warned of the potential for armed protests at the nation's Capitol and all 50 state capitol buildings beginning this weekend. Some social media messages had targeted Sunday for demonstrations, though it remained unclear how many people might show up.

Authorities in some states said they had no specific indication that demonstrations would occur, much less turn violent. Yet many state officials vowed to be prepared, just in case. They said they did not want a repeat of the mob's assault, which left left a Capitol Police officer and four others dead. In recent days, more than 125 people have been arrested on charges related to the insurrection.

In some locations, a small number of people showed up intending to counter protests, even in places where they had not yet materialized.

One counter-protester came early to greet any demonstrators at the Pennsylvania Capitol, saying he had heard about the possibility of a meet-up of a far-right militant group. But no one else was there.

Im fundamentally against the potential protesters coming here to delegitimize the election, and I dont want to be passive in expressing my disapproval of them coming into this city, Stephen Rzonca said.

Wisconsin National Guard troops armed with rifles, shields and body armor arrived near the state Capitol on Sunday morning. A man who drove a vehicle up the steps of the Capitol building was arrested overnight for driving while intoxicated.

More than a third of governors had called out the National Guard to help protect their state capitols and aid local law enforcement officers. Several governors issued states of emergency, and others closed their capitols to the public until after Biden's inauguration day.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement Sunday that law enforcement officers will protect the rights of peaceful demonstrators but will also vigorously resist any violence.

Some state legislatures also canceled sessions or pared back their work for the coming week, citing security precautions.

Even before the violence at the U.S. Capitol, some statehouses had been the target of vandals and angry protesters during the past year.

Last spring, armed protesters entered the Michigan Capitol to object to coronavirus-related lockdowns and were confronted by police. People angered over the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes, vandalized capitols in several states, including Colorado, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.

And just last month, crowds in Oregon forced their way into the state Capitol in Salem to protest its closure to the public during a special legislative session on coronavirus measures.

Anticipating the potential for violence in the coming week, the building's first floor windows were boarded up and the National Guard has been deployed. The Legislature was scheduled to begin its 2021 session on Tuesday, but much of its initial work has been delayed for at least two days because of warnings about potential violence.

The state Capitol has become a fortress, said Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, a Democrat. I never thought Id see that; it breaks my heart.

___

Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Sara Cline in Salem, Oregon; Ben Fox in Washington; Mike Householder and David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina; Marc Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Angie Wang in Atlanta; Paul Weber in Austin, Texas; and Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2021 ) :Within hours of being sworn in on Wednesday as the US President, Joe Biden plans to sign a number of executive orders, including rejoining the 2016 Paris climate accord and ending the travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries, designed to signal an immediate break from President Donald Trump.

"President-elect Biden will take action  not just to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration  but also to start moving our country forward," incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain wrote in a memo released Saturday.

One of Trump's first actions as president in 2017 was to suspend entry to the United States of travelers from seven majority Muslim nations: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, for 90 days. That executive order created chaos at airports around the world, and lawsuits against the ban quickly followed.

After Federal judges barred the first ban's implementation, Trump issued a second ban that was also quickly tied up in federal courts.

A third version of the ban was issued by the White House in the fall of 2017, and this one applied to six majority Muslim countries and two non-majority Muslim countries. The following year, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the third ban, which remains in place today.

"We face four overlapping and compounding crises: the COVID-19 crisis, the resulting economic crisis, the climate crisis, and a racial equity crisis," Klain, Biden's chief of staff, wrote. "All of these crises demand urgent action. In his first 10 days in office, President-elect Biden will take decisive action to address these four crises, prevent other urgent and irreversible harms, and restore America's place in the world." The other orders will include the launch of a "100 masking challenge" that will mandate masks on federal property and interstate travel, extend the pause on repayment of and interest on student loans, continue restrictions on evictions and foreclosures; all related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden will be inaugurated on January 20 amid unprecedented security with more than 25,000 National Guard troops deployed in Washington DC in the wake of the storming of the US Capitol on January 6. FBI has warned of "armed protests" in days leading up to the inauguration.

President Trump announced US exit from the Paris Agreement in June 2017, saying it disadvantaged the country, blunted its competitive edge, and favoured China.

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding global treaty that was signed in December 2015 and entered into force on November 2016. Signatory countries fix its own mitigation targets, called Nationally Determined Contributions. The accord remains in force, unaffected by US exit.

The US return to the Paris Agreement was one of Biden's key campaign promises, as part of an aggressive climate agenda.

Meanwhile, a huge swath of the capital city of Washington is blocked off, patrolled by uniformed National Guard troops as part of a buildup never seen. And the U.S. capital is getting even more fortified as federal, state and local officials brace for a worst-case scenario of violence tied to the Jan. 20 inauguration.

Thousands of law enforcement, military and intelligence personnel have been activated to provide security in Washington leading up to President-elect Biden's swearing-in, a ceremony that will have far less pomp than in the past because of the coronavirus pandemic and last week's deadly riots at the Capitol.

Behind the scenes, federal agents, prosecutors and analysts are racing to track and disrupt active plots in what some say is the greatest security challenge since the days after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to current and former U.S. officials cited by news media.

"We're concerned about the potential for violence at multiple protests and rallies planned here in D.C. and at state capitol buildings around the country in the days to come," FBI Director Christoper Wray said in a security briefing on Thursday. "It could bring armed individuals within close proximity to government buildings and officials." A bulletin by the FBI and other agencies this week warned that extremists targeting the inauguration may exploit the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach by conducting attacks to destabilize and force a larger conflict in the U.S., according to media reports.

More than 100 people involved in the riots -- which led to at least five deaths -- have been charged with crimes so far, with more expected.

Efforts to uncover active plots include searching social media, monitoring online chat sites, arresting individuals identified in the Capitol riots and interviewing suspects and witnesses, two U.S. officials s told Bloomberg News.

The Justice Department also has started making preemptive arrests: An Illinois man was arrested on Jan. 12 for threatening to kill Democrats during the inauguration. Capitol Police have warned that anyone trying to "unlawfully gain access" to the Capitol Complex will be subject to "an appropriate use of force and arrest." A presidential inauguration is always a highest-tier security affair, but agencies amplified and accelerated their operations following the Capitol siege, which was led by Trump supporters trying to disrupt the certification of Biden's Electoral College victory by Congress.

The Secret Service is in charge of inauguration security and has activated a command center -- officially known as the Multi-Agency Coordinating Center -- to bring together federal, state and local agencies.

More than 20 public safety agencies are involved in the security planning, including law enforcement, fire and rescue and emergency medical services, according to the Secret Service


New Delhi : Union minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said that the recently-introduced electronic pension payment order (e-PPO) promises ease of living for senior citizens.

Referring to some reforms introduced in the Ministry of Personnel, he said that the Department of Pensions and Pensioners' Welfare in the ministry was often at the receiving end of complaints from senior citizens about the original copies of their pension payment order getting misplaced.

"In such situations, the pensioners, particularly the older pensioners, had to face several hardships," said the Minister of State for Personnel.

Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's thrust on digitalisation, Singh said in the last six years there has been rapid progress in this direction and many of the ministries and departments in the government of India were performing nearly 80 per cent of their work through e-office even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singh congratulated officials in the Department of Pensions and Pensioners' Welfare who had successfully introduced the provision of e-PPO during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which came as a boon to several of the retiring officials who were getting superannuated during the lockdown period and were finding it difficult to physically receive the hard copy of their PPO.

Significantly, the entire process was accomplished much before the targeted timeline in view of the difficulties being faced by the pensioners due to the pandemic, a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said.

Accordingly, the Department of Pensions and Pensioners' Welfare decided to integrate the electronic PPO generated through PFMS application of CGA (Controller General of Accounts) with Digi-locker, it said.

"This enables the pensioner to obtain an instant print - out of the latest copy of his PPO from the Digi-locker account," the statement said.

Singh said a number of reforms have been introduced to bring ease of living and convenience in the lives of pensioners.

He said these include pre-retirement workshops and counselling sessions as well as assistance in meaningful engagement in the post-retirement phase of life so that energies, expertise and the experience of senior citizens can be optimally utilised in the service of society and for the cause of nation-building.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  In Kabuls uncertain present, fear and dread intertwine in a vise. Fear has become a way of life.

When youre in the car you feel fear, when you are walking you feel fear, and when you are in the shop you feel fear, said Shamsullah Amini, a 22-year-old shopkeeper, while watching over his vats of dried grains and beans in the Taimani neighborhood. If there was any security at all, we wouldnt all be thinking about leaving the country.

Fear is omnipresent, said Muqaddesa Yourish, an executive at a leading communications firm. Its gone from a state of fear to a state of being.

Fear has long been part of life in Kabul, with the possibility of sudden death from a Taliban strike. But these days  even as the Afghan government tries to negotiate peace with the Taliban  there is a heightened sense that life is fragile here. With the Taliban active in most of the country and almost daily reports of government forces beaten back, there are new questions about whether a grim return to extremist rule is on the near horizon.
Axios

While Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) was out of state at a conference, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R) issued an executive order Thursday banning mask mandates in school and public buildings, AP reports.Why it matters: Little never issued a statewide mask mandate, but there have been some in counties, cities and schools. McGeachin announced last week she was running for governor, challenging Little who has only served one term, and her order could appeal to far-right voters in the state.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Little's office told AP that McGeachin did not tell the governor about the order in advance. Throughout the pandemic, Gov. Little has been committed to protecting the health and safety of the people of Idaho and has emphasized the importance of Idahoans choosing to protect our neighbors and loved ones and keeping our economy and schools open, Little spokesperson Marissa Morrison saidBackground: In March, McGeachin participated in an anti-mask protest, the Washington Post reported, and she suggested last year that the pandemic may or may not be occurring."According to AP, Idaho has recorded more than 190,000 cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and roughly 2,000 deaths.What she's saying: Ive been listening to people all across the state with the concern about, especially, why are little kids being forced to wear masks in school, McGeachin told AP.My oath to the Constitution is to protect those rights and freedoms of the individual, and Ive never supported any type of a mandate on the individual, especially when it comes to health care choices.McGeachin said she had contracted the virus in 2019 and now has a "natural immunity," per AP.Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin issued an executive order banning mask mandates, not face masks. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
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An atmospheric scientist on January 16 put the climate change doubters to rest in a savage Facebook post that has now gone viral on social media. Katharine Hayhoe asserted that anyone proposing alternate explanations to the threats of climate change and its impact on the planet is blackballed. The popular atmosphere scientist advocated in several media interviews that the "severe weather conditions" that cause heatwaves, wildfires and hurricanes are attributed to excessive global warming due to climate change. The Texas Tech University scientist in Lubbock addressed her followers who denied the concept of climate change due to, what they described, lack of scientific evidence, ultimately rejecting the climate solutions proposed by the scientific community.

In a Facebook post, Hayhoe told the climate change deniers that there have been 150 years of solid, peer-reviewed science to back the vital signs of environmental degradation and other observable effects on the environment. She had also shared a Guardian report in the post in 2017, asserting that the climate contrarians that blame climate change on Jupiter Saturn orbital cycle, about 97 per cent of them who rejected the expert scientific consensus on human-caused global warming had nothing in common with Galileo, who they often invoked as an example.

Read: Biden Plans To Fight Climate Change In A Way No U.S. President Has Done Before

Read: 'Climate Change Is Real And Scary': Spain's Unusual Snowstorm Leaves Netizens Bittersweet

Over the last 10 years, at least 38 papers were published in peer-reviewed journals, each claiming various reasons why climate wasn't changing, or if it was, it wasn't humans, or it wasn't bad, the atmospheric scientist wrote in a Facebook post. She warned, that climate change, Its real, it's us, it's serious.

[Wildfire, drought, hurricanes are a result of climate change according to NASA. Credit: NASA photo/Mellimage/Montree Hanlue]

[NASA says in a report Global climate is projected to continue to change over this century and beyond. Credit: Unsplash]

Counter climate change theories 'flawed'

Condemning the climate change deniers theories and their research, Hayhoe said, that with the assistance of her scientist colleague Rasmus Benestad, she recalculated all of the contradictory analyses. And you know what we found? Every single one of those analyses had an error - in their assumptions, methodology, or analysis - that, when corrected, brought their results into line with the scientific consensus, Hayhoe informed, calling climate change a real issue and dismissing deniers flawed methodologies. NASA, in a separate report about climate change, said, Effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea-level rise and longer, more intense heat waves.

Read: Climate Activist Thunberg To Appear On Swedish Postal Stamp

Read: Octopuses Are Already Adapting To Climate Change And Rising Acidification In Ocean: Study
Patna, Jan 17 : Four-time Lok Sabha MP and Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) President Pappu Yadav has levelled sensational allegations on the nexus of corrupt officials, politicians and mafia in Bihar who may be involved in the murder of IndiGo Airlines manager Rupesh Kumar Singh.

"Five days since the incident, there is no headway into the investigation of Rupesh Singh's murder and it indicates a nexus of corrupt officials, leaders and land, sand and liquor mafia," Yadav said.

"As per our information, Rupesh Singh was reportedly involved in tenders of Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and electricity departments. He was part of a company which managed to obtain a licence for a canal in Darbhanga. These could be the reasons behind his murder on the orders of unknown nexus in Bihar," Yadav added.

"The matter needs to be investigated thoroughly by an independent agency monitored by a sitting judge of the high court," Yadav said.

He said if the Bihar government wants to make the state crime-free, it should identify persons involved in land, sand and liquor mafia and their properties should be recommended for investigation by the Enforcement Directorate.

"They are by and large involved in criminal incidents in Bihar and are shielded by political leaders and officials," he said.

He said the annual income of the Nitish Kumar-led government through liquor revenue was Rs 4,000 crore before a blanket ban was implemented in the state in 2016. Now corrupt officials and leaders are earning double the income through it.

Yadav also levelled allegations on two senior IAS officers holding posts as Principal Secretary and District Magistrate (DM), respectively. He said the former was the CMD of Bihar State Power Holding Corporation Ltd (BSPHCL) in 2018 and had sent five non-qualified women to foreign countries for training on state government's expenses. While the latter had given arms licences to 70 persons having criminal records when he was the Katihar DM. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry is currently underway against him and he is on leave right now.

"We request Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to recommend to the Centre for their termination from their posts," he said.
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(@FahadShabbir)

Vilnius, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jan, 2021 ) :Lithuania's foreign minister on Sunday called for EU sanctions against Russia following the arrest of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in Moscow shortly after he landed on a flight from Berlin.

The Baltic EU state's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Navalny's arrest was "totally unacceptable" and those involved should be targeted by sanctions.

"The detention of the opposition leader and poisoning survivor Alexei Navalny is totally unacceptable. The EU should discuss further sanctions on those involved," Landsbergis told AFP.

Russia's prison service, the FSIN, said in a statement that it had detained Navalny for "multiple violations" of a 2014 suspended sentence for fraud charges, adding that "he will be held in custody" until a court ruling.

Navalny, 44, had been recovering in Germany from a poisoning in August that he blames on Russian authorities.

President Vladimir Putin's most well-known opponent was returning to Russia for the first time since the poisoning, in defiance of warnings from officials that they would arrest him.
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Writer Bill Minutaglio is a friend of mine. Our paths cross occasionally, although less so these days because of the pandemic. The last time I saw him in his writerly role was at Brazos Book Store a few years ago, where he was doing a reading from his newest book at the time, a biography of the late Texas journalist Molly Ivins. (Hes the author of several books, including biographies of George W. Bush and Alberto Gonzales, but is probably best known for City on Fire, his gripping account of the 1947 Texas City disaster.)

At Brazos, Bill read for a while about the colorful Houston native who had written for the New York Times and edited the Texas Observer, and then he fielded questions. Almost immediately, hands shot up. A couple of women who had grown up with Ivins in River Oaks pounced. They differed with Bill on details about their old friends childhood.

Bills sardonic sense of humor rarely fails him and didnt this night either. He handled the womens objections with grace and aplomb and managed to escape out the front door relatively unscathed.

My friend may be in for something similar with the release of his new book, a history of politics and race in Texas. Itll be out this spring, about the time the 87th session of the Texas Legislature will be getting down to serious business. The book is called A Single Star and Bloody Knuckles, and, as the title suggests, Texans do have strong opinions about the two overlapping topics.

Whats striking about the book, published by the University of Texas Press, is Bills ability to resurrect not only the marquee names we would expect to find in a history of Texas politics (famous and infamous) but also fascinating names that have faded into the fog of history. Lets say youre standing on the outdoor balcony of Austins Paramount Theater on Congress Ave. Parading up the street toward the Capitol, a cavalcade of Texas political figures passes in review, ghosts of Texans past mingling with our contemporaries. Governors Hogg, Neff and Moody parade by, followed by Ma and Pa (Ferguson) and Pappy (ODaniel). Will Hobby and John Connally stroll by. The regal Barbara Jordan stands out. George Bush, Rick Perry and Greg Abbott smile and wave.

Numerous others in the cavalcade require a program, or Bills book. Walking anonymously among the well-known, for example, is Dr. Ellen Louise Dabbs, the only daughter of a Confederate colonel who became a Fort Worth physician and founder of the states first womens suffrage group. Robert L. Smith of Waco walks by. The African-American founder of the Farmers Improvement Society of Texas somehow got himself elected to the Texas House in 1894, at a time when the KKK and devotees of the Lost Cause were at their most virulent. Theres Norris Wright Cuney of Galveston, an African-American political player who wielded power for decades. Also walking by is Jovita Idar, a young South Texas newspaper publisher who dared defy the Texas Rangers, and Emma Tenayuca of San Antonio, who organized the pecan shellers. Coming over from Houston is Lula Belle Madison White, an NAACP leader who spearheaded the lawsuit opening the doors of the University of Texas to black Texans.

They were great Texans, great Americans, and driven by singular courage and righteous idealism, Bill noted in an email a few days ago. They were unafraid in the face of enormous dangers. Learning about them gave me hope - especially today, and maybe more than ever.

Bill is a native New Yorker, although hes lived in Texas for decades (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin). He knows as deeply as the most deeply rooted native Texan that courage and idealism in this state have been in short supply at times, but drama, indeed melodrama, is invariably just around the corner. His opening chapter, in fact, recreates a scene disturbingly reminiscent of the January 6 Capitol insurrection, although the Capitol hes writing about is in Austin.

Its January 1874. In the first-floor governors office is a former Union brigadier general named Edmund J. Davis, a Florida native and later a district judge in San Antonio who had almost been lynched during the war for his fiercely held anti-secessionist, anti-slavery beliefs. As a pro-Lincoln Republican, he had been elected governor by 800 votes, with Conservative Democrats howling that the 1869 election had been rigged and that white voters had been prevented from casting ballots.

For four years, Davis earnestly tried to implement Reconstruction-era reforms: a handgun prohibition (except on the frontier), restrictions on gambling and alcohol, and the creation of a state militia, with the governor as commander in chief and reserving for himself the power to declare martial law. Most infuriating to disenfranchised former Confederates was his state police force, including a sizable number of freed black men carrying guns. Davis also pushed through legislation guaranteeing voter protections for black Texans and more money for public education. Not surprisingly, Davis lost his re-election bid, 85,549 votes to 42,663.

The defeated governor refused to leave. Barricading himself in his Capitol office, he summoned the state militia to guard him, along with a military unit called the Travis Rifles, whose founders included Andrew Jackson Houston, the second of Sams four sons. When the Rifles arrived at the Capitol, they staked out positions on the top floor and refused to protect Davis. The governors militia, many of them African Americans, patrolled the basement. Outside, partisans from both sides ringed the building.

Worried that a shooting war was about to erupt between the black militia and the white Travis Rifles, Davis sent desperate messages to the White House. He fully expected President Ulysses S. Grant to send troops to protect the man who had been doing the dangerous work of, in Bills words, dragging Texas back into the United States - and then fighting to enforce the Republican Reconstruction; to allow Black Texans to be free; and to cobble together all the fractured pieces of the state."

Grant turned him down. Would it not be prudent, as well as right, to yield to the verdict of the people as expressed by their ballots? the president messaged.

Davis was devastated. Removing the barricades, he emerged from his office surrounded by his guards and handed over the governorship to Richard Coke, a former Confederate soldier. Leaving the governors mansion for the last time, his wife Lizzie took a portrait of President Grant off the wall and jammed her foot through it.

Nearly a century and a quarter later, Bill was writing about a more congenial occupant of that same white-columned mansion, a governor already making plans to occupy an even bigger white house. Researching First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty (1999), he got to know the governor well. Bush knew Bill well enough to pin a nickname on him: Mononucleosis.

Bill was sort of proud of that appellation. He saw it as a backhanded compliment. It suggested that he was a dogged reporter, hard to shake.

Well, not exactly, Bush media strategist Mark McKinnon told him, laughing. The governor called him Mononucleosis, because he couldnt pronounce his last name.

djholley10@gmail.com

Twitter:holleynews
(CNN)  The nation is entering inauguration week with an unnerving police and military presence guarding the vestiges of democracy -- with Americans holding their breath as federal officials warn about threats of violence and potential unrest that have clouded preparations for the ceremonies that will usher President-elect Joe Biden into the White House and send President Donald Trump back to private life.

Determined to stave off the terrifying scene that unfolded during the violent insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, Washington, DC -- once the crown jewel of democracy admired around the world -- now resembles a police state as authorities try to ensure a peaceful transfer of power when Biden takes the oath of office on Wednesday. Some 25,000 National Guard troops have been deployed, military vehicles are blocking some of DC's streets, the National Mall is closed, and tall fences and barricades protect this country's sacred buildings as movement is restricted.

Deep within the fortressed capital city, Trump has remained out of public view during his last weekend in power  unrepentant for the violence he incited and unwilling to abandon the false election claims that have riled up his supporters. Meanwhile, Biden tried to get Americans focused on a more hopeful future as his team outlined the first steps he will take in office to try to aid struggling Americans amid the pandemic and fulfill campaign promises on issues like climate change, criminal justice and immigration.

But with fewer than four days left in the Trump presidency, the nation remains on high alert.

In another unsettling sign of the potential threats posed by homemade bombs or explosives -- like the ones planted outside the Republican and Democratic party headquarters earlier this month that didn't go off -- the US Postal Service has removed blue mail collection boxes from certain jurisdictions in 18 states as a security measure.

The National Guard presence in Washington is a stronger military footprint than the US has in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria combined. But Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said Saturday the added security was "definitely necessary and warranted."

"Closing down the National Mall, closing down the Washington Metro system, Airbnb canceling reservations, the actions you just reported about the post office -- this is as if we were under attack from a foreign enemy," Van Hollen told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room."

"What's so sad about it is that it's an attack on our democracy from within, instigated by the President of the United States," the Maryland Democrat said. "These are the kinds of forces you would normally see protecting us from an external enemy, and yet here we are, trying to protect ourselves from a violent mob -- and people who have been lied to; people who believe the President when he says he was cheated out of an election. We are going to have to come to grips with this."

Many state capitols are also ramping up security to avoid being caught flat-footed as US Capitol Police were on January 6. With the FBI warning last week that "armed protests" are being planned in all 50 states, Michigan State Police, for example, have mobilized personnel from across the state to secure the state Capitol in Lansing in coordination with the FBI and the National Guard.

Michigan, in particular, is familiar with the threats posed by armed protesters, who gathered last spring to demonstrate against restrictions related to Covid-19. With demonstrations expected Sunday, a fence has been erected around the state Capitol, and Lansing Mayor Andy Schor asked Michiganders to stay out of the downtown area and avoid engaging "with demonstrators who come to our city with ill intentions."

The Michigan House and Senate have canceled sessions Tuesday through Thursday because of "credible threats." And Airbnb is also reviewing reservations booked around Lansing during inauguration week, saying they will cancel reservations booked by guests associated with violent hate groups.

Trump's final days

Unwilling to take responsibility for the fear that has rippled across the nation after watching the January 6 attacks, Trump remained out of sight at the White House this weekend -- still stripped of the ability to communicate with his followers via major social media channels like Facebook and Twitter.

But in what appeared to be another overtly political move at the 11th hour, his administration tried install a Trump loyalist as the top lawyer at the National Security Agency -- a civil servant job, not a political appointment -- who would be harder to fire after Biden takes office, sources told CNN.

Eschewing the customary handoff between presidents on Inauguration Day, Trump plans to head to Palm Beach, Florida, hours before Biden takes the oath of office. But Trump remains keenly interested in how he will be celebrated when he leaves the White House for the last time, contemplating a departure ceremony that could include a red carpet, a color guard, a military band and even a 21-gun salute, an administration official told CNN's Jim Acosta.

Trump is also preoccupied in these final days with building a legal team to defend him during his upcoming impeachment trial, as a number of high-profile advisers who defended him the last time he faced a Senate trial make it clear they are not interested in this second round. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to send the article of impeachment to the Senate this week.

The President has resisted calls from his aides to give a final speech recounting the accomplishments of the administration. Instead, Pence -- who will be attending Biden's inauguration -- continues to be the public-facing leader of the administration, traveling to Naval Air Station Lemoore in California on Saturday to give a speech touting the administration's national security achievements.

"The American people are grateful," Pence told sailors as he thanked them for their service on behalf of the Trump administration. "And I want to assure you that you have our deepest respects for the selflessness and courage that you personify every day."

The vice president argued that the military is now "more equipped than ever" and added -- with no irony, even though parts of the nation are currently locked down under heavy guard -- that he was "proud to say, with just a few days left in this administration, this is the first administration in decades not to get America into a new war."

Biden readies first-day executive actions

While it has been hard for Biden to capture the nation's attention after the security breach at the Capitol, his team revealed new details Saturday about how Americans could take part in the inauguration activities from home and his incoming chief of staff Ron Klain released a memo detailing the executive actions Biden would take on his first day of office to reverse some of the policies of the Trump administration, including rejoining the Paris climate accord and rescinding the ban on travel from predominantly Muslim countries.

Biden rolled out his first signature legislative initiative this past week when he announced his $1.9 trillion relief package to mitigate the economic damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and expand and accelerate the delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine across the United States.

On Saturday, Klain's memo said Biden would also sign orders halting evictions and giving relief from student loan payments to those struggling financially because of the pandemic, while also instituting a mask mandate at federal sites and for travel between states. The President-elect has challenged Americans to mask up in his first 100 days in office.

Biden also plans to introduce an immigration plan within his first 100 days that would include a pathway to citizenship for many undocumented immigrants living in the United States. In late January and early February, he also intends to ask the federal government to devise a system for reuniting children separated from their families at the US-Mexico border and will focus on moving criminal justice reform.

"These actions are just the start of our work," Klain wrote in the memo. "Much more will need to be done to fight COVID-19, build our economy back better, combat systemic racism and inequality, and address the existential threat of the climate crisis. But by February 1st, America will be moving in the right direction on all four of these challenges  and more  thanks to President-elect Joe Biden's leadership."

This story was first published on CNN.com.
MADISON  A town man was arrested after allegedly defrauding people seeking to invest in an alcoholic beverage company, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for Connecticut.

Brian Hughes, 56, is charged with seven counts of wire fraud, five counts of illegal monetary transactions, one count of money laundering, and four counts of tax evasion, federal officials said in a statement.

Hughes allegedly founded Handcrafted Brands, LLC for the purpose of raising money to purchase Salute American Vodka in March 2015, then solicited and received funds from investors ostensibly for the purchase and subsequent development of Salute, according to federal officials said.

Hughes represented to investors that their investments would be used to purchase and operate Salute, that investors would be compensated with equity shares of HCB or Salute, and that Hughes would not take a salary from HCB, officials said in the statement. In fact, Hughes misused investor funds on expenses unrelated to the purchase and development of Salute and diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars of investor funds for his personal use. In addition, some victim investors were not compensated with equity shares of HCB or Salute.

Hughes also allegedly solicited investments, ostensibly on behalf of another company, deemed Company-1 in court records, but had no actual relationship with that organization, according to the statement.

Hughes also solicited investment money by falsely representing to investors that he owned a percentage share of Company-1, that he planned to acquire Company-1, and that Company-1 or its parent company planned to acquire his business, officials said. In fact, Hughes spent the investment money associated with Company-1 on personal expenses and on other expenses unrelated to Company-1.

Hughes also allegedly repaid some investors with lulling payments, which included funds from other people investing in his endeavors, officials said in the statement.

Lulling payments purportedly represent profits from an initial investment designed to inspire confidence that an investment is yielding results, and are made to encourage further investment. In fact, the source of the funds underlying the lulling payments made by Hughes included funds from other investors, the statement said.

Hughes pleaded not guilty to the charges earlier this week, according to the statement. He is next scheduled to appear in court Jan. 21.

U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, officials said in the release.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
A few prominent firebrands, an opaque pro-Trump nonprofit and at least one wealthy donor had campaigned for weeks to amplify the presidents false claims about his defeat, stoking the anger of his supporters

Keith Lee, an Air Force veteran and former police detective, spent the morning of 6 January casing the entrances to the US Capitol.

In online videos, the 41-year-old Texan pointed out the flimsiness of the fencing. He cheered the arrival, long before US President Donald Trumps rally at the other end of the mall, of far-right militiamen encircling the building. Then, armed with a bullhorn, Lee called out for the mob to rush in, until his voice echoed from the dome of the Rotunda.

Yet even in the heat of the event, Lee paused for some impromptu fundraising.

If you couldnt make the trip, give five to 10 bucks, he told his viewers, seeking donations for the legal costs of two jailed patriots, a leader of the far-right Proud Boys and an ally who had clashed with police during an armed incursion at Oregons statehouse.

Much is still unknown about the planning and financing of the storming of the Capitol, aiming to challenge Trumps electoral defeat. What is clear is that it was driven, in part, by a largely ad hoc network of low-budget agitators, including far-right militants, Christian conservatives and ardent adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Lee is all three. And the sheer breadth of the movement he joined suggests it may be far more difficult to confront than a single organization.

In the months leading up to the riot, Lee had helped organize a series of pro-Trump car caravans around the country, including one that temporarily blockaded a Biden campaign bus in Texas and another that briefly shut down a Hudson River bridge in the New York City suburbs. To help pay for dozens of caravans to meet at the 6 January rally, he had teamed with an online fundraiser in Tampa, Florida, who secured money from small donors and claimed to pass out tens of thousands of dollars.

Theirs was one of many grassroots efforts to bring Trump supporters to the Capitol, often amid calls for revolution, if not outright violence. On an online ride-sharing forum, Patriot Caravans for 45, more than 4,000 members coordinated travel from as far away as California and South Dakota. Some 2,000 people donated at least $181,700 to another site, Wild Protest, leaving messages urging ralliers to halt the certification of the vote.

Oath Keepers, a self-identified militia whose members breached the Capitol, had solicited donations online to cover gas, airfare, hotels, food and equipment. Many others raised money through crowdfunding site GoFundMe or, more often, its explicitly Christian counterpart, GiveSendGo. (On Monday, money transfer service PayPal stopped working with GiveSendGo because of its links to the violence at the Capitol.)

A few prominent firebrands, an opaque pro-Trump nonprofit and at least one wealthy donor had campaigned for weeks to amplify the presidents false claims about his defeat, stoking the anger of his supporters.

A chief sponsor of many rallies leading up to the riot, including the one featuring the president 6 January, was Women for America First, a conservative nonprofit. Its leaders include Amy Kremer, who rose to prominence in the Tea Party movement, and her daughter, Kylie Jane Kremer, 30. She started a Stop the Steal Facebook page on 4 November. More than 320,000 people signed up in less than a day, but the platform promptly shut it down for fears of inciting violence. The group has denied any violent intent.

By far the most visible financial backer of Women for America Firsts efforts was Mike Lindell, a founder of the MyPillow bedding company, identified on a now-defunct website as one of the generous sponsors of a bus tour promoting Trump's attempt to overturn the election. In addition, he was an important supporter of Right Side Broadcasting, an obscure pro-Trump television network that provided blanket coverage of Trump rallies after the vote, and a podcast run by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon that also sponsored the bus tour.

I put everything I had into the last three weeks, financial and everything, Lindell said in a mid-December television interview.

In a tweet the same month, he urged Trump to impose martial law to seize ballots and voting machines. Through a representative, Lindell said he only supported the bus tour prior to 14 December and was not a financial sponsor of any events after that, including the rally on 6 January. He continues to stand by the presidents claims and met with Trump at the White House on Friday.

By late December, the president himself was injecting volatility into the organizing efforts, tweeting an invitation to a Washington rally that would take place as Congress gathered to certify the election results.

Be there, will be wild! Trump wrote.

The next day, a new website, Wild Protest, was registered and quickly emerged as an organizing hub for the presidents most zealous supporters. It appeared to be connected to Ali Alexander, a conspiracy theorist who vowed to stop the certification by marching hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of patriots to sit their butts in D.C. and close that city down.

Alexander could not be reached for comment, but in a video posted to Twitter last week, he denied any responsibility for the violence.

While other groups like Women for America First were promoting the rally where Trump would speak  at the Ellipse, about 1 mile west of the Capitol  the Wild Protest website directed Trump supporters to a different location: the doorsteps of Congress.

Wild Protest linked to three hotels with discounted rates and another site for coordinating travel plans. It also raised donations from thousands of individuals, according to archived versions of a web portal used to collect them. The website has since been taken down, and it is not clear what the money was used for.

The time for words has passed, action alone will save our Republic, a user donating $250 wrote, calling congressional certification of the vote treasonous.

Another contributor gave $47 and posted: Fight to win our country back using whatever means necessary.

Lee, who sought to raise legal-defense money the morning before the riot, did not respond to requests for comment. He has often likened supporters of overturning the election to the signers of the Declaration of Independence and has said he is willing to give his life for the cause.

A sales manager laid off at an equipment company because of the pandemic, he has said that he grew up as a conservative Christian in East Texas. Air Force records show that he enlisted a month after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and served for four years, leaving as a senior airman. Later, in 2011 and 2012, he worked for a private security company at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan.

In between, he also worked as a police detective in McKinney, Texas.

He had never been politically active, he has said. But during Trumps presidency, Lee began to immerse himself in the online QAnon conspiracy theory. Its adherents hold that Trump is trying to save America from a shadowy ring of pedophiles who control the government and the Democratic Party. Lee has said that resonated with his experience dealing with child crimes as a police officer.

His active support for Trump began in August when he organized a caravan of drivers from around Texas to show their support for the president by circling the capital, Austin. That led him to found a website, MAGA Drag the Interstate, to organize Trump caravans around the country.

By December, Lee had achieved enough prominence that he was included in a roster of speakers at a news conference preceding a March for Trump rally in Washington.

We are at this precipice of good versus evil, Lee declared. I am going to fight for my president. I am going to fight for what is right.

He threw himself into corralling fellow patriots" to meet in Washington on Jan. 6, and at the end of last month he began linking his website with the Tampa organizer to raise money for participants travel.

The fundraiser, who has identified himself as a web designer named Thad Williams, has said in a podcast that sexual abuse as a child eventually led him to the online world of QAnon.

While others made of steel are cut out to be warriors against evil and covered in the blood and sweat of that part, Williams said, he sees himself as more of a chaplain and a healer. In 2019, he set up a website to raise money for QAnon believers to travel to Trump rallies. He could not be reached for comment.

By the gathering at the Capitol, he claimed to have raised and distributed at least $30,000 for transportation costs. Expression of thanks posted on Twitter appear to confirm that he allocated money, and a day after the assault online services PayPal and Stripe shut down his accounts.

Lees MAGA Drag the Interstate site, for its part, said it had organized car caravans of more than 600 people bound for the rally. It used military-style shorthand to designate routes in different regions across the country, from Alpha to Zulu, and a logo on the site combined Trumps distinctive hairstyle with Pepe the Frog, a symbol of the alt-right that has been used by white supremacists.

Participants traded messages about where to park together overnight on the streets of Washington. Some arranged midnight rendezvous at highway rest stops or Waffle House restaurants to drive together on the morning of the rally.

On the evening of Jan. 5, Lee broadcast a video podcast from a crowd of chanting Trump supporters in the Houston airport, waiting to board a flight to Washington.

We are there for a show of force, he promised, suggesting he anticipated street fights even before dawn. Gonna see if we can do a little playing in the night.

A co-host of the podcast  a self-described Army veteran from Washington state  appealed for donations to raise $250,000 bail money for Chandler Pappas, 27.

Two weeks earlier in Salem, Oregon, during a protest against COVID-19 restrictions, Pappas had sprayed six police officers with mace while leading an incursion into the state Capitol building and carrying a semi-automatic rifle, according to a police report. Pappas, whose lawyer did not return a phone call seeking comment, had been linked to the far-right Proud Boys and an allied local group called Patriot Prayer.

American citizens feel like theyve been attacked. Fears reaction is anger, angers reaction is patriotism and voila  you get a war, said Lees co-host, who gave his name as Rampage.

He directed listeners to donate to the bail fund through GiveSendGo and thanked them for helping to raise $100,000 through the same site for the legal defense of Enrique Tarrio, a leader of the Proud Boys who is accused of vandalizing a historically Black church in Washington.

By 10:45 a.m. the next day, more than an hour before Trump spoke, Lee was back online broadcasting footage of himself at the Capitol.

If you died today and you went to heaven, can you look George Washington in the face and say that youve fought for this country? he asked.

By noon, he was reporting that backup was already arriving, bypassing the Trump speech and rally. The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were among the groups that went directly to the Capitol.

Guys, we got the Three Percent here! The Three Percent here that loves this country and wants to fight! Lee reported a little later, referring to another militant group. We need to surround this place.

Backed by surging crowds, Lee had made his way into the Rotunda and by 3 p.m.  after a fellow assailant had been shot, police officers had been injured and local authorities were pleading for help  he was back outside using his megaphone to urge others into the building.

If we do it together, he insisted, theres no violence!

When he knew that lawmakers had evacuated, he declared victory: We have done our job, he shouted.

David D Kirkpatrick, Mike McIntire and Christiaan Triebert c.2021 The New York Times Company
TRUMBULL  A well-known Bridgeport city employee and property owner is under scrutiny for hosting a massive party at his Trumbull home over the weekend that he confirmed drew local police.

Daniel Pizarro, who currently works for Bridgeports housing code office, said Sunday afternoon that he celebrated his 48th birthday the night before with a 300-plus bash at his Huntington Turnpike home.

The cops came and we was very respectful, Pizarro said by phone. They just wanted us to minimize the crowd, which we did. ... I had to turn off the lights, tell people they had to leave the party. It was almost 1 in the morning anyways. They already had a good time.

Footage of the party posted on Pizarros Instagram account on social media shows a packed, mask-less crowd drinking and dancing in his home, Pizarro included.

Health experts and elected officials have for months during the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged people to wear masks and remain six-feet apart when in close proximity with others both in public and in private to stop the illness spread. And Gov. Ned Lamont has also issued an executive order limiting private indoor and outdoor gatherings to 10 people as part of his COVID-19 health and safety recommendations.

Pizarro said he also had a large tent at his event.

He said he thought Lamonts COVID orders only applied to restaurants and stuff like that, not residential.

While businesses face a $10,000 state fine for violating coronavirus health/safety rules, according to an executive order Lamont issued Sept. 15, private hosts could be charged $500 with guests penalized $250.

Max Reiss, the governors communications director, did not wish to comment Sunday on the Pizarro case, but said: Even though vaccines are starting to roll out, were continuing to see significant community (virus) spread all over the state and its incumbent upon everyone to keep wearing masks, keep washing their hands, keep their distance, and limit attending large gatherings.

Spokespeople from the Trumbull Police Department and the Connecticut Department of Public Health could not be immediately reached for comment.

If theres a fine, Ill pay a fine, Pizarro said. I got the money.

As previously reported, Pizarro has been buying up some downtown Bridgeport properties and owns around 30 mostly multi-family homes in the city with a total appraised value of $5.78 million.

He also earns $81,000 annually as a non-union, politically appointed project coordinator with the citys housing code office. Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim hired Pizarro in 2016 after the latter campaigned for him in 2015. At one time the two were very close, with Pizarro often seen in public with Ganim.

Pizarro said he and Ganim are still friendly but that the latter did not attend Saturdays birthday party.

Asked if he was at all concerned about being exposed to or exposing others to coronavirus at his party, Pizarro said no.

Im not worrying about it, Pizarro said. Those that came, everybody knows COVID exists. (That) theres a pandemic. ... But they choose to come and not worry about that. Me, myself, frankly Im not worried.

But City Hall is.

Rowena White, Ganims communications director, in an email said: It has come to the attention of city officials that a couple of employees were involved in a private gathering that took place in a neighboring town over the weekend. Any employee at this event must quarantine for (an) appropriate time and test negative for COVID-19 prior to returning to work in order to protect the welfare of other staff members.

In November the city reduced the amount of personnel working in municipal buildings because of a spike in coronavirus infections among staff.

At that time Janene Hawkins, Ganims chief administrative officer, in a memorandum scolded workers for not taking enough personal responsibility during the pandemic. She wrote that generally these employees that are testing positive are contracting COVID outside the workplace and have jeopardized the safety and well-being of the entire workforce.

We are all in this together and, simply put, our lives are depending on each of us to do our part to ensure the safety of everyone, Hawkins had concluded.

During his interview earlier Sunday, Pizarro said, If Janene requests for me to stay home or not work for two weeks, I dont have a problem with that. Ill comply.
For all the riches oil and natural gas provide, they have no value until the marketplace assigns them a value.

And making sure producers and royalty owners alike receive their full value is the greatest challenge in writing lease agreements. Midlander Suzie Boyd, president of Caballo Loco Midstream, this week held a virtual presentation to help members of the Austin Professional Landmens Association make sense of a changing oil and gas marketing world.

Good takeaways for landowner lease agreements is to keep it simple, keep it relevant and make sure it makes sense from a marketing perspective, Boyd said.

The rise in exports is the primary change landmen  the ones who negotiate the lease agreements that allow operators to drill for oil and gas  must take into account, Boyd said. She explained that the rise in exports is sending crude to the Gulf Coast for export. That means the preference for crude flows has shifted from Cushing in Oklahoma south to the Gulf Coast. New pipelines are headed that direction, and Boyd said some existing pipelines to Cushing are being evaluated for reversal to Houston instead.

Likewise, natural gas is headed to the Gulf Coast for export due to a supply glut, Boyd said. As a result, two new gas pipelines from Kinder Morgan and the whistler Pipeline expected to come online this July have opened up flows from the Permian to the gulf, boosting Waha in Reeves County significantly.

Likewise, she said prices have been altered. For crude, the postings that many refer to simply arent in the market anymore. Today, postings are simply a discount from the daily NYMEX price. Crude pricing formulas are complicated, containing a roll adjustment as well as a location adjustment in addition to deductions for the cost of trucking. Language in some leases does not address these formulas accurately. To remain flexible, the lease would be better off if it just said pay what the Lessee actually receives with perhaps a clause that provides an audit provision to prevent abuses by the Lessee.

For midstream gas processors, the move is away from traditional percent of proceeds deals to fees rather than taking compensation in the form of gas and plant products price.

As in real estate, the value of gas is all about location, the best location and the highest market, Boyd told her audience. Is the market the Henry Hub in Louisiana, where NYMEX gas is traded, or a regional hub like the Permians Waha hub? Or is it at the export destination like China?

Another factor is the cost to get the gas to the hub. Even plants located in the Permian Basin must pay some transport to get to the hub, she said. Then theres the cost of getting to premium markets. The basis differentials will reflect the positive or negative value between market centers or hubs, she said.

In writing a lease, she circled back to her takeaway of keeping it simple, relevant and makes sense from a marketing standpoint.

Keep the marketing terms flexible to accommodate market changes, include a provision for shut-in gas and make sure this provision is understood, include how flaring will be handled and determine how to handle negative gas and natural gas liquids prices and negative netbacks, she advised. Market-based deductions for sales to affiliates should be allowed. Lease requirements should be reasonable and take into account lessees economics. And Boyds last piece of advice is to require lessees to provide copies of gas contracts and gas settlement statements upon request.

There should also be clear communication between the landmen and the accounting group to ensure the provisions negotiated by the landmen are correctly handled by the accountants and with the reservoir engineers to ensure their economic model assumes the same royalty burden as what the lessee receives.
Theres no question that disinformation  outright lies or the misrepresentation of facts  is a worsening plague on our democracy.

It is not limited to any party, ideology or sector  nor do its purveyors respect any boundaries of basic decency and fairness.

Because of this, mounting pressure from concerned citizens and government officials to rid the internet of the worst offenses, and offenders, has led Twitter, Facebook and other social media companies to take strong action.

Often, these severe steps are welcome, as was the case with Alex Jones, the Austin-based creator of InfoWars.com whose loathsome videos were banned by Twitter and YouTube in 2018. A menace for decades, Jones reach wasnt curtailed until he engaged in a prolonged harassment campaign against the grieving parents of children who were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary. Jones branded one of the worst mass killings in American history a hoax and their parents liars, causing some to receive death threats.

Its hard to fathom a more deserving recipient of the social media death sentence than Jones.

Yet, the recent response to President Donald Trumps ban from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube was a cacophonous mix of cheers and outrage, even though the move came only after the presidents relentless posting of false claims about voter fraud spurred thousands to storm the U.S. Capitol in a deadly clash that rattled the underpinnings of American democracy.

The logic of banning Trump amid escalating threats of violence is clear. But so is the reason for concern. America is a country where censorship is viewed as an Orwellian harbinger of tyranny, a country where the commitment to free expression is so strong that words of hate enjoy the same protection as words of prayer.

The companies decision to silence Trump is a simple exercise of their rights, under the First Amendment and Section 230, to curate their sites. We support those rights, the Electronic Frontier Foundation said in a statement last week.

So do we. We also agree with the EFFs concerns that the giant internet companies have accumulated so much power over public discourse that any actions to silence users ought to be taken with extraordinary care.

Just because its private censorship doesnt mean its not censorship, EFF legal director Corynne McSherry told the editorial board.

Texas flag-burning

Few statements from the legal history of free speech have been more expressive than the opinion issued in 1989, authored by U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan.

As Republicans gathered in Dallas for the 1984 national convention, Gregory Lee Johnson set fire to an American flag in front of city hall as protesters chanted America, red, white and blue. We spit on you.

Onlookers were rightly appalled and Johnson was arrested. Five years later, writing for the majority, Brennan explained why Texas could not prosecute Johnson without betraying the Constitution: If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, he wrote, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.

Of course, the First Amendment doesnt actually apply to decisions made by Facebook and other firms. As private companies they are not subject to its constitutional guarantees. The Bill of Rights guarantees individual rights only against government infringement.

Its also true that ideas that led the framers to adopt the First Amendment were bigger than just concern about government overreach. It was to safeguard individual rights from the whims of the majority, who in our democracy would have the power to write the laws and by association, control the exchange of ideas. In the next century, the English philosopher John Stuart Mill would argue for near-total freedom of expression, warning that only a society free from the tyranny of the majority is truly free.

Must balance harm

The commitment to that principle is tested daily on the internet, where lies and hate proliferate. We understand why companies are eager to rein in that speech.

But as they do, they must balance the harm that the speech poses with the harm  real and perceived  of censoring it. The companies must appreciate the value of freedom of expression in our society and also the unique, and unfortunately out-sized, role they play in facilitating it.

And thats the biggest concern here. The president getting ousted from a platform might not be such a concern if there were more platforms. But the enormous swaths of public discourse controlled by Facebook and other companies amount to monopolies that can stifle the exchange of ideas.

For good reason, their decisions prompt scrutiny and suspicion from users about their motivations, their biases, their allegiances. Such concerns have led authorities in Europe and the U.S. to take steps toward breaking Big Tech, including Google and Facebook.

We support more competition among social media companies, which we will generously assume was the original appeal of the start-up app Parler.

As Twitter began cracking down on false claims made by Trump, attaching warnings to many of his tweets, conservative users rebelled and flocked to Parler, which promised fewer rules about hate speech and less strict oversight of the truth of claims made in posts.

Quickly, the fledgling social network became a haven for far-right extremist views and conspiracy theories, and it was among the sites used to plan the deadly riot at the Capitol. Street directions to avoid police were exchanged in comments, the New York Times reported, and people posted about carrying guns into the halls of Congress.

Within days, Google and Apple had banished Parler from their app stores. Amazons web-hosting service suspended the company indefinitely and took the entire network, not just its offending users, off line. That prompted fresh cries from conservatives about bias and civil liberties violations.

Parler has sued, alleging political animus.

That companies providing the infrastructure for the internet are now more actively moderating content raises alarms. Its clear that Parlers administrators were too lax in enforcing rules but such shutdowns should be the last resort. Big tech companies need to be transparent about rules and consequences and enforce them fairly.

Ideally, users themselves should be the first line of defense in moderating content  offensive comments can be ignored, blocked or voted down. Failing that, platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are best positioned to moderate since theyre the closest to the users, who have already agreed to terms of service.

The idea of the internet was an audacious one. Users would be granted a spot and invited to hang out their shingle  and to bear the responsibility for how they used it. The ISPs and other firms that provide access would be seen as conduits, not publishers, and except in limited cases not be liable for the content users create.

The model still has merit. And as Congress, the FTC, and state attorneys general consider reforms, they should look for ways to boost competition, make algorithms and privacy trade-offs more visible to all, and, when users are punished, to provide due process to those who wish to appeal.

No doubt, the insurrection at the Capitol prompted a national security crisis thats still ongoing. A company should be given leeway for taking emergency action in response to explosive speech promoting violence. But as more of us rely on private companies to share our thoughts publicly, respect for the old principles of freedom of expression is needed more than ever.
(Natural News) Not only does race determine your destiny, wrote Kristen Clarke as an undergraduate at Harvard, black brains contain large amounts of neuromelanin, making them superior to whites physically, mentally and spiritually.

(Article republished from WND.com)

Clarke is now Joe Bidens nominee to run the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division.

Her views were the focus on a segment by Fox News Tucker Carlson on Monday:

While she claims her intent is to close the door on discrimination by enforcing federal civil rights laws, her past statements reveal her true intent, Carlson said.

He cited her public claim that melanin endows blacks with greater mental, physical and spiritual abilities.

In 1994, Clarke wrote a letter to the Harvard Crimson in her capacity as president of the Black Students Association to explain her views on race science.

She wrote:

Please use the following theories and observations to assist you in your search for truth regarding the genetic differences between Blacks and whites [sic]. One: Dr Richard King reveals that the core of the human brain is the locus coeruleus, which is a structure that is Black, because it contains large amounts of neuro-melanin, which is essential for its operation. Two: Black infants sit, crawl and walk sooner than whites [sic]. Four: Some scientists have revealed that most whites [sic] are unable to produce melanin because their pineal glands are often calcified or non-functioning. Pineal calcification rates with Africans are five to 15 percent [sic], Asians 15 to 25 percent [sic] and Europeans 60 to 80 percent [sic]. This is the chemical basis for the cultural differences between blacks and whites [sic]. Five: Melanin endows Blacks with greater mental, physical and spiritual abilities  something which cannot be measured based on Eurocentric standards.

Under pressure for expressing such racist ideas, Clarke suggested she didnt necessarily believe what she had written.

But a month later, Clarke invited the noted Trinidadian anti-Semite Tony Martin to speak on campus. Martin, then a professor at Wellesley College, was the author of a self-published manifesto called The Jewish Onslaught. In it, Martin chronicled the escalating Jewish onslaught against black people.

He attacked both Jews and Judaism as a religion. Martin, who retired from Wellesley in 2007 and died in 2013, spent his final years giving speeches to Holocaust denial organizations on topics such as tactics of organized Jewry in suppressing free speech.

For her part, Clarke strongly approved of Martin, telling The Crimson: Professor Martin is an intelligent, well-versed Black intellectual who bases his information on indisputable fact.

Last year, Clarke said it was madness for the federal government to take the side of Asian applicants who had been denied college admission on the basis of their skin color.

Clarke, the current president of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and a former prosecutor with the Department of Justice, has been critical of police brutality and a proponent of Black Lives Matter. She supported calls to defund the police.

I advocate for defunding policing operations that have made African Americans more vulnerable to police violence and contributed to mass incarceration, while investing more in programs and policies that address critical community needs, she wrote in a Newsweek column last summer.

Clarke contended that police have taken on roles that were never intended for them and have too much contact with communities on issues they were never equipped to address.

Read more at: WND.com

The moves by state officials point to the growing fear over continuing violence in the aftermath of the pro-Trump mob attack on the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead.

Law enforcement officials are vetting hundreds of potential airplane passengers and beefing up airport security. Federal officials say a militarized green zone in downtown Washington is necessary to prevent an attack from domestic extremists. Such groups pose the most likely threat to the inauguration, according to federal intelligence groups.

A man was arrested in Washington with unauthorized inauguration credentials, an unregistered handgun and 500 rounds of ammunition. The man, Wesley A. Beeler, said he had been working a security job and had forgotten that his firearm was in his truck.

Because of security concerns and the pandemic, Inauguration Day will be more subdued than usual. Heres a guide to the downsized festivities.
Utica, N.Y.  One man was shot and three other people were charged with having illegal guns in Utica over the weekend.

Utica police say a 19-year-old Yorkville man walked in to St. Elizabeths hospital in Utica around 5 p.m. Saturday with a gunshot wound to his chest. The mans injuries are not considered life-threatening, police said.

Police believe shooting happened in the 1400 block of Sunset Avenue.

In separate cases, Utica police arrested three other people Saturday on charges of having illegal guns.

Utica police said 19-year-old Jaheim Bowman, out on parole for a robbery conviction, was found with this stolen, loaded gun on Jan. 16.Utica Police Department

The first happened early Saturday morning, when officers responding to a menacing call at 1216 Gray Ave. found a loaded .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver that was reported stolen from Oswego County.

Jaheim Bowman, 19, was charged with possessing the gun. Bowman is currently on parole for a first-degree robbery conviction, state prison records show.

He was charged with second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen propertyall felonies.

Utica police said 28-year-old Andre Mills was found with this loaded handgun during a traffic stop in Utica on Jan. 16, 2021.Utica Police Department

The second happened around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, when an officer stopped a vehicle on Walker Street. Police said they found a loaded Sig Sauer .40 caliber handgun in 28-year-old Andre Mills sweatshirt pocket.

Mills was charged with second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm.

Utica police said a 16-year-old male, who was not identified due to his age, ran from police and tried to discard this stolen handgun on Jan. 16, 2021.Utica Police Department

The final case happened around 10 p.m. when a Utica police officer spotted a stolen vehicle in the 1000 block of Park Avenue.

As police approached the car, the occupants ran away. The driver, a 16-year-old boy, was later found hiding in a backyard in the 1000 block of Steuben Street and was taken into custody, police said.

The male, who was not identified due to his age, was found to have discarded a loaded Kel Tec .380 semi-automatic handgun in the snow, police said.

The gun was reported stolen out of Florida.

He was charged with second- and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and third-degree unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Contact Jacob Pucci at jpucci@syracuse.com or find him on Twitter at @JacobPucci.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons announced that its institutions are going into lockdown as safety measures are increasing ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday and following an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month.

The decision to secure federal prisons was made in light of current events occurring around the country, and out of an abundance of caution, according to a statement from the bureau.

This measure is being taken to maintain the security and orderly running of our institutions, as well as to ensure the continued safety of staff, inmates, and the public, the statement reads.

For much of the last year, prisons have been run with a modified model to help with social distancing and to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Those safety measures have impacted families abilities to visit or connect with loved ones in prison.

In securing the facilities, the hope is that this prudent measure is for a short period and that operations will be restored to their prior status as soon as practical, the statement said. We will continue to monitor events carefully and will adjust operations accordingly as the situation continues to evolve. Recognizing that communication with families is important, although it will be limited, inmates will be provided with access to telephones and email.

Officials said the decision is precautionary and not caused by any specific information. Its also not in response to any significant events happening in federal facilities.

The Massachusetts National Guard is sending up to 500 members to Washington, D.C., to help boost security for the inauguration. Supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, creating a chaotic scene that led to five deaths.

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Tribal clashes in Sudan's restive Darfur killed at least 48 people, in the latest bout of violence to hit the region, state media reported Sunday.

"The death toll from militia attacks in El Geneina yesterday (Saturday) reached 48," the SUNA news agency said, referring to the capital of West Darfur state and quoting the local branch of the country's doctors' union.

"The bloody events which are still ongoing since Saturday morning (have) also left ... 97 wounded."

Short link:


General Electric Co accused a Siemens Energy AG subsidiary of using stolen trade secrets to rig bids for lucrative contracts supplying gas turbines to public utilities, and cover up improper business gains totaling more than $1 billion, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday.

GE sued the rival company, Siemens Energy Inc, in a U.S. district court in Virginia, alleging the theft traces back to May 2019, when the industrial conglomerates bid to provide gas turbine equipment and servicing to Dominion Energy Inc. Dominion is a Virginia power utility that provides electricity to about 4 million customers on the east coast.

The suit comes in the wake of Siemens AG spinning off its energy business to create Siemens Energy. GE alleges that Siemens Energy used trade secrets improperly received from a Dominion employee in part to win contracts that would boost the price of its initial public offering that took place in September.

Siemens identified the receipt of GEs trade secrets through its own robust compliance processes," a spokesman said. Following an internal investigation, Siemens implemented extensive remedial measures in response," the spokesman added, such as swift and appropriate discipline of the involved employees, including separation from the company."

A Dominion representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the course of GE's bid for business with Dominion, the lawsuit alleges, a senior Dominion employee started sending to a Siemens account manager confidential business information GE had submitted. The information also included Dominion's analysis of all bids, giving Siemens a "blueprint" to win contracts worth up to $340 million with the utility for the business, known as the Peakers Project, GE alleged.

The recipient of GE's trade secrets at Siemens passed the information to colleagues that included those preparing the Dominion bid, which they used to help win the business, the lawsuit said.

The Dominion employee, no longer employed there, passed the information to the Siemens manager at least half a dozen times, in some instances forwarding it from his personal email address to that of the Siemens manager's wife, the lawsuit said. The employee on the receiving end remains at Siemens, the lawsuit said.

In a bid package, GE had provided Dominion with technical specifications for four gas turbine models, pricing for different combinations of the equipment and details on how the company would service and maintain it, the lawsuit claims. Gas turbines are combustion engines that convert natural gas to energy powering generators that supply electricity to large residential and business developments.

Siemens only alerted GE to improperly receiving the trade secrets 16 months later, in September, through what GE described as a "nothing to see here, folks" letter minimizing the infraction, the lawsuit alleged.

The alert came after Siemens completed its own internal investigation and Dominion finished its own inquiry, the lawsuit claims. Dominion alerted GE to the alleged malfeasance before Siemens did, the lawsuit said. GE asked a judge to halt Siemens from using the allegedly stolen material and pay damages totaling hundreds of millions of dollars or more.

The litigation is the latest legal battle involving the corporate rivals, which have squared off in lawsuits over patent infringement as recently as last year.

The alleged theft has put GE at a disadvantage competing for upcoming contracts worth at least $120 million apiece, the lawsuit claims. GE and Siemens are competing on another Dominion bid due Jan. 19, adding urgency to resolving the theft allegations, the lawsuit said.

Since first improperly receiving the information in May 2019, Siemens has won eight other gas turbine bids over GE's competing proposals valued at more than $1 billion, the lawsuit alleges.

In most of those proposals, GE bid some of the same gas turbine models from the Dominion project, and in one case equipment with similar specifications, the lawsuit said.

According to GE, the Siemens employee receiving the trade secrets passed them to numerous colleagues, some of whom played key roles in preparing other gas turbine bids. GE lost the Dominion bid to Siemens in July 2019 without explanation, the lawsuit alleges, and Siemens employees continued to disseminate and use GE trade secrets to tailor at least two additional gas turbine proposals.

Siemens has also "steadfastly refused" to assure GE that documents containing the trade secrets have been destroyed, the lawsuit claims.

The Siemens spokesman said the company has removed GEs confidential information from all its internal systems and restricted employees who received the trade secrets from working on similar bids or proposals and reassigned employees to other parts of its business.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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A San Francisco man who is a self-proclaimed member of the Proud Boys and has fought the citys coronavirus mask orders is among the dozens charged by the FBI for allegedly storming the U.S. Capitol in a violent mob last week.

Authorities identified Daniel Goodwyn as one of the Capitol invaders through a series of videos, Instagram messages and Twitter posts, according to an FBI complaint filed Friday. In the days since the riot incited by President Trump, officials have been combing through social media to find and arrest those involved.

According to his personal website, Goodwyn is a web and app developer who has worked on and off in San Francisco and the Bay Area for the past eight years. On his social media accounts, Goodwyn has posted extensively in favor of Trump and his false claims that the November election was stolen from him. In October he said he was arrested on Muni for refusing to wear a mask, and he posted a video in front of City Hall criticizing the coronavirus shutdown.

More than 70 people have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, and at least 150 cases have been opened, according to the New York Times. Many, like Goodwyn, allegedly left a trail on social media that connected them to the insurrection.

I didnt break or take anything but I went inside for a couple of minutes, Goodwyn posted on Instagram the day of the attack, according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, Goodwyn was identified in a video as going by the name of sfthoughtcriminal. The video was filmed by Anthime Gionet, a far-right provocateur who goes by Baked Alaska online, according to the complaint. Gionet was arrested this weekend after he live-streamed the violent mob moving through the Capitol.

In Gionets video, Goodwyn was wearing dark sunglasses, a MAGA hat, and a tan and black jacket, according to the FBI complaint. He approached Gionet and stated that his name was Daniel Goodwyn.

As a Capitol Police officer directed Goodwyn out of the building, he called the officer an oathbreaker and yelled for people to get the officers badge number as he left, according to the complaint.

Goodwyn allegedly violated the law by knowingly entering a restricted building, and entering with the intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of government business, according to the complaint. It was not immediately clear whether he had been arrested by Saturday.

The Chronicle called Goodwyn twice Saturday for comment. Both times, he told a reporter he was going to call the police and then hung up.

The unruly mob  which stormed the Capitol at the encouragement of Trump to disrupt the congressional approval of Joe Bidens victory in the presidential race  led to the death of five people, including a Capitol police officer. The FBI has received more than 100,000 tips, including photos and videos, related to the insurrection. More arrests are probably imminent.

Screenshot of a screenshot of video obtained by FBI

The FBI has called for tips and digital media depicting rioting and violence in the U.S. Capitol Building and surrounding area in Washington, D.C.

Make no mistake: With our partners, we will hold accountable those who participated in yesterdays siege of the Capitol, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement last week.

Goodwyns Twitter account  which had a picture of Trump as a profile picture and cover photo on Saturday is filled with pro-Trump content and baseless claims about COVID-19. He has also used the platform to rail against the results of the election, masks and San Franciscos lockdowns.

In a video posted on his Twitter account in November, Goodwyn said he drove from San Francisco to Washington D.C. for a huge pro-Trump rally after the election. On his way back to San Francisco, he said he stopped in Georgia to attend a Stop the Steal rally, which supported Trumps baseless claims of a fraudulent election. He also attended a pro-Trump event in San Francisco this fall.

In October, Goodwyn said on social media that he was arrested and cited on Muni for refusing to wear a mask. On Oct. 27, he filmed himself outside of the Hall of Justice on Bryant Street and said the COVID-19 lockdowns are medical tyranny.

I believe that this whole pandemic is a false religion, he said in the video, in which he wore a MAGA hat. This is just one step in the plot by the globalist elite to control us.

On Jan. 1, he posted that he was driving to DC now. Over the next few days, he retweeted videos from the riot and posted more baseless claims that the election could still be overturned in favor of Trump.

On Jan. 8, he said that his Facebook and Instagram accounts were disabled with no reason given. The social media sites have lately been cracking down on accounts that spread misinformation and incite violence.

According to his personal website, Goodwyn is a former web designer for Jews for Jesus and an advocate for the San Franciscans DEMAND Chick-fil-A! movement. He said he is a highly motivated web and mobile app developer. He also said that his ideal company is in San Francisco, prioritizes ethics and social responsibility.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
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Pope Francis on Sunday offered prayers for the victims of an earthquake that killed dozens and injured hundreds on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and for the victims of an air crash in Indonesia last week.

"I pray for the dead, for the injured and for those who lost their home or work,'' Francis said following the weekly Angelus blessing, delivered from the Apostolic Palace library and not from his usual perch, a window overlooking St. Peter's Square, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The pope also asked for strength for those providing rescue services to the quake victims.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)

A Florida woman who claims she was fired from her job as a COVID-19 data curator for refusing to manipulate stats said she'll surrender to authorities Sunday amid allegations that she had hacked into the state's emergency response system.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Rebekah Jones says she plans to turn herself in to authorities more than a month after her home was raided.

Jones has been under investigation since early November after someone illegally accessed the states emergency alert health system, warning employees 'to speak up before another 17,000 people are dead. You know this is wrong. You dont have to be a part of this. Be a hero.'

Federal authorities raided her home in December, seizing her computers and other data equipment.

Rebekah Jones, the Florida data scientist who was fired by the state from her job as a COVID-19 data curator, said she'll surrender to authorities Sunday amid an investigation of allegations that she had hacked into the state's emergency response system

In the tweet she said that 'to protect my family from continued police violence, and to show that I'm ready to fight whatever they throw at me, I'm turning myself into police in Florida Sunday night. The Governor will not win his war on science and free speech. He will not silence those who speak out.'

On December 7, agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) carried out a search warrant on 30-year-old Jones' (pictured during the raid) Tallahassee home, while she, her husband their two young children were inside

Jones filed a lawsuit claiming that the basis of the search warrant was 'a sham' used to punish her for speaking out against Gov Ron DeSantis for 'refusing to falsify statistics' for the state's coronavirus cases

Jones, who has been highly critical of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on social media and questioned the validity of the state's COVID data, said in a Twitter statement Saturday that she would surrender shortly.

In the tweet she said that 'to protect my family from continued police violence, and to show that I'm ready to fight whatever they throw at me, I'm turning myself into police in Florida Sunday night. The Governor will not win his war on science and free speech. He will not silence those who speak out.'

It's unclear what exact charge she might face.

Jones said on Twitter that 'the warrant was based on a lie' and noted a state agent told her the arrest warrant is unrelated to the December raid.

FDLE, the state's top crime-fighting agency, confirmed Saturday there is an active warrant for her arrest, but an agency spokeswoman said they could not provide additional details until Jones surrendered.

The agency also confirmed it had 'analyzed forensic evidence that was within the scope of the December search warrant,' according to an email statement to The Associated Press.

It did not elaborate on the evidence.

Jones was fired from her post in May after she raised questions about Florida's COVID-19 data.

She had been reprimanded several times and was ultimately fired for violating Health Department policy by making public remarks about the information, state records show.

Jones (right) filed a whistleblower complaint after she claimed she was fired for refusing to manipulate coronavirus data. DeSantis (left) said it was over 'insubordination'

'FDLE found no evidence of a message sent last November to DOH staff telling them to "speak out" on any of the devices they took ... However, police did find documents I received/downloaded from sources in the state, or something of that nature,' she said in a series of Twitter statements.

DeSantis has defended the states handling of the case.

On December 7, agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) carried out a search warrant on 30-year-old Jones' Tallahassee home, while she, her husband their two young children were inside.

Just two weeks after the incident, Jones filed a complaint in Leon County Circuit Court, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The filing alleges that the basis of the search warrant was 'a sham' used to punish her for speaking out against Gov Ron DeSantis for 'refusing to falsify statistics on a "dashboard" she had created for (the Department of Health)'.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the complaint is asking the court to order that her computers and other electronic equipment seized by the state be returned immediately.

Her lawsuit is also seeking punitive damages of more than $30,000 be awarded.

The complaint claims that the state of Florida violated Jones 14th Amendment right to due process by issuing an 'overly broad' search warrant that lacks probable cause.

'FDLE, seeking to ingratiate itself to DeSantis, sought to silence Plaintiffs online speech by confiscating her computer and to discover her confidential sources and other information by seizing her cell phone,' the complaint says.

'That was the motive for obtaining the search warrant, not the ridiculous notion that FDLE believed Plaintiff sent the message at issue and that it would have been illegal so to do.'

Jones was a state health department data scientist credited with leading a team in the creation Florida's COVID-19 dashboard early on in the pandemic, before she was fired.

She claims that she was asked to leave in May because she refused to manipulate the state's infection numbers. But DeSantis has said she was fired because of 'insubordination'.

Jones also tweeted on Friday: 'Saying goodbye to my family just now is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life'

Jones claims she was warned that 'speaking out or going to the media' may result in additional charges

Jones slammed the state for hitting her with 'bogus charges designed to silence and now jail me for being a scientist critical of the government'

After her firing, Jones filed a whistleblower complaint and created her own COVID-19 dashboard, using information she receives from sources.

Last month, she told the Daily Beast's The New Abnormal podcast: 'I thought back in May or June, when I first launched the new dashboard, that DeSantis would send people to come get me.'

She said she believed that the reason why DeSantis would send people to 'come and get' her was because of the complaint she filed, which claimed that the state was manipulating its coronavirus statistics, breaking the law and asking her to break the law as well.

Video from the December 7 raid on her house shows at least one officer pulling out his gun while entering Jones' home after she opened the door and told them that her children were inside.

Jones told the Daily Beast that she was 'prepared to be arrested' and that she felt 'nothing' when a gun was near her face, despite having always assumed that it would be a terrifying experience.

But, rather than being arrested, officers confiscated her cell phone and laptop as part of what they said was a cyber crimes investigation.

Jones has been under investigation since November, when someone illegally hacked Florida's emergency alert health system and sent a message from it. She has denied involvement in the incident.

Jones said that after being left alone for nearly half a year since her firing and starting up her own coronavirus dashboard, she thought she was just being ignored.

In the wake of the raid, however, she believes that she was targeted, and she suspects authorities took her computer and phone as part of the effort to figure out who in the department of health has been giving her information.

'Theyre purging everybody whos disloyal', she said.

DeSantis' office told the Tallahassee Democrat that the governor didn't know about the raid on Jones' house before it happened and that he hadn't been involved in the investigation into her.

Jones is skeptical about that, as she notes that the FDLE supposedly reports in to DeSantis' office and the search warrant was reported to be the first search warrant that Judge Joshua Hawkes - who was sworn in in November - had ever signed.

'I dont personally know the man, Im not a connected person, but to be the most recent [Florida governor Ron] Desantis employee assigned to family court, and to have this be the first thing that you sign off on, I think that speaks for itself,' Jones told CNN earlier this month.

She told the Daily Beast that she didn't think she was the 'main target' of the raid, but that 'harassing me and taking all my gear was just an added benefit to that'.

Jones claimed in the interview that the state is continuing to under report both coronavirus-related hospitalizations and deaths and allegedly going so far as to delete some deaths from their tracker.

She said: 'Theyve deleted people, [from the tracker], including children.

'When I drew attention to the fact that a 2-year-old died in Escambia County, in Florida, less than two weeks after he was diagnosed and hospitalized for it, they reported him as a death.

'And as soon as I tweeted about it, and there was a big press reaction, they deleted it. They actually changed his dead status from yes to no.'

Since the raid, Jones has been focusing on sharing the message about the number of new coronavirus cases being reported amongst kindergarten to 12th grade students, teachers and other school workers.

The information she is using to build the school-related coronavirus dashboard comes from anonymous sources, which she is determined to protect.

The regular dashboard information comes from public sources.

DeSantis has been in favor of students returning to in-person classes during the pandemic.
The Covid impact on the automotive industry of Saudi Arabia has seen decline in the foot fall across various showrooms of brands, which used to be the major mode of sales, pre-Covid.

We see a shift towards e-commerce in the KSA automotive industry with higher online penetration levels across various segments, but not a major move from physical to online sales, said Ken Research in a report.

Various new vehicle maintenance models are also witnessed with varying ownership periods amidst job loss and closing of many offices. Share mobility market also witnessed a decline as people move towards hygienic ways impacting different market segments. Corrective measures taken by various entities and government itself to sustain business and are providing incentive to move towards innovative business models in various industry segments.

The technology trends and developments also witness a major shift towards radical ERP and CRM systems being utilised in the market, majorly by organised segment. Entities operating in the automotive industry of KSA ae able to understand the usage and optimisation capabilities of streamlined and efficient operating systems and continue to use different softwares and solutions in addition with customised modules to enhance their operations and customer relationship management efforts.

The integration is majorly done via international and local technology partners who compete on integration, cost effeciency duration of the project and more factors, and provide either single software utilisation or in some cases, a mix of various vertical and standalone ERP solutions.

The report titled KSA Automotive Industry Outlook to 2025  Focus on Technology Adoption and Trends for Dealers, Distributors, Spare Parts Suppliers, Fleet and Leasing Companies and Car service providers observed that the there is a vast opportunity to disrupt the traditional and conservatively operating automotive Industry in KSA.

The report discusses the current technology adoption amongst the various segments of players like Importers, Distributors, Spare Part Dealers, Dealerships, Workshops, car Spas, Rental and Leasing Players amongst more.

The report further analyse each segment in detail, providing a brief overview along with market size, segmentation, competition analysis, trends, developments and future analysis of various segments, focusing keenly on entity relationships and business models.

These segments are then further analysed to gain a better understanding of the ERP and CRM modules required to pave the way for digitisation amidst the industry, across KSA.

KSA AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

KSA Automotive is currently dominated by local retail and distributing partners, facilitating growth of international OEMs and other brands amidst a shortfall of domestic manufacturers with good quality products.

The demand for automotive vehicles and spare parts is majorly fulfilled via imports from countries like USA, Japan, China, Korea, India and other Gulf countries. The ecosystem is made up of big trading organisations who harness their retail and distribution networks across KSA to compete in the market for Tier 1 and 2 cities, while majority of rural areas and tier 3 cities still rely on unorganised market for local demand.

KSA communicates a lot with surrounding gulf countries in terms of imports and re-exports and is

looking forward to develop domestic manufacturing and exporting capabilities for South Africa and other African and gulf nations with stronger tax and driving policies, development of industrial hubs, efficient bilateral relationships and allies, technological competence and its enhancement.

AUTOMOTIVE IMPORT/DISTRIBUTORS AND DEALERSHIPS

The import of vehicles in KSA consists of majorly of sedans and SUVs amidst sport and luxury cars, facilitated via international OEMs in collaboration with local partners. The space is majorly dominated by big trading corporations with strategic partnerships with OEMs, who act as sole distributors and traders of particular brands. Some of the biggest players include, Abdul Latif Jameel (Toyota), Mohammad Yusuf Naghi (Hyundai and BMW), Haji Hussien (Mazda) and few more.

But the competition is witnessing a shift with Hyundai and Nissan taking on Toyota in various segments of market like passenger vehicles and sedans to grab a bigger

market share. Current market trends regarding vehicle purchase and ownership are also changing affecting market segmentation of vehicles as more women enter the market with EVs and hatchbacks taking a more pivotal part of market in comparison to Sedans and SUVs.

However, the focus in the future is set to shift towards utilising domestic capabilities, with KSA government pushing FDI inclusion amidst series of relaxations and support schemes.

AUTOMOTIVE AFTERMARKET INDUSTRY

Aftermarket industry is split between organised and unorganised sector with organised sector leading in terms of revenue generation capabilities and quality of services. Unorganised segment of the market majorly tries to cater in tier 3 and other rural areas as they can target a lower income group who are not fixated on the quality of service.

Majorly the parts used are also refurbished and not completely genuine (First copies). Organised players on the other hand provide an array of exiting and better quality services. Players in organised sector comprises of Multibrand aftermarket workshops and spare parts retailers or genuine agency repairs (dealership led).

They either provide complete auto care services or specialises in quick lube, crash repair and periodic maintenance services. Another segment of the market called the mobile service centres provides on road assistance catering car spa and maintenance services across KSA.

RENTAL and LEASING INDUSTRY

Rental and leasing industry in KSA is the most utilised industry with target segment of Expats and pilgrim/business tourism showing promising growth across the year. Certain new developments like women driving laws, employment emphasis on Saudi nationals and other investment schemes related to digitisation is further helping the market to grow across KSA.

Current industry practices have witnessed a unilateral move of rental players into leasing opportunities and used car retail to sustain their business amidst the global pandemic. We also witness new market segmentation on the basis of end users, vehicle type and regions, along with a focus on various strategic partnerships amongst ride hailing companies and leasing/rental players to develop innovative business model as the markets focus shifts from ownership to user ship.-- Tradearabia News Service
Minister Robert Jenrick has slammed a school's decision to remove William Gladstone from its name because of the Victorian politician's links to slavery.

The William Gladstone Church Of England Academy, in Jenrick's Constituency of Newark, Nottinghamshire, is now known as The King's Church of England Primary Academy.

Gladstone was MP for Newark in the 1830s before becoming prime minister and the school had been named in his honour.

But in the wake of last year's Black Lives Matter protests, the school's decided to axe the name after recognising that Gladstone's family were prominent slave owners, even though he himself did not own slaves.

Housing Secretary Jenrick has now accused the school of 'cancelling our culture' and said it should focus on raising standards rather than rebranding after it was classed as requiring improvement by Ofsted.

It comes as Jenrick is set to change laws to make it harder for left-wing councils to conduct a 'revisionist purge' by taking down statues and changing road names.

Minister Robert Jenrick has slammed a school's decision to remove William Gladstone from its name because of the Victorian politician's links to slavery

The William Gladstone Church Of England Academy (pictured), in Jenrick's Constituency of Newark, Nottinghamshire, is now known as The King's Church of England Primary Academy

The minister will change the law and make it so that historic monuments cannot be removed without a formal planning process.

The legislation will also state that controversial statues should be explained and contextualised, rather than concealed and therefore protected.

Speaking about the school's name change to the Newark Advertiser, Jenrick said: 'I am saddened by the renaming of the William Gladstone school on the pretext of his family's link to slavery.

'Gladstone was Newark's MP and our country's Prime Minister. He was one of the greatest figures of the 19th Century.

'This attempt to distort history and, having done so, to extinguish our connection with it, is reprehensible.'

Gladstone was MP for Newark in the 1830s before becoming prime minister and the school had been named in his honour

William Gladstone and slavery William Ewart Gladstone (1809  1898) served as a Liberal British Prime Minister for 12 years, across four terms from 1868 to 1894. He is regarded as one of the greatest statesmen of the Victorian era for his political reforms, such as the introduction of the secret ballot and the modernisation of the British Army] He also championed home rule for Ireland and working-class rights and his popularity led to him being known as 'The People's William'. But his father, Sir John Gladstone, was one of the biggest slave owners in the British Empire. They both voiced opposition to immediate emancipation for slaves, saying they first needed to learn better morals. The MP fought for compensation for slave owners when the trade was abolished, with his father receiving 106,769, equivalent to around 14million today. Gladstone's views on slavery shifted over time, particularly after his father's power and influence diminished. He later said the abolition of slavery was one of the greatest achievements of the 19th century. But critics have maintained he was not vocal enough on abolition and only eventually agreed to it on the basis that owners were compensated. Advertisement

Jenrick pointed out Ofsted's concerns with teaching at the school.

He added: 'The school should be educating and informing its pupils of our history, not cancelling our culture and wasting money on rebranding. And its headteacher and governors should focus on raising standards for the benefit of young people - which is their job.'

The primary school approved the name change after months of consultation with trustees and governors and held a celebration day to mark the change of its name to The King's Church of England Primary Academy.

Head teacher Sarah Clarke declined to comment on what Jenrick had to say.

But at the time of the consultation, she said: 'I have to be honest and say that as a school we have long been at odds with the name, and the fact that it doesn't reflect that we are a Church of England school.

'In addition, the name itself and what it means could make many people in our community feel they might not be as valued as others.

'This simply could not be further from the truth. In our school community, all are welcome, valued and treated with equity and respect.

'Raising aspirations in our school community, and ensuring all children are proud of their school association is key to all future success.

'We are proud of our Christian distinctiveness and all Church of England schools by design have inclusivity at their heart.

'Though our discussions on this matter were started months ago, we do feel powerfully aligned with the will for change being driven by the Black Lives Matter campaign.'

Jenrick's comments come as he tries to stop Labour councils from being able to easily replace street names which are linked to the British Empire.

Just four days ago, a London council renamed a road that honoured the hero of Lucknow Sir Major General Henry Havelock after the founder of Sikhism.

The Government is set to change laws to make it harder for left-wing councils to conduct a 'revisionist purge' by moving statues and changing road names. Pictured: Protestors topple a statue of Edward Colston in Bristol

A section of Havelock Road - named after the military leader who has a statue in Trafalgar Square - was officially renamed Guru Nanak Road in Southall, Ealing, on Monday.

The change of the new road sign has sparked a furious row as critics called it 'airbrushing history' and say it is the latest bid to try and erase Britain's cultural heritage.

General Havelock led the British army to recapture Cawnpore in India during the siege of Lucknow in 1857.

Mr Jenrick wrote in The Telegraph that it was wrong that statues were being removed 'at the hands of the flash mob, or by the decree of a cultural committee of town hall militants and woke worthies'.

He added: 'We live in a country that believes in the rule of law, but when it comes to protecting our heritage, due process has been overridden. That can't be right.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick will change the law and make it so that historic monuments cannot be removed without a formal planning process. Pictured: Vandalised Winston Churchill statue in Westminster

'Local people should have the chance to be consulted whether a monument should stand or not.

'What has stood for generations should be considered thoughtfully, not removed on a whim or at the behest of a baying mob.'

Five parts of legislation and regulations, which are due to be set out on Monday, need to be changed for the results to come into effect.

The new rules, which will protect all of England's 12,000 statues, are set to apply from March.

On January 13 councillors in Devon voted to move the statue of a British war hero after officials said it 'impacts anybody who does not define themselves in binary gender terms'.

A section of Havelock Road - named after Major General Sir Henry Havelock - was rebranded as Guru Nanak Road in Southall, Ealing, on Monday, sparking a row

A council review into the continued appropriateness of the Grade 11 listed bronze statue, which depicts General Sir Redvers Buller, in Exeter, recommended it was relocated due to the army general's connection to the British Empire.

The statue triggered public debate following the Black Lives Matter protests partly due to references to colonial campaigns on its plinth, which bears the words 'he saved Natal', that 'sought to advance British imperialist interests in other countries'.

An equality impact assessment undertaken for the review also found the statue would impact anybody who 'does not define themselves in binary gender terms'.

A council review into the continued appropriateness of the Grade 11 listed bronze statue (pictured left), which depicts General Sir Redvers Buller (right), in Exeter, Devon, recommended it was relocated due to the army general's connection to the British Empire

Councillors in Exeter voted in favour of the report's findings. It has been estimated that relocation from outside Exeter College will cost a minimum of 25,000.

Mr Jenrick also plans to enforce new rules which will only allow the name change of a street if a 'super majority' of households on the street agrees.

Lambeth Council has suggested that Nelson's Row may need to be re-named and Birmingham City Council has been naming new streets 'Diversity Grove' and 'Humanity Close'.

Mr Jenrick said that the country should not try to censor its past and added that doing so is 'to lie about our history'.

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The other night, a few of my friends were shocked to learn I did not believe the presidential election was stolen. These are savvy professionals who arent about to dress like buffalo and attack the Capitol. I pressed them in an effort to understand where we parted company regarding the November election. The exchange pointed me to the deep lack of trust in America, the consequences, and ideas to address it.

Very few of us have direct access to the ballots from the last presidential election. The volunteers and officials in a given state only handled a fraction of the total ballots cast across the nation. Every election in America demands a full measure of trust at some point along the line. Im not going to hand count and verify each vote cast in the United States and neither is anyone else.

At some point, that necessary trust will be challenged.

Take Georgia, for example, where President Donald Trump referred to the elections as rigged. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, claims that there is nowhere close to sufficient evidence to put in doubt the result of the presidential contest in Georgia. On January 6, the same day as the attack on the Capitol, Raffensperger sent a 10-page letter to Congress with a point-by-point refutation of false election claims.

Raffensperger does have direct knowledge of the election results in Georgia by virtue of his elected position. By maintaining that the election was conducted properly, hes going against his own political interests which lends his voice a higher degree of credibility. My friends, skeptical of the election results, clearly disagree, and theyre not alone.

In discussing the election, my confidants didnt clash with me about principle or policy. We are all conservatives. We debated whether we could or should trust the elected officials in Georgia and other states to deliver credible results. It wasnt because they viewed Trump as a truth-giver; they simply do not trust anyone in politics.

That really hit me. Trust is a choice.

I put my confidence in the structures in the Constitution. I expect my fellow Americans to elect leaders who actually represent them. I trust those officials to follow the law to the best of their ability. I rely on judges to rule justly where conflicts arise. I bank on legislative bodies to craft laws which improve those processes. I have faith in a system of government that is sober about human nature, mitigates its weaknesses, and extols its virtue.

Its fundamentally belief in America itself. I could easily look at the sad state of our modern politics and reject that position as little more than the romanticized naivete of a policy nerd who read too many books about American greatness.

But at some point, the perpetual skeptic has to trust someone or simply admit he cant build a functioning society let alone a vision for the future. If it isnt governors, secretaries of state, or judges empowered by the people to conduct elections and adjudicate disputes, then exactly whom should we trust to tell us the truth?

Any American who rejects the validity of an election must answer that question.

Even if Georgia and the other contested states held another election for president, the same politicians and judges would be in place. If the results were different, what reason would the skeptic have to give them any more credibility?

Trust is an inescapable reality in any society where people govern themselves. Either we support the processes of our federal, state, and local governments, or we do not. If we dont, then our options are to address them within our existing structures or overthrow the government.

None of the gentlemen I discussed the election with supported violence or agitating for civil war. Most Democrats, on the heels of electoral success, certainly dont want to upend Americas leadership. The vast majority of Republicans arent willing to shoot anyone over politics either. The few remaining insurrectionists are in the awkward position of wanting to forcibly take over a nation with a minuscule minority of the population. If successful, their ruling structure would look far more like North Korea than a functioning democracy.

I understand the practical options going forward dont make Republicans any less upset about the election, but they do provide clear direction. We should focus on winning elections and pushing actual policy ideas. Democrats will develop a sweeping agenda; Republicans must develop credible alternatives that address the everyday challenges facing Americans.

Political success isnt a distant memory for Republicans who held the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, and White House as recently as 2016. Democrats may narrowly hold that trifecta now, but that could quickly change in 2022.

Despite little empirical evidence that the 2018 Georgia governors race was stolen from her, Democrat Stacey Abrams maintained the process was unfair and refused to concede. Instead of withdrawing, she doubled down. She filed lawsuits. She got out the vote. Now Georgia is a purple state with two Democratic senators. Its a blueprint Republicans would be wise to emulate.

Trust is hard to come by these days. Faith in individual politicians will disappoint us because theyre human. Confidence in the structures and processes which have brought our nation thus far is the difficult path forward. It is a choice, our choice, and one which we must make continually if we expect our republic to hold.

Cameron Smith is CEO of the Triptych Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. The Triptych Foundation promotes a virtuous society through investments in socially impactful media and business. He was recently the Executive Director of the Republican Policy Committee in the United States House of Representatives. You can reach him at cameron@smithstrategies.org.
Posted Sunday, January 17, 2021 6:42 am

Siobhan Ake worried she would miss the sign, the clue that would tell her if it's time to pull her second grade son out of public school.

She wasn't thrilled with her son's first year  drastically different from his Montessori kindergarten  or in his being one of just a few Black students in his class in the Issaquah School District. She was apprehensive about how second grade would go, especially amid national concerns about pandemic-era learning loss.

Ake doesn't think her son has lost ground. He's reading novels and he can multiply. But with limited information, she can't know for sure.

Halfway into this unprecedented school year, it's clear that many children are struggling: Hospitals are seeing more kids under distress. National studies showed students lost ground in math. Medical research has connected the decrease in learning time with a potentially reduced life expectancy.

But in Washington, there's little information on how students are faring academically, or how this grand experiment in online learning disrupted the instruction that, until this point, tests had tracked. It matters to public schools because, after enrollment declines this year, districts could lose millions in funding. And more parents, like Ake, are evaluating whether to return at all.

"This year and last year is kind of a crapshoot," she said. "Is this a good report card? Is this a bad report card? You don't know."

If students are losing ground at different rates, they could be worse off for years to come  unless the education system changes dramatically to accommodate them. "We can't cram everything into people the same old way but in a shorter period of time," said Michael Meotti, executive director of the Washington State Achievement Council. "This isn't a one-time fix."

Because the data largely hasn't been examined by race, there's a nagging worry that those students who so often fall farthest from educational justice are being hurt most by the disparities. "I don't know if Black and brown kids in Issaquah all sit at the bottom, or if it's spread across the board," Ake said.

To get a sense of how students are doing academically, The Seattle Times requested recent academic screeners and diagnostic tests from 18 districts, representing about one third of the state's K-12 public school enrollment.

The responses were all over the map. Some districts, like Auburn, Bellevue, Highline and Issaquah, provided some test results. Some didn't respond at all; others didn't respond until a Public Records Act request was filed, then only to acknowledge it had been received.

While the evidence is sparse, subtle signs suggest that kids from low-income backgrounds  who are less likely to have sufficient space, devices or connectivity  are losing out. Some districts are issuing more F's, often to students who spend less time engaged online. And in Tacoma, students who performed the worst academically before the pandemic might have been the least connected to school this fall.

There are also glimmers of hope: In Bellevue, early looks at what happens when most students engage in remote learning suggest they understand the content. But online school means they're getting less of it.

In the early grades, district and national testing leaders say, it's particularly hard to suss out what's going on: Quick, unlikely improvement among first and second graders suggests parents could be assisting with test-taking.

And on Friday, Renaissance, a company that administers the Star test, released its results for Washington's first through eighth graders  52,000 of them took the tests in reading and 30,000 did so in math. In literacy, the average student decreased by 1 percentile point between the fall of 2019 and 2020, compared to a national drop of 3. In math, that number fell by 12 here, compared to 15 nationally.

Interviews with 10 parents and caregivers show some are satisfied, but they have high expectations for what needs to happen  and change  when students return to school buildings.

Why it's hard to know what's going on

The state's education agency has not collected information on academic performance so far. It asked districts to conduct any universal check-in to see how students were doing emotionally and academically this fall, but did not request the results.

Why not? For school districts, they said, there's a lot going on, like meeting families' basic needs. The tools districts use might misrepresent learning, especially if they're administered at home. And the state wants to rethink testing.

"Learning time is so precious," said Cindy Rockholt, Washington's assistant superintendent for educator growth and development, in an October interview. "It's so difficult for teachers to be spending time on some kind of formal assessment. ... We want teachers focused on the day-to-day assessment that they do."

While teachers are indeed closer to student learning, and can give parents useful information about their kids, education policy has long relied on standardized testing  for all its flaws  as a key source of evidence, a proof point of the structural racism children face in schools.

"The state needs to figure it out," said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education. "Who else will?" If districts are left on their own, she said, "it's going to be hugely problematic."

Lake said not all districts are administering useful tests, and the point of testing is "not to admonish or beat anybody up, but it's a way for us to be really honest."

Some state leaders disagree with her premise. "School districts already have the tools at their disposal," said Maddy Thompson, Gov. Jay Inslee's senior education policy adviser. "I don't think it needs to be (a) statewide measure. ... We just have to leave it to the expertise of the educators and needs of the school districts."

Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said he will be looking at students' grades as a check on performance. "We'll start getting a significant understanding from the letter grades," he said. "We're going to see a lot of D's and F's."

Reykdal said he hopes that the new federal COVID recovery money will be given to school districts on the condition that districts will assess learning and well-being. He expected a "robust reopening to come with a better understanding of the individual impact on kids."

After three reminders, a Seattle Public Schools spokesperson said "screener results need to be obtained via a public records request." On Jan. 13, the public records office said it needed one more week than the response timeline initially proposed. Only one district, Tacoma, responded with spreadsheets with test score information that can be analyzed.

"What if hospitals responded this way to information requests about COVID cases and deaths?" Lake said. "This is not OK."

Washington is not alone. Many states lack clear systemic data. But some, like Tennessee, have collected academic results. Others, like Connecticut and Massachusetts, regularly monitor other measures  such as engagement and learning time  as proxies for instruction.

Outside district-level decisions, getting some form of state-level information on student learning is especially crucial this year, because the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)  the only national test that generates comparable information from one state to another  was canceled. Reykdal is asking for another year's pause on state tests.

Some civil rights groups, including the Education Trust, have encouraged testing. "The greatest fear we should be experiencing right now is a lack of data, a lack of any information about how kids have performed this year in light of this horrible pandemic, in light of anti-Blackness," said Denise Forte, EdTrust's senior vice president for partnership and engagement.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, who will soon take the helm of the Senate's education committee, also wants more information. "If we don't know what the learning loss is, ... then we are not able to make sure that the funds that go to our schools with the kids that need the most," Murray said.

"What will happen is the kids who are further behind will get further behind," she said. "We can't give up on having the knowledge we need to make sure we are targeting our resources."

Where are Tacoma's struggling learners?

Tacoma's results show how hard it is to characterize how well students are learning online.

Three times a year, Tacoma administers the i-Ready, a test from the company Curriculum Associates that districts use to track student growth internally.

The diagnostic tests are "formative," meaning they're used to capture learning as it happens  and unlike statewide tests, they usually aren't tied to school accountability, so experts caution reading too much into them.

Tacoma's overall scores from October 2020 don't show much change compared with January 2020, the last time the test was administered before the pandemic. While there were gaps between ethnic groups, they didn't grow significantly. But not every student was tested; according to a Times analysis, about 17% fewer students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch took the reading tests between January and October.

By comparison, students who don't receive free or reduced-price lunch saw their participation drop by less than 3%. In math, the latter group fell by 14%, while students eligible for lunch dropped by 25%. District leaders think that might be because fewer families filled out the free or reduced-price lunch paperwork  the food is free to everyone  but they could not say how much that drop can be tied to the paperwork.

And performance before the pandemic was a stronger predictor of who came back in October: Of students performing at or above grade level in January, 78% were engaged enough to take the math test in October. Of students below grade level before the pandemic, just 59% came back.

That kind of drop-off suggests the district will have to work hard to find the kids who were already struggling before the novel coronavirus blew up their lives.

Tacoma administrators are using January as a time to explore this data with families. "In spite of what's happening in this crazy new world, we still care," said Deputy Superintendent Josh Garcia. "We're still trying to do this."

'Seattle is flailing a little bit'

For parent Lillian Hill, COVID-19 has provided an education in disparities between school systems. Dissatisfied with her son's Seattle private school education, she transferred him to a Seattle Public Schools (SPS) elementary school, but was dismayed when the district insisted on having him stop by in-person amid the pandemic or transfer his guardianship to his grandfather in Seattle. At the time, Hill was hospitalized in Los Angeles, recovering from a heart transplant.

Then a school near Los Angeles offered her son a slot. While he is still struggling, she's happier with the school system there because it provides ample information, including dashboards on his performance.

"My choice to not send him to (SPS) was a good decision," she said. "Seattle is flailing a little bit when it comes to information, data and outreach."

It's hard to say how SPS students are doing. In response to concerns from some parents and teachers, Superintendent Denise Juneau suspended a midyear diagnostic test.

"There isn't the appetite for it," said Diane DeBacker, who worked as SPS' chief academic officer until earlier this month. "There hasn't been the appetite for what we would consider routine or normal during the pandemic at all."

When schools reopen, Beverly Bell, the grandmother of an SPS student, wants to see more mental health support as well as academic assessments.

"With what the children are going through, it's going to be very important for them to maybe have a whole class on how they're feeling," she said. "It's really important to bring them up back to speed and not just pass them on."

Mixed signals

When Julie DeBolt saw her district's fall i-Ready results, she was surprised.

"The home environment may have skewed test results," said DeBolt, the executive director of student learning for the Auburn School District. On the i-Ready, first and second graders appeared to be growing at a fast clip  a trend that could be explained by help.

In most grades, results were steady, but there was no breakdown by student group. In third grade reading, there were slightly more students two or more years behind grade level, 37% up from 33% last year.

There were slight declines in third and fourth grade math; in fifth grade math, the proportion of students testing at two or more years below grade level increased from 28% to 37%.

In high school, 5% more Fs were awarded  and also 6% more As.

"If you're a student in poverty, and a student of color, in a community that has challenging reception, you're doing much differently than a highly affluent student," DeBolt said. "We have students who are thriving or not thriving at all, and are working really hard to just connect with them. ... I can't say distance learning is working or is not working."

On Bainbridge Island, the number of students with failing high school grades this fall were up 45% from 2019, according to a board presentation. The district said it planned to give these students who were failing access to remote teacher hours and counselor support, and administrators reached out to parents. Some Bainbridge teachers are accepting late work or allowing retakes as district leaders rethink grading.

Among public high school students, on Mercer Island, 229 F grades were given at the end of this year's first quarter, compared to 121 at the same time last year. The number of students with F grades increased from 86 last year to 126 this year.

Stand for Children Washington, an advocacy group that partners with OSPI to support ninth graders in over 30 schools statewide, noticed a similar trend. "They're seeing more F's than they've ever seen," said Virginia Barry, the group's policy and government affairs manager. "They're feeling pretty alarmed by the rate of course failure."

Obscuring the picture

Brandy Lucas of Kent is a single mom and veteran who lost her job early in the pandemic. Her son is in kindergarten, and starting it virtually, she said, is "not fun." He's active, with a big imagination. But "his attention span is like the snap of a finger."

Despite that, she's satisfied with the quality of instruction he's getting. "He's learning," she said. "They're starting to write and do a little spelling. He's learned to write his name so far."

Kent School District's public relations team did not respond to three queries seeking academic information this year.

In Highline, four miles west, 80% of students participated in the i-Ready reading test, and 86% participated in math. In third grade, the results were steady, though there were slight dips in some other grades. Those trends were mirrored in reading.

"There are so many variables, including attendance and engagement and accessibility, Wi-Fi, broadband, you name it," said Susanne Jerde, Highline's chief academic officer. "But we're utilizing the best data we have to see if we can at least keep kids closer to that grade level expectation."

In Renton, also in South King County, the number of low grades in middle and high school science courses increased  as did the number of students who received an IE, "insufficient evidence." Those grades, district spokesperson Randy Matheson said in an email, "represent losses of learning and are likely indicators of needs for other support beyond additional instructional time in science."

An Eastside reckoning

On the Eastside, districts known for their wealth are learning how to serve all kinds of students.

In the biggest one, Bellevue, 95% of students in grades 3-5 completed the Star reading test. The results didn't vary much from last year, with 69% of students estimated to be on track. About 86% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch took the test.

In an internal district report, BSD said it was "not yet on track to reach" the goal of increasing proficiency by at least five percentage points for all student groups in the class of 2026 cohort.

Because it piloted a new diagnostic test this year, Lake Washington School District could not make a comparison with the previous year's results.

In Issaquah, before the pandemic, district leaders decided to pay closer attention to its gaps. In the 2018-2019 school year, 80% of white students met English language arts standards; 47.3% of Black students, who made up 2% of the district, did.

"We needed to more closely monitor our achievement gaps," said Richard Mellish, the executive director of teaching and learning services.

He wanted to learn more about students living in poverty, students experiencing homelessness, Latino students and Black students.

That's why the district began using i-Ready recently  piloted at two schools last year, then expanded districtwide this year.

It's too early to say whether the groups he's worried about saw decreased scores, Mellish said, but he noticed a pattern: "The younger the students they were, the more their losses in reading." In math, there were more dips across the older elementary grades, and the district is considering bolstering summer school to help.

Ake, the Issaquah mom, said she's heartened to see the district paying more attention to all its students. Last year, she switched her son from private school to public school because "it was super hard" to pay private school tuition "knowing he was going to be in a virtual environment," she said. She also wanted to minimize the disruption to his schooling.

Because of her experiences that first year in Issaquah, she became more invested in the school and its community. Ake's been happy with Issaquah's instruction this year  for the most part.

"He hasn't fallen behind, he hasn't accelerated either," she said.

Last week, she reached a breaking point. She learned about other private schools that were more proactive about diversity and inclusion, that were more transparent about student achievement. So she decided for her son's third grade year, she would seek other options.

___

(c)2021 The Seattle Times

Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Indonesian navy said on Sunday that two pieces of metal recovered from the Java Sea were part of the black boxes from the crashed Sriwijaya Airplane. Speaking from Jakarta port, Colonel Alit held up scraps of the Boeing 737-500's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) to reporters.

"We found them two days ago," Alit said.Alit also said the part that holds the CVR recording is still missing. Investigators have already downloaded information from the plane's flight data recorder, which was recovered earlier this week. The plane lost contact with air traffic controllers minutes after taking off from Jakarta during heavy rain on January 9. The jet crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 62 people on board.

(Image Credit: AP)

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Former Speakers of the House of Assembly in Ekiti and Ondo States have denied declaring support for the Bola Tinubu 2023 presidency. A meeti...





Former Speakers of the House of Assembly in Ekiti and Ondo States have denied declaring support for the Bola Tinubu 2023 presidency.

A meeting of serving and former Speakers in the Yoruba States was held in Ibadan, Oyo State, for the presidential ambition of the All Progressive Congress (APC) National Leader.

The parley was spearheaded by the Lagos House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa and Titi Oseni, Coordinator of ex-Speakers in South-West.

In their reaction, the former legislative heads said there was no endorsement of Tinubu and that no communique was issued to that effect.

Five ex-Ondo Speakers: Victor Olabimtan, Oluwasegun Bolarinwa, Ayo Agbomuserin, Abdusalam Olawale Taofeeq, Kenneth Olawale, and Patrick Ajigbolamu (Ekiti) issued a statement on Sunday.

They noted that Obasa was at the meeting to solicit the support of the ex-speakers, as automatic national delegates, for the aspiration of his mentor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The signatories recalled that when the issue was discussed, they maintained they would wait for the directive of their governors.

They noted that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and Governor Kayode Fayemi were in the best position to speak for their states.

The chieftains revealed they told the gathering that all candidates from the zone, including Tinubu, had a legitimate right to aspire to lead the country.

The ex-speaker from Ekiti State also informed the gathering that his Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi is equally interested in the presidency and eminently qualified. As much as the issue of national politics is concerned, we are of the opinion that every eligible aspirant deserves equal right and opportunity.

As a member of the All-Progressives Congress, APC, we are not against the aspiration of any member of the party from the Southwest Region. Every State in the Southwest, be it Lagos, Ondo, or Ekiti is qualified to produce a candidate and whoever that the leadership of the Party supports, we will support.

The former Speakers added that Governors are the leaders of the party in states, adding that they will never do anything contrary to their interest.

They said if Tinubu is interested in running for the 2023 Presidency and Fayemi too aspires, both are qualified to run.

None of them has openly declared interest or intention to do so. Therefore, the issue of drumming support for any particular aspirant as being circulated is out of place and we are not a party to that.

The signees dissociated themselves from such endorsement when the purported gladiator has not informed the Conference of his interest to run in the 2023 presidential election.

At the meeting, Obasa said there was a need for the body of Speakers and former Speakers to project political and humanitarian sides of Tinubu ahead of 2023.

He has made a lot of people and brought up a lot of leaders politically. Some of us agreed that outside politics, there should be something that is more humanitarian.

When you have a benefactor who is well known for his benevolence, it is a duty that you must act on his behalf in a way you feel you can compensate such a man for what he is still doing.

So, we are here to interact in respect of what you all believe is around the corner and that is the 2023 ticket to galvanise support in the South-West, he added.

Obasa further disclosed plans to replicate the movement in all zones of the federation.
LISBON: Portugals fragile health system is under growing pressure due to a worrying rise in coronavirus infections, with the country reporting 10,947 new cases and 166 deaths on Saturday, the worst surge since the pandemic started last year.

The cases, which come a day after a new lockdown was put in place, bring the total number of cases in a country of just over 10 million people to 539,416, with the death toll increasing to 8,709.

The number of infections per 100,000 people measured over the past 14 days is 901, nearly double that in hard-hit neighbouring Spain, data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control showed.

The health system, which prior to the pandemic had the lowest number of critical care beds per 100,000 inhabitants in Europe, can accommodate a maximum of 672 COVID-19 patients in ICUs, according to Health Ministry data.

There are currently 638 people in ICUs and the Portuguese Association of Hospital Administrators said the number of coronavirus patients needing hospitalisation was likely to dramatically increase over the next week.

A group of three major hospitals in Lisbon only had three intensive care beds left for coronavirus patients on Saturday morning, according to the Observador newspaper.

Media images of ambulances with coronavirus patients queuing outside hospitals in Lisbon and elsewhere as they waited for beds to vacate have raised fears the health system is close to reach its limit.

I have received information of a patient who died inside an ambulance," Jaime Soares, the head of the Portuguese Firefighters League, told Lusa news agency, adding hospitals are also running out of emergency stretchers.

In Porto, the countrys second biggest city, the Sao Joao hospital is already receiving various" patients from Lisbon as hospitals in the capital struggle to cope, a spokesman said.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Zoe Williams has announced she's expecting her first child with her boyfriend Stuart McKay.

In a new interview, the This Morning doctor, 40, has hailed pregnancy 'magical' and admitted she was considering trying to conceive via a sperm donor before she met her partner.

The former Gladiators star, who previously revealed she froze her eggs in 2018, explained: 'Having my scan was just the most amazing thing. It's so magical, the wonder of seeing this little life that's growing inside you.'

Parents-to-be! Zoe Williams has announced she's expecting her first child with her boyfriend Stuart McKay in a new interview

On reaching her goals, the GP said in this week's Hello! magazine: 'I had two big ambitions, one was to be a doctor and the other was to be a mother

'As a doctor none of this is new to me, but when you're the patient the experience is the same as for anyone else.'

The media personality went on to reflect on the early stages of her relationship with senior recruitment consultant Stuart, who she met at a bar in Portugal in September 2019.

The TV star recalled: 'As Stuart and I got to know each other it almost felt disingenuous and wrong not to talk about this thing that, in the months leading up to that, had been a really big part of my life.

'It's magical!' In a new interview, the This Morning doctor, 40, admitted she was considering trying to conceive via a sperm donor before she met her partner

'If I could go back two years and speak to myself and say that by January 2021 you will have met the love of your life, be pregnant and you'll have spent most of the year in lockdown I would have said you are having a laugh.'

Zoe added that she made her motherhood plans clear to her partner of over a year on their 'third or fourth date'.

The former Amazon character previously confessed she wishes she would have frozen her eggs sooner.

She told Daily Mail in August 2018: 'I chose at 35 to buy a flat but I could have chosen egg-freezing instead. In hindsight that would have been the best thing. So if it had been available on the NHS, I would certainly have done it younger.

Best known for: The media personality previously starred as Amazon in Sky One's revival of Gladiators in 2008 (pictured)

'Im in a fortunate position that I have the choice. Its a lot of money so it comes at a sacrifice, but so many women just dont even have that choice.

'Were not talking about women who are the lowest earners, were taking about the majority of women who may have to resort to taking out loans to do this.'

Out now: Read the full interview in Hello! magazine , out now

Despite opting for the fertility treatment, which can cost up to 8,000 in the UK, women can still conceive naturally.

Last December, the healthcare professional revealed she had a bowel cancer scare earlier in the year, and battled coronavirus in March.

The Real Full Monty star explained how she visited her GP and had 'unpleasant' tests after 'putting off' the changes she noticed in her habits.

The panellist shared how she first detected a switch in her bowel pattern as she said: 'I had a bowel cancer scare myself this year but Im fine. I put it off for a while. My bowel habits changed.

'On one occasion I had blood in the stool so rang my GP and had tests, which werent pleasant. My grandmother and my auntie both died of bowel cancer.'

Read the full interview in Hello! magazine, out now.
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
The Chief and people of Bulinjin in the Buli Electoral Area of the Wa West District are crying over inadequate sources of potable water, which has compelled them to rely on dugout water for domestic purposes.



They said the community of more than 1,000 residents depended only on two boreholes, which had led to a struggle and competition over those sources of potable water.



Mr Hayiri Filkaatey, the Chief of the community, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said they were left with no option than to compete with animals at the dugouts for water.



The situation, he said, was a source of worry as it could lead to residents contracting waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid fever.



The community is big but we depend on only two boreholes. Even the school has no borehole. We dug small dugouts at the valley and that is where we are fetching from, the Chief said.



He said women had to queue for several hours at the borehole, even at night, before they could get water to fetch, which sometimes resulted in a fight.



Mr Bodaba Edward, the Youth Secretary of the community, told the GNA that the scuffle for water could pose a threat to teaching and learning as schools reopened.



He said the situation could increase the rate of teenage pregnancy as the girls could use fetching water at the borehole at night as an excuse to visit men.



He said Mr Edward Laabiiri Sabo, the District Chief Executive, had promised to provide the school with a borehole since 2017 but was yet to fulfil that promise.



He appealed to the Government and the Wa West District Assembly to go to the aid of residents by providing them with additional sources of potable water to ameliorate their plight.





Source: GNA









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A pair of Cayuga County residents have announced their intentions to become new members of the Legislature in 2022, including one who may challenge a Democratic incumbent in a primary.

Auburn business owner and nonprofit founder Brian Muldrow issued a press release Saturday saying he will seek the Cayuga County Democratic Committee's endorsement to run for the Legislature's District 15 seat. Democratic Legislator Ryan Foley is in the final year of his second term representing that district, which covers an area in the west central part of the city.

Muldrow is the owner/president of The Muldrow Group, an automotive sales and insurance consulting firm, and Cayuga Drug and Alcohol Testing, a company that collects drug testing specimens for workplaces. He's also the founder of the recently launched Minority Professionals Association and serves as a mentor for SCORE and a board member of the Cayuga/Auburn Branch of the NAACP and the Booker T. Washington Community Center.

"I love our community and my neighbors. I want to bring my business experience to bear on our challenges. We must clean up abandoned homes, ensure that our neighborhoods are safe for our children, and attract and retain jobs that can support families." Muldrow said in the press release, noting that he's a lifelong resident of the district.
Groups of heavily armed Americans have begun clustering at various state capitols across the US, including in Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, and Texas, for protests ahead of President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration.

Roughly two dozen members of the radical anti-government boogaloo movement have congregated outside the statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, for instance, The New York Times has reported.

The Boogaloo Boys are a loosely termed group of right-wing extremists who either expect or want to incite the boogaloo, a second American civil war. Many espouse openly white supremacist and neo-Nazi views. They are all staunchly pro-gun, and most of them are loyal supporters of Donald Trump.

Armed protesters have also started gathering at the state capitols in Lansing, Michigan, Salem, Oregon, and Austin, Texas, the Times reported on Sunday.

Several governors, including Maryland GOP Governor Larry Hogan, have declared states of emergencies. Nineteen states have called up National Guard troops for extra protection as the FBI continues to warn of massive security threats all over the country as right-wing extremists plan potentially violent protests online.

Federal and local law enforcement officials are on high alert for events and protests surrounding Mr Bidens inauguration after a mob of thousands of Trump supporters  incited by the outgoing president  laid siege to the US Capitol in Washington on 6 January, forcing lawmakers who were certifying the 2020 election results to take cover and flee for their lives.

More than 300 pro-Trump radicals who stormed the Capitol have have been identified by federal law enforcement. Many of them have been arrested and indicted.

After spending nearly a year casting doubt on the validity of a potential loss in the 2020 election and then two months challenging the actual results of the 3 November 2020 presidential election, Mr Trump finally accepted in the days following the Capitol riot that he will hand over power to Mr Biden on 20 January.

Mr Trump, whose inflammatory rhetoric and conspiracy theories about a stolen election many believe has radicalised Republican voters, urged his supporters to abstain from violent forms of protest in the coming days.

I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind, the president said in a written statement last Wednesday. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers.

That statement was too little too late for many in Congress, including 10 Republicans, as the president was impeached by the House for a second time just hours after releasing that statement.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who will be relegated to minority leader later this month, has left open the possibility of voting to convict Mr Trump at his impending impeachment trial. At least 17 Republicans would need to vote with all 50 Democratic senators to convict Mr Trump and bar him from ever holding federally elected office in the future.

The National Mall in Washington, DC will be completely closed off to the public on Inauguration Day amid ongoing concerns about the prospect of violent protests.

More than 20,000 National Guard troops have been called up to protect the swearing in of the 46th president on Wednesday 20 January. The FBI is monitoring threats ahead of the event, including the possibility of armed protests.
At least 1,000 gardai are currently unable to work as they are restricting their movements because of exposure to Covid, figures reveal.

Around 300 of these officers are believed to have contracted the virus, according to statistics compiled for this newspaper by the largest garda union, the Garda Representative Association (GRA).

The GRA, which represents some 12,500 rank-and-file members, conducted a survey of garda divisions about Covid rates on behalf of this newspaper.

A total of 20 of the garda divisions provided the union with details of how many officers are self-isolating and how many are infected. The figures show that 870 officers out of the 14,500-strong force are self-isolating because of Covid and 245 of this number have contracted the virus.

However, since only 20 of the 32 garda districts responded, the overall figure would be expected to reflect that more than 1,000 in total are restricting their movements or have contracted Covid-19, and that around 300 of this number are currently infected, according to the union.

Tipperary reports a particularly high number of cases - with 34 officers infected out of total of 65 in self-isolation. Donegal also reports high figures, with 49 self-isolating with 19 of these gardai infected. Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) North has an alarming 91 officers out of action due to Covid - but just nine officers out of this number are Covid-19 positive. While in Dublin North Central, 66 officers are self-isolating with 22 infected.

The Cavan/Monaghan division also reports concerning figures, with 20 gardai infected out of total of 53 self-isolating. The Louth division, which did not return official figures to the GRA, is understood to have 79 gardai currently out of work over Covid - though it is unknown how many of these gardai are infected.

Clare division also reports high figures, with 60 officers self-isolating, of which 19 are infected.

"On the basis of the figures available, it is likely there are about 1,000 out in total, with approximately 300 infected," according to a spokesman for the GRA.

A source from Garda Headquarters this weekend acknowledged that the force is impacted by officers out of work due to Covid but stressed that "this is not having an impact on our services".

The well-placed source added: "If we had a policing problem with gardai out over Covid we would say it. Are we under pressure? Yes, we are. Is it impacting our services? No, it is not. The garda frontline is up and running effectively."

Frank Thornton, president of the GRA, this weekend called for gardai to be prioritised for the vaccine. "The current vaccination roll-out strategy is silent on when gardai will get vaccinated. We are, I believe, deliberately not mentioned. But the category of 'key worker' in the strategy may well apply to us.

"If that's the case then our members will not be in line for vaccination until April at the earliest and therefore not protected until May because it takes a month for the two jabs to be administered and achieve full efficacy."

The senior union official said that gardai should be among the high priority groups for vaccination. Mr Thornton added: "Our work exposes not just members but their colleagues and their families. This points to the risk of resources being stretched at a time when the need for gardai to police the pandemic has increased.

"Members of the public need to be reassured when they engage with members of An Garda Siochana that they are vaccinated and not potential super spreaders. We help engage with the public daily.

"We recognise that the medically vulnerable and frontline health workers are a top priority but with a month-long lag in full efficacy it is imperative that frontline gardai are given the protection of the vaccine as soon as possible."

The source from garda headquarters added that should An Garda Siochana levels drop to a rate where it is difficult then action would be publicly taken.

"But that is not the situation we are in at all. We are still doing our job more than adequately. We are not in any way in the severe difficulty those working in the health services are facing."
Guwahati, Jan 17 : Now robots would deliver medicines and essential services to Covid-19 patients at a hospital in Assam, officials said here on Sunday.

The robots designed by the Guwahati-based Yantrabot Technologies Pvt Limited with remote controllable robotic vehicles would deliver food, medicines and other essential services to Covid-19 patients as well as patients with other extremely contagious diseases inside the isolation chambers of the quarantine facilities.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday handed over two robots to the Principal of Dibrugarh-based Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), Sanjib Kakati, to use them for delivering food, medicines and essential services to Covid patients.

An official release said it is part of the Covid-19 infrastructure equipment grant sponsored by the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, Rotary Club of Dibrugarh and Bangladesh's Rotary Club of Dhaka Royal under the support of "Global Grant".

Sonowal thanked co-founder Arunjyoti Borgohain of Yantrabot Technologies Pvt Limited for designing the robot. The Chief Minister said the two robots would have a huge role in rendering care to patients in the hospitals.

Meanwhile, in a first-of-its-kind in northeast India, a robot developed by young scientist Harjeet Nath from Tripura University was deployed in a government Covid Care Centre in May 2020 to deal with Covid patients.

Nath has made the robot from locally available material, including scrap. He has named it as 'WARBOT' to fight the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nath's aim was to assist the frontline health workers, including doctors, in taking care of the coronavirus patients from a distant place. The young scientist in July 2020 donated the robot to the Tripura Medical College and Dr B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Teaching Hospital.

The medical college had used the robot at the 250-bed Covid Care Centre in Hapania, on the outskirts of the capital city Agartala. Tripura Medical College Professor and in-charge of the Hapania Covid Care Centre, Shib Sekhar Datta, said the robot was useful to some extent.

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Amelia Gray Hamlin, 19, may be crazy over her new beau Scott Disick, but on Saturday she was looking to spend quality time with her sister Delilah Belle, 22.

The model sisters opted for a road trip as they enjoyed a relaxing girls' weekend at the posh Rosewood Miramar in celeb-friendly Montecito.

Showing off their bikini bodies while lounging on the beach, Amelia shared that she was in unwinding mode as she wrote: 'plz do not disturb.'

Girls' weekend: Amelia Gray Hamlin, 19, and her sister Delilah Belle, 22, enjoy a relaxing girls' weekend in Montecito as they pose up a storm in bikinis while lounging on the beach

Catching some rays on a hot California day, Gray stripped down into a hot pink floral bikini as she flashed her slim frame.

Adding some flare to the look she threw on a brown cowboy hat and a pair of oversized brown shades as she posed for some social snaps.

Delilah sported a yellow string bikini, as they wrapped their arms around each other and seductively licked their lips.

Also present was Delilah's boyfriend Eyal Booker - who has grown close with Disick as of late - as he shared some photos of his sandy feet facing the ocean.

Model sisters: Rising to fame under the guidance of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills mother Lisa Rinna, the sisters have parlayed their fame by way of kinship into modeling careers of their own

Beach cowgirl: Adding layers to her tan after returning from a romantic vacation in Mexico with Disick, the LA-born babe seemed to be chasing the sun

Owning her mismatched look, Amelia shared videos of herself to Instagram as she wrote, 'really mixing the vibes today.'

Rising to fame under the guidance of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills mother Lisa Rinna, the sisters have parlayed their fame by way of kinship, into modeling careers of their own.

Starting their own line, DNA, they have dabbled in the designing world while also becoming brand influencers for Skims and Alo Yoga.

Recently returning from a Mexican vacation with Disick to ring in 2021, things between the age-gap couple seem to continue to burn strong.

Third wheeling: Though Amelia described the weekend as a 'sistor weekend,' Delilah's boyfriend Eyal was also present

Mix and match: Amelia shared videos from her beachside post as she said, 'really mixing the vibes today,' while rocking her string bikini and cowboy hat

Bronzed: She flashed her oiled up stomach as she pulled her high-waisted bikini up a smidge

Trim frame: The model seemed to be feeling herself as she shared selfie videos of her body and beach view

Amelia and the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star were seen getting a bit handsy on the beach in Tulum surrounded by a group of Disick's pals.

On Saturday however, it appeared that Scott was leaving town for a bit by way of private jet.

He posted an Insta-story from inside a plane with two beds as he wrote, 'My house, is a very special house.'

Weekend getaway: Scott seemed to also be getting away via private jet as he snapped a photo from inside the plane that pictured two ladies' Birkin bags and a destination time of four hours

Placed in front of the beds were two Birkin bags - which were certainly not his - as it seemed he was traveling with some ladies, possibly ex Kourtney and their kids.

A cross-country flight, it said the time to destination was roughly four hours though it is unknown where he was jetting off to.

Her first public relationship since Mercer Wiederhorn - who is related to former RHOBH Kim Richards - the pair seemed to break up in early fall, and she was linked to Scott by October.

Though he had been linked to a string of models since his three-year relationship with Sofia Richie fizzled in the summer, it seems Amelia is holding court as his current flavor.
G7 Summit: Modi to meet Donald Trump today, What to expect?

Modi at G-7 summit: PM highlights India's contribution to rein in climate change

UK invites India for G7 summit

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 17: The United Kingdom has invited India for the G7 Summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to attend the summit as a guest.

The summit will be held in the English region of Cornwall from June 11 to 14 2021.

The UK will use the G7 presidency to unite leading democracies to help the world build back from the pandemic and also a greener future.

Meanwhile, the British government has approached the US with the prospect of creating a 5G club of 10 democracies, including India, amid growing security concerns related to Chinese telecom giant Huawei, according to a UK media report.

Indian-American nominated by Biden to key US State department position

A so-called "D10" club of democratic partners, including G7 countries - UK, US, Italy, Germany, France, Japan and Canada - plus Australia, South Korea and India will aim to create alternative suppliers of 5G equipment and other technologies to avoid relying on China, 'The Times' reported.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2021, 11:39 [IST]


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Menaul Boulevard is the street you can probably find any piece of furniture you ever wanted.

Its also teeming with restaurants, hotels, retail stores and more recently, a large homeless population. But the street wasnt always known for its urban activity. Its roots can actually be traced back to the Presbyterian missions and Indian boarding schools.

Menaul Boulevard used to be named Menaul School Road in honor of Menaul School, which is still there today. The school property, according to a booklet the school handed out during a birthday celebration in 1981, consisted of dry sand, on which grew cactus and loco. It was riddled with rattlesnake holes; and shortly after the first substantial building was erected and used, it burned to the ground. One Bible was saved!

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History has not looked kindly on boarding schools of that era because they separated Native American children from their families and their culture by forcibly removing them from their reservations. One of the goals of these types of schools was to assimilate its students into dominant Anglo society, suppressing their native languages and cultures.

During its 222nd General Assembly in 2016, the Presbyterian Church issued a formal, public apology for its treatment of Native Americans in Alaska, Hawaii and the continental United States.

To understand how the school came to be, and how it was named, you have to go back to 1881. It was in that year that the government contracted the Presbyterians to start the now mostly demolished Albuquerque Indian School near 12th and Indian School NW. The school provided boarding and education for Native American children. This was the churchs first attempt at education in the Albuquerque area, and when the government took over management of the school in 1886, the Presbyterians decided to open a separate boarding school.

They purchased 200 acres along what would become Menaul Boulevard. The school only lasted four years before shuttering.

But it wasnt the end for that campus.

In 1895, Presbyterian Rev. James Menaul received funds from Presbyterian organizations to use the same campus to open a school for Spanish-speaking boys who were currently boarding at a similar school in Las Vegas, N.M.

This became what is the present-day Menaul School, named in honor of James Menaul after his death, with the road leading to it also taking on his name.

James Menaul was born in Ireland in 1842 and spent his young days farming before immigrating to the United States, although records dont indicate when that happened. He came to Albuquerque in 1881 when it only had a few thousand people. He organized the First Presbyterian Church before turning his attention to education.

The reverends time in Albuquerque was well documented in the local newspaper. An April 15, 1883, Albuquerque Journal article documents the arrival of a 750-pound bell for his church from a Presbyterian church in Troy, New York. There are other articles that talk about him performing marriages, entertaining friends, getting a visit from his brother and spending the summer of 1884 in New Jersey.

During the schools 100-year celebration, Menauls grandson, David Alexander Lawson Jr., said his grand-father knew what it was to be a true Christian.

Today Menaul Boulevard services much more than a school campus. It goes from the North Valley, where it merges with Indian School, past Tramway in the east. Its a useful road to use when traveling from one end of town to the other, although it doesnt cross the river.

The west leg of the road once ended at Sioux Street, just west of 12th. It was eventually rounded off and merged with Indian School near that location in the North Valley to allow travelers access to Rio Grande Boulevard. I always wondered why those roads came together there. There is a small spur of Menaul Boulevard there as well that was once part of the original route.

Just as the street and its usage has changed, so has the campus and the nationwide approach to education.

The goal is to preserve, not eradicate, the culture of individual students. Diversity is now a core value of Menaul School. The Presbyterian Board of National Missions gave up control of the school in 1971 and passed it to an elected board of trustees. Its currently a sixth through 12th-grade private day and boarding school. Most of its boarders are international students.

Menaul died in 1897, a year after the school opened, and is buried in Fairview Memorial Park along with many other city leaders and founders.

Curious about how a town, street or building got its name? Email staff writer Elaine Briseno at ebriseno@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3965 as she continues the monthly journey in Whats in a Name?

Editors note: The Journal continues Whats in a Name?, a twice a month column in which staff writer Elaine Briseno will give a short history of how places in New Mexico got their names.
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James Howells in Welsh offered on Jan. 15 a GBP 50 million-worth COVID-19 relief fund out of a hard drive he had dumped in 2013 that he said contains a bitcoin now worth GBP 210 million. Gettyimagesbank



A Welshman was on Friday offering local officials a GBP 50 million coronavirus relief fund if they let him search a landfill for a hard drive containing bitcoin worth GBP 210 million which he dumped in 2013.



James Howells had 7,500 units of the virtual currency on his laptop hard drive, which had been gathering dust in an office drawer after he spilled a drink on the device.



He threw the drive away during an office clearout in 2013, having forgotten that the bitcoin he acquired for a paltry sum four years earlier were still on the memory device.



Newport Council, in south Wales, has repeatedly rejected Howell's requests to be able to search the landfill, despite his offer of a cut of the bounty.



"In 2017 the value of my hard drive was approximately GBP 125 million ($171 million, 141 million euros), at which point I made them another offer of 10 percent and unfortunately that offer was refused," Howells told BBC Radio 5 Live.



The value of bitcoin has since shot up even further.



He is now willing to donate 25 percent of the value of the buried treasure to his home city for a "Covid relief fund" if he finds the hard drive.



"Imagine how great it would be to say 'I've given everyone in the city a few hundred pounds'," he told the BBC.



The council told the broadcaster its licensing laws bars any excavation.



"The cost of digging up the landfill, storing and treating the waste could run into millions of pounds without any guarantee of either finding it or it still being in working order," said a council spokeswoman.



Howells believes the search would "not be as hard as you might think" as a professional team would be able to hone in on the likely spot because he knows exactly when he threw it away. (AFP)


Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 21:23:26|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The British government is planning to end the COVID-19 lockdown in March after cabinet members agreed that waiting until the summer when most people will have been vaccinated would lead to yet more economic misery, British media reported Sunday.

British ministers are drawing up a timetable to scale back restrictions despite a government advisory committee, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), calling for delays, the Evening Standard newspaper reported.

Previously, the British cabinet has been split between those who want to open up the economy as quickly as possible and those who are more cautious and want to follow the advisory committee's advice.

Under the plans, areas will be put into lower tiers once their death rate has fallen and the number of 50-70 year olds being admitted to hospital has fallen, according to the Sunday Times newspaper.

That age group spends the most time in hospital battling the virus. A blueprint for the end of the lockdown is expected to be looked at later this week which will take into account the latest infection rates, deaths and hospitalizations, the newspaper reported.

Meanwhile, the British government believes that the biggest threat to the plan to end the lockdown as early as the beginning of March are mutant strains, which could be resistant to current vaccines, entering Britain.

Ministers have ordered plans to be drawn up for a fresh crackdown at Britain's borders to stop new variants of the coronavirus undermining the vaccination effort, according to local media reports.

Britain's coronavirus reproduction number, also known as the R number, is estimated at between 1.2 and 1.3, compared with last week's one and 1.4, the SAGE said Friday.

If the R number is above one, it means the number of cases will increase exponentially.

Britain will close all travel corridors to the country from 0400 GMT on Monday in a bid to keep out new coronavirus variants.

The new restrictions will be imposed after Britain on Thursday banned arrivals from South America, Portugal and some other countries over fears about a strain of the virus detected in Brazil. The new rules will be in place until at least Feb. 15.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines. Enditem
Georgia celebrates National Flag Day, PM Gakharia hopes that flag will fly among other EU flags soon.

By Veronika Malinboym

On the 14th of January, Georgia celebrates the National Flag Day. To mark the celebrations, Prime Minister Gakharia addressed the country with a speech. PM Gakharia expressed his hope for the Georgian flag to be raised among the flags of the EU member states in the nearest future.Georgian President Salome Zurabishivili has also congratulated everyone who has been living under the national flag for the last 30 years. She also stated that those Georgians who do not remember the flag of another country flying over Georgia cannot understand the happiness of having the symbol of Georgian independence and freedom being raised instead.The State Council of Heraldry has called upon Georgians to use this opportunity to commemorate the warriors, heroes, and prominent national figures. The current flag of Georgia was adopted by the former President Mikhail Saakashvili on January 14, 2004.The national flag of Georgia consists of a white rectangle with a large red cross in the middle and four smaller crosses on each side of the larger cross. White rectangles and four small crosses have often been used to symbolize Christ the Savior and his four evangelists. The large cross in the center of the Georgian flag is the cross of St. George, and the four smaller crosses on the sides are called the Bolnisi crosses. The white color of the flag symbolizes innocence, purity of thoughts, chastity, and wisdom, while the red- masculinity, courage, justice, and love. The flag that was used before the existing one was a three-colored red, black and white flag that was adopted for the First Democratic Republic of Georgia of 1918-1921.In order to mark the National Flag Day, the flag of Georgia was raised at all military bases of Georgian military bases, including the Vaziani Military Base and the countrys Ministry of Defence.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday asserted that except for the demand of repealing the agriculture laws, the government is ready to consider "seriously and with an open heart" other alternatives. The statement comes ahead of the tenth round of talks scheduled on January 19.

READ | Doubling farmers income biggest priority of Narendra Modi govt, says Amit Shah

Tomar also urged the protesting farmer leaders to give up their "stubborn" stand on the new agriculture laws and come for a clause by clause discussion. "Now that the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of these laws, then there is no question of being stubborn," Tomar told reporters. The government wants farmer leaders to come for clause by clause discussion at the next meeting on January 19.

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              https://t.co/RgUIQ693G9  Narendra Singh Tomar (@nstomar) January 17, 2021

Meanwhile, farmer unions protesting said that they will go ahead with their proposed tractor parade in Delhi on Republic Day. Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border protest site, union leader Yogendra Yadav said, "We will carry out a tractor parade on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi on Republic Day. The parade will be very peaceful. There will be no disruption of the Republic Day parade. The farmers will put up the national flag on their tractors."

The authorities had moved the Supreme Court seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor march or any other kind of protest by farmers which seeks to disrupt the gathering and celebrations of Republic Day on January 26. The matter is pending in court.

Another farmer union leader, Darshan Pal Singh, alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is filing cases against those who are part of the protest or supporting it. "All farmer unions condemn this," Pal said, referring to the NIA summons reportedly issued to a farmer union leader in a case related to the banned Sikhs For Justice outfit.

The Supreme Court on January 11 had stayed the implementation of the three laws till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse. Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann, however, recused from the committee last week.

Tomar said the government offered certain concessions, but the farmer leaders have not shown flexibility and were constantly demanding a repeal of the laws. He reiterated that the government makes laws for the entire country. Many farmers, experts and other stakeholders have supported the laws. Tomar, who left for his home constituency of Morena in Madhya Pradesh by Hazur Sahib Nanded-Amritsar Superfast Express, was seen sharing langar from co-passengers of Sikh community.

So far, the nine rounds of formal talks between the Centre and 41 farmer unions have failed to yield any concrete results to end the long-running protest at Delhi's borders as the latter have stuck to their main demand of a complete repeal of the three Acts.

The Supreme Court-appointed committee on the three new farm laws is scheduled to hold its first meeting on January 19 at Pusa campus in New Delhi, one of its members Anil Ghanwat said on Sunday. Apart from Ghanwat, agri-economists Ashok Gulati and Pramod Kumar Joshi are the two other panel members.

"We are meeting on January 19 at the Pusa campus. Only members will meet to decide the future course of action," Ghanwat, President of Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra), told PTI. One of the four members has backed out of the committee. If the apex court does not appoint a new member, the existing members will continue, he said.

The committee has received the terms of reference and will begin the work from January 21 onwards, he added. Asked about the government holding parallel talks with protesting farmer unions after the setting up of the SC panel, he said, "We have no issue if a solution is found and the protests end from either (efforts of) our panel or from the government's separate talks with the protesting farmer unions." "Let (Government) them continue the discussion, we have been given a duty and we will focus on that," he added.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday the pleas relating to the controversial farm laws and the ongoing farmers' protest at Delhi borders. It may take into account the matter of recusal of the member from the panel. The top court would also hear the plea of the central government, filed though the Delhi Police, seeking an injunction against a proposed tractor march or any other kind of protest by farmers that may disrupt the Republic Day celebrations on January 26.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at various border points of Delhi for over a month now demanding the repeal of the three laws -- the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act.

Enacted in September 2020, the central government has presented these laws as major farm reforms aimed at increasing farmers' income, but the protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislations would weaken the minimum support price (MSP) and "mandi" (wholesale market) systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporations. The government has maintained that these apprehensions are misplaced and has ruled out a repeal of the laws.

with additional inputs from news agency PTI

On Sunday, March 21, 1965, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. marched with 3,200 voter rights activists from Selma to Montgomery. That evening, the pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church preached a famous sermon titled On Ministers and Marchers. The preacher asserted that he would find it impossible to stop preaching the pure, saving gospel of Jesus Christ and begin doing anything else, including ... participating in Civil Rights Reforms.

That pastors name was Jerry Falwell Sr., evangelical stalwart and founder of Liberty University. He maintained this apolitical posture until the late 1970s, when he founded the Moral Majority Movement, perhaps the most influential post Civil Rights Movement political coalition. Rev. King and Jerry Falwell Sr. had very different ideas about what Christians and Christian institutions should prioritize.

American Christianity has had difficulty deciding on its values, or more rightly stated, admitting to itself what it actually values. We recite creeds to assure ourselves of our goodness. We tell ourselves convenient myths to absolve ourselves of the blame for societys failures. And despite our professions, weve yet to create a society where the thorns of our institutions do not choke out justice and equality, a world where compassion and fairness thrive.

Whenever outbursts of danger invade our psyche and threaten our sense of innocence and material stability, danger we usually reserve for those we deem unworthy of security, we call for healing. At the same time, we desperately cling to the very values making us sick and causing danger in the first place. When our failures produce civil unrest, we tell ourselves our favorite lie: This is not who we are!

Our values and culture produce our laws and political order: poverty and economic insecurity for the working families; inequality and injustice for marginal communities. Political upheaval and violent insurrection occur as an outgrowth of our collective values, not despite them.

This is who we are.

We, both our nation and our churches, can no longer afford to lie to ourselves. The lies hurt. They hurt the communities we have told lies about for centuries. They also hurt the people who believe them, people materially harmed by our social failures who are compelled to look for scapegoats and simple answers. Our political crisis is not partisan but moral, one as old as America itself. This year, lets celebrate Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by celebrating the Christian values that animated his activism and heeding the truths he spoke.

Rev. Kings critique of Americas social and economic hierarchy was rooted in his Christian theology. Unfortunately, his activism was met with skepticism and outright denunciation, especially in Christian circles. Many Americans found Kings influence threatening, not inspiring. After delivering the, I Have a Dream speech, the FBI concluded that Rev. King was the most dangerous negro in America. Rev. Kings Christianity is not Americas Christianity.

Rev. King believed that compassion and inclusion were the organizing principles for the Gospel and for authentically Christian communities. For King, the Beloved Community was Gods desired social arrangement. In the Beloved Community, each person and their needs are treated as sacred; it rejects every immoral social system which relies on an exploitable or disposable class to function. Poverty, hunger, and disregard cannot exist in Beloved Communities. This guiding theological premise animated the preachers activism.

King was not interested in tilting the power structure in favor of Black people, but rather to expose Americas moral failures and point a way forward for all people. Although racial justice highlights the work of Rev. King, his understanding of economic stratification and exploitation was robust and inclusive. King famously asserted, all labor has dignity. This pronouncement admonished the indignities we have imposed onto all of our working poor, irrespective of race, gender, or sexual orientation.

Rev. King was a fierce proponent of national healthcare for all and a federal jobs guarantee. He fought for labor rights and decent wages for every worker. Rev. King was dismayed by our penchant to take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few. In Kings view, a Christian community is a Beloved Community, where all people can share in the wealth of the earth, where societies will not tolerate poverty, hunger, and homelessness. This has never been Americas Christianity.

Even as we appropriate Rev. Kings name, words, and legacy, deep down, we each know that the world King fought to create threatens us - we dont want that world.

Creating that world would first require us to lose our sense of innocence. It would mean acknowledging that institutions and ideas we draw self-identity from are fundamentally flawed, perhaps even immoral. Our self-delusions prevent us from coming to terms with who we are as a nation.

In America, where race is a modality for delivering class placement, we contrive lies to maintain our sense of innocence. We tell ourselves that Black people are trapped in generational poverty cycles because Black fathers are inherently deficient. We tell ourselves that Black people dont have a proportional distribution of Americas wealth because Black people dont value education or hard work. We tell ourselves that immigrants rob the deserving of jobs and undermine our culture.

People who are not racial or ethnic minorities but have still borne much of the weight of our societys failures have come to view ethnic minorities as their problems rather than their allies. When wages stagnate, and economic mobility grinds to a halt, we tell working-class White people to blame minorities to avoid confronting our uncomfortable reality.

American Christians have a choice to make. How will we respond to the Christianity King espoused? Will we confront the uncomfortable truths about our society? Will we move past symbolic gestures of reconciliation toward material repair? Will we work to create a world where poverty, injustice, and violence seem stranger to us than a federal jobs guarantee and universal living wages?

Or will we continue to reject a pathway toward healing because it would mean first acknowledging that we are sick? Will we continue to celebrate Rev. Kings while declining to learn the lessons he sought to teach us?
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The (ED) has arrested two Chinese nationals in connection with its probe that it registered last year in August, officials said on Sunday.

An ED official related to probe told IANS, "ED arrested Luo Sang aka Charlie Peng and Carter Lee arrested on Friday under Prevention of Act (PMLA)."

The official said that Peng and Lee are accused of running a huge hawala operation for Chinese companies through hundreds of shell companies.

The official said that they were produced before a court on Saturday and sent to ED custody for 14 days.

The agency has registered a case of against them in August last year after the Income Tax department had carried out raids and claimed Peng and other Chinese nationals were running a huge hawala operation.

They were also accused of running an espionage racket. The Delhi Police has also registered a case against them.

--IANS

aks/rs/

(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.)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-18 01:36:16|Editor: huaxia

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People wearing face masks walk into the Vaccination Center at ExCel exhibition center in London, Britain, Jan. 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

To date, Britain has recorded a total of 3,395,959 coronavirus cases and 89,261 deaths, according to the official figures.

LONDON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Another 38,598 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, the lowest daily increase since the start of the year, according to official figures released Sunday.

The daily figure, down from 41,346 reported on Saturday, brought the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,395,959, the data showed.

Another 671 have died within 28 days of a positive test. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 89,261.

The figures revealed during the weekend are usually lower due to the delay in reporting in some regions.

Meanwhile, Britain is racing against time to roll out its vaccine program to bring the pandemic under control.

A man receives the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Hyde Leisure Center in Greater Manchester, Britain, on Jan. 7, 2021. (Photo by Jon Super/Xinhua)

According to Simon Stevens, chief executive of National Health Service (NHS) England, people in England are being vaccinated four times faster than new cases of the virus are being detected.

About 140 people a minute are now being given the first jab of the two doses, he told the BBC.

The NHS remains in a very precarious position, with 75 percent more COVID-19 patients than at the April peak, he added.

Earlier Sunday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said every adult in Britain is expected to receive at least one dose of a vaccine by September.

However, with deaths and cases remaining high, it is believed that Britain will still be under tight restrictions for the next few months.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A person wearing a face mask sits next to an advertising board reading "Stay Home Save Lives" at a bus stop in London, Britain, Jan. 10, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced that the first presidential and parliamentary elections since 2006 will be held later this year. But the road to the vote  key to advancing Palestinian statehood and mending a rift between Abbas Fatah party and the Islamic militant group Hamas  is littered with obstacles.

Parliamentary elections are to be held on May 22, followed by a presidential vote on July 31. The rival factions will meet in Egypt later this month, hoping to work out logistics and settle their differences before election campaigns kick off.

With the aging Abbas at the helm in the West Bank, and Hamas rule entrenched in the Gaza Strip, there are many outstanding questions. Heres a look at the complications surrounding a Palestinian election:

WHY NOW?

The Palestinians endured four tough years under President Donald Trump, who largely sided with Israel, prompting the Palestinians to cut off ties with the administration. Trump also brokered deals to establish ties between Israel and four Arab countries, shattering a longstanding wall of Arab opposition to normalization with Israel until it made major concessions to the Palestinians. The Trump administration cut funding to the Palestinians, further weakening their position.

While President-elect Joe Biden is likely to take a more balanced approach, he is expected to direct his attention first to more urgent foreign policy issues, such as the Iran nuclear deal. Abbas apparently hopes to start the relationship with the Biden administration on good terms by meeting the Wests long-standing demand that he hold overdue elections. Abbas may also have felt pressure from the European Union, one of the most important backers of his self-rule government, the Palestinian Authority. Similar pressure appears to have been exerted by Turkey and Qatar on Hamas.

CHALLENGES AHEAD

Hamas and Fatah have spent years trying to reconcile after a split more than a decade ago. Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by Israel and Western countries, won the last parliamentary elections in 2006, but the international community largely refused to deal with any government that included Hamas figures.

After fierce street battles, Hamas routed Fatah forces and seized power in Gaza in 2007. It retained control of the territory despite an Israeli-Egyptian blockade. Numerous attempts to bring the factions together have failed, with terms for holding elections a major sticking point. Both sides have been unwilling to cede power and compromise  and its not clear whether attitudes have changed. In Gaza, Hamas has created its own government bureaucracy, along with an armed wing and a stockpile of rockets aimed at Israel. Abbas, who oversees autonomous zones in the West Bank, opposes violence as a means of ending more than half a century of Israeli occupation.

An additional roadblock is the uncertainty about holding the vote in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, sought by Palestinians as a future capital. Israel captured east Jerusalem, home to about 300,000 Palestinians, in the 1967 Mideast war, along with Gaza and the West Bank. Israel considers all of Jerusalem as its capital. While Israel permitted voting there under a less hard-line government in 2006, it could now view a vote as undermining its control and block it. Palestinian Central Election Commission chief Hanna Nasser said Saturday that officials have asked Israel about allowing voting in east Jerusalem. Abbas has said it is essential for such voting to take place.

QUESTIONS REMAIN

Abbas, 85, has led the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization since the death of Yasser Arafat in 2004. While he has repeatedly said he would not seek another term as president, he has not groomed a successor. Its possible that he will run again. Several senior Fatah members in their 60s and 70s consider themselves as potential candidates, but no clear favorite has emerged. Marwan Barghouti, a leader of the second Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation, has done well in opinion polls, but is serving multiple life terms in an Israeli prison, complicating any candidacy.

A challenger from Hamas is also up in the air. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who led the groups electoral list in the 2006 vote, left Gaza in 2019 for what was billed a regional tour, never to return.

Haniyeh, who now leads the movements decision-making body, was for years the groups self-styled prime minister, running Gaza during the blockade and three wars with Israel. As a candidate and later head of the territorys government, Haniyeh portrayed himself as an average person still living in the crowded al-Shati refugee camp on the edge of Gaza City, but that image did not last long. People in Gaza, many poor and jobless because of the blockade that was imposed in response to Hamas policies, whispered about Haniyehs rumored wealth. Since he left Gaza, images of his often luxurious stays in hotel suites in Qatar have leaked online, a jarring contrast to the grim reality of Gazas 2 million people.

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Turkish police Saturday detained 220 suspects across 50 cities as part of the country's biggest operation in its history against fuel-related tax evasion.

Turkey's interior ministry said the security forces carried on searches at 242 points, including 170 fuel stations and 23 fuel distribution companies, one station technical support firm, two automation software firms, and an affiliated branch.

The suspects deleted at least 608 million liters of fuel from ledgers of gas stations by tampering in the automation control systems, said the written statement.

They financially damaged the government, allegedly causing a 15 billion Turkish lira (over 2 billion U.S. dollars) loss of tax over five years.
Meanwhile, the family moved from Sydney's Manly to Balmain to be closer to specialist healthcare and because Brown believed the inner west would offer Olivia a better sense of belonging. Olivia also began an at-times frustrating journey through the medical system, which has been the subject of significant debate over what treatments should be made available to children and teens and when. Olivia with her dog Serena. Credit:Louie Douvis Community support The Australian community overwhelmingly supports transgender people, according to a national survey of more than 1000 people commissioned by Equality Australia and conducted by YouGov.

Loading Only 3 per cent of survey respondents identified as transgender and fewer than one in 10 said they knew a transgender person well. Yet 78 per cent of Australians - including 75 per cent of religious people - agree that transgender people deserved the same rights and protections as other Australians, the survey found. Among those who know someone who is transgender, support rises to 93 per cent. Equality Australia chief executive Anna Brown (no relation to Lyndsay) says this does not surprise her. "Another lesson from the marriage equality campaign was that you don't vote or support a cause because of a 'what' - usually, it's because of a 'who'," Anna Brown says. "It's very much about your emotional connection with people you know and people you at least can relate to." Ryan Phillips, 41, a trans man and Equality Australia board member, says community attitudes have changed "a heck of a lot" since his childhood in regional Western Australia and since he transitioned in Melbourne in his late 20s.

Phillips says he has built new, more positive relationships with his family now but at the time, some of them found it very difficult. "There was no awareness of it, and being trans was considered to be very shameful," he says. "I know that there is now support available for families with trans young people and children - this should make it an easier path for families to tread." Health care hurdles While Olivia enjoyed her family's support, she faced struggles with health care and schooling. An anonymous mother recently wrote a controversial opinion column for The Sun-Herald about her struggle to accept her child as a trans boy and her belief that some teenagers were expressing interest in transitioning because it had become "fashionable".

Olivia finds that idea ludicrous, arguing there are no advantages to being trans and that health care treatment for trans children and teenagers was heavily dependent on their age. If anything she believes health professionals are too cautious because of their fear of being sued. "There should be more of an openness to actually believe people," she says. Olivia had to see a psychiatrist, psychologist and an endocrinologist (a specialist in hormones). With her parents' permission, she was able to access puberty blockers at 13, delaying the onset of puberty and the development of male secondary sex characteristics. The family had to fight to get Olivia access to hormone replacement therapy but about two years later she was put on oestrogen, and is really happy with its effects. Gender reassignment surgery is not available for minors but she plans to have it when she turns 18. Olivia has enjoyed the full support of her family, but obtaining medical treatment was sometimes difficult. Credit:Louie Douvis Equality Australia found three out of four Australians believe that health services that treat and support transgender patients should be available for everyone who needs them. But only about half believe the cost should be covered by Medicare.

NSW Health said there were two public specialist services for transgender and gender diverse patients in NSW; one for children and adolescents at the Children's Hospital Westmead and one at John Hunter Children's Hospital in Newcastle, which also treats adults. Non-government organisations including ACON and The Gender Centre also provide information, resources and support for trans and gender diverse people. Disrupted schooling Meanwhile, Olivia was also facing problems at school. She moved schools four times during year 7 and 8 and she still has nightmares about changing schools. Her first high school was a selective boys' school - she knew she did not belong but was yet to come out. Next came a co-ed private Anglican school but once she came out as trans, the school made it clear they wanted her to leave, telling the family they did not have the "right" toilets and would feel obliged to write to all families and inform them a trans student was at the school, which could cause bullying. Olivia says she has found a new normal in her life. Credit: Louie Douvis

Olivia started year 8 at a co-ed public high school in the inner west where the staff were supportive but unable to stop awful bullying by boys. Later that year she finally landed at her current school, a co-ed secular private school with supportive teachers, where she has made good friends. Olivia said it made a big difference that the school explicitly taught students about LGBTIQ+ issues and she would like to see that become more widespread. Equality Australia found two out of three Australians believe that religious schools should not be able to fire a staff member or expel a student for being transgender. Women are more likely to believe this than men, at 71 per cent versus 60 per cent. Even among those who identify as very or somewhat religious, 60 per cent believe religious schools should not be able to fire someone or expel a student for being transgender. For those who are not at all religious, this rose to 74 per cent.

Feminist debates Some feminists - who call themselves "gender critical" and are labelled by others as "trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs)" - argue women and girls are discriminated against because of their biological sex rather than their gender identity and therefore need rights, protections and services - such as women's refuges and group therapy for rape survivors - on this basis. Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling sparked a furore last year when she argued along these lines. They argue gender itself is not real but merely a "social construct" and criticise the trans movement for reinforcing gender conformity by supposedly promoting the idea that a boy who likes feminine things is really a girl, and vice versa. Lyndsay Brown, Olivia's mother, rejects these arguments as discriminatory and also overblown, given transgender people represent just 1-3 per cent of the population.

"I used to believe gender was a social construct but as I've grown older and especially with a trans daughter, I've come to see that it's just really not that simple," she says. Loading Olivia's view is that gender stereotypes come from wider society rather than transgender people and points out gender identity is not the same thing as gender expression. For example, her interests in carpentry and video games are stereotypically masculine and most of her friends are male. "Ultimately, that doesn't matter because that's not what gender really is," Olivia says. "I don't have to do stereotypical feminine things to be a woman and the same goes for cis women as well." ("Cis" describes the opposite of being trans, where your gender identity matches your biological sex or the gender assigned at birth). Nor does she think surgery should be the deciding factor, such as the stance of McIver Ladies Baths in Coogee that only transgender women who have undergone surgery are allowed in. Olivia finds this "a sexist idea because it boils men and women down to their genitals".

Lyndsay Brown says parents are sometimes worried that offering support or affirmation for a trans or gender-questioning child could reinforce a false belief. She believes the opposite is true - that giving a child a safe space to explore their gender identity will help them figure out the truth, as well as boost the child's mental health and wellbeing. Olivia says her family has been supportive in her journey. Credit:Louie Douvis She also wants parents to know that there is a "new normal" waiting for them. "When your child initially comes out, it feels so intense and so challenging but over time that passes and life becomes normal again in a different kind of way," Lyndsay Brown says. For Olivia, coming out was "removing the first barricade to helping myself become happier and get to a better place".
More details have emerged in the murder of a nine-year-old San Francisco boy, allegedly by his father.

Pierce OLoughlin, 9, and his father Stephen O'Loughlin, 49, were found dead in the Marina District on Wednesday, San Francisco police said. Officers arrived at the 3800 block of Scott Street for a well-being check in the late afternoon and discovered both individuals deceased. Police are investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported the check was requested by Pierce's mother, Lesley Hu, who divorced O'Loughlin in 2016. Of late, Hu was in the midst of a legal battle with Stephen O'Loughlin over Pierce's health care. Lorie Nachlis, an attorney for Hu, said Stephen O'Loughlin's untreated mental illness manifested partly in a paranoia about vaccinations and an general obsession with Pierce's health.

"I think it is undeniable that Pierces father suffered from untreated mental illness which resulted in his taking the life of his son and his own life," Nachlis said in a statement.

"Pierce wasnt killed because of a disagreement over a stuffy nose, and he wasnt killed over a disagreement regarding vaccinations," Nachlis told KRON. "He was killed for more complex reasons."

The Chronicle reports court filings from September 2020 show Hu's increasing concern about O'Loughlin's obsession with Pierce's health. According to one filing, Hu said O'Loughlin joined a "new-age, self-help group" in 2012 and became convinced the government was using mind-control on civilians.

"(OLoughlins) stance on vaccinations has taken on a cult-like tone," the Chronicle reports Hu wrote.

Hu was reportedly trying to get Pierce vaccinated, over the objections of his father, and the pair had a future court date over the dispute.

"He punished Leslie with the ultimate act of violence, killing her child, and she will suffer as I believe was intended for the rest of her life," Nachlis told KRON.

A police investigation is ongoing.

If you are in distress, call the National Suicide Prevention hotline 24 hours a day at 800-273-8255, or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org for more resources.
The coronavirus cases in China on January 16 shot past the 100-mark for the first time in 10 months with 109 new infections, according to the global Worldometer tally. Reports of multiple spread emerged prompting the health commission to resort to emergency measures in the impacted areas, putting 28 million people under strict lockdown. In a statement, China's National Health Commission informed that at least 144 new COVID-19 cases were recorded on January 14, up from 103 tallied previously in the 24 hours before that. Of the total cases then, 82 were detected in Hebei province, with a significant spike in the Shijiazhuang and Xingtai cities. Heilongjiang province, with Guangxi and Shaanxi provinces each, recorded 43 new cases.

According to sources of Anadolu Agency, with the onslaught of new cases, Beijing tightened the security around the capital, halting the traffic passage on one of the busiest highways for containment of the virus spread. Chinese authorities warned people confined at homes of detentions for flouting the COVID-related restrictions, as the city entered the lockdown. Chinese daily Global Times reported that at least two were arrested leaking epidemiological investigation information and government data of COVID-19 contacts as the communist nation hit a total of 87,536 confirmed cases of the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, early December 2019.

Read: China's SinoVac Efficacy Remains Inconsistent, COVID-19 Cases Surge In The Country

Read: Japanese PM Says China Won't Be Able To Join Trans-Pacific Partnership Under Xi Jinping

Covid strain on beef, auto parts, ice cream

Recently, authorities in Tianjin Municipality found strains of the SARS-CoV-2 on the samples of ice cream in northern China, as it may have transmitted from the person carrying the pathogen. Rigorous contact tracing and isolating those at the ice cream outlet was commenced to mitigate further disease transmission. Earlier, Chinas COVID-19 prevention and control office found coronavirus on the auto part packaging across several parts in China. This came after an employee at an auto firm contracted the virus. According to Chinas state-run press Xinhua, Chinas Center for disease control and prevention detected the virus on the auto tire packaging in the city of Jincheng, north China's Shanxi Province. The country had previously detected the coronavirus strain on the packaging of a batch of beef imported from Brazil. Wuhan Municipal Health Commission had confirmed at least three positive coronavirus samples detected on the outer packaging of frozen, boneless Brazilian beef.

Read: China Unlikely To Achieve 2035 Economic Goals As Xi Jinping Prioritises Repression: Expert

Read: 'Continue To Play Active Role': Xi Jinping Urges Starbucks To Help Promote China-US Ties
Jaipur, Jan 17 : A total of six persons were killed and seven injured in Rajasthan's Jalore district when a bus caught fire after coming in contact with a high tension wire of 11,000 volts, police said on Sunday.

The bus was on its way to Ajmer (and Beowar situated near it) from Nakoda pilgrimage on Saturday late night when the incident happened. The bus apparently lost its way while following the google map and reached a small village.

While making its way through the narrow lanes of the village, the bus came into contact with the high tension wire.

The conductor tried to remove the high tension wire, however the current soon passed into the bus through him, leaving six persons dead as the bus caught fire.

The deceased include the driver and the conductor Seven of the injured were rushed to Jalore district hospital while the other injured were sent home after preliminary treatment.

Police officials told IANS that Jain families were on their way back to Ajmer and Beowar after offering prayers in the Nakoda temple. However, while following the Google map, the bus reached the Maheshpura village, seven kilometers from Jalore and was followed by another bus.

While one bus caught fire, the other bus following it stopped and passengers from this bus rushed to help after seeing the tragic accident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed their grief over the accident.
The European Union and the US should "pause" a long-running tariff disagreement to allow the issue to be resolved, France's foreign minister suggested Sunday.

A 16-year spat over aircraft subsidies has turned increasingly sour under the Donald Trump administration, expanding to other products and sectors, and France's suggestion comes ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration in the coming week.

"The issue that poisons everyone is that of the price increases and taxes on steel, digital technology, Airbus and particularly our wine sector," said foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche.

"If we could quickly find a method to settle this dispute with Europe and France, that would be a step forward," he said. "It may take time but, in the meantime, we can always order a pause."

At the end of the year, Washington announced new tariffs on aircraft parts, wine, cognac and brandies from France and Germany, adding to a long list of EU products subject to 25 percent duties since 2019.

The US said the move was in retaliation for tariffs the EU imposed in November, which it considers unjustified and calculated unfairly.

The latest tariffs go into effect some days after the end of Trump's term.

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US President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday nominated an Indian American diplomat, who had quit the foreign service in 2018 in protest against the policies of President Donald Trump, to a key State Department position. Uzra Zeya has been nominated to be Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, according to key nominations for the Department of State announced by Biden.

Wendy R. Sherman has been nominated to be Deputy Secretary of State, Brian McKeon as Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources, Bonnie Jenkins to be Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs and Victoria Nuland to be Under Secretary for Political Affairs. This diverse and accomplished team, led by Secretary of State-designate Tony Blinken, embodies my core belief that America is strongest when it works with our allies," Biden said.

"Collectively, they have secured some of the most defining national security and diplomatic achievements in recent memory and I am confident that they will use their diplomatic experience and skill to restore America's global and moral leadership. America is back, he said. Uzra Zeya served most recently as CEO and President of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, where she drew on over two decades of diplomatic experience in Near East, South Asian, European, human rights, and multilateral affairs.

Also read: Biden Outlines 'Day One' Agenda Of Executive Actions

As Charg d'Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Paris from 2014 to 2017, she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Embassy, six constituent posts, and 50 offices and agencies engaged in U.S. government work. She quit against Trump's policies in September 2018.

Up to now, Foggy Bottom's upper echelons are looking whiter, more male and less like America, Zeya wrote in Politico in September 2018 alleging that the State Department under the Trump Administration was facing racial and gender bias. In my own case, I hit the buzz saw that Team Trump wielded against career professionals after leading the US Embassy in Paris through three major terrorist attacks over three years and after planning President Trump's Bastille Day visit, she wrote.

She said that upon returning to Washington, she was blocked from a series of senior-level jobs with no explanation. "In two separate incidents, however, colleagues told me that a senior State official opposed candidates for leadership positions myself and an African-American female officer on the basis that we would not pass the 'Breitbart test', she wrote in Politico.

From 2012 to 2014, Zeya served as Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour. She joined the Foreign Service in 1990, serving in New Delhi, Muscat, Damascus, Cairo, and Kingston. From 2011 to 2012, she was Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of State and helped shape the U.S. response to the Arab Spring and worked to deepen U.S. engagement with emerging powers.

Zeya has also served as Deputy Executive Secretary to the Secretary of State, Director of the Executive Secretariat Staff, and as UN General Assembly Coordinator. She is a recipient of the Legion d'honneur, France's highest civilian honour, a Presidential Rank Award, and 15 Superior Honour and Senior Performance Awards. She is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

On the key State Department nominations announced by Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said, This remarkable team of distinguished diplomats and seasoned leaders reflects the very best of our nation. Secretary of State-designate Tony Blinken said, To meet this moment, we need a Department of State that looks like America, led by diverse women and men who will be unafraid to challenge the status quo. "That is this team. America at its best still has a greater capacity than any other country on earth to mobilize others to meet the challenges of our time. These passionate, energetic, deeply experienced nominees will help keep our people and our country safe, secure, and prosperous.
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It may have attempted to define relationships, friendships and metropolitan glamour in Noughties America.

But while there was sex in Sex And The City, there certainly wasnt much diversity.

Now the eagerly anticipated reboot of the popular series is about to abandon its all-white cast in attempt to update the show for modern sensitivities.

Producers on the 8 million, ten-part series, which will start filming in the summer, have vowed to make the show as racially diverse and colourful as New York city itself.

The eagerly anticipated reboot of Sex And The City is about to abandon its all-white cast in attempt to update the show for modern sensitivities. Pictured: Sex And The City stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Hudson

Cynthia Nixon (left) Kristin Davis (second left), and Sarah Jessica Parker (second right), all 55, will reprise their roles as Miranda, Charlotte and Carrie. Samantha, played by Kim Cattrall (right), will not appear in the reboot

Man-eating Samantha, played by Kim Cattrall, will not feature in the new version, called And Just Like That. Instead, there will be two new characters  a strong, powerful African-American woman and another from an Asian background.

Last night a source close to the production told The Mail on Sunday: Its ridiculous that life in a melting-pot like New York was portrayed solely through the eyes of white women.

Man-eating Samantha, played by Kim Cattrall (pictured), will not feature in the new version, called And Just Like That

'Samantha isnt coming back but we are introducing two new characters, strong and feisty women of colour, who will help introduce the show to a new generation of viewers and more accurately reflect the world we live in.

The source added: Its time for the show to reflect the faces and lives of real women in New York in 2021.

The original series, featuring Sarah Jessica Parker as lovelorn journalist Carrie Bradshaw, became a huge hit but notably ignored the issue of race.

One of the only black characters was the lowly assistant Louise from St Louis, played by Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson.

Miss Parker, 55, is reported to be earning more than 1 million to return to the show, which first aired in the UK on Channel 4 in 1999.

Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, 55, will reprise their roles as Miranda and Charlotte.

Miss Nixon, 54, has said her one regret is that the original show, which spawned two hit movies, did not include characters from racially diverse backgrounds.

British-born Cattrall, 64, turned down the opportunity to make a third film in 2016, amid reports of a rift with Miss Parker.

The show source said: The first series followed the girls in their 20s Now they are in their 50s so life is somewhat different. The one thing that will never change is their love of great shoes.
The Shiv Sena said on Sunday that it will take part in the the hotly contested Assembly elections in West Bengal this year. The announcement was made by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Twitter.

Raut, who is also the editor of the party mouthpiece Saamana, said, "So, here is the much awaited update. After discussions with Party Chief Shri Uddhav Thackeray, Shivsena has decided to contest the West Bengal Assembly Elections. We are reaching Kolkata soon...!! Jai Hind,   !"

The party had contested the recently held Bihar elections, but did not manage to win many votes. The Senas plank for the elections in West Bengal is going to be its traditional stand of Hindutva.

While Raut did not specify the number of seats the Sena will contest in West Bengal, he said a meeting was underway to discuss the nitty-gritties of the contest. "All I can say is discussion with Uddhav Thackeray ji has been done. And we will go to West Bengal soon," he said.

Elections to the 294-member state assembly are due in April-May. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government's term gets over by May-end. The BJP is going all out in its bid to dislodge the ruling camp in the state, while the Congress is working out a seat-sharing arrangement with the Left Front that had been overthrown by Banerjees party after a 34-year-old rule in 2011.

The Sena is in power in Maharashtra along with the NCP and Congress under the aegis of Maha Vikas Aghadi.
(Global Times) A senior official at the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday thanked China for its cooperation in carrying out the WHO-led global investigation into the origin of the novel coronavirus, while stressing that the probe is complex and difficult to reach final answer.





WHO experts have arrived in Wuhan, Central Chinas Hubei Province, and will work with the Chinese team to try to find out the scientific answers to the origin of the coronavirus, Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said at a Friday press conference.

We do thank our colleagues in China for working with us to achieve this. These things are not easy to achieve... there is no guarantee for answers. We see the same in previous epidemic emergencies. It is a difficult task to fully establish the origins, Ryan said, noting that sometimes, it will take various attempts.

An expert team from the WHO arrived in Wuhan on Thursday and checked into their designated hotel for quarantine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian confirmed at media briefing on Friday.

According to Ryan, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus discussed investigation into the origin of the virus as early as February 2020 during his visit to China. An advance team of WHO experts also visited China in July 2020 to set up the tasks for the probe mission.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHOs technical lead on COVID-19, said at the same press conference on Friday that the world may never find patient zero, which was usually used to indicate the initial case.

Yang Zhanqiu, a virologist from Wuhan University, agreed with Kerkhove, but he noted that despite this, the epidemiological investigation into the first ten cases still could help to figure out how the virus transmitted and even where it came from.

For example, the epidemiological investigation can show whether these people have traveled overseas. If so, it may be possible that they got infected during their overseas trip and an investigation into the destination of their travels should be followed up, Yang explained.


After a promise from the Trump administration that it would release a stockpile of reserved coronavirus vaccine doses, several states were expecting a huge boost in doses. Some followed federal guidance to expand eligibility to wider swaths of people.

But that promise turned out to be too good to be true  most of the stockpile had already been shipped out. And now those states are scrambling, finding themselves just as mired in the morass of the countrys beleaguered vaccine distribution as they were before.

Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon, expecting the additional doses, opened vaccine registration to people in the state 65 and older, as well as educators and child care providers. Now, she said in a news release, the states plan to start vaccinating all of its older residents will be delayed by two weeks.

The confusion began Tuesday, with a statement by Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of the health and human services department, who chided states for not efficiently using their vaccines and urged them to open up eligibility to people 65 and older, as well as to tens of millions of adults with medical conditions that put them at higher risk of dying from coronavirus infection.
Three Turkmen border guards were killed when their military helicopter crashed into a high-voltage power transmission tower near the border with Iran, eyewitnesses said.

The crash took place late January 14 near the village of Yashlyk, located some 60 kilometers from the capital, Ashgabat.

A border guard officer, who spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity, said all three on board the helicopter were killed, including a captain.

Eyewitnesses told RFE/RL that they believed that the military helicopter crashed due to dense fog and poor visibility.

Turkmen authorities have not commented on the crash.

Officials in the tightly controlled Central Asian nation rarely announce the deaths of military personnel.
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North Wales Police Federation wants officers to be given some vaccine priority

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jan 17th, 2021

North Wales Police Federation wants officers to be given some vaccine priority, claiming they face a greater risk of contracting Covid than the general public.

Sent by the federations general secretary to all North Wales Senedd members and distributed on social media on Thursday, the letter outlines the risks frontline officers face in the line of duty.

It asks Senedd Members to lobby Welsh Government to give officers some priority for the vaccine  a called echoed by Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones.

The communication also highlighted the threat of infection police staff face due to the sheer number of people ignoring lockdown rules and travelling to North Wales beauty spots.





Officers are facing risks to the infection three to four times higher than the general public area experiencing, the letter claims.

From dealing with illegal gatherings, such as disorder or parties, to dealing with sudden Covid-related deaths and domestic violence issues, the federation claims police face constant threats to their health from the virus.

A petition with more than 10,000 signatories, calling on Welsh Government to put police on the prioritisation list for Covid-19 vaccination, has been lodged with the Senedd.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: We are following the priority groups set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and all people in the highest priority groups will be immunised as safely and as soon as possible.

In his letter to Senedd Members NW Police Federation general secretary Mark Jones said: We represent over 1,500 brave, hard working and dedicated police officers in North Wales.

Throughout this period since Covid-19 gripped our communities, the vast majority of police officers have had no option but to continue working.

Sadly, in North Wales, we have seen many colleagues who have become unwell with Covid-19 and many more having to self isolate.

Many of my members have passionately described their fears in bringing Covid-19 back to their family homes and thus putting their loved ones at significant risk of contracting this deadly virus.

Whilst I appreciate the vaccine programme is ramping up and being rolled out furtherpolicing does not feature and appears to have not been considered for some priority.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones backed the call from the local Police Federation.

He said: Being a police officer can be a difficult and dangerous job at the best of times.

Every time they go on duty, officers know they could potentially be putting their lives on the line and the pandemic has added another layer of risk, especially as a result of the new variant of Covid-19 thats even more infectious.

Officers have also had to contend with the vile additional threat from a small minority of offenders spitting or coughing in their faces, saying they are infected with coronavirus.

Like the Police Federation, I am disappointed that frontline officers are not considered to be one of the priority groups as part of the vaccination programme.

I too am calling on the Welsh Government to put this right by including police officers among those given priority to receive a jab so they can continue to protect our communities across North Wales during the pandemic.

Mark Jones said reports in the media last weekend showed the sheer number of people travelling to North Wales beauty spots and the risks of engaging with the public cannot be completely mitigated against.

He added: As our elected representatives in the Senedd it is our request that you communicate to the Welsh Government the strong feelings and our position that policing must be considered for some priority on the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

By Jez Hemming  BBC Local Democracy Reporter
Due to the new Covid-19 variant, the Philippine government has extended the temporary ban for foreign nationals until January 31. During this period, only Filipino citizens will be accepted on flights from Dubai, Hong Kong, Nagoya (Japan), Singapore, and Seoul (South Korea).

Cebu Pacific will not accept foreign nationals who originated from, transited via, or visited within 14 days prior to arrival in the Philippines, any of the 34 countries specified by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

Passengers affected by the temporary ban may avail of any of the following options:

 Free rebooking within 90 days  waived rebooking fee and fare difference

 Full travel fund, valid for two years

 Full refund

In compliance with IATF regulations, Filipinos who wish to proceed with their travel plans will be subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine at an accredited facility upon arrival in Manila.

Cebu Pacific will continue to operate its domestic and international flights as scheduled. Before going to the airport, passengers are advised to check the real-time status of flights on the website. - TradeArabia News Service
Little-known fintech company Jaja Finance has apologised to credit card customers who were mistakenly hit with 12 late payment fees over the Christmas period.

The London-based company, which last year took over the credit card business of Bank of Ireland in a 530million deal, says that a 'small minority' of customers were affected by the computer glitch.

This meant  somewhat bizarrely  that some customers were hit with a penalty charge before their regular direct debit payment was taken in December.

Glitch: Last year, Jaja took over the credit card business of Bank of Ireland in a 530million deal

On Friday, Jaja, which was set up five years ago by Norwegian entrepreneurs, told The Mail on Sunday: 'We are very sorry that some customers were incorrectly charged.

'All affected customers have been identified, and charges applied incorrectly have been refunded. There is no impact to customers' credit scores.'

In addition, credit card holders have been sent emails telling them that minimum payments were due which had already been paid, and that new direct debits had been set up when they hadn't been.

Some customers have also had 'teething issues' downloading the Jaja app that allows them to manage their cards online.

Under the Bank of Ireland deal, Jaja took control of Post Office and AA-branded cards.
Erin Molan's appearance on a British breakfast show has left fans wondering if she has secretly married her fiance Sean Ogilvy.

Earlier this month, the reporter was being interview on Good Morning Britain - and when Sean was referred to as her 'husband' Erin did not correct the assumption.

Erin was on the show discussing new anti-trolling laws in Australia, and she had mentioned the lack of police action on such matters.

Wed? Erin Molan's appearance on a British breakfast show has left fans wondering if she has secretly married her fiance Sean Ogilvy. Both pictured

TV host and Daily Mail columnist Piers Morgan then said to her: 'The irony of all of this is you're actually married to a a police officer, he's a detective'.

Without missing a beat, Erin said with a laugh: 'He's a homicide detective too, he's only used to dealing with dead bodies so he's not much use.'

However, an alleged source told The Daily Telegraph on Sunday that the pair have not yet married.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Erin for comment.

Correct? During her interview on Good Morning Britain this month, Erin did not correct TV host and Daily Mail columnist Piers Morgan (pictured) when he called Sean 'her husband'

Last year, Erin praised her fiance after she was forced to shut down persistent split rumours.

Speaking about her new 2DAY FM breakfast radio gig, the TV host said she took on the gruelling role because Sean is a 'very supportive' partner.

She told the The Daily Telegraph at the time: 'I have a very supportive partner, he is a homicide detective so he has got the real job. He will be doing extra. It will be tough, but really rewarding.'

Without missing a beat, Erin said with a laugh: 'He's a homicide detective too'. However, an alleged source told The Daily Telegraph on Sunday that the pair have not yet married

In May, Erin insisted that she and Sean were in no rush to marry and revealed why she doesn't wear her engagement ring.

She told Stellar that the couple put their wedding plans on the backburner when she fell pregnant with their daughter Eliza.

'I wasn't going to get married and not have Champagne, so we postponed it,' she told the publication.

'Now it's the last thing on our minds, but I think we'll get married. I'd like the same last name as my daughter.'

No rush: The pair were engaged in April 2017. Erin insisted she and Sean were in no rush to marry and revealed she doesn't wear her engagement ring because it scratches her daughter

Erin had not been seen wearing her $100,000 engagement ring since June, but said she removed the giant jewel because it scratches her toddler daughter.

The pair were engaged in April 2017, a year after they began dating. She announced the happy news on The Footy Show, which she was hosting at the time.

She revealed her pregnancy nine months later during a broadcast of Nine News.

The couple welcomed their daughter, Eliza, in early June 2018, and Erin returned to work just six weeks after giving birth.
Alexei Navalny surrounded by journalists inside the plane prior to his flight to Moscow (Mstyslav Chernov/AP)

Leading Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has left Germany to return to Russia, where he faces the threat of arrest, after recovering from his poisoning in August with a nerve agent.

Mr Navalny, who announced on Wednesday that he planned to return, said he was very happy as he boarded a plane in Berlin bound for Moscows Vnukovo Airport on Sunday.

It remains to be seen what reception awaits him in Moscow. On Thursday, Russias prison service said he faced immediate arrest on his return.

Expand Close Alexei Navalny and his wife, Yulia, aboard the plane prior to their flight to Moscow (Mstyslav Chernov/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Alexei Navalny and his wife, Yulia, aboard the plane prior to their flight to Moscow (Mstyslav Chernov/AP)

Mr Navalny, who has blamed his poisoning on the Kremlin, said Russian President Vladimir Putin was now trying to deter him from coming home with new legal motions.

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied a role in the opposition leaders poisoning.

At the end of December, the Federal Penitentiary Service, or FSIN, warned Mr Navalny that he faced time in prison if he failed to immediately report to its office in line with the terms of a suspended sentence and probation he received for a 2014 conviction on charges of embezzlement and money laundering that he rejected as politically motivated.

The European Court for Human Rights had ruled that his conviction was unlawful.

Expand Close Supporters of Mr Navalny give interviews to the media outside Terminal 5 of Berlin Brandenburg Airport (Michael Sohn/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Supporters of Mr Navalny give interviews to the media outside Terminal 5 of Berlin Brandenburg Airport (Michael Sohn/AP)

The FSIN said on Thursday that it had issued an arrest warrant for Mr Navalny after he failed to report to its office.

The prison service, which has asked a Moscow court to turn Mr Navalnys three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence into a real one, said it was obliged to take all the necessary action to detain Navalny pending the courts ruling.

Vnukovo Airport said last week that it was banning journalists from its terminal, citing epidemiological concerns.

Many of his supporters were expected to try to gather in the terminal to welcome Mr Navalny, if he was able to get through passport control without being arrested.

Security measures at the airport were heightened on Sunday, with several prisoner-transport vehicles parked outside.

Expand Close Police buses parked at Vnukovo Airport, outside Moscow, on Sunday (Dmitry Serebryakov/AP) / Facebook

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The independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and opposition social media reported on Sunday that several of Mr Navalnys supporters in St Petersburg had been removed from Moscow-bound trains or been prevented from boarding flights late Saturday and early Sunday, including the co-ordinator of his staff for the region of Russias second-largest city.

Mr Navalny fell into a coma while aboard a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow on August 20.

He was transferred from a hospital in Siberia to a Berlin hospital two days later.

Labs in Germany, France and Sweden, and tests by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established that he was exposed to a Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.

Russian authorities insisted that the doctors who treated Mr Navalny in Siberia before he was airlifted to Germany found no traces of poison and have challenged German officials to provide proof of his poisoning.

They refused to open a fully-fledged criminal inquiry, citing a lack of evidence that Mr Navalny was poisoned.

Last month, Mr Navalny released the recording of a phone call he said he made to a man he described as an alleged member of a group of officers of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, who purportedly poisoned him in August and then tried to cover it up.

The FSB dismissed the recording as fake.
The vaccination plan also includes bringing the doses to people, especially older residents who live in senior housing complexes. Ryan said the health department wants to create mobile teams that can deploy to Boyle Center, Stryker Homes and other facilities to administer the vaccine.

The health department aims to have mobile clinics in rural communities, too. Once there is enough supply, Ryan said they will host clinics in northern and southern Cayuga County to administer doses.

"There's a lot of energy and effort going into meeting the needs of the people where they're at," she added.

There have been some questions about how the county is scheduling second doses. According to the health department, the Moderna vaccine requires a second dose a minimum of four weeks after the first. Ryan said that those appointments haven't been scheduled when people come in for their first dose because of uncertainty about how much supply will be available and the need for a new site to host the clinics.

If someone who received their first dose scheduled the initial appointment online, Ryan said there are ways for the health department to communicate with them to schedule an appointment for the second dose.
Over 80 people have been killed in two days of ongoing clashes in Sudans restive Darfur, doctors said Sunday, just over two weeks since a long-running peacekeeping mission ended operations.

The violence is the most significant fighting reported since the signing of a peace agreement in October hoped to end years of war in the vast western region, that has left Darfur awash with weapons.

The violence has reportedly pitted non-Arab and Arab tribes in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state.

It was reported to have initially started as a local dispute, before quickly morphing into broader fighting involving armed militias.

The death toll from the bloody events that occurred in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur State, has risen since Saturday morning  to 83 dead, and 160 wounded including from the armed forces, the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said.

Sudanese authorities have imposed a state-wide curfew in West Darfur, while the Khartoum government dispatched a high-profile delegation to help contain the situation.

Citing the doctors union, the state-run SUNA news agency said that casualties are expected to increase as the fighting continues.

The unions local branch also called for the securing of health facilities and urged transport be made available for medics to assist the wounded.

On Sunday, the head of Sudans ruling body, army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met top security chiefs to discuss the violence.

The Sudanese Professionals Association, an umbrella group which spearheaded protests against ousted president Omar al-Bashir, said the violence hit camps for internally displaced people.

Parts of Kerindig camp were burned, and sustained significant damages forcing people to leave for safe areas, it said in a statement.

These events showed that the spread of weapons across Sudan, and especially in Darfur, are the main reasons for the deteriorating situation.

 Peacekeeping mission over 

On December 31, the hybrid United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) formally ended its operations in the region, 13 years after it came into being.

It plans a phased withdrawal of its approximately 8,000 armed and civilian personnel inside six months.

The Sudanese government will take over responsibility for the protection of civilians in Darfur, UNAMID said, as its mandate ended.

Fearing deadly violence, Darfur residents held protests in late December against UNAMIDs departure.

Also in late December, clashes in South Darfur state left at least 15 people dead and dozens wounded, prompting the government to send troops to the area.

Darfur was the scene of a bitter conflict that erupted in 2003, leaving around 300,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced, the United Nations says.

The fighting erupted when ethnic minority rebels rose up against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, which responded by recruiting and arming a notorious Arab-dominated militia known as the Janjaweed.

The main conflict has subsided over the years but ethnic and tribal clashes still flare periodically, largely pitting nomadic Arab pastoralists against settled farmers from non-Arab ethnic groups.

The violence often centres on land ownership and access to water.

Sudan is undergoing a rocky political transitional after Bashirs April 2019 ouster.

Bashir, who is currently in custody in Khartoum, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged genocide and war crimes in Darfur perpetrated more than a decade ago.

The transitional government, a power sharing arrangement comprised of generals and civilian figures, signed in October a peace agreement with rebel groups in Sudans main conflict zones, including Darfur.

But two rebel groups refused to join a recent peace deal, including the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) faction led by Abdelwahid Nour, which is believed to maintain considerable support in Darfur.

The Sudanese Professionals Association said the violence in West Darfur shows the deficiencies of the peace deal.

The deal, it added, strayed away from addressing the roots of the crisis in Darfur, and the issues of people who suffered the scourge of war, and the spread of weapons.

SOURCE: AFP
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For some college students, they can name one professor who significantly impacted them either through words or their empathy for their students. For Valentyna Simon, that professors name is Dr. James Brown.

Simon, a former Jersey City resident, and her classmates at Chapman University in California, have gained national attention for a TikTok they posted of surprising Brown, their professor, with handwritten thank you notes during their last Zoom class of the fall semester. Their kind gestures not only made Brown tear up, but celebrities like musical artist Lizzo, actress Shay Mitchell and more who have either reposted or commented on the post.

Simon appeared on a segment of The Kelly Clarkson Show on Thursday for the viral TikTok.

A lot of people dont give teachers and professors a lot of credit for how hard they work, Simon told The Jersey Journal on Sunday. They dedicate their lives to helping us grow.

The idea came from another TikTok, Simon said.

Nearing the end of the fall semester, someone had sent a similar TikTok to a group chat that Simons in with some of her classmates, but she said it didnt have that much attention because it was a fairly new post. Her friend suggested they do the gesture for Brown, and Simon didnt hesitate to take the lead on organizing it.

It was Dec. 9, the last class of their First Year Foundations course, called Lies You Learned in School. Simon and her classmates always had their cameras turned on during the lecture, but this time they didnt, and their professor was confused.

I dont see anyone with their camera on, is this kind of the new cool thing to do, not turn your camera on? Seriously, is it my fault that you have your cameras off? Brown asked.

Then Simon announced they had a surprise for him, revealing the handwritten thank you messages on screen. In the video, as somber music plays in the background, Brown grabs a tissue and thanks his students.

Simon told The Jersey Journal on Sunday that Brown  whos taught at Chapman University for 25 years  is a well-known and loved history professor who teaches tough topics like war and genocide, but still takes the time to check up on his students.

For Cynthia Simon, Valentynas mother, she knew what her daughter was planning to do for Brown, but she was shocked how much attention it tracked.

I wasnt shocked at what she did, because thats just her (personality), and over the course of her academic life shes done a lot to really foster strong relationships with all of her teachers, her mother said.

Simon is a recent graduate from Saint Dominic Academy. She ended her high school career as salutatorian and was president of the schools Glee Club from 2019-20.

Sarah Degnan Barbi, SDAs head of school, and another SDA faculty member had just gotten engaged, at the time, and Valentyna organized a surprise Glee Club virtual performance of Going To The Chapel to celebrate their engagement.

For myself, and certainly the professor at Chapman, hell always have that memory of like, Look at how much of a difference Ive made in the lives of my students.

On Sunday, at 6:30 p.m., itll be featured on the NBC News with Lester Holt and Kate Snow.

T he Government plans to offer a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine to every adult in the UK by September, Dominic Raab said on Sunday.

The Foreign Secretary added it would be "great" if the rollout could be faster but that the Government was working to the early autumn target.

It comes amid reports senior Government figures believe every adult in Britain could be vaccinated by the end of June as they grow increasingly optimistic they will be able to accelerate the roll-out.Whitehall sources believe this target could realistically be achieved as they plan to vaccinate four to five million people a week within months.

In an interview on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Mr Raab said: "Our target is by September to have offered all the adult population a first dose. If we can do it faster than that, great, but that's the roadmap."

He said that he hoped by the "early spring" some restrictions can be lifted "gradually" so the country can "get back to normal".

Mr Raab warned, however, that it could be put "at risk" by the new variants and pressure on the NHS as he urged people to follow the rules.

More than 3.5 million people in the UK have now received their first dose of a vaccine and some 324,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines were administered in the space of 24 hours.

The Foreign Secretary also said people should not go on holiday as he stressed the NHS is "on the cusp".

"We've just got to stay at home as much as possible unless there are really strong, limited exceptional reasons for travelling domestically or internationally, and that's the way we get through to a better place."

When pressed on whether there would be enough vaccine supply for someone to get their second dose within 12 weeks, he said "we ought to" be able to deliver.

His comments came as another 1,295 deaths in the UK were reported on Saturday, the third-highest daily total since the pandemic began, but the lowest number of lab-confirmed cases this year was reported - 41,346.
On the FactCheck page, The Associated Press tracks down some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals that were shared widely on social media. The AP takes those untrue stories, checks them out and sets the records straight in this weekly series of news articles.


The Covid-19 death toll now stands at 440, with the deaths of 15 more people yesterday.

The Ministry of Health reported the deaths in its daily update yesterday evening.

One of the new deaths occurred in Tobago. The Tobago Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development disclosed that the patient was a 38-year-old male with co-morbidities.
The APs review found at least three of the Trump campaign aides named on the permit rushed to obscure their connections to the demonstration. They deactivated or locked down their social media profiles and removed tweets that referenced the rally. Two blocked a reporter who asked questions. Caroline Wren, a veteran GOP fundraiser, is named as a VIP Advisor on an attachment to the permit that Women for America First provided to the agency. Between mid-March and mid-November, Donald J Trump for President Inc paid Wren $US20,000 ($26,000) a month, according to Federal Election Commission records. During the campaign, she was a national finance consultant for Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee between the Presidents re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee. Wren was involved in at least one call before the pro-Trump rally with members of several groups listed as rally participants to organise credentials for VIP attendees, according to Kimberly Fletcher, the president of one of those groups, Moms for America. Wren retweeted messages about the event ahead of time, but a cache of her account on Google shows at least eight of those tweets disappeared from her timeline. She apparently removed some herself, and others were sent from accounts that Twitter suspended. One of the messages Wren retweeted was from Stop the Steal, another group identified as a rally participant on a website promoting the event. The January 2 message thanked Republican senators who said they would vote to overturn Bidens election victory, including Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas. She also retweeted a January 1 message from the President promoting the event, as well as promotional messages from one of the Presidents son, Eric Trump, and Katrina Pierson, a Tea Party activist and a spokesperson for Trumps 2016 presidential campaign.

Wren did not return messages seeking comment, and locked her Twitter account after the AP asked her about her involvement in the Trump rally and the tweets she had removed. Several days later, she blocked the AP reporter. Maggie Mulvaney, a niece of former top Trump aide Mick Mulvaney, is listed on the permit attachment as the VIP Lead. She worked as director of finance operations for the Trump campaign, according to her LinkedIn profile. FEC records show Maggie Mulvaney was earning $US5000 every two weeks from Trumps reelection campaign, with the most recent payment reported on November 13. Loading Maggie Mulvaney had taken down her Twitter account as of last Monday, although it reappeared after asked about the accounts removal. Maggie Mulvaney retweeted several messages on January 6, including one from the President that urged support for the Capitol Police. Trump's Twitter account has been suspended, but the message could be seen in a cache of her Twitter account captured by Google. She also retweeted a message from her uncle, urging Trump to address the nation.

Maggie Mulvaney did not respond to messages seeking comment. The insurrection at the Capitol prompted Mick Mulvaney to quit his position as Trumps special envoy to Northern Ireland. He told CNBC a day after the assault that remaining in the post would prompt people to say Oh yeah, you work for the guy who tried to overtake the government. The leaders of Women for America First arent new to politics. Amy Kremer, listed as the groups president on records filed with Virginias state corporation commission, is one of the founding mothers of the modern day tea party movement, according to her website. Her daughter, Kylie Kremer, is the organisations treasurer, according to the records. The IRS granted Women for America First tax-exempt status as a social welfare organisation a year ago, with the exemption retroactive to February 2019. The AP requested that the group provide any tax records it may have filed since then, but received no response.

In a statement issued the same day rioters attacked the Capitol, Amy Kremer denounced the assault and said it was instigated after the rally by a handful of bad actors, while seeming to blame Democrats and news organisations for the riot. Unfortunately, for months the left and the mainstream media told the American people that violence was an acceptable political tool, she said. They were wrong. It is not. Loading The AP Press reviewed social media posts, voter registrations, court files and other public records for more than 120 people either facing criminal charges related to the January 6 unrest or who, going maskless during the pandemic, were later identified through photographs and videos taken during the melee. The review found the crowd was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters, including Republican Party officials, GOP political donors, far-right militants, white supremacists, off-duty police, members of the military and adherents of the QAnon myth that the government is secretly controlled by a cabal of Satan-worshiping paedophile cannibals.

Videos posted on social media in the days following the Capitol attack shows that thousands of people stormed the Capitol. A Capitol Police officer died after he was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher as rioters descended on the building and many other officers were injured. A woman from California was shot to death by Capitol Police and three other people died after medical emergencies during the chaos. Trumps incendiary remarks at the January 6 rally culminated a two-day series of events in Washington, organised by a coalition of the Presidents supporters who echoed his baseless accusations that the election had been stolen from him. A website, MarchtoSaveAmerica.com, sprung up to promote the pro-Trump events and alerted followers, At 1pm, we protest at US Capitol. The website has been deactivated. Another website, TrumpMarch.com shows a fist-raised Trump pictured on the front of a red, white and blue tour bus emblazoned with the words, Powered by Women for America First. The logo for the bedding company My Pillow is also prominent. Mike Lindell, the chief executive of My Pillow, is an ardent Trump supporter whos falsely claimed Trump didnt lose the election to Biden and will serve another four-year term as president. To demand transparency & protect election integrity, the web page reads. Details of the DC PROTEST will be coming soon, it adds, and also lists a series of bus stops between December 27 and January 6 where Trump backers can Join the caravan or show your support. Kimberly Fletcher, the Moms for America President, said she wasnt aware the Trump campaign had a role in the rally at the Ellipse until around New Year's Day. While she didnt work directly with the campaign, Fletcher did notice a shift in who was involved in the rally and who would be speaking.

When I got there and I saw the size of the stage and everything, Im like, Wow, we couldnt possibly have afforded that, she said. It was a big stage. It was a very professional stage. I dont know who was in the background or who put it together or anything. In addition to the large stage, the rally on the Ellipse featured a sophisticated sound system and at least three Jumbotron-style screens projecting the President's image to the crowd. Videos posted online show Trump and his family in a nearby private tent watching the rally on several monitors as music blared in the background. Moms for America held a more modest Save the Republic rally on January 5 near the US Capitol, an event that drew about 500 people and cost between $US13,000 to $US14,000, according to Fletcher. Loading Justin Caporale is listed on the Women for America First paperwork as the events project manager. Hes identified as a partner with Event Strategies Inc., a management and production company. Caporale, formerly a top aide to first lady Melania Trump, was on the Trump campaign payroll for most of 2020, according to the FEC records, and he most recently was being paid $US7500 every two weeks. Caporale didnt respond to requests for comment.
A social media-driven "cult of the guru" within education is giving flashy "Kardashian" academics disproportionate influence over schools at the expense of more complex ideas and research, new research argues.

Scott Eacott, an associate professor of educational leadership at the University of NSW, applied the "Kardashian Index" to 50 education researchers from around the world, including 11 from Australia, and found almost a quarter - eight men and four women - had a score high enough to qualify them as a social science Kardashian.

Three were from Australia, and eight were frequent keynote speakers at education conferences.

Kim Kardashian, pictured with husband Kanye West, inspired the creation of the Kardashian Index. Credit:AP

Named after influencer Kim Kardashian, the index was developed in 2014 to measure the discrepancy between a scientist's social media profile and their publication record. A high index increased the likelihood that they were famous for being famous.

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Acknowledging Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa wishes for rolling out the world's largest vaccination drive, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday gave credit to the scientists and the frontline workers saying, "the tireless efforts of our scientists and frontline workers have played a crucial role in the fight against this pandemic."

Replying to Rajapaksa, the PM tweeted, Thank you Rajapaksa. The tireless efforts of our scientists and frontline workers have played a crucial role in the fight against this pandemic. The fast development of the vaccine and its launch is an important landmark in our joint endeavour for a healthy and disease-free world.

Thank you @PresRajapaksa. The tireless efforts of our scientists and frontline workers have played a crucial role in the fight against this pandemic. Fast development of vaccine and its launch is an important landmark in our joint endeavour for a healthy and disease free world. https://t.co/Lj50fkPm8g  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 17, 2021

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched India's vaccination drive against the novel coronavirus via video conferencing.

Billed as the world's largest vaccination program, covering the entire length and breadth of the country, the drive aims to first inoculate millions of its healthcare and frontline workers and reach an estimated 3 crore people by the end of its first phase.

At least 1,91,181 healthcare beneficiaries received COVID-19 jab yesterday across India.

On Saturday, Mahinda Rajapaksa congratulated Modi for the Indian Government's massive Covid 19 vaccination drive.

He had tweeted, Congratulations PM Narendra Modi and the Government of India on taking this very important step with this massive COVID19 Vaccination drive. We are starting to see the beginning of the end to this devastating pandemic.

Bhutan PM congratulates Modi

Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering on Saturday congratulated Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for the landmark launch of the world's largest COVID-19 vaccination drive, hoping it would mitigate the sufferings endured by the people due to the pandemic.

Tshering tweeted, "I would like to congratulate PM @narendramodi and the people of India for the landmark launch of nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive today. We hope it comes as an answer to pacify all the sufferings we have endured this pandemic,"

In a similar post on his Facebook account, Tshering said that, "in this pursuit of securing and distributing the vaccine of an impressive magnitude, Your Excellency has displayed profound and compassionate leadership."

"We send prayers for the good health and well being of Your Excellency and the people of India," Tshering added.

In his reply, Modi thanked Tshering for the good wishes.

"Thank you @PMBhutan! A vaccine, which was earlier believed to be impossible in such a short time period has become a reality thanks to efforts of our scientists, doctors and innovators," he tweeted.

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Kim Jong-un has overseen a huge military showcase that was broadcast by state media in North Korea. The parade featured a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile, described by state media as "the world's most powerful weapon".

Millions of coronavirus vaccine doses secured by the African Union (AU) will be allocated according to countries' population size, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday.

Ramaphosa, who is the current AU chairman, said on Wednesday that vaccines from Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca would be available this year, but he did not specify how much each African country would get.

No African countries have begun large-scale coronavirus vaccination campaigns and the AU's 270 million shots, if administered two per person, would still only cover around 10% of the continent's 1.3 billion people.

"The Africa CDC has already worked out the allocations that each country will be able to get, and the allocation is going to be worked on the size of your population," Ramaphosa said, referring to the AU's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC did not respond to a request for further detail.

Looking To China

Its director John Nkengasong cautioned on Thursday that vaccines would not be a magic bullet for Africa as it would take time for them to be rolled out and a second wave of infections had not yet peaked.

The continent's confirmed cases have passed 3.1 million, with more than 76,000 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.

Speaking to South African news website Eyewitness News and 702 radio, Ramaphosa also suggested that the AU would access vaccines from China. "China will also be part of that, although they will join later," he said.

South Africa itself plans to access doses via three sources: the AU arrangement, the COVAX facility co-led by the World Health Organization, and direct deals with manufacturers.

"We have decided that we should have a multi-supplier process ... we are already getting ready for the distribution (and) the vaccination programme," he said.

South Africa has recorded the most coronavirus infections and deaths in Africa, at roughly 1.3 million and 36,000.

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Tom Holland has been hard at work filming Marvel's untitled Spider-Man 3 in Atlanta since late October 2020.

And on Saturday, some two-and-a-half months later, the British-born actor was caught in action, both in and out of the iconic red and blue superhero suit.

For one scene, Holland's Spider-Man comes swooping down as he goes after a man who's being pursued on the bustling streets full of cast, crew and adoring fans on the perimeter of the set.

On set: Tom Holland, 24, was back on the set shooting a scene for the untitled Spider-Man 3 in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday

As the scene moved on, Spider-Man lands on top of a parked car, while taking stock of the area.

At one point Peter Parker's alter-ego is seen standing next to a -- no parking except for commercial vehicles sign -- that line the streets, amid the many people making their way along the sidewalks.

The young star then leaped from car to car as the cameras rolled.

Super heroic: As the scene moved on, Spider-Man landed on top of a parked car, while taking stock of the area just above the bustling streets full of people

No standing any time: Peter Parker's alter-ego is seen standing next to a -- no parking except for commercial vehicles sign

Another round: The still untitled film is the third in the reboot starring Tom Holland

In between takes, the leading man was spotted, dressed in a brown hoodie and face mask, watching a stuntman hang above the ground upside-down, and while the director Jon Watts was checking out the footage that had just been shot.

Tom's younger, Harry Holland, was also seen on the set, which was commonplace during the shooting of the previous film in the MCU franchise -- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), which was the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).

Holland's Spider-Man has also appeared in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

High octane: Holland (right) wore a face mask as he and others looked on when a stuntman hung above a bustling street in a scene for the sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

All in the family: Tom's younger, Harry Holland, was also seen on the set, which was commonplace during the shooting of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Following in brother's footsteps: Like his older brother Tom, Harry Holland is also an actor

Along with Holland, the supporting cast includes the likes of Zendaya as MJ, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May and Benedict Cumberbatch plays Doctor Strange.

Jamie Foxx and Alfred Molina are also reprising their respective roles as Electro and Doctor Octopus, from the previous two Spider-Man films in the most recent reboot.

There's also growing speculation that former Spider-Man stars Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Kirsten Dunst will be making appearances in the Spider-Man 3.

Presently, Spider-Man 3 is slated to be released on December 17, 2021.
Covid-19 has taken the life of Phil Spector, one of the most influential and successful record producers in rock n roll, who spent the last chapter of his life in prison for murder.

Mr. Spector, 81, died on Saturday of complications from Covid-19, according to his daughter, Nicole Audrey Spector.

Ms. Spector said she visited her father the day before his death at San Joaquin General Hospital, near Modesto, Calif. He was not conscious and appeared to be suffering, she said.

She said she had also been with him when he died: He was not alone. He died with love and dignity.
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Berger said when he read the findings of the first probe, "it was pretty clear to me we needed to do a follow-on...
Ron Klain, Bidens incoming Chief of Staff, announced that Slow Joe is going to move fast the moment he enters office. In the first ten days of his administration, Joe is going to take a pen in his quivering hand and sign one executive order after another, all intended to push hard and fast on the radical policies so beloved on the left or to reinstate old Obama policies.

On the very day Biden is inaugurated, says Klain, hell deal with four crises. These are the Wuhan virus, economic problems, climate change, and racial equity. In addition, on his very first day, Biden promises to restore humanity to our immigration system, make government function for the people, and to reverse the Muslim ban.

At a more specific level, he promises to continue the pause on payments and interest accrual on student loans  that is, to make makes the working classes pay for education loans they didnt assume and from which they didnt benefit. He also says that he will immediately rejoin the Paris climate accord, which will hamstring the already badly-damaged U.S. economy. The third goal walks back the Obama administrations designation of specific countries as hotbeds of possible terrorist activity. Its difficult to see how any of these initiatives benefit Americans.

But wait! Theres more. On his energetic first day, Biden will also mandate masks for 100 days on federal property and inter-state travel. Its unclear whether that last is meant to apply only to airplanes or if it also means that, if Im driving with my family on an Interstate freeway, wed better all be wearing masks. Lastly, on Day One, Biden plans to extend restrictions on evictions and foreclosures, which places an unconscionable burden on people whose only income derives from their real estate investments.

By his second day in office, that whirling dynamo that is Joe Biden will address the Wuhan virus crisis by reopening schools and businesses, something thats suddenly safe to do now that Orange Man Bad has been removed from office. Hell expand testing (something Trump already did), protect workers (something Trump already did), and establish clear public health standards (something hed better clear with Fauci, who issues conflicting statements on an almost daily basis).

On his third day, the all-powerful Biden will order the acting heads of Cabinet agencies to do something to help working families. Perhaps the agencies will recommend that Biden refrain from rejoining the Paris accords, placing on taxpayers the burdens of student loans that benefit a fraction of the population, inviting into America millions of illegal immigrants who take jobs from those working families, and cozying up to China which is milking dry the American economy.

On his fifth through tenth days, Biden promises a Buy American campaign, which is weird considering that hes actively importing unskilled labor from Latin America and is unfazed by exporting factories to China. Hes going to do lots of unspecified things for people who are not white and for women (apparently the women can be white).

Additionally, Biden plans to reform the criminal justice system. Of course, the last time he did that was in 1994, when he sent generations of black men to prison. It took Trump to get those fathers, sons, and brothers back into their homes.

The third through tenth days will see Biden do even more to save the earths climate. He will, of course, follow science. This is the same science that says that men and women can magically change sex, sometimes on an hourly basis. And that, if they say theyre a dragons spawn, we must believe them. Funnily enough, despite Bidens promise during his town hall to use his first day to open the door entirely to transgenderism, thats not on Klains list.

Lastly, Biden really, really wants to get illegal immigrants into the country. That wont help all the black people Biden promises to lift back up from... from what, frankly? Trump created the best economy Blacks and Hispanics have seen in generations or ever.

Once those first days are done, the man who probably naps four hours a day, will demonstrate that America is back and take action to restore Americas place in the world. Im not sure what the place is, but Im pretty sure its not first. Heck, Im not even sure its going to be in the top ten anymore.

IMAGE: Joe Biden. YouTube screengrab.
Over the past year, as health authorities have tried to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, researchers have trained their scientific attention on a variety of potentially risky environments: places where large groups of people gather and the novel coronavirus has ample opportunity to spread. They have swabbed surfaces on cruise ships, tracked case numbers in gyms, sampled ventilation units in hospitals, mapped seating arrangements in restaurants and modeled boarding procedures in airplanes.

They have paid less attention to another everyday environment: the car. A typical car, of course, does not carry nearly enough people to host a traditional superspreader event. But cars come with risks of their own; they are small, tightly sealed spaces that make social distancing impossible and trap the tiny, airborne particles, or aerosols, that can transmit the coronavirus.

Even if youre wearing a face covering, you still get tiny aerosols that are released every time you breathe, said Varghese Mathai, a physicist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. And if its a confined cabin, then you keep releasing these tiny particles, and they naturally would build up over time.

Read: Decoding how airflow inside car may affect Covid-19 transmission risk

In a new study, Mathai and three colleagues at Brown University  Asimanshu Das, Jeffrey Bailey and Kenneth Breuer  used computer simulations to map how virus-laden airborne particles might flow through the inside of a car. Their results, published in early January in Science Advances, suggest that opening certain windows can create air currents that could help keep both riders and drivers safe from infectious diseases like Covid-19.

To conduct the study, the research team employed what are known as computational fluid dynamic simulations. Engineers commonly use these kinds of computer simulations, which model how gases or liquids move, to create race cars with lower drag, for instance, or airplanes with better lift.

The team simulated a car loosely based on a Toyota Prius driving at 50 mph with two occupants: a driver in the front left seat and a single passenger in the back right, a seating arrangement that is common in taxis and ride shares and that maximizes social distancing. In their initial analysis, the researchers found that the way the air flows around the outside of the moving car creates a pressure gradient inside the car, with the air pressure in the front slightly lower than the air pressure in the back. As a result, air circulating inside the cabin tends to flow from the back of the car to the front.

Next, they modeled the interior air flow  and the movement of simulated aerosols  when different combinations of windows were open or closed. (The air conditioning was on in all scenarios.) Unsurprisingly, they found that the ventilation rate was lowest when all four windows were closed. In this scenario, roughly 8% to 10% of aerosols exhaled by one of the cars occupants could reach the other person, the simulation suggested. When all the windows were completely open, on the other hand, ventilation rates soared, and the influx of fresh air flushed many of the airborne particles out of the car; just 0.2% to 2% of the simulated aerosols traveled between driver and passenger.

The results jibe with public health guidelines that recommend opening windows to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus in enclosed spaces. Its essentially bringing the outdoors inside, and we know that the risk outdoors is very low, said Joseph Allen, a ventilation expert at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In an op-ed last year, he highlighted the danger that cars could pose for coronavirus transmission, and the potential benefits of opening the windows. When you have that much turnover of air, the residence time, or how much time the aerosols stay inside the cabin, is very short, Allen said

Because it is not always practical to have all the windows wide open, especially in the depths of winter, Mathai and his colleagues also modeled several other options. They found that while the most intuitive-seeming solution  having the driver and the passenger each roll down their own windows  was better than keeping all the windows closed, an even better strategy was to open the windows that are opposite each occupant. That configuration allows fresh air to flow in through the back left window and out through the front right window and helps create a barrier between the driver and the passenger.

Its like an air curtain, Mathai said. It flushes out all the air thats released by the passenger, and it also creates a strong wind region in between the driver and the passenger.

Richard Corsi, an air quality expert at Portland State University, praised the new study. Its pretty sophisticated, what they did, he said, although he cautioned that changing the number of passengers in the car or the driving speed could affect the results.

Read | Consumers prioritising car ownership post-coronavirus lockdown, 74% want own vehicle: Survey

Corsi, a co-author of the op-ed with Allen last year, has since developed his own model of the inhalation of coronavirus aerosols in various situations. His results, which have not yet been published, suggest that a 20-minute car ride with someone who is emitting infectious coronavirus particles can be much riskier than sharing a classroom or a restaurant with that person for more than an hour.

The focus has been on superspreader events because they involve a lot of people, he said. But I think what sometimes people miss is that superspreader events are started by somebody whos infected who comes to that event, and we dont speak often enough about where that person got infected.

In a follow-up study, which has not yet been published, Mathai found that opening the windows halfway seemed to provide about the same benefit as opening them fully, while cracking them just one-quarter of the way open was less effective.

Mathai said that the general findings would most likely hold for many four-door, five-seat cars, not just the Prius. For minivans and pickups, I would still say that opening all windows or opening at least two windows can be beneficial, he said. Beyond that, I would be extrapolating too much.

Ride-sharing companies should be encouraging this research, Mathai said. He sent a copy of his study to Uber and Lyft, he said, but has not received a response.
LOGANSPORT, Ind. (WLFI) - Indiana State Police is investigating the death of an inmate at the Cass County Jail.

Inmate Clyde Davis, 72, was found dead in his cell Saturday morning. ISP Sgt. Tony Slocum said Davis had four pending child molestation charges in Cass County that were filed less than a month ago.

Cass County Sheriff Ed Schroder requested the help of ISP Detective Sergeant Josh Rozzi for the investigation.

According to a press release sent Sunday morning, Sergeant Rozzis preliminary investigation revealed that at approximately 11:02 a.m. a correctional officer found Davis in his jail cell unconscious and not breathing.

ISP said correctional staff called for an ambulance and started life saving measures, including CPR and using an AED to restart his heart.

ISP said Davis was transported to Logansport Memorial Hospital. Despite life saving measures he was pronounced deceased at 11:38 a.m.

There were not outwardly signs of trauma to Daviss body. An autopsy has been scheduled but at this time foul play is not suspected.

This investigation is ongoing.
Thirteen months ago, NJ Advance Media published a story featuring the accounts of more than 20 women in New Jersey politics and government who told their #MeToo stories of being groped, sexually harassed, propositioned and assaulted.

The December 2019 report, which was published on NJ.com and in The Star-Ledger and its affiliated newspapers, prompted state Sen. Loretta Weinberg to assemble a panel of female leaders from to learn more about the toxic culture for women in state politics.

Last week, that committee came out with its report calling for big changes to how sexual misconduct is investigated in Trenton.

The Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics called for the expansion of the nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog agency, the Election Law Enforcement Commission, to investigate sexual harassment complaints involving elected officials, campaign officials and lobbyists.

The NJ Advance Media story brought us together as an ad hoc workgroup to seek ways to address the issues they raised  issues so many of us already knew all too well, the report said. Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, who founded the workgroup, said a series of bills based on the reports recommendations will be introduced soon.

READ THE ORIGINAL NJ.COM/ STAR-LEDGER story from December 2019.

READ THE FULL REPORT from the Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey Politics.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com.
As a boy with a bad stutter and a boundless imagination, Joey Biden ran the rooftops of Green Ridge garages with best friends Larry Orr and Tommy Bell. They scaled smoldering culm dumps and scurried across a sulfurous Lackawanna River on sewer pipes, accepting every dare Charlie Roth bet they wouldnt tempt.

Charlie never paid up, but Joey kept coming back. Charlie barked his bets from the ground, which he gravely warned his friends above was a swamp filled with alligators. Fall down and be eaten up. Never mind gravity. The real risk is losing your nerve while finding your balance.

If you fall, get up and keep coming back.

Charlie was the guy that fired my imagination ... the guy that fired my confidence like no other person in my life, then U.S. Sen. Joe Biden said as he delivered Roths eulogy in 2000 at St. Clares Church.

He could convince me that we could do anything.

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday. As his inauguration neared, old friends, a political mandarin, a former Republican Pennsylvania governor and Bush cabinet secretary, a Black Scranton activist and the first woman mayor of his hometown mused on Bidens deep Scranton roots, the values he learned at his grandfathers kitchen table and the political triumphs and travails he survived while overcoming profound personal losses that tried his faith and tempered his will to live and lead.

All acknowledged that Bidens path to the White House was meandering and marked by missteps, but agreed he is the right leader to bind up the wounds of a nation that hasnt been this divided since the last time a Pennsylvania-born Democrat presided in the White House.

He is what he appears to be, Gayle Roth Gilman, 81, said, sitting across a dining room table from her sister, Aileen Roth, 71. Both wore face masks and praised Bidens leadership since the earliest days of the pandemic.

Hes honest. Hes decent. Hes human, so he doesnt have a halo over his head, but hes the real deal, Gilman said. We need him, especially with this virus, and he needs us.

The bond between the Roths and Bidens reaches back to the early 1940s. Bidens parents  the former Catherine Eugenia Jean Finnegan and Joseph Robinette Biden Sr.  met in the living room of the Roth home at 2305 N. Washington Ave.

The sisters, who live together, said the families remained close even after Bidens father moved his brood to Delaware in search of work when Joe Biden was about 10.

Joe and Charlie and Larry and Tommy were really like The Four Musketeers, Gilman remembered. They were into everything and always together. And even when (the Bidens) moved, they were back here almost every weekend. Joe moved to Delaware, but he kept coming back.

I can remember him coming to the house to visit even when he was (studying law) at Syracuse (University), Roth added.

The sisters bristle when critics question Bidens Scranton roots or mock his professed personal connection to the city as politically convenient but practically vacuous. Like many old friends, both have been Bidens guests in the Senate dining room, Air Force Two and other seats of power. For them, Bidens eulogy of their brother is the ultimate expression of his abiding love for the city and its people.

As a high-profile senator with presidential ambitions, Biden could easily have used the visit to profit politically. Bidens mother, sister Valerie Biden Owens, brother, Jim, and oldest son Beau attended the funeral. No press releases were issued. No camera crews were waiting outside the church.

There was no big fanfare, there was nothing in the paper, Gilman said. He came in as a private friend. He came for Charlie, not himself.

It was Charlie Roth who convinced Biden to run for Senate when his friend was considering a campaign for governor of Delaware. Roth believed before anyone else that a scrappy kid from Scranton could and would be the leader of the free world if he kept getting up and coming back.

We didnt know Joe left town because he was always coming back, Tom Bell said of his lifelong friend.

Bell, 77, said he and Biden were around three years old when they became friends. Their mothers were close and the neighborhood was a network of families who looked out for each other. A few Catholic school nuns bullied Biden over his stutter, but his friends never did, Bell said.

I dont remember a time when he didnt stutter, he said. He always stuttered, but you know, we didnt even think anything of it. It wasnt a big deal and we didnt judge him any differently.

Biden has been open about his stutter, and shares his coping strategies with other stutterers. Critics have used Bidens sometimes halting speech and his age, 78, to mock him as senile. People who have known him since childhood called that malarkey.

They talk about how hes demented and all this nonsense, Gilman said. I think when hes very tired, he stutters, or sometimes when hes searching for a word. He has ways of dealing with it.

Dealing with wounding limitations became a way of life for Biden, Bell said. He said he, Larry Orr and Charlie Roth grew up together, even after the Biden family moved to Delaware. Through soaring political wins and crushing personal losses, Biden always kept his best friends close, Bell said.

Biden was just 30 on Jan. 5, 1973, when he was sworn in as a U.S. Senator in a Delaware hospital ward. His young sons, Beau and Hunter, were recovering from a tragic car accident that killed their mother, Neilia, and infant sister, Naomi, just 18 days before. Devastated, Biden considered resigning to care for his boys, but was persuaded to stay on as the sixth-youngest senator in American history.

Biden was reelected to the Senate six times. Over 36 years, he built a reputation as a straight-talking, amiable policy wonk who could bring Democrats and Republicans together to make progress. He also drew scorn and derision as a gaffe machine and shameless opportunist with a tendency to stretch the truth when it suited his political ambitions.

Biden served on the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees and ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 2008. He was forced to quit his first bid over charges of plagiarism for lifting lines from the speeches of an Irish politician and others. In 2008, Sen. Barack Obama won the nomination and picked Biden  whom he called a scrappy kid from Scranton  as his running mate.

Biden served two terms as Vice President and expected to retire from politics and continue advocating for a federal initiative to find a cure for cancer. Beau Biden, Attorney General of Delaware and an Iraq War veteran, died of brain cancer in May 2015. In a 2017 memoir, Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose, Biden wrote that his oldest son made him promise not to leave politics.

With the support of wife and former Second Lady Jill Biden, Ed.D., daughter, Ashley, family and friends, Biden announced his candidacy in April 2019. He entered the contest for the Democratic nomination as the assumed front-runner, but ran behind most of the race until U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn mobilized Black voters in South Carolina.

The endorsement put the political winds at Bidens back. He won the nomination handily. The rest is history, despite protestations to the contrary. How did a scrappy kid from Scranton get elected President of the United States?

Flipping Pennsylvania was a keystone of Bidens decisive Electoral College and popular vote victory, said G. Terry Madonna, senior fellow in residence for political affairs at Millersville University and former director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College.

Overall, when he began to run, I said, Well this guy has enormous connections in this state, the veteran pollster said. Whether we were talking about a competitive primary or the general election. I saw all along that he would be tough to beat.

For decades, Biden was known as the third Senator from Pennsylvania. Sources differ on the origin of the nickname, but Madonna said late Republican Sen. Arlen Specter popularized it far and wide. Specter and Biden became close friends riding Amtrak to and from the capital, he said.

Biden was also close with the Caseys, Scrantons first family of politics, Madonna said. The late Robert P. Casey Sr., former governor and a conservative Democrat was a longtime ally. His son, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, another Green Ridge native, backed Bidens 2020 run from the beginning.

Biden won the state because he cleaned up in the Philly suburbs, Bucks, Chester and Montgomery Counties and Delaware County, Madonna said. And, what he did in those counties was to get 100,000 votes more than Hillary (Clinton) got in 2016.

College-educated suburban women and millennials were a big factor, Madonna said.

College-educated women in particular are culturally liberal on abortion, gay rights and transgender issues, he said. No. 2, they are for gun control. No. 3, they want climate change legislation. And so, thats not something that Donald J. Trump offered.

The incumbent also refused to mount an organized federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, which polling revealed was the most important issue for Pennsylvania voters.

COVID-19 rated as the No. 1 issue in the state, the No. 1 problem in the state, Madonna said. And, the president... didnt take it as seriously as he should have.

Biden took the pandemic seriously from the start and is the right leader to bring an end to the crisis, said Tom Ridge, a Pennsylvania native, a former two-term Republican governor and the first Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush.

Ridge contrasted Bidens willingness to tackle difficult problems with the weakness of President James Buchanan, the only other president from Pennsylvania. Born in a log cabin in Franklin County, the nations 15th president is widely regarded as one of the very worst. Historians blame Buchanans failure to bind up the nations political, cultural and racial divisions for hastening the Civil War.

History does not look too favorably upon James Buchanan, who ran the other way when the South was dismantling the Union, Ridge said. And here we have a man (Biden) who ran to the challenge. ... I dont know of another modern president that on the day he takes office will be confronted with such a significant series of complex domestic and international challenges.

Bidens history of reaching across political boundaries to accomplish the nations goals will go a long way with a Senate and Congress that long ago traded progress for partisanship, Ridge said. While President Obama trusted his vice president with a few big initiatives, Ridge said he erred in not using Biden to ease the gridlock that bogged down the rest of his agenda.

Hes old school, Ridge said of Biden. Hes been in government when personal relationships literally  and I use this word by design  trumped ideology. You were able to accomplish things by working hard and looking for common ground. He came from a generation where compromise was not a bad word, but in fact the only way you can get things done.

(Biden) can be as tough a partisan as anybody, but he and my friend John McCain were great friends. They differed wildly on some issues and worked together on others. They had a mutual respect based on character, integrity and love of country.

Along with a history of bipartisan progress, Ridge said Biden brings humility, grace and an abiding reverence for the office of the presidency.

Theres nothing flamboyant, ideological or off-putting about his personality, Ridge said. I think hes perceived as a decent, honorable man who has endured maybe the widest possible range of political and personal challenges. Think of the personal adversity that hes dealt with in his life, the political challenges that hes endured. And yet, he keeps coming back and continues to serve.

In taking the pandemic seriously and calling for a coordinated federal response from the beginning, Biden proved he can lead by example and steer the nation through the tough months ahead, Ridge said.

Strong leaders model the behavior they want from those who have entrusted them with the responsibility to lead, he said. They model the behavior they want everybody else to follow. A classic example was during the campaign. What candidate was wearing a mask? What candidate was social distancing? What candidate was being ridiculed by the other candidate for doing the right thing? (Biden) was unflappable. That kind of calm, thoughtful leadership  born of personal pain and political setbacks  makes him the right man at the right time.

President-elect Bidens inauguration and time in office are bound to burnish the image of the city of his birth. Scranton will have an extended turn in the international spotlight, and Glynis Johns is determined to see it shine beyond Green Ridge.

Id like to see him acknowledge the Black and brown community of his hometown, who did a lot to promote his candidacy and made sure people understood what was on the line and got them out to vote, the founder of Black Scranton Project said.

Johns, 27, a Scranton native working on a Ph.D. in African-American history, wants Biden to acknowledge that Blacks have lived and worked in Scranton since its founding, and deserve to feel as much ownership of the citys history as he does.

When (Biden) was growing up in Green Ridge, most of the citys Black and brown folks lived downtown, Johns said. Were from here, too, and it would be great to see our president acknowledge the fact that there are a lot of people in our city fighting the same injustices that weve seen nationally.

Johns said she is optimistic and very excited about Vice President-elect Kamala Harris becoming the first woman and American of color to hold the nations second-highest office. If Biden takes a victory lap in Scranton, Johns said Harris should be with him.

I would love for her to come through Scranton and show up for us, Johns said. I would love for them to come back to Scranton and meet with people who would love to interact with a president but never get the chance. If (Biden) wants to claim Scranton, he needs to claim us, too.

Johns chances of speaking with Biden may be helped by her recent work with Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti to promote diversity in the citys management and workforce. Cognetti worked on the 2008 Obama-Biden campaign and for the 2008-09 transition team. She served the administration in the Treasury Department from 2009 to 2012.

A lifelong Democrat, Cognetti ran and won as an independent after city Democratic leaders rejected her. Biden named her one of his 20 electors anyway, and called the mayor to thank her for helping him win Pennsylvania.

Cognetti said she was grateful for Bidens call, but not surprised.

Joe Biden is the kind of person who picks up the phone, the mayor said. He calls to congratulate, he calls to commiserate, he calls to offer help. He takes time to connect with people. When youre on the receiving end of one of those calls, you can tell he truly does enjoy engaging on a human level.

To have a reputation like that after decades in a career at the top of political hierarchy is meaningful. And, its meaningful for the country to have someone who understands what people really need assume the presidency in January. We have a lot of work to do to rediscover our common ground, and its going to take a genuine connector to lead that process.

COVID restrictions will deny Biden a traditional inauguration, but whatever shape the ceremony takes, Charlie Roths sisters will be watching together and celebrating the payoff of their late brothers biggest bet.

Jan. 20 is Charlies birthday, Gilman said. Charlie always said, Joe will be president someday. You just wait and see.
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BRANFORD  Internationally-known anti-racism educator Jane Elliott, best known for her Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes classroom exercise in the wake of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will be keynote speaker at an online version of Branfords annual MLK tribute breakfast, organizers said.

Branfords 36th annual MLK Day Celebration will take place via Zoom at 8 a.m. Monday, said Margot Hardenbergh, a member of the organizing committee. Tickets are $15 per household, available at www.facebook.com/MLKBreakfastCommitttee, or http://bit.ly/38MRXkR

The event will be moderated by WTNH News8s Keith Kountz, organizers said in a release.

Elliott, who was a third-grade teacher in Iowa at the time of Kings assassination, has been on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon among many others. She also has been the focus of documentaries such as Eye of the Storm on television in 1971 and A Class Divided in 1985.

She is the recipient of the national mental Health Association Award for Excellence in Education and many other honors.

A longtime activist on racial matters, Elliott is best known as a teacher who, in 1968, the day after King was assassinated, put third-graders in her all-white Riceville, Iowa, class through an exercise to teach them about racial prejudice.

As part of the exercise, Elliott divided the children by eye color. She then told them that people with brown eyes were smarter, faster and better than those with blue eyes.

As things played out, the brown-eyed children began acting with more confidence. They also began insulting the blue-eyed kids. The blue-eyed children made more mistakes and became more timid and even despondent. The two groups stopped playing together  and in some cases, fights even broke out.

Most years, the MLK birthday celebration and commemoration includes a community breakfast in addition to a speaking program. But this years event went virtual as a result of coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

The commemoration has roots that date back to 1985, when it was first celebrated at St. Stephens A.M.E. Zion Church. It later was shepherded on by the Branford Clergy Association and has grown over the years into a communitywide event with participation from various faiths, ethnic groups and community organizations.

Organizers also are collecting sponsorships. Proceeds will benefit local community-based organizations. Last year the breakfast contributed to the Branford Counseling Center, the Community Dining Room, The Shoreline Emergency Fuel Fund and Feed Branford Kids.

The event is organized by St. Stephens AME Zion Church of Branford and Branford Rotary. Sponsorships are being accepted online at the ticket site and by mail to MLK Breakfast Committee, P.O. Box 3335, Branford, CT 06405.

For more information, email: mlkbreakfast2021@gmail.com.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
By Kamal S. Kalsi

Childhood friends and Chardi Kala campers Dr. Kamal S. Kalsi, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla (from left to right) at a community event together celebrating the life and teachings of Sikhisms founder, Guru Nanak.

My daughter, Maya, recently ran for her middle schools president. She made a humorous campaign promise that if elected, she would help keep the bears away. She won the election. We didnt even need a recount.

But that same evening while we all celebrated, she was in tears. Another student had posted remarks in a student chat room stating that she only won because the other students felt sorry for her. Her experience of cyberbullying is a growing trend, unfortunately. Moreover, Sikh and minority children are subjected to bullying and harassment at rates that are much higher than the average student according to reports by the Sikh Coalition, Saldef and other Sikh organizations.

I remember being teased about my turban and my long hair when I was in elementary and high school. I also remember the moment I started developing a sense of pride for my identity. It was at a summer camp organized by Ujagar Singh. I had no interest in going, but my parents had heard that there was something special about this camp and that I needed to be there.

At the camp, I met kids who were just like me. They were bullied at school as well. Some had their turbans pulled off. Others recalled the fights they kept getting pulled into. This camp provided an open forum and became a vehicle that helped us fight back against the discrimination and bullying we experienced in our daily lives.

The counselors at Camp Chardi Kala taught us about our amazing Sikh military history and about our spiritual legacy. They gave us a sense of pride and gave us the tools to stand up for ourselves. Camp founder Ujagar Singh was a visionary in that regard. He planted the seeds for greatness at the camp.

Many of the children from that camp went on to become community advocates who would have national impact: Amardeep Singh founded the Sikh Coalition. Kiran Kaur is the executive director of Saldef. Ravi Singh Bhalla became the Mayor of Hoboken. Gurbir Singh Grewal is now the Attorney General of New Jersey. And I fought to open doors for Sikhs and other religious minorities in the U.S. military.

More importantly, the network of camp Chardi Kala friends became an organizing force for all sorts of wonderful initiatives over the years that helped to celebrate and defend the Sikh identity. The network led to the formation and development of a number of Sikh organizations such as the Sikh Coalition, Saldef, United Sikhs, and SAVA to name just a few.

Ujagar Singh passed away last month surrounded by his loved ones. Ujagar is an old Sanskrit name. It means to manifest and splendid. He was born in Amritsar, India, in 1928, and shifted to the United States in 1969 with his wife, Govind Kaur. Together, they established Camp Chardi Kala in New York as a way to connect Sikh children to their history and their religion.

Ujagar Singh (left), founder of Camp Chardi Kala, and performers and campers. Ujagar and his wife, Govind Kaur established the camp in New York as a way to connect Sikh children to their history and their religion.

Chardi Kala is a concept in Sikh philosophy that requires us to maintain a positive state of mind, even during difficult times. Some describe it as a fearless optimism in the face of adversity. Ujagar Singh and Govind Kaur used their two weeks of vacation each year to serve the children of their community. Running a camp for hundreds of children each year is a monumental task. They endured economic adversity and personal tragedy, but never let the camp suffer because of it. They have been doing this seva (selfless service) for four decades now and have become a model for Sikh camps all over the world.

Ujagar Singhs family continues this legacy of service because they are passionate about his vision and have seen the fruits of this labor. It is hard to put a price on what they have achieved. Now, we go to Camp Chardi Kala each year as a family to disconnect from our electronic devices and reconnect with the things that matter to us.

Maya decided to confront her bullies through formal channels in the school. Im proud that I have a kid whos not afraid to stand up and fight for herself. She remembers how her Ujagar Uncle would tell them to be strong and be proud at camp. He will be missed not just as a pillar of the community but as a family member who would sit and tell us stories around the campfire.

Kamal S. Kalsi is an ER doctor and a U.S. Army officer who deployed to Afghanistan and has served in the military for 20 years. He currently serves in New Jersey as an emergency medicine physician and disaster medicine expert in the Army Reserves. The opinions expressed above are his alone and do not represent the opinions or positions of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Army.

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A New Brunswick man has been charged with murder after fatally stabbing a neighbor, officials said.

Noel Rosado, 34, is accused of stabbing Thomas Segun, 62, of Somerset, to death Saturday night in the hallway of the multi-use building where the two men lived, the Middlesex County Prosecutors office said.

In addition to murder, Rosado is charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and tampering with evidence.

Police did not provide a possible motive for the killing.

Rosado is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center ahead of a detention hearing.

The investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call the New Brunswick Police Department at 732-745-5215, or the Middlesex County Prosecutors office at 732-745-4060.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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.

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Now that the House of Representatives has made President Trump the only president impeached twice, I request House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not to forward the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate until every senator makes a public statement (preferably on the Senate floor) acknowledging that the despite minor irregularities, Joe Bidens victory was in a free and fair election and that Trumps claim of a stolen election is not true.

This would negate the shield that the objectors have used that they are only investigating their constituents concerns of a rigged election, a fallacy they have promoted for their own political purposes.

It is quite unlikely that Sens. Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz and company would do so, thus leaving Trump as the only president impeached but not acquitted.

James Prchlik, Oakland

Horrific day for U.S.

In the effort to force President Trump out of office before Jan. 20, I believe others who have cynically done his bidding to enhance their own political power, should lose their seats as well.

Republican lawmakers such as Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Kevin McCarthy, to name a few intelligent and informed individuals, know the election of Joe Biden was not a fraud.

If they dont resign immediately and admit they deliberately lied to support Trumps baseless claims, each should be removed from office.

Fortunately, some 100 of the violent mob have been arrested and charged, with more to come. But these deluded crazies are not the only ones who should be held accountable.

Theyll spend long years in prison because they were convinced to attempt by any means necessary to keep their leader in power; ironically, it would have led to the destruction of our democracy.

The suckers and losers (to use Trumps words) should not be the only ones held responsible for that horrific day in America, a day that will live in infamy.

Mary Kerr, Richmond

False equivalency

Im sorry, but Addicted to division (Letters, Jan. 13) screams for an intelligent, actually informed response. To infer any moral equivalence between the left wings fight for social justice and against the obvious fascism preferred by our current administration, and the right wings overt effort to maintain its white supremacist, racist position of privilege, which it is losing control of and is mad as hell about, is perhaps the best definition of disingenuous ever.

For the record; the facts are that police arrest data shows most of the burning, looting, and mayhem observed during almost all the Black Lives Matter demonstrations were perpetrated by individuals or groups affiliated with white supremacist organizations.

Numerically, the largest group by far of those arrested in Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Boston and New York were young white men from out of town.

So please, no more of this false equivalence.

Larry Lack, Novato

Assault on the truth

The argument used by Addicted to division (Letters, Jan. 13) sounds hauntingly familiar, as in there are good people on both sides.

To blame the Jan. 6 insurrection and further, the breakdown of society, on divisiveness from both sides without acknowledging the ramifications of President Trumps lies and those willing to perpetuate them, is yet again one more assault on the truth.

Christine Haynes, Palo Alto

Move the inauguration

The Capitol Rotunda was desecrated. The inauguration should be used to reconsecrate it. Hold the inauguration inside the rotunda.

It would be a sign of respect for our forefathers and help mitigate the disrespect demonstrated by those who rampaged through those hallowed halls. It would also keep our elected officials, former presidents and Supreme Court justices safe.

Catherine Hemingway, East Palo Alto

Flawed diversion

Regarding Lessons missed in renaming effort (Bay Area, Jan. 12): Thanks to Heather Knight for her excellent column on renaming our schools!

As usual, she hits the nail on the head, noting how our school board strayed from the urgently needed focus on reopening schools, particularly the lower grades, to a politically correct but historically flawed diversion into San Francisco politics.

History, its people and decisions, must be judged in the context of their times, not a current lens of what we might think of such decisions if made in 2021. Those who seek to rewrite history based on contemporary pressures should read George Orwell and remember the totalitarians who have done so.

The San Francisco Board of Education should get back to work on why they were elected, to serve our children and parents, not their next political campaign.
In the middle of winter, it hit 70 degrees and felt like a typical day in May.

What a world!? The breeze and bright sun were welcoming, however, as

we strolled toward the library to return a book.

Tim didn't consider HTML a language. "It is [sic] cody editing" he said. "Try to write

a program with a real language to do the editing, then." I suggested. But he was

more interested in literature and history, he told me. "Great! But please don't

pursue art with an empty stomach." So it went. Time with Tim was never boring.

We passed a house with a fake carrot hanging under a sign that said: bunny bait.

"I never knew that rabbits could reproduce very fast." Tim remembered and told a

joke about their multiplication. I returned with the knowledge from a New Concept

English article where the rabbits first introduced in Australia bred so rapidly

that they soon became a pest destroying the enivronment.

As usual, we traded words. He readily came up with the meaning of cot which I

just learnt and forgot. I told him about coulee which meant "deep gulch," the

name of the trail we hiked last week in the QuickSilver park.

We returned to the nearby meadow after dropping off the book and at my request, he

did a single-leg squat, which made me very happy. "Never lose it." I told him, again.

"Hey Tim, I've just discovered a great way to sit on a chair but wait, why

aren't you listening?" "K went to this school here." He pointed to the building

across the lawn. (K was his dream girl in 6th grade.) "Oh. Right! That explains

it! You are totally forgiven." "Come on, Dad."

"A train's coming!" I shouted as we crossed the tracks and Tim sprinted. "Why?

It's still a mile away." I added. There was no embarrassment in his reply: "I don't want

to replay that locomotive scene in 'Stand By Me'." He was a very conservative kid.

So we moved onto movies. Tim became queasy as I insisted on telling about the

horror scenes from 'The Silence of the Lambs' and its sequel 'Hannibal' and tried

to change the subject:

"I can't believe it's already MLK Day. I thought it was going to be next week."

"Yeah? Do you know what Malcolm X said when King won the Nobel?"

"No."

"'Dr. King won the prize. We got the problem.'" I recited, then marveled:

"That guy really had a way with language." and followed with "We should

watch 'Malcolm X' today."



We crossed the street and arrived at 391 San Antonio Road. Three tall gangly

structures stood on the pavement and one looked like a yellow water tower on two

bent legs. Behind them on the building wall were mounted a few plaques where the

paragraphs were titled "THE BIRTH PLACE OF SILICON VALLEY." Shockley

Semiconductor Lab was here 65 years ago! (And I finally showed Tim the place.)

I love to walk with Tim.
CCP Virus Outbreaks in Northern China Continue to Worsen

The CCP virus outbreak in Hebei Province continues to worsen as two hospitals reportedly had large numbers of medical staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the Chinese Communist Party virus.

Meanwhile, authorities detected a superspreader in Jilin Province and scrambled to find all those who were in contact with the person in recent days.

Public transportation throughout the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and Hebei, as well as the Beijing and Inner Mongolia regions were suspended. Over 50 million people are currently under some form of lockdown.

Hebei Province

In a phone interview, Amy Wang, who currently lives overseas but is originally from Gaocheng district, Shijiazhuang citya current virus hotspotrecalled that her family members informed her that many medical staff at the Gaocheng Peoples Hospital and Gaocheng Chinese Medicine Hospital were diagnosed with COVID-19.

She asked that her current location information be withheld, for fear that her family members still living in Gaocheng could be punished by authorities if they found out about her speaking to the media.

If one doctor or nurse is diagnosed, the whole department that he/she works in would be closed quickly and all patients would be removed to a quarantine center, she said.

The Epoch Times was able to contact several patients at the Gaocheng Peoples Hospital, who confirmed that they were removed from the facility and taken to quarantine centers. But the hospital didnt explain why they were being removed.

Dont come to visit our hospital. Our situation is very bad now, a hospital telephone receptionist told The Epoch Times. The person declined to elaborate, only noting that the facility lacked the capacity to treat any more patients.

Calls to different departments of the Gaocheng Chinese Medicine Hospital went unanswered.

Meanwhile, a copy of an internal Hebei government document, issued on Dec. 4, 2020, that details emergency plans to respond to an outbreak was obtained by The Epoch Times. Marked as not for public disclosure, the document, from the Office of the Hebei Leading Group for Response to the Epidemic, laid out three possible scenarios for a potential surge in COVID-19.

Scenario 3 was the most serious, which would be community spread occurring in the main urban areas of two or more major cities of the province.

Despite the document describing prevention measures, todays outbreak already has the characteristics of the third scenariowith Shijiazhuang and Xingtai experiencing upticks in cases.

A second document issued by a special Shijiazhuang team in charge of traffic rules during quarantine, dated Jan. 5, detailed three lines of defense to block travel and set up security checkpoints in different parts of town, focusing on areas with cluster infections, bus stations, and railway stations.

A document about the three lines of defense to control the epidemic in key areas, issued by the Shijianzhaung municipal government on Jan. 5, 2021. (Provided to The Epoch Times)

While those measures were meant to isolate infections and prevent COVID-19 from spreading, the outbreak continues to advance beyond city borders and into other provinces and regions.

Restrictions

Zhang Ying (pseudonym) is studying at a training school in Shijiazhuang with over 4,700 students.

She said the school recently told all students to go home, but all public transportation has been suspended in the city due to the lockdown. As a result, over 2,700 students are currently stranded with nowhere to go.

It has been over ten days. No teacher or government official is taking care of us, she said.

Others are worried about the safety protocols during mandatory mass COVID-19 testing.

Guo Lifang said when she went to a hospital in Beijing to get tested, the doctor picked up a swab from the table, and it was unpackaged.

You dont know whats on the swab after being exposed in open air, she said, worried that the swab might have come into contact with the CCP virus.

Locals in other Chinese cities mentioned that medical staff did not change their gloves after taking a swab from each person.

Superspreader in Jilin

Chinese state-run Xinhua reported on Jan. 17 about a superspreader, a 45-year-old man surnamed Lin, who had transmitted the virus to at least 102 people in the province. Lin is a lecturer on healthy eating habits and travels frequently to give lectures on behalf of different health food companies.

According to the Jilin provincial health commission, Lin contracted the virus from infected passengers who sat in the same train car while traveling on Jan. 5 to Harbin city, the provincial capital, from Nancha county in Heilongjiang Province.

Xinhua reported that Lin also visited Gongzhuling, Tonghua, and Changchun cities in Jilin Province and several other cities in Heilongjiang by taking buses and trains. Authorities said the people who attended Lins recent lectures in Jilin came from different parts of the province.

Jilin officials are treating him as a superspreader and plan to isolate any of his close contacts at quarantine centers.

On Jan. 17, at least 17 neighborhoods in Changchun, Tonghua, and Gongzhuling were designated as medium-risk regions for virus spread and were fully locked down. Residents arent allowed to leave their homes at all.

Alex Wu contributed to this report.
Bengaluru, Jan 17 : Asserting that the two Covid vaccines were safe, Karnataka Health Minister K. Sudhakar on Sunday said there were no side effects among those who took the first shot since Saturday.

"No side effects have been reported so far from healthcare warriors who took the Covishield and Covaxin injections on Saturday and Sunday. They are safe," he said in a statement.

Covishield, manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India is being used in 24 of the state's 30 districts and Covaxin of the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in the remaining six.

"Of the 27,753 registered beneficiaries on the first 2 days of the vaccination drive across the state, 17,308 took the shot till Sunday, accounting for 62 per cent of the target" said Sudhakar, who is a medical doctor by profession.

According to the state Health Department, of the 6,327 registered healthcare workers on Sunday, 3,699 took the vaccine, accounting for 58 per cent of the target.

On Saturday, of the 21,426 registered warriors, 6,327 were injected, accounting for 63 per cent of the target.

Urging the people to have faith in the two vaccines, Sudhakar said Manipal Hospital chairman Sudharshan Ballal, who took the jab on Saturday was doing well with no side effect.

The Drug Controller General of India had on January 3 approved Covishield and Covaxin for emergency use by state-run and private hospitals across the country under the protocols of the Union Health Ministry.

"All the vaccinated warriors should follow the safety guidelines. They will develop resistance to the virus 10 days after the second dose, which will be administered 28 days after the first dose," said Sudhakar.

Those who miss vaccination on a given date for any reason, can get the shot on any other day, he said.

In the state capital, vaccination was conducted in 6 private hospitals - St John's, East Point Medical College, St Philomena, Baptist and Cox Town Maternity Home.

"Vaccination will resume in the state-run hospitals as well on Monday and continued till all the registered healthcare warriors are injected," he added.

The state government has identified 7.43 lakh frontline warriors, including healthcare workers, civic staff, police and revenue personnel for vaccination, as the state received 8 lakh doses of both vaccines till date.

Admitting that glitches in the dedicated Co-Win portal were causing delays, the minister said the health staff could adopt a backup method to register recipients and upload their data later.
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The Congress on Sunday claimed that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appeared to be under "a lot of pressure" in the BJP-led NDA, and suggested that he consider returning to the Grand Alliance and "freely" work for the development of the state. A statement to the effect was made by Congress Legislature Party leader Ajeet Sharma, though it was promptly dismissed as being "not official" by the RJD, which helms the five-party opposition coalition.

Sharma made the remark referring to the much-televised quarrel between Kumar and journalists here last week when the chief minister, known for his prim conduct, let his guard down and gave vent to his frustration at being rankled over a high-profile murder case.

"Nitish Kumar is never known for such behaviour. We all know that. He is obviously under a lot of pressure in the NDA. It is well-known that he is under pressure to give up the all-important home portfolio, which he has been keeping with himself," the Congress leader said.

Nearly a month ago, former Union minister Sanjay Paswan, a known detractor of Kumar in the BJP, had suggested that he give up the Home portfolio, since it was "too demanding" for the 69-year-old. Paswan had, however, qualified his statement clarifying he was not insisting that the department, which controls the police, be given to the BJP and that Kumar could choose a "more energetic" colleague from his JD(U) for the job.

The NDA in Bihar at present comprises four parties, including smaller allies HAM and VIP. Sharma, who represents Bhagalpur in the Assembly, added "the Grand Alliance is Nitish Kumar's old home. He will be able to freely work for the state's progress if he chooses to return".

The Grand Alliance had come into being ahead of the 2015 assembly elections when Kumar had joined hands with his arch rival, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad. The Congress was accommodated as a junior partner and the coalition went on to register a handsome victory. However, differences with the RJD led Kumar to exit the coalition in July, 2017 and make an abrupt return to the NDA, which he had quit four years earlier following his disapproval of Narendra Modi's ascendance in the BJP.

Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD's heir apparent and leader of the opposition coalition, however, testily rejected Sharma's remark when asked about the same at Saran, where he went to meet bereaved family members of Rupesh Kumar Singh, a station manager of a private airlines whose murder in the state capital has been making headlines. "This is not an official statement (of the Congress)," said Yadav.

With a theatrical flourish, Yadav said "it is my request to the chief minister with folded hands please act and do not let people of your state die like insects". "I understand you are a kamzor (weak) chief minister," he added, in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the slump in JD(U)'s tally in the assembly, which has been coterminous with the rise in BJP's strength in a state where it has, so far, played second fiddle to Kumar.

Yadav also threatened to stage a march to the Rashtrapati Bhavan along with opposition legislators "if law and order does not improve in a month". Meanwhile, the Congress leader's overtures were dismissed by JD(U) MLC and spokesman Neeraj Kumar.

He charged the Congress with having "given up on Mahatma Gandhi's emphasis on virtue" and capitulated before the RJD, which was "synonymous with corruption", an allusion to various cases involving Prasad serving sentences in fodder scam and other members of his family.
New Delhi, Jan 17 : The ongoing farmers' protest along the Delhi borders against the farm laws has started affecting the business operations of the fuel pump stations located in the areas.

Petrol pumps located near the Singhu border have been closed since November 26 last year, the day the farmers' agitation began. The fuel stations are estimated to be losing lakhs of rupees everyday. The lack of business is now impacting the salaries of the employees working at the pump stations. As business is nil, the employees' are getting only half of their salaries.

There are six petrol pumps on the Singhu border, which are completely closed. In at least 52 days, all the petrol pumps have lost crores of rupees.

A staffer of a petrol pump said: "Currently, the pump station has been completely shut since November 26. The workers are waiting for the farmers' agitation to end soon." Even after nine rounds of talks between the government and the farmers, no positive conclusion has been achieved. The petrol pump staff believes that if no solution is attained soon, their problems would further rise.

Image Source: IANS News

Rajendra Singh, the manager of Om Service Station petrol pump located at Singhu Border, told IANS: "There has been a loss of about 40 lakh rupees in 52 days so far. Unless the traffic is normalised on this route, we would be facing lots of challenges." "We have about 35 employees at this pump and the protest has started showing an impact on the salaries. We have paid the salaries for now, but in case the situation remains similar, we cannot say if we would be able to pay them or not." Supervisor of the Bharat Service Station, Ram Prasad told IANS: "Not a single litre of oil has been sold since November 26. How will the owners pay salaries to the employees if the oil is not sold?" "A total of 44 workers are currently working at the pump station. All are hopeful that that a solution is found soon and the pump starts again," says Prasad.

The employees working at the pump station have now started fearing about the loss of jobs in case the agitation continues.

The next round of talks between the farmers' leaders and the government will be held on January 19. And the employees are praying that the agitation comes to an end and their business starts again.

Even as the businesses around the Delhi borders are feeling the impact of the agitation, the farmers seem to be unrelenting and steadfast on their demands.

The Parliament passed the Farmer Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Price Assurance and Agricultural Services Agreement Act 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act last year. The farmers are demanding the repeal of the three Acts.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Paducah Parolee Arrested On Drug Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MCCRACKEN COUNTY - A McCracken County man, who was recently released on parole, was arrested Friday night.The McCracken County Sheriffs Office and the Graves County Sheriffs Office conducted a joint investigation into illegal drug trafficking occurring in McCracken and Graves Counties.The investigation led to the home of 40-year-old Clinton L. Brewer on Old Mayfield Road in McCracken County.Brewer and 33-year-old Amber D. Lowe of Paducah, were in the home at the time. Brewers mother, 59-year-old Margaret Brewer, arrived home while detectives were still at the scene.During the course of the search, Lowe was allegedly found to be in possession of a small amount of marijuana.A search of Margaret Brewers bedroom also allegedly revealed a small quantity of marijuana and items of drug paraphernalia.Approximately 15 grams of crystal methamphetamine was located by a Paducah Police K-9. It was determined that the methamphetamine belonged to Clinton Brewer.Lowe and Margaret Brewer were issued citations and released.Clinton Brewer was arrested and taken to the McCracken County Regional Jail, charged with first degree trafficking in a controlled substance-methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.Brewer was recently paroled out from prison in December after serving 20 years for a murder conviction, along with first degree robbery and first degree burglary convictions that occurred in McCracken County. He was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole.
In the early 90s, a guide was published that would help millions of Americans better understand a new technology that was roosting on their desks: personal computers.

That guide was How Computers Work, and it was written by San Antonian Ron White.

White, a journalist who worked at the San Antonio Express-News and the San Antonio Light, died Jan. 5 in a downtown hospital. He was 76 and had been suffering complications from heart disease.

First printed in 1993 with illustrations by Tim Downs, How Computers Work would sell 2 million copies and have 10 editions.

Published by Ziff-Davis as a trade paperback, it would become a bible for many who were trying to understand what was floppy about floppy drives or why you couldnt play that expensive new software you had just bought that claimed to be plug-and-play.

White introduced How Computers Work with a quote from Arthur C. Clarke: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, and then in short, easy-to-understand paragraphs he explained the magic of computing.

One of the books dedications is to his children: For Shannon and Michael, who always kept me honest in my explanations.

Shannon Cogen of San Francisco, Whites daughter, recalls her father once used a family road trip as an opportunity to explain the workings of an internal combustion engine.

He was a great explainer of things. He was a teacher and a mentor to other people, she said. He taught me what a serif is; what a pixel is.

In the 1970s and into the 80s, White was an editor at the Express-News and Light. He was an inspiration to many young writers. One of those writers, who would go on to be an author, biographer and professor at the University of Texas at Austin, was Bill Minutaglio.

Ron was a brilliant, thoughtful and good-hearted man  and one of the finest thinkers, writers and editors imaginable, Minutaglio said.

He gifted us with extraordinarily memorable articles, essays and books, and served as a consummate mentor to countless journalists, he added. There are hundreds of folks who owe their careers to him. Im one. I never had a better, nurturing and inspiring editor. When I screwed up, he was encouraging, more than patient, and always filled with wisdom.

Ron was a true Renaissance man  a warm and witty genius who could write beautifully on theater, music, technology, photography and everything under the sun. He had a big mind but never a big ego, even considering his great accomplishments.

World music record producer and guitarist Ben King of Dallas, a former journalist, remembers Whites ability to see the humor and irony in nearly any situation.

A lot of it with the way he never took himself too seriously. At the same time, he could almost see any situation from your point of view, King said.

White was born Nov. 4, 1944, to Lonnie and Madge White in San Antonio. He earned a scholarship to Keystone School. He went briefly to Rice University before transferring to Saint Marys University where he met and married Sue Brown.

Cogen said her fathers first job out of college was as a photographer at the Light, which led to a love of photography and a career in journalism as a reporter, critic and features editor.

In 1973, he won a Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in journalism for his series, Growing Old, his daughter recalled.

In the late 1980s, White was working as an executive editor at PC Computing Magazine where he wrote How Computers Work and later How Software Works, How Digital Photography Works and MP3 Underground, co-authored with his son, Michael.

After living in San Francisco, Cogen said her parents resettled in San Antonio in a home in Monte Vista. In retirement, White taught a course in cinema at Oblate College.

In addition to his wife, son and daughter, White is survived by his granddaughters Tess and Eliza, Cogens children.

Cogen said the family will hold a memorial for her dad once it is safe to gather.

We will remember his joy in the beauties of life and the intricacies of technology; his righteous indignation at the unjust or close-minded; and the deep, abiding love that he always shared with his family and friends, the family wrote in a posting on Whites Facebook page.

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Making feature-length documentaries is certainly not an easy task, given just how well researched and accurate they have to be. However, as far as filmmaking goes, it is the most rewarding of forms. Just ask Anthony Wonke.



 Anthony Wonke

The BAFTA & Emmy winning director is a legend among documentary filmmakers. Although he has made some seminal films, in India, he is most known for his 2015 documentary, Ronaldo, which chronicled how the Juventus star and Real Madrid legend came to be the man that he is.



 IMDb

For his latest project, The Man Who Walked Around The World, he turned his attention to Johnnie Walker and their master blenders, and how, a simple local grocer became a global icon, whose concoctions are in great demand all over the world.



 Anthony Wonke

We had a chat with him about the film, and his style of filmmaking and the research that goes into making a documentary. Following are the edited excerpts:



The film rightly points out that the world doesn't know much about master blenders, and the fact that there have been so few master blenders. Why do you think that is?

Thats a hard question, but I assume its about how specialised a job it is and the need for continuity that it requires. As an outsider, looking in you really get the impression that the team at Johnnie Walker feels like a family and that they are really attached to the brand and what it represents. I imagine the same sense of loyalty goes both ways.

 Anthony Wonke

These men and women in the blending team are essentially the alchemists who create these amazing flavours from thousands of different flavours and ingredients, something that takes years of experience and support; so one can assume they are looked after and appreciated. They are if you like almost like the rock stars of the whisky world.



What do you think is the reason, that in spite of the popularity of Johnnie Walker the label, Johnnie Walker the man has remained somewhat anonymous?

Well although Johnnie Walker was the first of the walkers to start the business, it was his son Alexander Walker who really transformed the brand into the global enterprise that we today know to be so popular.

 Wiki Commons

It was his commercial and marketing skills that catapulted the drink into peoples lives around the world. He capitalised on the brands name and called it Johnnie Walker, he also commissioned the Striding Man logo and his distribution skills moved it around the world.



Stylistically and thematically, how is The Man Who Walked Around different from the other documentaries that you have made? Were there any challenges and difficulties that you had not expected with this one?

Without a doubt, the pandemic threw up lots of challenges. When we started the film the plan was to travel around the world and tell the stories. However, with the travel restrictions in place, we had to film remotely and work around different COVID restrictions and safety measures in different countries.

 IMDb

While it did add in extra time and pressure to everything that we were planning, it eventually made the journey truly inspiring as everyone had a similar shared experience.



How is the industry responding to the COVID situation?

It was amazing to see how the industry managed to adapt and harness new technology quickly and efficiently to make things work. I would sometimes be filming across 3 continents in one day to work around different time zones. It was exhausting but exhilarating at the same time.

No matter in what part of the world you are in, Johnnie Walker is an aspirational as well as inspirational brand, including places where alcohol is prohibited. How much of it, do you think, can be attributed to John Walker, the founder?

I think the Walkers themselves had a very expansionist and internationalist view of the world from very early on. They wanted to take the drink out of Scotland, and the first thing they did was move to London. And then from London, at the turn of the 20th century, the Walkers managed to take advantage of the Industrial Revolution and spread their whisky and their brand all over the world.

 Anthony Wonke

It was an incredibly forward-thinking and open way of looking at the world, and it made them realise that this is the way it should be distributed - so that it was on shelves everywhere. And that was very much a part of John Walker. Even though he started as a humble grocer, he was always looking to the future and looking how to expand globally.


Does the President have a right to free speech? Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor writing on The Volokh Conspiracy, suggests he certainly does and that his speech on January 6 is a weak reed (as was Nancy Pelosis past impeachment folly) on which to gain a conviction in the Senate. (Remember an impeachment vote in the House is basically an indictment with no effect unless the Senate finds guilt after a trial.) Looking at the most analogous case, the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson, he finds plenty of reason for senators to vote against it.

We think the Supreme Court's First Amendment caselaw establishes a baseline. And Senators ought to explain their departure from those precedents. A senator might comply with his constitutional oath, and act in good faith, if he determines that the full scope of First Amendment rights apply to the President under established Supreme Court caselaw. A senator might also comply with his constitutional oath, and act in good faith, if he were to decide otherwise. Our point is that First Amendment rights established by the courts establish a baseline from which departures ought to be explained. [snip] In his classic book about presidential impeachments, Grand Inquests, Chief Justice Rehnquist observed that, during times of conflict, "[p]rovisions in the Constitution for judicial independence, or provisions guaranteeing freedom of speech to the President as well as others, suddenly appear as obstacles to the accomplishment of the greater good." The Chief Justice was right. By necessity, this process has been hurried. Yet, Congress should not forget the lessons of history in the rush to convict President Trump. We know all too well that history has a way of repeating itself. During Johnson's impeachment trial, a House manager warned that Johnson's remarks were not "only talk." In a speech that could be used for Trump's Senate trial, Representative Benjamin Butler of Massachusetts said that "words may be, and sometimes are, things -- living, burning things that set a world on fire." In 1868, Butler's speech did not carry the day -- the House failed to convince enough Republican Senators that the President's speech was unprotected by the First Amendment. Democrats are poised to make a similar mistake today. The House managers seem to think they are more likely to secure a conviction by presenting an impeachment article -- a functional indictment -- which ignores the President's free speech rights. We think this approach may be a blunder. As the managers depart further from the traditional understanding of the First Amendment, the proceeding will more likely be seen as unfair. And, Republicans who see the proceeding as unfair may, at the margin, vote to acquit. They could defend their vote by finding that the managers chose the wrong legal standard. These Senators could justify their vote as a prudential choice to avoid making bad law and bad precedent.

Victor Davis Hanson shares my gimlet eye view of this effort by the Speaker and her party in an article I urge you to read in its entirety.

Donald Trump was impeached again on Wednesday, a week before leaving office in one of the great travesties of modern politics. Here are reasons why the exercise proved a farce. [I]mpeachment was never intended by the founders to become a serial effort to weaken a first-term president. But this latest try will mark the third failed attempt of Democrats in Congress to remove Trump before his allotted tenure. The first Democratic impeachment effort of December 2017 fizzled. The second impeachment of December 2019 succeeded but predictably failed to obtain a Senate conviction. This third try will likely not result in a Senate conviction, either. But from now on, House impeachment will be used by the out-party as a periodic club to wound a first-term president. President-elect Biden should beware.

Aside from the constitutional issue of impeaching a President who, like every one of us, is entitled to free speech, theres the political fallout to consider.

And no one better analyzes this than Victor Davis Hanson. Among other things he highlights the fact that the first two impeachment efforts failed, that the President has been under unremitting attack from day one, that Pelosi and Democrats like Schumer and Biden, have themselves engaged in incendiary speech and conduct. I cant disagree with his conclusion:

Do we really wish to institutionalize these efforts to weaken a president? Would a President Biden want his opposition on three occasions to attempt formal impeachment proceedings? Would Biden welcome a two-year special counsel investigation of the entire Biden family for its alleged efforts to use his name and influence to skim money from foreign governments? Would Biden wish to face serial 25th Amendment threats to remove him from office on allegations that he frequently seems cognitively lost? So what, then, was this latest impeachment gambit really about? Of course, it was a Parthian shot to discredit supporters of Trump -- and perhaps stop Trump from running for president again. But it was also aimed preemptively at opponents of what will soon be the most left-wing Congress in history -- one that in days will try to change the very institutions of American government in ways never tried before.

See more at michaelpramirez.com

Did an anodyne speech by the President, actually incite a riot?

As more evidence appears, it would be hard to sustain that charge. The timeline of the incursion is clear: The Capitol was breached substantially in advance of the conclusion of his speech by people headed there probably before he even spoke. Were all those who entered the Capitol intent on mayhem? It appears most of those who entered the Capitol building engaged in little more than a walkthrough without threatening anyone or damaging any property. Indeed, the Washington Post acknowledges that some of those questioned by law enforcement confirmed the videos -- they did not enter without right, the very point law enforcement must prove to make any charges on unlawful entry stick: They were invited in by a Capitol police officer who shook their hands, gave one a partial hug and told them both that Its your house now. The Post suggests that this conduct was induced by fear of the large crowd.

Maybe. But maybe they recognized that the crowd was largely in support of things like Back the Blue and the people they were protesting about are in the Defund the Police camp. Maybe its a feature of the Capitol police force itself, under the control of Congress with the to-be-expected results of political mismanagement and corruption (most of these are patronage jobs, after all).

Did the President have reason to claim on January 6 that the election was stolen?

The very fact that the left is trying so hard to prevent any discussion on this suggests to me and John Hinderaker that they want to sweep a lot under the carpet and down the memory hole:

First, this question: why are the Democrats so hysterical in their insistence that fraud not be mentioned? One reason is obvious. Joe Biden will take office under a cloud, since close to half of all Americans doubt that he really won the election. The Democrats want to stamp out such doubts to preserve Bidens authority as president. But there is a second reason that may be more important. The Democrats want the lax voting procedures that prevailed in 2020 to continue in the future. They know that efforts will be made in many states to improve ballot integrity, and they want those efforts to fail. By rendering all discussion of voter fraud out of bounds, they hope to forestall reforms that would make it harder for them to cheat, or enable cheating, in the future. Nobody was arguing that it was beyond to pale to accuse Trump of being elected due to tampering by Russian hackers, so Im treating all this pearl-clutching as the self-serving fraud that it is.

Donald J. Trump in my view has been a most consequential President; before the COVID spread he created unparalleled prosperity, lifting all boats, he made great strides in halting waves of welfare dependent illegal aliens from entering the country to the detriment of the poorest, he achieved foreign policy objectives -- like peace in the Middle East -- and defusing the threat from North Korea without firing a shot, he rebuilt a military weakened by successive Democratic administrations, and his loss is a big one for the country. The Babylon Bee describes what horrors the next administration is planning. The Bee is, of course, a satire site, but these days much of what they satirically report did, alas, come to pass.

My friend Lisa Schiffren is also on the mark when she describes the far left policies and aftermath we can expect from the new administration. How quickly, she notes,

...last weeks conveniently timed violence at the Capitol, the origins and perpetrators of which are only now being investigated, and perhaps arrested, after a rush to pin it on the Presidents followers, pushed remaining serious questions about the election's integrity off the table? How the well-timed violence caused Republican senators and congressmen to decide on the spot not to question clearly illegitimate votes in their own states? Another small reality reset: planned violence helped the narrative crowd out of having to explain away any contradictory facts." This owes much to our nations current lack of a free and honest media, without which a free society cannot trust information. Instead, we are stuffed to the gills with propaganda factories working with partisan politicians. Which is why narratives -- big lies -- of the sort that undergird totalitarian societies, have crowded out reality. Especially in a year when everyone was forced to stay at home, watching screens.

And she gives the back of her hand to Q-Anon

...that great psyops that sucked the fight out of millions of patriots, who came to believe that Trump was playing and winning "three-dimensional chess" against a gang of pedophiles, and deep state holders of power. It will take a serious investigative reporter to unearth where the Q cult came from. Considering how the Q fantasy lulls patriots into complacence about "winning," I presume it was perpetrated by Trump's enemies.

Its time for clarity, she concludes, even the bad reality which is surely in the works. Once we face this, we can devise strategies to effectively respond and mobilize to carry them out.

Image: Michael Ramirez
Channel Nine has offered a sneak peek of the highly-anticipated Married At First Sight reunion series, set to air in two weeks.

'Before the return of Australia's biggest social experiment, a grand reunion event like you've never seen before,' a voice over begins in the trailer.

Viewers are treated to before-and-after glimpses of some of the show's most memorable brides and grooms, and it looks like plenty of drama is also on its way.

Married At First Sight is back! Channel Nine dropped its first official trailer for the show's much-anticipated reunion series on Sunday. Pictured: Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli

Upon entry, each of the stars are seen making their way into the warehouse, which all of the show's controversial cocktail parties and commitment ceremonies are held.

First off, a confident Cyrell Paule enters the Sydney warehouse as she announces: 'The b***h is back!'

We then see a flashback of Elizabeth Sobinoff, who first appeared on the show in 2019, before she joyfully walks in hand-in-hand with her groom, Seb Guilhaus.

Sadly the couple have since split since filming this reunion series.

Here comes trouble! A confident Cyrell Paule is first to arrive, appearing ready to start drama. Pictured: Left in 2019 vs Right in 2020

'The b***h is back!' she says as she makes her way over to her fellow castmates

Jo McPharlin, better known as 'Foxy Jojo', appears confident as ever as she is seen making her way in to greet her co-stars.

The 42-year-old appeared almost unrecognisable, having lost a whopping 20 kilos since marrying TV 'husband' Sean Donnelly in 2018.

Appearing loved-up as ever, enduring couple Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli are seen arriving hand-in-hand to the dinner party.

Married: We then see a flashback of Elizabeth Sobinoff, (left) who first appeared on the show in 2019, before she joyfully walks in hand-in-hand with her groom, Seb Guilhaus (right)

Transformation: Jo McPharlin, better known as 'Foxy Jojo' appears confident as ever as she is seen making her way over to her co-stars. Pictured in 2018 (left) vs 2020 (right)

Remember us? Fans are then treated to glimpses of Ines Basic, Sarah Roza, Troy Delmege, Mike Gunner, Ryan Gallagher, Nasser Sultan and all making their way into the ceremony

Having called off their marriage before the show's final decision, Tracey Jewel and Dean Wells were seen arriving at the reunion separately.

Fans are then treated to glimpses of Ines Basic, Sarah Roza, Troy Delmege, Mike Gunner, Ryan Gallagher, and Nasser Sultan.

Following a dramatic transition, all eyes were on Jessika Power who appeared to have unfinished business to take care of with Cyrell.

Still friends? Having called off their marriage before the show's final decision, Dean Wells (left) and Tracey Jewel (right) were seen arriving at the reunion separately

Reunited at last! Ryan Gallagher, left, Nasser Sultan, centre, and Mike Gunner, right, who appeared on the show in 2018 were also in attendance

According to Nine, the special will see 'old flames reunite, friendships formed, and broken ones mended' as past conflicts resurface.

However, the trailer also suggests others 'will be held accountable for their actions'.

Married At First Sight Grand Reunion will air over two big nights on Sunday, January 31, at 7.00pm and Sunday, February 7, at 7.00pm on Nine and 9Now
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16)  China will donate half a million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines, its State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced in a bilateral meeting with his Filipino counterpart, Secretary Teodoro Teddy Boy Locsin, Jr. on Saturday.

Wang informed Locsin of the Chinese governments intention to donate the vaccines, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement after the closed-door meeting. No brand was mentioned.

The DFA added that the donation is "in keeping with" the earlier commitment made by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who said the Philippines will be prioritized once a vaccine developed by China becomes available.

In the opening remarks covered by the media, Wang stressed the need for the two countries to plan how they can work together throughout the year.

[I]n our discussion today, we will also share with you my old friend, Chinas stocks and announcements of Chinas decision regarding vaccine cooperation, Wang said in Mandarin, according to the transcript provided by the DFA.

China also reportedly pledged a million doses to Cambodia and 300,000 to Myanmar as part of Wangs Southeast Asia tour.

Locsin, for his part, called the start of vaccinations as a turning point in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus, believed to have originated from Wuhan, China a year ago, has infected more than 93.9 million people worldwide.

The government is looking at procuring 25 million doses of Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovacs CoronaVac vaccine, eyeing a February rollout for the first 50,000 doses. Amid concerns on the efficacy and price of the vaccine, officials said the country can still opt out of the deal with Sinovac if it fails to secure regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

READ: COVID-19 vaccines: Where is PH in the procurement, clinical trials?

Meanwhile, the two foreign ministers on Saturday reiterated that their countries should continue to set aside differences to pursue areas of cooperation. President Rodrigo Duterte has agreed to shelve the countrys arbitration win in its dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea, opting instead for friendlier relations with China.

The Asian giant insists on owning the global waterway, rejecting the arbitral ruling that recognizes Manilas sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.

With our two nations abiding interest in regional stability and the security of our maritime commons, it behooves us to show our ability to rise to the challenge of managing differences peacefully and in accordance with law, while making headway towards trust-building and practical concrete mutually beneficial cooperation, Locsin said in his speech.

Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.

The Start Your Dream project has been completed in Sharqiya, a governorate in northern Egypt with its capital being Zagazig.

During an official ceremony which took place in Zagazig Culture Palace last week, Culture Minister Ines Abdel-Dayem distributed certificates of the projects' completion to 64 actors who participated in the training.

Organised by the General Authority for Cultural Palaces headed by Ahmed Awad, the ceremony was attended by numerous officials from Sharqiya, including the governor, Mamdouh El-Ghorab.

Start Your Dream is part of the initiative which originated in Cairo's Youth Theatre and expanded to other governorates last year.

The most recent workshops took place in Fayoum, where a group 53 people completed the project and staged a performance in early January. Prior to that, the same project was completed in a workshop in Assiut.

Sharqiya's Start Your Dream lasted for six months. The workshop saw 594 applicants, from which 120 young men and women were selected. 64 talents reached the workshops final stage: 15 young women and 49 men.

The project is spearheaded by Adel Hassaan, the director of the Youth Theatre, who is hoping to develop and offer opportunities to young people interested in acting and the field of theatre at large. Among the main aims of the workshop is to revive the theatrical movement, following the spirit that was known to Egypt in the 1960s.

Operating since 2018 in Cairo, the initiative attracted a large number of young people. Among the achievements of the Youth Theatres acting workshops was the play Beit Al-Ashbah (The Ghost House), performed by young actors in 2019. The play was written and directed by Mahmoud Gamal Hedindi.

During the first wave of the pandemic, the initiative was moved to an online platform under the culture ministry's YouTube channel. The viewers were able to attend online workshops that consisted of short lectures covering a variety of theatre issues with the aim of developing young talents interested in exploring the field.

Numerous theatre specialists shared their expertise during the workshop, presenting topics on acting, drama, stage performance, etc.

The workshops will continue across other governorates, such as Beni Suef, Kafr El-Sheikh, Port Said, Kerdasa in Giza, and Aswan.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArtsand on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny was detained at the passport control desk on arrival at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on January 17. He had returned after six months in Germany being treated for a near-fatal poisoning which, according to extensive evidence presented by Bellingcat and other Western media, was carried out on Kremlin orders.




Last August, The University of Southern California, known as USC, became involved in a dispute over language that appeared widely in U.S. and Chinese news stories.

It started with a white communications professor talking about small words or sounds that people use while speaking to signal pauses.

Because of the coronavirus health crisis, Gregory Patton was teaching the class online in a video conference. This fact may have added to the problem.

Patton advised his business school students that they should keep the pauses, but should avoid these filler sounds.

Um and er are examples of these sounds in English.

In the Mandarin Chinese language, Patton said, the word people often use to fill space between thoughts is that. The word is pronounced ne-ga, which sounds like an English word that is offensive to Black people. It is known as the N-word and is used to make Black people feel less than human.

Many students were surprised to hear the sound come from a professor.

Some Black students were upset and sent a letter to the school expressing their displeasure. They said the professor should have warned them that he was about to say a word that sounded like a bad word in English.

Patton, however, said he had used the example in classes before without complaint, so he did not think about warning students.

Tom Bartlett wrote a story about the incident for The Chronicle of Higher Education.

He said the complaints led to Patton being removed from the class for the rest of the term. Patton, however, was not dismissed by the school. He is still teaching at the university today.

Bartlett said one of the main issues to come out of the incident was Pattons desire to protect his reputation. He wanted to be sure the school would support him.

He felt as if his reputation had been harmed by the fact that this became public, and the fact that he was being accused by some students of using a racist term.

Bartlett said a group of Chinese students wrote a letter supporting Patton.

And they were bothered by the idea that a common word in Mandarin would be seen as by others, as, you know, potentially racist even though we know it was correctly pronounced by the professor. It became a big story in China in some ways, kind of a bigger story even than it was in the United States.

Since the class was online, it was recorded. When people saw the video of the class, they were not sure why the professors class became a problem.

Guilherme Guerreiro is a journalism student at USC. He wrote about the story for The Annenberg School of Journalisms website. Guerreiro is originally from Brazil and English is his second language. He said it is important to remember that the story came after months of racial justice protests in the United States.

It came out of the like the Black Lives Matter protests and all thatthis story happened around August, like early mid-August, and the protests and had been going on, you know, June, July, et cetera, et cetera, so it came into the wake of that.

Guerreiro said the country was at very critical point, a very delicate point, because of the summer of protests.

Bartlett was one of the first reporters to speak with Patton after the incident. He said the professor was worried that he might not be able to continue teaching students in the business school at USC. He apologized to students who were offended. Patton also said he would change his class so he would not use a sound that might make future students uncomfortable.

Reactions from newspapers to comedy

Some commentators thought the reaction by the students was extreme. Newspapers around the U.S., from Los Angeles to New York City wrote about it. The incident even became part of a late-night talk show.

Ronny Chieng is a comedian who appears on the Comedy Central program "The Daily Show." He speaks Mandarin.

In September, he spoke with the host of the program, Trevor Noah. Part of the show was called Did That USC Professor Actually Say the N-Word?

In the segment, the two comedians seemed to consider the objection by the students hard to understand and acted like they were upset with each other. Noah, who is Black, and was born in South Africa, even proposed that the Mandarin language, which has been spoken for thousands of years, should not have the word.



Harder to communicate by video call

After an investigation, the university found that Patton had not meant to offend anyone and did not break any rules.

Patton told Bartlett, the writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, that he did not think the story would have turned out the same way if students had been taking the class in person.

Patton said he would have heard immediately from concerned students during the class instead of after he had completed the video class for the day.

Bartlett said: He would have been able to see the reaction of certain students, and notice that they were uncomfortable, and perhaps followed up with them, they would have had an opportunity after the class perhaps to come up and talk to him

Bartlett added that, when communicating by video it's harder in a Zoom environment to read the room, to, you know, be able to sort of sense what people are, how people are reacting.

While some may see the student groups reaction as extreme, both Bartlett and Guerreiro said there was value in USCs efforts.

Guerreiro said the school has learned about being more careful with language. There are some grievances of the community with the university, he said, adding that USC has made efforts to answer student demands. They are still changing things. They're still doing work. They created certain offices he noted.

Bartlett said the story from USC fits into a higher education discussion about whether professors and students should have the freedom to discuss difficult issues in their classes.

There's a tension often between wanting to listen and take seriously the concerns of students. And then at the same time, say, you know, there may be things that are mentioned in the classroom that may challenge what you believe, may seem to be offensive, may bring up ideas that are, that might make you uncomfortable.

He added that, he thought, at the center of this case involving USCs Patton was just a misunderstanding, really, that then got elevated to something else.

Bartlett said there are cases where universities need to consider what they teach. But this does not seem to be one of them.

In other cases, there are, you know, some real substantive disagreements about what's appropriate, and what is going to potentially upset certain students and sort of cross the line and what is, you know, just a normal part of the education process. And I think that's an ongoing discussion."

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

Quiz - The Sound of a Foreign Word Caused Debate on US Campus Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

pause- n. a temporary stop : a period of time in which something is stopped before it is started again

pronounce- v. to make the sound of (a word or letter) with your voice

reputation n. the way people think about someone (usually of a person or group)

bother v. to cause to feel troubled, worried or concerned

complaint- n. the act of saying or writing that you are unhappy or dissatisfied with something

potentially- adv. able to become real

context- n. the situation in which something happens : the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens

delicate- adj. easily disturbed or upset

offend- v. to cause (a person or group) to feel hurt, angry, or upset by something said or done

comedian- n. a person who performs in front of an audience and makes people laugh by telling jokes or funny stories

sensitive- adj. aware of and understanding the feelings of other people

grievance- n. a reason for complaining or being unhappy with a situation

elevate v. the increase the level or importance of something

substantive adj. important, real or meaningful

appropriate adj. right or is correct for the situation
Image

Franklin Ave. Shuttle

Dear Diary:

On a warm fall evening, a friend took me to the Carroll Street Bridge in Crown Heights for the first time. Unlike its more popular cousin, which crosses the Gowanus Canal, this bridge crosses the open cut of the Franklin Avenue Shuttle.

At the center of the bridge stood a woman. Two children sat beside her in a gray, plastic wagon. After crossing, my friend and I paused to chat and admire the bridge. Curiously, the woman and children didnt budge from their spot.

After a while, we saw a northbound shuttle rumble along the track below. As the two-car train approached the bridge, the children sitting in the wagon pumped their fists, as you would to a passing truck driver.

The motorman obliged with a honk, and the children shrieked in delight as the honking train passed below.
Guatemala City: Guatemalan authorities on Saturday escalated efforts to stop thousands of Hondurans, many of them families with children, travelling in a migrant caravan bound for the United States just as a new administration is about to enter the White House.

Between 7000 and 8000 migrants have entered Guatemala since Friday, according to Guatemala's immigration authority, fleeing poverty and violence in a region battered by the pandemic and back-to-back hurricanes in November.

Migrants enter Guatemala after breaking a police barricade at the border checkpoint on January 16, 2021 in El Florido, Guatemala. Credit:Getty Images

Videos seen by Reuters showed Guatemalan security forces clashing with a group of hundreds of migrants who managed to break through a police blockade at the village of Vado Hondo, near Chiquimula in eastern Guatemala.

"A small group got through and the rest were detained. The people who got past have been located," said Alejandra Mena, a spokeswoman for Guatemala's immigration agency.
I digress. Bottom line: it turns out I have always liked measuring and tracking stuff. Which brings me to my 2021 New Year's resolutions for money. My commitment this year is simply to track every dollar spent and earnt. To me, its the financial equivalent of Kondos advice to pull everything you own out of your cupboards before you start culling and organising. Except, unlike your crowded utensils draw and overflowing linen cupboard, its much harder to get an accurate picture of your finances.

Online banking, direct debits and the increasingly cashless economy have whisked our financial transactions out of sight and out of mind. However, having an accurate idea of the size and shape of your individual spending and income is paramount to financial success. As you navigate your life as a financial adult, youll be asked on myriad occasions to provide an estimate of your monthly living expenses: When you apply for a mortgage; when you calculate if you have enough superannuation saved for retirement; when you look at what level of life or income protection insurance may be appropriate, should the worst occur, and when deciding how much to save in an emergency fund. Banks, insurers and super funds: they all expect you to know. But hands up if you know your exact monthly living expense figure? After tracking my spending for six months, Im closer to a precise figure. But even now, Im still a bit sketchy.

So, if you dont plan on over-borrowing, living off baked beans in retirement or paying for junk life insurance, you need to know what your figures are. But where to start? The answer is simply: by tracking your spending. Just get a notebook and pen and keep a record  all in one place  of all your outgoing expenses. I like paper for this purpose but you could also use a spreadsheet or smartphone app. Just make sure you spend five or 10 minutes every day, or couple of days, to update your tracker with all spending from all accounts, including any cash.

Its so easy to mindlessly spend money these days and tracking is a great accountability tool to allow you to see the exact shape of your spending. Once youre doing this, the next step is to start sorting all your transactions into some sort of category system, much like Kondos system of tidying by category. I have developed my own category system, based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics' household expenditure survey (which, by the way, is the data source for the system banks use to assess your ability to service a mortgage). The categories are: housing, household, utilities, transport, food, health, education, appearance, lifestyle and professional fees.

For each category, I have a different coloured highlighter, which I use to colour in each expense. One follower of my Instagram account suggests I am some strange mix between Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and the ladies at the Home Edit, professional organisers who arrange everything in rainbow colour order. I'll take it; colours are fun, yall, and a great way to liven up the usually grey world of finance. Having Kondo-ed my cupboards, Im now turning my mind to a full New Year's spring clean of my finances for 2021. Im developing full checklists for each of my 10 budget categories, which I will share with readers in a new email newsletter, Money with Jess, which kicks off in a few weeks. Please do subscribe, and, in the meantime, get tracking! You can follow Jess' money adventures on Instagram at @jess_irvine_pics
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Chrissy's Court star Chrissy Teigen struggled to put on equestrian clothing for her therapist-recommended horseback-riding lesson in Los Angeles on Saturday.

'Not even at the horse part yet LOL! What the f*** who can fit in these?' the 35-year-old wisecracking presenter - who boasts 47.6M social media following - lamented via Instastory.

'Holy s***. Horse people: the boots! I always thought breaking in boots meant the foot part but does it mean the calf part because I'm dying over here.'

Too tight: Chrissy's Court star Chrissy Teigen struggled to put on equestrian clothing for her therapist-recommended horseback-riding lesson in Los Angeles on Saturday

Chrissy enlisted her mother Vilailuck 'Thai Pepper' Teigen to use a massager on the riding boots as well as a hair dryer to loosen the leather.

Once Teigen got her boots on, she posed for a snap alongside her four-year-old daughter Luna Simone wearing lavender cowboy boots and her 'first' pair of jeans.

'She had an epic jean meltdown, really beautiful acting 10/10,' the half-Thai Utah native quipped.

However, little Luna changed into an entirely different ensemble and helmet for her actual first horse ride.

The 35-year-old wisecracking presenter lamented via Instastory: 'Not even at the horse part yet LOL! What the f*** who can fit in these? Holy s***. Horse people: the boots! I always thought breaking in boots meant the foot part but does it mean the calf part'

'I'm dying over here!' Chrissy enlisted her mother Vilailuck 'Thai Pepper' Teigen to use a massager on the riding boots as well as a hair dryer to loosen the leather

'She had an epic jean meltdown, really beautiful acting 10/10': Once Teigen got her boots on, she posed for a snap alongside her four-year-old daughter Luna Simone wearing lavender cowboy boots and her 'first' pair of jeans

Chrissy's husband of six years, John Legend, gently stroked a horse called Rascal before Luna and their two-year-old son Miles Theodore rode him.

It's surprising Teigen chose to bring her entire family to the stables as her therapist had recommended that horseback riding be 'something that I do for just me.'

'As I have absolutely nothing currently lol,' the Lip Sync Battle color commentator tweeted on Saturday.

'Today begins my journey into the horse world. I hope this dude likes me. He's so handsome and appears lazy, I love.'

New hobby: However, little Luna changed into an entirely different ensemble and helmet for her actual first horse ride

Up close and personal: The half-Thai Utah native's husband of six years, John Legend, gently stroked a horse called Rascal before Luna and their two-year-old son Miles Theodore rode him

Solo mission? It's surprising Chrissy chose to bring her entire family to the stables as her therapist had recommended that horseback riding be 'something that I do for just me'

Chrissy has been 'going through intense grief counseling' since their son Jack - who was 'the only embryo we had left' - was stillborn in September after 'partial placental abruption.'

Career-wise, Teigen just played herself in the 'Brentwood Trash' episode of Mr. Mayor, which aired last Thursday on NBC.

The 42-year-old EGOT champ will next perform (remotely) at Joe Biden's presidential inauguration this Wednesday at 8:30pm EST from the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Teigen tweeted on Saturday: 'As I have absolutely nothing currently lol. Today begins my journey into the horse world. I hope this dude likes me. He's so handsome and appears lazy, I love'

RIP: The Lip Sync Battle color commentator has been 'going through intense grief counseling' since their son Jack - who was 'the only embryo we had left' - was stillborn in September after 'partial placental abruption'

Guest star gig: Career-wise, Chrissy just played herself in the 'Brentwood Trash' episode of Mr. Mayor, which aired last Thursday on NBC

Other celeb speakers/performers include Bruce Springsteen, the Foo Fighters, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria, Kerry Washington, Tom Hanks, Justin Timberlake, and Demi Lovato.

John will then compete for two trophies - best R&B album and best R&B performance - at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, which air March 14 on CBS.

Legend (born Stephens) and his Ooh Laa muse originally met on the 2007 set of his Stereo music video.

'Join me!' The 42-year-old EGOT champ will next perform (remotely) at Joe Biden's presidential inauguration this Wednesday at 8:30pm EST from the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

NEW DELHI : Britain has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 Summit, which UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use to discuss with the heads of governments from the worlds leading democracies ways to recover from the crisis caused by the covid-19 pandemic , as well as climate change and how the world can benefit from open trade, technological changes and scientific discoveries.

The summit will be held in Cornwall between 11-13 June and the UK will use its G7 presidency to unite leading democracies to help the world build back better from coronavirus and create a greener, more prosperous future," according to a statement from the British high commission in New Delhi.

As the pharmacy of the world, India already supplies more than 50% of the worlds vaccines, and the UK and India have worked closely together throughout the pandemic. Our prime ministers speak regularly and Prime Minister Johnson has said he will visit India ahead of the G7," it said. Australia and South Korea have also been invited as guest countries to the first G7 Summit in almost two years. It will also be US president elect Joe Bidens first G7 meet given that he is to be sworn in on 20 January.

The G7 groups together the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and the European Union. The grouping had included Russia but it was left out following tensions with Western nations over the annexation of Crimea in 2015.

India, Australia and South Korea have been invited as guest countries to deepen the expertise and experience around the table" the British high commission said. The invitations to the three countries are also a testament to the UKs commitment to ensuring multilateral institutions better reflect todays world", it said.

Johnson was quoted by as saying that as the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face".

From cancelling developing world debt to our universal condemnation of Russias annexation of Crimea, the world has looked to the G7 to apply our shared values and diplomatic might to create a more open and prosperous planet," he said. Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced. It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future," Johnson said.

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Tamil Nadu reported a thin turnout for Covid-19 vaccination on the second day of the inoculation campaign, as people stayed home for a long weekend and some expressed their concern about the shot.

As many as 12,684 healthcare workers were vaccinated Saturday, compared to facilities created for 16,000 people. The Government Medical College Hospital at the Omandurar Government Estate in Chennai on Sunday had only a handful of people at vaccination centres that can handle a hundred people at least.

Some Medical students turned up at the Chennai hospital, getting the Serum Institutes Covishield vaccine. At Salems government hospital, only six people had the vaccine. Tamil Nadu did not report any technical errors during vaccinations.

State Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan, who was among doctors vaccinated on Sunday, said the inoculation campaign would pick up. We dont go by a daily vaccination target. Our vaccination drive is based on demand, said Radhakrishnan. Our main focus on Day 1 (Saturday) was to ensure there were no adverse effects and we are not pressured by the daily target approach."

P Balaji, the dean of Chennai's Government Stanley Hospital, said healthcare workers had gone to their hometowns to celebrate Pongal and they will be vaccinated when they return. Stanley Hospital has vaccinated two of its 25 registered nurses yet. Some nurses said that they will wait till doctors are vaccinated and others said their families had pressured them not to take the shot.

An official at a government hospital in Chennai said that several healthcare workers were apprehensive and had decided to wait before taking a vaccine. Some of them had switched off their phone. The hesitancy is mainly due to the fear about safety and the fact that these vaccines came about at such a short span of time, said the official who didnt want to be named.

In Tamil Nadu, 16.8 per cent healthcare workers took the Covid-19 vaccine on State. The State has the capacity to vaccinate 16,600 people a day but only 2,783 got the shot on January 16: the most in Chennai (348) and the least in Perambalur (2).
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(Natural News) The latest Project Veritas bombshell exposes Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey as a lying traitor who, contrary to what he told Congress under oath, is actively censoring conservatives on his tyrannical platform.

A Twitter insider recorded Dorsey admitting recently that while the company is currently focused on one account, referring to President Donald Trumps, this is going to be much bigger than just one account, and its going to go on for much longer than just this day, this week, and the next few weeks, and go on beyond the inauguration.

So, the focus is certainly on this account [@realDonaldTrump] and how it ties to real world violence. But also, we need to think much longer term around how these dynamics play out over time. I dont believe this is going away any time soon.

Dorsey added during the exchange that the country is extremely divided, and that this is apparent every single day on the Twitter platform.

Back in the fall, Dorsey testified under oath before the Senate Commerce Committee that his platform does not censor content.

Anyone can tweet these articles, Dorsey said about the Huntergate bombshells from the New York Post that exposed Joe Bidens son as a criminal pervert who colluded with communist China and capitalized on his fathers influence as the former vice president.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) quickly challenged this lie, noting that he was unable to share the story to his Twitter account even after Dorsey made these false statements.

Twitter needs to be shut down for treason against the United States

Since Dorsey was under oath at the time, it is now confirmed that he committed perjury, which is a serious crime. Will he ever be held accountable?

18 USC 1621 makes it a felony to lie under oath to the Senate, Cruz later tweeted, urging the public and his colleagues to pursue justice in the matter.

Nothing has been done thus far, of course, and Twitter has only continued its censorship spree, both in targeting of President Donald Trump and his supporters and in doing the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by propagating lies about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

According to Twitter, communist China is in no way responsible for unleashing the China virus, which can only be cured through mask wearing and mass vaccination.

Other content that Twitter employees disagree with is routinely banned using the excuse that it violates the platforms terms of service, even when similar content from a different political perspective is allowed to be posted and shared.

The promotion of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa terrorism, for instance, has never once been pulled from Twitter, despite President Trumps account being permanently suspended for supposedly promoting violence.

Selective enforcement of the rules is censorship, plain and simple, and this is what Twitter does all the time to elevate leftist viewpoints while suppressing conservative ones.

The Federalists Ben Domenech noted in a piece he wrote that Twitter failed to take action against user posts that overtly threatened Meghan McCain, his wife, with violence.

Their questions amounted to: why wasnt this obvious violation of your stated rules removed faster? Domenech explained about two members of Congress who were aware of this breach of conduct and wanted to know why Twitter had done nothing to address it.

Why did it require publicity to get attention from your offices? What do you intend to do to prevent this in the future?

The answer, of course, is nothing. Twitter plans to do nothing to enforce its own arbitrary rules whenever leftists violate them, and everything and the kitchen sink when conservatives supposedly do.

More of the latest news about Twitter and the tech giants can be found at Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

ProjectVeritas.com

TheFederalist.com

NaturalNews.com
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She was the second 15-year-old girl to be shot in the city in a week. On Jan. 9, 15-year-old Damia Smith was one of seven people shot, three fatally, by a gunman who later was killed during a shootout with Evanston police. Smiths mother most recently told the Tribune doctors at Comer Childrens Hospital told her its not looking good.

International travellers will be required to present a negative Covid test before arriving in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health has announced.

The rule will come into affect from January 21 and passengers will have to show proof of a test taken within the 72-hour period before departure.

Travel operators will be subject to fines of up to 10,000 if they allow travel in breach of the rule. If a passenger arrives in Northern Ireland without proof of a negative test they will also be subject to a fine, starting at 500.

Health Minister Robin Swann said: "This additional measure will provide another layer of protection to help reduce the risk of imported infections, while national lockdown and vaccination take effect.

"The move is in addition to other robust existing measures such as the removal of travel corridors and the self-isolation requirement regardless of pre-departure test result."

The news comes after a further 25 Covid-related deaths were reported in Northern Ireland on Sunday, bringing the death toll here to 1,606.

The highest daily figure for those who have passed away after contracting the virus since the outbreak (26) was reported on Friday.

Of the 25 fatalities outlined on Sunday, 21 happened within the current reporting period, from 10am on Saturday to 10am on Sunday, while the remaining four deaths occurred previously.

A further 822 people also tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours.

There are 840 Covid patients in hospitals across Northern Ireland, with 67 in intensive care and 50 requiring ventilation.

Hospitals are at 93% occupancy. A total of 139 care homes are dealing with outbreaks of the virus.

Read More

Meanwhile, Northern Trust chief executive Jennifer Welsh said almost half of all patients in Antrim Area Hospital have tested positive for the virus.

Speaking on BBC NIs Sunday Politics programme, Ms Welsh explained that as of Sunday morning, 30 patients in Antrim Area Hospitals emergency department have received a decision to admit.

However, there are no beds to accommodate them - 24 of those patients have been waiting for more than 12 hours.

Read More

She added that the five health trusts have been working together to help cope with the influx of Covid-19 patients.





Cases by council area:

Newtownabbey: 6,577 cases (+471 in past 7 days) and 157 deaths

Ards and North Down: 4,437 cases (+319 in past 7 days) and 94 deaths

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon: 11,432 cases (+1,352 in past 7 days) and 178 deaths

Belfast: 18,173 cases (+971 in past 7 days) and 324 deaths

Causeway Coast and Glens: 6,013 cases (+359 in past 7 days) and 129 deaths

Derry City and Strabane: 10,335 cases (+335 in past 7 days) and 114 deaths

Fermanagh and Omagh: 4,874 cases (+404 in past 7 days) and 61 deaths

Lisburn and Castlereagh: 6,059 cases (+391 in past 7 days) and 119 deaths

Mid and East Antrim: 6,032 cases (+419 in past 7 days) and 147 deaths

Mid Ulster: 9,350 cases (+810 in past 7 days) and 136 deaths

Newry, Mourne and Down: 9,203 cases (+799 in past 7 days) and 107 deaths

Not known: 2,826 cases (+252 in past 7 days) and 40 deaths
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has left the door open to reverse his retirement decision, UFC president Dana White has revealed, RT reports.

White met with Khabib on Friday at a UAE Warriors event in Abu Dhabi, as the internet melted down amid rumors and speculation of how their much-anticipated face-to-face meeting played out.

Early on Saturday, White said that he would reveal the outcome of their conversation before the start of the main card at UFC on ABC 1, the promotion's 2021 curtain-raiser on Fight Island.

And later in the day, the UFC boss shared the news that the undefeated Russian superstar could return to the octagon - but with the caveat that it would have to be against a lightweight rival he deems an exciting challenge.

White said that Khabib had been impressed with Charles Oliveira's win over Tony Ferguson in December, and that he would also have his eye on next week's UFC 257 card, where lightweight rivals Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier meet in the main event and Dan Hooker and former Bellator champion Michael Chandler meet in the co-main event, also at 155lbs.

White said Khabib's message to him had been to "show me something spectacular" in order to lure him back, but that he would "never tie up the division."

"If somebody delivers... I have the feeling he (Khabib) will fight them," White said.
By Daniel F. Runde





WASHINGTON, DC  Most undocumented migrants crossing the United States' southern border come from three small countries: El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Known collectively as Central America's "Northern Triangle," these countries will receive an outsized amount of attention from U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's incoming administration.



In the past 70 years, the U.S. has had a sporadic relationship with the three countries, tending to focus on the region only when a crisis emerges. The main drivers of forced migration from the Northern Triangle  lack of jobs, weak citizen security, and bad governance  are the same ones that fuel the phenomenon in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.



Economic growth can help reduce migration: evidence suggests that interest in emigrating drops significantly when a country's GNP per capita reaches about $8,000. Guatemala and El Salvador currently have a GNP per capita of around $4,000, with Honduras further behind at about $2,500.



Biden is himself no stranger to the region. As vice president under President Barack Obama, he was charged with leading the Alliance for Prosperity (A4P) initiative, which the U.S. put together with the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in response to a 2014 migrant crisis on the U.S.' southern border. Vice President Biden made at least three trips to the Northern Triangle. The A4P also established a security initiative.



Some criticized the original A4P for not creating enough positive impact, especially regarding security, but change takes longer than a four-year U.S. presidential term. In 2017, President Donald Trump's administration replaced Obama's A4P with the U.S. Strategy for Central America, seeking to foster similar institutional reforms, security, and development.



But in 2019, the administration shifted course and froze $450 million in foreign aid to the Northern Triangle in an attempt to force the three countries to stop migration flows and change their border policies. Freezing assistance negatively affected U.S. overseas aid programs, and resulted in the cancelation of a number of development schemes.



The hardest problems to confront in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are corruption and poor governance. Some past initiatives, such as the "Commission Against Impunity" in Guatemala, partly succeeded in fighting corruption but ultimately failed for a number of reasons.



Unfortunately, the three countries' economic, security, and political challenges have recently worsened, and have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastation caused by Hurricanes Iota and Eta. Northern Triangle economies have suffered severely owing to pandemic-related lockdowns and declines in tourism, while remittances initially declined drastically but have since picked up. A silver lining is that gang violence has decreased and remains lower than normal.



When the pandemic abates, the region will have significant potential to develop a number of economic sectors, such as tourism and textiles. Additionally, tectonic shifts are underway in global supply chains as countries and firms seek to become more resilient and less reliant on China.



The Northern Triangle's problems are solvable  and Panama, Mexico, and Colombia offer some (admittedly imperfect) comparisons in terms of lessons learned. After Panama suffered a severe political crisis in 1989, it had a GNP per capita of just $2,570. But today, the country is a healthy democracy that boasts a GNP per capita of $14,950, which explains why there are not large numbers of Panamanians migrating to the U.S.



Likewise, Mexico was once a country of origin for large numbers of both documented and undocumented migrants to the U.S. But nowadays, net numbers of Mexicans are returning to Mexico; the country achieved a per capita GNP of $8,050 in 2005, around the time that its population reached replacement levels. And the experience of Colombia shows how consistent political will and a broad social consensus can lead to real progress in security, economic development, and addressing conflict.



The Northern Triangle region has changed in the last six years. El Salvador and Guatemala have experienced political transitions, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has undergone a change of leadership. Moreover, China has steadily strengthened its ties to Central America, resulting in El Salvador severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2018. Ideally, a new Biden administration initiative toward the region would provide strong incentives for Honduras and Guatemala to maintain their recognition of the island.



The most important players in a renewed Alliance for Prosperity 2.0 will be the three countries' political leaders. Moreover, the vast majority of formal-economy jobs in the Northern Triangle will be created by local businesses and entrepreneurs. Any initiative that does not promote an improved business and investment environment will fail.



Biden has pledged to recommit the U.S. to the region through a four-year, $4 billion strategy targeting the rule of law, endemic corruption, and economic growth. Any such initiative will require a deep partnership with the IDB, which has unique convening authority in the region, relevant expertise, and significant financing power  and has signaled that it wants to help. The Biden administration should also seek support from Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Taiwan, Spain, the European Union, and the World Bank.



Ultimately, there is no magic bullet that can solve the Northern Triangle's problems. Overcoming them will require political will from the region's three governments, buy-in from societal stakeholders, and an extended commitment from the U.S. and others. The three countries will need to devise their own plans, and then be held accountable for delivering results. The incoming Biden administration can help  most effectively by convening the region's leaders within its first 60 days in office.





Daniel F. Runde is a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic & International Studies. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).


One person is dead after an NJ Transit bus crashed into a pedestrian late Friday night, according to an agency spokesperson.

Six passengers were on board during the deadly crash on 4th Street in Fieldsboro, Burlington County. No one on the bus was injured, including the driver. The male pedestrian, whom NJ Transit would not identify, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The bus was traveling on the 409 route from Trenton to Philadelphia at 10:30 p.m. when it hit the pedestrian.

The New Jersey State Police Fatal Accident Investigation Unit assisted with the investigation. Bordentown City Police Department is the lead agency investigating the crash, a state police spokesperson said

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Josh Axelrod may be reached at jaxelrod@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
WASHINGTON - During the chaos at the Capitol, overwhelmed police officers confronted and combated a frenzied sea of rioters who transformed the seat of democracy into a battlefield. Now police chiefs across the country are confronting the uncomfortable reality that members in their own ranks were among the mob that faced off against other law enforcement officers.

At least 13 off-duty law enforcement officials are suspected of taking part in the riot, a tally that could grow as investigators continue to pore over footage and records to identify participants. Police leaders are turning in their own to the FBI and taking the striking step of reminding officers in their departments that criminal misconduct could push them off the force and behind bars.

The reckoning within police departments comes as plans for new demonstrations this weekend and on Inauguration Day are solidifying, with authorities warning of the potential for violence in state capitals. Participants are expected to protest election results that made Joe Biden president-elect.

"We are making clear that they have First Amendment rights like all Americans," said Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, who on Thursday accepted the resignation of an 18-year veteran in his department due to his involvement in the riot, which followed a rally at which President Donald Trump urged his supporters to not accept his defeat. "However, engaging in activity that crosses the line into criminal conduct will not be tolerated."

The revelation that officers participated in the chaos was the latest hit for law enforcement's reputation, coming on the heels of a year in which police violence spurred nationwide protests and activists called for cutting police funding. As photographs and videos of some off-duty officers at the riot emerged on social media, some residents back home felt betrayed, while police officials worried about a black eye for the entire profession's credibility.

Acevedo, president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, said the behavior is so egregious that it is often fellow officers who are alerting police chiefs and others to their colleagues' participation in last week's mob attack on the Capitol.

It marks a notable break in the so-called "blue wall of silence," an aspect of police culture that encourages officers to turn a blind eye to misconduct by fellow officers. Craig Futterman, who directs the University of Chicago Law Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project, said the Capitol riot was different.

"The 'Code of Silence' is fundamentally about loyalty to your fellow officer and that 'no one understands what we're going through but us,' " Futterman said. By contrast, there's something "fundamentally anti-police" about storming the Capitol, he said.

That fellow police officers were the target of much of the mob's brutality is another important factor that may have prompted whistleblowing. U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick was among the five people killed as a result of the riot. Dozens of other police officers were injured.

While some officers have said they were merely at the rally, rather than participating in the riot, others were found to have gone farther.

In Rocky Mount, Va., the presence of two officers in the riot, which included displays of the Confederate battle flag, came to light after a colleague and another city official leaked photos of them inside the Capitol during the riot to an area activist. The president of the local Black Lives Matter chapter posted them on her Facebook page and one of the officers quickly defended himself and threatened future violence.

"A legitimate republic stands on 4 boxes," Officer Thomas Robertson, 47, wrote in response on his Facebook page. "The soapbox, the ballot box, the jury box and then the cartridge box. We just moved to step 3. Step 4 will not be pretty...I've spent most of my adult life fighting a counter insurgency. Im about to become part of one, and a very effective one."

Robertson and fellow officer Jacob Fracker, 27, were both arrested Wednesday by the FBI and are so far the only law enforcement officers facing federal charges, which include one count each of "knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority" and one count each of "violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds."

A Washington Post analysis shows that at least 29 current and former officers attended the Jan. 6 rally, with some proceeding to the Capitol, according to a review of officers' social media accounts, FBI reports and news reports.

Of those, at least 13 officers are under investigation for possible participation in the rioting, as well more than a dozen Capitol Police officers who may have assisted the mob that seized the Capitol.

The officers - and at least one police chief - came from tiny departments with less than a handful of officers to large agencies with thousands on their force.

Reports of police among the rioters at the Capitol has police leaders worried about erosion of the public's trust in law enforcement.

"It creates an issue where the public has a hard time believing that the . . . decisions they make off duty do not impact their choices and decisions they make while on duty," said Andrew Walsh, a deputy chief with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. That force is investigating reports that "employees" may have been at the Capitol, he said.

Since the start of his presidency, Trump styled himself as a champion of law enforcement who would restore to policing a level of respect, freedom and power he perceived to have been diminished under President Barack Obama.

Even before Trump declared himself the "law and order candidate" at a 2016 campaign event, he portrayed use of force against racial justice protesters and suspects in police custody as virtuous: As a candidate, he offered to pay the legal fees of his supporters who assaulted protesters disrupting his rallies. Not long after taking office in 2017, he told a crowd of police not to worry about injuring the people they arrest.

In the four years of Trump's administration, he has reversed police reform efforts and curbed the use of "pattern and practice" investigations into police departments for civil rights violations - something that had been a staple of the Obama-era Justice Department and is expected to resume under Biden. Police were keen to return the favor when Trump ran for a second term with many police unions enthusiastically offering their endorsement.

Dennis Kenney, a former police officer and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said he was "not too terribly surprised" police were among those at the pro-Trump rally that preceded the riot, citing what he called "some pretty strident" police union support for Trump and "an authoritarian sort of regime."

Police unions and policing groups backed Trump in the 2020 election, with the head of the National Association of Police Organizations last summer deeming him "the most pro-law enforcement president we've ever had."

However, union leaders said they are shocked by how some of their members appeared to cross the line at the Capitol. They also said officers who breached the Capitol should not expect their unions' support in their legal battles.

"We took an oath to protect the constitution and the rule of law," said Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police. "When people decide they are going to violate that - they are alone."

Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, said he had joked with Acevedo about how absurd it would be for any of the department's 5,300 officers to be involved in the mob that stormed the Capitol.

He said the resignation of 48-year-old Tam Pham, after having been identified as having been at the Capitol, has not changed how he is communicating with his members. Griffith believes the line some officers crossed is so bright, it doesn't need to be explained to the rest of the force. Attempts to reach Pham were not successful.

"We took an oath to uphold the law, not violate it," Griffith said. "You have to have common sense and walk away. Think about it. There are [Capitol] officers being beaten. How, as an officer, do you not help out? How do you not understand that you shouldn't be there?"

David Ellis, the police chief in Troy, N.H., attended the Trump rally. As he approached the Capitol and saw the mob was pushing past the Capitol Police, he understood he needed to turn away, he said.

As he boarded a charter bus at Union Station with the rioting underway, he gave an interview to New York magazine, saying the violence was "not going to solve a thing" and characterized the way the Capitol Police were being treated as "ridiculous." He defended going to the rally, saying, "There's a lot of Trump supporters that are awesome people. Like me."

Ellis's small department has three full-time officers, including him. Richard Thackston, chairman of the Troy Board of Selectmen, has defended Ellis. But the blowback on town officials was immediate and fierce. More than 100 people sent emails and voice-mail messages threatening violence. Troy Town Hall is now closed indefinitely.

"They are saying we are members of the Klan. They are calling us Nazis. They are saying we should be taken to a firing squad," Thackston said. "There is a line for us. I don't think we tell people they cannot attend rallies. They have First Amendment rights."

Chuck Wexler, director of the Police Executive Research Forum, said for years police chiefs have wrestled with racist, white supremacist and violent rhetoric that some officers post on social media.

In those instances, Wexler said disciplinary action may be taken since such actions are often considered "conduct unbecoming an officer." It tarnishes the credibility of the officer, making it difficult for them to testify in their own criminal cases, impairing their ability to fulfill their job duties.

"This is an evolution, a big leap from the difficult waters that police departments have waded through in recent years as officers take to social media to express their political and sometimes racist views," Wexler said. "What happened at the Capitol the other day is new territory. Going from freedom of speech to participating in a riot where a police officer dies, that takes it to a new level."

Brian Levin, a former police officer and director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism in California, said white supremacy and far-right-wing groups are successfully recruiting local law enforcement officers. They also encourage their young members to enter law enforcement, he said.

"We are encountering a new insurgency, as far-right extremists become more active, as their connections to mainstream politics becomes attenuated, but police agencies have yet to adapt to this new threat which directly impacts their ranks and also national security," he said.

People living in the communities where the officers work, who have forged relationships with them, say they are disappointed and hurt.

Bridgette Craighead saved videos of her dancing with Robertson, the Rocky Mount officer, at a Black Lives Matter event she organized in her Virginia hometown over the summer. She said she also became close to Officer Fracker.

She was proud of the relationship they forged.

"I thought we would be an example for the rest of the world," Craighead said. "When we left our last protest, they told us they loved us. They escorted us home. Now I feel betrayed."

On Jan. 9, three days after the riot, Craighead received a copy of a photo of Robertson and Fracker posing inside the Capitol during the siege. They were standing in front of a statute of Revolutionary War General John Stark, who is know for a toast he once wrote - "Live free or die." Fracker is holding his middle finger up to the camera.

She quickly posted it on her Facebook page. The next day, the two officers were placed on paid leave and the FBI was notified, according to a joint statement by Police Chief Ken Criner and Town Manager C. James Ervin. Criner and Ervin did not return calls seeking additional comment.

In response to Craighead's post, Robertson, who, according to local news reports is an Army veteran who received sniper training and served in Iraq, said he did not see a conflict or disparity between supporting local Black protesters and his protest that involved a breach of the Capitol.

"I can protest for what I believe in and still support your protest fro [sic] what you believe in," he wrote. "Just saying...after all, I fought for the right to do it."

Fracker, who military.com said previously served as a Marine, also defended himself on Facebook, saying he believed he did nothing wrong.

"Lol to anyone who's possibly concerned about the picture of me going around," he wrote. "Sorry I hate freedom? Not like I did anything illegal, way too much to lost [sic] to go there, but y'all do what you feel you need to do."

Three days later, Fracker and Robertson were arrested by the FBI.

- - -

The Washington Post's Julie Tate and Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.
New satellite images of a refugee camp in Ethiopias embattled Tigray region show more than 400 structures have been badly damaged in what a research group believes is the latest intentional attack by fighters.

The report by the U.K.-based DX Open Network nonprofit, shared with The Associated Press, says it is likely that the fire events of 16 January are yet another episode in a series of military incursions on the camp as reported by (the United Nations refugee agency).

The Shimelba camp is one of four that hosted 96,000 refugees from nearby Eritrea when fighting erupted in early November between Ethiopian forces and those of the defiant Tigray region. The fighting has swept through the camps and two of them, including Shimelba, remain inaccessible to aid workers. Many refugees have fled.

On Thursday, U.N. refugee chief Filippo Grandi cited recent satellite imagery of fires and other destruction at the two inaccessible camps as concrete indications of major violations of international law.

A U.N. refugee agency spokesman on Sunday morning did not immediately respond to questions about the latest reported attack.

The new report says the satellite images show smoldering ruins, blackening of structures and collapsed roofs. The structures, it said, match the profile of mud-brick dwellings constructed by the refugees themselves. The attackers likely split into multiple groups going door to door to set fires inside buildings, consistent with previous attacks on the Hitsats camp, which also is inaccessible.

Neither the U.N. nor DX Open Network has blamed anyone for the attacks, but the presence of troops from Eritrea, a bitter enemy of the Tigray regions now-fugitive leaders, has caused alarm. Grandi noted many reliable reports and firsthand accounts of abuses including the forced return of refugees to Eritrea.

The day after Grandis statement, Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel tweeted that UNHCR seems to indulge, yet again, in another bout of gratuitous & irresponsible smear campaigns against Eritrea. He said Eritrea rejects the forced repatriation of refugees.

Eritrea has been described by human rights groups as one of the worlds most repressive countries. Thousands of people have fled the country over the years to avoid a system of military conscription.

Fighting continues in parts of the Tigray region. Thousands of people have been killed and more than 2 million displaced.

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Candidate registration for Phuket local council elections opens Feb 8

PHUKET: Candidates looking to contest the upcoming local municipal elections can register from Feb 8, the Phuket office of the Election Commission of Thailand (PEC) has confirmed.

politics

By Tanyaluk Sakoot

Sunday 17 January 2021, 09:45AM

Local municipal elections will be held throughout the country on Mar 28. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

Registration for candidates will be open Feb 8-12, PEC Director Passakon Siripakayapon told The Phuket News.

During the registration week, candidates will be able to register to contest seats on local councils of the 12 municipalities in Phuket, or for the position of mayor where available, he explained.

The news follows the Election Commission of Thailand main office in Bangkok confirming that local municipal elections will be held throughout the country on Mar 28.

The Election Commission of Thailand announced that the date for local municipality elections has been set for March 28. The ECT will issue an official announcement on Feb 1. Then the PEC will formally inform the Local Election Committee at each municipality including Paklok, Cherng Talay, Srisoonthorn, Thepkrasattri, Patong, Kathu, Karon, Rawai, Chalong, Wichit, Rassada and Phuket Town on March 28, Mr Passakorn said.

The election of six Local Administration Organisations (OrBorTor) is being separated. Mr Passakorn clearified, People who register in Saku, Mai Khao, Cherng Talay, Thepkrasattri, Kamala and Koh Keaw OrBorTor areas, have to wait. The election there is not held on March 28. ECT will announce the OrBorTor election date later.

However, long before more formal announcements will be made, Mr Passakorn will get the ball rolling to prepare for the elections. Chief administrative officers (palads) from each of the 12 municipalities have been called to attend a briefing on Monday (Jan 19) on the guidelines of conducting a local election.

Local municipalities will be responsible for providing the budget for holding the elections in their respective areas," Mr Passakorn noted.

The election process will be overseen by the PEC. Other details will be figured out later, he added.

As with the recent Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor) election, voters will be presented with two ballot cards: one to elect the mayor, the other to elect up to six councillors, Mr Passakorn explained.

"Candidates and any parties they represent will be allowed to start campaigning on Feb 1. But they must conclude at 6pm on Mar 27, Mr Passakon added.
Investigations editor

Larry Parnass, investigations editor, joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant and CommonWealth Magazine.
Joe Biden's first overseas trip as president will be to a tiny Cornish seaside village for the G7 summit, it is understood.

The first in-person meeting of the G7 in almost two years will be held in June in Carbis Bay, which has a population of just over 3,000.

Mr Biden is set to attend the meeting making it his first presidential trip abroad following his inauguration next week.

The summit will no-doubt follow a busy first few months for the soon-to-be premier.

Mr Biden is on course to reverse several major Trump policies on his first day in office - including striking down the travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries and having the United States rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, according to a memo from incoming chief of staff Ron Klain.

Joe Biden's first overseas trip as president will be to a tiny Cornish seaside village for the G7 summit, it is understood

The first in-person meeting of the G7 in almost two years will be held in June in Carbis Bay, which has a population of just over 3,000

Mr Biden is set to attend the meeting in Carbis Bay (pictured) making it his first presidential trip abroad following his inauguration next week

What are the plans for this year's G7 summit and where will it be held? Tiny seaside village Carbis Bay in Cornwall is to host world leaders in the first in-person meeting of the G7 in almost two years in June. The resort village has a population of just over 3,000, and is served by a Tesco supermarket and a 'popular' fish and chip shop. It is one of the smallest locations ever to host the G7, and in summer is often overlooked by tourists driving through on their way to nearby St Ives. The choice could prove a logistical nightmare, with the nearest international airport in Exeter, over 100 miles away. Cornwall regularly sees its population increase by up to 100,000 people in June, with the A30 main road grinding to a halt in places. The group will treated to the charms of the Carbis Bay Hotel, a four-star 300-a-night spa resort overlooking the Celtic Sea, where they will hold meetings and their 'family photo' at the start of the event between 11-13 June. Virginia Woolf spent three weeks at the hotel in 1914 and, years later, wrote To the Lighthouse, inspired by Godrevy Lighthouse at St Ives Bay. The hotel boasts a fine-dining spot, Restaurant 1894, which opened last summer and has an extensive wine cellar that Emmanuel Macron will approve of. Some of the delegates will have to travel to and from their lodgings at the hilltop Tregenna Castle Resort just over a mile away. If any of the leaders need to de-stress at the end of the day then both hotels have pools, but Carbis Bay is closer to the beachside spa that offers a barrel sauna, firelit lounge and large treatment menu. Mr Johnson has also invited Australia, India and South Korea to attend. The Prime Minister says he wants to use Britain's presidency of the G7 to forge a consensus that the global economy must recover from the pandemic in a pro-free trade and sustainable way. 'Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced," he said in a statement. 'It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future.' Advertisement

It was revealed today that this year's G7 meeting, Boris Johnson's first major summit in the UK, will be held in Carbis Bay in Cornwall.

The Prime Minister hopes to unite leaders on a message of 'building back better from coronavirus'.

The resort village has a population of just over 3,000, and is served by a Tesco supermarket and a 'popular' fish and chip shop.

It is one of the smallest locations ever to host the G7, and in summer is often overlooked by tourists driving through on their way to nearby St Ives.

The choice could prove a logistical nightmare, with the nearest international airport over 100 miles away in Exeter.

Cornwall regularly sees its population increase by up to 100,000 people in June, with the A30 main road grinding to a halt in places.

Mr Johnson will pull out all the stops for the meeting.

While it is set to be Mr Biden's first international visit, it is set to be one of the last by outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Others in attendance are French President Emmanuel Macron, Japan's newly elected Prime minister Yoshihide Suga, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Italy's Giuseppe Conte, and leaders from the European Union.

The group will treated to the charms of the Carbis Bay Hotel, a four-star 300-a-night spa resort overlooking the Celtic Sea, where they will hold meetings and their 'family photo' at the start of the event between 11-13 June.

Virginia Woolf spent three weeks at the hotel in 1914 and, years later, wrote To the Lighthouse, inspired by Godrevy Lighthouse at St Ives Bay.

Some of the delegates will have to travel to and from their lodgings at the hilltop Tregenna Castle Resort just over a mile away.

The G7 meeting will no-doubt follow months of swift change put in place by Mr Biden.

One of the executive orders he will sign is a reversal of the travel ban, which first affected people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen when it was implemented in January 2017.

The order has been altered slightly since then, but has largely withstood legal challenges, despite calls of it being discriminatory.

Another executive order Mr Biden is planning on signing on his first day is an order that will have the United States rejoin the Paris Climate Accord.

The agreement signed in 2016 is a global pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emission and enact other environmentally-conscious policies.

Donald Trump had the United States withdraw from the agreement in November 2019, becoming the most significant nation to no longer be party to the pact, drawing the ire of the rest of the globe.

It is one of the smallest locations ever to host the G7, and in summer is often overlooked by tourists driving through on their way to nearby St Ives

Who's in, who's out: Japan's Shinzo Abe resigned for health reasons last year, while Donald Tusk's EU Council Presidency also came to an end. Donald Trump won't be attending after he lost the US Presidential election to Joe Biden

Some of the delegates will have to travel to and from their lodgings at the hilltop Tregenna Castle Resort just over a mile away

The Prime Minister says he wants to use Britain's presidency of the G7 to forge a consensus that the global economy must recover from the pandemic in a pro-free trade and sustainable way. Pictured: Mr Johnson with Emmanuel Macron at the G7 in Biarritz in 2019

The travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries is one of the policies Joe Biden intends to reverse on his first day

'During the campaign, President-elect Biden pledged to take immediate action to start addressing these crises and build back better,' Klain wrote in a memo obtained by CNN.

'As president, he will keep those promises and sign dozens of executive orders, presidential memoranda, and directives to Cabinet agencies in fulfillment of the promises he made.'

Other executive orders Biden wants to sign right away include a halt of evictions during the pandemic, a pause on student loan payments during the pandemic, and a mandate requiring the wearing of face masks on federal properties.

Biden also has listed a thorough immigration policy and a $1.9trillion coronavirus relief bill among his top priorities.

Biden previously said he would roll back the Migrant Protection Protocols on his first day, which turn away many Central American refugees at the Mexican border.

Whether or not he does so could become critical in the coming days, with reports of Honduran migrants working their way through Guatemala and slowly towards the US border emerging.

His plans will reverse many of the policy decisions made by his predecessor over four years

Trump's legacy could be damaged by the reversal of many of his policies by Biden

Biden also plans to visit the United Kingdom early in his presidency. Pictured: Biden in the United Kingdom on official business as vice president in February 2013

It was earlier reported that the United Kingdom was set to be the destination of Mr Biden's first presidential overseas trip.

Ted Kaufman, the head of Mr Biden's White House transition team, said he is willing to 'bet a beer' the first foreign country the next US President will visit will be England.

Mr Kaufman also said in November that his boss 'doesn't understand the whole grudge concept' as he said it was a 'very smart move' for Mr Johnson to speak to Mr Biden so swiftly after the election result was called.

The former US senator said Mr Biden 'really cares about' the UK and will 'want to establish close ties'.

Sources on Mr Biden's campaign team had questioned whether Mr Johnson was an 'ally' because of his warm relationship with Mr Trump.

Ted Kaufman, a former US senator, is the head of Joe Biden's White House transition team

There was also speculation the pair would not get along because of Mr Johnson's past criticism of Barack Obama, who Mr Biden served as vice president.

But Mr Kaufman insisted that morning that Mr Biden 'will be a president who does not hold grudges'.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'He just doesn't understand the whole grudge concept. I am telling you, it bothers me sometimes because I think sometimes you should have a grudge against certain people.

'But he just doesn't understand that at all. Boris Johnson called him up early to congratulate him when other world leaders were concerned that Trump wasn't out for sure and all the rest of that.

'I think that was a very smart move on Boris Johnson's part. But he will be a president who does not hold grudges so that won't be a problem.

'I think England is a country, the UK is a country, that he really cares about and feels that it is really important and he is going to want to establish close ties with England.

'You can absolutely go to the bank. That is what he is going to do.'

A friend of Mr Biden's told The Sunday Telegraph :'Joe's view will be that they'll have the destiny of the world on their shoulders so he'll want to overcome any political differences.'

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is also hoping to visit Biden in Washington DC after his inauguration.

A United Nations climate change conference is scheduled to take place in Glasgow, Scotland in the fall of 2021, meaning Biden could end up visiting the United Kingdom more than once this year.

Mr Trump and Mr Johnson tapped into similar sentiments within their countries, but the relationships between the two nations during their tenures has not been rock solid.

Because of Brexit, the two nations are working on a new trade deal, which isn't expected to be in place before 2022.

Additionally, Trump's state visit to the country in June 2019 was heavily protested and featured the infamous flying of the Trump baby balloon.

Trump's first foreign visit as the president took him to several countries in May 2017 starting in Saudi Arabia, where he signed a $110 billion arms deal.
Police Complaint Filed Against Filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar In Maharashtra After He Allegedly Slaps And Abuses A Man

A man has filed a police complaint against filmmaker-actor Mahesh Manjrekar for allegedly slapping and abusing him after his car hit Manjrekar's vehicle here in Maharashtra, a senior police official said on Sunday.

The incident took place on Friday night near Yavat village on Pune-Solapur highway following which police registered a non-cognisable offence against Manjrekar, the official from Yavat police station said.

The complainant, Kailas Satpute, alleged that his vehicle hit Manjrekar's car from behind after the filmmaker applied sudden brakes, he said.

Manjrekar then stepped out of his car and both of them had an argument, following which the filmmaker allegedly slapped and abused Satpute, the official said.

The man later filed a police complaint against Manjrekar.

The police registered a non-cognisable offence under relevant Indian Penal Code Sections, the official said.

Mahesh Manjrekar is currently working on his next film Antim: The Final Truth which he is directing with actor Aayush Sharma in the lead. Salman Khan will be seen in the role of a turbaned cop in the film.

The shoot of Antim kicked off in Pune in December and still continues.

The national award winning filmmaker has directed critically-acclaimed Hindi films like "Vaastav" and "Astitva", and a number of Marathi movies.

Police raided several parties in Manchester this weekend, as Priti Patel prepares to give officers new powers to break up 'super-spreader' functions of more than 15 people.

Currently, those who attend parties of less than 30 can be fined 200 for the first offence and there is a 10,000 fine for organisers of large gatherings.

However, under the tougher new plans, every person attending events of more than 15 will be fined 10,000.

News of the crackdown came after police in Manchester blasted a minority of people who still believe they are 'above the law' as they broke up house parties over the weekend.

Officers said they issued 110 fixed-penalty notices for Covid-19 regulation breaches since 3pm on Friday, bringing the total issued in the region to 2,600 since August.

Fines were handed out on Saturday night to partygoers at an address in Hulme, and at a property in Greengate, Salford, where police responded to reports of 30 people attending.

Social media photos showed people at the Greengate party drinking champagne and dancing close together.

More photos from a party in Cheetham Hill showed around 20 officers raided a party of more than 50 revellers.

Fines were handed out on Saturday night to partygoers at a property in Greengate, Salford, where police responded to reports of 30 people attending

Police raided a house party of 50 at an address in Manchester last night, though it is unclear if anyone was arrested

Social media photos showed people at the Greengate party drinking champagne and dancing close together

Home Secretary Priti Patel is set to introduce tougher new laws to punish people who breach lockdown guidelines to go to house parties

Under the new plans, every person attending events of more than 15 would be fined 10,000

The Home Secretary's new rules could be brought into force within days and would emulate the ones brought in by Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland.

The parties weren't the only examples of rule-breaking in Manchester over the weekend.

In Bolton four people travelling in a car on Friday were fined when their vehicle broke down after they drove from Preston to pick up a takeaway.

Chief Inspector Carol Martin, of Greater Manchester Police, said: 'The majority of people across Greater Manchester are following the Government's guidance - we would like to thank them for doing their bit throughout the pandemic. However, there is a minority who think they are above the law.

'It is incredibly frustrating to those abiding by the rules that some people are showing such a blatant disregard for the current regulations.

'Not only are they putting their own lives and those of their loves ones at stake, they also risk undoing the hard work of everyone else continuing to make the necessary sacrifices at this time.

'We would like to reassure people that dedicated teams of officers are responding to reports of non-compliance and are continuing to follow the national lead by engaging with members of the public, explaining the law and encouraging compliance, but our officers will not hesitate to take enforcement action if people are found to be flouting the rules.'

The government launched a hard-hitting Covid advertising blitz last week which warns people 'don't let a coffee cost lives' as ministers say police will tackle people flouting the lockdown amid a mass crackdown.

No10 released two new posters, with one showing masked people queuing outside while a caption claims that around one in three people are carrying coronavirus with no symptoms.

The red and yellow ad warns: 'If you're getting a takeaway coffee, remember to wash your hands, cover your face and keep your distance' - before urging people to 'stay home, protect the NHS and save lives'.

It comes after Priti Patel said police forces have seen 'dreadful' breaches of coronavirus regulations, with police breaking up several illegal raves last night including one held on a London roof-top.

Currently, those who attend parties of less than 30 can be fined 200 for the first offence and a 10,000 fine for organisers of large gatherings

People were heard laughing as they fled the scene in Manchester with chaos erupting after revellers were forced onto the street

The Home Secretary's new rules could be brought into force within days and would emulate the ones brought in by Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland

Body cam footage showed partygoers escaping from the back entrance as officers moved in

Reports say one man was arrested before being released though Greater Manchester Police have yet to comment

Officers in the capital were said to be 'astounded' after being called to break up a party at an industrial unit in Southwark, where they found at least 20 revellers on top of the building.

A party of up to 100 people was also broken up by police in a Hertfordshire village, where alcohol was seized. The events were branded 'completely unacceptable' by police who issued Covid fines and made several arrests.

Police also fined 49 petrolheads for breaking Covid lockdown after they were caught speeding round a roundabout at an illegal Romford car meet.

Officers found the group of around 50 vehicles speeding around the local area last night and those in attendance were mixing without any social distancing.

Body worn footage from the scene showed officers walking towards a red car which was manoeuvring on the pavement while dozens of others lined the roads just before midnight.

Police in Romford fined 49 petrolheads for breaching coronavirus restrictions after they were caught speeding round a roundabout just before midnight last night. Pictured: Police at the scene

Dozens of cars were on the roads just before midnight last night resulting in 49 people being issued with fines

Detective Chief Superintendent Stephen Clayman said: 'It is unacceptable that people are still breaking the rules at a time when there is so much pressure on the NHS. It is more important than ever before that people follow the regulations.

'The restrictions are clear enough and there is no excuse for this sort of selfish behaviour that puts lives at risk and causes a nuisance for nearby residents who are doing the right thing by staying at home.

'We understand that this is a very difficult time for everyone but our top priority as police officers is keeping people safe. If that means moving quicker to enforcement action for more wilful breaches, then we will do.'

The Met Special Constbulary shared a picture from the illegal gathering last night along with a message which read: 'This is not an essential journey! As a result, over 50 Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued and further intelligence submitted. #StayHomeSaveLives'

Body worn footage showed an officer approaching a red car which was turning on the pavement

Appearing on ITV's This Morning, Ms Patel said the Government was not intending to make the lockdown tougher - but she underlined there will be harsher enforcement and said police were having to 'break up some really dreadful situations where people are breaching the rules'.

'It is important that we enforce these rules. Your viewers will see more police officers out and about,' she said. 'The rules are clear and the majority of the British public are following the rules.'

Pointing to the huge death toll last week, she said most people understood the need to 'stop the spread of the virus'. 'The police will continue to issue fines and enforce against people who are flagrantly breaching the rules,' she said.

Tehran, Jan 17 : Iran has warned the US to stop "illegal actions" taken against its diplomats on American soil, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh confirmed.

"Iran has officially warned the US that it will sue it before the International Court of Justice if it does not stop its illegal actions against Iranian diplomats in international organisations," Xinhua news agency quoted Khatibzadeh as saying on Saturday.

The spokesman noted that an official warning has been delivered to US authorities through the Foreign Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.

Washington should refrain from taking "illegal action" against Iranian representatives before international organisations such as the UN, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, that have their siege on American soil, Khatibzadeh stated.

For a long time, he carried on, the US government has been creating "illegal constraints" for Iranian diplomats and their families, disrupting their work and that of other countries.

Despite its commitment as host to several international organisations, Khatibzadeh went on to say, Washington has "never been a proper host", and has consistently harassed diplomats, their families, and children coming from countries it has problems with.

Also on Saturday, the Iranian President's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi slammed the latest sanctions imposed by Washington against Tehran as a mere "show" and a sign of the "evil nature" of the outgoing American President Donald Trump's administration.

"The recent US sanctions, while nothing more than a show, are another sign of the evil (nature) of Trump's criminal administration - a bankrupt government that even in its final days cannot put aside its hostility towards Iranians," Vaezi said in a social media post.

He added in the post that it is "surprising" that, despite their "deep brazen enmity," US officials "still claim that they stand by the Iranian people".
A vaccine "mega" site at a former Sears store in Morris County, New Jersery, where health officials hope to vaccinate more than 2,000 people per day in the coming weeks once the vaccine arrives. (Kena Betancur/AFP)

Some New Jersey residents are incensed after state officials prioritized COVID-19 vaccines this week for smokers over educators and public transit officials. On Thursday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy opened up COVID-19 eligibility to smokers, who were categorized as part of a group of individuals of high risk.

Reaction on social media was swift.

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As of now, people in the following groups are eligible to be vaccinated in the state of New Jersey, according to the states COVID-19 Information Hub:

Health care personnel

Long-term care residents and staff

First responders

Individuals at high risk

Its the individuals at high risk category that has raised questions. In addition to individuals 65 and older, this includes people with the following health conditions, per the state:

Cancer

Chronic kidney disease

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

Down Syndrome

Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies

Obesity

Severe obesity (BMI  40 kg/m2)

Sickle cell disease

Smoking

Type 2 diabetes mellitus

While the state just opened up vaccinations to first responders and high-risk individuals, it says online that additional frontline essential workers will be next, followed by other essential workers and the general population.

Other states havent prioritized smokers, but some have deprioritized teachers. Alabama notably recently bumped teachers down in the line of priority for the vaccine. While teachers are part of the states phase 1B vaccine roll-out behind frontline health care workers and long-term care residents, other essential workers like first responders and those who are ages 75 and up have been moved up ahead of them. Meanwhile, some states like Maryland plan to open up vaccinations to teachers as early as Monday.

Many teachers in New Jersey are angry about the decision and feel devalued, Donna M. Chiera, president of the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey, tells Yahoo Life. Its a mixed message from the state, she says. Were told that we need to get students back in classes and we need to normalize the education system, but we need to do it safely.

We understand that smoking is an addiction and that its not easy to quit, and that these people are more at risk if they do get the virus, she explains. But you cant say that opening schools is a main priority if you keep moving teachers down the list.

Chiera says shes also heard from many people in higher education who are frustrated that they are in group 1C for vaccination, behind lower-education teachers, who are in group 1B. They were already annoyed to have to wait in line for all of 1B, and now weve expanded 1B so that they may have to wait until May or June to get vaccinated, she says. Its very disconcerting to everyone that were told education is valued and that we need to open up schools and universities, but weve now lost the tool of vaccination to do so safely.

"Weve said from the beginning the educators should receive priority access to the vaccine. Its an important step toward a safer return to in-person learning, Steven Baker, director of the New Jersey Education Association, tells Yahoo Life. We have been in constant communication with state officials regarding educators access to vaccination. We have reiterated to them the need to do whatever is necessary to expedite that access even in light of revised federal guidelines from the Trump administration and a slow federal roll-out of the actual vaccine.

Baker is hopeful that under the incoming Biden administration, there will be much better presidential leadership.

Our schools are too important to wait one day longer than necessary, he says.

Worth noting: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not mention smokers in its breakdown of priorities for the COVID-19 vaccine. Under the CDCs guidance, smokers would likely be vaccinated after phase 1C, along with other members of the public.

New Jerseys move to prioritize smokers is even controversial among the medical community. That is an unfortunate decision, Dr. Richard Watkins, an infectious disease physician and a professor of internal medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University, tells Yahoo Life. People choose to smoke, and it has a very negative impact on their health.

Watkins says its doubtful that vaccinating smokers early will make a meaningful impact on the pandemic, but the same isnt true for other groups. Vaccinating teachers protects them and children, he says. For transportation workers, its similar in that it protects them so that the system can continue to operate and protect the riders. Watkins says that people who work in stores should also be prioritized above smokers.

But prioritizing smokers is rooted in science, Dr. Michael Steinberg, medical director of the Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies, tells Yahoo Life. The strongest evidence we have is that current smokers are at increased risk of developing severe disease if they are infected with the virus, he says. The evidence of whether smokers are at higher risk of actually contracting the virus is less clear. Smokers may be at greater risk of contracting the virus because they cant wear a mask while smoking, and some may smoke in groups, he points out.

Prioritizing smokers also falls in line with the overall goals of vaccinating the public. The aim of the vaccine is to reduce the damage this virus is doing by preventing severe disease and keeping people out of the hospital, infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Yahoo Life. Smokers, whether people like it or not, are at higher risk for complicated COVID.

If the goal of the vaccine is to prevent severe disease, then it is optimally targeted at those who are at higher risk for hospitalization and death, Adalja says. He also adds this: The early rollout of the vaccine in the U.S. is not really designed to limit spread but to prevent severe disease by targeting those at highest risk for hospitalization and death.

Its difficult to try to compare the risk between higher-risk groups, like smokers vs. educators vs. transit workers, Steinberg says. We just dont have enough evidence to be able to distinguish which factors impart the highest risk, he says. Hopefully, as the vaccine distribution improves, we will have enough vaccine in a short time to vaccinate all high-risk people as soon as possible.

Overall, Steinberg recommends that smokers do their best to quit, whether theyre prioritized for the vaccine or not. As always, we would suggest that the best advice for smokers, both regarding the pandemic and beyond, is to stop smoking as soon as possible and take full advantage of tobacco treatment resources available in your community.

For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDCs and WHOs resource guides.

Read more from Yahoo Life

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Bond was set at $1 million for a Dayton, Ohio man arrested last week in Alabama who was wanted in the November shooting death of his wife while their three children were home.

Tremayne Lee Burdine, 38, was arraigned Friday in Dayton Municipal Court for two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count of tampering with evidence in the Nov. 14, 2020, death of 30-year-old Tenisha Burdine.

Police were notified of the shooting after Tremayne Burdine dropped off his children at a relatives home in Harrison Twp. The children were crying and said their father shot their mother, a woman said in a 911 call.

The woman then went to the Burdine familys home in the 1100 block of Vernon Drive in Dayton and discovered her cousin deceased at the back door, the woman told dispatchers.

Family members told police that Tremayne Burdine likely fled to Chicago, according to court records.

Dayton police and multiple U.S. Marshals task forces, including the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team, Great Lakes Regional Task Force in Illinois and Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force in Alabama, worked together and ultimately found Burdine in Montgomery, Alabama.

Marshals arrested him Jan. 8 without incident.

He returned to Ohio Thursday, and was booked into the Montgomery County Jail.

___

(c)2021 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
FRANKFORT, MI - One of the best places to sample inventive craft beers in Northern Michigan is also a great place to add another winter sport to your skill set.

Known for its award-winning Belgian-style beers, Stormcloud Brewing also becomes curling central in this downtown beach town when winter rolls around.

Stormcloud staff have declared the sport - which involves strategically moving curling stones down a sheet of ice toward a target - our favorite pub pastime. The curling sheet is set up on an empty space next to the Main Street pubs outdoor patio, giving customers a fun spot where they can watch the action.

The ice sheet outside Stormcloud Brewing's downtown pub.

This year, Stormcloud is offering people two ways to watch or get in on the curling fun:

Curling League: Every winter, Stormcloud hosts a multi-team Curling League. Teams compete weekly with the winner from each division competing at our End-of-Season Tournament, pub staff said. This year, there are 16 teams. To learn about the Stormcloud Curling League, check here.

Curling Lessons: Stormcloud is offering private curling lessons to groups of eight people or fewer from the same party. This is typically available Saturdays through Feb. 27. Lessons are held at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. To learn more about group curling lessons, check here.

Stormclouds curling sheet is not open for public use. So if you want to try your hand at the sport this year and you are not in a league, the group lessons will be your best bet.

The brewerys ice sheet is not refrigerated, so its dependent on Mother Nature to keep the ice at 32 degrees or below for optimal play.

If youve only visited Stormclouds Pub during the warmer months, we invite you to come experience winter fun at its finest in downtown Frankfort, staff said. And you dont have to be on the ice to enjoy the sport of curling. Keep an eye on the action from our outdoor pub patio for a great view of curling while enjoying a Belgian-inspired beer at Stormcloud.

To see the pubs current to-go menu for ordering online, check the website here.

Spectators watch as curling teams take to the ice at Stormcloud Brewing.

READ MORE

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Long Island, New York , Jan. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

This is the 2021 updated report on Kibo Code Quantum reviews and where to buy Kibo Code Quantum with bonus; provided by PerfectLivings.

MUST SEE: Critical New Kibo Code Quantum Report - This May Change Your Mind!

The Kibo Code Quantum program is among the top trends these days. It is an online training program designed by Aidan Booth & Steve Clayto, two renowned figures in the world of e-commerce and internet marketing. The thought of earning money by sitting at home sounds fascinating, but before investing your money into learning it, you should know if it is legit or just another super hyped name.

Keep reading this complete Kibo Code Quantum review to know more about this program, what it includes, how it may benefit you and the Kibo Code Quantum price details.

[LIMITED SLOTS] Sign Up For The Kibo Code Quantum 2021 Program Before The Seats Run Out

The Kibo Code Quantum Review - 2021 Update

Last year was chaotic and frustrating because the whole world was suffering from a never seen before, deadly pandemic. This pandemic not only affected public health systems but also changed the world economy. Millions of people lost their jobs, and even the big companies downsized their staff.

All these people who were financially hit by the pandemic immediately started looking for alternative jobs, doing online businesses, and work highly in demand. But what to do if you don't understand how this whole online business works? Is there someone who can teach you this? Possibly yes, because that's what Kibo Code Quantum aims to do.

The Kibo Code program is a professional e-Commerce and online marketing training plan which teaches how to start your own business and earn from various marketing tools. Understanding the basics helps you appreciate the technicalities and how to stand out among your competitors. It guarantees all trainees that they will earn money, and there is no upper limit to how much more they can make.

This program is second in the series and was announced after the Kibo Code, the first version of this program launched in January 2020. This second program Kibo Code Quantum is the newly revamped version. But if you are sure about signing up for it, you can get VIP access to its pre-launch webinar.

The webinar and the upcoming program have limited slots only. If you miss it, you might have to wait for some months for another training option. So read this Kibo Code Quantum review and if you are convinced enough, dont forget to sign up for this webinar and Kibo Code Quantum bonus by clicking here.

What is Kibo Code Quantum?

The Kibo Code is easy to follow, an e-commerce training manual that doesnt require any previous online business knowledge. It takes small steps to train every person with an aim to maximize their success. Many other paid/free programs offer this type of training, but what will you do with these videos and notes if you dont have direct access to the trainer?

Unlike all other programs, the Kibo Code Quantum program provides direct training from the e-Commerce gurus who are successful entrepreneurs and professional trainers. These gurus prepare all trainees to generate income because their success will bring them business.

The Kibo Code price may look higher to some people, but it is nothing if you pay attention to what it offers. This earn while you learn focused training is ideal for everyone, just in case you dont find it helpful; you can reclaim your money spent on purchasing the Kibo Code Quantum training program thanks to its amazing refund policy.

(EARLY BIRD ACCESS) Click Here To Sign Up For The Kibo Code Quantum 2021 Training

What Will You Learn in Kibo Code Quantum Program?

Kibo Code Quantum Program is an online training program through which you can build a rewarding E-Commerce business model and earn high profit by selling any product on online platforms, i.e., Flipkart, or Amazon.

There are seven modules inside Kibo Code Quantum meant to be covered during eight weeks of training. Unlike other programs, you dont actually need to sell things online during the training, nor will you run any Facebook or on-site ads. Moreover, you will also get a chance to enjoy several Kibo Code Quantum bonus items all-inclusive in the price of this program.

Kibo Code Quantum aims to teach new techniques to all its students to ensure that they can earn money by listing products. All these tricks and tips are based on Aidan Booth and Steve Claytons personal experiences, who are the masterminds behind this training program.

There are five steps on how to make money using the Kibo Code training program.

Step 1- install your store by buying a domain. The program will provide you with a tool, through which you can find your desired domain.

Step 2- Add your products to the website which you have bought previously. The program will help you find themes for your e-commerce store.

Step 3- work on generating traffic to your website based on untapped traffic generation techniques taught by the Kibo Code Quantum Program.

Step 4- start making sales and profit, using professional tips on how to handle the inventory.

Step 5- set up an automated delivery system and enjoy the profit coming to you. You can repeat this whole process to make more websites and run more businesses.

Check out what Kibo Code Quantum customer reviews 2021 are saying about this training program. Are there any Kibo Code Quantum complaints? Click Here to Know More!

What are Kibo Code Quantum Modules?

There are 7 different Kibo Code modules included in this training program. Through these modules, every trainee can come to know about the most important professional tips to start and run a successful online business. Here is a brief description of what's inside each module.

Module 1- Central Intelligence

This first module of Kibo Code Quantum teaches about the basics of online marketing using videos and text. It is to make sure that every trainee is on the same page, with or without prior knowledge of e-commerce.

Module 2- StoreStorm

In this module of the Kibo Code Quantum system, you will learn how to buy a domain and build a website. You will also learn about various web themes and how to use them for your website.

Module 3- Hand-Picked Products

In the third Kibo Code Quantum module, Aidan and Steve will reveal their top products to generate maximum benefits for everyone. You can choose any of these products and start earning up to $2500 per day, within a few days of training.

Module 4- Profit Vault

Typically, it takes months or years to find products that will get you a high profit. However, the Kibo Code model may solve this problem by revealing all such products much earlier than usual. The module also targets to educate the users about stores, suppliers, and middlemen who can work the best for them.

Module 5- Traffic Black Box

In this 5th module of the Kibo Code training program, you will learn how to get high traffic to your website, using the untapped traffic generation strategies. Learning these techniques may possibly get you higher sales and more profit with minimal effort.

Module 6- Oracle X

At this point, most users will likely be running a successful business already, but the Kibo Code Quantum program will aid you further by helping you search for more products that you can use to increase your buyer's list. You may also discover different ways to automate this process without spending time monitoring your business's sales and marketing.

Module 7- Kibo Academy

The 7th module will help fix the commonest problems that most trainees face and solve them to maximize their performance. You can get advice from the creators and fellow trainees through the Exclusive Kibo Code Quantum Community.

In addition these modules, students of this training program will also get access to Kibo Code Quantum bonus items for developing a better understanding of how e-commerce works

To Find Out More About the Kibo Code Quantum Bonus Items, Click Here To Visit The Official Website Now

Who Are Aidan Booth and Steve Clayton?

Steve Clayton and Aidan are the creators of the Kibo Code Quantum program. They have been in the e-commerce business for a long time. Like everyone else, they started learning about how all of this works to generate some profit. After spending many years in this industry, they finally cracked the secret to generating money through affiliate marketing and earning millions from their online ventures, and are now willing to share this valuable knowledge with others in the form of the Kibo Code Model.

As a part of their new Kibo Code Quantum Program, they aim to train more people to generate income by using various courses such as Parallel profits, 7 Figure Cycle, 100k factory and Kibo Code etc.

Is Kibo Code Quantum Legit? A Quick Evaluation

To find out if the Kibo Code Quantum Program is worth the investment or not, lets evaluate some of its pros and cons.

According to the official website, thekibocode.com and multiple Kibo Code customer reviews, this training program possesses the following benefits.



Very easy to follow

Steve and Aiden, the creators of Kibo Code Quantum, have discussed how they are well-aware of the complexities of online business. They also understand how people from diverse backgrounds, educational levels, and learning abilities try e-commerce to earn money. That is why they have designed the Kibo Code Quantum program in such a way that it is easy to follow by everyone. It doesnt require trainees to have prior knowledge about e-commerce and how to earn money with it. It teaches everything from basic to advanced level, in a gradual manner.

Professional training

Kibo Code Quantum is created by two highly successful e-commerce experts. Everything inside this training program is based on their personal experience. Most people can start earning after finishing their training because they are able to put their efforts in the right direction, as suggested by this program, instead of wasting them elsewhere. All of this is possible because of the expertise and proficiency of the creators.



Value for money

Kibo Code Quantum justifies its price, but its price might be higher than other programs offering the same benefits as it is a premium training. But if you compare it with what they are offering, you will realize that you can earn this same value of money within a few weeks of training.



Price Point

Kibo Code Quantum may not be affordable for everyone. However, because it is a professional training program that adopts a much deeper approach and can successfully enable its students to quickly earn back the money they invested in it, it might not be such a big problem.



Requires internet connection

To enroll in Kibo Code Quantum, users are required to have a fast internet connection and an electronic device to do all the work. You cant do it on a smartphone only. You can get the training through a phone but building a website and implementing marketing strategies is much easier on a laptop or a desktop.

MUST CHECK: Click Here To Sign Up For Kibo Code Quantum and Exciting Bonus For New Users

Who Should Sign Up For Kibo Code Quantum?

There is no age limit, gender preference, or any other condition to signing up for the Kibo Code program. Whether you are a business owner or a student looking for extra income to pay educational loans, it is for every person, as long as they are interested in making money through a legit, legal procedure.

The Kibo Code Quantum 2021 version can also be ideal for those who have attended the first manual of this program i.e. the Kibo Code program. They can improve their skills and add up to their net income per month after taking Kibo Code Quantum training. For others, this could be the start of a new way to earn money online with zero investment.

Where to Buy Kibo Code Quantum With Bonus and The Best Price?

The Kibo Code Quantum can be purchased online on its official website, thekibocode.com. The Kibo Code 2020, the earlier version of this program was priced at $3497, which was to be paid at once or in 4 installments of $997. The price and installment details are the same for the Kibo Code Quantum 2021 version as well.

Along with access to all modules, users may also get their hands on many Kibo Code Quantum bonus items. These bonus items are described below:



Bonus 1: The Secret Mastermind (Original price $4997)

Bonus 2: Kibo Code Live Recordings ( original price $3997)

Bonus 3: 7-Figure Scaling Secrets (original price $4997)

Remember that these Kibo Code Quantum bonus items are completely free of cost and included in the original price of the program.

Remember to purchase the Kibo Code Quantum program through its official website using this link. It is not available on any other platform to minimize the risk of any Kibo Code Quantum scam cases.

Kibo Code Quantum Reviews - Final Thoughts

The Kibo Code Quantum is expected to be the groundbreaking e-commerce training program. The previous attendees of this program are extremely excited about this second training program and are encouraging more people to attend the Kibo Code Quantum Webinar, as evident in its widespread positive Kibo Code Quantum customer reviews online.

This program is expected to help users set up an e-commerce store with zero investment that will generate money without practically stepping out of the house. Besides, it is a one-time investment, and this money spent to sign up for this program can be earned within one month of following the training tips. Click here to register for the Kibo Code Quantum Webinar and the latest updates to know further details.

The Kibo Code Contact Details:



support@thekibocode.com



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This press release has been created by PerfectLivings, a US based company that provides its readers with product reviews and reports helping consumers make informed decisions. Individual results may vary and this product review has been published for information purposes only. Any purchase done from this link is subject to final terms and conditions of the website that is selling the product. The content on this release does not take any responsibility directly or indirectly.

To contact PerfectLivings regarding this press release, please email at info@perfectlivings.com.





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Princess Diana is seen giggling hysterically at the sight of her then husband Prince Charles wearing a hard hat in archive footage that has recently re-emerged online.

The short video is taken from a news report of the couple's 1985 trip to Australia, which was made to celebrate the state of Victoria's 150th anniversary.

During the two-week trip they visited the Alcoa Aluminium Smelter Project in Portland where the royals had to don hard hats to walk around the centre.

Scroll down for video

Princess Diana is seen hysterically laughing at the sight of her husband Prince Charles in a hard hat in sweet footage that has recently re-emerged online.

The short video is taken from a news report of the couple's 1985 trip to Australia which was made to celebrate the state of Victoria's 150th anniversary

It was Diana's second royal tour of Australia, taking place two years after her first visit, which was recently fictionalised on Netflix's The Crown.

The couple, who married in 1981 and were divorced in 1996, also returned for a third visit in 1988.

Footage shows Diana begin to laugh before covering her mouth to try and stifle the giggles.

As he greets workers at the site, Charles jokingly asks: 'Do your wives always laugh at you when you've got your hat on?'

The sweet moment that was caught on camera delighted royal fans in the comments. One replied: 'I remember Harry saying in a documentary, how his mother had the most amazing laugh. She surely does!'

'This was their happy times,' another said. 'I love the way she laughed.'

Footage shows Diana begin to laugh before covering her mouth to try and stifle the giggles

During the two-week trip they visited the Alcoa Aluminium Smelter Project in Portland where they had to don hard hats to walk around the centre

As he greets workers at the site, Charles jokingly asks: 'Do your wives always laugh at you when you've got your hat on?'

A third wrote: 'Only Diana can make a hard hat fashionable.'

It comes after more footage reemerged of another of the couple's trips to Australia in 1988 where Diana is seen playing the piano.

The short video is taken from a news report of their visit to Melbourne.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana at the 1985 Melbourne Cup during their second trip to Australia

It comes after more footage reemerged of another of the couple's trips to Australia in 1988 where Diana is seen playing the piano

On their last day in the city, the royals visited Melbourne College of Arts where the princess delighted well-wishers by playing part of Rachmaninoffs Piano Concerto No. 2, apparently without any sheet music.

After some initial hesitation, Princess Diana takes a seat at the piano and begins to play the concerto, which the newsreader describes as 'complicated'.

Diana and Charles visited Australia in 1988 to mark the bicentenary of the arrival of the first fleet of British ships in Sydney.
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True to form, Betty White has something impish to say about her birthday Sunday.

Since I am turning 99, I can stay up as late as I want without asking permission! she told The Associated Press in an email.

Whites low-key plans include feeding a pair of ducks that regularly visit her Los Angeles-area home. Her birthday meal will be a hot dog and French fries brought in  along with a bouquet of roses  by her longtime friend and agent, Jeff Witjas.

The actors TV credits stretch from 1949s Hollywood on Television to a 2019 voice role in Forky Asks a Question, with The Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show among the enduring highlights.

In January alone, White is on screen in reruns including The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland; the 2009 Sandra Bullock movie The Proposal, and the 2018 documentary Betty White: First Lady of Television, about her life and career.

Whites devotion to animals will be on display next month with the DVD and digital release of Betty Whites Pet Set, a 1970s series in which she visited with celebrity guests and their pets as well as wild animals.

Her work, always marked by top-drawer comedic timing, has earned her five Emmy Awards, including a 2010 trophy for a guest-host appearance on Saturday Night Live.

A native of Oak Park in Illinois, White was married to game show host and producer Allen Ludden from 1963 until his death in 1981.

More couples are seeking advice on separation after months of pressure and isolation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

National information and mediation group The Separation Guide has reported an 87 per cent increase in couples who are ready to settle their separation in December 2020, compared to the previous year's holiday period.

Relationship services experienced more couples seeking help in lockdown. Credit:iStockphoto.com/e.j.white.

There were also more people using the service researching separations in April and August, which coincided with Victoria's two lockdowns.

People using The Separation Guide's website are taken through a set of questions that asks what stage they're at: researching, separating or at settlement.
Doctors in Ho Chi Minh City have removed dozens of metal objects such as nails, blades, nail clippers, and spoons from the stomach of a man who suffers from an eating disorder.

Colonel Nguyen Quoc Dung, a senior doctor at Ho Chi Minh City-based 175 Military Hospital, which is managed by the Ministry of National Defense, confirmed on Sunday that the infirmary had conducted a surgery on T.H.T., a 27-year-old resident in southern Binh Duong Province.

T. showed signs of depression and pica, an eating disorder that involves consuming items that are not typically thought of as food and that do not contain significant nutritional value.

Metal objects are removed from the patients stomach in this photo provided by 175 Military Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

The man is considered a rarer case of pica as he had consumed a large number of metal objects, including nails, spoons, nail clippers, blades, iron sticks and hooks, and others.

T. had complained of abdominal pain for about a month, before his family brought him to the Binh Duong General Hospital.

Doctors found many metal objects inside his stomach and decided to transfer him to 175 Military Hospital.

The X-ray result of T.H.T. supplied by 175 Military Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City

Doctors at 175 Military Hospital diagnosed the patient with stomach damage caused by foreign bodies and performed an open surgery and a C-Arm X-ray to make sure there were no foreign bodies left.

Following a two-house operation, he was taken to the department of abdominal surgery for further treatment and care.

All of the metal objects in the patients body weighed about one kilogram.

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Brazil is poised to grant approval for the emergency use of AstraZeneca Plc and Sinovac Biotech Ltd vaccines against Covid-19, allowing the country to kick-start deploying shots as the virus roars back in Latin Americas largest economy.

A majority of directors at health regulator Anvisa cleared the boosters in a Sunday meeting, citing the recent significant increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Brazil and the lack of alternatives for treatment of the disease.

While government technicians highlighted theres still information needed on the shots, the benefits of vaccinations outweigh those risks, according to rapporteur Meiruze Freitas.

We must continue monitoring the vaccines to capture adverse effects that were perhaps not seen in trials," she said. That is essential to ensure the benefits continue to outweigh the risks."

Majority vote

Freitas was the first of five Anvisa directors weighing in on the requests, and was accompanied by two others, enough to approve emergency use of the shots. Two officials are still voting.

The rapporteur conditioned the approval of Sinovacs booster to the signature of a term of commitment amid still missing data including on how long the shot offers protection -- a request not made of AstraZenecas vaccine.

She added that social distancing measures continue to be key, especially while Brazil does not have enough shots to immunize a large share of the population.

Although its one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic, ranking third globally in cases and second only to the US in number of deaths, Brazil been late in vaccinating its 212 million citizens. Much like in the first phase of the pandemic, national vaccination plans have been marred by contradicting measures and political infighting.

Vaccine wars

The health ministry has said it would take between three to five days for the shots to arrive in all states, and vaccination would start simultaneously across the country. The elderly and health-care workers are first in line.

Local media have reported the Sao Paulo state government, which has sponsored Sinovacs shot in the country, plans to start vaccinations today. Governor Joao Doria has announced a press conference at state-run Hospital das Clinicas following Anvisas meeting.

Like the US and Europe, the country has seen a resurgence of the virus in recent weeks. Brazil reported 61,567 additional cases of Covid-19 and 1,050 deaths on Saturday. The country has about 8.5 million confirmed infections and 209,296 deaths.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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The mother of a Nashville bartender who was pictured with her son in Senate gallery during the Capitol riot in Washington D.C. last week has been arrested.

Authorities in Tennessee announced they had taken 57-year-old Lisa Eisenhart into custody. Her son, Eric Munchel, 30, was arrested last Sunday.

Pictures of the mother and son duo went viral earlier this month after it was revealed that the pair had brought a stash of plastic cuffs along with them to the protest.

Eric Munchel, 30, left, is seen along with his mother Lisa Eisenhart, 57, at the Capitol siege

Eric Munchel was quickly named as the man pictured with a bundle of flex-cuffs while his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, stands close by

Eric Munchel, 30, is pictured in his mugshot having been arrested in Nashville last Sunday. His mother, Lisa Eisenhart, 57, was arrested on Saturday

Video footage clearly shows the pair holding the flex cuffs as they attempted to chase two cops inside the Capitol building.

Eisenhart was charged on Saturday with being in a restricted building without lawful authority, violent entry or disorderly conduct in the Capitol, along with a charge of conspiracy.

'The left has everything: the media, organizations, the government. We have to organize if we're going to fight back and be heard,' she said to a newspaper at the time of the protests.

The nurse, who wore a bulletproof vest like her son, added: 'This country was founded on revolution. If they're going to take every legitimate means from us, and we can't even express ourselves on the internet, we won't even be able to speak freely, what is America for?

'I'd rather die as a 57-year-old woman than live under oppression. I'd rather die and would rather fight.'

In a detailed breakdown of his clothing Munchel's 'expensive camouflage and tactical larp-flare' helped identify Munchel

She, together with son Eric Munchel are said to have driven from Nashville, Tennessee specifically for the protest.

Upon being interviewed this week, Eisenhart's tune had mellowed somewhat as she insisted she and her son did not have any violent intentions when they stormed the Capitol, despite the pictures of them carrying the plastic ties.

'We saw the zip cuffs on top of an already opened cabinet in the hallway inside the Capitol building,' Eisenhart told The Tennessean. 'We picked them up to prevent them falling into hands of bad actors.'

The pair were also captured on video among a small group who breached the Senate chamber.

The FBI is said to be investigating whether any of Trump 's supporters who attacked the U.S. Capitol were conspiring to hurt lawmakers or take them hostage

Munchel told The Times of London: 'We wanted to show that we're willing to rise up, band together and fight if necessary. Same as our forefathers, who established this country in 1776. It was a kind of flexing of muscles.'

He claims that he thought he was welcome to enter the U.S. Capitol and like his mother said that he 'found' the zip ties and merely picked them up so he could hand them in to a police officer.

'We're not looking at this as a grand conspiracy, but we are interested in learning what people would do with things like zip ties,' a law enforcement official told The Washington Post at the time the pictures were released.



A Facebook account said to belong to Munchel has since been deleted but it listed him as working at Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille in Florida

The bar said in a statement: 'It's been brought to our attention that a former employee of ours from 2+ years ago was involved in the recent events at the Capitol Building. We have no affiliation with this employee and their actions were their own'

Munchel and his mom are said to have driven from Nashville, Tennessee for the protest

Prosecutors say such charges are just the beginning.

US attorneys in several states, including Kentucky, Ohio and Oregon, said people could face charges in their home states if they traveled to Washington and took part in the riot which saw a violent mob stormed the Capitol, breaking through police barricades and smashing windows to enter the building.

Lawmakers were forced to go into hiding for several hours as Capitol police grappled to take back control while the mob defecated in the Senate and House, invaded Nancy Pelosi's office and looted items.

Munchel and Eisenhart aren't just being charged for their actions but also being charged with 'conspiracy' with 'persons known and unknown' to authorities

According to the statement of the facts, Eisenhart also had flex cuffs and was part of a mob that chased police officers inside the Capitol

One female Trump supporter, US Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, was shot dead by Capitol Police as she tried to climb through a window.

Three other Trump supporters died after 'medical emergencies' related to the breach and Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick died from injuries sustained in the attack after he was allegedly hit over the head with a fire extinguisher.

Several former military members took part in the violent riot on the state Capitol last week.

Ashli Babbit, the woman who was shot dead while she tried to climb through a window into the congressional chambers served 14 years in the Air Force.

Meanwhile, Larry Rendall Brock Jr., 53, who was seen dressed in combat gear and carrying zip ties in the Senate is a retired lieutenant colonel who was in the Air Force for more than two decades.

The US Army is said to be investigating 25 people including active-duty members thought to have participated in the mob.
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Mumbai: Actor Paresh Pahuja considers Ali Abbas Zafar his mentor. After playing Azaan Akbar in the directors 2017 film, 'Tiger Zinda Hai', Paresh plays an interesting role in 'Tandav'. Created and directed by Zafar, its an intriguing political drama, featuring the likes of Saif Ali Khan and Dimple Kapadia, among others.

Explaining how he bagged the role in 'Tandav', Paresh says, I play the character of Raghu Kishore in the series. I got a call from the casting team. I went and auditioned for the part and got a call from the production team the same day. I got on board for the show and I went and met Ali sir. Since Id worked with him in the past, I had no doubts about the part that he was offering me.

While he has no major similarities with Raghu, Paresh enjoyed the process of understanding the nuances of the character and finding some relatability with him. Raghu Kishore is the son of Anuradha Kishore (played by Dimple Kapadia). But thats not the only identity he has. He is a very eccentric and twisted kind of a guy. Hes very unique within the world of 'Tandav' and hes very unlike me. Im glad that Ali sir trusted me with the part, because Im nothing like him in real life. Raghu has his own goals, motivation, disappointments, traumas and internal Tandav that hes going through. Its interesting how this whole dynamic of power is affecting him. But I can say there are some similarities in the core between Raghu and me. Hes also dealing with a lot of insecurities and trying to find his place in the world, and so am I. Its a character that helped me grow personally and understand myself better. Thats the beauty of acting, because you end up finding something about yourself so deep that you didnt know how to tap into, says Paresh.

Prepping for the part was an exciting, yet complex process for the actor. He tried to understand the character, both internally and externally, he says. I didnt know how to start the process because he does things that I dont. After doing some research, I tried to understand the world that hes in, which is politics. Personally, the prep was more internal, because I wanted to understand what his purpose in this world is, what does he really want and to what extent can he go to get it. I wanted to understand what makes him vulnerable. For me it was more important to answer those internal questions. Externally, I sat with Ali sir to understand more about Raghu, because hes always very clear about the character that hes building. Other actors on the show, like Saif, really helped me. He was very generous. He would come and share an incident and explain the nuances that could be used for Raghu. It was very sweet of him to do that. So was Dimple ma'am. She is the kind of actor you can learn so much from, explains Paresh

He adds that its his special bond with the director, Ali Abbas Zafar, which made it easier for him. Explaining his special relationship with him, Paresh says, Theres a lot of mutual respect and trust. I look up to him; hes my mentor. He gives me roles that probably other people wont. He knows that I could pull them off. Usually people just want to cast you in roles that are similar to what youve done before, but he gives me something very different. Tandav was my second project with him and Im doing one more project with him. That says a lot about the kind of trust he has on me, as an actor. Other than that, theres a great bond that I share with him. Whenever Im in doubt, I get in touch with him and he guides me with regards to the approach and the kind of projects I should do. Hes always there for me, and Im going to be there for him, no matter what.


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The vast majority of 19,000 fines handed to Victorians for breaching coronavirus rules will be abandoned and never collected.

Police who gave penalty notices to people breaching public health orders have been told to give cautions for unpaid fines, allowing rule breakers to escape penalty.

The new advice is in spite of Premier Daniel Andrews threats in October to 'come after' rule breakers because there was 'too much at stake'.

Officers are concerned it will send mixed messages to the public and undermine future public health orders.

Police who gave penalty notices to people breaching public health orders have been told to give cautions for unpaid fines, allowing offenders to escape conviction. Pictured: Police patrolling St Kilda beach in January

'Our members were asked to do a thankless job by the government and they did that,' Police Association Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt said.

'If offenders form a view from this experience that penalties will be readily converted to cautions or diversions as a matter of course, then that sends a concerning message,' he told The Age.

The change also angered people who paid their fines on time, and there are already calls to have those fines refunded in the interest of fairness.

More than 19,000 penalty notices were issued by October last year, and only 845 were actually paid by the time.

Eighteen per cent of infringement notices reached 'notice of final demand' stage and 3,455 were at the point when fines enforcement was called in.

According to an internal email prepared by the police legal services department and sent on December 17, the amended guidelines urge officers to take on a more lenient approach with the public.

'There are three tiers in the guide and informants/prosecutors must proceed with the lowest tier option unless inappropriate to do so,' the email read.

Under the previous system, Victorians were fined $200 for not wearing a face mask in public and up to $1652 for failing to stay at home. Pictured: Police patrolling St Kilda beach in October

People who are found to have repeated, deliberate or continuing breaches of the chief health officer's directions' will be pursued, or people who refuse to isolate while infected with Covid-19.

Others who committed less serious breaches are in line to have their fines turned into cautions.

Victorians were fined $200 for not wearing a face mask in public and up to $1,652 for failing to stay at home.

Residents who gathered unlawfully were fined $4,957, along with Covid-positive people who did not isolate.

Victoria Police said in a statement it supported the chief health officer by 'enforcing the directions that are in place at the time and issues infringements to those who blatantly breach the directions'.

'To ensure consistency across the organisation when dealing with reviews or contested infringements for breach of CHO directions, guidance in the form of a three-tiered system was developed,' it said.

'This approach provides direction, consistency and parity.'
It was not long after the federal Constitution was created in 1787 that many antislavery Northerners began labelling it a pro-slavery document. Parts of it did support slavery  the clause that counted a slave as three-fifths of a person, which gave the slave states greater representation in Congress and the Electoral College than opponents of slavery believed they deserved; and the fugitive slave clause, which required persons held to service who had escaped to free states to be returned to their owners. We have long known of this pro-slavery view of the Constitution, one that ...
A family of circus performers have revealed who wrongly accused them of evil sex crimes against children that saw them imprisoned for seven months.

Seven members of the Cook family - who ran a troupe in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains - were in 2018 charged with 127 crimes for allegedly running a child sex ring at their circus school.

Therese Cook-Williams, 60, her 54-year-old brother Paul Cook, her daughters Yyani, 35, and Clarissa, 25, their relatives Lachie and Lucy and one other woman were all cleared of any wrongdoing in Penrith Local Court two years later in February 2020.

The allegations included rape, assault, kidnapping, participation in bizarre 'blood rituals' and the outrageous claim Therese bit down into the penis of one of the boys before using her teeth to pick him off the ground.

Members of the family were kept in custody for as long as 206 days before being granted bail.

Pictured: Yyani Cook-Williams

Therese Cook-Williams on Sunday night revealed the accusations that tore her family apart were made by an estranged relative and her husband.

Police raided Therese and Paul's homes in September 2017, and the shocked grandmother sent an extended family member a text to warn police may pay her a visit.

But the woman wrote back indicating she was the source of the allegations that claimed the family had repeatedly sexually and physically abused her young children when they visited Theresa's home.

'I thought, this can't be real,' Therese told 60 Minutes.

Police interviewed the children 27 times over three years, with the children repeatedly making accusations.

'[Theresa] would carry around a rope like to tie us up and a needle to prick us with. Yani hammered sticks around me,' one of the boys told detectives.

Therese Cook-Williams was told she could be facing 25 years to life behind bars after being falsely accused with being the ringleader of a child sex ring

What seemed like innocent handheld video was used by police to argue falsely the family were sexually abusing young children

'Theresa was holding me down. They would let the blood drip into a bowl then make me drink it while Paul would take pictures and videos.'

In a diary, the mother would record notes of the alleged abuse after eliciting false confessions from her sons.

'Got hammer, brought out penis and banged penis with hammer,' one entry read.

'She hit his neck with a stick then put a bit of the stick down his throat.'

Therese said she did not realise during the early stages of the investigation that the allegations were coming from within her family.

Paul assured her the police would determine it was all 'nonsense' during the course of their investigation.

But five months later the innocent family were arrested, separated and thrown into prison, despite police having no physical evidence, DNA, or signs of injury from the alleged crimes.

Clarissa Meredith on Sunday night revealed the extreme lengths police went to in a bid to get her to confess to offences she did not commit

Clarissa Meredith said police went to such lengths to find evidence against her they even enlisted a detective who she had dated to try and get a confession.

The junior policeman was wearing a wire and Clarissa said she had no idea her conversations with him were being recorded.

'I think a month had passed or so without any contact between me and him and then out of nowhere I get this text [saying] "can we start seeing each other again",' she said.

'I thought it would be fine. The police would not stoop to this level of getting a cop who used to date me to interrogate me - that wouldn't happen.'

Clarissa denied involvement in any sex crimes against children when questioned by the informant.

'I did like him and I did trust him - it just adds an extra level of betrayal. The entire night was wired,' she said.

The family on Sunday also addressed footage police used to allege they were running a paedophile ring.

One short and seemingly innocent handheld video showed two young children enjoying themselves with Yyani and Therese on a set of playground equipment.

Even though the clip showed nothing untoward, police wrongly alleged that on the same day the footage was filmed, Yyani forced the children to perform sexual acts on each other.

'I didn't understand how they could see the boys so happy and normal and believe they've just gone through these really horrific experiences,' Yani said.

In March 2019, one of the boys who claimed he was a victim of the family wrote a letter to his mother admitting he had lied about being sexually assaulted.

But it later came to light she omitted his revelation during discussions with police and was using unconventional methods to make her children open up about the 'abuse'.

'My relative kept her son in a bedroom for two hours and kept asking '"whose hurt you, whose hurt you",' Therese said.

Yyani Cook-Williams was granted bail in August 2018 following her arrest in February of that year

Yani added: 'She was going to each of the kids and coercing them, and not leaving them alone.'

But by that point the three women had spent seven months in prison - with Therese told she could be facing 25 years to life behind bars.

For Clarissa, three weeks of her incarceration were in a cold solitary confinement cell where the lights always stayed on.

'You couldn't sleep. It was freezing. And you can hear the guards talking about you. They call you names and threaten you: "you're going to be raped in here. You're going to be bashed'',' she said.

Therese, who was the accused ringleader, said her greatest distress were the death threats.

'I was scared of being killed,' she said.

'I was just told when I was arrested that I'd be in prison for 25 years to life.'

All allegations against the family were false, with the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrawing all 127 charges, but the family was forced to hear them in court as the case played out in the public eye.

'I still get scared. Very, very scared,' Ms Cook said.

'I dont think Im broken. I think Im different. I want to be resilient. I dont know how my life will be. I still get scared  very, very scared.'

NSW Police stood firm in their prosecution of the family and criticised the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for deciding there were 'no reasonable prospects' of safe convictions.

'As this position was strongly opposed by the NSW Police Force, Strike Force Baillieu investigators remain ready for the matter to proceed through court should the decision be made to prosecute,' police previously told Daily Mail Australia.

Yyani Cook-Williams pictured left after she was released on bail from Silverwater Correctional Facility in August 2018

Therese Cook is pictured after an accident

Yyani explained how she repeatedly insisted she was innocent during an initial police interview for 'what felt like an hour'.

'I would rather be accused of murder,' she said.

Paul Cook said he still carries 'pain, sadness, some days despair' and added his reputation has been 'destroyed' despite all charges being dropped.

He said in prison officers called him an 'animal'.

'I was in an empty courtyard. It was away from the other cells. And one of the officers said to me, "Youre an animal. Youre just an animal, you are, and you belong in a cage, and thats where Im taking you now. Get in there. And this is the sound that I love, the locking of the door."'

Paul said he had only seen the children on two occasions during brief family dinners while their parents were in attendance.

'The act I allegedly filmed was when Therese bit into a boys penis and picked him up off the ground while biting his penis. Which is completely and utterly implausible,' he said.

Lachie also spoke of the harrowing moment police raided his home in September 2017 on a warrant that prompted police to closely monitor the family for the next five months.

The family's relative Lachie said police raided his home in 2019 saying 'You know why were here, you know why were here' despite him having no idea what they were talking about

The family (pictured) all maintained their innocence throughout the ordeal and were finally vindicated after nearly two years of hell

Pictured: The family's relative Lucy who was also wrongly accused of taking part in child sex abuse

'They strip-searched me,' he said. 'And they kept saying, "You know why were here, you know why were here." And I had no idea.'

While imprisoned, Lachie said he was assaulted and bullied by other inmates.

'They were yelling at me calling me a rapist. Threatening to rape me. There was a lot of harassment,' he said.

After all charges were dismissed, the family's defence lawyer Bryan Wrench said the prosecution's case was weak.

'Crucial evidence had been overlooked and the police had no leg to stand on,' he said at the time.

The family are now considering suing NSW Police for compensation.

Mr Wrench reiterated his clients' innocence, and said he was pleased they could finally be reunited after were separated for the length of the court case as part of their bail conditions.

'Not one piece of evidence that said our clients were guilty,' he said. 'There was just nothing there.

'Theres one word were looking for, and its "sorry". And to date, its been two years, and we havent heard those words.

'The public has a right to expect that police will investigate both sides of the story, and if they did that, we wouldnt be sitting here today.'

This dilapidated home was wrongly alleged to have been involved in the child sex abuse ring

Pictured: The family-run Katoomba circus school

The family's lawyer Bryan Wrench leaves the Penrith Local Court in February 2018. 'Not one piece of evidence that said our clients were guilty,' he said

Mr Wrench said the case was 'frightening' because it demonstrated 'any family in Australia' could be subjected to injustice.

He added the complainants were being taught aspects of sacrifice in religious studies, which was not looked into by police.

'These are the people who are in the community doing bank sales or you ring up if you have a flat tyre, and these are the type of people who were charged with these sort of acts,' he said.

Police falsely alleged in court Therese Cook was the ringleader and organised the 'systemic rape and detention of the boys'.

She was charged with 43 crimes, including aggravated assault of a child, sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and holding children against their will. All charges were dropped.

Paul Cook was wrongly accused of filming at least one encounter on his mobile phone and three counts of aggravated sexual assault in company.

Meredith, Cook's adopted daughter, was charged with rape, assaulting two of the boys and depriving a boy of his liberty.

They all maintained their innocence throughout the ordeal and were finally vindicated after nearly two years of hell.

NSW Police called for a review of the decision to withdraw the charges last year, but it was rejected by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Wall Street Journal had reported on aspects of the draft complaint earlier.

The swell of recent antitrust cases filed against Google and Facebook has cast a spotlight on lucrative deals among Big Tech. In October, the Justice Department sued Google and homed in on an agreement with Apple to feature Google as the preselected search engine on iPhones and other devices.

This idea that the major tech platforms are robustly competing against each other is very much overstated, said Sally Hubbard, a former assistant attorney general in New Yorks antitrust bureau who now works at Open Markets Institute, a think tank. In many ways, they reinforce each others monopoly power.

Google and Facebook accounted for more than half of all digital advertising spending in 2019. In addition to displaying advertising on their own platforms, such as Googles search engine and Facebooks home page, websites, app developers and publishers rely on the companies to secure advertising for their pages.

The agreement between Facebook and Google, code-named Jedi Blue inside Google, pertains to a growing segment of the online advertising market called programmatic advertising. Online advertising pulls in hundreds of billions of dollars in global revenue each year, and the automated buying and selling of ad space accounts for more than 60 percent of the total, according to researchers.

In the milliseconds between a user clicking on a link to a web page and the pages ads loading, bids for available ad space are placed behind the scenes in marketplaces known as exchanges, with the winning bid passed to an ad server. Because Googles ad exchange and ad server were both dominant, it often directed the business to its own exchange.

A method called header bidding emerged, in part as a workaround to reduce reliance on Googles ad platforms. News outlets and other sites could solicit bids from multiple exchanges at once, helping to increase competition and leading to better prices for publishers. By 2016, more than 70 percent of publishers had adopted the technology, according to one estimate.

Seeing a potentially significant loss of business to header bidding, Google developed an alternative called Open Bidding, which supported an alliance of exchanges. While Open Bidding allows other exchanges to simultaneously compete alongside Google, the search company extracts a fee for every winning bid, and competitors say there is less transparency for publishers.
Jaipur: Exempting Bollywood star Salman Khan from making an appearance on Saturday (January 16) in connection with a case related to the poaching of two black bucks in Jodhpur in 1998, the district and sessions court on Saturday asked him to appear before it on February 6.

Khan's hearing was scheduled on Saturday in connection with a petition challenging a trial court order sentencing him to five years imprisonment.

"Considering the pandemic situation, we submitted an application seeking exemption from appearance," Khan's counsel Nishant Bora said.

Sessions Judge Devendra Kachhawaha accepted the application and directed Khan to appear before the court on the next date of hearing on February 6.

It needs to be mentioned here that Khan was also absent at the last hearing on December 1, 2020, seeking exemption on the grounds of the Covid pandemic.

This is the 17th time that Khan skipped hearing in the case since it came before the sessions court in April 2018.

A trial court in 2018 had convicted Khan and awarded five-year imprisonment to him for killing two black bucks in Kankani village near Jodhpur during the shooting of his film 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' in October 1998. Khan had challenged the trial court verdict in the sessions court.

Khan's fellow actors Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam Kothari and Sonali Bendre, who were present on the spot in Kankani along with Khan, have been acquitted. After the conviction by the trial court, Khan had to spend three days in Jodhpur jail before getting bail. Khan has appealed against the trial court order in the sessions court.

TRIP REPORT



I flew between Belgrade and Amsterdam with Air Serbia on the 10th of January this year. I noticed that some of the service cuts that were introduced during the Covid times in the name of safety have now been removed, compared to my previous flight with them in August. I flew between Belgrade and Amsterdam with Air Serbia on the 10th of January this year. I noticed that some of the service cuts that were introduced during the Covid times in the name of safety have now been removed, compared to my previous flight with them in August.





At Belgrade Airport it was rather busy. This was an early evening flight. There was a huge line at the Air Serbia check-in desks. I noticed no one was using the self check-in machines so I checked myself in within seconds, then proceeded to the bag drop counter, which was also deserted, printed by baggage tag, scanned it and it was on its way. The process was very easy and took all of two minutes. On the other hand, the line for manual check-in just got bigger. Perhaps staff could encourage passengers to use self check-in and have one person at the baggage drop off to help people out. Im sure once people learn to use it, they would be more willing to try it again in the future, which I assume is the airlines goal.





Boarding for our flight began on time and my guess would be that the flight was around 50% full. However, we took off with a slight delay as our aircraft has to be de-iced but we arrived on time in Amsterdam. In the literature pocket there was the safety card, as well as the January copy of the inflight magazine and the air sickness bag, which are all in one plastic sleeve. The aircraft also had WiFi, which I didnt use. All passengers on board were wearing masks, as well as the crew who were with masks and gloves.





We all got a bottle of water and a bag of chips. They have also reintroduced the sale of food and drinks through the Elevate Deli and Bar, which wasnt the case several months ago when I last few with Air Serbia on this route.













The rest of the flight was mostly uneventful. The crew were pleasant. Amsterdam Airport was not very busy. Unlike in August, when the majority of people were not wearing masks at Schiphol Airport (including airport staff and cabin crew), everyone had one on this time around.





Overall, I enjoyed my flight with Air Serbia. It was the most convenient way for me to get to Amsterdam and then continue to Barcelona (as there are no nonstop flights from Belgrade at the moment). The service was efficient, and the flight was on time.





Share your travel experience by submitting a trip report to exyu@exyuaviation.com


Mumbai: Private sector lender HDFC Bank on Saturday reported a 18% year-on-year (y-o-y) rise in net profit to 8,758.29 crore for the three months to December owing to higher net interest income and other income.

Its profit was higher than 7,818 crore estimated by a Bloomberg poll of 15 analysts.

The banks net interest income -- difference between interest earned and interested expended  grew 15.1% y-o-y to 16.317.6 crore. Its net interest margin -- a key measure of profitability -- stood at 4.2%. HDFC Banks other income rose 11.6% y-o-y to 7,443 crore.

The Supreme Court on 3 September ordered an interim stay on classifying bad loans if not declared so by 31 August and banks are expected to use this relaxation till the final orders are passed.

Without taking that into account, HDFC Banks asset quality improved in the December quarter with gross bad loan ratio or the percentage of bad loans to total advances declining 61 bps y-o-y to 0.81%. Its net NPA ratio was also down 39 bps y-o-y to 0.09% in Q3 FY21. Even compared to the September quarter of FY21, HDFC Banks gross bad loan ratio showed improvement.

However, if the bank had classified borrower accounts as non-performing after 31 August 2020, its proforma gross NPA ratio and proforma net NPA ratio would have been 1.38% and 0.4%, respectively. The bank said it has recast around 0.5% of its total loans under Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) covid-19 relief programme.

Its provisions rose 12% to 3,414 crore and it said that total provisions for the current quarter includes contingent provisions of approximately 2,400 crore for proforma NPAs.

The banks total advances were at 10.82 trillion in Q3 of FY21, an increase of 15.6% over the same period last year. The domestic retail loans grew 5.2% and domestic wholesale loans grew 25.5%, it said, adding that the domestic loan mix between retail and wholesale was 48:52. Overseas advances constituted 3% of total advances, the bank said.

Total deposits stood at 12.71 trillion, an increase of 19.1% over a year ago. Its current and savings account (CASA) deposits grew 29.6% with savings account deposits at 3.74 trillion and current account deposits at 1.72 trillion. The bank said its CASA deposits now comprise 43% of total deposits as of 31 December 2020.

HDFC Banks total capital adequacy ratio (CAR) as per Basel III guidelines was at 18.9% as on 31 December, as against a regulatory requirement of 11.075%, including the capital conservation buffer of 1.875%, and an additional requirement of 0.20% for being a Domestic Systemically Important Bank (D-SIB).

The lender's non-banking financier subsidiary HDB Financial Services reported a net loss of 44.3 crore in Q3 FY21, owing to higher provisions. It had reported a net profit of 216.7 crore in Q3 of FY20.

Provisions and contingencies at the non-banking financial company (NBFC) for the quarter were at 818.8 crore, while its operating profit was at 748.7 crore in the December quarter. As on 31 December, gross and net NPA of the NBFC stood at 2.7% of gross advances and 1.7% of net advances, respectively. Had it not been for the Supreme Court order cited above, gross NPA ratio would have been 5.9%.

Shares of HDFC Bank closed at 1,466.35 on the BSE on Friday, down 0.12% from its previous close.

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Slamming the party for "questioning COVID-19 vaccines" during pan-India vaccination drive, Union Home Minister and leader (BJP) on Sunday said that leaders can only oppose something and if someone else is doing it, they stop it too.

Shah asserted that both vaccines developed in India are completely safe and urged people to get vaccinated when their turn comes up.

This comes a day after Member of Parliament Manish Tewari raised questions about the efficacy and safety of two COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use in the country.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now started the world's largest corona vaccination programme. Congress leaders raised questions about Covid-19 vaccine. We know you cannot do anything other than protest and if someone else is doing it, they stop it too. I want to tell them at least do not stop the ones making efforts," Shah said at a rally in Belagavi, Karnataka.

"I have come here to assure the people of the country that both vaccines made in India are completely safe. Do not believe what Congress says. When your turn comes, please get the vaccination administered and India will soon become a corona-free country," he added.

Two vaccines--Covaxin and Covishield-- have received Emergency Use Authorisation (EAU) after going through established safety and immunogenicity protocols in a well-prescribed regulatory process and these are being administered during the vaccination drive.

Further attacking the Congress party, Shah said, "I want to ask Congress leaders, you ruled the country for four generations, then why was there no cooking gas in homes of poor women? Why there was no toilet, electricity, homes, Ayushman Bharat scheme for poor? Because they wanted to remove the poor and not poverty?"

"In the 13th Finance Commission, the Sonia-Manmohan government gave Rs 88,583 crore for the development of Karnataka. In the 14th Finance Commission, the Modi government has contributed Rs 2,19,506 crore for the development of Karnataka. Modiji did a lot of work for the eradication of poverty and tried to raise the standard of living of the poor," he added.

Union Home Minister lauded the 'self-reliant India' call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"If we all 130 million people of India use what is made in the country, then India will be the world's topmost economy automatically. Earlier, we used to buy toys from China, but now the country's first toy-manufacturing cluster is being built in Koppal. You should all be proud that children across India will play with Koppal toys and we won't have to buy from China," he said.

During the rally, Shah lauded the efforts of BJP workers in Gram Panchayat polls and urged the people of Karnataka to vote for the party in Taluka Panchyata and Zilla Panchayat polls.

"Of the total 5,670 Gram Panchayats, BJP registered victory on 3,142. Out of a total of 86,183 panchayat members, more than 45,000 BJP workers have been elected. Today I want to tell the people of Karnataka that in the coming days, elections for Taluka Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat are also coming. In these elections, give more than 75 per cent seats to BJP, for the development work of the state," he said.

Before addressing the rally at Belagavi, Shah met the family members of the party's general secretary Belagavi district, Raju Chikkangoudar who passed away recently.

This ongoing visit is Shah's first trip after the Karnataka cabinet expansion which left many BJP leaders displeased. Earlier today, the Minister addressed a public rally at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College ground in Bagalkot district on the second day of his two-day visit to the state.

(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.)
Berger said when he read the findings of the first probe, "it was pretty clear to me we needed to do a follow-on...




Haiti - PAP Jazz 2021 : Opening evening of the International Jazz Festival of Port-au-Prince





Saturday at the Karibe Convention Center took place the official opening night of the 15th Edition of the International Jazz Festival of Port-au-Prince (PAP Jazz 2021) which will take place from January 16 to 23, 2021, under the high patronage of the Ministry of the culture.



On this occasion Pradel Henriquez, the Minister of Culture opened the evening with a speech that we invite to read.



Speech by Minister Henriquez :



"We have arrived at D-Day where we will be able to enjoy the multiple expressions of these talented artists on display during the International Jazz Festival of Port-au-Prince, the PAP Jazz.



I am happy to see to what extent this Festival is anchored in the habits of the metropolitan region of Port-au-Prince and maintains, year after year, the flame of a thrilling music scene.



This new edition of the Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival testifies to the strength of Haiti's cultural ties with the event's partner countries. I greet all the embassies which support this fifteenth edition : Germany, Belgium, Canada, Spain, France, Switzerland and the United States of America.



I especially congratulate Germany, the country in the spotlight of this 15th edition. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to discover the exceptional duo of Jakob Manz.



I thank all the institutions of the public sector in particular the Ministry of Health, the Office of the Minister Delegate for Citizenship and Patriotism, the Ministry of Tourism, the institutions of the private sector, of the international environment especially the European Union through the program. Action for the Strengthening of Haitian Cultural Organizations (AROCH), which joined forces with the Haiti Jazz Foundation and the Ministry of Culture to act as partners, with the aim of opening up access to quality concerts, provide a space for discussion and discovery.



Thank you to the Haiti Jazz Foundation for organizing a large-scale cultural event which chooses attitudes respectful of the environment and which adopts preventive health measures against Covid19.



A special thank you to artists from here and elsewhere who agree to participate in PAP Jazz. Thank you to the media, to the distribution platforms which cover the event and which allow the concerts to be broadcast, especially online, in order to promote the decongestion of physical places of services.



Dear public, The committee has made many efforts to offer you a quality activity while taking care of your health. I encourage you to respect the health instructions not only during the Festival but also at home and everywhere else.

Together, we can reconcile health with culture!



Pleasant relaxation!



Good PAP Jazz !"



Download the full program of the 2021 PAP Jazz Festival (PDF): https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/E-livret_Papjazz_2021.pdf



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-32722-haiti-music-d-8-complete-programming-of-the-international-festival-papjazz-2021.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















(Global Times) A Swedish court has reportedly dismissed an appeal by Huawei against the country's 5G ban on the Chinese telecom giant, dimming the company's hope in participating in the small-sized market's 5G rollout in the future.





Ignoring domestic businesses' opposition against the Huawei ban and the rising plea for free market and competition, the Swedish government's unwise political manipulation under US influence will cause considerable damage to itself, Chinese experts noted.

In response to Huawei's appeal on January 5, the Swedish Supreme Administrative Court on Thursday said in a statement that the appeal should be dismissed with no more convincing reasons, according to Reuters on Friday.

The latest dismissal from the Swedish Supreme Administrative Court came only a few days before the 5G spectrum auctions scheduled for January 19, allowing for Swedish telecoms regulator PTS to resume the auctions when the Chinese telecom equipment maker is excluded from the country's 5G rollout, according to media reports.

Given there is only very limited time for Huawei to fight against the ruling, the situation for the Chinese company in the market is not optimistic as the court has actually stood on the same side as the PTS, which is under heavy influence of the Swedish Ministry of Defense, said Chinese experts, noting that the Swedish defense ministry has a long-term close relationship with the US.

Sweden's decision on Huawei is heavily influenced by the US, and being involved in such a political game will not deliver any benefits for itself, Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Removing the leading 5G player's gear from existing infrastructure and core functions in Sweden's communication networks will only largely delay and lead to larger bills for its 5G rollout, Xiang added.

Earlier this month, Huawei rival - Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson, was reported as opposing the Swedish government's ban on preventing Huawei and ZTE from participating in the construction of 5G in the country.

Borje Ekholm, head of Ericsson, said that Ericsson would leave Sweden if authorities supported the ban on Huawei and ZTE, local newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported.

Ericsson's threat to leave Sweden over the Huawei ban shows Swedish businesses' concern over its government's arbitrary move to hurt market rules, putting them in a tight spot in the Chinese market, whose size is much bigger than Sweden's and is vital for some companies, Xiang said.
San Francisco, Jan 17 : Fearing backlash from supporters of the outgoing US president Donald Trump, some Twitter employees have locked their accounts and the company has even given personal security to some executives.

They have set their accounts to private and scrubbed their online biographies over concerns they may be targeted by Trump supporters, reports the New York Times. In "Some Twitter executives have been assigned personal security as the company reckons with its decision to bar one of its loudest voices".

More than 300 Twitter employees signed an internal petition calling for a permanent Trump suspension.

The Trump account was permanently suspended from Twitter on January 8, "due to the risk of further incitement of violence." According to the report, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was earlier not convinced a temporary ban on the president was the right decision.

In a series of tweets last week, Dorsey finally said that banning Trump's account was the right call.

He defended the ban, saying that it was the right move as offline harm as a result of online speech is demonstrably real.

The Twitter ban came after a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol, hoping to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election victory.

"I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban @realDonaldTrump from Twitter, or how we got here. After a clear warning we'd take this action, we made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter," Dorsey said in one of his tweets.

He blamed Twitter's failure "to promote healthy conversation," acknowledged that Twitter needs to "look critically at inconsistencies of our policy and enforcement".

According to Twitter, more than 70,000 harmful accounts have been suspended as a result of its efforts after the violence in Washington, DC, with many instances of a single individual operating numerous accounts.

So ingrained is the family death vigil that during the Civil War, dying soldiers sometimes pulled out family photographs to create it in their imaginations. Today, while families cry on sidewalks, thousands die of COVID attended only by nurses and aides holding iPads and dressed in hazmat suits.

Just as visceral is our unspoken promise to handle the bodies of the dead with reverence. In the powerful Greek tragedy, Antigone refuses to leave her disgraced brothers body to be chewed up by birds and dogs and violated. Now, during COVID surges, the dead are stacked in refrigerator trucks.

Death, once largely relegated to the upper reaches of the lifespan, came out of the closet last year. Until vaccination is widespread, this disease with a thousand faces will continue to reshape how we die, how we honor the dead, how we mourn and how we live. We have barely begun to reckon with its widening circles of vicarious trauma, moral distress and unacknowledged grief.

Traumatized health care workers are witnessing an onslaught of modern death at its worst: highly technologized, plugged into machines, and stripped of human touch or any sense of the sacred. People in nursing homes suffer social death, growing listless and even suicidal. The rest of us cope with little deaths: of livelihood, of certainty; of the familiar rhythms of daily life. At the same time, we have lost the communal rituals that traditionally help human beings cope with loss without going numb.

Usually, any major life change calls for a ceremony  a baby shower, a quinceanera, the wedding that ushers a single person into coupledom just as the memorial service will later acknowledge their return to singlehood. The miracle of ritual isnt that water is turned into wine, but that sorrow is normalized, anxiety is transmuted into acceptance, loneliness into community and self-preoccupation into an enlarged capacity to contribute to others. Reciting ancient texts in unison, we are reminded that our ancestors survived similar blows without losing their minds or their souls.

Gathering together indoors is now a vector for infection. We conduct Zoom shivas and grieve in isolation.

When societies undergo mass trauma, public observances help them heal  which is very different from forgetting what happened and not being changed by it. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial created a protected space for our nations undone mourning. The AIDS quilt, laid on the National Mall for all to see, restored love, beauty and visibility to victims of a then-stigmatized disease. We have yet to create our COVID National Day of Mourning or build an American monument to the dead of our time.

I have no doubt that new rituals are to come.

Free online talks by Katy Butler Hospice of Santa Barbara, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. (Register: hospiceofsb.org/hsbseries); Outdoor Art Club of Mill Valley, Jan. 28 at 1 p.m. (Register: outdoorartclub.org/public-events) See More Collapse

Already I see hopeful signs. Some states have flown flags at half-staff, and New Jersey will plant a tree for each of the states COVID victims. In some California hospitals, medical workers practice The Pause, a simple ritual created by a Virginia nurse named Jonathan Bartels. After a death, medical staff gather quietly around the body. They speak the patients name aloud, honor the life that is gone and the efforts of the medical team, and observe a moment of silence.

Some hospitals and nursing homes are easing their draconian visiting restrictions. Near New Orleans, the Heart of Hospices COVID inpatient unit goes further, allowing two family members to visit a patient each day for as long as they like, appropriately gowned and masked. No staff or relatives are known to have been infected there, and the family death vigil is a daily occurrence. Willie J. Smith felt blessed that he could be at his fathers side when he died, playing him Luther Vandross Dancing With My Father on his cellphone. If he had died alone, said Smith, I would have felt less than a man, less than a son, less than a human being.

Like Civil War soldiers, we will adapt. When a friend died in a glider crash, I put his photograph on a makeshift home altar and lit a candle. Once a month, I take part in a virtual memorial service hosted by LetsReImagine.org. We hold our candles up to our Zoom windows, take comfort in each others faces, and enter in chat the names of those weve lost or worry about. It is the only time I have been able to weep.

My favorite modern Antigone is Tanisha Brunson-Malone, an African American morgue technician in Hackensack, N.J. During surges, she enters the refrigerator trucks and places a yellow daffodil atop every body bag, honoring each completed life as notably as did the church bells that rang out during Londons Great Plague of 1665.

For the foreseeable future we will remain masked and semi-isolated, in a world as suddenly vulnerable to pestilence as it was in 1918. This time will mark us in ways we cant currently know. I only hope we emerge with more humility and a deeper appreciation for how much we need each other.

Mill Valley resident Katy Butler is the author of Knocking on Heavens Door and The Art of Dying Well.
As the world battles a ravaging pandemic, in an exclusive conversation with NewsX, Psychonnect held a riveting discussion around Mental Health: The Next Invisible Pandemic. The expert panelists on the show were Diya Ganguly Mallick, Psychotherapist (UK) & Co-founder, Psychonnect, and Dr. Eleanor Avinor, Ph.D. & Psychotherapist (Israel) and audience included Ramya Aswathnarayana, Associate Psychologist & Project Coordinator, Psychonnect, Megha Rudrapati, Art Therapist & Course Coordinator, Psychonnect and Shreyah Mantri, Brand Development Manager, Psychonnect.

Addressing the various challenges of Mental Health, Diya, Psychotherapist (UK) & Co-founder, Psychonnect, said The problem with mental health is we dont understand its pain points and triggers. Slowly its going to enter inside your body, but one will still not know about it or understand its concern, because its not tangible, its not visible. That is why as a professional, we want to raise awareness on the subject. Its absolutely necessary. Now to understand the huge wide spectrum mental health challenges can have, whether be the occasional instances of anger, or the existential crisis of depression, these all fall under the realm of mental health. The work we are doing at Psychonnect is creating awareness for people to understand that this is a serious issue and there is no health without mental health.

Psychonnect is a Premier Mental Health Platform that facilitates Mental well-being, diagnostics, counseling & therapy service. Talking about the thought behind founding the organization Diya said In the UK I had an opportunity to create an ecosystem that will merge or confluence the traditional approaches we have in India with empirical approaches of the West so that people can have a holistic form of treatment and get more awareness globally. We need more professionals to equip them with the right skills in order to go out and train people and address this issue unless and until we reach a stage where everybody is at least aware of their own mental health and well being.

Dr. Eleanor Avinor, Author & Psychotherapist based in Israel shared her insights on the mental challenges owing to the pandemic that we as a global community shared and felt the common experience. Nowadays, stress and anxiety are everywhere. And everybody has it. It is vital for us to know how to lower it, and how to understand what triggers us. Therefore, psychotherapy is important and it can help everybody. Violence in the family or in the whole world is one of the main points that we deal with. Typically, a third of the world population is suffering from anxiety, and depression, or anger, or loneliness. its contagious and everybodys feeling very upset, especially because of the social distancing. People dont have the contact that they want.

Stressing on the fears that people feel while seeking help and how stigmatized issues of mental health still continue to be, Dr. Eleanor elaborated Many people dont get help because they are afraid of the negative stigma. Others dont have the money, sometimes it is very expensive to get professional help, and sometimes there is no professional solution available. And thats what were trying to do now is to prepare professional solutions that anybody can go to and anybody can get help. People have to feel accepted to be happy and everybody needs some sort of psychological help. People need somebody to share with and discuss the problems when and they need help to look at their problems and dilemmas from a different perspective in a positive and effective way. We have patterns that weve learned as babies and were connected to these patterns. Sometimes they dont work for us but they worked for us when they were babies. We have to learn to look at these patterns of behavior, the way of thinking that we have, and maybe change them.

Talking about how it is possible to come up with a large scale of the pattern and the individual context in mental health and generalize something at that scale, Dr. Eleanor shared insights from her professional experiences Not everything is biochemical. Our thoughts determine how we feel, and how we feel determines how we behave. Actually, we have to be giving you the thoughts, and thats not medicine. There are medical solutions for people who have schizophrenia, or maybe manic depressive disorders that need medication. While some people need medication but many people need medication together with psychotherapy and talking. I worked in a hospital for many years in the Psychiatric Unit. We had clients, some of them got medication, some of them got only talks, and some of them got both. People need to talk.

Taking steps to make mental wellbeing a lifestyle statement Psychonnect has come up with the A-R-K (Awareness  Recognition  Knowledge) Charter which can be a self-healing tool for everybody. Throwing light on how the Charter aims to take the first steps towards understanding, appreciating & respecting the relevance and importance of Mental Health Wellbeing, Diya told us Whether its depression, or anxiety or any trauma, or PTSD, which is very common when there is a pandemic you can visit our website and talk and literally express your concerns. At the same time, we are building a PR network and support groups where we are actually bringing people who already have a history of mental illness so that they can share their experiences and people can learn from it.

Adding to the discussion Ramya Aswathnarayana, Associate Psychologist threw attention towards children of various ages and how is it possible to grasp the mental health challenges of them during pandemic who might not be able to self-diagnose. Dr. Elenor said its very important to see and understand how our children feel and that everybody needs somebody to love. Diya further added that it is very important to understand that this particular trauma-related to COVID-19 might be very difficult for any children to express their concerns. Children are usually attached to a routine of going to school, meeting their friends, sitting in a particular classroom, and youve taken all those pleasures out of their life and introduced a new form of learning or a new form of making friends or interacting. This can be very overwhelming, and not necessarily they will know that it is stressing them out. For that reason, one can be spending some quality time, maybe going through a picture of family and engaging them in small things and perhaps through that you can actually tap into.

Dr. Eleanor elaborating on whether there is an international sort of consensus or international perspective on mental health said  The Coronavirus pandemic is worldwide and hence it is an international problem as it concerns everybody the world over, In other words, everybody has some problems, and when theyre under stress, like such and they are afraid that people close to them will die intensifies the problems. People have to learn to be kind to themselves, to have self-compassion. You cant be kind to others if youre not kind to yourself. Thats one of the things we have to teach people in psychotherapy because some people are crying themselves, they dont do things that make them feel good. They dont accept themselves, they dont accept your faults, and so they dont accept others. So in other words, you have to learn to be kind and this will make the world that kind of place. People also have to seek and find within themselves barriers and all of us who are working in the mental health field know that children build barriers inside themselves. In a time of need, and a time like such all these things come to the surface.

Diya adding to this said Today there is a global consensus on the fact that mental health is going to be the next invisible pandemic, because even when COVID becomes a distant reality, members still will face the aftermath of it, because of the emotional and psychological sufferings one is going through. Many families and individuals didnt even get to say the last goodbye to their loved ones and there are people who have gone through ventilations and treatment, and that itself can be post-traumatic for them. That is why its important to understand and not only for mental health professionals but as a community be sensitive to this issue.

Connecting practitioners, world-leading experts, and institutes from across the world with their clients, students & partners at Psychonnect, Diya said Our main agenda is to create awareness on the subject which needs you to understand their trigger points and understand why they are behaving the way we do. At Psychonnect we are constantly building multilingual content so that you dont have to come online but you have easily accessible WhatsApp videos or even a booklet to manage the different emotions they go through at different points of the day. Changing routines can be very unsettling and anxiety-provoking for such people. We actually not only teach them the traditional theories, but we also give them case studies, role plays, and how they can then translate this knowledge with real-life clients.

Psychonnect is actively working to make resources available and translating into different multilingual contexts such as Gujarati, Bengali, Hindi so that many people who are not that comfortable with English still will have access to this material and understand that there are real mental health challenges. Megha Rudrapati, Art Therapist addressed the issue that most of the research or even approaches on Mental Health that we rely on are from the west, and hence when can we create a knowledge base of our own that is more culturally relevant to our population and also help us make mental health as equally valued and efficient here in India as well.

Dr. Elenor focusing on the cultural correlation said Every culture has stories that you can build on. One of the things I would be doing is collecting the stories and using them with people and hence connecting those stories to their private lives and what they can learn from them.

Diya on the other hand stressed de-stigmatizing and raising awareness about mental health back in India and said I think its important to understand in our culture when it comes to mental health theres a massive stigma, first of all, we need to address that people who are battling any kind of mental health challenges, have been subjected to unfair treatment and discrimination, or being tagged as lunatics. We need to move from that and thats the first thing we need to do when it comes to India. Moreover, we are kind of short-staffed when it comes to mental health.

First, we need to make the right kind of interventions available and make our community aware that this is a serious issue making relevant help available to them and most importantly, its very important now to understand that mental health illness, must be under, I would say the ambit of all these life insurance or medical coverages. Until and unless we do that in our society people wont see mental illness as the same as physical dysfunctions, they will never give that respect, concluded Diya.

To know more about the ARK Charter, visit: www.psychonnect.com/a-r-k-charter

Watch the entire telecast here:
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday dismissed a claim by France that Tehran was in the process of building up its nuclear weapons, calling it "absurd nonsense".

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche published on Saturday, said Iran was building up its nuclear weapons' capacity and it was urgent that Tehran and Washington return to a 2015 nuclear agreement.

"Dear colleague: You kick-started your cabinet career with arms sales to Saudi war criminals. Avoid absurd nonsense about Iran," Zarif said in a Twitter post, in which he tagged his French counterpart @JY_LeDrian.

French President Emmanuel Macron's government has drawn criticism from some countries and rights groups over its support of Saudi Arabia's actions and allowing weapons it has sold to Riyadh potentially to be used in its Yemen operations.

"Reality check: YOU are destabilising OUR region. Stop protecting criminals who chainsaw their critics and use YOUR arms to slaughter children in Yemen," Zarif tweeted, referring to Le Drian's previous post as French defence minister.

Iran, which denies seeking to make nuclear bombs, rejected a statement on Saturday by three European powers party that warned the Islamic Republic against starting work on uranium metal-based fuel for a research reactor, saying it violated the nuclear pact and had serious military implications.

Zarif criticised France, Germany and Britain - which remain in the deal with China and Russia - for failing to enforce the agreement since 2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the deal and restored harsh economic sanctions on Iran.

"E3 leaders  who rely on (the) signature of OFAC functionaries to carry out their obligations under JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action)  have done ZILCH to maintain JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). Remember @EmmanuelMacron's stillborn initiative or UK non-payment of court-ordered debt? JCPOA is alive because of Iran and not E3," Zarif tweeted.

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who takes office on Jan. 20, has pledged to return the United States to the deal "if Iran resumes strict compliance" with the agreement that imposed strict curbs on its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions.

In reaction to Trump's "maximum pressure" policy, Iran has gradually breached many of the deals restrictions. But Tehran says it could quickly reverse those steps if Washington first lifts its sanctions.

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The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
Former Uttarakhand Minister and Congress leader Navprabhat on Saturday appealed to his party workers to donate money for the construction of Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. This comes appeal from the Congress leader after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust has started conducting a mass contact and contribution campaign for the construction of the grand temple in Ayodhya.

READ | Health Of Ram Temple Trust Chief Improving, Says Hospital

Former Uttarakhand Minister Bavprabhat in a video statement said, "Dear party workers, I am making a special request to all of you for important work. The construction work of symbol of India's unity Ram temple is going to start in Ayodhya. A few of our respected friend is walking around for getting people's support."

READ | Hema Malini Kickstarts Fund-collection For Ram Mandir From 'prominent Mathuravasis'

Congress leader's appeal for donation

Speaking further in the video message, the former Uttarakhand Minister said, "I appeal to all of you to give your support and I request rise above the religious parochial and collect funds for this national monument. We will collect funds and through SDM will send money to Ram Temple trust for the construction of Ram Temple."

READ | RSS & BJP Slam Shiv Sena's Jibe On Ram Mandir Trust's Fund Drive, Term It An 'insult'

The donation drive for the construction of the Ram temple begun on January 15 and will continue till February 27. According to the trust, the temple will be built by adhering to the country's ancient and traditional construction techniques. It will also be built in a manner to sustain earthquakes, storms, and other natural calamities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ayodhya on August 5 to attend the 'Bhoomi pujan' at the Ram Janmbhoomi site.

READ | BTS' V's Birthday: Donation Drive To Sand Art, This Is How BTS Army Is Celebrating
Investigations editor

Larry Parnass, investigations editor, joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant and CommonWealth Magazine.
In some ways, we're going through a period of excess: two impeachments, fourdays of State of the State addresses and roughly a thousand New York City mayoral candidates. But in most respects, it's a time of austerity, as was clear when New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled his bleak budget proposal this week. He avoided massive layoffs of city employees, but property tax revenues are expected to plunge $2.5 billion next year. In addition to budget cuts, de Blasio made cuts to ties with the Trump Organization in the last move of a messy divorce with the reality TV star from Queens.

Impeachment Round 2

President Donald Trump was impeached by the House for a second time just days before he leaves office, making him the first president to be impeached twice. The vote came a week after violent Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol falsely alleging that the election had been stolen from Trump. Members of Congress approved a single article of impeachment, accusing the president of inciting an insurrection. Every Democrat voted in favor of impeachment, and they were joined by 10 Republicans, including Rep. John Katko, who was the only Republican member of New Yorks House delegation to vote in favor of impeachment. The Senate is currently in recess and not set to return until Jan. 19, right before President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in, which means the Senate trial likely wont take place until after Trump is already out of office. However, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer is pushing for an emergency session that he said could be called if both he and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agree to it.

De Blasio unveils bleak budget proposal

With the city facing a historic funding crisis, outgoing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio released a plan for a pared-down $92 billion proposed budget. Property tax values are expected to fall by $2.5 billion, the Mayors Office said, though those losses were partially offset by an increase in income tax revenue. De Blasio urged the state not to make more painful cuts.

Specifics arent clear yet, but much of the savings will come from reducing the municipal workforce by an additional 5,000 through attrition  at a time when unemployment in the city still tops 10%. The one light at the end of the tunnel: Schumer assured de Blasio that under a Biden administration, pandemic costs would be fully covered by the feds.

Confusion and frustration over vaccine signups

Gov. Andrew Cuomo just opened up access to the COVID-19 vaccine to several new groups of people, including teachers, people over 75, front-line municipal workers and other essential workers. Shortly after that, Cuomo again expanded the pool of eligible people due to new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announcing that people over 65 and certain immunocompromised people could get the vaccine as well. New York City began opening 24/7 mass vaccination sites and Cuomo opened several large state-run hubs as well. But the online systems for scheduling appointments were confusing, glitchy and cumbersome. Many people spent hours attempting to secure an appointment online without success, and there were also problems between the city and state scheduling systems. And at the end of the week, a sign-up link for state vaccination sites that had not yet opened was released in error, which meant that anyone who thought they managed to schedule a vaccine through that link had their appointment canceled. On top of that, the states slow pace of receiving vaccines  just 300,000 a week  appears to be taking a toll now that the pool of eligible people has been greatly expanded, with appointments booked up for months, according to the state. Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan even had to cancel some appointments due to a shortage of vaccines.

Yang running for NYC mayor

Entrepreneur and former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang announced hes running for mayor of New York City. His campaign launch came after recent bad press about his poor voting record in municipal elections, the amount of time he spent at his New Paltz home during the pandemic and comments that critics said showed he was out of touch with average New Yorkers. Among an eclectic list of policy proposals that included TikTok hype houses and regaining local control of the subways was one inspired by, but falling far short of, his signature policy: universal basic income. The New York City version would give $2,000 to $5,000 a year to the poorest 500,000 New Yorkers, which would cost the city $1 billion a year. Yang expected that philanthropic grants would cover the costs for at least part of the program.

Letitia James sues the NYPD

In an unprecedented move, state Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the New York City Police Department and Mayor Bill de Blasio over allegations of excessive force used during last years Black Lives Matter protests. Multiple reports, including one from the city Department of Investigation, criticized officers use of force during those protests and concluded that in several instances, it was improper and excessive. James is the first state attorney general to sue the NYPD. Shes asking the court to appoint a federal monitor to oversee the department in addition to the federal monitor thats already in place to ensure the department stops its illegal use of stop-and-frisk tactics.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- It was a tremendous irony that, as Congress convened to certify the Electoral Colleges votes, thousands of people  incited to action by President Donald Trump  surrounded the United States Capitol to encourage the demolition of democracy in America. Soon after the joint session commenced, a mob stormed the barricades around the building, unleashing a sad display of destruction and intimidation.

I live near the Capitol. A few hours before Congress met, I took a walk around that shrine to democracy. It was an overcast and grey morning, but the architectural and symbolic majesty of the Capitol building and its surrounding grounds inspired me, as it has always done. Whether its the symmetry of the House and Senate chambers, the view of iconic landmarks honoring Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, or the subtle perfection of monuments to leaders like Ulysses S. Grant, one cant help but be awed in its presence.

Gus Biggio, a Marine combat veteran of Afghanistan, now lives in Washington, D.C., near the Capitol.

Near the Capitols reflecting pool, throngs of people carried American flags, Trump banners, or Dont Tread on Me guidons. Some of those holding Confederate flags or ones linked with white supremacist groups jutted their chins in the air, as if daring a challenge to their hateful displays.

Tents were set up where vendors were selling Trump-themed paraphernalia like hats, sweatshirts and bobblehead dolls. Nearby, a dozen food trucks fed the crowds in yet another irony of the day: While many of the assembled masses may have despised the Spanish and Arabic speakers working in those trucks, they clearly loved the tacos, falafel and churros on sale.

I watched a group of about 20 people embrace in a cluster to recite the Lords Prayer. Their leader had a confident attitude and a prominent voice. I saw him on my computer hours later as I stared in amazement at the anarchy erupting in the Capitol.

Just after noon, I felt like I had seen enough. There was a palpable tension in the air, and since most of the throng were not wearing masks, probably a fair amount of coronavirus, as well. I wanted to be away from the scrum when the melee I was certain would occur began, so I headed home.

As I walked the few blocks to my house, I reflected on the conversation Id struck up with a journalist I had met the day before, a 40-ish man named Rafael Luna. He told me how he had lived near Los Angeles for over 15 years, and has a daughter the same age as mine. Born in the Philippines, he had a common immigrant story, and told me he was proud to be a naturalized American, but feared what the last few years had unleashed in our national psyche. For a moment, he was silent. Then I noticed a tear streaming down his cheek as he stared at the Capitol dome.

Well be OK, Rafael said, then repeated, as if he needed the reassurance, Well be OK.

Yes, we will, I told him. I, too, felt like I needed some reassurance, so I said again, Yes, we will. We exchanged numbers, bumped elbows and went our separate ways.

On Jan. 6, just as I approached my house, I heard the thunder of the crowd as it breached the Capitols security and began plundering the building. Throughout the day, I tried to get some work done, but was constantly distracted by the chaos streaming from my computer and the scream of sirens through my neighborhood.

I wondered  and worried  about Rafael, hopeful that he would heed my suggestion to report the truth, but stay safe so you can go home and hug your daughter.

At 9:39 p.m., I got a text from him. It read, Im safe. Just before 4 a.m. on Jan. 7, Vice President Mike Pence closed the joint session. Its work was done, and Joe Bidens election as president became official and indisputable.

So I think Rafael was right. Well be OK.

Gus Biggio, a combat veteran of Afghanistan, was born and raised in Wooster, Ohio. He is a lawyer and author of the recently released, The Wolves of Helmand: A View From Inside the Den of Modern War.

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A woman accused of helping Ghislaine Maxwell recruit 'sex slaves' for Jeffrey Epstein is now in a squabble with neighbors at the ritzy Manhattan condo where she lives with her NASCAR-driver husband.

Sarah Kellen, 41, and her husband Brian Vickers, 37, are the subject of ire among neighbors at the SoHo condo building on Greene Street, where Vickers leads the condo board, the New York Post reported on Saturday.

Neighbors told the Post they are fed up with the couple's constant noisy renovations in their $10 million penthouse, as well as massive fee assessments imposed by Vickers and the other board members.

Kellen met Epstein when she was 18, and spent around a decade working as his personal assistant. She was named in court documents a 'potential co-conspirator' in the late financier's sex trafficking plots, but has always insisted vehemently that she was a victim of his sick abuse, and not a participant.

Sarah Kellen, 41, and her husband Brian Vickers, 37, (together above) are the subject of ire among neighbors at the SoHo condo building on Greene Street

Jeffrey Epstein is seen walking with Sarah Kellen along Madison Avenue in New York City in 2012. Kellen was named in court documents a 'potential co-conspirator' in the late financier's sex trafficking plots, but has always insisted vehemently that she was a victim of his sick abuse

Neighbors at Kellen and Vicker's Greene Street condo say they are fed up with the couple's constant noisy renovations in their $10 million penthouse, as well as massive fee assessments imposed by Vickers and the other board members

Kellen reportedly cut ties with Epstein after his first arrest in Florida in 2008, and gained immunity through the deal he struck with prosecutors. In 2013 she married her longtime boyfriend Vickers.

Little has been seen of Kellen over the years, but she and Vickers reappeared in New York after Maxwell was arrested in July.

It has led to speculation that Kellen might testify against Maxwell, who is charged with enticement of minors, sex trafficking of children, and perjury. Maxwell has pleaded not guilty.

Meanwhile, neighbors at the 14-unit Mercer Greene condo building, where Lindsay Lohan once live, tell the Post that they are fed up with the construction racket from Kellen and Vickers' penthouse.

'It's the other homeowners that have to put up with it,' one condo owner complained, noting that the couple are rarely in town.

According to a lawsuit from one renovation firm alleging unpaid bills, the work on the couple's penthouse included a 'shoe pullout wardrobe cabinet' and teak adornments to the shower door.

In 2013 Kellen married her longtime boyfriend Vickers, after cutting ties with Epstein following his initial arrest in 2008

Little has been seen of Kellen over the years, but she and Vickers reappeared in New York after Maxwell was arrested in July, leading to speculation she might testify against Maxwell

The entire building has also been plagued with constant construction work for years, dating back to before Vickers became board president in 2015, leading to inconvenience and high fees for owners.

One condo owner told the Post that they've been charged $100,000 in assessments in the last five years.

A lawyer acting on behalf of Mercer Greene Condominium and the board said that its members have never 'improperly caused an assessment to be imposed on all owners for personal gain,' or 'engaged in executing improper contracts for construction work.'

Vickers did not respond to an inquiry from the Post and could not be reached by DailyMail.com. He last raced NASCAR in 2016, stepping back due to heath issues, and it's unclear whether he intends to return to the sport.

Epstein's controversial 2008 federal non-prosecution agreement extended immunity to four 'potential co-conspirators' including Sarah Kellen and fellow executive assistants Adriana Ross, Lesley Groff and Nadia Marcinkova.

It meant Kellen could not face federal charges, despite multiple girls describing how she would book them for massages and greet them they as arrived at Epstein's Palm Beach mansion before escorting them upstairs and laying out massage oils.

According to police reports, one victim recalled Kellen and Maxwell instructing her on how to please their depraved boss. Others claimed the pair had warned them not to speak out about what was happening.

In the subsequent slew of civil lawsuits, Kellen (left) was referred to 'an assistant to Ghislaine', her second in command and even the socialite's 'lieutenant'. They are seen together in 2005

Maxwell, seen in a court sketch, is currently being held without bail and faces trial in July

In the subsequent slew of civil lawsuits, Kellen was referred to 'an assistant to Ghislaine', her second in command and even the socialite's 'lieutenant'.

'Sarah was really running that organization, bringing girls and getting them in and out of the Palm Beach home,' Spencer T. Kuvin, a lawyer representing several accusers, told the New York Times.

She was also well compensated: Epstein divulged in a 2005 interview that he paid his closest assistants $200,000 a year.

Epstein died behind bars in 2019 in what authorities ruled a suicide. Maxwell is currently being held without bail and faces trial in July, and speculation has swirled that federal investigators will target other assistants in Epstein's orbit.

But Kellen has spoken out to vehemently deny the allegations that she aided in Epstein's devious sex schemes.

'I've been made out to be such a monster  but it's not true. I'm a victim of Jeffrey Epstein. I was raped and abused weekly,' she told the Sun last month.

Kellen's devoutly religious parents Thomas and Mary Kellen told DailyMail.com in July that their daughter was naive and vulnerable when she met Epstein.

'What happened to all those girls is horrendous but I do feel that Sarah was also a victim. I'm not a psychologist or a psychiatrist but I can see she was maneuvered or brainwashed,' said Mary.

Thomas and Mary expressed fear that after Maxwell's arrest, their daughter would be next - a fate they insist she does not deserve.

'I just hope someone doesn't go and kill her,' Mary said. 'There are a lot of prominent, powerful people out there that don't want anything said.'

TV NZ recently announced Lexie Brown as this year's Bachelorette in New Zealand.

And on Sunday, the show's Instagram account released a glimpse at the first round of 18 eligible suitors vying for the 31-year-old marketing manager's heart.

Introduced as the 'first lot of charming Bachelors', the five handsome gentlemen included an entrepreneur, financial analyst, jazz musician, and an avid traveller.

Scroll down for video

Meet the first batch of charming Bachelors who will be vying for New Zealand's newest Bachelorette Lexie Brown's heart

'Surprise... Watch the journey unfold on TVNZ this February,' business owner Aidan Uttinger, 39, who has just returned to the country after a year in Bali, captioned a post of himself smiling in a suit to his Instagram.

'Clearly chuffed!' Aucklander Jack Becroft, 26, added on his Instagram Stories. 'We're in for a ride.'

Financial analyst Jarrod Isopo, 25, is another suitor on this year's season.

'I felt we needed to bring more pacific islanders onto The Bachelorette. We've got some pretty good jokes. We're more than just rugby players,' he said in a video uploaded to his account.

Ready for love: Entrepreneur and tequila company owner Aidan Uttinger, 39, has just returned to the country after a year in Bali

Charming! Aucklander Jack Becroft (pictured), 26, appears to be one of the younger males on the series

'I felt we needed to bring more pacific islanders onto The Bachelorette. We've got some pretty good jokes. We're more than just rugby players,' Financial analyst Jarrod Isopo (pictured), 25, said in a video to his Instagram

Who else? Others slated for the Feb 1 debut are Frenchman Damien Ducloux (pictured)

Others included Frenchman Damien Ducloux, Australian Todd Dialectos, 26, and 28-year-old jazz musician Nathan Loo.

Lexi is from Wellington and has claimed to The Spy she tends to stay off dating apps and social media.

'You will only get to know me if you know me in real life,' she told the publication, adding that she is looking for a genuine connection.

Over the ditch: Australian Todd Dialectos, 26, has decided to join the New Zealand series

Easy on the eyes: Jazz musician Nathan Loo (pictured) will be one of 18 bachelors vying for Lexi's heart on the 2021 The Bachelorette in New Zealand

Lexi is looking for someone to 'do life with'. However, due to COVID-19, the show will have no international trips.

In terms of men, Lexi said she was looking for someone who was 'relaxed as' and would get along with her father.

Having just returned from Canada, Lexi said she initially applied to the show as a joke saying she needed a sperm donor, and was surprised to get a call back.
G Ps are being forced to bin leftover vaccines rather than give patients second doses or use them on staff, according to reports.

Local NHS leaders are said to have issued the vaccine disposal instructions to doctors organising clinics.

GPs are struggling to book the exact number of appointments to match the doses of the vaccine which needs to kept at -70c, which adds another layer of difficulty.

Dr Robert Morley, the director of professional support at the Birmingham Local Medical Committee said the instructions were being reported by doctors across the country.

He told the Telegraph: '"This is ridiculous, bordering on the criminal, to actually be wasting vaccines when you have the worst global healthcare crisis for a century.

The logical thing to do would be to use [the leftovers] as a second dose for healthcare workers, for example, who may be there in the building.

The British Medical Association described the reports as 'extremely concerning, absolutely unacceptable and morally wrong', warning any wasted dose denies someone the chance to be protected from the virus, and, perhaps ultimately, death.

However, Britain is leading the way in Europe with 3.3 million people - one in 20 - already vaccinated, while there are also plans to roll out jabs to those in their 70s - third and fourth on the priority list behind those aged over 80, care home residents and frontline health and social care workers - as early as next week..

The NHS said there was 'no reason' why stocks should be wasted, insisting vaccination sites should make sure a back-up list of patients and staff who can get the jab at short-notice if people do not turn up are created.

The crisis in hospitals is deepening as medics prepare extra wards and critical care beds over the coming weeks.
LOS ANGELES  Here is the important thing to understand about Kevin McCarthy: He has risen from college dropout to the highest rungs of political leadership by being the guy everyone liked. You cant have too many friends, he likes to say. He was the guy with the pool table in the house he shared with legislators in Sacramento; the guy who slept on the sofa in his congressional office, went mountain biking with colleagues in the morning and hosted movie nights with Chick-fil-A; the guy who could deliver votes and raise money. Everyone, it seemed, liked the California Republican whom President Trump called my Kevin.

Until now. Now he is not just disliked, but reviled. No matter how Mr. McCarthy, the House minority leader, tries to finesse the attacks on the 2020 election and the U.S. Capitol, many people  including former friends  will not forgive his blatant acts to embrace and perpetuate dangerous lies that threatened democracy, and lives.

Former U.S. Representative Bill Thomas of California denounced his protege as a hypocrite. The Sacramento Bee called Mr. McCarthy a soulless anti-democracy conspirator. In an emotional video, Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose 2006 election marked the last time a Republican was elected statewide in California, took aim at spineless Republican elected officials who acted as enablers for the presidents lies. They are complicit with those who carried the flag of self-righteous insurrection into the Capitol, the former governor said. We need public servants that serve something larger than their own power or their own party.

Hope springs eternal, but no one really expected Mr. McCarthy to rise to the occasion last week; that would have meant breaking with the friends who had gotten him this far. As colleagues faced death threats, Mr. McCarthy could bring himself only to exhort his caucus not to publicly chastise Republicans who supported impeachment because it might endanger their safety. After months of repeating Republican lies that sowed doubt about the legitimacy of the election, Mr. McCarthy acknowledged the obvious  that Joe Biden had won the fair election  but not before voting against certification of the outcome. And finally, after a week in which many major corporate donors threatened to withhold donations to Republicans who objected to certifying the election results, Mr. McCarthy admitted that the president bears responsibility for the attack on the Capitol  and then voted against his impeachment for that egregious act.

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Democratic victories in the Senate runoff elections in Georgia have reopened a pathway for federal aid to states and local governments. These elections produced a 50-50 tie in the upper chamber, which Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be able to break in favor of the Democrats.

This has increased the likelihood that Congress will pass legislation providing federal assistance, said Erlinda Doherty, director of the budgets and revenue committee for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

This bright prospect for the states comes against the backdrop of the impeachment of Donald Trump in the final days of his presidency. Democrats accuse Trump of inciting supporters who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the electoral victory of President-elect Joseph Biden. Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died.

Mounting Job Losses

Two days after this mob action, the Labor Department reported that employers cut 140,000 jobs in December, capping the worst year of U.S. job losses since World War II. In all, more than 9 million jobs were lost during 2020, including 1.4 million in state and local government.

This loss of government jobs reflected budgets that have been hollowed out by a precipitous decline in sales taxes and other revenues because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike the federal government, most states and cities are required to balance their budgets.

State general fund spending in fiscal 2020 is projected to decline $10.2 billion after nine consecutive years of budget growth, with greater declines expected in fiscal 2021, said Kathryn White of the National Association of State Budget Officers. This is the first state budget decline since the Great Recession of December 2007 to June 2009.

Weakening revenue projections resulting from the COVID-19 recession led states to reduce general fund spending by 1.1 percent compared to fiscal 2020 and by 5.5 percent compared to governors budgets proposed before the pandemic, NASBO said in its annual report on state finances.

The National League of Cities estimates the pandemic will cost municipalities $360 billion in lost revenue between 2020 and 2022. The National Association of Counties estimates a $202 billion budget impact during the same time period.

Because of the revenue gaps, these organizations joined with the NCSL and the National Governors Association in attempts to win congressional approval of up to $500 billion in federal aid to states, cities, counties and tribal governments.

The Democratic-controlled House in 2020 twice passed bills that included such aid, but the Republican-controlled Senate rejected them. Even after the state and local request for federal aid was whittled down to $160 billion in December, it remained anathema to Republican senators. Because of GOP opposition, state aid was dropped from the bipartisan $900 billion stimulus bill approved last month by Congress.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D), noting that his state had borrowed billions of dollars in anticipation of an expected $20 billion decrease in state revenue, called this decision unfathomable. His criticism was echoed by the governors of New York and Connecticut and the mayors of New Orleans, San Francisco and other cities.

While Limited, Current Aid Package Will Help

Though states did not get the direct budget aid they were seeking, Congress did not completely abandon them. The $900 billion stimulus bill includes $7 billion in grants to states for testing and tracing COVID-19 infections plus $3.42 billion for vaccine development and distribution.

The legislation also includes $1 billion for technology modernization and fraud prevention in state unemployment systems. The latter provision is of particular importance to California, where the state unemployment system has been riddled with massive fraud and incompetence.

States and cities will also benefit from billions included in the stimulus bill to help education funding, public transit, broadband and rental assistance. The Fitch Ratings service said these provisions will help stabilize state and local budgets even without direct aid to state and local governments.

However, the new bills ability to stem recent economic declines and related effects on tax revenues is not assured and depends upon increased business and consumer confidence, which is influenced by vaccination rates, the Fitch report said.

This month consumer confidence has been jolted by the slow pace of vaccinations amid a surge of the coronavirus and by the Labor Departments jobs report. This report pretty much ruled out the V-shape recovery Trump had predicted, wrote New York Times senior economics reporter Neil Irwin.

The leisure and hospitality sector, already reeling, was particularly hard hit, losing 498,000 jobs in December as governors responded to the surging pandemic with widespread shutdowns. As Irwin observed: Consider what that number represents: countless restaurants, hotels, and performance stages and arenas shuttered; and hundreds of thousands of people back on the jobless rolls and unsure when theyll be able to resume work.

These shutdowns further reduced sales tax revenues, which account for nearly a fourth of state income.

Biden Pitches Massive New Aid Package

Help could be on the way from the incoming administration. Biden responded to the Labor Department report by saying that there was a dire, dire need to act now. To that end, on Thursday he proposed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that would include $350 billion in aid to state, local and territorial governments. The package, which would need congressional approval, would also include $1,400 checks to many Americans as well as boosting unemployment benefits by $400 per week.

Biden has been making similar promises since he was elected, but his chances of keeping them improved notably when the Democrats won the Senate runoffs in Georgia. The outcome should enable Biden to win confirmation of his cabinet and other appointments. But on a day-to-day basis, a tied Senate is not the same as one in which a party has clear control, wrote Richard Cohen, chief author of the Almanac of American Politics. Cohen pointed out that vice presidents have other duties than presiding over the chamber, and Biden has said he will make extensive use of Harris.

The last time there was a tied Senate  a five-month period in 2001  Vice President Dick Cheney was called upon to break only two ties as moderate senators of both parties worked together to bridge differences.

If such cooperation occurs again in this more polarized era, a 50-50 Senate could be perfectly tailored for Biden, who served 36 years in the chamber and has promised a bipartisan approach, Cohen wrote in the Cook Political Report.

There are already tentative signs of such cooperation. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) played key roles in jump-starting the negotiations that led to the $900 billion stimulus bill last month. Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine said on 60 Minutes that he anticipates such cooperation in the coming Congress, mentioning himself, Collins and Manchin among senators who would try to find common ground.

Biden has promised increased federal spending on health and education programs and massive efforts to combat climate change and racial and social inequality. He has also pledged an economic development plan driven by federal investment.

What Would This Mean for States?

Bidens vision, if enacted, is likely to provide states with more funding but it would also bring additional federal oversight, according to Deloitte, a consultancy.

The Deloitte report said Biden has proposed that federal transportation block grants to states be made contingent on plans for inclusionary zoning and that other federal funding be linked to state and local progress toward various environmental goals.

States and cities will appreciate the federal funding more than the oversight that will accompany it. But with coffers laid bare by the pandemic and business lockdowns, they will welcome whatever federal funding they can get.

This article first appeared in the State Net Capitol Journal.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited all member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in recent months except Vietnam, South China Morning Post reported.

Observers believe that Wang skipping Vietnam is a result of "growing antagonism and tensions between the old Communist allies" over their South China Sea dispute, which have been compounded by the US factor and uncertainties over internal power politics in Hanoi.

Wang Yi wrapped up his latest trip to Southeast Asia on Saturday with an aim to stabilise relations in the region ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden as the US President.

While ASEAN overtook the European Union as China's top trading partner last year, Vietnam replaced Germany as China's sixth-largest trading partner.

However, according to Zhang Mingliang, a Southeast Asian affairs expert at Jinan University in Guangzhou, Vietnam was the first ASEAN nation to move to reject Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies and close its China border in the wake of the pandemic.

Unlike many ASEAN countries that have shown enthusiasm for Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccines, which have been the main feature of Wang's regional diplomacy, Vietnam has adopted a more diversified strategy in its negotiations of buying products from Britain, the US, Russia and China.

Apart from Vietnam's grievances over China's perceived bullying in the maritime dispute and the soaring anti-Chinese sentiments, the biggest variable in bilateral ties is the upcoming leadership transition in one of the world's most secretive political systems.

The 13th national congress of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party to be held later this month will decide the country's new leadership and how it will steer through the fast-changing regional geopolitics.

"The uncertainty of five-yearly leadership transition has thrown the already murky political situation in Vietnam into further doubt, posing unprecedented challenges to other countries in the region including China," Zhang said.

China and Vietnam have few top-level exchanges in recent month.

"I am not optimistic about bilateral ties because they will be shrouded in greater uncertainty amid policy debates over how Vietnam would position itself in the US-China rivalry. Vietnam's relations with China would largely be decided by its stance on the new US administration," Zhang said.

Xu Liping, a Southeast Asia specialist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, also linked the lack of high-level meetings to Vietnam's domestic uncertainties.

"There are indeed some gaps between our expectations for bilateral ties and reality. But I still think both sides are likely to resume some sort of communications at the top level after the leadership transition," he said.

The United States has also tried hard in recent months to deeper its relationship with Vietnam. US US national security adviser Robert O'Brien and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, made separate trips to Hanoi.

According to Xu, while it is understandable for Vietnam to count on the US and other regional powers, such as India and Japan, to counterbalance China in the South China Sea.

"Vietnam has become increasingly confident in recent years in forging closer ties with major powers around the world and its geopolitical significance has been widely acknowledged. But it may need to refrain from asking for too much from China in the maritime dispute because countries outside the region may not be able to contain China after all," he said.

(ANI)

Also Read: US led the world in exposing 'horrific' abuses in Xinjiang, says Pompeo
Brisbane, Jan 17 : Australia allowed Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur to settle in on the third day of the fourth Test against India, said fast bowler Josh Hazlewood.

Debutant Sundar and Thakur, who were brought in as replacements to injured regulars in India's bowling lineup, ended up scoring half-centuries and their 123-run partnership for the seventh wicket helped India reduce Australia's lead to just 33 runs.

India were 186 for 6 when Sundar was joined by Thakur in the middle and India were eventually all out for 336.

"There is a bit of frustration obviously, when you think (they are) six down and you are well on your way to knocking them over but as I said in this day and age, teams bat all the way down," Hazlewood told reporters after the day's play.

"Credit to them, we missed our mark a little bit I think in that little period, probably a touch fuller or touch shorter, a bit of width here and there. So we just let them off the hook a little bit there and probably didn't pressure the way we wanted to. We created a few little half chances. On any other day hopefully we take those. Credit to those two guys, they batted beautifully," he continued.

Australia batted six overs at the end of the day and scored 21 runs, mostly thanks to David Warner's quickfire 20 off 22 balls. With rain being the forecast for the next two days, Australia now have the tricky task of wrapping a win as soon as possible so as to avoid letting India retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

"If Davey bats a long time, things happen pretty quickly as we know. But I think it'll be pretty similar to maybe Sydney, (bat) three and a half sessions maybe four sessions. It all depends probably on the weather as well, a bit of rain forecast in the afternoon on both days. So that could come into calculations. But we'll just bat normal for the first two sessions tomorrow and see where we're at," said Hazlewood.
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Lawton, OK (73501)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill is a centrist Democrat from a swing district in the suburbs, a mild-mannered woman who is careful to treat Republicans with respect. Thats her nature, and its a political necessity in a district based in Morris County.

But Sherrill, D-11th, is breathing fire now, demanding an investigation into her belief that certain unnamed Republicans in Congress actively aided and abetted the thugs and white supremacists who overran the Capitol on Jan. 6.

She says she saw GOP members escorting pro-Trump fanatics around the Capitol the day before the attack, tours she now labels as reconnaissance missions for the next days violence. Those tours, she suspects, explain how the rioters knew where to find members of Congress they wanted to target.

She mentioned in particularly Rep. James Clyburn, an African-American from South Carolina who is the third-ranking Democrat. Clyburn has a private office that is unmarked, but the rioters managed to find it, and Sherill believes those tours may explain it.

The Capitol is like a rabbit warren, Sherrill says. Clyburn has this office, and to tell the truth I didnt know about it, I go to his official office. But he has that other office and the group that attacked the Capitol went straight to that office, which is hard to find.

Clyburn shares her suspicions. They knew where to go, he told MSNBC. The office with my name on the door was not touched. But the office where I do most of my work in, they were on that floor and outside that doorYes, somebody on the inside of those buildings were complicit in this.

Sherrill wont name the Republicans she suspects, saying that should wait for an investigation. But she says if her suspicions prove to be correct, that guilty members should be expelled from the House. Im going to see that they are held accountable, she said on Facebook Live. And if necessary, ensure that they dont serve in Congress.

Sherrill drafted a petition outlining her suspicions and demanding an investigation by Capitol Police and shes gathered more than 30 signatures so far. It asks for a review of visitor logs, video recordings, and any findings of facial recognition technology. It asks if any members of Congress are already under investigation for their roles in the insurrection.

Its not clear to me how Sherrill, or those who share her suspicions, could know that a Republican offering a tour was part of a conspiracy, or just an unwitting tour guide. Well find out more in coming weeks.

In the letter, Sherrill notes that several members who signed the petition served in the military and are trained to recognize suspicious activity. While restrictions imposed during the pandemic have shut down most tours, the letter notes, the Capitol was crowded on Jan. 5, the day before the attack, a noticeable and concerning departure from the procedures in place as of March 2020.

So, if the procedures were waived, were the Capitol Police complicit? More likely, Sherrill says, they were cowed by members who insisted on breaking the rules.

There are protocols and they put one out sayingthat visitors could come on official business only, she says. Yet it seems the Sergeant at Arms felt hesitant to challenge members.

Try to imagine working in Congress today, looking over your shoulder and wondering if a co-worker just tried to help these thugs kidnap or kill you.

Rep. Frank Pallone, D-6th, who signed Sherrills letter, noted that some GOP members did more than give tours. Some of the right-wingers who have been saying the election was stolen were encouraging people to storm the Capitol, either by speaking at the rally the president held that morning, organizing people to come to Washington, or taking them on tours the day before, presumably to stake out where they were going to come with their assault.

Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-8th, who also signed, is on a warpath. He wants to sanction, and perhaps expel, all Republicans who supported a Texas lawsuit challenging the election results, and those who refused to certify the electors on Jan. 6.

I cant be sure, but I suspect his face was painted in the battle colors Mel Gibson used in Braveheart when we spoke by phone.

This didnt just happen Wednesday, its been happening for four years, Pascrell said. Theres got to be a major accountability here. We cant just let it slide and let them do things that put the country in danger.

The downside is that expelling those Trump supporters, who constitute the majority of Republicans in the House, would probably spark a civil war. So, theres that.

Support for banning Trump from the 2024 presidential race is widespread among Democrats and is a punishment the Senate could impose if it votes to convict Trump on the House impeachment -- a long shot, but a possibility.

I dont think hes fit to be president or ever be allowed to run again, says Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-7th. And I say that as an elected Democrat from a swing district who from a purely partisan point of view would probably benefit from Trump leading the Republican ticket in 2024.

Biden will swear his oath this week, then move fast to push a $1.9 trillion recovery plan. But these last ugly chapters of the Trump presidency demand accountability, if only to put down a marker for the future. And that goes beyond the impeachment trial to include this investigation of members of Congress who may have helped with this insurrection.

Many Republicans are calling for unity now that Democrats will be running the show. Please.

I asked Malinowski what he thought about moving on, and he answered with some classic sarcasm: Yes, weve got to come together, he said. Im not going to condemn someone who just attempted to kidnap and kill me. It would only foster division.

Princeton Prof. Julian Zelizer says that Democrats have no choice but to juggle their two big tasks. You have to punish people who are violent and show there is no tolerance for it, he says. I think stability is achieved by showing this is just not part of democratic politics.

That, it seems, is now part of Sherrills mission.

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
COVID protector turns marine killer By Nadia Fazlulhaq View(s): View(s):

While saving human lives from COVID-19, single-use surgical masks are invading our beaches and threatening the countrys marine population due to reckless disposal of the masks, experts fear.

Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) Director-General P. B. Terney Pradeep Kumara said discarded masks have been seen in numbers along the western and southern coastal belts, especially in areas such as Wellawatte and Crow Island, where rivers and canals meet the sea.

We are discussing methodology to conduct research on masks washing onto the shore and will be seeking help from district coastal offices for the research, Dr. Pradeep Kumara said.

Discussions will be held with health and environmental authorities on action to be taken. The face masks that lie along the beaches are not from deep-sea disposal but ones thrown onto the beach locally or washed up there from canals. The public needs to be instructed on the proper disposal of used masks, he said.

Local research showed an adult uses about three to four masks a week.

This means millions of masks are disposed of on a daily basis, the MEPA chief said.

The pandemic has led us to heavily depend on single-use plastic. Unless they are properly disposed of, these masks will end mainly in garbage dumps or in canals, he added.

People who are healthy or asymptomatic should not assume that these masks are harmless to health but actually consider them as clinical waste. Most masks contain microplastics so they need to be discarded in a separate bag with plastics, Dr. Pradeep Kumara said.

Adverse effects on marine life from personal protective equipment (PPE) debris are being studied around the world, said Dr. H.B. Jayasiri, a senior lecturer and the Head of the Department of Coastal and Marine Resources Management at Sri Lankas Ocean University.

Careless disposal of such items not only causes a threat to marine life, from corals to fish, but is also harmful to humans as microplastics can enter the human body via consumption of fish, he said.

Dr. Jayasiri said people must be made aware of the need for safe mask disposal. He urged consideration of reusable masks that can be disinfected.

Our southern breaches are rich in biodiversity. These discarded face masks, disinfectant wipes and even disposable gloves can have a major impact on our coral reefs, he said.

The western coast is already threatened by discarded packaging material, fish buoys, styrofoam boxes and other litter. The government should address the face mask debris threat without delay, Dr. Jayasiri said.

In an attempt to regularise hand sanitisers flooding the market, earlier this month, the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) issued an extraordinary gazette prohibiting the importing, manufacturing, storing, and distribution or displaying for sale of any hand sanitiser unless it is registered with the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA).

Bottles of hand sanitisers are widely used by individuals and institutions and they range from pocket sized to larger bottles and disposal of these bottles will be a health and environmental concern if not done properly, Dr. Jasinghe said.
The late US Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last September, has been hailed as a "feminist rock star" (Forbes), "feminist icon" (New York Times) or "trailblazer" (NBC). Her face adorns cups and T-shirts. Lamenting her death, the feminist website Jezebel.com offered a simple four letter word of horror.

So it's fascinating to learn that when her nomination was proposed in 1993, feminists were split. This was because of Ginsburg's determination to hold a centrist position, and her nuanced interpretation of Roe v. Wade. Although she viewed the ruling as "the single most important litigation advance of the decade," she felt the right to abortion would have been less vulnerable to challenge, had it been grounded in an argument for equality, "The idea of the woman in control of her destiny and her place in society."

Instead, the lawyers in Roe had argued-successfully-that the choice of whether to have an abortion was a woman's private decision, in which the state had no role. Ginsburg also worried about its sweeping, "breath-taking" nature, which she felt stepped into the political realm and made it likely to spark a backlash. As a result of her critique of the foundational ruling, the reaction of women's groups to her nomination was lukewarm. "The women are against her," Bill Clinton reportedly said.

Jane Sherron De Hart, an emeritus professor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, unpacks these tensions with a rigorous pen. She interviewed Ginsburg extensively over the 15 years she spent working on this biography.

The result is an accomplished account of Ginsburg's life that also probes the fissures of feminism as it developed over the past 70 years, and sets both against a sweep of American history.

As an advocate for women's rights, Ginsburg was strategic, aiming to nudge advances along. One of her early cases as director of the Women's Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), was representing a man who did not receive survivors' benefits when his wife died in childbirth, meaning that he could not stay home with the baby but had to work. The goal of such cases was always to undermine the stereotype of men as protectors, with women maintaining the home.

Ginsburg was born in 1933 in Brooklyn at a time when women stayed home. Her mother died just before she went to college, and her father, distraught and hapless without his wife's support, let his business fail. A scholarship to Cornell allowed the young Ginsburg to give her dad the money her mother had saved for her college years. After graduation, she married fellow student Marty, who would be the love of her life. Because Harvard Business School did not yet accept women, the couple both attended Harvard Law.

De Hart's account bears many reminders of the struggles the young lawyer faced. Cornell accepted one woman for every four men. Later, at Harvard, the law school dean, Erwin Griswold, would invite the women (nine of them in Ginsburg's year out of a class of 552) to his home for dinner, where he would charmingly ask: "Why are you at Harvard Law School, taking a place that could have gone to a man?" Pandering to him, one of the high-achieving women replied that she hoped to find a husband.

Despite tying for first place in her final year, Ginsburg found job-hunting after law school a challenge. Law firm after law firm said she was too demure, too shy, that clients might feel uneasy or that she would feel awkward in a masculine environment. But the truth was that barely five feet tall and weighing 100lbs, Ginsburg had to be feisty. She became a mother while still a student, and acquired a lifelong habit of working far into the night, waking up early. When her son's school principal called her frequently with problems, Ginsburg finally said, "This child has two parents. Please alternate calls." Hesitant about interrupting Ginsburg's husband, the principal quickly reduced her requests.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life is a work of history as well as biography. Though comprehensive it is also rather dense and will appeal to those keen to know the ins-and-outs of US politics. Ginsburg adjudicated on the central cases of recent decades, such as Citizens United, which she opposed, and which removed restrictions on campaign financing. She deplored the outcome of Bush v. Gore in 2004, when the Supreme Court found in Bush's favour with a majority of 5: 4 and stated that a recount was not necessary.While Bush won by 537 votes, De Hart observes that it would later emerge that 1,200 votes from African-American communities had been eliminated.

Should the Supreme Court Justice have resigned during Obama's tenure, as the President apparently hinted over a lunch in 2013, allowing Obama to appoint her successor? Many fans and critics think so. De Hart offers as explanation the fact that a Trump presidency was simply never envisioned.

This biography charts the trajectory of recent American political history with its oscillations from right to left, and offers a humane and definitive portrait of Ginsburg's life and times, full of context and colour. De Hart adds welcome texture to our knowledge of a brilliant and impressive woman, who, for all her popularity on Twitter, was much more than a social media meme.
Sardinia will also receive a smaller amount of vaccines next week than announced.

This was announced by the office of the extraordinary Commissioner for the emergency, Domenico Arcuri, according to which there are only six Regions (i.e. Abruzzo, Basilicata, Marche, Molise, Umbria and Valle d'Aosta) that will not suffer cuts after the Pfizer decision to reduce the amount of vaccines sent from Belgium across Europe .

The most penalized regions will be Emilia Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto with about 25 thousand doses, then Lazio with 12 thousand and Puglia with 11,700.

Throughout Italy, 165 thousand fewer doses will arrive next week. Pfizer's decision was "unilateral", Arcuri's criticism, and "unilaterally redistributed the doses to be delivered to the 293 administration points throughout Italy". Consequently, "and in a completely arbitrary way, considering that it had already been communicated by the extraordinary Commissioner to the regions that from Monday 18 January a vial would contain 6 doses of vaccine, as per recent indications from EMA and AIFA, in the next week to compared to the expected 562,770 doses, 397,800 doses will be delivered ".

Furthermore, "the arbitrary distribution decided by the company, not shared or communicated to the offices of the Commissioner, will produce an asymmetry between the individual regions, with a different reduction in deliveries and with six regions that will not suffer any reduction".

(Unioneonline / D)
Community conscious Portarlinton firm Polar Ice has stumped up for local and national causes recently.

The Laois Offaly dry ice producer has raised more funds for a popular local amenity in the town.

"As part of our corporate social responsibility, Polar Ice made a commitment to donate 15,000 to the upgrading of the Derryounce Lakes and Trails; a beautiful amenity right on our doorstep in Portarlington, and one that so many people have come to treasure this past year.

"To date, we have given 10,000 and we would like to acknowledge the remarkable team of volunteers who have worked so hard to maintain and protect this magical place. The recent vandalism was very disappointing to see, but the actions of a thoughtless few will not overshadow all the tremendous good we've seen," said the company in a Facebook post.

Meanwhile, due to COVID, the firm had to forego a Christmas Party this year. Instead, they decided to help a charity chosen by one of its employees.

"So we thought wed offer up our last supper together and instead make a donation to a registered charity. Each member of the Polar Ice team nominated a charity, and we put all the names into a hat and picked one. Were delighted to announce that well be donating our Christmas Party fund to Feileacain (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Association of Ireland)

- a wonderful charity that supports bereaved parents and their families," said Polar Ice.

You can learn more about their good work here: https://feileacain.ie/
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
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Britain will host a G7 summit in June, the government said Friday, announcing what will be the first face-to-face meeting of the group since the start of Joe Biden's US presidency.

Outgoing US President Donald Trump was forced to cancel last year's meeting of the G7 -- the world's most advanced economies -- due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Individual leaders have yet to confirm their attendance, but the summit is scheduled to take place on June 11-13 in Carbis Bay, a coastal town in Cornwall, southwest England.

The global response to Covid-19 and climate change are expected to rank high on the agenda at the group's first in-person meeting in nearly two years.

"As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.

"Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations," he added, saying it was "only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future".

Leaders and ministers from the seven nations -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States -- have met virtually in recent months.

Johnson's office said he would use the summit to promote a green recovery from the pandemic, encouraging G7 members to unite to "make the future fairer, greener and more prosperous".

Britain, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7 in 2021, has invited leaders from Australia, India and South Korea to attend as guest countries.

Britain also takes over the presidency of the UN Security Council in February, and Johnson has signalled he is seeking to boost the UK's international presence as it embarks on a new path post-Brexit.

Britain definitively ended its 40-year membership of the European Union in December.





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Lisbon, Jan 17 : Portuguese Minister of State for Finance Joao Leao has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, his Ministry announced in a statement.

The Minister "is in isolation at home, has so far not shown any symptoms and is working", Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying on Saturday.

On Saturday, Portugal recorded 166 new coronavirus deaths and 10,947 fresh cases, two new daily records, according to the Directorate-General for Health (DGS).

The DGS epidemiological bulletin also indicates that 4,653 people are hospitalized, 93 more than on Friday.

A total of 638 patients are in intensive care, 16 more than on Friday.

Both figures are also new highs.

Since the pandemic broke out in the country in March 2020, Portugal has registered 8,709 deaths and 539,416 infections, with 128,165 cases now active.

Portugal entered a new two-week nationwide lockdown since Friday in a bid to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus.
It was the day after the Brexit referendum in June 2016 and the result had been announced hours earlier. DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson went on RTE Radio News at One presented that day by Richard Crowley. The first question posed to Donaldson was "How will Brexit be of benefit to the Northern Ireland economy?"

Donaldson responded that whatever happened, unlike in the Republic of Ireland, there wouldn't be a second referendum. It was a deflective scattergun approach. Specific answers to the actual question were thin on the ground, although there was a mention I recall of cattle exports to Egypt.

Four-and-a-half years on, Donaldson reckons the current supermarket supply chain mess in the North caused by Brexit may be breaching the Good Friday Agreement on the basis that it damages the Northern Ireland economy.

His DUP colleague, agriculture minister Edwin Poots warned of a risk of food shortages for hospitals and schools in Northern Ireland as supply chains continue to be disrupted.

Whatever about the exaggerated element of that statement, there is no doubt that Brexit is not good for the Northern Ireland economy and was never going to be.

This was not the Brexit the DUP wanted, but it looks a lot worse for the North's economy than the Brexit offered by Theresa May's 'backstop' which was torpedoed by the unionist party. And it is much worse economically than the pre-Brexit status quo.

When the Irish Government pushed hard to retain an open Border, there were dismissive voices in Belfast and in London that technology and "trusted trader" schemes could ensure everything worked smoothly.

Surely it is not "beyond the wit of man" to find a way of dealing with customs and paperwork issues that would arise on north/south trade, was how Boris Johnson put it.

The experience of the opening weeks of Brexit show what total rubbish those arguments were and give us some semblance of how chaotic the Border on the island of Ireland would have become if the protocol had not taken its current form.

The Republic would have been a wide open back door from the UK into the EU market unless our government manned every boreen and laneway to seal the Border. This would of course have brought about its own social, political and economic difficulties.

The EU/UK trade deal and the Northern Ireland protocol bring about some limited longer term opportunities for foreign direct investment north of the Border but even those have been overshadowed by the fact that there are no tariffs on goods exported from the EU to Great Britain.

Teething problems is how many businesses are describing the supply chain disruption caused by Brexit, but EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier suggested many of the new regulatory frictions hampering cross-Channel trade will be impossible to smooth over.

Disruptions like this will provide some opportunities for certain businesses which may seek to plug gaps in the supply chain elsewhere but, overall, it is bad for almost everyone.

Some things have "changed for good" as a result of the UK's policy choices, according to Barnier. Undoubtedly we should see limited improvements in the months ahead as issues are ironed out when it comes to supplies on supermarket shelves but not everything will be able to move freely.

If anything the short-term prognosis is not good as derogations on some checks and goods coming into Northern Ireland from Britain will run out at the end of March.

Barnier highlighted during the week how movement away from EU standards by the British government may trigger tariffs, under the trade deal.

Last week the British government granted temporary authorisation for the use of a pesticide banned in the EU. The move was highlighted by Mr Barnier, although it is not seen as part of a wider regulatory shift - yet.

It may be just the beginning, because drifting away from EU standards is one way of ensuring the British gain some economic benefit from Brexit.

Despite all of this uncertainty and logistical upheaval, there is one thing for which we can be truly grateful. Imagine how the first few months of 2021 would have gone if there had been no trade deal.

Imagine the chaos and cost caused by tariff collection on top of all the new customs, Vat and country-of-origin rule issues that are now starting to bite.

Any ideas on how to plug the 2bn Corporation Tax gap?

Paschal Donohoe has given plenty of warnings about the potential cost of a new international corporate tax regime that is coming. The EU wants to forge ahead with its own rule changes but Ireland's position has been to wait for a wider global consensus on collecting more taxes from corporations, in line with OECD recommendations.

Donohoe published the latest roadmap on the future of the corporate tax regime during the week and the warnings continued. Changes could cost us between 800m and 2bn per year. He also warned that Joe Biden's new American administration is likely to be more "energised" about pursuing corporate tax reform.

This is actually all good stuff. Morally, corporations should be paying more and Ireland can still have a strong investment offering under such a change.

But that doesn't solve the problem of how to plug a 2bn per year hole in the exchequer finances. Last year Corporation Tax accounted for one in every five euro raised in tax by the State.

Speaking on RTE Radio One last Thursday, Donohoe said government spending had not become overly reliant on higher corporate tax receipts of recent years. He said when it came to day-to-day spending, it went mainly on health and "who could argue with that".

It also funded infrastructure such as new schools, etc. He trumpeted that it hadn't been used to narrow the tax base through income tax cuts.

After Covid we are likely to need to spend even greater sums on the health service, given how the crisis has exposed weaknesses in the system. Not spending an extra few million per year on additional ICU capacity, has ended up costing us billions in the lockdown measures required to protect the health service from being overrun.

So, if there are lower Corporation Tax receipts flowing in, combined with a need for higher health spending, there is a gap to plug.

Donohoe is going to great lengths to avoid a narrative that repeats the Fianna Fail boom era mistakes of using tax revenues from the property boom to fund day-to-day spending. That one ended in tears.

He is correct to suggest that the dependency on corporate tax receipts has not matched the exchequer structural problems of the early noughties. However, there has to be a reckoning coming on how a possible 2bn per year gap is plugged.

If indeed it ends up being around that figure. Former Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan told me last year he believed our corporate tax receipts could fall off a cliff one day. Between 2015 and 2019 the State received 18bn more in corporate tax receipts than it would have expected, based on a previous average take of around 5bn per year.

Where has it all gone? Not on extra ICU beds - that is for sure.


Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
Census Bureau: Citizenship Data Wont Be Released Until After Trump Leaves Office

Data on the citizenship status of U.S. census respondents wont be finalized or released until after President Donald Trump leaves office, putting his push to exclude illegal immigrants from apportionment in jeopardy, the Census Bureau says.

Trump in 2019 ordered executive agencies to share with the bureau information about U.S. citizens and noncitizens, after an attempt to add a citizenship question back to the census was stymied by litigation.

In a separate order last year, the president ordered the government to exclude illegal aliens from the calculations used to apportion congressional seats.

But the Census Bureau failed to meet its statutory deadline for submitting the apportionment data, and on Jan. 16 said it wouldnt have the information on citizenship ready before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20.

Reports, estimates, or data relating to Trumps two executive orders will not be finalized, reported or publicly disclosed prior to the change of Administration on January 20, 2021, the bureau stated.

It also said that neither the Census Bureau nor the Department of Commerce will report or publicly disclose any population counts or estimates relating to the population as of April 1, 2020, including counts or estimates of the illegal alien/undocumented immigrant population, prior to the change of Administration.

Biden opposes most of Trumps immigration agenda, including the effort to exclude illegal immigrants from apportionment. That means the data may never see the light of day.

The U.S. Census logo appears on census materials received in the mail with an invitation to fill out census information online in San Anselmo, Calif., on March 19, 2020. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The bureau attributed the delay in reporting the data to a Jan. 15 court order in a lawsuit brought by the National Urban League. The order stipulated a 21-day stay. But Department of Justice attorneys told the court in a filing in the case before the order that the bureau wouldnt be in a position to finalize the apportionment data or citizenship information until many weeks after January 20.

To the extent such population counts or estimates are developed after the change of Administration but prior to the end of the stay, Defendants would provide Plaintiffs with 7 days detailed notice prior to reporting or publicly disclosing them, the bureau said.

The White House hasnt immediately responded to requests for comment.

Trumps attempt to gather information on citizenship and exclude illegal immigrants from apportionment data was widely opposed by Democrats, who feared losing seats in the House of Representatives and, subsequently, Electoral College votes, if aliens werent counted. A flurry of litigation tried to prevent the gathering and exclusion from happening, but the Supreme Court ruled last month that what the Trump administration was doing was legal.

Since then, the bureau announced that it wouldnt meet the Dec. 31, 2020, statutory deadline for handing in numbers used to apportion congressional seatsit couldnt give a date by which the numbers would be readyand the Census Bureau director ordered workers to stop complying with Trumps citizenship mandate.
Li is a delegate to the national Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body to Beijing, and speaks hardly any Cantonese, Hong Kong's local language. Another co-founder, Chen Jianwen, is a delegate to a regional arm of the advisory body and leads an association for alumni of a training academy for Communist Party officials. Loading Central planks of the party's platform include combating discrimination against mainland transplants to Hong Kong and fostering a love of Chinese language and culture. Li said he wants to encourage more Hong Kong students to study at mainland universities and undergo "patriotic education," an echo of Xi's own calls for young Hong Kongers to "increase their sense of belonging to the motherland." Even the way Li established the party nodded to the central government. He officially founded it aboard a cruise ship in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor, a reference to Mao Zedong's founding of the Chinese Communist Party aboard a boat in eastern China, according to party lore. Perceived allegiance to Beijing could be the most important factor for securing the central authorities' blessing in the coming years, said Willy Lam, a professor of Chinese politics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

If more people with mainland backgrounds participated in Hong Kong politics, Beijing could "rest assured" that the city would be led by those who "would presumably be more loyal to the motherland," he added. The Bauhinia Party's founders deny that they are puppets of Beijing or that they seek to supplant existing parties. Li said the party is focused on the selection of the city's chief executive, not on winning legislative seats. The chief executive is chosen by a committee of just 1200 electors, many with close ties to Beijing. While Li said he was not planning to run in next year's chief executive race, he hinted repeatedly that he was interested in the job someday. "If the community requires me to devote myself for such a job or responsibility, I'm willing to sacrifice myself," he said in an interview in Beijing last month.

Li said he did not tell the central or Hong Kong authorities that he was starting a party until after he had done so. Then he notified Hong Kong's chief executive, Carrie Lam, and the Central Liaison Office, Beijing's official arm in Hong Kong. Loading He bristled at suggestions that he was an outsider. "I have been a permanent resident for 20 years," said Li, a financier who moved to Hong Kong in 1993 after completing a doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The co-founders say they want to reach opponents of the government as well as supporters. In its stated principles, the party professes a commitment to universal suffrage  a central demand of the pro-democracy camp  and a promise to make Hong Kong "one of the world's most free, democratic and open" cities. Li said he wants to preserve the structure of "one country, two systems," for an additional 50 years.

But the pro-democracy camp has dismissed those overtures as lip service. An editorial in Apple Daily, a fervently pro-democracy newspaper, called the party a "Trojan horse" that would allow the Communist Party to operate openly in Hong Kong. Lo Kin-hei, chairman of the Democratic Party, wrote on Twitter that it was the "Hong Kong branch" of the Communist Party. The pro-Beijing camp has been equally hostile. Many have sneered at the Bauhinia Party's stated goal of attracting 250,000 members, about five times more than the largest pro-Beijing party in Hong Kong has. Li said on Friday that the party had fewer than 100 members so far. "It is easy to start a party, but it is not that easy to establish your party as a viable political force," said Jasper Tsang, founder of that largest party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. Tsang dismissed the idea that the Bauhinia Party had Beijing's backing or that Li could become chief executive. He pointed out that Hong Kong's two major state-backed newspapers had paid little attention to the new party, which he said suggested a lack of official support. Regina Ip, the founder of another pro-Beijing party, said Li had approached her about possible collaboration and that she was "not in any way interested."

"I don't think he begins to understand how complex the job is," she said of Li's hints about running for chief executive. "If you have some financial credentials, it doesn't mean you are qualified." Li acknowledged that he was not fluent in Hong Kong politics, despite his long residence in the city. He said he had never voted until late 2019. Asked about his position on a contentious proposal to allow Hong Kong residents living in mainland China to vote in the city's elections, he said he had not heard of the issue. Some have been more amenable to the Bauhinia Party. Christine Loh, a former pro-democracy lawmaker who also worked in the administration of a pro-Beijing chief executive, said she did not know much about the new party. But she said that Hong Kongers should be more open to political figures more aligned with the mainland system. "It isn't that it's going to be extended to Hong Kong, but it's not totally unconnected," she said of the mainland system. It is possible, she said, that people with ties to it might be able to help Hong Kong.

New Delhi:

'Metro Man' E Sreedharan has denied reports of being the NDA candidate for the post of next president of India. Former Delhi Metro chief on Friday flatly refused any such development and insisted that he doesnt harbour any such intention. No reality in it, no discussions take place; dont long for it, Sreedharan was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.



The BJP-led Central government has been engaged in war-like brainstorming to garner consensus for their candidate, which still remains unclear.



Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Venkaiah Naidu held closed door meetings with senior party leaders and possible nominees LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi at their residences on Friday evening.

Read | Presidential Election 2017: Shiv Sena proposes MS Swaminathan as alternative to Mohan Bhagwat



Earlier in the day, the BJP leaders had a meeting with Opposition parties, which Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad termed fruitless as they didn't come up with names, rather with a hope that parties will offer their support when time comes.



"BJP leaders did not mention any name, instead tried asking us the same," Azad told media after meeting.



In the midst of the negotiations, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had a lunch meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee. Although the purpose of the meeting was not made public, but the timing of the meeting has raised question on possible RSS face for the post of Mukherjee's successor. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat himself has denied any interest, depite repeated suggestions by Shiv Sena.

Read | Presidential poll: Digvijaya Singh cautions opposition parties against a Modi vs all situation

Update: NDA's candidate for Presidential elections to be decided by June 20, before which there will a meeting: Sources

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu met Mulayam Singh Yadav over Presidential elections in Delhi pic.twitter.com/0poFkuXVH9  ANI (@ANI_news) June 16, 2017

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu also met senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra over Presidential elections in Delhi pic.twitter.com/uB2n9AkUhg  ANI (@ANI_news) June 16, 2017

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
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UK Prime Minister has invited his Indian counterpart for the as he confirmed details on Sunday for the high-level meeting to be presided over by Britain in the coastal region of Cornwall between June 11 and 13.

Johnson had extended an invitation to Modi during a phone call last year when India was chosen alongside South Korea and Australia as guest countries of the multilateral summit. The invitation was made formal on Sunday.

Johnson also reiterated his plan to visit India ahead of the G7 summit, after a scheduled visit for Republic Day this month was called off due to the coronavirus crisis.

The Group of Seven or G7 which is made up of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US is dubbed as an open forum where the world's most influential and open societies are brought together for close-knit discussions, with the pandemic likely to dominate this year's talks.

As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive action to tackle the greatest challenges we face. From cancelling developing world debt to our universal condemnation of Russia's annexation of Crimea, the world has looked to the G7 to apply our shared values and diplomatic might to create a more open and prosperous planet, Johnson said.

Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced. It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future, he said.

The UK Foreign Office notes that as pharmacy of the world, India already supplies more than 50 per cent of the world's vaccines, and the UK and India have worked closely together throughout the pandemic.

The UK was the first P5 member to support a permanent UNSC (United Nations Security Council) seat for India and the first G7 member to invite India to a in 2005. As current BRICS President and G20 President in 2023, India will play a key role driving in multilateral cooperation helping to build back better around the world, reads the official UK government communique.

According to the Foreign Office, the invitation to India, Australia and South Korea is a testament to the UK's commitment to ensuring multilateral institutions better reflect today's world.

Johnson's ambition has been laid out as wanting to use the G7 to intensify cooperation between the world's democratic and technologically advanced nations. Between them the 10 leaders represent over 60 per cent of the people living in democracies around the world.

Dubbed as the first in-person in almost two years, the agenda set out by the UK is to seize the opportunity to build back better from coronavirus, uniting to make the future fairer, greener and more prosperous.

Ahead of the gathering of Prime Ministers and Presidents, the UK is also set to host a number of meetings throughout the year between government ministers from the G7, both virtually and in different locations across the UK.

These ministerial summits will cover economic, environmental, health, trade, technology, development and foreign policy issues.

Cornwall as the location for the summit has been chosen to focus the eyes of the world on the "beautiful, historic and innovative" region. The leaders' meeting itself will be held in the coastal town of Carbis Bay, supported by neighbouring St. Ives and other towns across the region.

In addition to the G7 Summit this year, during February, the UK will assume the Presidency of the UN Security Council, and later this year the UK will host COP26 climate summit in Glasgow and a global education conference aimed at getting children in the developing world into school.

(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.)
New Delhi, Jan 17 : AV1's adoption may accelerate in 2021 as Google is reportedly mandating that all the new Android TV products must support the AV1 video decoding.

Google's Android TV devices launching after March 31, 2021 will support AV1 video decoding. This requirement is said to apply to all new TV products launching with Android 10 or Android 11 later this year, reports XDADevelopers.

AV1 is a video codec rated to enhance file compression compared to its current alternatives.

Google has already started using AV1 on YouTube, Chrome, and Duo on compatible devices and plans to expand those efforts to Google Photos, Play Movies/Google TV, Meet, and even Stadia over time.

AV1 is gaining popularity for online streaming and media consumption, only a handful of streaming services to date encode some of their content in AV1.

It is a fast-emerging codec rated to boost compression efficiency by 20 per cent and 50 per cent compared to its better-known couterparts VP9 and H.264 respectively. Therefore, it might allow playback at higher resolutions and smaller file-sizes.

YouTube streams some videos encoded in AV1 on select Android TV devices and Netflix streams select titles in AV1 if the service's data saving mode is turned on.

According to Android TV Guide, it has also recently mandated that AV1 decoding be available on all Android 10 TV devices to come - so long as it has the chipset to support.

Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Hourigan, Kluger & Quinn PC





The National Board of Trial Advocacy announced attorney Joseph A. Quinn Jr. has successfully achieved recertification as a board-certified civil practice advocate. The NBTA was formed out of a strong conviction that both the law profession and its clients would benefit from an organization designed specifically to create an objective set of standards illustrating an attorneys experience and expertise in the practice of trial law.

Board certification is the highest, most stringent and most reliable honor an attorney can achieve.

Quinn has set an exemplary standard for trial lawyers throughout Pennsylvania for more than five decades.

Lackawanna College

Stephanie Decker was named associate vice president of social and economic impact and a member of the presidents Cabinet. Decker previously served as the executive director of social and economic impact and as the program director for the Kiesendahl School of Hospitality. Under her leadership, her colleagues opened the student-run restaurant, 409 on Adams, which distinguished Lackawannas School of Hospitality as a school of choice for students to advance their careers in the hospitality industry.

Decker has served in a leadership role on specialized teams dedicated to driving the formation of new and innovative programs at the college.

McGrail Merkel Quinn & Associates PC

Emily Clifford, CPA, has been promoted to manager. Clifford joined the company in January 2014 and has extensive accounting, audit and tax experience in not-for-profit organizations and family-owned businesses in various industries. As manager, Emily will be training and supervising staff while leading client engagements. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and a Masters in Business Administration from Wilkes University. Clifford is a member of the AICPA and the PICPA.

Anthony J. Gangemi has been promoted to senior associate. He has been a member of the team for more than three years. As a senior associate, Gangemi will provide accounting, audit and tax services for nonprofit organizations, employee benefit plans and small-business clients. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and a Masters in Business Administration, accounting from Misericordia University. He is currently working toward the completion of his CPA license requirements.

Munley Law

Marion Munley has been named to the Board of Regents for the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys.

The ATAA is a leading nonprofit trucking safety advocate organization that counts more than 600 attorney and legal professional members across the United States.

Munley has represented victims of commercial truck and tractor-trailer crashes for more than 30 years. She is triple board certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in civil trial, civil practice and truck law. She has earned an AV-Preeminent designation from Martindale-Hubbell, the industrys highest ethical and client satisfaction rating.

Riggs Asset Management

Former U.S. Air Force demonstration pilot and successful entrepreneur John Slick Baum joined the boutique investment firm in Wilkes-Barre this month. He brings a rich business history and strategic expertise to the team.

Baum, a resident of Shavertown, retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel. He co-founded and served as vice president for private contract air support company Draken International in Lakeland, Florida. Blackstone Tactical Opportunities invested in Draken as a strategic partner. After growing the company as a leader in the sector, Baum founded the Baum Group in Wilkes-Barre.

Step By Step Inc.

Lesley Corey, who brings with her a 29-year career in behavioral health care and developmental disabilities, became the executive vice president/chief operating officer effective Jan. 4.

She recently served as vice president of operations for a nationwide provider and was responsible for the oversight of six different states and a multitude of treatment programs, including substance abuse, applied behavioral analysis, outpatient therapy, case management, home health services and treatment foster care.

Corey is also an adjunct professor, teaching courses in the disciplines of psychology, education, sociology, human services and behavioral health.
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I love the sea. I love rivers. The point at which the two come together, an estuary, leaves me inexplicably excited. Between the ebbs and flows of the tides, estuaries hold secrets  some a bit murky, but all the more fascinating for it  and some of Britains most potent history.

The Wash, the huge bucket-shaped stretch of water that lies between Lincolnshire and Norfolk, is Britains biggest estuary and has a fearsome power. Tides can come in at frightening speeds and its beaches can be hauntingly bleak, but its also wonderfully rich in terms of nature, with its salt marshes providing a winter home to waders and a breeding ground for grey seals.

Legend has it that in 1216, Bad King John and his army were trying to cross the Wash when their wagons, including one with a priceless treasure casket, sank into the mudflats. It has never been found.

Defence of the realm: Kingswear Castle, above, on the Dart estuary looked out for enemy ships in the 1500s

But all estuaries arent equal. Head to the West Country and its estuaries are some of Britains most verdant and gently beautiful.

The Camel between Padstow and Rock in Cornwall brings together coast paths and relaxed sailing charm but, above all, glorious beaches such as Tregirls on the western side.

Smugglers loved estuaries as much as I do, although the attraction for them was more nefarious  using them to head inland in the dead of night with barrels of rum, brandy, tea and tobacco. The most famous is Frenchmans Creek. Part of Cornwalls Helford River, the creek still has the same magic that Daphne du Maurier evoked in her novel that carries its name.

The ferry between Teignmouth and Shaldon on the River Teign dates from the 13th Century and claims to be the UK's oldest

The Landmark Trust has a cottage here, sleeping four, that can be reached only by foot or boat. Four-night breaks cost from 304 (landmarktrust.org.uk).

Crime writers have found a rich source of inspiration in these magical corners of not-quite coastline. Agatha Christies former home, Greenway, lies inland from Dartmouth on its own little peninsula on the River Dart. Now part of the National Trust, theres a cottage in the grounds that sleeps up to eight. Three-night breaks from 806 (nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays/greenway-apartment-devon).

Also in Devon, the Exe estuary extends from Exeter to the open sea at Dawlish Warren. A stunning walk of about six miles, theres foreshore, low-lying land, salt marshes, mudflats and a rare and unusual double spit across the mouth of the estuary at low tide.

On the Exe, Lympstone Manor wins the poshest estuary experience award since, at the moment, the estate is harvesting its first vintage from its vineyards. B&B from 416 a night (lympstonemanor.co.uk).

For sheer romance, a stay at nearby Kingswear Castle probably wins out. Owned by the Landmark Trust, this two-bedroom bit of crenulation, built in 1502 to prevent incursions by enemy ships, looks out over the Dart estuary while steps take you to the rocks and sea below. Three nights costs from 1,355.

These days, smugglers boats have been replaced by tiny, often highly idiosyncratic ferries, taking locals and visitors from one side of an estuary to the other. Theyre a boon to walkers on coastal paths, but also a reminder of the past.

Between the ebbs and flows of the tides, estuaries hold secrets  some a bit murky, but all the more fascinating for it  and some of Britains most potent history

The one between Teignmouth and Shaldon on the River Teign in Devon dates from the 13th Century and claims to be the oldest in the UK (teignmouthshaldonferry.co.uk). In Suffolk, the ferry between Walberswick and Southwold (walberswickferry.com) across the River Blyth has been operated by the Church family for five generations  and is still a rowing boat.

In East Anglia, estuaries feel moodier and marshier but are just as magnificent. Many incorporate nature reserves, including the RSPB Stour estuary in Essex and Trimley Marshes in Suffolk, where there are wintering wigeons and waders. In Norfolk, booking into the Blakeney Hotel on the quayside gives you a panoramic view from the harbour all the way to marshland and the beaches. B&B costs from 131 a night (blakeney-hotel.co.uk).

A Dickensian experience but with added design nous is available at Elmley Reserve on Kents Isle of Sheppey, where the Thames widens out into the Channel. An hour from London, its both an off-grid family farm and a nature reserve, surrounded by salt marshes that are home to lapwings, barn owls, hares and harriers. Here you can retreat to beautifully restored Elmley Cottage or Kingshill Farmhouse. B&B is from 180 a night (elmleynaturereserve.co.uk).

Where the ferryman used to watch over the Elmley crossing now sits The Ferrymans hut. Take binoculars to spot hares, owls and bats flitting as dusk settles. It costs from 115 a night, and sleeps two adults with space for two children.

Frenchmans Creek cottage in Cornwall is owned by The Landmark Trust and can be reached only by foot or boat

With lochs stretching down to the sea, Scotland is spoiled for choice, and on the west coast, near Mallaig, the Silver Sands of Morar are a stunning string of white beaches on the banks of the River Moidart as it enters the Sounds of Arisaig. Used for filming Local Hero, the white sands belong to the Caribbean even if the temperatures may not. The three-star Morar has five-star views. Room-only doubles start from 72 a night (morarhotel.co.uk).

In Wales, the Bala estuary wins out for sheer beauty and expanse.

Starting in Snowdonia as the River Dee, it undulates through Wales and England before it widens into the Towy estuary with golden-sand beaches. The Mansion House Llansteffan has superb views. B&B is from 178 a night (mansionhousellansteffan.co.uk). From the beach, the river winds around a corner on one side and below a ruined castle high on a hill on the other  the perfect estuary experience.
Police broke up a massive street fight involving 40 men brandishing knives, bottles and at least one sword in west London last night.

Ealing Police wrote on Twitter that two men in their 20s were arrested after the horrifying melee in King Street, Southall was dispersed.

The force said: 'Police were called at around 0020hrs to a large group of males with knives and at least one sword in the area of King Street, Southall.

Police today broke up a massive street fight involving 40 men brandishing swords and bottles in west London (Pictured, St John's Road in Southall, where two men were arrested)

Ealing Police wrote on Twitter that two men were arrested after the horrifying melee in Southall was dispersed

'Officers attended and arrested two males, both aged in their 20s, on suspicion of violent disorder and affray. Both remain in police custody.'

'There are no reported injuries.'

Earlier today, Ealing Police tweeted: '#WestAreaVSU Team 2 responded to a large fight this morning in @Southall involving up to 40 males fighting with swords and bottles.

'Two males were chased into St Johns Road and identified as having carried swords during the fight. They were arrested for Violent Disorder and Affray.'
All travellers, including Singaporeans and permanent residents, will need to take a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival in Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced. This will take effect from 11.59 pm on January 24 as part of tighter border measures to manage the risk of imported COVID-19 cases, reported the Channel News Asia.

Singapore has seen an increase in the number of coronavirus cases, mostly imported or those arriving from other countries. The Ministry on Saturday confirmed four coronavirus cases from the community (or local), one from the dormitories for foreign workers here and 19 imported cases. The dormitory case is a 37-year-old Indian national who was detected through rostered routine testing on January 14.

The work permit holder lives in Tuas South Dormitory and works at Chevron Oronite as a thermal insulator installer. His earlier tests from routine testing  the last being on December 17 - were negative for COVID-19 infection, said the Channel report. Currently, travellers who are not Singaporeans or permanent residents and who have a recent travel history to high-risk countries or regions are required to take a PCR test within 72 hours before departure. They are then tested again at the end of their stay-home notice period.

In a media release, the Ministry noted the emergence of new COVID-19 variants and the worsening coronavirus situation around the world. "The multi-ministry task force regularly reviews Singapores border measures to manage the risk of importation and onward local transmission from travellers," it said.

"Given the resurgence of COVID-19 cases around the world, we will be putting in place more stringent measures for travellers to manage the risk of importation."

The ministry also announced that all Singaporeans and permanent residents returning from the United Kingdom and South Africa will be subject to an additional seven days of self-isolation at their place of residence, following their 14-day stay-home notice period at dedicated facilities. This takes effect from 11.59 pm on January 18. They will be tested at the end of their stay-home notice, as with the current requirement, and again after they complete their seven-day self-isolation period, said the MOH.

Singapore authorities had earlier restricted entry and transit for all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with a recent travel history to the UK and South Africa, due to concerns of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus circulating in those countries.

With effect from 11.59 pm on January 31, visitors applying to enter Singapore under the Air Travel Pass (ATP) and Reciprocal Green Lanes (RGLs) will need to have travel insurance for their COVID-19-related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs in Singapore, with a minimum coverage of SGD 30,000 (Rs 16,50,000 approx).

"The travel insurance will help them pay for the costs of their medical treatment in Singapore. The visitors can purchase the travel insurance from Singapore-based or overseas insurers," said the Ministry.

The 29 imported cases reported on Friday included 13 work permit holders who arrived from Bangladesh, India and Myanmar, five of whom are foreign domestic workers. Separately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that the Singapore-Japan Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) has been suspended until the state of emergency in Japan is lifted. Singapore has recorded 59,083 coronavirus cases as of Saturday. In all, 58,784 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities while there have been 29 deaths relating to the disease. There are currently 54 confirmed cases in hospitals while 216 are isolated and cared for at community facilities for mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Russian opposition figure Aleksei Navalny is due to fly back to Russia on January 17 from Germany despite the Russian authorities' stated desire to arrest him and potentially jail him for years.



Navalny is expected to fly to Moscow from Berlin, where he has received months of medical treatment for a poisoning that he has blamed on the Russian authorities.



The outspoken Kremlin critic announced on January 13 that he would return to Russia despite having received a notice that the country's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) would seek his arrest.



His return sets the stage for a potentially dramatic new showdown between the Kremlin and Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's most outspoken foes.



Late last month, FSIN demanded Navalny return immediately from Germany or face jail in Russia for violating the terms of a suspended prison sentence relating to a 2014 fraud conviction and for evading criminal inspectors.



According to court documents, he could face a jail sentence of as much as 3 1/2 years.



The question to return or not never stood before me as I didnt leave on my own. I ended up in Germany in an intensive care box. On January 17, Sunday, I will return home on a Pobeda flight," he said in a tweet on January 13, referring to a Russian airline whose name means Victory.

His supporters plan to meet him at Moscow's Vnukovo airport. About 2,000 people have used a Facebook page to say they plan to be there, with another 6,000 expressing an interest. Pro-Kremlin activists are also expected to turn up.



The Moscow Prosecutor-Generals Office has said the event is illegal because it is not sanctioned by the authorities.



Citing COVID-19 restrictions, the airport has said it will not allow media inside.

Coma

Navalny fell ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow and was treated and placed in an induced coma in a Siberian hospital before being transferred to a medical facility in Germany.



Lab tests in three European countries, confirmed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent of the Novichok class. The findings led the European Union to imposed sanctions on six Russian officials and a state research institute.



Russian authorities have claimed that no trace of poison was found in Navalny's body before he was airlifted to Germany, and have refused to open a criminal investigation into the incident.

WATCH: Showdown In Moscow: Navalny Risks Jail With Return To Russia

On the eve of his return, Navalny thanked the German people in a Facebook post and said they dont fit the stereotype that they are unfriendly and only want to give and follow orders.



The five months I've been here, I've been amazed how much the Germans don't match the stereotypical idea of them, Navalny wrote. These are really the sweetest people with a great sense of humor, always trying to help.



"Thank you friends!" he wrote in German.



Earlier on January 16, Germany demanded that Moscow carry out a full investigation into the poisoning and sent to Russia the transcripts of interviews its authorities conducted with him.



The German Justice Ministry said that, with the sending of the information requested by Moscow -- including blood and tissue samples -- the Russian government now has all the information it needs to carry out a criminal investigation.



A ministry spokesman said Berlin expects that "the Russian government will now immediately take all necessary steps to clarify the crime against Mr. Navalny."



"This crime must be solved in Russia. This requires investigations commensurate with the seriousness of this crime," the spokesman added.

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP
Washington: One of the supporters of President Donald Trump who entered the US Capitol on January 6 has been arrested and charged with trespassing and interfering with the certification of the 2020 vote.

Brandon Fellows, 26, of upstate New York, was arrested late on Saturday for his role in last weeks riot and assault on the Capitol building, according to a statement posted by the FBIs Albany branch on Twitter.

Violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump are confronted by US Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol, during the riots. Credit:AP

Fellows previously said he had no regrets for having entered the Capitol through a broken window, roaming the halls, and smoking a joint in the office of Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon.

Calls to Fellows mobile phone went straight to his voice mail. In his recording, Fellows says he turned himself in for supporting the constitution," and that hes committed to continuing his fight against, our overreaching government that has told us that we cannot go out and work, that we cannot go out to see our family, that we cannot even leave our house. I am happily being punished for that.
MILANItaly is suspending flights from Brazil, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Saturday, in response to a new coronavirus variant.

Anyone who has transited Brazil in the last 14 days is also prohibited from entering Italy, he said on Facebook, while people arriving in Italy from Brazil will be required to take a test for the virus.

It is critical for our scientists to study the new strain. In the meantime, we are taking a very cautious approach, he said.

Such rules will remain in place until Jan. 31, the order issued on Saturday by the health minister showed.

By Elvira Pollina
KYODO NEWS - Jan 15, 2021 - 18:33 | World, All, Coronavirus

The Philippines said Friday it has extended until the end of this month a travel ban on foreigners from Japan and other countries where a new, possibly more transmissible variant of the coronavirus has been confirmed.

The two-week extension comes as the Southeast Asian country scrambles to contain the pandemic following its announcement Wednesday that just such a variant had been detected in the country for the first time.

The ban, which took effect on Dec. 30 and was set to end Friday, originally targeted 20 countries and regions but has since expanded to 33 countries and regions, including mainland China.

The Health Department said Wednesday that it detected the new strain spreading in Britain from a Filipino who had returned from the United Arab Emirates last week.

Meanwhile, the country's Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, making it the first COVID-19 vaccine approved in the country. It is expected to arrive soon, possibly in February.

On Wednesday, China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd. applied to the drug regulator for its vaccine's emergency use in the Philippines, according to local media.

The government plans to acquire 25 million doses of the Chinese vaccine, 50,000 of which are scheduled to arrive on Feb. 20, the media said.

The Philippines had recorded a total of 496,646 virus cases as of Friday, including 9,876 fatalities.

City leaders in Berkeley will consider declaring racism a public health crisis, and a threat and safety issue.

The City Council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday to consider approving an emergency resolution to preserve public peace, property, health and safety during the coronavirus pandemic.

The measure calls for the city to launch a series of town hall sessions for community members, city workers, and small business owners to discuss the concerns of people of color and marginalized community members.

They will be tasked with developing strategies and programs, especially around mental health and homelessness, for "greater inclusivity, understanding, empathy, compassion, and unity."

The measure would also direct the city manager to record COVID-19 data by race/ethnicity to determine if greater health disparities have emerged as a result of the health crisis.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Donald Trump may be facing an inquiry in Fulton County for his alleged attempt to interfere with the election there.

A criminal investigation is being considered by top prosecutors over whether or not Trump violated state law by attempting to overturn the election results.

Fani Willis, just elected to be the district attorney in Fulton County, is also considering the idea of hiring an outside person to oversee the investigation, according to the New York Times.

David Worley, a Democrat on the state's election board, wants a referral made to the district attorney's office by mid-February, which would automatically prompt an investigation.

New Fulton Country DA Fani Willis is considering starting an inquiry into Donald Trump

The center of the inquiry would be the January 2 call Trump made to Brad Raffensperger

The center of the inquiry is the phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger two weeks ago, in which Trump implored Raffensperger to 'to find 11,780 votes.'

Raffensperger declined, dismissing Trump's allegations of election fraud in the state.

'It seems clearly there was a crime committed,' said Joshua Morrison, a former senior assistant district attorney in Fulton County.

'If you took the fact out that he is the president of the United States and look at the conduct of the call, it tracks the communication you might see in any drug case or organized crime case,' said Michael J. Moore, a former attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

Willis previously made a statement where she referred to the call as being 'disturbing'

If the election board chooses to debate making a referral, Raffensperger would likely need to recuse himself from being part of the decision, as he was on the other end of Trump's call.

Trump also called Gov. Brian Kemp to call for a special legislative session and called a state investigator who he hoped would help find election fraud.

Willis previously released a statement about the call between Trump and Raffensperger.

If it reaches the point of charges, only Governor Brian Kemp could pardon Trump

Trump would be facing several charges in Georgia in regards to the calls he made to officials in the state, including criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and conspiracy

'Like many Americans, I have found the news reports about the Presidents telephone call with the Georgia Secretary of State disturbing,' it said. 'It is my understanding from news reports that a member of the State Election Board has requested that the Secretary's Elections Division investigate the call, after which the Board can refer the case to my office and the state Attorney General.

'As I promised Fulton County voters last year, as District Attorney, I will enforce the law without fear or favor. Anyone who commits a felony violation of Georgia law in my jurisdiction will be held accountable. Once the investigation is complete, this matter, like all matters, will be handled by our office based on the facts and the law.'

There are several state laws Trump may have violated in Georgia during the call, including criminal solicitation to commit election fraud, conspiracy, and intentional interference of election duties; the former two can be prosecuted as felonies.

If Trump were to be charged with any of the crimes, it would fall on the state to potentially issue him a pardon, not the president.

Trump is also facing an investigation in New York for financial fraud, which would fall out of the jurisdiction of any potential presidential pardon, should he be charged and convicted

Fani Willis won her August runoff in a landslide and assumed office on January 1, 2021

That possible responsibility would fall on Kemp, who has been attacked by Trump in recent weeks.

Trump is also being investigated in New York for criminal fraud in regards to his taxes, an offense that would also be beyond a president's pardoning power.

Trump's baseless claims of election fraud reached a fever pitch last Wednesday, when his supporters broke into the Capitol and threatened to delay the certification of the Electoral College tally.

Four rioters and one police officer died as a result of the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6.

Willis assumed office at the beginning of the new year after easily beating the incumbent Paul Howard in an August runoff. She's best known for helping to convict 11 educators in standardized-test cheating scandal back in 2015.

She is the first female district attorney in Fulton County, which includes the city of Atlanta.
Trot Insider has learned that Western Canadian standout Major Custard has been sold to Ontario interests.

In two seasons for owners Jim Marino and the JJJ Stables, Major Custard won 20 of 23 starts and banked $326,945. But with stakes opportunities in Alberta and British Columbia extremely scarce for older horses, it became time for Marino to bid the star of his stable a fond adieu.

"We sold him to Gino Toscani," Marino told Trot Insider. "They (Toscani and agent Herb Holland) bought another son of Custard The Dragon off me after his stakes were over  Rockin N Talkin  and he's done really well at Mohawk."

Major Custard  who at one point racked up a 17-race winning streak and routinely made easy work of his competition en route to an O'Brien Award nomination in 2020  will look to follow in the footsteps of his stablemate as he acclimates to raceway competition on the tough Ontario circuit. And Marino, judging by Rockin N Talkin's transition and performance in middle- and upper-level conditioned races at Woodbine Mohawk Park, feels that Major Custard has a lot of potential for his new connections.

"There's a two-heat race in the middle of the summer in Alberta," Marino explained, referring to the Ralph Klein Memorial at Century Downs. "It was only one heat his year, thank God, but last year it was two heats, and we won it with Rockin N Talkin. When COVID came, we sold some, and Herb bought that horse and has done really well with him. So, the same connections came back to buy this horse, and I'm glad they did. He was smaller; Major Custard's quite a bit bigger and faster. I'm excited to see how he'll do there."



Major Custard, winning his final sophomore start at Century Mile Major Custard, winning his final sophomore start at Century Mile

Having to part with such a standout performer is no doubt bittersweet for Marino, but the most practical move given the short-term uncertainty harness racing in Western Canada currently faces. Still, Marino is hopeful that the pride of his stable for the last two seasons can continue to blossom for his new connections.

"I wish I could race him forever, but the world's a crazy place right now," he admits. "I have no answers if we'll even race in 2021 in British Columbia, my home base. I'm sure Alberta will, but right now, I think the only thing I can do is focus on the younger ones and the stakes races. As much as I would love to keep that horse around to race in the Open, I just don't know if there will be an Open or how much it'll go for. It just made more sense to sell him.

"I hope this horse goes on to do bigger things, and I'll still enjoy watching him."
The number of elderly people who died shortly after receiving the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in Norway has risen to 29, Bloomberg reported. The latest figures add six to the number of known fatalities in the Scandinavian country and lower the age group thought to be affected to 75 from 80. It is worth noting that until Friday, the vaccine produce by Pfizer-BioNTech was the only one available in Norway and the officials had given the first dose to nearly 42,000 people.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency told Bloomberg that all deaths are "linked to the vaccine". The agency said that 13 deaths have been assessed and the officials are aware of another 16 that currently being assessed. All the reported deaths are related to "elderly people with serious basic disorders". The agency further informed that most people have experienced and expected side effects of the vaccine, such as nausea and vomiting, fever and local reactions at the injection site, and worsening of their underlying conditions. Pfizer and BioNTech are working with the Norwegian authorities to investigate the deaths. Acting upon this, the Norwegian officials have adjusted their advice on who gets the COVID-19 vaccine, leaving it up to each doctor to consider who should be vaccinated.

"We are not alarmed by this. It is quite clear that these vaccines have very little risk, with a small exception for the frailest patients," Steinar Madsen, medical director with the agency, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. "Doctors must now carefully consider who should be vaccinated. Those who are very frail and at the very end of life can be vaccinated after an individual assessment," he added.

READ: Norwegian Authorities Launch Probe As 23 People Die After Receiving Pfizer's Covid Vaccine

READ: Norway Says Pfizer Temporarily Reducing European Deliveries

Australia says safety is number one priority

Meanwhile, following the Norwegian report, Australia, which has an agreement for 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, is seeking urgent information on the issue from the producer. Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt on Sunday said that there was no change to the governments vaccine rollout plans, however, he added that "safety is Australias number one priority". Hunt also vowed to update the public on any details from Norway, where authorities said that could not rule out adverse reactions contributing to deaths in patients with severe underlying disease.

In a televised interview with TGA, Hunt said, Australians should have confidence that we are being absolutely thorough and have a cautious but highly focused medical regulator who is taking into account all of the evidence from around the world.

Were proceeding with an abundance of caution. So theres no change in our timeframes at this point. But the medical regulator is completely empowered, completely empowered, to make independent decisions, he added.

(With inputs from AP)

READ: Australia Wants More Info On Pfizer Jab Side Effects

READ: Pfizer, BioNTech To Increase Vaccine Production After Reports Of Shortages
Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi...
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) says it will, today, present proposals to the National Census Steering Committee for consideration on the determination of the specific dates for the conduct of the 2020 National Population and Housing Census.



The proposals, according to the Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim have been informed by the reopening of schools and weather conditions in the months scheduled for the census to take place.



At the sidelines of a news conference in Accra on Wednesday, Prof. Annim said, the service had studied the school calendar given them by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and realised that a particular stream of students could be in school at any point in time.



Therefore, the meeting scheduled for Friday is going to serve as a platform for the service to negotiate with the GES to determine the best way possible to facilitate the training of officers for the census, he said.



He further explained that the second consideration reside in the fact that, the month of April and May marks the highest peak of rainfall in the country, indicating that, Considering the fact that about 62,000 officers would be moved around to conduct the exercise, renders the time frame unfavorable.



Prof. Annim, however, stated that the service was sensitive to the disruptions in the schooling system, hence, it would consider an option that would not affect schools and also find ways to accommodate the challenges or deal with potential bad weather conditions.



The Government Statistician said he was optimistic that by next week, there would be a firm sense of the particular date for the conduct of the census, adding that the statistical agency would maintain April and May for the conduct of the exercise.



The service is still under guidance of the presidential declaration of data collection occurring in April and May 2021, Prof Annim emphasised.



Regarding the rise in the cases of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) recently, he stated that GSS was monitoring the situation to be able to adopt all measures necessary to ensure that the pandemic did not become a factor to hinder the progress of the census.



According to the Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the country has been recording an average of about 130 to 180 new cases daily in the last few days in January this year.



Per the last update on the Website of GSS the total number of COVID-19 cases stood at 56,981 as of January 11, 2021. Of this number, 175 were new cases; 1,404 active cases; 55,236 recoveries; while, 341 people have so far died of the disease.

Source: Ghanaian Times









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Islamabad: Gunmen shot dead two female Afghan judges working for the Supreme Court in an ambush in the country's capital on Sunday, officials said, an attack that the top US envoy in Kabul blamed on the Taliban.

Violence has surged across Afghanistan in recent months despite ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and government  especially in Kabul, where a new trend of targeted killings aimed at high-profile figures has sown fear.

The spate of almost daily unclaimed killings is thought to be largely the work of the Taliban, possibly part of a chilling new campaign to silence liberal voices ahead of any power-sharing negotiations.

Many of the attacks appear aimed at removing advocates of a liberal society at odds with the conservative religious creed espoused by the militants. The killings are suspected of being a concerted effort to cow ideological opponents ahead of any talks to find a political settlement.
File image: Workers spray disinfectant while sanitizing a mosque amid the coronavirus pandemic in Peshawar, Pakistan on May 21, 2020. (Image: Reuters/Fayaz Aziz)

Pakistans planning minister says the countrys drug regulatory authority has approved the use of Oxford-AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine and the government is trying to make it available by the first quarter of the year.

Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the coronavirus pandemic

Asad Umar, who is also the head of the national agency for COVID-19, told Geo TV that the vaccine in the first phase will be administered to health workers and those aged 65 and above.

Umar said the Chinese company CanSino is also holding clinical trials in Pakistan and hoped its vaccine would also be registered next month.

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: All you need to know about manufacturing and pricing

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

He said Pakistan will get the vaccines through the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, or GAVI, and other alternative international sources. The AstraZeneca vaccine is being prepared in India, which has strained relations with rival Pakistan and says it will prioritize its own population.

Pakistan reported 2,521 new cases and 43 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Washington, Jan 17 : A woman from the US state of Missouri, who was seen with a fractured sign belonging to House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the January 6 Capitol riots, has been charged, according to court documents.

On Saturday, the documents filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia revealed that Emily Hernandez was slapped with five charges a day earlier in connection to the riot staged by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump, The Hill news website reported.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation received tips from at least three persons identifying Hernandez, who was allegedly seen in a video circulated by the UK's ITV news network.

According to The Hill news report, in the video the rioters are seen entering the Capitol and a few minutes later, they were seen going in and out of a room, which had a wooden sign above it saying, "Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi".

Next, a woman, donning a pair of sunglasses and a white and grey hat, is seen standing outside the room and then later she holds up a broken engraved piece of wood, in which the words "the House" and "Nancy" are clearly visible, the report added.

The court documents further revealed that Hernandez has been charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct which impedes the conduct of government business; stealing, selling, conveying or disposing of any thing of value to the US; disruptive conduct in the Capitol Buildings; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol Buildings.

But it remains unclear is she has been arrested as of now.

The attack on the Capitol building on January 6 took place while Congress was in session considering the ratification of the electoral college votes electing Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President.

Earlier that day outside the Capitol, Trump addressed his supporters during which called for "patriots" to take a stand against the 2020 election results Five people, including a police officer, were killed during the riots.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning about plans of armed protests from January 16 through January 20 at all the 50 state capitols, and from January 17 through January 20, the day of the inauguration, at the Capitol in Washington D.C.

Up to 25,000 National Guard members have been authorised by the Pentagon for Washington D.C., more than the amount of the troops currently stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
MOSCOW - In his return to Russia on Sunday, five months after he left in a coma from a near-fatal poisoning, Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny made it as far as border control.

Before Navalny's passport could be stamped, police officers at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Alexander S. Pushkin International Airport surrounded and detained him. He gave his wife a hug and a kiss goodbye before being led to a private room.

The 44-year-old opposition leader's arrest was expected, but he chose to fly to Russia anyway. Before his arrival, Russian authorities said he was on a wanted list for allegedly violating the terms of his suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction. Navalny and the European Court of Human Rights have called that case a political prosecution.

But the move to jail him could have far-reaching consequences for the government of President Vladimir Putin. Navalny says Putin ordered Russian state security agents to poison him with a nerve agent during a trip to Siberia in August. The Kremlin has denied the accusation.

Navalny's team said Sunday that the chaos surrounding his return, including the diversion of his flight to Sheremetyevo after supporters gathered at the Moscow airport where he was scheduled to land, show how serious a threat Putin considers Navalny.

His arrest is expected to trigger protests by his supporters, and a response from Western governments, perhaps in the form of more sanctions, is also possible.

5 1 of 5 Washington Post photo by Loveday Morris Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Washington Post photo by Loveday Morris Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Washington Post photo by Isabelle Khurshudyan Show More Show Less 5 of 5









"Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable," Jake Sullivan, President-elect Joe Biden's choice for national security adviser, tweeted Sunday. "The Kremlin's attacks on Mr. Navalny are not just a violation of human rights, but an affront to the Russian people who want their voices heard."

Amnesty International declared Navalny a "prisoner of conscience" Sunday night.

Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service said Navalny would be in police custody "until a court ruling." It's unclear when his case will be heard. Hours after his detention, his spokeswoman tweeted that his whereabouts were not known. His lawyer was not allowed to join him.

Navalny, standing before a backdrop of the Kremlin at the Sheremetyevo airport before he went to border control, said Sunday was his "best day in the past five months."

"This is my home," he said. "I came here, and everybody is asking, 'Aren't you afraid?' No, I am not afraid."

Navalny had been staying in Berlin, where he was treated for his poisoning, including more than two weeks in a medically induced coma. He was escorted onto the flight by German security officials for his protection: Two black Audis with tinted windows surrounded by police cars could be seen on the tarmac. Airport officials warned journalists that they were not allowed to take pictures.

As Navalny made his way to his seat in the 13th row, reporters on the plane lobbed questions at him. He encouraged them to take their seats and fasten their seat belts so the flight could take off on time.

Asked what he expected in Moscow, Navalny replied with his signature humor: subzero temperatures, he said, and a warm welcome. He took a selfie with the flight attendants and watched the Cartoon Network series "Rick and Morty" during the flight.

At Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport, where Navalny was scheduled to arrive, riot police were deployed to disperse a gathering crowd. More than 50 people were detained, according to the monitoring group OVD-Info.

People gathered at the airport said they were waiting for pop star Olga Buzova. Navalny's team called it a Kremlin-backed effort to compete with his supporters.

As Navalny's flight neared Vnukovo, flight radar showed it turning away, and its arrival was pushed back. The arrivals board showed that the plane had been diverted to Sheremetyevo.

On the plane, the captain announced that "a technical issue" caused the change. Other flights were diverted, too, and Navalny later apologized to affected passengers.

"I didn't believe it until the last minute," Navalny said on the plane. "There are several planes in the air above Vnukovo Airport right now, and they're keep passengers in the air because they are afraid."

At the news, some of the crowd started to leave Vnukovo. "I think if we all head to Sheremetyevo now, they'll turn the plane back around to Vnukovo," said onlooker Danila Buzanov, 25.

Buzanov called Navalny a Nelson Mandela-like figure. He said his arrest would make things worse for the Kremlin. Navalny's return, he said, "is such a brave thing to do, and it's such a message for people of how to not be afraid and fight until the end."

Tatiana Stanovaya, head of political analysis firm R. Politik, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that Navalny's arrest would trigger protests that would test "how far [Russian security services] and the most repressive apparatus of the state can go."

Despite the change in airport, Navalny's supporters showed up at Sheremetyevo and chanted the name of Navalny's wife, Yulia, as she exited the border control area.

In Berlin earlier Sunday, Ekaterina Raykova-Merz and Andreas Merz-Raykov waited to greet Navalny before his departure, holding up a sign that read, "The time of dictators has come to an end. Putin is afraid of Navalny."

German doctors have said Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent similar to the Soviet-era Novichok, which was used to poison former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in 2018. Western intelligence blamed Russian agents for that poisoning.

The investigative website Bellingcat reported last month that telecommunications and travel data show that eight Russian state security agents were in the vicinity when Navalny was poisoned in Tomsk.

The Kremlin has denied any role in Navalny's poisoning and has rebuffed Western calls for an investigation.

Putin, during a December news conference, seemed to confirm that Navalny was being watched, but he denied that Moscow was responsible for his poisoning. Without referring to Navalny by name, Putin laughed and asked: "Who needs him anyway? If we had really wanted, we'd have finished the job."

Andrei Kolesnikov, chairman of the Russian Domestic Politics Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center, tweeted that "Navalny's reception by the authorities at the airport is the best evidence of how afraid they are of him."

"They themselves are inflating the importance of Navalny," Kolesnikov said. "This disavows Putin's ironic question: 'Who needs him?' "

But the government's messaging on Navalny - alleging without evidence that he's working with the CIA - has had some success in shaping Russian public opinion.

Forty-nine percent of Russians polled by the independent Levada Center in late December said the poisoning was either staged or "a provocation of Western special services." Fifteen percent said it was an attempt by authorities to eliminate a political opponent.

Navalny's return under threat of arrest could boost his popularity. Other prominent activists, such as businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky and chess legend Garry Kasparov, continue to criticize the Kremlin, but from abroad.

Ruslan Karadanov, who went to the Berlin airport Sunday to show support, said Navalny was "very brave" to go back.

"If he wants to continue his political activity, he has no other choice," he said. "Here in Germany, he'll just be forgotten."

In announcing his homecoming, Navalny said he "never considered the choice whether to go back or not."

"I never left," he said on Instagram. "I ended up in Germany, arriving there in an intensive care box, for one reason: they tried to kill me."

- - -

Morris reported from Berlin. The Washington Post's Natalia Abbakumova and Katya Korobtsova in Moscow contributed reporting.
Fairfield man Michael O'Reilly, who paid a $1652 fine for breaching public health guidelines, said the new policy served to highlight the government's inconsistent approach. He said police were now more lenient after playing "hard ball'' at a protest he took part in outside Preston's Mantra Hotel last April. Dozens of other protesters were also fined. According to the most recent data from Fines Victoria, more than 19,000 penalty notices were issued by October last year. Of those, 18 per cent had reached a "notice of final demand" stage, while a further 3455 had been registered with Fines Victoria for enforcement action. Michael O'Reilly was fined for attending a protest to free refugees at the Mantra Hotel in Preston.

The new guidelines, prepared by the force's legal services department and circulated in an internal email on December 17, urge police prosecutors and officers involved in contested cases to take the most lenient approach. "There are three tiers in the guide and informants/prosecutors must proceed with the lowest tier option unless inappropriate to do so," the email states. Charges will only proceed for people classified as tier three, who demonstrated "repeated, deliberate or continuing breaches of the chief health officer's directions," or those infected with COVID-19 who refused to isolate. The guidelines represent a major backflip of enforcement action by the Andrews government and Victoria Police, which had previously adopted a hardline approach and issued thousands of fines after the state of emergency was declared in March. Victoria Police issue fines to protesters.

People were fined $200 for not wearing a face mask in public and up to $1652 for most stay-at-home order breaches. Fines of $4957 applied for unlawful gatherings and COVID-positive people who failed to self-isolate. Mr Gatt said the decision to avoid prosecuting offenders has fuelled tension with the Police Association, whose members were forced to implement the tough measures. "These penalties, once issued, were reviewed. In all other cases police have already used their discretion," he said. "Once police have issued a penalty however, and it's contested, matters should be heard at court as there is surely a public interest in ensuring ongoing deterrence and compliance." Liberty Victoria President Julia Kretzenbacher called on the government to review the fines that had already been paid, in the interest of fairness.

"We need the response to COVID-19 to be health-based, not a policing response, so it is encouraging Victoria Police has been told to exercise discretion in most circumstances, so that people are not saddled with huge fines," Ms Kretzenbacher said. She said disadvantaged communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 fines. Mr O'Reilly, 62, was fined as he gathered with fellow Refugee Action Collective supporters on Good Friday. His written objection to the fine was rejected and he chose not to take the matter to court because he has health issues and didnt want the stress or the conviction. Refugee Action Collective spokesman Chris Breen said heavy handed, discriminatory policing and crushing fines have never been an acceptable part of dealing with a public health emergency".

He said while the police change in policy was welcome, police were still pursuing 30 refugee supporters for $50,000 in fines resulting from the Preston car convoy. "I am still facing an incitement charge to be heard in the Magistrates Court ... for being one of the organisers of the convoy," Mr Breen said. "Police should withdraw the fines and the charge, which are both inconsistent with the new approach, and an outrageous attack on the right to protest." Berhan Ahmed, a University of Melbourne adjunct professor and African-Australian community leader, said infringements issued to residents from nine public housing towers who found themselves in hard lockdown in July had further traumatised them. He said some residents who had mental health issues and drug addictions were fined for leaving their apartments.

"They wanted to sneak out of the place and needed health workers instead of police," he said. Dr Ahmed said many of those who received fines were already under great financial and emotional stress. "They are already struggling to pay their bills and then they receive a fine that they cant afford." Katherine Ellis, CEO of Youth Affairs Council Victoria, welcomed a "compassionate and constructive approach" from authorities. It is cruel and distressing to ask children, young people and their families to pay thousands of dollars of fines on top of all the challenges COVID-19 has presented with job loss, disrupted education and social isolation," she said.

Victoria Police did not respond to questions from The Age, but released a statement. "Victoria Police supports the chief health officer by enforcing the directions that are in place at the time and issues infringements to those who blatantly breach the directions," a spokeswoman said. "To ensure consistency across the organisation when dealing with reviews or contested infringements for breach of CHO directions, guidance in the form of a three-tiered system was developed. This approach provides direction, consistency and parity." A Victorian government spokesperson said fines had played a critical role in sending a clear message that anyone who blatantly and deliberately breached the Chief Health Officer's directives would face a penalty. "Victoria Police makes prosecutorial decisions independent of government, and it would be inappropriate to intervene in these decisions," the spokesperson said.
By Abdul Qadir Sediqi

KABUL (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen killed two female judges from Afghanistan's Supreme Court on Sunday morning, police said, adding to a wave of assassinations in Kabul and other cities while government and Taliban representatives have been holding peace talks in Qatar.

The two judges, who have not yet been named, were killed and their driver wounded, in an attack at around 8:30 am, police said, adding the case was being investigated by security forces.

A spokesman for the Taliban said its fighters were not involved.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement condemning attacks on civilians by the Taliban and other militant groups.

Ghani said "terror, horror and crime" was not a solution to Afghanistan's problem and beseeched the Taliban to accept "a permanent ceasefire".

Government officials, journalists, and activists have been targeted in recent months, stoking fear particularly in the capital Kabul.

The Taliban has denied involvement in some of the attacks, but has said its fighters would continue to "eliminate" important government figures, though not journalists or civil society members.

Rising violence has complicated U.S.-brokered peace talks taking place in Doha as Washington withdraws troops.

Sources on both sides say negotiations are only likely to make substantive progress once U.S. President-elect Joe Biden takes office and makes his Afghan policy known.

The number of U.S troops in Afghanistan has been reduced to 2,500, the lowest level of American forces there since 2001, according to the Pentagon on Friday.

(Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Tehran, Jan 17 : Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh responded to the rumours on the possibility of releasing a South Korean oil tanker seized the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Gulf earlier this month, saying the statements by people not related to the issue lack any basis.

Khatibzadeh made the remarks on Saturday in response to a question by some reporters about the rumours of possible release of the tanker, Xinhua news agency reported.

He stressed that decisions made by the Iran judiciary which is in charge of the issue, are announced only by its spokesman so the statements by people not related to the issue lack any basis, adding that the tanker was seized for polluting the Gulf waters upon an Iranian judiciary order.

The spokesman said since the case is still under investigation, it is only the judiciary that has the authority to make any announcements in this regard.

The IRGC announced in a statement on January 4 that United Arab Emirate-bound tanker, named Hankuk Chemi, carrying 7,200 tonnes of petrochemicals, had been seized "for repeated violations of marine environmental laws".

It also had 20 crewmembers on board -- five South Koreans, 11 Myanmarese, two Indonesians and two Vietnamese.

The tanker is currently docked at a port in Bandar Abbas, a city on Iran's southern coast.
Mike Thompson was all set to go to Beijing last year with Fulbright funding to research how the Chinese government recruits and trains its officials.

When the US suspended in July all Fulbright programs in China, part of sanctions over Beijings crackdown on Hong Kong, his Fulbright program offered him and some other China-focused scholars opportunities to move their field work to Taiwan. Mr. Thompson, a 30-year-old University of Michigan doctoral student whose first trip to China was in 2009, was able to switch his topic to Taiwans bureaucracy but was disappointed with the Trump administrations decision.

Its a personal setback for me and a big setback for the US-China relationship," he said.

The number of US students in China has dropped by more than one-fifth since a 2011-2012 peak, according to data released in November by the Institute of International Education. The number of American students in Taiwan has climbed by nearly 55% during the same period.

The shift comes in the midst of a deterioration in the Washington-Beijing relationship and, according to educators, predates the Covid-19 pandemic. Interest in studying Chinese on US campuses has cooled, they said.

Decades of engagement has immersed many American students into Chinese society in a way that studying China from afar could never accomplish, according to educators.

Perry Link, professor emeritus of East Asian studies at Princeton University, emphasized immersion in local life when he co-founded the Princeton in Beijing summer program three decades ago. Participants pledged to speak only in Chinese and were encouraged to buy fried-dough youtiao at local breakfast stands. Its not about just knowing a few Chinese characters," he said. Its about being able to communicate with other human beings in a normal and relaxed way."

Prof. Link, a long-time critic of Beijings treatment of human rights who has himself been denied entry to China since 1996, said that the program has been battered by the pandemic and that everyone is trying to figure out what comes next.

Amanda Morrison began studying Chinese in high school, encouraged by her father, who had done business in China. In college, she went to China twice, including with Princeton in Beijing. By the time she returned for a third time, in 2019, for graduate study, she said that she found herself more wary of offending Chinese classmates.

She had many open conversations with Chinese friends, but when she brought up in a classroom discussion Chinas high-tech surveillance tools, she said a Chinese classmate froze and simply left the room. Moments like this signal a sensitivity which makes you watch your tongue in future conversations," she said.

In 2008, China was host to the Beijing Olympics and experienced an economic boom as the world dived into a financial crisis. It was a time when China was opening its heart," said Minglang Zhou, director of the Chinese language program at the University of Maryland. In recent years China has had a different attitude toward the outside world," he said.

At the University of Maryland, which was host to ping pong diplomacy" games after President Richard Nixons visit to China in 1972, the number of students enrolled in Chinese-language classes has gradually dropped in recent years, and Prof. Zhou said more US students are choosing to study in Taiwan, where they can use social-media sites that are blocked in China.

Mary Gallagher, a political-science professor at the University of Michigan, said students in her classes now generally regard China as a potential enemy or a competitor of the U.S., while they saw China as a land of opportunity 10 to 15 years ago.

Ms. Gallagher, 51 years old, who first went to China in 1989, said whether China is seen as a national-security threat or not, it is a mistake to dial back on exchanges. Even from a self-interested perspective, we are shooting ourselves in the foot," she said.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it receives many phone calls and emails from American students expressing interest in studying in China.

Lies and hostility have started to cause misunderstanding and estrangement between the Chinese people and the American people, and created hurdles to the normal development of China-US relations," the embassy said. This makes us deeply worried. In order to remove hurdles, dispel misunderstanding and build up mutual trust, we need to promote people-to-people exchanges and educational collaboration, which China is committed to."

Until China opened to the West, US students had mainly been able to study Mandarin in Taiwan. Between 1995 and 2005, US students headed to China, while dwarfed by the Chinese flows into the US, rose more than sixfold, according to the Institute of International Education.

Neysun Mahboubi, a Chinese-law scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, described his 1995 summer in China with Princeton in Beijing as transformative.

I was suddenly afforded a window, sharpened by growing language ability, into the unfolding of major historical processes right before me," he said, adding that the experience helped drive every professional choice Ive made in the 25 years since." Mr. Mahboubi said many classmates went on to have China-focused careers, including a classmate who helped open Shanghai Disney.

One alum of the program was Matthew Pottinger, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who recently resigned as deputy national security adviser in the Trump administration. Mr. Pottinger, who has helped shape some of the administrations policies toward China, spoke in May entirely in Mandarin on US-China relations at an online event hosted by the University of Virginia, drawing wide notice in China.

In the US, foreign-language enrollment has declined overall, dropping by 9% in 2016 from 2013, according to the latest available survey of US universities by the Modern Language Association of America. The number of students taking Chinese-language classes fell even faster, by 13%, during the same period.

At the University of Pennsylvania, which has had a Chinese program since World War II, students enrolled in Chinese classes topped 1,000 in the years after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but has gradually dropped to around 700, said Mien-Hwa Chiang, director of the schools Chinese-language program.

Many schools have in recent years closed Beijing-sponsored Confucius Institutes, which had opened more than 100 branches on US campuses to promote the study of China and Chinese. The centers attracted increasing criticism that they were used to disseminate Beijings views, and Congress cut some Pentagon funding to participating institutions in 2018.

Americans studying in China still vastly outnumber those in Taiwan, but in the long term a shift could have a big impact, said the University of Marylands Prof. Zhou. He said older generations of China observers who had studied in Taiwan were more sympathetic to Taipei.

Karl Zhang, Chinese-program coordinator at George Mason University, has taken his students for a summer trip to Beijing for about 20 years, but said he had planned to shift to Taiwan last year before the pandemic put an end to the trip.

He isnt sure he will encourage students to accept Chinese government scholarships to study in China in the near future. "Right now, Im not that motivated," he said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

NEW HAVEN  A city man was arrested Friday after allegedly refusing to wear a mask while inside the courthouse on Elm Street, according to Connecticut State Police.

Pedro Borrero, 36, was charged with second-degree breach of peace and violating the precepts of Executive Order 9B-2a(1), which mandates the wearing of a face covering.

On the morning of Monday, Jan. 11, as the flags over the U.S. Capitol remained at half-mast to honor the police officer killed by right-wing insurrectionists there, the hosts of Fox & Friends brought Americas early-rising crypto-fascists the days top story. 88 million Trump Twitter followers are without Donald Trump. Donald Trump loses 35 million Facebook followers, and the Parler [app on which] he was gaining on turbo speed, that is shut down. Because they decided they didnt like it, said co-host Brian Kilmeade. This, to me, is a five-alarm fire for America.

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just repulsive how these clods are turning the capitol insurrection into a "five-alarm fire" for free speech. if trump and parler didn't want to be deplatformed, maybe they shouldn't have incited a murderous insurrection to attack congress & beat a cop to death. pic.twitter.com/t1U7RrqPsU  Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) January 11, 2021

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A five-alarm fire for America. While the roughly concurrent deplatforming of the president of the United States and a microblogging app popular among right-wingers is an important news story under any circumstances, Kilmeades assertion seemed more than a little overheated considering the bloody, historic context in which the bans occurred. After all, it was mere days after a mob, convened and incited by Donald Trump, toted the Confederate flag into the U.S. Capitol and erected a gallows near the Capitol Reflecting Pool, while some in the mob chanted Hang Mike Pence! This deadly riot was preceded by two months of lies about a stolen election, told by Trump and a cross-section of his enablers, as well as literally decades of scaremongering from Kilmeades employer about the character and intentions of the Democratic Party and the mainstream media. Its true that other right-wing outlets have done more than Fox News to promote the stolen-election lie, but that hardly absolves the network; just because Fox hasnt been the most dishonest network over the past two months doesnt mean it still hasnt been consistently dishonest for years and years. The actual five-alarm fire was one that Trump and Fox News had themselves built, stoked, and tended up until the day it nearly consumed the republic.

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Obviously, there can be multiple five-alarm fires raging at the same timefor more on this exciting prospect, please see my latest Chicago Fire spec scriptbut by any reasonable measure of newsworthiness, the siege of the federal legislature is clearly the fire that merits the most attention, especially from a flag-waving, law-and-order cable network such as Fox News. Right?

Wrong! By Monday morning, Fox News had all but moved on from the story of the Capitol riot, so eager was the network to get back to yelling about the suppressive left. Consigning the Capitol story to a series of passing references, for three hours Fox & Friends made a passionate case for the right of extremely online MAGA propagandists to be able to harass, incite, and misinform people free from any and all consequences.

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Frequent Fox guest Dan Bongino, an investor in Parler, called the deplatforming of Trump and Parler an open war on free speech and railed against the tech tyrants, the tech totalitarians, the communists at Apple and Amazon and Google. Fox News weekend host Jeanine Pirro popped in to call it the kind of censorship that is akin to a Kristallnacht  They are trying to cancel the president and impeach him. This is vicious. This is not America.

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As we all know, America can never be truly great unless conservative pundits are free to whine at all times about their very unfair treatment at the hands of their ideological opponents. And so it went all week on Fox News, as the networks marquee opinion hosts tried hard to argue that Americas real crisis was one of free speech figuratively under attack by the left, rather than its democratic institutions literally under attack by the right. As investigators spent Monday attempting to identify the rioters who had killed the U.S. Capitol officer, Tucker Carlson hosted Sen. Josh Hawleywho on Jan. 6 had offered a raised fist in solidarity with the protesters who would soon become a mobso that they could sputter about the injustice of Simon & Schuster canceling Hawleys book contract. (The reason it was yanked had to do with Hawleys own role in riling up the insurrectionary crowd by backing and amplifying Trumps false claims that the election was stolen.)

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But he did go on Fox yesterday. To discuss... losing his book deal https://t.co/EJ5BqGWLer  Rebecca Buck (@RebeccaBuck) January 12, 2021

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On Tuesday, as Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill mentioned that she had seen certain members of Congress leading soon-to-be rioters on reconnaissance tours of the Capitol the day before the insurrection, Laura Ingraham hosted the right-wing provocateur Andy Ngo, who talked about how the Portland, Oregon, bookstore Powells had refused to stock on its shelves his upcoming book about antifas radical plan to destroy democracy. On Wednesday, as Congress convened to impeach President Trump, Katie Pavlich announced on The Five that the left has proven they are interested in snuffing out any kind of speech that is anti-left. (In fairness, the Five also talked about Trumps second impeachment; they were against it.)

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On Thursday, as the Washington Post ran a story about how members of Washington, D.C.s Metropolitan Police Department had faced a medieval battle scene as they tried to repel the angry Capitol mob, Carlson hosted the indie-rock musician Ariel Pink, a Trump supporter, who had recently been dropped from his record label after attending the Stop the Steal protest in Washington the day of the riot. (Pink says he did not participate in the storming of the Capitol.) Carlson depicted Pink, who has also been accused by an ex-girlfriend of abuse, as emblematic of the real victims of Jan. 6. When reasonable people like you are destroyed, all of us should take notice, Carlson said.

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The fact that MAGA people have to pretend to like Ariel Pink now is hilarious pic.twitter.com/BiVJe5n3se  PJ Vogt (@PJVogt) January 15, 2021

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No sentient observer should be surprised that Fox News has chosen to severely downplay the Capitol riot in order to instead spend hours whining about cancel culture. Choosing to miss the point in favor of another, much dumber point is what Fox News does. Whether reporting hysterically on a series of ginned-up nonscandals involving the Bidens and the Clintons in order to deflect attention away from the scandals engulfing the Trump administration; reporting breathlessly on the northward advance of a purportedly fearsome migrant caravan in the weeks preceding the 2018 midterm elections; pretending that antifa is a comprehensive and organized terror organization bent on burning Americas cities; or crying that Twitter plunged us all into some Orwellian thoughtcrime dystopia by deciding to ban the worlds biggest asshole from using its website after he riled up a deadly mob, Fox News has spent Trumps entire presidency working tirelessly to make him look good by making the left look bad.

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These misleading storylines have become articles of faith to many Americans. Since Jan. 6, much reporting has confirmed the pathologies of many of the rioters. The things they claim to believe roughly conform to many of the things people have been saying on Fox News, night after night for years and years: that the left is uniquely violent and hostile to the American way of life; that the left hates regular Americans; that the left works in concert with elitist institutions to suppress conservative viewpoints; that Donald Trump has been the target of endless deep-state plans to ruin his presidency. These scary stories have been repeated with such sound and fury that they seem true to people who arent really paying attention.

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Hey, its a free country, and people can say what they want, even if those things are completely, utterly ridiculous. But that doesnt mean that private publishers and platforms are obliged to disseminate every single illegible theory uttered by Americas least credible ideologues. The prospect of being muzzled by the platforms on which they have come to rely does, indeed, count as a five-alarm fire for the right, which is why the right has made so much of Trumps Twitter ban over the past week or so. Fox News has spent years railing against Silicon Valleys ostensible bias against conservative voices, even as Big Tech has long bent over backward to accommodate their bad-faith arguments, even as conservative pundits have consistently been among the most frequently followed and shared figures on Twitter and Facebook. The networks objective, as far as I understand it, is simple. The free-flowing dissemination of right-wing misinformation has become one of the GOPs most consistently effective get-out-the-vote apparatuses. The party galvanizes its voters by giving them things to react against; by depicting its ideological opponents as not just wrong, but evil. These arguments are generally misleading, often deliberately inaccurate, and always broadly irresponsible. But they are electorally effective, which is why the right works so hard to ensure uninterrupted access to its various megaphones.

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When Fox News argues that it wants speech to be free, what the network really means is that it wants speech to be cheap, to not cost it anything.

When Fox News argues that it wants speech to be free, what the network really means is that it wants speech to be cheap, to not cost it anything; it wants its pundits and their peers to be free to pollute the public sphere while disclaiming all responsibility for the actions taken by the simps who take their fairy tales to heart. And maybe this is all well and good until a bunch of QAnon maniacs storm the Capitol in order to stop a nonexistent steal. While many of the insurrectionists were directly radicalized by the presidents own statements and a cavalcade of febrile, bigoted internet memes, the conditions were created in part by Fox News. For their decades of cant and nonsense, the presidents reckless enablers in right-wing media share ownership in what happened last Wednesday. And thats why Fox News has found it so difficult to acknowledge that the siege of the Capitol is even a story.

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Fox News would be in a unique position to actually own the coverage of the Capitol siege if it wanted to do so. As the preeminent conservative cable news network, Foxs reporters and hosts are sourced up in the MAGA community in a way that other reporters are not, and they could bring unique and valuable perspectives to the story. While there are individuals at Fox who have tried to cover the Capitol siege honestlythere always arethe networks top personalities have covered it as if the real story is that the left even thinks its a story. On Thursday night, for instance, Ingrahamso exercised this summer over the violent radicals who had purportedly laid waste to Portland, Oregon, and other citiesscoffed at those people who dare to claim that what happened on Jan. 6 was some sort of dangerous attempt to take down the republic instead of a bunch of desperate people who would have been easily handled by a sufficiently staffed Capitol police. Later that night, Ingraham hosted pardoned felon Dinesh DSouza for a segment on how the hate and vitriol that weve seen from the media and Democrats shows that they are the very things they claim to detest.

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What can you do? If Fox News writ large were to admit that something major happened last Wednesday, then it would also have to address its own role in seeding the right with paranoia and hatred. Faced with the consequence of its own dishonesty, the network has chosen to just brush aside the Capitol siege and recommit to the same old cynical bit. In a way, I suppose, Foxs choice isnt actually a choice. The network helped to create the Republican Partys radical, irrational base, and now it is captive to that base, insofar as it will lose their viewership if it stops feeding them the inanities they have come to crave. Since the election, rival cable news networks Newsmax and OANNwhich make Fox News look like CSPANhave been picking off disaffected Fox viewers who think the network betrayed the president by not ceding control of its airwaves to Lin Wood and Sidney Powell. If Fox were to cover the Capitol riot story in a responsible journalistic manner, its likely that even more viewers would defect, and then where would the network be? Perhaps trailing CNN and MSNBC in the ratings, as has already begun to happen.

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On Friday morning, Fox & Friends made much of a secret recording that had been leaked by Project Veritas, the organization headed by the serially unreliable conservative activist James OKeefe, of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey allegedly revealing the companys plans to censor conservative voices on its platform in the near future. (Far from being some nefarious plan to stifle right-wing speech, Dorsey seemed simply to be saying that Twitter plans to continue to enforce its terms of service.) This really goes back to the 75 million people that voted for Trump. And its trying to silence the conservative voice, said co-host Ainsley Earhart. Its very scary as to how this is going to affect you, because theyre trying to shut down voices so that you dont know the full story and you cant make a decision based on truth.

The truest thing Donald Trump ever said was his assertion, in January 2016, that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose a single voter. At the time, the statement read as a bit of vulgar hyperbole from a novelty presidential candidate who, most pundits agreed, had no path to victory in that years general election. Five years later, though, it reads as a canny, cynical, and dead accurate assessment of the true priorities of the replacement-level Republican voter and the media systems that nurture and sustain them. They will justify any right-wing horror in order to avoid reckoning with the consequences of the lies that theyve told and the world that theyve made.
Patna, Jan 17 : In a bid to attract Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) of Bihar origin, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held talks through video conference with members of the Bihar-Jharkhand Association of North America (BJANA).

Nitish invited BJANA members on Saturday evening to visit Bihar and see for themselves what he said was the development undertaken in the state in the last 15 years. He also promised all possible help on land acquisition and other necessary infrastructure development required for setting up new industrial units in Bihar.

The Chief minister said Bihar had come a long way in infrastructure development in the last 15 years with road connectivity to every village and towns with major cities.

"We have achieved the target to reach from any remote place to Patna in six hours and are now working to reduce the time to just five hours. The conversion of two-laned roads into four-laned and four-laned to six-laned ones are underway at many places. Besides, so many new bridges and roads have either been completed or 80 to 90 per cent complete," said Nitish Kumar.

"We had targeted to give electricity to every household in villages under the 'Saat Nischay Part-1' and we achieved it in October 2018. Now, we are facilitating more than 20-hour power supply to them," he said.

"The Bihar government has also achieved 90 per cent target of supplying drinking water under the "Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal" programme as well as "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan" initiative and both these programmes will be completed under the 'Saat Nishchay Part- 2'," the Chief Minister said.

The Bihar government is also working on the tourism sector to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

"We have constructed many eco parks in Patna, Gaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Bhagalpur etc. We inaugurated the 'Venu Van' at Rajgir a few days ago and nature safari, zoo and 'glass walkway' will come up in the next few weeks at Rajgir. Bagaha is another wildlife adventure spot in north Bihar adjoining the Nepal border," Nitish Kumar said.

"In a bid to protect environment, Microsoft founder Bill Gates had given financial support to us in 2019 which immensely helps us to work in this field," Kumar said.

Nitish also asked for suggestions from members of BJANA to improve the situation further in Bihar.

BJANA President Avinash Gupta said he hoped to become a part of the development of Bihar in the coming months. BJANA members Ajay Jha, Sanjay Rai, Ashok Ramsharan, Ajay Singh and Consul General of India in New York, Randhir Jaiswal, were present on the occasion.

Deluded MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who refuses to accept Donald Trump has lost the election, has called for a military coup following his meeting at the White House, where he was seen holding notes about martial law and the Insurrection Act.

Lindell, Trump's informal advisor who was a former crack addict-turned pillow company boss, appeared at the White House Friday afternoon for a brief meeting.

He says that he presented new theories regarding so-called election fraud, and which he has enthusiastically backed despite there being zero evidence to back up the baseless claim.

Lindell spoke about the meeting with Right Side Broadcasting, a conservative media outlet based in Alabama, in a Facebook interview Saturday and admitted he 'hopes' the heavy military presence in Washington DC is a sign Trump will use it to cling to power.

The interviewer said 'people are hoping that this military presence is a response' to election fraud.

'Thats where my hope lies,' Lindell responded.

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has called for a military coup following his meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, where he was seen holding notes about martial law and the Insurrection Act

He appeared at the White House on Friday holding notes referencing martial law and Insurrection Act. He claimed the notes were on behalf of an unnamed attorney he's been working with to 'prove' that Trump really won the presidential election

Watch LIVE: My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell talks with our own Brian Glenn on what REALLY happened yesterday at his meeting at the White House with President Trump. Publiee par Right Side Broadcasting sur Samedi 16 janvier 2021

At least 25,000 National Guardsmen have been deployed to secure the Capitol for Inauguration Day on January 20, as the government braces for further unrest and protests in the wake of the January 6 riot.

In the Capitol seige hundreds of Trump supporters stormed into the Capitol building, disrupting the joint session to certify the election. Some of them were armed, clashed with police and a total of five people were killed.

'I dont understand it. Theres like three people and every other person is a military guy,' Lindell said on the heightened security, which includes troops, non-scalable fences, and barricades.

'If it is all theatrics...I don't know. We've all had our prayers going "Gee maybe somethings gonna be done that this president is willing to say hey weve been attacked by another country cause we have. Our countrys been under attack for a long time,"' he said.

He hinted that Trump could use the military presence for his own advantage, but the National Guard was brought in for the safety of the Inauguration.

In the interview he revealed that in his meeting with Trump he presented what he claims to be new evidence pointing to a stolen election.

'You know Ive been looking down every hole for election fraud since November 4th and about eight or nine days ago this proof came out. 100 percent footprints from the machines of the machine fraud,' Lindell said in the interview.

'I wanted to get it to the president. This is it. This shows that Joe Biden lost: 79 million for Donald Trump and 68 million for Joe Biden,' he added.

The notes mention 'Kraken' lawyer Sidney Powell, as well as other individuals

At least 25,000 National Guardsmen have been deployed to secure the Capitol for Inauguration Day on January 20, as the government braces for further unrest and protests in the wake of the January 6 riot

A view of National Guard troops on January 8 standing watch over the US Capitol

Members of the National Guard patrol the streets on Sunday in Washington DC to guard the area through the January 20 Inauguration

Lindell says Trump was 'intrigued' with his numbers.

'I said I talked to the guy. This is real. I said its got the IP address of the computer that it came out of. It also has the latitude and longitude like over in China this went over there came back and it shows the number of votes flipped. And he was very intrigued looking at it. . . . He goes, yeah like we all knew that right,' Lindell said.

Lindell said he shared his 'proof' of fraud and Trump asked national security advisor Robert OBrien to take him upstars and give information to lawyers, but he left unhappy when lawyers didnt give much reaction to his evidence.

'I left there with a very deflating feeling then all this stuff comes out on the internet because they took pictures outside. Mike Lindell wants this, he wants this  No Mike Lindell wants the truth to be told to everyone in this country and everyone in the world to show this was the biggest election fraud and theft in the history of the world,' he said.

A view of polish clashing with Trump supporters who breached security and entered the Captiol building during the January 6 siege

Speaking on the notes he was snapped holding that stated the 'Insurrection Act' and 'Martial law', he said that note had been given to him by someone else to pass on to the President.

He said those topics were just a few of the thigns he spoke about with the president.

He said one thing from the list of topics that Trump was intruiged by was the suggestion that he could order Facebook and Twitter and Google to reinstate all banned accounts.
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US continues to face very serious problems in trade and economic relations with China

Armenia 1st President: There is a risk of civil war

Scenes of apprehension of Azerbaijani who attacked Armenian in Moscow disseminated on the Internet

Germany, France, Netherlands urge tech giants to test start-up purchases

Armenia 1st President: There has never been such rough dialogue between Armenian and Azeri leaders as there is now

California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development opening office in Yerevan

US Department of State issues statement on detention of Armenian soldiers by Azerbaijani forces

Armenia 1st President says Aliyev is certain that Pashinyan won't win elections and is trying to get all that he can

UN calls for $ 95 million in aid to Palestinians

Twitter is concerned about safety of its employees in India

Artsakh hero: Impotent and perhaps also treacherous authorities of Armenia need to be removed from power immediately

France MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to show maximum restraint

Azerbaijani attacks Russia citizen of Armenian descent in Moscow

Armenia acting MOD provides President with information about capture of Armenian servicemen

Lithuania MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to go to de-escalation of situation and pull out troops

Russian Deputy FM, EU Special Representative discuss situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia acting FM resigns

Acting Deputy FM: Armenia reserves itself the right to take necessary steps to protect its territorial integrity

China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

There will be a delay in the arrival of vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTec in Bahrain, said the Ministry of Health.

The ministry said the vaccine was scheduled to arrive this month but has been postponed to another date.

This is due to delay in production and supply process from the manufacturers side, the ministry statement said.

The pharmaceutical giant earlier said it is reducing the deliveries of its Covid vaccine to the UK and Europe, starting next week, while it upgrades its production capacity.

The upgrades, the company said, will allow it to produce 2 billion vaccine doses per year, up from 1.3 billion currently.

The US company has also warned that estimated volumes of doses delivered to each country may need to be adjusted.

Bahrains Health Ministry said that the rescheduling of the delivery of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses will not disrupt the ongoing inoculation programme.

Bahrain aims to vaccinate all above 18 years of age at the rate of 5,000 people per day, which will be raised to 10,000 at a later stage.

Vaccines will reach a total of 1.4 million people.

The vaccination is available free of charge to all citizens and residents.

The ministry also affirmed that delay will not affect citizens and residents receiving the second dose of the vaccine.

There, however, is no confirmation available on the new delivery schedule.

The company, the ministry said, has informed countries that it has expanded its production and manufacturing of vaccines to cover global demands.

Bahrain was one of the first countries globally to order vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, in line with comprehensive national efforts to combat COVID-19.

Until 9 pm on January 16, 137,159 people have been vaccinated in Bahrain.

Britain has ordered 30m doses of the Pfizer vaccine  enough to vaccinate 15m people  while the EU last week upped its order to 600m doses of the jab.

There is no information available on the number of doses Bahrain has ordered.

Bahrain had also granted emergency-use authorisation for a Chinese vaccine made by Sinopharm.
Jennifer Lopez clapped back at a troll on social media who accused her of having 'tons of Botox',

The two-time Grammy nominee, 51, urged the person in question to 'try spending your time being more positive' and said 'don't spend time trying to bring others down.'

The war of words came after J-Lo flaunted her smooth complexion on Instagram on Friday to promote skincare company JLo Beauty, which launched on January 1 after three years of development.

Promotion: Two-time Grammy nominee Jennifer Lopez flaunted her shiny, unwrinkled complexion on Friday to promote skincare company JLo Beauty, which launched January 1 after three years of development

Many commenters, including Instagram user @suekimstagram, promptly accused the 51-year-old pop diva of having 'tons of Botox.'

'LOL thats just my face! For the 500 millionth time, I have never done Botox or any injectables or surgery!' Jennifer - who boasts 258.9M social media followers - clapped back.

'Get you some JLO BEAUTY and feel beautiful in your own skin! And here is another JLO Beauty secret: try spending your time being more positive, kind and uplifting of others.

'Brows and forehead don't move at all': Many commenters, including Instagram user @suekimstagram, promptly accused the 51-year-old pop diva of having 'tons of Botox'

Jennifer said: 'Try spending your time being more positive, kind and uplifting of others. Don't spend your time trying to bring others down that will keep you youthful and beautiful too!'

'Don't spend your time trying to bring others down that will keep you youthful and beautiful too! Sending you love. #beautyfromtheinsideout #beautyhasnoexpirationdate.'

Lopez credited her 'glowy and gorgeous and tight and yummy' complexion to her $48 'That Limitless Glow' two-piece mask, which she called 'the best mask that I've ever, ever tried.'

'It's better than the SK-IIs,' the In the Morning songstress said in the video.

'It's the best mask that I've ever, ever tried': Lopez credited her 'glowy and gorgeous and tight and yummy' complexion to her $48 'That Limitless Glow' two-piece mask

The In the Morning songstress said in the video: 'It's better than the SK-IIs...This is going to be the top-selling mask in the world'

'This is going to be the top-selling mask in the world. It is fantastic and that ear situation that pulls it up makes all the difference. There's nothing dripping down my face. It's not messy. It's just beautiful.

'Leave it on for 20 minutes and 10 years, I feel like it took 10 years off my face...Talk about the JLo glow. Wow. I think we're ready for the market. We've got to charge $10K a piece for these.'

Last month, Jennifer put her products to the test with her daughter Emme Muniz, 12; as well as her fiance Alex Rodriguez's daughters Natasha, 16; and Ella, 12.

Jennifer added: 'Leave it on for 20 minutes and 10 years, I feel like it took 10 years off my face'

Lopez marveled: 'Talk about the JLo glow. Wow. I think we're ready for the market. We've got to charge $10K a piece for these'

'These are like vitamins for your face': On December 8, the native New Yorker put her products to the test with her daughter Emme Muniz, 12; as well as her fiance Alex Rodriguez's daughters Natasha, 16; and Ella, 12

Following their March 9, 2019 engagement, Lopez and the 45-year-old retired New York Yankee's long-delayed church nuptials have been 'on pause' due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The native New Yorker will next play jilted bride Kat Valdez in Universal Pictures rom-com Marry Me, which finally hits US theaters May 14 and UK theaters June 18.

Oscar nominee Owen Wilson and Colombian crooner Maluma play JLo's two leading men in Kat Coiro's movie, which is based on Bobby Crosby's 2016 graphic novel.

Postponed Valentine's Day release: JLo will next play jilted bride Kat Valdez in Universal Pictures rom-com Marry Me, which finally hits US theaters May 14 and UK theaters June 18
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-18 04:10:20|Editor: huaxia

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National Guard soldiers are seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 14, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Up to 25,000 National Guard members have been authorized for the city to ensure the security of Wednesday's inauguration, transforming the city into what some U.S. media called "a war zone."



WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Sunday expressed concern about possible attacks on the city's residential area as President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration approached.

"I'm not only concerned about other state capitols. I'm also concerned about other parts of Washington, D.C.," Bowser said during an appearance on NBC News' Meet the Press.

National Guard soldiers are seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 14, 2021. U.S. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

The mayor said what has been widely reported by the press was the lockdown on the federal grounds in the city, but the residential area in the nation's capital was also under threat.

Should an attack do happen to harm D.C. residents, Bowser said there is a plan in place to respond. "Our police department, working with our federal law enforcement partners and the United States army, quite frankly, also has a plan to pivot if we have any attacks in our neighborhoods," she said.

National Guard soldiers are seen inside the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 14, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

A man from the neighboring state of Virginia, identified as 31-year-old Wesley Allen Beeler, was arrested Friday in downtown D.C. for carrying a pistol without license, possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition. He was released Saturday on personal recognizance, saying after the release that he made "an honest mistake."

Up to 25,000 National Guard members have been authorized for the city to ensure the security of Wednesday's inauguration, transforming the city into what some U.S. media called "a war zone." 
Sikhs For Justice case: NIA to examine role of many including UK based TV journalist

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 17: The National Investigation Agency has asked several persons including a farmer union leader and a television journalist to appear before it for questioning in connection with the Sikhs For Justice case.

On Saturday, the NIA summoned Baldev Singh Sirsa, the president of the Lok Bhalai Insaf Welfare Society, one of the unions taking part in the talks with the government over the new farm laws for questioning.

The NIA will also question a UK based television journalist working for KTV for questioning. The journalist, Jasveer Singh Muktsar will be questioned on January 18.

Nobeljit Singh, a clothes shop owner from Hoshiarpur, Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu have also been summoned by the NIA for questioning.

The NIA summons is in connection with a case registered against a leader of the proscribed Sikhs for Justice (SJF). Sirsa has been summoned as a witness in the case.

Farmer unions want new members on SC appointed panel

The NIA has asked Sirsa to appear at the agency's headquarters in New Delhi on January 17 at 11 am.

The case was registered against SJF chief, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu for an alleged conspiracy to create an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness and also to cause disaffection in people and to incite them towards rising in rebellion against the government of India.

An NIA source tells OneIndia that they are probing the source of funds to several NGOs in India that were allegedly provided by the SJF. The NIA has prepared a list of such NGOs which have been allegedly receiving funds from pro-Khalistan outfits.

Sirsa is among the several persons who have been issued summons for the purpose of answer questions in the case relating to Pannu.

In its FIR, the NIA had accused Sikhs For Justice and other Khalistan outfits of entering into a conspiracy. Huge funds are being collected abroad for the on-ground propaganda against the government of India. The funds also being used to stage demonstrations outside the Indian missions at UK, Canada and USA.

The funds that were collected are being sent through NGOs to pro-Khalistan elements based in India to undertake acts of terror and create fear in the minds of the people, the NIA's FIR also said.

The SJF leadership has planned large scale disruptive activities aimed at damaging government and private property. They also plan on disrupting supplies and services, the NIA said.

Further the SJF was also accused of incessant social media campaign aimed at radicalising and recruiting impressionable youth to agitate and undertake acts of terror for the creation of a separate Khalistan.

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Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2021, 8:33 [IST]
What could be more unifying, more healing at this terrible moment in our nations history, than a full-throated, bipartisan condemnation of those who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, aiming to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power to the presidential elections certified, decisive winner, and  as is becoming clearer by the day  to bring physical harm or perhaps even worse those who work there?

Particularly when the sentiment comes from high-level law enforcement officials of both parties from nearly every state in the union?

I say nearly, because when the top lawyers from 46 states, the District of Columbia and two territories put their words to paper, a handful abstained. One was Louisianas Jeff Landry.

And so rather than join 50 of his peers, representing states as blue as New York and California and as red as Mississippi and the Dakotas, Landry struck out on his own to send a different message, one that did pay lip service to the horrors of Jan. 6 but that also dripped with false equivalency, veered into avoidance and actually accused his colleagues of politicizing the very situation they were seeking to depoliticize.

Heres the heart of the letter that Landry would not sign, from the National Attorneys General Association to acting U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen: We all just witnessed a very dark day in America. The events of Jan. 6 represent a direct, physical challenge to the rule of law and our democratic republic itself. Together, we will continue to do our part to repair the damage done to institutions and build a more perfect union. As Americans, and those charged with enforcing the law, we must come together to condemn lawless violence, making clear that such actions will not be allowed to go unchecked.

Instead, Landry wrote a letter to his colleagues attempting to shift the emphasis to the summer social justice protests in cities across the country that in some cases led to looting and destruction.

We should all  collectively  decry political violence in whatever shape, form or fashion it arises, Landry wrote. But he said that when widespread looting took place and buildings were set on fire last summer, many of my colleagues, especially those from the other party, sat silent or tacitly approved of the burning.

Now when the same type of outrageous and misplaced violence has occurred, this time right within the heart of our nations government, suddenly some of those same attorneys general want to speak out ... seemingly because they view this violence can be tied to a political party other than their own, Landry wrote.

A few points here: Plenty of Democratic officials did decry the looting of the summer, even as they supported the underlying aims of peaceful protesters. Its possible to walk and chew gum at the same time.

And to say that the situations are comparable is simply absurd. The attempted overthrow of a democratic election, egged on by a president that Landry supports and with help from officials who know better  including him  is a threat well beyond the looting of last summer.

Ironically, Landrys name did appear on the group message, but only in the letterhead as the immediate past president of the AG association. So much for stepping up as a leader among his peers.

The only times Landry has spoken out during this whole sorry, predictably doomed and yet foreseeably dangerous charade, hes made things worse, not better.

When Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate checked, audited, legally upheld and certified results in four states that President-elect Joe Biden won, Landry eagerly joined the frivolous suit, which the high court promptly tossed out.

And so even if Landrys fingerprints werent visible on an appeal by a group linked to the Republican Attorneys General Association encouraging people to attend the rally that led to the attack on the Capitol (Landry denied knowing that the group had sent out a robocall urging participation), hed already done his part to help spread the utter fiction that President Donald Trump did not lose the election fair and square, and that his supporters could change the result.

After the insurrection, he made it clear that he still doesnt get the significance of the events he and many other Republicans helped set in motion, something 50 fellow attorneys general apparently understand.

Or even worse, that he does get it but simply has other priorities.
United Nations, Jan 17 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned an attack against a convoy of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), which resulted in the death of an Egyptian peacekeeper.

Through a statement attributable to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief on Saturday expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family, as well as to the people and government of Egypt, Xinhua news aency.

He wished a speedy and full recovery to the injured peacekeeper.

"The Secretary-General emphasizes that attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime.

"The UN will spare no efforts in supporting the Malian authorities in identifying and promptly bringing to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack," said the statement.

The UN chief reaffirmed the solidarity of the world body with the people and government of Mali, it said.

The Malian government has been seeking to restore stability and rebuild following a series of setbacks since early 2012 that fractured the country, including a failed coup d'etat, renewed fighting between government forces and Tuareg rebels, and the short-lived seizure of its northern territory by radical extremists.

Last week has been deadly for those serving in what is the world's most dangerous peacekeeping operation.

On January 13, four blue helmets from Cote d'Ivoire were killed when their convoy was struck by an improvised explosive device, in the vast Timbuktu region of the restive northwest African nation.

In a press release issued by MINUSMA on Saturday, mission head Mahamat Saleh Annadif said he had "learned with dismay of the explosive device attack", reporting that the Egyptian peacekeeper had succumbed to his injuries during his medical evacuation.

"The second is currently receiving appropriate care," he said.
Police are on the hunt for a knifeman who stabbed a delivery driver to death after attacking another man as they investigate a third slashing on the same road.

Leon Street, 48, was murdered on Neasden Road North near the home he shares with his fiancee in Brent, north west London, on January 11 at about 9.30pm.

Just 10 minutes earlier, another man, 47, was stabbed two streets away. He was taken to hospital and has since been discharged.

And this morning police were called at 9.50am to reports of another stabbing on Neasdon Road North.

The victim, a man believed to be aged in his 30s, was taken to hospital for stab injuries and his condition is unknown.

Leon Street, 48, was murdered near the home he shares with his fiancee in Brent, north west London, on January 11 at about 9.30pm

This morning police were called at 9.50am to reports of another stabbing on Neasdon Road North (pictured)

The victim, a man believed to be aged in his 30s, was taken to hospital for stab injuries and his condition is unknown. Pictured: Police on the scene

Pictured: Police on the scene of the stabbing this morning on Neasden Road North

Police arrested two men, aged 47 and 33, on the January 11 but released them without further action.

The 47-year-old was the victim of the earlier stabbing.

A crime scene remains in place on the road today and no arrests have been made yet.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'At this early stage, officers retain an open mind as to the motive for this incident but are aware of the proximity to two stabbings on 11 January.'

Since those incidents, local officers have been increased patrols in the area and these will continue.

Mr Street, who worked as a delivery drier, was a father and step-grandfather.

Officers attended the scene on Neasden Lane North along with paramedics and found Mr Street suffering stab injuries. Despite the efforts of emergency services, he died at the scene.

The victim's next of kin have been notified and are being supported by specialist officers.

A post-mortem examination held on January 13 gave cause of death as stab injuries to the chest.

Homicide detectives are linking the fatal stabbing to another attack around ten minutes earlier on Neasden Lane near the bus stop close to the junction with Press Road.

The victim was stabbed by a lone male who ran away from the scene. The male victim was taken to hospital for treatment and has since been discharged.

At this stage, detectives believe that both attacks were committed by the same, lone male suspect. They are not releasing a description of the suspect at this time.

Detective Chief Inspector Tom Williams said: 'This is a murder investigation, and I am working with a dedicated team of detectives to get answers for Leon's grieving family.

A crime scene remains in place on the road today (pictured) and no arrests have been made yet

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'At this early stage, officers retain an open mind as to the motive for this incident but are aware of the proximity to two stabbings on 11 January'

Pictured: Police on the scene of the stabbing this morning on Neasden Road North

'We are making progress and following up a number of lines of enquiry, and our investigation is receiving really useful support from local people in and around Neasden.

'However, there are others who may have information that could help us. We may be in lockdown, but there were still people around Neasden Lane North on Monday evening who saw or heard something suspicious. I need those people to come forward.

'In particular, I want to hear from anyone who saw a man running in the Neasden Lane North area between 9pm and 10pm, and indeed from anyone who has seen a man hanging around the area in recent weeks.

'It is my belief that the suspect lives locally, and I am asking local people to get in touch if they know anyone who was acting suspiciously on Monday and in the subsequent days  for instance do you know anyone who has been disposing of clothes or simply seeming agitated for no apparent reason?

'Officers are making extensive CCTV enquiries, and I am confident that together with information from local people, we are piecing together what happened on Monday night.

'If you have information that may assist, please do not delay in making contact with us. Even exceptionally small details could prove extremely significant.'

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting 6783/11JAN.

To remain 100% anonymous please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers_uk.org.
Last Friday, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar repeatedly emphasised at a private virtual meeting with hospitality industry representatives that "the virus keeps ripping up our plans".

The meeting with representatives of the pub, restaurant and hotel sectors was also attended by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Tourism Minister Catherine Martin.

While no commitments were given by the ministers, in reading between the lines of what was being discussed industry sources speaking afterwards outlined their view that it will be beyond Easter and possibly well into the summer, May or June, before any sort of reopening is possible.

The Government does not expect any international tourism in Ireland at all this year and as for the famous wet pubs, if that distinction is to be made, some industry figures believe it could be well into the autumn before they open their doors.

"This will be a very long lockdown," said a government source. "I doubt hospitality will open before summer."

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The meeting was told that Israel, which has vaccinated nearly a quarter of its population, having reportedly paid more than double what the EU did for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, is being closely monitored for the impact the vaccine roll-out is having on infection rates. Early data there shows infection rates dropped by as much as a third among those who received their first dose two weeks previously compared with those who were not vaccinated.

Further financial support was also pledged at the meeting but no specific commitments made. The industry is seeking a doubling of the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme - which currently offers grants of up to 5,000 per month to businesses whose turnover has been hit.

Mr Donohoe was said to have noted that the avoidance of a hard Brexit has freed up some funding that has been set aside. "Just as well we have the ECB printing money," a government source added.

But the immediate priority, according to senior government figures this weekend, is getting schools reopened fully and after that the construction sector. It is hoped both can be done this side of St Patrick's Day, maybe even some time next month, but no one can offer any certainty.

The Government will examine what might be possible the week after next. A senior source outlined three criteria for deciding whether to begin to ease the lockdown: get new case numbers - currently in the thousands - low; reduce the numbers in ICU - close to 200 at present - towards 50; and get high-risk categories vaccinated, which is due to happen by the end of March.

Across Government those who were the most hawkish about getting the economy up and running last year have turned into doves, and view lockdown as necessary for the foreseeable future. Lessons have been learned, even if the mistakes of last November and December have not, controversially, been acknowledged.

This is perhaps also why information and timelines about the vaccine roll-out have been less than forthcoming. No one wants to over-promise and under-deliver. But there is much pressure on Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to provide information.

The Department of Health has begun issuing a daily briefing to TDs carrying the latest statistics and developments with the vaccine, but Fianna Fail TDs have privately complained the information is not good enough.

For example, the official figure for the number of people vaccinated has remained at 77,303 since Wednesday as the HSE is only providing weekly updates.

On Tuesday, Simon Harris implicitly criticised his successor in Health at a private Fine Gael meeting when he criticised the communications around the roll-out plan, saying people were not getting enough information.

He wasn't the only one to voice displeasure at the meeting and on Friday Fine Gael MEP Frances Fitzgerald called for a designated vaccines minister, saying the situation required "political leadership". Donnelly, through a spokesman, has declined to comment on criticism from his coalition colleagues.

He has pledged, on the basis of the current delivery estimates, that we will have enough vaccine doses to inoculate the entire adult population by the end of September, but news of a disruption to the vaccine supply on Friday prompted alarm across the Government.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin was immediately on the phone to Pfizer's Irish chief Paul Reid and senior figures in the European Commission. The pharma giant has since said delivery will only be affected next week.

A Department of Health briefing note says the impact on vaccine roll-out in Ireland will be "modest" and that there will be a significant if unspecified increase from mid-February onwards.

Mr Donnelly's spokesman admitted yesterday: "At this point we only have confirmed delivery schedules of vaccines to the end of February and after that we are working off estimated delivery schedules."

Last week Green Party minister Ossian Smyth produced a widely shared infographic outlining when 14 different cohorts can expect their vaccine doses between now and September. "The central question is when am I going to get vaccinated or when is somebody dear to me getting vaccinated," he said.

That it took a minister of state to produce this on his own highlights the communications difficulties Donnelly and his department are having. Mr Smyth is Minister of State for Public Procurement and eGovernment and is involved in some of the logistics around vaccine roll-out, including the IT systems designed by IBM and Salesforce.

They allow vaccination teams to record those vaccinated and the details of the vaccine administered, as well as setting a date for their second dose.

A customer-facing element of the system is likely to be made available to the public once the vaccine is rolled out to everyone aged over 70, or around 500,000 people, in the coming weeks.

They will be able to log on and reserve an appointment to be vaccinated by inputting personal information. The system will then give them a date and location for vaccination and also calculate when they are due their second dose.

"Most people will be getting them in mass vaccination centres (MVCs) and that is the focus at the moment, similar to the infrastructure there was for testing," Mr Smyth said.

MVCs began operating in Dublin, Galway and Portlaoise yesterday, where 1,800 of the Moderna vaccines were being administered, mostly to GPs.

Eventually when someone turns up at the MVC they will need ID - either a passport, Public Services Card or driver's licence - and the system will allow vaccination teams to verify their identity. "They are not going to give you this medication if they can't tell who you are," Mr Smyth said. "It has to be as easy as possible and as fast as possible."

After the long-term care residents and frontline healthcare workers are vaccinated, the plan is to move to everyone aged 85 and over, followed by 80-84-year-olds, 75-79 and 70-74.

But further down the line, even Mr Smyth, a government minister, is looking for information on the exact definitions of key and essential workers. It is expected that a person designated a key worker for the purposes of the pandemic restrictions, such as politicians or journalists, may not necessarily be deemed essential for vaccination.

Many TDs this week asked for information about whether home helps and family carers will be vaccinated at the same time as the vulnerable person they are caring for.

The HSE has told Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane that HSE-employed home help are considered frontline workers, to be vaccinated in the coming weeks, while family carers are "likely to be considered" as key workers who are in line for vaccinations from April. "They need and deserve certainty," Mr Cullinane said.

The IT system has also encountered teething problems, with Independent TD Cathal Berry, a doctor who has been carrying out vaccinations in nursing homes, saying some officials are unable to input data remotely.

"It's a normal internet browser," he explained. "The core software works from hospitals back to HSE HQ. But remotely it tends to freeze, that's where the problem is."

Vaccinators have instead had to input data in spreadsheets or record the vaccinations with pen and paper.

The expected regulatory approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on January 29 will be a potential game changer for the vaccine roll-out, given it does not require storage at ultra-low temperature.

GPs and pharmacists are expected to administer this en masse. Mr Donnelly has asked officials to examine if it is legally possible to take delivery of the vaccines in advance of the EMA approval so that they are ready to go from January 29.

But the Irish Pharmacy Union's chief executive Darragh O'Loughlin said it still had not been agreed with the HSE when it will begin vaccinating around 3,500 pharmacists and around 12,000 pharmacy staff.

"We do have assurances that pharmacists are included as a key priority group," he said. "We will be working next week to define the operating model for vaccinating pharmacists and pharmacists rolling out vaccinations."

Mr O'Loughlin was clear that roll-out in pharmacies cannot begin until pharmacists had both doses, but claimed they could administer 80,000 a week once this happens.

Professor Karina Butler, the chair of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, acknowledged the next few weeks will not be easy.

"I have seen correspondence from nursing homes that are really cries for help. It's not that anyone is insensitive to this, it is distressing, you really want to give it to everyone," she said. "The whole thing will even out in the long term. That doesn't mean it will make the next few weeks any easier."
Thiago Silva could face disciplinary action from the Premier League for breaking coronavirus protocols by giving his match shirt to a construction worker at Fulham on Saturday.

After Chelsea's 1-0 win at Craven Cottage on Saturday evening, the Brazilian defender threw his match shirt to an individual working on the reconstruction of Fulham's Riverside Stand.

The Premier League released strict new protocols this week to prevent the spread of coronavirus among squads, which included a ban on swapping or giving away match-worn shirts.

Thiago Silva could face disciplinary action for not respecting Covid-19 protocols on Saturday

The Chelsea defender threw his shirt to a construction worker after his side's win at Fulham

Silva played the full 90 minutes at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon before giving away his shirt to the Fulham worker.

Everton winger Richarlison pulled off the same stunt when Carlo Ancelotti's Everton visited Fulham back in November, though the Brazilian did not receive any punishment.

England's top-flight has seen several match postponements this season as certain clubs were unable to field teams due to various coronavirus outbreaks.

New Premier League rules brought in this week say players cannot give away or swap shirts

Everton winger Richarlison pulled off the same stunt when his side played Fulham in November

Fulham, Chelsea's opponents on Saturday, were one of the teams affected by a spike in cases this season as festive fixtures against Tottenham and Burnley in December were postponed.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, have not played since New Year's Day as their training ground remains shut due to a virus outbreak at the start of the month.

Villa's match with Everton, initially planned for Sunday afternoon, was the latest top-flight match to be called off due to health risks posed by coronavirus.

Among the stricter protocols include avoiding 'handshakes, high fives and hugs' during matches in order to limit unnecessary contact.

Fulham are working on developing their Riverside Stand (pictured) during the current season

League rules told players not to celebrate as a team, though some clubs are not following them

Despite the new rules coming into play this week and Premier League chief executive Richard Masters stressing the 'critical importance' to adhere to the regulations, most clubs still chose to celebrate as a team on Saturday and avoided social distancing.

Brighton, West Ham, Wolves, Chelsea and West Brom all celebrated as normal after scoring in their weekend matches, though Leicester's James Maddison chose to respect the rules during the Foxes' match against Southampton on Saturday evening.

The midfielder waved his team-mates away from celebrating with him and shook their hands from a distance after opening the scoring at the King Power Stadium.
Though its a constitutionally mandated affair, dating back to George Washington, Inauguration Day typically looks a lot more like a music festival than a stuffy ceremony. Members of the public pack the National Mall while marching bands parade, flags billow in the crisp January air and fireworks light up the D.C. sky.

On Wednesday, President-Elect Biden will solemnly swear to faithfully execute the Office of President, just like 44 other presidents have before him, placing his left hand on his century-old family bible  only hell be looking out on a sea of green: an empty National Mall.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat of additional violence following the insurrection at the Capitol, Americans are being asked to stay home and celebrate virtually, with attendance limited just to Congress. For New Jersey political groups who would have bussed down to D.C., the watch-from-home inauguration is a blow.

Its sad, Kay LiCausi, co-chair of Pams List, a PAC founded by female Democrats, told NJ Advance Media. My heart hurts over the fact that we cant be there to witness history in person.

Yet, Democrats are still coordinating virtual events and celebrations for Wednesday, looking for ways to commemorate Bidens and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harriss history-making inauguration.

Since we cant go to D.C., and we cant be together, I didnt want to sit by myself and watch it, LiCausi said.

LiCausi helped organize an inaugural watch party for her network of politically-minded New Jersey women, many of whom she said would have traveled to D.C. in a heartbeat for the event.

Instead, theyll come together on Zoom where Lt. Governor Shiela Oliver will address the group, watch the inauguration together and share in the spirit of the day. The Zoom link comes with a suggested donation of $10 which will go to Run Sister Run, a program that trains Black women to run for office, to honor the groups pivotal role in the 2020 election.

In past years, members of Democratic clubs across the state would be clinking champagne glasses in a fellow members home or watching live from the nations capital.

On Wednesday, Hunterdon County Democrats will also tune in over Zoom while encouraging members to participate in community service leading up to the inauguration in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Karen Becker, Hunterdon Countys Democratic State Committee Member, said in January 2017 she and her members were curling up in the fetal position as Trump took the oath, but now, the moment Becker and many Democrats waited four years for is disappointingly anti-climactic.

That disappointment, however, doesnt eclipse the joy many New Jersey women feel in seeing America swear in its first female vice president.

The feeling of pride we have for the first woman to have broken the glass ceiling  I am just beyond excited to have a woman vice-president, LiCausi said. I think that is the start of a new day for America. We need healing in this country, and I think it will start on Day 1.

In lieu of the typical inauguration-viewing school assembly, Green Brook resident Kimberly Hollifield-Kuhlken plans to have her kids log off from school early. She said she wants her 9 and 11-year-old to witness the first female, Black and Asian American person take the vice-presidents oath of office and thinks inauguration doubles as a civics lesson.

Its important to me to have my kids witness one of the rituals most important to our country  the swearing in of the peoples choice for President and the peaceful transition of power, Hollifield-Kuhlken told NJ Advance Media.

At the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, a Princeton-based non-profit, organizers are expecting hundreds or even thousands of participants to Zoom in to their special inauguration edition of the Social Justice Power Hour.

Hosted every weeknight at 7 p.m., the show averages 500 people tuning in live with numbers multiplying for special shows. Intended to offer community through unfiltered and meaningful conversation, past hours have featured guests like actor Billy Porter, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and comedian Patton Oswalt.

For the Centers Inauguration Day Special, organizers are expecting Ilyse Hogue, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, The New Yorker Staff Writer Adam Gopnik and Studio 360 Host Kurt Andersen, to celebrate and discuss the incoming Biden Administration.

As the wonderful Nina Simone said, its a new dawn its a new day, Chief Activist Robt Seda-Schreiber told NJ Advance Media. So, were looking very much forward to a new promise for our nation, for the world and for our communities to be able to come together and feel safer, more respected, more recognized, more seen and more loved.

Seda-Schreiber said he wants to provide space for people to let out a collective sigh of relief as well as charge them to action.

Its not like President Biden and Vice President Harris are going to wave a magic wand and everythings going to go away, Seda-Schreiber said. And its not like theyre going to be looking out for all of our communities all at once or even maybe in the best way possible, so we have to keep them on their toes, as it were.

He added: We have to watch out and say, Hey, were watching, were here. We support you, were so glad for this new time, but we also have to make sure were looking out for each other.

Whatever form Wednesdays celebrations take for New Jerseys liberals, seeing Biden assume the presidency after violent rioters conspired to overturn the election will offer many a balm for whats already been a turbulent year, Becker said.

What everyone should embrace is our democracy, and I think after what we witnessed last week, that should be our main concern: that we have a peaceful transfer of power and that we embrace the election results, Becker said.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Josh Axelrod may be reached at jaxelrod@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
Republic Media Network rejects the allegations of the Government of Pakistan against Arnab Goswami.

Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of the Republic Media Network has over a decade and a half, as Indias leading Television journalist exposed, every sinister design, and evil intention of the Government of Pakistan and the ISI.

Mr. Goswami personally, and the Republic Media network was the first to expose Pakistan, after the Pulwama attack. Mr. Goswami and the Republic Media Network through investigative reports, sting operations, hard-hitting, and factual exposes brought before the entire world the reality of Pakistans sponsorship, support, and patronage to terrorist groups. The Republic Media Network had also produced proof of the Balakot strike on 6 March 2019 which had deeply embarrassed the Pakistan state machinery and its intelligence apparatus. The statement of the Government of Pakistan against Indias leading news network -- the Republic Media Network is proof of the deep-conspiracy of anti-India and anti-national forces against Republic Media Network and its Editor-in-Chief Mr. Arnab Goswami.

The desperation with which the Government of Pakistan has attacked the Republic Media Network in an open forum today, also lays bare the involvement of anti-India forces in the conspiracy behind the Republic Media Network. As the days pass, we will expose this conspiracy and the involvement of people who are working against national interest. The Republic Media Network thanks millions of its supporters from India and across the world.

We also urge the Congress party to stop working in tandem with the Government of Pakistan, consciously or unconsciously, to spread lies against Indias interests.



Satyamev Jayate. Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Jai Hind!
Kolkata: The health condition of a 35- year-old nurse, who fell ill here following the administration of COVID-19 vaccine, is currently stable, and a medical board of experts has been formed to find out why she fainted after taking the shot, a senior official said on Sunday. The health department official, who is also a prominent doctor, said the experts are examining her condition as of now, and the analysis might take some time.

"She is is stable. We have formed a board of experts to take care of the treatment procedure. Let's see how quickly we can analyse the reason behind her illness and come up with a solution. As of now, she is responding well to the treatment," the official told PTI. The health department is also consulting vaccine expert Dr Shantunu Tripathy, who was earlier associated with School of Tropical Medicine, he said.

Asked if there was any underlying cause, the official said, "No one can say anything for sure as of now. Experts are examining her condition. We have found out that the woman suffers from chronic Asthma and is hypersensitive to a number of drugs."

The nurse was on Saturday admitted to the critical care unit (CCU) of Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital here as she complained of uneasiness and fainted shortly after taking the shot, during the nationwide vaccination programme. "We checked on her this morning and found that all her vital health parameters are normal. Her blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels are also fine. Oxygen support has been removed for the time being. We will soon decide on the next course of action," the senior official said.

Thirteen other 'Adverse Event Following Immunisation' (AEFI) cases have also been reported from various parts of the state but "none of those were serious", the state health department said. "All these vaccine recipients showed minor side effects like increased blood pressure and feverish feeling.

They were discharged after preliminary treatment. Our doctors in respective districts are keeping a tab on their health condition and will take a call as per the demand of the situation," the official said. AEFI is any untoward medical occurrence following immunisation and might not have any relation with the vaccination process, officials said.

Of the 14 AEFI cases in Bengal, three are from Murshidabad district and two from Kolkata.

.
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Mumbai:

Twenty-four years after the 1993 serial blasts that rocked Mumbai claiming 257 lives and injuring over 700 people, a special TADA court on Friday convicted six persons and acquitted one in the second leg of the trial in the case.

Several conspirators and masterminds of the worst terror attack on the country including underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, his right-hand man Chhota Shakeel and late Yakub Memons elder brother Tiger Memon are still absconding and are believed to be sheltered in Pakistan.

Yakub, the lone condemned convict in the case, had been hanged in Nagpur jail in 2015.

Following is the detailed role of the six convicts in the case, whose trial was separated from the main one, which concluded in 2007.

Read more: 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case: Timeline of attack and trial

Abu Salem: He went to Baruch in Gujarat in January 1993 along with an absconding accused for receiving arms, explosives and ammunitions. He got nine AK-56 rifles, 100 hand grenades and some bullets from Baruch in Gujarat and transported them to Mumbai by concealing them in fake cavities of a Maruti Van which was allegedly given to him by accused Riyaz Siddiqui.

Salem also delivered (along with two others) some arms and ammunitions to Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt at his residence on January 16, 1993 and took back some of them two days later.

On August 13, 2013, TADA court let CBI drop some charges against Salem as per an extradition treaty between India and Portugal. His another application to marry a 26-year-old woman is pending with the court.

Also Read: Dawood Ibrahim's aide and music icon Gulshan Kumar's murder convict Daud Merchant to be extradited to India

Mustafa Dossa: One of the masterminds of the March 12, 1993 serial terror blasts, he smuggled firearms, ammunitions, detonators, hand grenades and highly explosive substances like RDX into India.

Dossa along with Tiger Memon and Chhota Shakeel organized training camps in Pakistan and in India to impart and undergo weapon and arms training and handling of explosives. They also sent men from India to Pakistan via Dubai for arms training. He also attended many conspiracy meetings.

Tahir Merchant alias Taher Taklya: He attended conspiracy meetings in Dubai and motivated his associates to arrange men from Mumbai to be sent to Pakistan for arms training. He collected funds to procure arms and planned to set up an illegal arms manufacturing factory in India.

Riyaz Siddiqui: He arranged for a van with specially-crafted secret cavities, which had been used for transporting 9 AK-56 rifles, 100 hand grenades and some boxes of magazines from the godown at Baruch to Mumbai.

Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan: On January 8, 1993, two months ahead of the blasts, Mohammed Dossa (absconding brother of Mustafa Dossa) sent Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan and another accused to Alibagh and Mhasla to inform Customs officials and landing agents about the landing (of arms and explosives) that was to take place the next day. He also attended conspiracy meetings.

During the fag end of the trial, in May last year, he sought to become an approver. However, the court rejected his plea after the CBI told the court that it has enough evidence against all the accused and they dont need any approval.

Also Read: Bangladesh releases Dawood Ibrahims top aide, accused of killing Bollywood music baron Gulshan Kumar

Karimulla Khan: Karimullah attended conspiracy meetings. He also played an active role in the landing of consignments comprising arms, ammunitions, detonators, hand grenades and RDX that took place in Shekhandi in Raigad Maharashtra ahead of the blasts. According to the prosecution, Karimulla had informed another accused that he was going to Pakistan for arms training via Dubai.

One accused Abdul Qayyum, was let off for want of evidence against him.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Geneva, Jan 17 : A senior UN official announced that the Libyan delegations reached an agreement on a recommended selection mechanism for a new temporary executive authority.

Stephanie Williams, Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), told a press conference here on Saturday that the selection mechanism will be provided for voting on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

The 18 members of the newly established Libyan Political Dialogue Forum's Advisory Committee met here at UN's Geneva headquarters from January 13-16, in an effort to overcome the deadlock on the mechanism for the selection mechanism for the country's temporary executive authority.

"I believe this decision reached today is the best possible compromise, as this proposal respects the regional dimension, and it indeed encourages people to work across the divide and across regions, in order to strengthen understanding and to build unity in the country," Williams said at the press conference.

She told reporters that on Monday, the UNSMIL will call upon the Libyan Political Dialogue members to vote on the proposed mechanism.

The vote will be conducted over a 24-hour period, and the result will be announced on Tuesday.

The UN official also stressed that after the forming of the temporary executive authority, general elections will be held in the country on December 24, and the executive authority will be replaced by a permanent, democratically elected government.

Libya's eastern-based army and its UN-backed government fought for more than a year in and around the capital Tripoli before the conflicts ended last June.

On October 23, 2020, Libyan delegations in Geneva signed a UN-sponsored permanent ceasefire agreement.

At a meeting held last November in Tunisia, 75 representatives of the social and political spectrum of the Libyan society agreed to hold the general elections this year.
China on Saturday finished a five-day construction project on a 1,500-room hospital as clusters of COVID-19 spread in Beijing and the surrounding provinces.

The state of play: The facility is the one of six hospitals with a total of 6,500 rooms in the works in Nangong, the Xinhua News Agency said Saturday per AP reporting. They are all expected to be completed next week.

China reportedly put roughly 28 million people on lockdown this week in the the Hebei provincial capital of Shijiazhuang.

By the numbers: China has reached a 10-month high for COVID cases and on Friday reported 168 cases.

Yes, but: The numbers remain far below the infection levels the nation saw last February, when China reached a record high of approximately 15,000 daily cases.

The numbers remain far below the infection levels the nation saw last February, when China reached a record high of approximately 15,000 daily cases. The country has reported more than 97,000 cases and over 4,700 deaths as of Saturday, according to Johns Hopkins university data.

It remains possible that China  the site of the original coronavirus outbreak  has been underreporting its cases.

What they're saying: The Chinese government has blamed the surge on food imports and travelers visiting the country.

The new cases "are all imported from abroad. It was caused by entry personnel or contaminated cold chain imported goods," the National Health Commission said in a statement, per AP.

The big picture: The WHO agreed last May to a call from over 110 countries to lead an independent review of the global coronavirus response after China backed the move following clashes with Australia, which had earlier advocated for a sweeping inquiry.

Go deeper... Timeline: The early days of China's coronavirus outbreak and cover-up
COVID-19 origin: Either it is emerged naturally or it was laboratory accident, says US Intel community

Norway vaccine tragedy: Death toll reaches 29

International

oi-Briti Roy Barman

Oslo, Jan 17: The number of people above age 75 with serious underlying health conditions who died after taking vaccines for Covid-19 in Norway went up to 29 on Saturday.

The Scandinavian country, which has inoculated more than 25,000 people since the vaccination drive began on December 27 last year, has confirmed the deaths.

Earlier, the age group thought to be in the danger zone was above 80, but the fresh six deaths on Saturday further lowered it to 75 and also raised questions over which groups to target in national inoculation programme.

The vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech was the only one available in Norway until Friday, and "all deaths are thus linked to this vaccine," the Norwegian Medicines Agency said.

The NMA wrote to news agency Bloomberg and confirmed that while most people have experienced the expected side effects of the vaccine, 13 deaths have been assessed and another 16 are being looked at for having been caused due to it. "There are 13 deaths that have been assessed, and we are aware of another 16 deaths that are currently being assessed," the agency said, adding that all the reported deaths related to "elderly people with serious basic disorders".

The side effects being seen in most people are nausea and vomiting, fever, local reactions at the injection site, and worsening of their underlying condition.

Pfizer has said it is investigating the deaths along with BioNTech and the NIPH and the agency has found that "the number of incidents so far is not alarming, and in line with expectations."

Norway, however, has not said that younger, healthier people should avoid being vaccinated.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2021, 12:58 [IST]
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The Nigerian Government has ordered the closure of the headquarters of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in Abuja.

The spokesperson of the agency, Kayode Adegoke, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

This directive was issued by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, the statement said.

New centres

Meanwhile, the NIMC will open 20 locations in the Federal Capital Territory to help reduce the crowd gathering at the commissions headquarters to obtain their National Identity Numbers.

According to the statement, 20 centres were reactivated within the FCT to make the process of NIN enrolment much easier for applicants effective Monday, January 18, 2021.

It advised residents and visitors to the FCT wishing to enroll for NIN to use any of the 20 NIMC centres.

Background

The Federal Government had ordered telecommunications companies to deactivate the telephone lines of subscribers who failed to link their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) with valid NINs.

It had given subscribers with NINs till January 19 to link their NINs with their SIM cards, while subscribers without NINs have until February 9 to do so.

The new centres are listed below:

2nd Floor, Block C, No 4 Maputo Street, Zone 3, Wuse, Abuja, Abaji Secretariat Complex, Legislative Section Abaji, AMAC Secretariat Annex, Kabusa Junction Apo,.

Area Council Complex Bwari, CIPB Building (Old Secretariat), Gwagwalada, Kwali Council Secretariat, Kwali, Opposite Forest Pasali, Along Kuje/Gwagwalada Road.

Beside Diamond Bank, Building Materials International Market. Dutse Alhaji, FHA/Waterboard Beside Police Station Off 3rd Avenue, By Police Signboard, Close to Lugbe Market, Airport Road.

AEDC Office, before Emir Palace, Women Development Secretariat, Karshi, Kenuj Angles Schools, Jikwoyi Phase 1 Extension, Chief Palace, Kurudu.

Beside Custom Clinic, Karu Site, NIPOST, Opposite General Hospital, Phase 4, Kubwa, Ibro Hotel 34-36 Sokode Street Wuse 2, Afritech multi Concept Gwandal plaza adjacent EFCC Wuse 2No 8, Nairobi Street, Wuse 2, Abuja
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In an open letter to Narendra Modi, they said that for 'reasons of probity and adherence to standards of public accountability', it is necessary that the financial details of receipts and expenditures be made available

New Delhi: A group of 100 former civil servants wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday raising questions over transparency in the PM-CARES Fund.

They said it is necessary that, for reasons of probity and adherence to standards of public accountability, the financial details of receipts and expenditures be made available in order to avoid doubts of wrongdoing.

"We have been keenly following the ongoing debate about the Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations, or 'PM-CARES',  a fund created for the benefit of people affected by the COVID pandemic. Both the purpose for which it has been created as well as the way it has been administered have left a number of questions unanswered," they said in the letter.

"It is essential that the position and stature of the Prime Minister are kept intact by ensuring total transparency in all dealings the Prime Minister is associated with," they said.

The letter was signed by former IAS officers Anita Agnihotri, SP Ambrose, Sharad Behar, Sajjad Hassan, Harsh Mander, P Joy Oommen, Aruna Roy, former diplomats Madhu Bhaduri, K P Fabian, Deb Mukharji, Sujatha Singh and former IPS officers A S Dulat, PGJ Nampoothiri and Julio Ribeiro among others.

In March last year, the Centre set up the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) Fund with the primary objective to deal with any kind of emergency situation like the one currently posed by the COVID-19 outbreak and provide relief to those affected.
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At least two crew members have died and six remain unaccounted for after a Ukrainian-owned cargo ship sank in bad weather in the Black Sea off Turkey.

A Ukrainian government spokesman on January 17 said that five people have been rescued and two bodies have been recovered from the wreck of the bulk carrier Arvin, which is registered under the flag of the country of Palau.

The ship was heading for Bulgaria from Georgia when it sank, officials said. The Black Sea region has been hit by heavy rains, snow, and strong winds in recent days.

Reports differed on the number of people aboard the ship when it sank. Russias Interfax news agency said 12 people were aboard, including two Russians, while a Turkish official put the number at 13.

Sinan Guner, governor of northern Turkey's Bartin Province, said five seamen had been rescued. He added that weather conditions were hampering rescue efforts.

"There are high waves, and because of the waves the [rescue] boat can't see its surroundings. We are trying to reach them with directions from the shore," Guner was cited as saying by Turkish news agencies.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko told AFP that the ship was owned by a Ukrainian firm. He tweeted that five Ukrainians and one "foreigner" had been rescued so far and were hospitalized in satisfactory condition.

Tensions remain high in the strategic region. Moscows 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea has not been recognized by a vast majority of nations and has led to U.S. and EU sanctions against Russia.

With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, and Interfax
Centenarian Negi, one of the oldest in Himachal cast vote Image Source: IANS News

Centenarian Negi, one of the oldest in Himachal cast vote Image Source: IANS News

Shimla, Jan 17 : Braving extreme cold, Shyam Saran Negi - believed to be India's oldest voter at 103 years of age, who also participated in the 1951-52 general election which was the country's first - cast his ballot on Sunday at Kalpa in the high Himalayas in the first phase of Panchayati Raj polls in Himachal Pradesh.

"I have never missed an opportunity to vote and I am happy to vote in this election," Negi said in Kalpa, some 275 kms from the state capital, after casting the vote.

He requested youth voters to always take part in the democratic exercise.

A staunch believer in democracy, the centenarian never fails to cast his vote in any election, be it Lok Sabha, Assembly or panchayat.

In 1951, Negi, a retired schoolteacher, was on an election duty and exercised his franchise in Chini constituency - later renamed Kinnaur.

At that time, voting in the snow-bound areas of the mountain state was held ahead of other places in the country.

Negi was accorded a warm welcome by Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa at the snow-marooned polling booth that was set up 400 metres away from his home.

"Negi is believed to be the oldest voter in India. It is momentous occasion that he came all the way from his house on foot to reach the polling booth without any assistance to cast his vote. After casting the vote, he explained why it's important to vote," Bairwa told the media.

He said the local authorities felt elated by getting an opportunity to meet him.

Negi came to the polling station along with his grandson and other family members. He flashed his inked wrinkled finger after voting.

Over 1,200 panchayats are going to polls in the first of the three-phase Panchayati Raj elections in the state.

The remaining two phases are slated for January 19 and 21.



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Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size As Donald Trump's aides packed boxes for the President's final withdrawal from the White House, one of the last men he ever appointed to an important government job released a statement on Friday, January 15, local time, to say that his mission had been accomplished: the US had withdrawn all but 2500 troops from Afghanistan, the lowest number of American boots on the ground in 20 years. "This drawdown brings US forces in the country to their lowest levels since 2001," said acting defence secretary Christopher Miller. Warming up in his missive of self-congratulation, he also said "the United States is closer than ever to ending nearly two decades of war and welcoming in an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process to achieve a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire". It's a pretty thought but nothing attempted in Afghanistan in several decades has achieved peace, and many fear this new withdrawal will only make things worse. It's slightly later than planned. Trump had ordered the troops home for Christmas, to the open dismay of his generals and Republican colleagues, and he'd had to dismiss his previous defence secretary Mark Esper on November 10 to get it done. Trump's decision to pull the troops prompted Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, still then loyal to the President and not yet acknowledging Democrat Joe Biden's victory, to push back. "A rapid withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan now would hurt our allies and delight the people who wish us harm," McConnell told his fellow senators. "It would be reminiscent of the humiliating American departure from Saigon in 1975." United States soldiers and their allies in the "war on terror"have been fighting in Afghanistan for almost 20 years. It has become the longest war in US history, characterised by Trump and many of his supporters as an "endless" or "forever war" that he pledged to end.

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Australia's military engagement in Afghanistan, as part of Operation Slipper, lasted 13 years and was also the longest in our nation's history. It ended in 2014, in the words of then prime minister Tony Abbott, "not with victory, not with defeat, but with, we hope, an Afghanistan that is better for our presence here". That hope has been put to the test in the years since by investigations into the conduct of Australian special forces (which did the bulk of this country's fighting in Afghanistan) culminating in the publication of the Brereton report in 2020, which found that 19 current or former special forces soldiers should face criminal investigation over 39 alleged murders of non-combatants. Why has a country that was once a stop on the hippie trail and inspiration for the Lonely Planet guide books come to be defined by war and terrorism? How did troops of the US-led coalition end up being there for decades? Did the CIA create the Taliban? And what might the future hold for Afghans? A depiction by army surgeon James Atkinson of British troops entering Afghanistan through the Bolan Pass in 1839. They were massacred in a retreat through the Khyber Pass three years later. Credit:Getty Images Is Afghanistan really "the graveyard of empires"? The one thing everyone knows about Afghanistan is that it cannot be conquered. As this story goes, every army since Alexander the Greats in 330BC has had to leave in defeat. The British, who fought three wars in Afghanistan between 1838 and 1919, did much to popularise the idea of it as inhospitable and unattainable. (Britain lost the first war but the other two could be called draws.) When Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes meets Dr Watson for the first time, he remarks "you have been in Afghanistan, I perceive" and later Watson recalls seeing "comrades hacked to pieces at [the 1880 battle of] Maiwand". In his poem The Young British Soldier, Rudyard Kipling had the last grim word:

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When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,

And the women come out to cut up what remains,

Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains

An' go to your Gawd like a soldier. British diplomat Major Sir Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari (second from left) was set to take up the post of British envoy in Kabul when the British residency came under attack in 1879 and he was killed, leading the British to resume war in Afghanistan. Credit:Getty Images Three things should be said about this account. Firstly, while travellers and mapmakers had for centuries talked about "the land of Afghans", or Afghanistan in Persian, there wasn't a country called Afghanistan until the 18th century. Secondly, by that time the area had been conquered repeatedly by Persians, Arabs, Mongols and Indians  peoples whose history is not always closely studied in the West. Thirdly, and most importantly, Afghanistan is a place on the edge of every place, a landlocked crossroads at the easternmost limits of the Middle East, the westernmost limits of the Far East, the northernmost limits of South Asia and the southernmost limits of Central Asia. Empires haven't been killed there, but they have often found the end of their reach. This has meant that, again and again, they have sought controlling influence over Afghanistan's affairs without having to rule there, or as Britain's viceroy in India, Lord Curzon, put it in 1906: "We do not want to occupy it, but we also cannot afford to see it occupied by our foes." What about the people who live there?

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"As an Afghan you are always more than one thing: your kin, your tribe, your ethnicity and the place you were born ... As a foreigner, you can never truly understand what it means to be an Afghan." So wrote Abdul Salam Zaeef, one of the founders of the Taliban (on whom more later). At a crossroads, one often encounters a kaleidoscope of people, and Afghanistan has long been home not only to Pashtuns such as Zaeef (once the only people the name "Afghans" referred to) but also Persian-speaking Tajiks and Hazaras, Turkic-speaking Uzbeks and at least a dozen other ethnic groups. Its remoteness also gave it allure for Western travellers. In 1955, to promote its new line of go-anywhere jeeps, Land Rover sponsored the Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition, which saw graduates travel overland from Europe along the long-defunct Silk Road. They were supplied with film to record their journey by a young producer at the BBC, David Attenborough. A hippie family in Afghanistan in 1971. Credit:Getty Images Programs such as the ones created from their footage and books such as Eric Newby's A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush  a mountain range that runs through Afghanistan  inspired waves of young people to set off on a quest to the "mystic East". Eventually this would become the "hippie trail", featuring the hashish Afghans had always grown and smoked. One visitor particularly awestruck by the country's cities, mountains and wilderness was Tony Wheeler. He and his wife Maureen drove across Afghanistan en route from London to Sydney and wrote a booklet about the journey, Across Asia on the Cheap, that effectively founded the Lonely Planet publishing empire.

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In the '60s and early '70s visitors would have found traditional rural societies as well as cities where young Afghans wrestled with modernity in all its forms, from Marxism to the miniskirt. Indeed, it is said that when short-lived national security adviser HR McMaster wanted to convince Trump that the country was not irredeemable and that troops should be kept there, he showed him a photo of three miniskirted students on a Kabul street in 1972. There was one other constant in Afghan life: Islam. For the hippies it would have been part of the exotic furniture. But as the 1970s progressed and conflict and dictatorship reared their heads, for many Afghans it became the last safe space for political activity. US president Ronald Reagan meets an Afghan delegation at the White House in 1983. While Reagan would later receive mujahideen leaders at the White House, only one of the Afghans seen here is a combatant - Mohammad Ghafoor Yousafzai, third from right. Credit:Wikimedia Commons Why did the Americans get interested? When we look at a map today, Afghanistan is bordered to the north by a number of other Central Asian stans. But for most of the 20th century those republics were part of the Soviet Union, ruled from Moscow. Just as the British in India had kept a nervous eye on the Russian Empire during the 19th century in what became known as The Great Game, after World War II the US saw Afghanistan through the lens of its Cold War domino theory, where the fall of one country to communism would mean the same for its neighbours. By the late 1970s, despite investment by Washington in agriculture, schools and power plants, Moscow had the upper hand, and in 1978 a coup brought communists to power in Kabul. Their efforts to supplant tribal authority and enact land reform provoked resistance. At first Moscow refused to become directly involved but, after a second coup in September 1979, Soviet troops entered Afghanistan to install a loyal government, closing the border and forcing hippie travellers to make a detour. The Soviet invasion presented Washington with an opportunity to create a Vietnam-like quagmire for Moscow. US president Jimmy Carter had already begun covertly funding anti-communist militants in Afghanistan through the CIAs Operation Cyclone. The invasion prompted the US-led boycott of the Moscow Olympics. Under Carters successor, Ronald Reagan, Cyclones budget would grow from hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions of dollars a year, and those doing the fighting against the Russians would bring a new word into the English lexicon: mujahideen.

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The export of coffee declined in both volume and value last year due to certain difficulties that are forecast to linger on for the time to come, insiders have said.





Nguyen Viet Hai, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Coffee - Cocoa Association (Vicofa), told a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on January 15 that in the 2019 - 2020 crop, 1.61 million tonnes of the bean was shipped abroad at the average price of 1,740 USD per tonne, bringing home 2.8 billion USD.

The figures respectively fell 5 percent, 0.4 percent, and 5.3 percent from the previous crop.

The export volume of processed coffee (roasted and ground coffee, instant coffee) dropped by over 17 percent to 110,000 tonnes, resulting a fall of 8.7 percent in value to more than 443 million USD, he pointed out.

Hai noted coffee prices remain unstable, leading to a plunge in the purchase of the produce from farmers in the 2020 - 2021 crop. Fresh coffee is currently priced at 6.7 million - 6.9 million VND (about 289 - 298 USD) per tonne and coffee bean, 32 million - 32.5 million VND per tones, which has continued exposing farmers to difficulties.

Vicofa Chairman Luong Van Tu cited experts as forecasting that the coffee market may recover in the time ahead but very slowly because the COVID-19 pandemic remains complicated and many regions around the world have yet to resume tourism activities. Domestic consumption still falls short of expectations as many coffee shops have had to shut down due to the lack of customers.

Meanwhile, coffee production has also endured impact of storms, climate change, ageing trees, he added.

Facing that fact, Vicofa will carry out some programmes to improve the sectors efficiency, Tu said, elaborating that it will step up coffee re-cultivation, increase support to help businesses capitalise on export chances under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and boost the export of processed coffee for higher value.

Efforts will also be augmented to stimulate domestic demand to overcome the current trying time, he said.

For his part, Thai Nhu Hiep, Director of the Vinh Hiep Coffee Company, held that Vietnam now has a number of opportunities to expand its presence in major markets like the EU, Japan, and the Republic of Korea thanks to FTAs.

However, he noted, to make use of those chances, the coffee sector needs to standardise farming, harvesting, and processing and ensure quality and food safety meets importers requirements.

In the domestic market, specific quality standards are also necessary to differentiate coffee and coffee products added with other farm produce in order to promote fair competition and a true coffee culture, according to Hiep.

VNA
In a bid to attract Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) of Bihar origin, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held talks through video conference with members of the Bihar-Jharkhand Association of North America (BJANA).

Nitish invited BJANA members on Saturday evening to visit Bihar and see for themselves what he said was the development undertaken in the state in the last 15 years. He also promised all possible help on land acquisition and other necessary infrastructure development required for setting up new industrial units in Bihar.

The Chief Minister said Bihar had come a long way in infrastructure development in the last 15 years with road connectivity to every village and towns with major cities.

"We have achieved the target to reach from any remote place to Patna in six hours and are now working to reduce the time to just five hours. The conversion of two-laned roads into four-laned and four-laned to six-laned ones are underway at many places. Besides, so many new bridges and roads have either been completed or 80 to 90 per cent complete," said Nitish Kumar.

"We had targeted to give electricity to every household in villages under the 'Saat Nischay Part-1' and we achieved it in October 2018. Now, we are facilitating more than 20-hour power supply to them," he said.

"The Bihar government has also achieved 90 per cent target of supplying drinking water under the "Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal" programme as well as "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan" initiative and both these programmes will be completed under the 'Saat Nishchay Part- 2'," the Chief Minister said.

The Bihar government is also working in the tourism sector to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

"We have constructed many eco-parks in Patna, Gaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Bhagalpur etc. We inaugurated the 'Venu Van' at Rajgir a few days ago and nature safari, zoo and 'glass walkway' will come up in the next few weeks at Rajgir. Bagaha is another wildlife adventure spot in north Bihar adjoining the Nepal border," Nitish Kumar said.

"In a bid to protect the environment, Microsoft founder Bill Gates had given financial support to us in 2019 which immensely helps us to work in this field," Kumar said.

Nitish also asked for suggestions from members of BJANA to improve the situation further in Bihar.

BJANA President Avinash Gupta said he hoped to become a part of the development of Bihar in the coming months. BJANA members Ajay Jha, Sanjay Rai, Ashok Ramsharan, Ajay Singh and Consul General of India in New York, Randhir Jaiswal, were present on the occasion.
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National eyes on Colorado River  but local reporters got there first
General Assembly members from both political parties know perfectly well what needs to be done about dark money in Ohio politics: Identify the people behind it. Then, the source of that money will no longer be dark but rather transparent, for all Ohioans to see and know.

But, because some of those dark dollars -- often, dark millions of dollars -- end up greasing policies key lawmakers want, the Ohio legislature has shown no appetite to do anything about it.

That needs to change.

House Bill 6 -- the nuclear bailout law whose 2019 passage was allegedly underwritten by $60 million in dark money -- is Exhibit A for why this is critical. If it werent for federal criminal charges, Ohioans would still be in the dark.

But HB 6 is only the leading edge of a far more pervasive system of hidden influence-peddling.

Reporting by cleveland.coms John Caniglia shows how FirstEnergy Corp., which owns the Illuminating Co., deployed dark money to undercut city-owned Cleveland Public Power (CPP).

First, a nonprofit named Partners for Progress obtained $20 million from FirstEnergy and its affiliates, Caniglia found. Of that, $200,000 went to Consumers Against Deceptive Fees, an anti-CPP group. The avowed goal of Consumers Against Deceptive Fees was to educate East Side residents about CPPs rates, which the group said were among the highest in the state, Caniglia reported. But Cleveland officials, he wrote, called it nothing more than an attempt by FirstEnergy to gut a competitor.

However, $200,000 wasnt the only funding for Consumers Against Deceptive Fees. The group took in more than $551,000 in 2018 and 2019, Caniglia reported.

Who provided the bulk of that anti-CPP money remains obscure.

Dark money is political lingo for virtually unlimited sums donated to an organization considered legally independent of the candidate or issue campaign the organization supports. Such independent organizations arent required to identify their contributors  hence, dark money.

Nondisclosure of dark-money donors leaves unanswered a key question that many Ohioans ask when trying to judge candidates or ballot issues: Who is for them  and who is against them? And why?

And hiding who or what bankrolls dark-money groups also hides who is responsible for lies or smears that money may spread.

Federal prosecutors, for instance, attributed more than just passage of HB 6 to the influence of dark money. They allege dark money was also used to kill a statewide petition drive that would have let Ohioans vote up or down on HB 6. And if Ohioans had had a chance to vote, theres little doubt they would have killed the measure.

More than five months ago, a federal grand jury indicted then-House Speaker Larry Householder, a Republican from Perry Countys Glenford, and four other Statehouse figures for alleged corruption related to HB 6s passage. Two defendants have pleaded guilty. The other three, including Householder, are awaiting trial -- and entitled to the presumption of innocence.

Soon after the indictments surfaced, General Assembly members of both parties introduced five separate bills to require dark-money groups to reveal their contributors.

Greater Cleveland state Reps. Diane Grendell, of Chesterland, and Gayle Manning, of North Ridgeville, both Republicans, and Democrat Bride Rose Sweeney, of Cleveland, were among the legislators who called for dark-money reforms.

But GOP leaders  House Speaker Robert Cupp, of Lima and then-Senate President Larry Obhof, of Medina  let the disclosure bills die. Because of their failure to act, Ohios House and state Senate must go back to square one with new legislation in the 2021-22 General Assembly session.

In 2010, in another of the lost opportunities that dogs Ohio politics, the GOP-led state Senate unanimously approved a dark-money disclosure bill, sponsored by then-state Sen. Jon Husted, a Republican who is now lieutenant governor. But Ohios House, led by then-Speaker Armond Budish, a Greater Cleveland Democrat, took no action on Husteds 2010 plan.

Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley is considering seeking subpoenas to find out how the $351,000 in as-yet untracked dark-money contributions flowed to the now-defunct anti-CPP group Consumers Against Deceptive Fees,

If Ohio required the disclosure of dark-money donors, officials wouldnt have to resort to subpoenas to uncover the truth. And individual Ohioans who dont have subpoena power wouldnt remain in the dark about such hidden financial backing before casting their ballots for candidates and ballot issues.

In voting, as in much else, knowledge is power. Thats why the General Assembly, to empower voters, must require dark-money groups to reveal where their money comes from.

About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization.

Have something to say about this topic?

* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an announcement at the Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware on Jan. 16, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Biden to Push Through Executive Orders, Pursue New Legislation in First 10 Days of Office

Actions will reverse a number of Trump administration policies and issue a mask mandate on federal property, transition team says

President-elect Joe Bidens transition team has laid out the incoming administrations priorities for its first ten days in office, including several executive actions to reverse President Donald Trumps policies and the issuing of a mask mandate on federal property.

In his first ten days in office, President-elect Biden will take decisive action to address  four crises, prevent other urgent and irreversible harms, and restore Americas place in the world, according to a memo by Ron Klain, the incoming administrations chief of staff.

Klain said Biden will focus on combating the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, the resulting economic crisis, as well as addressing climate change and racial injustice issues that the incoming administration argue are most pressing crises in the country.

Bidens plan will include signing a series of executive orders, starting with an order for the Department of Education to extend the existing pause on student loan repayments and interest for millions of Americans on day one. Biden will also take executive action to rejoin the United Nations 2015 Paris climate agreement, from which the United States formally withdrew on Nov. 4, and reverse a travel ban that limited entry into the United States of foreign nationals who were deemed a threat to America.

He will also launch his 100 Day Masking Challenge, which will require individuals to wear masks on federal property and inter-state travel, in an attempt to curb the number of CCP virus cases. Meanwhile, the president-election will also sign action to extend nationwide restrictions on evictions and foreclosures, which is expected to impact more than 25 million Americans.

President-elect Joe Biden speaks as he lays out his plan for combating the coronavirus and jump-starting the nations economy at the Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware on Jan. 14, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

On day two, Biden will sign executive actions aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus, also known as the novel coronavirus. Some of these actions would expand testing, establish further public health standards, and address school and business re-opening.

Day three will see department and agency secretaries take action to deliver economic relief to working families, the memo says.

Implementing policies to prioritize minority groups in America will also be on Bidens agenda. He is expected to take action in an attempt to advance equity and support communities of color and other underserved communities, Klain said.

Earlier this month, Biden announced that his administration plans to prioritize minorities for access to resources needed to reopen and rebuild amid the pandemic. The plan would prioritize black, Latino, Asian, and Native American-owned small businesses, and women-owned businesses.

His statements were heavily scrutinized, with critics arguing that it would fuel divisiveness nationwide.

Bidens plan would also include plans to reform the criminal justice system, policies to strengthen his Buy American vision, climate change, health care, and immigration.

During his campaign, Biden had vowed that he would send a bill to Congress to create a clear roadmap to citizenship for some 11 million illegal aliens living in the United States and permanent protections for illegal immigrants that arrived in the United States at a young age and are placed on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, also known as dreamers.

The DACA program was created by former President Barrack Obama, when Biden was vice president. The program provides amnesty to thousands of illegal immigrants who were brought into the United States as minors and prevents them from being deported. Obama has been criticized for implementing a program that he did not have the authority to sign but proceeded anyway.

DACA recipients and their supporters rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, on June 18, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Prior to signing the executive order to implement the program in 2012, Obama acknowledged that he lacked the constitutional and legal authority to create the immigration program. According to the Heritage Foundation, Obama declared in 2010 that I am not king. I cant do these things just by myself, while responding to demands to implement immigration reforms.

Then in 2011, he said, [with] respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order, thats just not the case.

Later that year, Obama said he couldnt just bypass Congress and change the [immigration] law myself.  Thats not how a democracy works. But in 2012, he proceeded with the move by executive action.

For years, Congress has failed to come to an agreement on an immigration bill to address the DACA issue.

Trump, who had challenged the constitutionality of the DACA program, had pushed for a bipartisan bill that would benefit all. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration failed to follow the law when it tried to rescind the DACA program, which was never authorized by Congress.

The memo states that Biden will present an immigration bill to Congress on his first day in office. Other legislative proposals include creating millions of union jobs, implementing a minimum wage, combatting violence against women, and legislation related to voting rights.

As noted above, this list is not comprehensive. More items and more details will be forthcoming in the days ahead, Klain said in his memo.
In the final days of outgoing US President Donald Trumps administration, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has openly declared Beijing's claims in the South China Sea completely unlawful and sanctioned over 20 Chinese companies for "aiding" China's maritime claims.

"The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire," Pompeo said on Sunday.

This is the latest move in a series of last-minute US actions against China, that may make President-elect Joe Biden's diplomacy with Beijing more difficult when he takes office next week.

For the first time ever, the U.S. government openly declared the CCPs claims in the South China Sea completely unlawful and sanctioned more than 20 PRC companies for aiding PRCs maritime claims. pic.twitter.com/Pf77wXvMBu  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 17, 2021

READ | US Imposes New Sanction On Beijing Over South China Sea

Earlier this week, the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on Chinese officials over Beijing's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea. In its waning days, the Trump administration imposed travel bans on an unspecified number of Chinese officials and their families for "violations of international standards" regarding the freedom of navigation in those waters.

The administration also said it was adding China's state oil company, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, to a list of companies with which US citizens are banned from doing business.

The United States stands with Southeast Asian claimant states seeking to defend their sovereign rights and interests, consistent with international law, Pompeo said. We will continue to act until we see Beijing cease its coercive behavior in the South China Sea.

READ | Hong Kong Condemns US Sanctions Against Six Officials Over National Security Law

'Stand up to Chinese aggression': Mike Pence to Biden administration

Claiming that China is determined to expand its influence across the region through military provocations and debt diplomacy, US Vice President Mike Pence also urged the incoming Biden administration to stand up to Chinese aggression and trade abuses.

"China is determined to expand Beijings influence across the region through military provocations and debt diplomacy. I urge the incoming administration to stay the course, do what weve done, stand up to Chinese aggression and trade abuses, stand strong for a free and open Indo-Pacific, and put America and our freedom-loving allies first," Pence said in a series of tweets.

READ | US Justice Department Announces 13th And Final Federal Execution Under Trump Admin

Since the fall of 2019, the administration has steadily pressured China over human rights issues in Tibet, Hong Kong and the western region of Xinjiang, as well as over trade, Taiwan, and the Chinese response to the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, the administration banned the import to the US of some agricultural goods, provoking an angry response from Beijing.

READ | US To Integrate Maritime Forces For South China Sea Operations Amid Chinese Threat
International

Iran warns US to stop illegal actions against diplomats on American soil

TEHRAN, JAN 17 (IANS) | Publish Date: 1/17/2021 12:37:04 PM IST

Iran has warned the US to stop illegal actions taken against its diplomats on American soil, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh confirmed.

Iran has officially warned the US that it will sue it before the International Court of Justice if it does not stop its illegal actions against Iranian diplomats in international organisations, Xinhua news agency quoted Khatibzadeh as saying on Saturday.

The spokesman noted that an official warning has been delivered to US authorities through the Foreign Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.

Washington should refrain from taking illegal action against Iranian representatives before international organisations such as the UN, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, that have their siege on American soil, Khatibzadeh stated.

For a long time, he carried on, the US government has been creating illegal constraints for Iranian diplomats and their families, disrupting their work and that of other countries.

Despite its commitment as host to several international organisations, Khatibzadeh went on to say, Washington has never been a proper host, and has consistently harassed diplomats, their families, and children coming from countries it has problems with.

Also on Saturday, the Iranian Presidents Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi slammed the latest sanctions imposed by Washington against Tehran as a mere show and a sign of the evil nature of the outgoing American President Donald Trumps administration.

The recent US sanctions, while nothing more than a show, are another sign of the evil (nature) of Trumps criminal administration - a bankrupt government that even in its final days cannot put aside its hostility towards Iranians, Vaezi said in a social media post.

He added in the post that it is surprising that, despite their deep brazen enmity, US officials still claim that they stand by the Iranian people.
Karisma Kapoor had a majorly successful run the film industry in the '90s and gained strong popularity as an actor, owing to her several performances on screen. Consequently, she has also gained financially with that success, a small reflection of which was seen in a recent financial transaction that was made by her. She has recently sold a flat that belonged to her in Mumbai at a huge price. Here is more information about her house that she sold for a whopping price.

Karisma Kapoor sells her flat for a whopping price

Besides their work, Bollywood celebrities are known for their grand lifestyle and for their expensive properties. One such property was formerly owned by actor Karisma Kapoor in Khar. The news has surfaced that Karisma Kapoor's apartment has been sold for a huge price of Rs. 10.11 crore, according to DNA. The apartment was on the tenth floor of a building called Rose Queen Apartment which is located in Khar, Mumbai and has a large space. The carpet area of the house is about 1,611 square feet. The transaction and the sale was reportedly made on December 24, 2020.

ALSO READ: Karisma Kapoor's Net Worth As Bollywood's 90s Queen Celebrates Her 46th Birthday; Read

Karisma Kapoor had earlier sold another one of her flats that is situated in Bandra for reportedly Rs. 1.39 crore. The sale of this particular house was made in 2018. With the long run that the actor has had in films, it is not surprising that she owns a number of expensive apartments all across city. According to a report published by Celebrity Net Worth, Karisma Kapoors net worth is around Rs. 90.76 crore, which sits around $12 million.

ALSO READ: Vidya Balan & Siddharth's Net Worth Proves They're Good With Numbers Like Shakuntala Devi

Karisma Kapoor was known to be one of the top actors in the 1990s. She has worked in several memorable films, including Raja Hindustani, Judwaa, Haseena Maan Jaayegi and many more. Her acting was positively regarded by both the critics and the audience. She was last seen in the film Zero, which saw her making a cameo appearance.

Disclaimer: The above information is sourced from various websites/ media reports. The website does not guarantee a 100% accuracy of the figures.

ALSO READ: Karisma Kapoor's Shares 'regular Rainy Afternoon' Picture; Asks Fans To Guess The Song

ALSO READ: Bollywood Actresses Fans Miss Watching On The Big Screen; See List

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
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Gunmen shot dead two Afghan women judges working for the Supreme Court during an early morning ambush in the country's capital Sunday, officials said, as a wave of assassinations continues to rattle the nation.

Violence has surged across Afghanistan in recent months despite ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and government -- especially in Kabul, where a new trend of targeted killings aimed at high-profile figures has sown fear in the restive city.

The latest attack comes just two days after the Pentagon announced it had cut troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500, the fewest in nearly two decades.

The attack on the judges happened as they were driving to their office in a court vehicle, said Ahmad Fahim Qaweem, a spokesman for the Supreme Court.

"Unfortunately, we have lost two women judges in today's attack. Their driver is wounded," Qaweem told AFP.

There are more than 200 female judges working for the country's top court, the spokesman added.

Kabul police confirmed the attack.

Afghanistan's Supreme Court was a target in February 2017 when a suicide bomb ripped through a crowd of court employees, killing at least 20 and wounding 41.

In recent months, several prominent Afghans -- including politicians, journalists, activists, doctors and prosecutors -- have been assassinated in often brazen daytime attacks in Kabul and other cities.

Afghan officials have blamed the Taliban for the attacks, a charge the insurgent group has denied.

Some of these killings have been claimed by the rival jihadist Islamic State group.

Earlier this month the US military for the first time directly accused the Taliban of orchestrating the attacks.

"The Taliban's campaign of unclaimed attacks and targeted killings of government officials, civil society leaders & journalists must... cease for peace to succeed," Colonel Sonny Leggett, spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said on Twitter.

The targeted killings have surged despite the Taliban and Afghan government engaging in peace talks in the Qatari capital of Doha.

The Taliban carried out more than 18,000 attacks in 2020, Afghanistan's spy chief Ahmad Zia Siraj told lawmakers earlier this month.

On Friday, the Pentagon announced it had cut troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500 as part of its deal with the Taliban to withdraw all troops from the country by May 2021.

That deal was struck in return for security guarantees from the insurgents and a commitment to peace talks with the Afghan government.

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One of the reasons you probably dont see a lot of people out here is because the security is at such a high level, said Maj. Gen. Richard Neely, commander of the Illinois National Guard. I also believe some people probably, in my personal opinion, saw things get out of control in D.C. (on Jan. 6) and they really dont want to see that happen across the nation.
ALEPPO, Syria  Iranian forces and affiliated militias in Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria carried out new redeployment and repositioning operations after their military sites and barracks were subjected to airstrikes, believed to be carried out by Israeli aircraft Jan. 13.

The redeployment included evacuating the sites affected by the bombing, emptying several weapons depots, and moving weapons to other locations in various neighborhoods in the cities of Deir ez-Zor, Abu Kamal and Mayadeen.

Ahed Slebi, a journalist in the Naher Media Network, which covers news about Deir ez-Zor, told Al-Monitor, The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] and its militias in Deir ez-Zor governorate have carried out unprecedented military action, due to the violent bombing that targeted their sites. The Iranian militias transferred the bulk of their members and military equipment to residential neighborhoods in Deir ez-Zor, al-Bukamal, and al-Mayadin. The new deployments included transferring rockets and heavy weapons and hiding them inside the tunnels that Iranian forces had previously dug in the vicinity of al-Bukamal and al-Mayadin and on the outskirts of Deir ez-Zor.

Slebi added, The IRGC and its affiliated militias fear more violent bombings during the coming period, which is why they are fortifying their sites and hiding their weapons and military headquarters inside residential neighborhoods. They have also lowered flags from the roofs of the buildings where they are stationed. They removed all signs indicating their presence to avoid being targeted, and imposed a security cordon around their military sites.

It seems that the Iranian forces and their militias were expecting more airstrikes, as they previously began fortifying their positions in their areas of deployment in Deir ez-Zor, have redeployed forces and concealed strategic sites, dug underground tunnels to hide their weapons and strengthened the presence of their forces in the border area with Iraq to maintain the land bridge that connects them to Iran via Iraq. It seems that the time has now come for the Iranian forces in eastern Syria to use the underground tunnels to reduce losses if the airstrikes escalate.

The suspected Israeli airstrikes that targeted the sites of the Iranian forces and their militias in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor on Jan. 13 were not the first, as several such strikes were reported over the past few weeks. On Jan. 12, several explosions rocked the Abu Kamal desert area in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor, as the area witnessed overflights by warplanes and drones, which carried out raids on the Iranian militia sites. That same area was also targeted by three airstrikes Jan. 7.

Capt. Abdulsalam Abdulrazzaq, a researcher in military issues, told Al-Monitor, The intensity of drones and raids seemed justified over the past few weeks, as the Iranian militias escalated their action in that area. Israel and the US were closely watching those movements and took action for fear of the Iranian militias influence expanding in the area and the risks that could entail.

Abdulrazzaq added, The Lebanese Hezbollah militias, the Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade, the Pakistani Zainebiyoun Brigade, Battalion 313, the Baqir Brigade and other militias supported by the IRGC in Syria have all taken up Deir ez-Zor and the border strip with Iraq in Abu Kamal and Mayadeen as a new area of influence. They believed they could escape the Israeli fire they were constantly under near Damascus and in southern Syria; they thought that by moving away from the borders with Israel they would be able to build a new area of influence, so they started building headquarters and underground tunnels, brought military reinforcements and strategic weapons to the area, and have been expanding their presence there for about three months, but Israeli aircraft were just around the corner once again.

Slebi said, The first raids targeted the Imam Ali military base in the countryside of Abu Kamal, which is the largest Iranian base in eastern Syria. The sites near the village of al-Heri in camps erected by the Pakistani Zainebiyoun Brigade were also bombed, followed by sites in southern Mayadeen city near al-Rahba, which is a zone of influence for the Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade. Targets also included other sites in southern Abu Kamal, specifically the roads leading to the Qaim crossing and the military crossing with Iraq, where the Lebanese Hezbollah is stationed. The bombing reached the Iranian forces' sites within residential neighborhoods in Deir ez-Zor, on the outskirts of the Harabish neighborhood, Port Said Street, the Military Security building, and the Ayyash warehouses, in which explosions kept going for a long time, which was evidence that ammunition stores had exploded inside them.

Slebi said, The airstrikes targeted over 35 sites of the Iranian forces and militias, killing over 80 people. However, no accurate figures of the death toll and material damage are available because the Iranian militias conceal information and impose a security cordon around their targeted locations.

Bilal Sattouf, a political activist residing in the countryside of Aleppo, told Al-Monitor, The Israeli bombing is expected to continue with the aim of weakening the Iranian forces in Syria and preventing them from expanding. I also expect the targeting to expand toward Iranian sites in Aleppo and southern Raqqa. It will be easy for Israel to carry this out in the absence of an Iranian deterrent system capable of stopping it, as well as the lack of Iranian approaches to open warfare.

Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 46F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 46F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Vijay Mallya

The Central Information Commission has directed the CBI to cite rules under which two different look out circulars were issued against Vijay Mallya, accused in loan default of Rs 9,000 crore, in October and November 2015.

The CBI had issued a fresh LOC against Mallya in the last week of November, 2015 asking airport authorities across the country to "inform" it about Mallya's movements, thus replacing its previous circular which had sought detention of the businessman if he attempted to leave the country, sources had said.

Mallya left the country in March 2016 for the United Kingdom where he is legally contesting the extradition ordered by the British Government.

Acting on a petition by Pune-based RTI activist Vihar Durve, who was denied information by the CBI, the panel directed the central agency to cite him regulations under which look out circulars (LOCs) were issued in October and November, 2015.

The CBI had cited Section 8(1)(h) of the RTI Act to deny information to Durve.

The section exempts from disclosure of information which would impede the process of investigation or apprehension or prosecution of offenders.

The CBI had issued the first LOC against Mallya on October 12, 2015, when he was already abroad, calling for his detention if he intends to leave the country or arrive here from abroad.

Upon his return, the agency was asked by the Bureau of Immigration if Mallya should be detained as sought in the LOC, to which the CBI said there was no need to arrest or detain him as he was a sitting MP and there was no warrant against him, according to sources.

They said the agency only wanted information on his movements.

Besides, the probe was in an initial stage and the CBI was collecting documents from the IDBI in the Rs 900 crore loan default case. Later another case was filed against him, sources said.

Durve sought from the agency rules under which both the look out circulars were issued. He also had sought other details such as a copy of these circulars, all of which were denied by the CBI.

In her order, Information Commissioner Saroj Punhani directed the agency to provide regulations under which both the LoCs were issued by the agency.

She also directed it to provide a revised reply giving cogent reasons as to how Section 8(1)(h) is applicable in the case.
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The Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN) Saturday said exporters or agents aspiring to move products to countries under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) must obtain permits, licences, certificates and other relevant documentation from appropriate government agencies.

Apart from getting regulatory approvals from such bodies, comprising the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service and others, exporters and agents must confirm that their exports fall within the permitted range of goods permitted by the AfCTA agreement.

Nigeria joined 53 other countries in Africa on January 1 to set in motion the worlds biggest trade bloc, in terms of participating nations, that will speed up easy and efficient intra-continental trade, marked by few restrictions and less complex checks of goods across national borders and ports of entry.

Nigeria was one of the last African countries to sign the AfCTA with President Muhammadu Buhari raising concerns that goods produced outside Africa could be dumped in Nigeria through other (West) African countries who allow largely unrestricted imports. The president only signed it after a committee he set up advised him to do so.

The AfCTA plans to establish a single market, boost competitiveness among African countries, deepen economic integration and, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, lift intra-African trade by as much as 52 per cent by 2022.

NOTN stated via its Twitter handle that exporters and agents needed to create a bill of entry, attach the permits from government agencies and make reservation with shipping or airline firms.

The Nigerian Customs Service is the issuer of the certificate, however NACCIMA must vet the application, the trade negotiator said.

Documents such as bill of lading, certificate of analysis, certificate of origin, packing list, certificate of origin and certificate of analysis are required for shipment to be executed.

Similarly, AfCTA trading documents like supplier/producers declaration form, AfCTA certificate of origin, and origin of declaration form are to be provided for ease of export.

Nigeria, which accounts for about 76 per cent of the total trading volume of the Economic Community of West African State, intends to increase its export trade by 100 per cent to $50 billion in the next ten years.
NSW Reports Six New locally acquired Covid-19 Cases

As NSW records six locally acquired cases of COVID-19 Premier Gladys Berejiklian is urging Victoria to reopen its border with the state.

Five of the six cases were household contacts of the western Sydney man reported on January 16 while investigations continue into the source of his infection.

NSW Health believes it is likely to be linked to the Berala bottle shop cluster.

The sixth case is a Concord Repatriation General Hospital staff member who worked in cardiology and radiology wards and may have been infectious on January 12, 13, and 14.

The person wore a face mask during each shift and had minimal contact with patients.

The new cases come after days without a locally transmitted infection.

On Sunday Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Victorias Premier Daniel Andrews had not made contact about the states hard border and reiterated her misgivings about the controversial move.

Hes not been in touch with me at all but I also say that should have occurred quite a while back because we dont have a hot spot in NSW, Berejiklian said.

We are, of course, dealing with a result of an outbreak from a month ago, but I think everybody would agree that closing a border of such significance is a really big deal.

I stress that we waited until Victoria had in excess of  I think it was 180 cases they had the day after we announced the border closure.

More than 12,700 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, a drop in the previous days numbers of more than 14,500.

NSW health authorities said low testing numbers remained a concern, while three additional cases were detected from overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.

New public health alerts have also been issued for a western Sydney venue and additional public transport routes following confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Anyone who attended Centrelink in Auburn on January 14 in the afternoon should get tested immediately and self-isolate until a negative result occurs.

Those who travelled on train services between Warwick Farm and Auburn on January 14 and 15 have been given the same health directions.

All people who were in the dental, physio and imaging waiting room of the Wentworthville Medical and Dental Clinic between 11.30am and 1.15pm on Friday are now considered close contacts.

(They) must immediately get tested and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of the result, NSW Health said on Saturday afternoon.

Anyone who was in other areas of the clinic at that time should monitor for symptoms and immediately isolate and get tested if they appear.

NSW has flagged the possibility of easing restrictions on Greater Sydney next week but one of the conditions is high testing rates.

Meanwhile, Victoria is watching Sydney closely, as it considers moving areas of the city from red to orange in its traffic-light permit system.

Travellers from orange zones still need to self-quarantine for 14 days but dont need to apply for an exemption to enter Victoria.

There are clearly some local government areas within Greater Sydney that have now gone a number of days of cases without transmission, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said in Melbourne.

I will look very intensively at the epidemiology across Greater Sydney over the next couple of days.

Greta Stonehouse in Sydney

Philadelphia restaurants, operating under limited capacity, welcomed customers back inside Saturday for the first time in months since the city shut down indoor dining.

They were lined up at Gallos Seafood on Roosevelt Boulevard before the doors opened at noon, said manager Patty Harvey. Others were calling to make reservations, she said.

Were off to a great start, Harvey said. Its a great feeling.

At the Green Eggs Cafe on Dickinson Street in South Philadelphia, patrons showed up for breakfast and brunch. The cafe, celebrating its 11th anniversary with a special birthday French toast menu item, was at capacity, said manager Tina Casteel.

Nearly every available table was filled and new guests were escorted in as soon as space was cleared. Some guests waited in the lobby and a few opted to eat outdoors.

We have a steady crowd, Casteel said. I always enjoy being around people.

The city shut down dining rooms for a second time on Nov. 20 to brace for a holiday coronavirus surge. That left restaurants scrambling to stay afloat with takeout business and outdoor patrons, and employees in limbo awaiting word on reopenings.

 READ MORE: KeVen Parker, soul food entrepreneur and owner of Ms. Tootsies, dies at 57

The big restaurant groups, such as those owned by Stephen Starr and Michael Schulson, planned to reopen this weekend. Steak 48, a massive Center City steakhouse that opened just after Labor Day, booked all of its 90 seats in anticipation of the reopening.

Even at 25 percent capacity, its a great sign of hope, and soon well start feeling a sense of normalcy again, Starr said in a statement. This city and its people are resilient and we look forward to seeing our guests indoors.

There was a packed crowd at the Reading Terminal Market. Shoppers waited in line for seating at tables in one section. Others sat at counters.

Some smaller operators will not reopen now, like 1225Raw, a Center City sushi restaurant that plans to stick with outdoor dining. Others say they want to wait to see what happens with the coronavirus.

For some restaurateurs, opening at less than full capacity and without bar seating is not profitable so they are staying closed for now. Some owners plan to reopen when their staff is vaccinated.

Outside Ms. Tootsies on South Street, mourners left flowers on the sidewalk to honor the restaurants founder, KeVen Parker, who died Friday of cancer at 57.

The Southern-style restaurant was closed Saturday. A sign in the window said takeout service was available.

As the coronavirus death toll continues to rise, the pandemic continues to impact everyday life, from restaurant dining to schools, with hope resting on the arrival of the vaccine.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday confirmed 7,166 additional positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 761,777. There were 231 new deaths reported.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy reported 5,246 new cases Saturday and 96 deaths. In a tweet, Murphy expressed frustration over a report that a coronavirus vaccine reserve had already been depleted when the Trump administration said it would be released.

We need answers for why this stockpile doesnt exist and our allocations have been reduced from what we expected, Murphy said.

It has been a tumultuous time for eateries. The city suspended indoor dining in Philadelphia from March 16 to Sept. 8, and then allowed restaurants to open at 25% occupancy. The city increased the limit to 50% on Oct. 2, but that changed again six weeks later when everything was shut down again.

While restaurants saw positive signs Saturday, its too early to tell how eager patrons are to dine indoors. Some opted to eat outdoors Saturday at places where indoor seating was available.

Many safety guidelines remain in place, including a limit of four people, all from the same household, at a table. At Green Eggs, for example, masked workers wore gloves while busing tables with sanitizer. A sign on a table urged patrons to keep their distance.

Theres a good buzz. It feels good in the city, said Kayla Bolyai, a Starr spokesperson.
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The Dangote Group has completed Nigerias longest rigid pavement located in Kogi State.

It is the first of its kind, top engineers say.

The 43KM Obajana-Kabba road constructed by Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), has been described by motorists as the countrys most strategic highway that is aiding travellers between the North and the South.

Olatunbosun Kalejaiye, the Project Director, said he was excited that the Corporate Social Responsibility Project is being delivered for use by Nigerians, adding that while the rigid pavement has been completed, the company was dressing the shoulders.

Site Engineer Samuel Obosi assured that the dual carriage way will be durable and less susceptible to potholes and repairs like asphalt road, adding that it would crash the rate of road accident in the country.

Motorists said it is now one of the busiest roads linking the two regions in the country.

Thank God it is a concrete road. It can withstand any heavy duty vehicle, Lamidi Sikiru, a driver expressed optimism.

John Moses, a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, said his taxi business is booming compared to when the road was very deplorable with potholes and barely used by motorists.

A community leader of Apa Bunu Kingdom and spokesperson for the community, Sam Omosayil, commended the Dangote Group, saying that the road has attracted a lot of businesses along the road.

Traditional and community leaders eulogised the President of the Dangote Group.

The Bajana of Obajana Land, Idowu Senibi, described the project as gigantic and the first of its kind anywhere in Nigeria.

Dangote is our son. We would protect his huge investment and gigantic concrete road. I am happy that this is happening in my lifetime and in my Kingdom. This is a great opportunity for us and many generations to come. Our society will be opened as you can see vehicles and commercial activities have started coming up. May God Almighty bless Dangote and all his staff.

Speaking in the same vein, the traditional head of Akpata Land, Frederick Balogun, said his people were very proud of Aliko Dangote, adding that the Dangote Cement, Obajana plant, which is the single largest cement plant in the world, has brought honour and respect to their Kingdoms.

His presence has brought a total turnaround in our lives. Also permit me to appreciate the Federal Government for this joint effort. We are very grateful, he said.

Speaking, the King of Okebunku Land in Kabba Bunu Local Government, Timothy Omonile, commended the President of the Dangote Group and charged other philanthropists to emulate him, adding that that is the only way Nigeria can develop its economy and infrastructure.

He said the construction of the road has helped cut down the rate of criminality in the state, while describing the Group President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, as God sent.

Rechel Olatunji, a businesswoman said she makes more money now and that business is booming because of the road.

Another businesswoman, Veronica Samuel, prayed fervently for the Dangote Group, adding that the new road has changed her life, and enabled her to sponsor her children to school.

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Worried by the huge sum of money used in road repairs, President of the Dangote Group Aliko Dangote had said plans were afoot to revolutionize Nigerian roads with concrete, stressing that resources used in road repairs and maintenance would be channeled to other more important needs of the nation.

We are going to be building concrete roads in the country so that anytime we build a road, we do not have to go back to repair after the third raining season, but move on and use the resources to address other pressing needs of Nigeria, Mr Dangote had said.

It would be recalled that as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS), the Dangote Group had earlier commissioned the 26 km Itori-Ibese Concrete Road.

At the commissioning, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, had noted that the stride by the Dangote Group demonstrated the unwavering commitments of an indigenous investor towards the industrialization of Nigeria.

A statement from the Corporate Communications Department of the Dangote Group said: Concrete road last longer than asphalt roads and do not have potholes. It does not require frequent maintenance as asphalt roads. It saves fuel for motorists and protects tyres from wear and tears.

The statement said it is part of the Groups determination to support government and Nigerians in order to grow the economy and facilitate ease of doing business.

Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 22:18:02|Editor: huaxia

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People visit an exhibition of cultural relics from ancient China's Liao Dynasty (907-1125) at Fujian Museum in Fuzhou City, southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 17, 2021. The exhibition, displaying a total of 120 precious treasures, lasts until March 28 and is free to the public. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
Virginia National Guard soldiers march across the east front of the U.S. Capitol on their way to their guard posts in Washington on Jan. 16, 2021. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Arkansas Governor Downplays Threat of Violence on Inauguration Day, Wont Bring in National Guard

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said his office is monitoring the potential for violence, saying he does not feel the need to deploy the states National Guard to the state capitol in Little Rock.

The Republican governor told Fox News on Sunday: You want to be overprepared versus underprepared because you never want to see a repeat of what we saw on January 6 in our nations capital.

But he added that after monitoring the possibility for violence before or on Inauguration Day, its not to the level that Im bringing out the National Guard.

Instead of deploying Guard members, Hutchinson said he would instead opt to use civilian law enforcement. But he stressed that in Little Rock, there will be an increased presence of police.

We dont have any specific intelligence that theres going to be violence associated with those rallies but we want to be extra cautious, he continued. Every state has to look at their own intelligence matrix and make those kind of judgments.

Hutchinson noted that there is a historic threat from militia groups as well as neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups in Arkansas, adding that it has been diminished, but Id say most states have elements of that threat, it exists in Arkansas as well.

U.S. Army officials said that more than 25,000 National Guard members will be deployed across D.C. for Inauguration Day next week.

National Guard soldiers maintain a watch over the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 14, 2021. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

The Defense Department authorized up to 25,000 service members to be deployed, which is an increase of 5,000 from numbers earlier this week.

A statement from the Army to news outlets on Friday said the increase would support the federal law enforcement mission and security preparations during the inauguration, and it would be led by the U.S. Secret Service.

Our National Guard soldiers and airmen are set around the city to protect our nations Capital, National Guard Bureau Chief Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson remarked.

On Jan. 13, President Donald Trump reiterated that Americans shouldnt engage in violence or lawlessness.

In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking, and NO vandalism of any kind, Trump said. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.

According to photos and videos from the scene, the Capitol is fortified with miles of fencing and other barriers.

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser previously told Americans to stay home and watch the Inauguration online.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size As Donald Trump's aides packed boxes for the President's final withdrawal from the White House, one of the last men he ever appointed to an important government job released a statement on Friday, January 15, local time, to say that his mission had been accomplished: the US had withdrawn all but 2500 troops from Afghanistan, the lowest number of American boots on the ground in 20 years. "This drawdown brings US forces in the country to their lowest levels since 2001," said acting defence secretary Christopher Miller. Warming up in his missive of self-congratulation, he also said "the United States is closer than ever to ending nearly two decades of war and welcoming in an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process to achieve a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire". It's a pretty thought but nothing attempted in Afghanistan in several decades has achieved peace, and many fear this new withdrawal will only make things worse. It's slightly later than planned. Trump had ordered the troops home for Christmas, to the open dismay of his generals and Republican colleagues, and he'd had to dismiss his previous defence secretary Mark Esper on November 10 to get it done. Trump's decision to pull the troops prompted Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, still then loyal to the President and not yet acknowledging Democrat Joe Biden's victory, to push back. "A rapid withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan now would hurt our allies and delight the people who wish us harm," McConnell told his fellow senators. "It would be reminiscent of the humiliating American departure from Saigon in 1975." United States soldiers and their allies in the "war on terror"have been fighting in Afghanistan for almost 20 years. It has become the longest war in US history, characterised by Trump and many of his supporters as an "endless" or "forever war" that he pledged to end.

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Australia's military engagement in Afghanistan, as part of Operation Slipper, lasted 13 years and was also the longest in our nation's history. It ended in 2014, in the words of then prime minister Tony Abbott, "not with victory, not with defeat, but with, we hope, an Afghanistan that is better for our presence here". That hope has been put to the test in the years since by investigations into the conduct of Australian special forces (which did the bulk of this country's fighting in Afghanistan) culminating in the publication of the Brereton report in 2020, which found that 19 current or former special forces soldiers should face criminal investigation over 39 alleged murders of non-combatants. Why has a country that was once a stop on the hippie trail and inspiration for the Lonely Planet guide books come to be defined by war and terrorism? How did troops of the US-led coalition end up being there for decades? Did the CIA create the Taliban? And what might the future hold for Afghans? A depiction by army surgeon James Atkinson of British troops entering Afghanistan through the Bolan Pass in 1839. They were massacred in a retreat through the Khyber Pass three years later. Credit:Getty Images Is Afghanistan really "the graveyard of empires"? The one thing everyone knows about Afghanistan is that it cannot be conquered. As this story goes, every army since Alexander the Greats in 330BC has had to leave in defeat. The British, who fought three wars in Afghanistan between 1838 and 1919, did much to popularise the idea of it as inhospitable and unattainable. (Britain lost the first war but the other two could be called draws.) When Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes meets Dr Watson for the first time, he remarks "you have been in Afghanistan, I perceive" and later Watson recalls seeing "comrades hacked to pieces at [the 1880 battle of] Maiwand". In his poem The Young British Soldier, Rudyard Kipling had the last grim word:

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When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,

And the women come out to cut up what remains,

Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains

An' go to your Gawd like a soldier. British diplomat Major Sir Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari (second from left) was set to take up the post of British envoy in Kabul when the British residency came under attack in 1879 and he was killed, leading the British to resume war in Afghanistan. Credit:Getty Images Three things should be said about this account. Firstly, while travellers and mapmakers had for centuries talked about "the land of Afghans", or Afghanistan in Persian, there wasn't a country called Afghanistan until the 18th century. Secondly, by that time the area had been conquered repeatedly by Persians, Arabs, Mongols and Indians  peoples whose history is not always closely studied in the West. Thirdly, and most importantly, Afghanistan is a place on the edge of every place, a landlocked crossroads at the easternmost limits of the Middle East, the westernmost limits of the Far East, the northernmost limits of South Asia and the southernmost limits of Central Asia. Empires haven't been killed there, but they have often found the end of their reach. This has meant that, again and again, they have sought controlling influence over Afghanistan's affairs without having to rule there, or as Britain's viceroy in India, Lord Curzon, put it in 1906: "We do not want to occupy it, but we also cannot afford to see it occupied by our foes." What about the people who live there?

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"As an Afghan you are always more than one thing: your kin, your tribe, your ethnicity and the place you were born ... As a foreigner, you can never truly understand what it means to be an Afghan." So wrote Abdul Salam Zaeef, one of the founders of the Taliban (on whom more later). At a crossroads, one often encounters a kaleidoscope of people, and Afghanistan has long been home not only to Pashtuns such as Zaeef (once the only people the name "Afghans" referred to) but also Persian-speaking Tajiks and Hazaras, Turkic-speaking Uzbeks and at least a dozen other ethnic groups. Its remoteness also gave it allure for Western travellers. In 1955, to promote its new line of go-anywhere jeeps, Land Rover sponsored the Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition, which saw graduates travel overland from Europe along the long-defunct Silk Road. They were supplied with film to record their journey by a young producer at the BBC, David Attenborough. A hippie family in Afghanistan in 1971. Credit:Getty Images Programs such as the ones created from their footage and books such as Eric Newby's A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush  a mountain range that runs through Afghanistan  inspired waves of young people to set off on a quest to the "mystic East". Eventually this would become the "hippie trail", featuring the hashish Afghans had always grown and smoked. One visitor particularly awestruck by the country's cities, mountains and wilderness was Tony Wheeler. He and his wife Maureen drove across Afghanistan en route from London to Sydney and wrote a booklet about the journey, Across Asia on the Cheap, that effectively founded the Lonely Planet publishing empire.

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In the '60s and early '70s visitors would have found traditional rural societies as well as cities where young Afghans wrestled with modernity in all its forms, from Marxism to the miniskirt. Indeed, it is said that when short-lived national security adviser HR McMaster wanted to convince Trump that the country was not irredeemable and that troops should be kept there, he showed him a photo of three miniskirted students on a Kabul street in 1972. There was one other constant in Afghan life: Islam. For the hippies it would have been part of the exotic furniture. But as the 1970s progressed and conflict and dictatorship reared their heads, for many Afghans it became the last safe space for political activity. US president Ronald Reagan meets an Afghan delegation at the White House in 1983. While Reagan would later receive mujahideen leaders at the White House, only one of the Afghans seen here is a combatant - Mohammad Ghafoor Yousafzai, third from right. Credit:Wikimedia Commons Why did the Americans get interested? When we look at a map today, Afghanistan is bordered to the north by a number of other Central Asian stans. But for most of the 20th century those republics were part of the Soviet Union, ruled from Moscow. Just as the British in India had kept a nervous eye on the Russian Empire during the 19th century in what became known as The Great Game, after World War II the US saw Afghanistan through the lens of its Cold War domino theory, where the fall of one country to communism would mean the same for its neighbours. By the late 1970s, despite investment by Washington in agriculture, schools and power plants, Moscow had the upper hand, and in 1978 a coup brought communists to power in Kabul. Their efforts to supplant tribal authority and enact land reform provoked resistance. At first Moscow refused to become directly involved but, after a second coup in September 1979, Soviet troops entered Afghanistan to install a loyal government, closing the border and forcing hippie travellers to make a detour. The Soviet invasion presented Washington with an opportunity to create a Vietnam-like quagmire for Moscow. US president Jimmy Carter had already begun covertly funding anti-communist militants in Afghanistan through the CIAs Operation Cyclone. The invasion prompted the US-led boycott of the Moscow Olympics. Under Carters successor, Ronald Reagan, Cyclones budget would grow from hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions of dollars a year, and those doing the fighting against the Russians would bring a new word into the English lexicon: mujahideen.

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The Central Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has destroyed 2.3 tonnes of unwholesome products worth GH214,000.



The products include drugs, food, cosmetics, household chemical substances and mechanical devices.



Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Cape Coast, Mr John Odai-Tettey, the Regional Head of the Authority, said the move was part of measures to help protect the health and safety of consumers.



The items were seized through regular post-market surveillance (PMS) activities in warehouses, pharmacies, supermarkets and voluntary donation of expired products from June to December 2020.



Mr Odai-Tettey pledged the FDA's resolve to intensify its market surveillance and inspections to drastically reduce the illegal peddling or sale of unregulated items to safeguard the health of consumers.



He said education and sensitisation for stakeholders was on-going to encourage the operators to surrender their unwholesome products to the FDA for safe disposal.



The Regional FDA Boss entreated sales points, distributors, warehouse operators, among others to surrender the unwholesome products to the FDA for safe disposal as failure to do so could cause unnecessary harm to consumers and they could face prosecution.



He urged consumers to look out for expiry dates of products and their physical appearance to be sure they were not blotted, rusty, or heavily dented before buying them.



Consumers should also be wary of unscrupulous persons who might want to deface products by wrapping-off best before or expiry dates.



"It is not a problem if someone reduces the cost of the product but one needs to thoroughly examine it to make sure it is in English Language and product validity is intact," he advised.



Mr Odai-Tettey encouraged consumers to inform the FDA when they see expired or unwholesome products being displayed for sale.

Source: GNA









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Parliament panel summons Facebook and Twitter officials on Jan 21

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New Delhi, Jan 17: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology has summoned representatives of Facebook and Twitter on January 21 on the issue of "safeguarding citizens' rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms.

The official agenda of the meeting circulated to the member MPs read: "Evidence of representatives of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and to hear the views of the representatives of Facebook and Twitter on the subject 'Safeguarding citizens' rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space'.

The summons from the Standing Committee on Information Technology came amid a huge row over data privacy.

WhatsApp announced delaying by three months the implementation of a new privacy policy that has faced massive backlash with tens of millions of its users moving from the platform to rivals like Signal and Telegram.

The policy change was originally scheduled to come into effect on February 8, the Facebook-owned company said.

It has clarified that the update does not affect data sharing with Facebook with regard to personal conversations or other profile information and only addresses business chats in the event a user converses with a company''s customer service platform through WhatsApp.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-18 03:07:57|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Southern Transitional Council (STC) that's part of Yemen's new power-sharing government opposed on Sunday new appointments issued by the country's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

In a brief press statement, the Aden-based STC strongly rejected dealing with republican decrees issued recently by Hadi to appoint a new attorney general and Shura Council head in the war-ravaged Arab country.

The STC's statement described Hadi's decrees as "unilateral decisions," accusing that they "constituted a blatant departure from what has been agreed upon according to Riyadh deal, and are undermining the consensus process and partnership established between the two parties."

The STC vowed "to take escalating steps in the event that the presidential decisions (appointments) taken without prior agreement are not addressed."

In 2019, Saudi Arabia persuaded the STC and the Yemeni government to hold reconciliation talks, which succeeded in reaching a deal to form a new technocratic cabinet and ending a deadly conflict in the country's southern regions.

In accordance with the terms of the Saudi-brokered deal jointly signed between the two sides, Hadi issued a decree on December 2020 to form a new power-sharing government. Enditem
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on January 15 (Friday) shared a captivating picture of the Cigar galaxy on its Instagram handle.

While sharing the image, NASA captioned it as "Get in loser, we're going stargazing," relating it with the iconic dialogue from the movie Mean Girls. The famous line was "Get in loser, we're going shopping" and was delivered by queen bee Regina George, played by Rachel McAdams in the film.

The caption provided by NASA explained the image showing the magnetic fields in Messier 82, or the Cigar galaxy, as lines over a visible light and infrared composite image of the galaxy from the NASAs Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope.

Giving the idea of the location and other details, the caption said that the galaxy is located in the constellation Ursa Major and is remarkable. It also informed that the researchers used the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy magnetic field data and tools to extrapolate the magnetic fields strength 20,000 lights-years around the galaxy. This data and tools have been used extensively to study the physics around the Sun.

NASA also compared the appearance of the highways to the Sun's solar wind and said that it can help explain how the gas and dust have travelled so far away from the galaxy.

According to NASA, the Cigar galaxy or M82 was discovered in the year 1774 by the German astronomer Johann Elert Bode along with its neighbour M81. It is the closest starburst galaxy to the Earth with an apparent magnitude of 8.4 and it can be best observed in the month of April.

Messier 82 was earlier believed to be an irregular galaxy but in the year 2005, discovery of two symmetric spiral arms were discovered in near-infrared (NIR) images proving it wrong. The arms were detected by subtracting an axisymmetric exponential disk from the NIR images but they were bluer than the disk.

NASA has a followers base of 62. 5 million on the photo and video sharing platform. The post has grabbed the attention of people around the globe with 10.9 lakh likes and around 3,400 comments.

Established in the year 1958 as an independent agency of the U.S. federal government, NASA is responsible for the civilian space program and aeronautics and space research. US space exploration efforts like the Apollo Moon landing missions, the Skylab space station, and later the Space Shuttle have been led by NASA.
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Mark Kirwan is living a fascinating life as a policeman in Washington D.C. and is currently serving on the front line during the Covid-19 crisis in the United States capital.

Roscrea man Mark, like all of us at home, watched in horror last week as a mob of violent Trump supporters and QAnon conspiracy theorists descended on Capitol Hill, but thankfully he was not working in the US capital on January 6.

Mark was front and centre for the Black Lives Matter protests in Washington DC last summer and has watched closely as the political temperature in Washington has escalated to boiling point since the election build-up.

Mark also owns and operates two very well known Irish pubs in the US capital, which are currently closed to the public during the Covid-19 pandemic and instead converted into an emergency food distribution service - which has seen Mark donate thousands of free meals to staff manning the front lines of the battle against coronavirus.

Mark, who grew up on Golden Grove Road in Roscrea and went to school in the Christian Brothers on the Old Dublin Road, is very well known in his hometown and has maintained strong links with Roscrea, which is never far from his thoughts.

During his Roscrea years Mark worked as a barman for Charlie Horan in the famous Main Street pub, Good Time Charlie's and also worked with Roscrea vet, Gary Gallagher in his teenage years.

Mark also played rugby with Roscrea RFC, before moving to Kildare in his twenties, where he worked in the Irish National Stud and in the Kildangan Stud Farm.

This wasnt a protest. This was domestic terrorism - pipe bombs were found and Molotov cocktails were found and these domestic terrorists used chemical irritants against the Capitol Police, Mark told the Tribune.

Expressing great concern for his colleagues and for Officer Sicknick, who died in the attempted coup, Mark explained the Capitol Police force runs an eight-block area around the building and the Metropolitan Police are not allowed to enter without permission from Congress  something that only happened later in the evening.

They were completely overwhelmed, he said. There was no way the amount of officers that were there would have been able to handle such a crowd.

Also, the fact the crowd was armed with chemical irritants  you know, once you are sprayed with chemical irritant, it is very hard to do your job. We had a lot of injuries; a lot of police officers some knocked unconscious.

Mark said a full investigation must be carried out into claims people in uniform were seen taking selfies with the rioters and moving barricades out of their way.

I think until a complete analysis of what happened and how they reacted is carried out, we cant really give a lot of answers, he said. Other than the fact that it was an absolute disgrace.

It just goes to show that it was completely, completely misread. I can give you an example. On June 1 2020, during the protests on the street, Trump had arranged for not just National Guard but for airmen to fly in from all over the country. They were deployed on the corners of the city which frustrated us a local police department because we were not notified and some of the units that came in were not wearing identification so we didnt know if they were protesters of actually military of police or whatever.

If you look back at June and the protests and the way the Presidency reacted to that and had so many different forces deployed to counteract the protesters  it was done so well.

"Trump threw petrol on the fire! Mark said.

He said he now feels that anyone who supports Trumps ongoing fight against the election result should be classified as a domestic terrorist.

I would say that after this anybody who supports him or supports what he fights for; they have to be classified as domestic terrorists because you cant siege the US Capitol Building and try and injure and hurt members of Congress, police officers and aides and whoever else was there.

Sadly, Mark said the atmosphere in the Washington D.C. city at the moment is very, very nerve-wracking and admitted that incidents like last week's have made him consider moving home some time in the future.
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Battle: Princess Camilla Crociani de Bourbon des Deux Siciles

Giant French bank BNP Paribas has been locked in a hugely complex inheritance dispute with an Italian business dynasty for over a decade.

Now Princess Camilla Crociani de Bourbon des Deux Siciles  the daughter of industrialist Camillo Crociani  hopes to end the dispute over a 250million (222million) trust fund with a new round of legal showdowns in the UK and Jersey.

She claims BNP Paribas mismanaged the family's Jersey-based trust fund and is pursuing lawsuits to make the bank restore 135million to the trust and claim at least 60million in damages.

In the latest twist in the ten-year battle, Princess Camilla will on Tuesday launch an appeal in the Royal Court in Jersey to overturn a ruling that she concealed her mother's assets, including a painting by Paul Gauguin valued at 50million.

And, separately, her two daughters, Chiara, 16, and Carolina, 17, are set to pursue legal action in the Privy Council in London to reconstitute the trust  and recover the 135million they claim it is owed.

It is now expected that the hearing, originally due to take place last year, will be held in the second half of 2021. Meanwhile, a criminal case brought against BNP by Princess Camilla and her mother is under way in Monaco, seeking a minimum of 60million damages.

Speaking from her home in the South of France, Princess Camilla  who is married to Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro  told The Mail on Sunday: 'This has all started from the breach of trust done by a professional trustee and unfortunately this has led to more than a decade of litigation.

'This year we are determined to see through the litigation and see the original trust restored. We want BNP to accept they are guilty and to pay damages.'

The trust fund at the centre of the dispute, called the Grand Trust, was set up in 1987 by Princess Camilla's mother Edoarda Crociani, an Italian actress who performed under the stage name Edy Vessel.

The funds were intended to benefit Camilla and her younger sister Cristiana  and, eventually, their descendants  following the death in 1980 of their father Camillo, who built up an engineering group called Vitrociset SpA as well as a multi-million pound collection of fine art.

The family appointed BNP Paribas' wealth management arm in Jersey as a trustee to manage the funds, held in Switzerland. In 2010, the Grand Trust was dissolved and the funds moved to a new trust.

Following the restructuring, in 2013 Princess Camilla's sister Cristiana Delrieu sued the fund's three trustees, led by BNP Paribas Jersey Trust Corporation, because she did not approve of the transfer of the funds.

Cristiana won the case in 2017 after a court in Jersey found that BNP had mismanaged the trust and restructured it unlawfully. Court documents from a three-month trial show that Miles Le Cornu, who ran BNP's wealth management business in Jersey, admitted he proposed the idea of moving the assets out of the Grand Trust into another trust.

Family affair: Princess Camilla with her husband Carlo and daughters Chiara, left, and Carolina

Under the ruling, the trustees were ordered to reconstitute the whole of the Grand Trust, which was originally worth around 250million, including cash, shares and paintings such as Gauguin's Hina Maruru. They were also ordered to compensate Cristiana, who has been paid $115million by BNP for her share of the trust.

BNP then sued Princess Camilla's mother Edoarda, who was liable as a trustee for recouping the outstanding funds.

As part of the case, in 2018 they asked Princess Camilla to disclose details of her mother's wealth. She signed seven affidavits disclosing all the details of her mother's assets to her knowledge.

But the Royal Court in Jersey found those affidavits were not true and ruled in 2019 she was in contempt of court on the basis that she knew where her mother's assets were located.

Portrait of a dispute: The 50million painting by Gauguin

In a judgment handed down last month, the Jersey court said Princess Camilla was involved in the transfer of her mother's paintings from Singapore to Switzerland, and eventually to a storage vault in Miami. The court found that the paintings were owned by a new trust called Apollo, which appeared to benefit Princess Camilla and her daughters. Last month's judgment upheld the earlier contempt of court and handed Princess Camilla a 2million fine.

Princess Camilla's lawyer said she was appealing because she was unable to answer questions about her mother's assets as she did not know their location. The fine will be suspended if her appeal this week is successful.

Princess Camilla has previously been denied permission to appeal in the Privy Council to recover her share of the trust fund. She said her daughters had been 'disinherited' by the wrangling over the trust, adding: 'How could beneficiaries who counted on the trust and an organisation find themselves suddenly completely disinherited from what was a plan for their succession from their grandmother?'

A statement from a spokesman said: 'Princess Camilla... denounces all the misleading and destabilising actions brought by the BNP Paribas group, which has been found guilty of having betrayed the trust of the Crociani family.'

It added: 'The BNP group is...multiplying all kinds of legal actions in order to damage the image of its former clients and her family.'

BNP Paribas declined to respond to a request for comment.
By William Schwartz | Published on 2021/01/16

In 2021 several major actresses who have been active since the nineties will return for major projects- their first in some time. Song Hye-kyo is the most recent of these whose name have come up in connection with "The Glory" which will be written by "Descendants of the Sun" screenwriter Kim Eun-sook. The revenge-themed story will be a departure for Song Hye-kyo's romantic image which still lingers from her last project, "Encounter" which ended two years prior.

Jun Ji-hyun is facing a longer gap in her career, though, with her last leading role being from "The Legend of the Blue Sea" which ended four years ago. Motherhood prompted the stall in her career, but in 2021 Jun Ji-hyun will have two big name projects- "Jirisan" and "Kingdom: Ashin of the North" which are expected to have worldwide influence. The former drama, a modern day mountaineering mystery has had distribution sold to China while the latter, a zombie historical drama, will air on Netflix.

Go Hyun-jung last appeared in "Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho 2: Crime and Punishment" in 2019. She too, will make a return this year in "A Person Similar to You" which will trade less on her star power as it will on the concept of an older woman making sense of her life. Go Hyun-jung still suffers from the circumstances surrounding her abrupt departure from "Return" where she was accused of physical assaulting director Joo Dong-min. Her reputation, though still weakened, has not yet collapsed.

Lastly, Lee Bo-young will come back with "MINE" later this year. Unlike the other actresses mentioned, Lee Bo-young has had no obstacles lately in regards to securing work. She made "When My Love Blooms" just last year. "MINE" will be a departure for the actress, focusing on passion more than melodrama. The prominent role of these leading ladies among others show that South Korean dramas have become more of a women's market, with age being of less importance than talent and name recognition.

Written by William Schwartz
We all watched in horror as rioters inspired by fringe far-right conspiracy theories occupied the US Capitol building last week.

The societal radicalisation on full display has caused many to ask what we in Ireland can do to push back against the extremists in our midst, and avoid similar scenes engulfing Leinster House.

The fight against the violent far-right specifically, and baseless conspiracy theories more broadly, will be a long one, but there are things we can do right now that will make a significant impact on their ability to radicalise and recruit in Ireland.

We must go after the most vicious leaders, and safeguard their most vulnerable adherents.

Vicious leaders

First, the Minister for Justice must immediately use her powers under the Offences Against the State Act 1939 to ban right-wing terrorist organisations such as Combat-18, National Action and Feuerkrieg Division.

These organisations support the massacre of civilians, justify murderers, such as the man that carried out the Christchurch massacre in New Zealand. Theses organisations have already been banned in Germany, Canada and the UK.

Ireland has a particular duty to act as these organisations radicalise, recruit, and plot attacks online.

Although the digital networks on which far-right terrorist groups rely are sometimes imagined to be divorced from the physical world, they  like the rest of the internet  require real-world data centres in order to function.

Read More Irish Examiner view: Sowing the seeds for an Irish Trump

Ireland is swiftly becoming a global data-centre superpower, with TikTok's recent announcement adding to the already imposing list of companies that house their data in Ireland, including Google, Facebook, and Amazon.

Practically speaking, this means that a material amount of global data is stored and processed within the state  including data from far-right extremist groups.

As Europes data centre capital, Ireland has a responsibility to ensure these data centres are not abused by the violent far-right to spread hate throughout the world.

In the aftermath of the Christchurch massacre, Ireland became a signatory to the 'Christchurch Call' to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist online content.

Despite this, Ireland has not proscribed any far-right terrorist organisation.

The UK, Germany, Canada, and even the United States have taken steps to ban far-right terrorist groups; the Australian opposition has called for similar bans there.

Technology companies use lists of proscribed and suppressed organisations as a guide for ensuring that their services are not used to advance terrorism.

The suppression of these organisations will compel companies with data centres in Ireland to proactively remove any content linked to suppressed groups rather than responding piecemeal to individual take-down notices.

In order to safeguard our own national security, fulfill our Christchurch Call obligations and prevent far-right terrorists from organising in Ireland, the Government should swiftly suppress these organisations.

Vulnerable adherents

Even if their ability to recruit in Ireland is diminished, there will always be some that slip through the cracks.

This is where the second prong of our strategy must come into play.

Ireland must go beyond prescription and ensure that the pool from which these groups are able to draw is as small as possible.

Violent far-right groups thrive on despair and, much like ISIS, often seek to weaponise vulnerability, seeking out those undergoing personal crisis or with underlying mental health issues.

We have found that people seeking to join violent far-right groups are much more likely to respond positively to self-help content than the general population.

To reduce the pool from which these groups draw we must ensure that those going through a personal crisis are well supported.

There are many examples of how this can be done.

Trump supporters clashed with police and security forces as they stormed the US Capitol in Washington, last week. Picture: Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Throughout Europe, there are dozens of programmes that specialise in dealing with vulnerable people that have been manipulated by the violent far-right, such as Aggredi in Finland, or EXIT-Germany.

Here in Ireland, inspirational civil society groups such as text50808 have been pioneering groundbreaking new ways of reaching people going through a personal crisis, and have already helped thousands of Irish people dealing with depression and isolation.

Groups such as these need to be resourced effectively and connected with those trapped in the rabbit hole of far-right conspiracy theories.

Ireland should show empathy for the vulnerable people who have been groomed by the violent far right, and have zero tolerance for the ringleaders who use our state to praise and encourage murder.

The best time to start a focused effort against the far right in Ireland was yesterday. The next best time is now.
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said that farmers are prepared to protest against the farm laws 'till May 2024', and termed the ongoing agitation as an 'ideological revolution'

On Sunday, the Centre and protesting farmers remained at loggerhead over the contentious agri laws on Sunday with the farmers saying they will go ahead with the proposed tractor parade in Delhi on Republic Day and Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar stating that the government is not ready to discuss the complete withdrawal of the laws.

The withdrawal of the laws is the main demand of the farmers, who have staged a protest at Delhi's borders for over 50 days.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday said that farmers are prepared to protest against the farm laws "till May 2024", and termed the ongoing agitation as an "ideological revolution".

Meanwhile, at a rally in Karnataka, home minister Amit Shah said that "doubling" farmers' income was the "biggest priority" of the Narenda Modi government and that the three central farm laws will ensure manifold hike in their earnings.

'Will go ahead with tractor march on Republic Day'

Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border protest site, farmer union leader Yogendra Yadav said, "We will carry out a tractor parade on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi on Republic Day. The parade will be very peaceful. There will be no disruption of the Republic Day parade. The farmers will put up the national flag on their tractors."

The Centre had moved the Supreme Court seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor march or any other kind of protest by farmers "which seeks to disrupt" the gathering and celebrations of Republic Day on 26 January. The matter is pending in court.

Another farmer union leader, Darshan Pal Singh, alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is filing cases against those who are part of the protest or supporting it.

"All farmer unions condemn this," Pal said, referring to the NIA summons reportedly issued to a farmer union leader in a case related to the banned Sikhs For Justice outfit.

Addressing a presser in Nagpur on Sunday, Tikait said the farmers want a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Asked how long will farmers will sit in protest, Tikait said, "We are prepared to sit in protest till May 2024... our demand is that the three laws be taken back and the government provide a legal guarantee on the MSP."

His remarks are supposedly in reference to the next Lok Sabha elections in the country, which will be held over April-May 2024. Dismissed allegations that the protest was being fuelled by "rich farmers", Tikait said people from villages and various outfits have joined the protest.

"This is an ideological revolution of farmers started from Delhi and will not fail. Farmers from villages do not want us come back until the three farm bills are taken back," he said. "The government is adamant on its stance of not withdrawing the bills and this agitation will continue for long," Tikait added.

He welcomed the SC's decision on staying the implementation of the farm laws, but said the committee formed by the apex court is comprised of members who "supported" the farm bills.

"We do not want to go before the committee formed by the court. The government has also said that the government and farmers will find solution on this issue," he said.

'Give up stubborn stand'

Ahead of the tenth round of talks scheduled on 19 January, Tomar urged protesting farm leaders to give up their "stubborn" stand on the new farm laws and come for a clause-by-clause discussion.

"Now that the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of these laws, then there is no question of being stubborn," Tomar told reporters before leaving for his home constituency of Morena in Madhya Pradesh.

"The government wants farmer leaders to engage in a clause-by-clause discussion at the next meeting on 19 January. Except for the demand of repealing the laws, the government is ready to consider other alternatives seriously and with an open heart," he said.

The Supreme Court on 11 January had stayed the implementation of the three laws till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse. However, a member of the panel, farmer leader Bhupinder Singh Mann recused himself from it on 14 January.

Tomar added the government offered certain concessions, but the farmer leaders have not shown flexibility and were constantly demanding a repeal of the laws.

He reiterated that the government makes laws for the entire country. He also claimed that "many farmers, experts and other stakeholders have supported the laws".

So far, the nine rounds of formal talks between the Centre and 41 farmer unions have failed to yield any concrete results to end the long-running protest at Delhi's borders as the latter have stuck to their main demand of a complete repeal of the three Acts.

SC to hear pleas on farm laws tomorrow

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday the pleas relating to controversial farm laws and the ongoing farmers' protest. The apex court may take into account the matter of Mann's recusal from the court-appointed committee.

The committee comprised farmer leader Bhupinder Singh Mann, Dr Parmod Kumar Joshi, Director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute; Ashok Gulati, agricultural economist and former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices; and Anil Ghanwat, president of Shetkari Sanghatana.

The court had said it will hear the pleas against the farm laws after eight weeks when the committee will give its suggestions to resolve the impasse after talking to the protesters and the government.

However, the court's efforts hit a hurdle after Mann recused himself from the committee. A bench, also comprising justices L Nageswara Rao and Vineet Saran, on Monday may take remedial actions like appointing a person to replace Mann in the panel.

On Saturday, farmer union, Bhartiya Kisan Union Lokshakti, filed an affidavit requesting the top court to remove the remaining three members of the committee and select people who can do the job "on the basis of mutual harmony".

The farmers' body said the principle of natural justice is going to be violated as those appointed to the four-member committee "have already supported these laws".

'Doubling farmers' income is highest priority'

Addressing a rally in Karnataka, Shah said that since coming to power, the Modi government had increased the budget for the farm sector and also the MSP for various crops.

"I want to say that if there is any big priority of the Narendra Modi government it is to double the farmers income," he said.

"The Narendra Modi government is a government dedicated to farmers. Three new laws that the Modi government has brought in, which the Karnataka government has also passed... I want to congratulate Yediyurapp for it. Farmer's income will increase multifold due to them," he added.

"Farmers are not compelled anymore to sell their produce at one place and can get access to global and Indian markets of choice for their crops," he said.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting at various border points of Delhi for over a month demanding the repeal of the three laws  the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act.

Enacted in September 2020, the Central Government has presented these laws as major farm reforms aimed at increasing farmers' income, but the protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislations would weaken the minimum support price (MSP) and "mandi" (wholesale market) systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.

The government has maintained that these apprehensions are misplaced and has ruled out a repeal of the laws.

With inputs from agencies
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 16:09:38|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

BEIJING -- Over 100,000 drivers for online platforms under Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing have made reservations for COVID-19 vaccines in Beijing, according to the company.

As of 2 p.m. Saturday, more than 46,000 drivers have been inoculated in the city, the company said.

- - - -

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles became the first county in the United States to surpass 1 million total cases since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, local health officials said Saturday.

The most populous county in the country, home to 10 million residents, on Saturday reported 14,669 new confirmed cases and 253 additional deaths, pushing its cumulative cases up to 1,003,923 with 13,741 related deaths, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

- - - -

SUVA -- Fiji reported two more imported COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total tally to 55 in the island nation.

According to a statement by Fiji's health ministry on Sunday, one patient is a 49-year-old female and the other is a 58-year-old female, and both of them arrived in Fiji on a flight from New Zealand on Dec. 24 last year.

- - - -

ULAN BATOR -- Mongolia reported five new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking its nationwide tally to 1,517, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases said Sunday.

The latest confirmed cases were locally transmitted or detected in the country's capital city Ulan Bator, the center said in a statement. Enditem
Jamie Raskin, the lawmaker leading the team of impeachment managers, said Sunday that there was an 'assassination party' looking for Nancy Pelosi and threatening to 'hang' Mike Pence as Democrats attempt to prove there were 'capture and kill' teams involved in the Capitol storming.

'I want people to focus on the solemnity and the gravity of these events,' Raskin told CNN's 'State of the Union' on Sunday when describing the events of the January 6 Capitol storming.

'Five Americans are dead because a violent mob was encouraged, exhorted and incited by the President of the United State of America, which broke into the Congress of the United States, into the Capitol and came within a hair's breadth of hanging Vice President Pence. The words are still ringing in the ears of the members, 'Hang Mike Pence. Hang Mike Pence.' They built a gallows outside of the Capitol of the United States,' the Maryland representative said.

'There was an assassination party hunting for Nancy Pelosi,' he continued, adding: 'This was an attack on our country.'

Democrats are pushing to speed up the impeachment conviction process, with Senator Cory Booker hoping to start proceedings 'as quickly as possible.'

Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin, the lead impeachment manager, said Sunday that there was an 'assassination party' hunting down Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence during the Capitol riots earlier this month

At the same time, Senator Cory Booker says he expects to investigate the impeachment article from the House 'as quickly as possible' and not wait until after Joe Biden's first 100 days

The House voted to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday, exactly one week after the deadly riot. The article has not yet made its way to the Senate, where they will vote to either convict or dismiss the charge.

Some Democrats want to push off the investigation and conviction vote until after Joe Biden's first 100 days in office so they are able to focus on other business, like approving judicial and cabinet nominees.

'You don't need a six-month investigation to figure out what happened,' Raskin lamented.

Booker, a former presidential primary challenger to Biden, said the Senate shouldn't have to prioritize one over the other, and should be able to conduct an impeachment investigation and vote while also completing other business.

'There's some frustration about getting timelines set,' Booker told NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday, adding he expects the probe to happen as soon as possible.

'The American people have a right to expect that we can work on a lot of different fronts  from an economic recession to a pandemic to national security threats  as well as holding a president accountable,' the California Democrat said.

A key part to Democrats' argument for conviction of Trump is that he incited a crowd so much that he actually motivated them to seek out to harm members of Congress or the Cabinet.

Progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for example, claims she feared for her life and was worried that Republican colleagues loyal to Trump would out her location to the mob in the midst of the riot.

A Trump-appointment Justice Department official said there is no direct evidence of any efforts to capture or assassinate lawmakers during the attack.

'We don't have any direct evidence of kill capture teams,' Michael Sherwin, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a press conference with reporters on Friday.

Democrats will argue in their impeachment trial that Donald Trump incited a violent crowd to storm the Capitol and claims they had plans to harm members of Congress and even the vice president

Acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Michael Sherwin said Friday there is no 'direct evidence of kill capture teams'

Pelosi appointed nine Democratic lawmakers to argue at trial in the Senate that Trump incited the riot to harm members of Congress and delay gratification of the Electoral College vote count. Raskin is leading that team.

Some rioters are on record saying they wanted to find Pelosi and Pence, who presided over the count. Others had zip ties, which could be used as handcuffs, hanging on their clothes as they breached the Capitol.

The other eight managers include Representatives Diana Degette of Colorado; David Ciclline of Rhode Island; Joaquin Castro Castor of Texas; Eric Swalwell of California; Red Lieu of California, Joe Neguse of Colorado, Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania and Delegate from the Virgin Islands Stacey Plaskett.

All managers are lawyers by education and trade and some are in the unique position to be witnesses to what they are charging the president with as lawmakers were forced to hide under seats as rioters beat on the door of the chamber and others sheltered in place in their offices.

'This is a case where the jurors were also victims, and so whether it was those who voted in the House last night or those in the Senate who will have to weigh in on this, you don't have to tell anyone who was in the building twice what it was like to be terrorized,' Swalwell said.

There are also calls for an investigation into some members of Congress who colleagues claim gave 'reconnaissance' tours to groups at the Capitol the day before the storming.
Its been roughly two months since the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use approval to a new COVID-19 treatment that had the potential to keep early symptoms from progressing, according to early studies.

The federal government has been shipping the monoclonal antibody drugs all over the country, but health officials  including in New Jersey  would like to see more patients getting the treatment.

This is one of the few potential medications we can offer COVID patients who arent hospitalized, said Dr. Martin Topiel, Virtua Healths chief of infectious diseases, who runs the monoclonal antibody program there. He said it seems effective at preventing mild to moderate symptoms from progressing to the point where the person has to be hospitalized.

It seems to be effective when we can reach patients early in their symptoms, because they havent yet produced their own native antibodies, he said. Were supplying a lab-made antibody protein for them as a replacement, and thats why catching them early is beneficial.

Under the emergency use authorization, the monoclonal antibodies are only available to those at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness, including those over 65 or with underlying conditions like diabetes and hypertension.

Virtua Health Registered Nurse Chioma Sullivan works in the monoclonal antibody infusion center at Virtua Willingboro Hospital Jan. 14, 2021.Courtesy Virtua Health

Lots of people may qualify, but many havent received the treatment for a number of reasons, from just not knowing its available to the logistics of getting the drug via infusion.

At a press conference Wednesday, State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli also urged people to contact their doctor if they think they qualify. She noted that Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-12th Dist., received the treatment after testing positive this week.

If you test positive and only have mild to moderate symptoms, call your healthcare provider to see if you are a candidate for monoclonal antibodies, Persichilli said. Our hospitals are reporting over 100 patients a day are getting this treatment and it is improving their condition and theyre avoiding hospitalization.

Virtua Health has a good supply of one of the two drugs, made by pharmaceutical companies Regeneron and Eli Lilly, and is trying to get the word out that eligible patients can get the treatment, Topiel said.

Its also been reported that people who want the treatment are having a hard time finding a healthcare facility that has it  all within the short window of time it would be most effective. To deal with that issue, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Infusion Center Association created locator websites. But the websites only include information from states that opted into providing it, and New Jersey is not among them.

The New Jersey Department of Health  which channels the drug from the federal government to hospitals  said all acute care facilities in New Jersey have been given doses of the drugs.

So far Virtua has given the treatment to approximately 200 people via a dedicated infusion center at Virtua Willingboro Hospital.

This photo provided by Eli Lilly shows the drug Bamlanivimab, one of two monoclonal antibody treatments with emergency use authorization from the FDA. (Courtesy of Eli Lilly via AP)AP

Not every health system has been able to stand something up effectively, both in the state and around the country, Topiel said. Some places are just utilizing our emergency rooms. Some even have difficulty with that, because theyre overwhelmed with patients.

The infusion and observation period take a total of two hours, and the patients are all COVID-19 positive, so they cannot be mingled with other patients. Topiel said the infusion center in Willingboro was not in-use and they had adequate staffing, so they were able to devote it to this treatment.

The hospitals first patient to get monoclonal antibodies was Jay Siegmeister, 60, of Cherry Hill, who had pre-existing conditions and tested positive for COVID-19 Nov. 29. In a statement from Virtua, Siegmeister said he had a headache, sore throat and shortness of breath but felt better the very next day after his infusion Dec. 1.

The FDA based its emergency use approval on randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials  in Regenerons case, involving 799 patients, and for Lilly, 452 patients. A review by the National Institutes of Health noted that those who got the monoclonal antibodies were less likely to visit an emergency room or be hospitalized, but said the relatively small sample size makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the clinical benefit of the treatment.

Topiel said he believes it works and it makes good sense for Virtua to get as many high-risk patients treated as possible so they dont end up hospitalized.

While certainly were concerned about patient outcomes, we also want to preserve the hospital so that we can take care of our patients and not get overwhelmed, he said.

To streamline the process of getting patients into its infusion center, Virtua Health has set up a hotline at 856-325-3150 that people can call if they think they qualify. Its easiest if patients go through their doctor to set it up because of the need for medical records, Topiel said, but candidates can call themselves, too.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
The French newspaper Monde diplomatique wrote that thanks to the creation of the Sputnik V vaccine, Russia has demonstrated the ability to independently develop a drug that can suppress the coronavirus pandemic.

The author of the article, Federico Cuzco, noted that the creation of this drug was met with doubt in the West due to its ignorance of the Russian scientific tradition.

"Driven by linguistic, cultural and political differences, this ignorance makes people view Russian initiatives with suspicion ," Cuzco said.

He also stressed that the creation of a vaccine against coronavirus is a great result of a whole historical chain of scientific developments in Russia. However, in his opinion, Western "experts" have denied Russian achievements for years and are now surprised by the announcement of the creation of a drug.

The author also expressed the opinion that Russia is not chasing money, unlike Western countries, where pharmaceutical laboratories impose their medicines at astronomical prices.
China Sought to Influence 2020 US Election, Director of National Intelligence Assesses

Senior CIA officials pressured analysts to withdraw assessment

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe assessed that China interfered in the 2020 federal elections, according to a letter transmitted to Congress.

In the letter (pdf), Ratcliffe alleges that intelligence about Chinas election interference was suppressed by management at the CIA, which pressured analysts to withdraw their support for the view.

Citing a report by the Intelligence Communitys analytic ombudsman Barry Zulauf, the director of national intelligence said that some analysts were reluctant to describe Chinas actions as election interference because the analysts disagreed with the policies of President Donald Trump.

The Washington Examiner published Ratcliffes letter and the ombudsman report on Jan. 17, 10 days after publishing an original report on the documents. The ODNI didnt immediately respond to requests from The Epoch Times to authenticate the documents.

Based on all available sources of intelligence, with definitions consistently applied, and reached independent of political considerations or undue pressurethat the Peoples Republic of China sought to influence the 2020 U.S. federal elections, Ratcliffe wrote.

The report by Zulauf was sent to Congress on Jan. 7 alongside an intelligence community assessment of interference in the 2020 election. In the report (pdf), Zulauf states that the analysts working on Russia and China applied different standards to their reporting on election interference. While labeling Russias activity as clear election interference, the analysts were reluctant to do the same for China.

Given analytic differences in the way Russia and China analysts examined their targets, China analysts appeared hesitant to assess Chinese actions as undue influence or interference, Zulauf wrote.

These analysts appeared reluctant to have their analysis on China brought forward because they tended to disagree with the Administrations policies, saying in effect, I dont want our intelligence used to support those policies.

Neither the ombudsman report nor the letter from Ratcliffe includes details on Chinas meddling. Zulauf redirected an interview request by The Epoch Times to the ODNI, which didnt immediately respond to an emailed request.

The analytic ombudsmans report assesses that politicization occurred in relation to both Russias and Chinas election interference. Zulauf assessed that neither intelligence community leaders nor analysts are at fault, blaming the hyperpartisan atmosphere in the United States instead.

In most cases, what we see is the entire system responding to and resisting pressures from outside, rather than attempts to politicize intelligence by our leaders or analysts.

The report states that the analysts who assessed Russias election interference had complained that the intelligence community management was reluctant to deliver their assessments to government clients because the work was not well received.

Analysts saw this as suppression of intelligence, bordering on politicization of intelligence from above, Zulauf wrote.

The Epoch Times previously documented a multi-pronged election influence campaign linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

In a Dec. 3 op-ed, Ratcliffe said the CCP poses the greatest threat to America today, and the greatest threat to democracy and freedom worldwide since World War II.

The intelligence is clear: Beijing intends to dominate the U.S. and the rest of the planet economically, militarily, and technologically, he wrote. Many of Chinas major public initiatives and prominent companies offer only a layer of camouflage to the activities of the Chinese Communist Party.

Congress certified Joe Biden as the president-elect on Jan. 7. In the two months leading up to the certification, Trump challenged the outcome of the election in seven states, citing unconstitutional changes to election laws and potentially illegally cast votes.


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More than one in 10 people are either Covid-positive or are a close contact of a case in some counties, the Chief Medical Officer has said.

Dr Tony Holohan, in a statement yesterday evening, said the virus has taken root in every single part of the country

A significant percentage of the population - in excess of 1 in 10 in some counties - is currently either a case or a close contact. This is a huge burden of infection, he said.

There are currently 191 people in ICU with Covid-19, and a further 250 in hospital requiring special assistance such as oxygen, HSE CEO Paul Reid confirmed yesterday.

There are 1,923 people with the virus across the hospital system, according to the latest HSE data.

There were 60 more deaths and 3,231 new cases confirmed yesterday by Nphet.

When you consider that a significant percentage of our daily cases will directly lead to hospitalisation and mortality, the urgency with which we need to act becomes clear.

By staying at home, you are protecting our health and social care services as they struggle against the enormous burden of infection that many weeks with thousands of daily cases of Covid-19 represents, Dr Holohan said.

Irelands 14-day incidence rate has risen to 1,530 per 100,000, meaning one in every 65 people in the country have received a positive test result in the last two weeks alone.

Dr Holohan said the improvements in case numbers is not happening fast enough and that too many people are still not complying as fully as we need with the advice.

There are early indications that we may be levelling off in terms of improvement, but at far, far too high a level of infection. The UK variant is very likely making our challenge more difficult, he said.

Dr Cillian De Gascun, Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, said it is inevitable that the UK variant will become the dominant variant here in Ireland over time.

Dr De Gascun said the mutation is better at moving from person to person.




By Jana Kadah

Bay City News Foundation

Inmates in Santa Clara County's main jail went on a hunger strike this week to protest the jail's largest COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic's start in March.

On Wednesday afternoon, the sheriff's office reported 109 new COVID-19 cases. That same night, the hunger strike began in the main jail's 7B wing to protest unsanitary living conditions and lack of policy that prisoners believe have led to the outbreaks.

One of the 40 -plus inmates participating in the hunger strike in 7B, Ceaser Torres, said the hunger strike is the only way to get the change inmates so desperately need.

"It seems that the jail and the facility to the sheriff's office doesn't really take us seriously, unless we do something extreme," Torres said.

The 7B unit was the site of a COVID-19 outbreak in December, which coincided with an indoor private party of multiple unmasked correctional deputies and supervisors that surfaced on Facebook.

"I think the outbreak is the result of utter negligence of jail administration and staff-- that or just institutional ineptitude to do the basic responsibilities," Raj Jayadev, co-founder of grassroots community organization Silicon Valley De-Bug said. "And the thing I'll point to is these photos of correctional officers throwing a party."

Jayadev said all the jail outbreaks likely originate with staff since they are the only ones leaving and entering the jails.

Another De-Bug organizer, Jose Valle, who works closely with the inmate population, said everyone in 7B has experienced COVID-19 symptoms. If they did not test positive, it is because they refused testing so they would not have to be moved to another, likely dirtier cell, Valle said.

Valle said the latest December outbreak in 7B was the second outbreak in that housing unit since March.

Wednesday's new reported 109 active positive cases is comprised of all the county's jails.

By Friday, the active case count jumped to 127 new cases in the county since Jan. 5 -- accounting for quarter of the 501 cumulative jail infections since March.

January also marked the top three highest single day new infections within the county's incarcerated population, with 38 on Friday, 35 on Jan. 2 and 36 on Jan. 4. And on Tuesday, a day before the hunger strike, the county reported the fifth highest single-day new infections with 22 cases.

In response to the significant outbreaks, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office has been working with public defenders to facilitate additional releases that could start as early as next week.

"When COVID first happened in March, we put together a team that actually really quickly ended up with about a one third reduction in the jail population," Assistant District Attorney David Angel said. "So we've kind of pulled the same team together again now."

Angel said the releases were a success because they were able to significantly reduce the jail capacity without seeing an increase in recidivism rates or spikes in crime.

He also said it's unclear how many inmates will be released and would have a better idea in the next week, but it will be unlikely that there will be another 1,000 released like the first round.

"We are looking for people at the end of their sentence," Angel said.

The DA's office is also looking for solutions to get those released into housing, treatment and supervision, and perhaps electronic monitoring, Angel said.

But for inmates and advocates, additional release is only one of the six demands to end the hunger strike.

Prisoners are also demanding visitation rights to be unsuspended and for the county's department of public health and correctional health to create a plan to be shared with inmates to ensure the living conditions in the jail are up to health and medical treatment standards.

"The cells there are just very unsanitary, it's just awful," Anastacia Bravo, Torres' wife said. "I'm surprised no one has died yet."

Torres has been incarcerated in the county for eight years and was one of the inmates who tested positive in the latest COVID-19 outbreak in 7B.

He shared that he has taken part in a yearly hunger strike since 2016. The demands differ but are related to the living conditions in the jail, he said.

His longest strike was his first year, where he didn't eat for 12 days and lost 17 pounds.

This latest hunger strike marks his 5th one, and to him, may be the most personal.

"You really start to feel it on the third or fourth day," Torres said. "But I know how much my body can take. I can go 12, 13, 14 days and I'm willing to wait."

Upon testing positive, Torres was moved to the jail's infirmary to quarantine with other COVID-19 positive people. After five days, he was moved to floor 6A, which is known to house those who suffer with mental health conditions.

"The one I had to go into had feces on the wall and I had to clean it. There was dirt, like moldy foods crusted to the floor. Lots of writings on the wall and I don't want to be discussing anything but one of the cells also had semen on the desk," Torres said. "It just made us more sick."

He said when nurses came in to take their vitals, fevers were up, and blood pressure was down.

"The next day I had terrible coughs and a headache. The body aches were bad," Torres said. "It was hard to have COVID, especially to clean all that up when you can barely breathe. I still haven't gotten my sense of smell back."

According to a survey of 30 inmates conducted by Silicon Valley De-Bug, all said they did not have enough cleaning supplies to keep themselves and their cells clean.

The same survey found that 85 percent of inmates are in bunks in dorm settings that are less than six feet apart, 100 percent said they were forced to share bathrooms without sanitation between uses and 95 percent said phones were not sanitized in between uses.

In an email, the sheriff's office said they were aware of the hunger strike and working toward solutions.

"We take the health and welfare of those in our care seriously and we will work closely with Custody Health Services regarding those who elect to participate," the email reads. "Our Office will continue to work to address and resolve concerns related to jail operations."

Jayadev said inmates, family members and advocates have been working for months in an effort to change inmate living conditions.

"That's why we sort of reached this hunger strike," Jayadev said. "They've [inmates] have exhausted every option and have done everything they possibly can."

He said they've gone through the conventional routes offered to them: file grievances, appeal grievance responses, attempt to go through the court system and have family and friends advocate on their behalf.

Torres said he has filed two grievances in January but does not expect much to change. In his experience, hunger strikes are the only thing that propels the sheriff's office to make significant changes.

"I've been here for so many years and I've seen the changes that they're capable of making. And I know that the captain of the Sheriff's office has the authority to give us what we are asking for, which are really simple things." Torres said.

Torres tested negative from COVID-19 in late December but is still dealing with some symptoms. His wife worries that the hunger strike will lead to more health complications.

"For my husband to starve himself just to get some basic rights for himself I don't think is fair," Bravo said. "I don't want him to do it, especially since he is still recovering from COVID. But this is his fifth hunger strike and he is determined to make a change."

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Local News, Crime, Community, Charity & Cause

By Long Island Published: January 12 2021

The Suffolk County Sheriffs Office has a total of six canine teams; three for the police division and three for the correction division.

The mission of these New York State certified canine teams is to support the daily operations of the Sheriffs Office as well as other law enforcement agencies upon request.

The Sheriffs Office Police Division canines are bred in Europe before being purchased by a third-party vendor and flown to the United States. The police dogs may receive some preliminary protection dog training in Europe but receive their police-specific training in the United States with our trainers.

Both the dogs and their handlers spend 6-10 weeks in Columbus, Ohio for their basic certifications. K9 Agar and K9 Reis are certified in scent detection, narcotics detection, criminal apprehension, and handler protection. The canine teams are ready to serve the people of Suffolk County upon their return from Ohio and will conduct weekly in-service training for the length of their service to maintain New York State standards.

Sheriffs Office canines have an average service length of about eight years. Considering that they are usually 1-2 years of age when entering service, they retire around the age of 9 or 10. Once canines are retired, they live out the remainder of their lives at home with their handlers and family.

K9 Agar is a 22-month-old sable colored German Shepherd from the Netherlands. K9 Agar is handled by Deputy Sheriff Kevin Tracy, a four-time experienced canine handler. Agar is a high drive, soft tempered dog with a sharp focus for his work.

K9 Reis is a 19-month-old dark brindle colored Dutch Shepherd from the Netherlands. K9 Reis is handled by Deputy Sheriff Jason Korte, a second-time canine handler. Reis is named for Fallen Correction Officer Andrew P. Reister. Reis is a high drive, strong willed dog that exhibits a uniquely high level of courage.

Sheriff Toulon is pleased to welcome these new canines. The Suffolk County Sheriffs Office is proud to have these highly trained K9 Teams join our ranks. These dogs will work tirelessly to help fight crime, detect drugs, and keep Suffolk County safe.

For more information on Suffolk County Sheriffs Office, visit www.SuffolkSheriff.com.
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It was Friday night, and after a long day of grossing, I was ready to leave the hospital when the departments door opened, and the nurse shouted, we have a frozen for an emergency liver transplant. Without hesitation, I took the specimen and called the attending on call. After a few minutes, the surgeon arrived anxiously to our reading room. We flew all the way from Pennsylvania to get this liver to a dying patient, he said. It was an unorthodox surgery for a donor young man with a gunshot wound. My attending gave the surgeon the good news that the liver could be transplanted, and everyone in the room felt relieved.

A few months later, the same surgeon came to our hospital with his patient to thank us. He had traveled a long distance to see who had made the decision that night that saved his life. I was humbled, impressed, and overwhelmed by his attitude.

Not many people appreciate or know what pathologists do. Some clinicians view pathology as analogous to an ATMyou put something in, and something spits out. However, the more enlightened clinicians consider pathologists as consultants and partners.

Pathology diagnosis is not as black and white as some believe. As an example, sometimes pathologists cannot distinguish benign from borderline mucinous ovarian tumors on frozen sections. In an adolescent patient, a diagnosis of borderline might lead to an oophorectomy and may contribute to future infertility, which is a significant issue.

Pathologists are sometimes pressured by the surgeons and/or the family to make a more definitive intraoperative diagnosis than mucinous neoplasm, defer final diagnosis for further sampling. However, oftentimes we cannot go further until appropriate fixation, adequate sampling, and adjunct studies are performed.

Pathology of various organs as a topic is first introduced in the second year in most medical schools, and rarely are medical students exposed to what the actual practice of surgical pathology entails.

Ignorance is often demonstrated by reporting on clinical rounds that the pathology came back, which in no way acknowledges the professional interpretation that goes into it, perpetuating the ATM stereotype. Therefore, when a medical student chooses to pursue a pathology residency, they often enter the field with the prevailing misconception that the pathologist immediately knows everything and that it is all cut and dried, or black and white. The trainee is in for a rude awakening.

The pathologist does not always have a definitive clear-cut answer, and pathology is an art as well as a science. Hence, a diagnosis is frequently descriptive, rather than a simple diagnosis of a few words.

Clinicians want specific things from a pathology consultation. They want a short turnaround time and a clear and coherent report, which can be discussed with the patient and correlates with the clinical findings. Unfortunately, this does not always come to pass, particularly with some smaller or disrupted specimens, resulting from minimally invasive surgery.

It takes a cultural change to reach that balance between what pathology and pathologists are, and what the perception about the field is. Medicine has changed dramatically in recent years regarding disease understanding and test diagnosis. In the past year, pathologists played a crucial part during the COVID-19 pandemic and the laboratory medicine field has taken huge responsibility in our hospitals to support every clinical department. Addressing the pathologists role on the patient care team should be addressed in medical school early on.

Albert Alhatem is a pathology resident. Debra Heller is a pathologist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Amid the unprecedented political crisis that has rocked the United States in the last two weeks, there is hope.

It is important to recognize that the institutions of our democracy did not collapse under assault from armed insurrectionists and from an unpardonable attack from the very man elected to protect those institutions. That single fact offers hope that our republic will endure.

But there is also hope that this crisis may lead to a more productive and robust era in our politics.

We spoke with Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, this week and he confirmed reports that members of Congress from both parties were deeply shaken by the events of Jan. 6. He said for many members, it was the first direct contact with mob violence. For others, it brought up traumatic memories of combat and violence they had experienced overseas.

Thompson said this experience does seem to have been a wake-up call to at least some Republican lawmakers, pointing out that 10 of them voted in favor of impeaching President Trump last week. Thats the most members ever who voted to impeach a president of their own party. No Republicans backed the 2019 impeachment resolution, the first time the president was impeached.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 13:34:32|Editor: huaxia

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People visit the consumer goods exhibition area during the third China International Import Expo (CIIE), in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Renzi)

-- Four years ago, at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

-- The vision has gradually transformed into a consensus shared by countries around the world amid growing global challenges.

-- As a firm proponent and practitioner of multilateralism, China has all along taken concrete actions to turn the vision into reality via win-win cooperation.

by Xinhua writers Luo Jun, Li Jun

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Pulling together to build a community with shared future for mankind, a historic and philosophical concept presented by Chinese President Xi Jinping, has gradually transformed into a consensus amid growing challenges worldwide.

Four years ago, at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Xi called for building such a community while expounding his vision of humanity's future.

The Chinese leader championed a world of lasting peace, common security for all and common prosperity, as well as an open, inclusive, and clean world. His vision was applauded more than 30 times by the audience in his 47-minute speech.

Four years on, in the shadow of the raging COVID-19 pandemic, with worldwide political and socio-economic challenges, Xi's concept has proven to be "the only future for humanity on this planet," as Peter Thomson, president of the 71st Session of the General Assembly, said.

A China-Europe freight train carrying medical supplies bound for Madrid of Spain departs from the city of Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 5, 2020. (Photo by Lyu Bin/Xinhua)

THE ANSWER

The novel coronavirus has infected close to 100 million people across the globe, taking over 2 million lives. The pandemic has not only exerted extreme pressure on public health systems worldwide, but also disrupted the normal political and economic order.

Amid the global crisis, hegemonism, unilateralism and protectionism loom over the world, which further threatens a post-pandemic future for humankind.

To unite or to separate? To open up or to exclude? To cooperate or to confront? The world is in a historic crossroads.

In his speech delivered at the Palace of Nations on Jan. 18, 2017, Xi listed such priorities as partnership, security, growth and inter-civilization exchanges in building a community of a shared future for humankind.

Roy Van Den Hurk (1st L), general manager of product with New Zealand dairy company TheLand, attends a cooperation signing ceremony during the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)

Since 2013, when the Chinese president first presented the concept during a visit to Russia, Xi has enriched the concept to include building a shared future with neighboring countries, with Asia-Pacific partners, with African countries, with Latin American countries, and building a maritime shared future, as well as a shared future in cyberspace.

With the pandemic still raging, Xi put forward the proposal of jointly building a community of common health for humankind, calling for active engagement in jointly battling the pandemic and enhancing global public health governance.

China has initiated the largest global humanitarian efforts in its history, providing anti-epidemic aid to over 150 countries and 10 international organizations, and sending 36 medical expert teams to 34 countries.

"Coronavirus is a global crisis that no country is immune from. It has proved that building a community with a shared future for mankind is the only right choice to win the battle," said Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club.

Staff members of South Korean enterprises wait to check in for a flight to Tianjin, China, at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, May 10, 2020. (NEWSIS/Handout via Xinhua)

"China's commitment to building a community with a shared future for mankind is one of the most beautiful philosophical concepts, and a magnificent Chinese initiative for the peace and well-being of peoples in history of humanity," said Pierre Picquart, a French expert on China at the University of Paris VIII.





CONCRETE ACTION

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to the world economy and added to its instability and uncertainty, China took innovative approaches to establish "fast tracks" and "green lanes" to ensure a smooth flow of personnel and goods and keep industrial and supply chains stable and open.

With containment protocols in place, China hosted a series of global trade events as scheduled including the 2020 China International Fair For Trade in Services in Beijing, the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, and the 17th China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, among others.

"This demonstrated China's sincere desire to share its market opportunities with the world to tide over difficulties," said Chen Fengying, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

Photo taken on Nov. 28, 2020 shows a Pakistani exhibition area of the 17th China-ASEAN Expo at Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Lu Boan)

The CIIE provided growth opportunities for Roy van den Hurk, a New Zealand dairy company manager.

Joining the over 3,600 companies from over 150 countries and regions, it was the third consecutive year for Hurk's company Theland to participate in the CIIE, with the previous two resulting in increased product sales.

"I felt completely safe while at CIIE, and in fact I feel completely safe in Shanghai as well," said Hurk. "We are also very confident of the China market for many years to come." The company has already signed a three-year long-term participation memorandum with the organizers to secure a booth place at the next CIIE.

In his Geneva speech, Xi welcomed other countries "aboard the fast train of China's development." The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an important platform proposed by Xi in 2013, has been part of that drive.

Workers walk on a continuous beam at the construction site of the China-built Jakarta-Bandung high-speed-railway in Bekasi, West Java province, Indonesia, Aug. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Zulkarnain)

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, BRI cooperation continues to bear fruit. In the first eight months of 2020, China's trade with Belt and Road partners reached 5.86 trillion yuan (about 896 billion U.S. dollars), and Chinese companies increased their non-financial direct investment in partner countries by more than 30 percent year on year.

The China-Europe freight train service network, a land transportation artery like a modern railway version of camel caravans across Eurasia, saw 10,180 trips made as of Nov. 5, 2020. Nearly 8 million parcels of medical supplies have been delivered via the network last year.

For Pakistani President Arif Alvi, the BRI has profoundly interpreted the true meaning of cooperation, peace and development and reflected the universal aspirations of people around the world.





NEW POSSIBILITY

No country in the world can enjoy absolute security while others remain in turmoil, Xi said at the Palace of Nations.

Visitors try a virtual reality (VR) product in the cultural services exhibition area of the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Xi delivered speeches at a series of United Nations high-level meetings marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the 193-nation body.

The Chinese president called on all countries to abandon a zero-sum mentality and promote universal security, in line with his Geneva speech.

Green and low-carbon development and a coexistence between humanity and nature has long been a part of Xi's global vision.

China has announced that it would strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. China has also pledged to lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by over 65 percent from the 2005 level, increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 25 percent, and bring its total installed capacity of wind and solar power to over 1.2 billion kilowatts.

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 15, 2020 shows a solar thermal electricity project in Gonghe County, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Hainan in northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang)

China has not only made achievements in its own green development, but also shared its experience with other countries, said Nasser Bouchiba, president of the Africa-China Cooperation Association for Development in Morocco.

"A just cause should be pursued for the common good," Xi has quoted this Chinese proverb in many speeches. Traditional Chinese culture advocates "harmony in diversity" and upholds "the beauty of each civilization," which has become a gene deeply rooted in the vision of building a shared future for humankind.

However, major changes unseen in a century have given rise to profound changes in the international order. Some countries started to advocate the fallacy of a "clash of civilizations," "racial superiority" and "putting one's own country first" in an attempt to foster prejudice, estrangement and hatred.

Over the past four years, Xi has pointed out on many international occasions that diversity of human civilizations not only defines our world, but also drives humanity's progress. Civilizations are enriched by exchanges and mutual learning. "Only through mutual respect, mutual learning and harmonious coexistence can the world maintain its diversity and thrive," Xi said.

Martin Jacques, a senior fellow of politics and international studies at Cambridge University, said China has carried out unprecedented work at home and abroad and offered "a new possibility" to the world.

(Xinhua correspondents Han Mo, Chen Shan, Jin Zheng in Beijing also contributed to the story.)
Frustrated by last-minute school changes and dissatisfied with virtual-learning options, many South Carolina families have opted to leave the public school system entirely.

Some parents have pursued home schooling. Others have turned to "pandemic pods" or small-group tutoring.

But as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to stretch well into the spring, more families are seeking out private or independent schools that are fully in-person rather than remote.

The situation in the Palmetto State parallels a national trend, in which affluent families flock to private schools offering face-to-face instruction during the pandemic  even though it often comes with a hefty price tag.

Some advocates fear the shift to private schools, if it continues, could lead to a decline in per-pupil school budget allocations and further the achievement gap between impoverished students and their peers.

Overall, private school enrollment across the state is up by an estimated 2 percent to 3 percent this year, which defied experts early predictions of widespread enrollment shortfalls, said Spencer Jordan, executive director of the S.C. Independent School Association.

Meanwhile, headcounts from Palmetto State public schools are down by 1.4 percent, according to S.C. Department of Education data obtained by Chalkbeat and The Associated Press.

My assumption here is that parents needed to be able to go back to work and they needed the security of their children being in school, Jordan said. I think you couple that with the overriding feeling that children were missing out on a quality education, which can only be offered through in-person instruction.

The state health agency doesn't publicly differentiate between public and private schools in its total tallies of coronavirus cases associated with staff and students. But Jordan and a half dozen independent school leaders contacted by The Post and Courier maintained that despite their more aggressive approach to reopening face-to-face, COVID-19 cases in the classroom have remained low.

Under pressure

Only 22 percent of South Carolina school districts started the school year with full-time, face-to-face learning.

But nearly all members of the S.C. Independent School Association hosted in-person learning this fall, Jordan said. Of the organization's 135 member schools, 134 offered students the chance to come back to the classroom.

All but one of the 32 religious schools overseen by the Catholic Diocese of Charleston also started the school year with full-time, in-person instruction, according to spokeswoman Maria Aselage.

A handful of private schools have since shifted to temporary virtual instruction this month in order to mitigate a post-holiday surge in virus activity, but many have since returned to fully in-person learning or plan to do so in the coming weeks.

Still, private and independent schools' reopening plans have caught the attention of Gov. Henry McMaster, who has repeatedly pointed to private and independent schools' reopening models in an attempt to pressure public districts to offer in-person learning.

Most recently, the governor encouraged lawmakers to draft legislation that will require "unwilling school districts to reopen their classrooms" during his State of the State address Wednesday night.

One school, Hampton Park Christian in Greenville County, featured heavily in McMaster's pitch in July to allocate federal coronavirus relief funds for tuition grants to low- and middle-income families wanting to send their children to private schools.

At the time, McMaster said the grants, which ultimately failed under state Supreme Court review, were not contingent upon a private school offering in-person instruction. But during the governor's news conference announcing the grants, Hampton Park Christian school leaders explained how they could bring students back to the classroom safely.

McMaster just days before had admonished public school districts that weren't opening five days a week.

Greenville County Schools was one of those, opting instead for a hybrid schedule that had children in schools one day a week. The public schools in Greenville later increased it to two. Currently, aided by plexiglass dividers, elementary and middle-school students are at full attendance, five days a week, minus roughly 16,000 kids who are in the district's virtual academy.

Class sizes that in the past have pushed 30 students had to be reduced to 25 to make the plexiglass strategy work at full enrollment.

"We feel for them," said Daniel Nelson, the administrator at Bob Jones Academy. "It's such a challenge with so many more students."

Public high school students in Greenville are attending classes two days a week in person but will increase to 75 percent attendance after MLK Day. Plexiglass dividers were installed this past week.

Increased interest

Unencumbered by the bureaucratic oversight accompanied with the state's public institutions, many private and independent schools faced fewer structural hurdles to clear before reopening.

I cant imagine the enormous task that a superintendent of schools or a principal of a public school has to have when making a decision. Theres just a lot more steps involved, said Tim Spurrier, head of school at Mason Preparatory Academy.

The independent school located off Lockwood Drive in downtown Charleston saw nearly 30 more students enrolled this year than initial projections, several of whom were previously enrolled in nearby public schools.

Its a similar story at Porter-Gaud, a private, West Ashley Episcopal school.

Overall, enrollment has maintained relatively steady, said Head of School DuBose Egleston, but this year the school has seen the addition of several public school families who were not happy with what their options were.

This increased interest in private schools across South Carolina mirrors national trends.

Private schools in several states have seen applications surge, according to The New York Times. In August, the National Association of Independent Schools reported that 58 percent of its schools had noted an increase in interest from the previous summer.

In Horry County, St. Andrew Catholic School in Myrtle Beach benefited from the increased flexibility afforded to small, independent schools.

The school decided to offer three modes of education for parents and students to choose from. Students can choose to attend in-person classes five days a week, to work from home through a homeschooling program that uses their curriculum, or to come into the school but stay in their own room and Zoom into class.

Students can switch between their preferred modes, working from home some weeks and in-person others.

Vice Principal Cheryl Sedota said enrollment inquiries from parents whose kids go to public school are up, and she said she believes it's because St. Andrew is being safe while also making sure students have vital interactions with their peers and teachers.

Parents are not certified teachers. My heart went out last year when we were trying to do all this education virtual. It's tough on everyone, it's tough on teachers, too. This is not how we prefer to teach, we want to be with our students, Sedota said. We're able to do that and I think weve done a pretty good job of it and I think parents feel safe.

Innovative approaches

Private schools typically house significantly fewer students than public institutions, making it easier to ensure COVID-19 safety measures, such as 6 feet of separation between students desks.

Two of Greenville County's larger private schools, Bob Jones Academy and Christ Church Episcopal School  each with about 1,100 students  said their smaller class sizes, coupled with masks and social-distancing, were key to reopening in person.

Private schools also had a clear financial advantage this fall: They have the funds to invest in creative COVID-19 solutions.

At Bob Jones, every student has a mobile app with screening questions they must answer before getting a "green" screen allowing them in the building. They are temperature checked when they arrive, too.

At University School of the Lowcountry in Mount Pleasant, administrators spent thousands of dollars to purchase tents to facilitate outdoor instruction.

For us, as an independent school, we felt existential pressure when COVID came. If were not doing a good job, then people dont show up, and we dont have a school anymore, said Head of School Jason Kreutner.

Kreutner lobbied federal and state legislators to make tent schools a possibility for other schools, with limited success.

In order to facilitate virtual learning for students at home, the school invested in 360-degree camera systems that allow teachers to instruct students in the classroom simultaneously with virtually enrolled students.

Unlike traditional livestreaming equipment, the new system does not require teachers to stand in one spot during their lessons. Instead, they are free to move throughout the classroom, since the camera follows their motion. Each camera cost around $1,000.

These are things that the public schools need right now, Kreutner said. Were trying to make sure that were role modeling this is what it could look like and that were not selfishly keeping it to ourselves.

The increase in private school enrollment, while often viewed as a good omen for independent schools this year, has also raised several important questions.

It's still unclear whether parents will continue flocking to expensive private schools in lieu of a free public education for their children once the pandemic subsides.

And with two vaccines approved for emergency use in South Carolina, a path toward normalcy has started to take shape for teachers and students across the state.

"Can we retain the kids after this?" Spurrier said. "Did we prove our value is great enough that people will want to continue paying tuition?"

Demi Lawrence contributed to this report.
One man was killed and another injured in a head-on crash early Sunday in Upper Macungie Township, police said.

The accident happened at about 4:35 a.m. at Hamilton Boulevard and Farmington Road. Police confirmed a male driver, no age provided, operating a Nissan was pronounced dead at the scene. A male driver, no age provided, operating a Jeep Wrangler was injured and taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Salisbury Township for treatment, police said.

Police did not have a condition Sunday afternoon on the driver of the Jeep Wrangler or information about his injuries. There were no passengers in either vehicle.

Its unclear what led to the collision as police continue to investigate. Anyone with more information or who may have witnessed the accident is asked to call Upper Macungie Township police at 484-661-5911.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
WEST HAVEN  The one-year anniversary of the death of Mubarak Soulemane, a New Haven resident shot and killed by a state trooper off Interstate 95 in West Haven following a pursuit has passed .

A crowd gathered to call for justice in his name. His mother wept, her tears shining in the light feet away from where he was killed.

The states investigation remains open.

Soulemane was shot and killed on Jan. 15 2020, after he allegedly displayed a knife at an AT&T store in Norwalk, then carjacked a rideshare driver and engaged officers in a high-speed chase that was stopped by police after Soulemane got off at Exit 43 in West Haven and crashed.

Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

Family members said they believed he had been suffering a schizophrenic episode.

Brian North fired seven shots through the cars closed window, killing the 19-year-old New Haven resident. State police said he saw a knife in Soulemanes possession. Another officer had used a stun gun on Soulemane moments earlier, as shown in body camera footage of the incident.

Middlesex States Attorney Michael A. Gailor, assigned to investigate the use of force, extended condolences to Soulemanes family this week and noted his inquiry into the matter remained ongoing.

While we are striving to complete the investigation as quickly as possible, our primary goal is to ensure that the investigation is thorough and complete, Gailor said in a statement.

North was placed on administrative assignment after the shooting. State police said this week that his employment status has not changed.

Soulemanes family and local residents gathered on Campbell Avenue in West Haven near Exit 43 to hold a vigil honoring his memory.

Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

Omo Mohammed, his mother, and Mariyann Soulemane, his sister, described the pain of mourning their loved one, noted that he battled schizophrenia and called for North to be arrested and prosecuted.

I want him to be held accountable for killing him. Its a sad day for me today, said Mohammed, who asked those that pray to include Soulemanes name.

Mariyann Soulemane noted that her brother had his life ahead of him. She said he was caring, good with children, ambitious. People from all walks of life were drawn to his light, she said.

Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

Unfortunately, with his sickness, it held him back a lot. But underneath that sickness still (lay) our Mubarak, a very loving, caring soul, said Soulemane. He had so much more life to live.

New Haven police had helped Soulemane on multiple occasions in the past, Mohammed said. They knew his situation; knew how to talk to him when he was in trouble; took him to the hospital.

Mariyann Soulemane told the crowd Friday that her family would never be the same, breaking into tears as she described missing his laughter and his obnoxious singing.

Kira Ortoleva and Jared Sullivan, who said they were friends of Soulemane, described him as a joyous and gracious young man.

Ortoleva, a climate and justice activist who leads the group Justice for Mubarak, which organized the vigil, said she had befriended Mubarak at Gateway Community College, where they were both studying.

The thing about Mubarak was that he always, always offered to help you, said Ortoleva. There were a few instances where he came to my town, and we would drive around, talking with friends and listening to music. And he always danced in the car as we drove, because even when he was around new people, he always had to make sure everyone else was smiling, too. This is how I remember him.

Sullivan said Mubarak had been one of his first friends at Notre Dame High School. When he was dealing with difficult times, he said Mubarak stood by him.

I would say Mubi was my best friend in high school, because he was always there for me, said Sullivan. He was always there for me. Never once did he let me down.

Ortoleva, Sullivan and others in attendance Friday called for police reform.

This isnt normal. This isnt a normal death. How do you expect us to grieve? How? West Haven, Norwalk? said Ortoleva.

Disobeying the law is not a death sentence. People who dont obey the law do not deserve to be shot seven times.... If I disobeyed the law, I wouldnt want to be killed, said Sullivan. And Mubarak should not have been killed.

Attorneys Mark Arons and Sanford Rubenstein, representing the Soulemane family as they pursue a civil lawsuit, were in attendance, as well.

Today is the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., and it also marks, obviously, the one year anniversary of Soulemanes death, said Arons. Both are part of the struggle for civil rights and for justice. The struggle continues.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com

Head out on Interstate 10 and billboard after billboard will prove those lawyer ads dangling the prospect of easy dough from an accident claim are by no means restricted to Louisiana.

Living here, you probably think Morris Bart leads the pack of attorneys promising to turn your highway wreck into a pot of gold, but the acknowledged king of the racket, with thousands of billboards in Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi, is Alexander Shunnarah of Birmingham.

Louisiana, however, is planning a surprise for anyone who believes that an altruistic thirst for justice is what motivates lawyers to offer their services to the public. Is that you? Didn't think so.

A new state law aims to cramp the style of those lawyers who buy time or space to feature the lucky client who won a big payoff after placing just one call to that number on the TV screen. The law requires them to divulge how much of the loot they creamed off for themselves, which is generally more than one-third. Sustain a $1 million injury, and your friendly neighborhood attorney grabs $400,000.

The new law may be a good idea, but nobody has any plans to enforce it. On the theory that the state Supreme Court has exclusive jurisdiction over the legal profession, the Attorney Disciplinary Board won't pay a mere statute any mind. The Supreme Court, however, is considering a rule that mirrors the Legislature's intent and would command the board's attention.

Learned members of the bar with any claims to gravitas would never dream of advertising for clients, and it might be foolhardy to call one of the bar's hucksters when complex litigation looms. Advertising lawyers, together with ambulance chasers and debt collectors, are regarded as faintly disreputable in silk-stocking circles. Indeed, state bar associations used to prohibit lawyers from hawking their services, presumably on the assumption that they should remain a cut above purveyors of beer and pizza.

The U.S. Supreme Court scotched such elitist notions in 1977, ruling that lawyers had a First Amendment right to advertise their services and that bans served only to inhibit the free flow of information and keep the public in ignorance.

Commercial free speech is certainly in full swing nowadays. According to the American Tort Association, Louisiana TV viewers were hit with a legal commercial once every minute in the second half of 2018.

It is logical to assume that such high-pressure marketing has increased the volume of litigation in America, much of which is likely to be vexatious or disingenuous. The inescapable message of all those ads is that huge amounts of easy money are there for the taking. Advertising lawyers never promise to seek rightful compensation for painful and debilitating injury, for nobody wants to be in a position to need it. It's all about hitting getting rich quick.

Highway accidents are more likely to spawn lawsuits in Louisiana, because insurance companies offer less to settle claims here than they do in other states, according to Bart. Certainly, he should know, but that would appear to be a pretty short-sighted policy, for insurance companies will have to cough up in the long run anyway, passing on the costs to their policyholders. The vast majority of cases are settled before they go to court.

Maybe, if insurers were less eager to avoid trials and settle, fewer unscrupulous attorneys would be cashing in for clients with imaginary injuries. Such scams may require evidence of injury, and it appears that doctors can always be found to provide bogus diagnoses. The ongoing investigation of the great I-10 staged-accident caper in New Orleans features members of the medical profession, as well as crooked attorneys and a supporting cast of fake casualties.

One of the indicted conspirators started talking to the FBI about out how cars would be rammed into 18-wheelers so that insurers could be shaken down. Once he'd been fingered as an informant, someone bumped him off, so we are dealing with some serious criminals here. The prospect of easy money was bound to bring them running.

That same prospect has brought us lawyer ads, which are now such an established part of the legal system that a rule requiring financial disclosure may not make much difference. Personal injury lawyers need not worry that their reputations will suffer.

Email James Gill at gill504nola@gmail.com.
SALEM, Ore-- Late Saturday evening, The Oregon Health Authority announced that the state is just one death away from reaching 1,800 total deaths from the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. The state reported today 1,173 cases of Covid-19, along with 41 deaths.

This is the second time this week that the state has reported exactly 41 deaths, but its still not the most amount of deaths that's been reported this week. On Tuesday, the state recorded 54 deaths.

So far this week, Oregon has reported more than 190 new cases attributed to the virus, which is one of the highest weekly totals that the state has experienced in months and since the start of the pandemic in Oregon.

With the 1,173 cases today Oregon eclipsed more than 132,000 cases and has reported 1,799 deaths.

Today, OHA reported that 16,117 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 11,332 vaccine doses were administered on Jan. 15. Based on updated totals, the OHA is meeting Gov. Kate Browns goal of ensuring 12,000 vaccinations a day which the governor required to be met by the end of the two-week period that began Jan. 4.

Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 189,190 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccinations were administered by Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, urgent care facilities and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs).

Here's a look at the total amount of deaths that were reported today by the OHA:

Oregons 1,759 COVID-19 death is a 32-year-old man in Marion County who died Dec. 30 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,760 COVID-19 death is a 47-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 9 and died on Jan. 8 at Oregon Health and Sciences University. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,761 COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Jan. 10 and died on Jan. 13 at St. Charles Medical Center - Bend. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,762 COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Jan. 3 and died on Jan. 15 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,763 COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died on Jan. 8 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,764 COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 31 and died on Jan. 11 at Tuality Community Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,765 COVID-19 death is a 44-year-old man in Josephine County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died on Jan. 2 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,766 COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 9 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,767 COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old woman in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died Jan. 8 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregons 1,768 COVID-19 death is a 58-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 20 and died on Jan. 14 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,769 COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old man in Malheur County who tested positive on Jan. 11 and died on Jan. 14 at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregons 1,770 COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died on Jan. 5 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,771 COVID-19 death is a 79-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 1 and died on Jan. 1 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,772 COVID-19 death is a 100-year-old woman in Josephine County who tested positive on Jan. 2 and died on Jan. 12 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregons 1,773 COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old man in Polk County who tested positive on Dec. 1 and died on Dec. 17 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,774 COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 15 and died on Dec. 20 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregons 1,775 COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old man in Lane County who tested positive on Jan. 6 and died on Jan. 8 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,776 COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Clatsop County who tested positive on Nov. 16 and died on Jan. 3 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,777 COVID-19 death is a 77-year-old woman in Benton County who tested positive on Dec. 10 and died on Dec. 31 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,778 COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Jan. 11 and died on Jan. 14 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,779 COVID-19 death is a 51-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Nov. 19 and died on Jan. 7 at Oregon Health and Sciences University. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregons 1780th COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Nov. 24 and died on Jan. 7 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregons 1,781 COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 10 and died on Dec. 27 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,782 COVID-19 death is a 61-year-old woman in Linn County who tested positive on Dec. 9 and died on Jan. 10 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregons 1,783 COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old woman in Crook County who tested positive on Dec. 8 and died on Dec. 20 at St. Charles Medical Center - Bend. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,784 COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 7 and died on Dec. 20 at his residence He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,785 COVID-19 death is a 56-year-old man in Umatilla County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died on Dec. 30 at St. Anthony Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,786 COVID-19 death is a 58-year-old woman in Deschutes County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died on Dec. 31 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,787 COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old woman in Polk County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died on Jan. 14 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,788 COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 25 and died on Jan. 12 at Kaiser Westside Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregons 1,789 COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 11 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,790 COVID-19 death is a 76-year-old woman in Linn County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 9 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,791 COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 29 and died on Jan. 13 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,792 COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old man in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 27 and died on Jan. 13 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,793 COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 14 and died on Jan. 7 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,794 COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old man in Linn County who tested positive on Dec. 23 and died on Jan. 10 at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,795 COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Coos County who tested positive on Jan. 5 and died on Jan. 15 at Bay Area Hospital. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,796 COVID-19 death is a 75-year-old man in Linn County who tested positive on Jan. 5 and died on Jan. 8. Location of death and presence of underlying conditions are being confirmed.

Oregons 1,797 COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 14 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,798 COVID-19 death is a 72-year-old man in Jackson County who died on Jan. 7 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregons 1,799 COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old man in Marion County who died on Jan. 7 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.
By Andre Sapir, a Senior Fellow at Bruegel. He is also University Professor at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Research Fellow of the London-based Centre for Economic Policy Research. Originally published at Bruegel.

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement signed between the European Union and the United Kingdom goes against six decades of UK efforts to avoid being economically disadvantaged in Europe. Tracking the evolution of the EU-UK relationship over the last 60 years can help in understanding this.

To appreciate fully the significance of this new chapter in the EU-UK trade relationship  and the ironies it brings with it  it is useful to examine how that relationship has evolved over the past 60-plus years. The UK is now outside structures it helped create and that, indeed, were fundamental to UK efforts over six decades to avoid being economically disadvantaged in Europe. It should be noted that what follows focuses solely on trade, which is the core of the TCA. This article does not delve into areas such as monetary integration or the EU budget, which were important when the UK belonged to the EU, but are marginal for the TCA.

During the 1950s, most European countries traded with one another (and with many countries outside Europe) on purely GATT (the General Agreements for Tariffs and Trade, created in 1947) terms, applying the same non-discriminatory MFN (most-favoured nation) tariff to imports from all sources. This meant, for instance, that the United Kingdom applied the same tariff on imports from France, Sweden and any other GATT country, and that Germany applied the same tariff on imports from France, the UK or any other GATT member.

This situation changed in 1958 with the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) by the original six members, and the gradual introduction of the customs union, entailing the abolition of duties and quotas between member states and the establishment of a common external tariff vis-a-vis third countries. Automatically, third countries found themselves at a disadvantage on the EEC market, with its members now applying the common external tariff on imports from the UK or from any other GATT member, but gradually imposing no tariff on imports from their EEC partners.

To gain an idea of the magnitude of the disadvantage caused by the EEC for third countries, one needs an estimate of two factors: the size of the EEC market compared to other markets, and how high its external tariff was. Both were relatively large. In 1958, the EEC accounted for nearly two thirds of the GDP of Europe (excluding Soviet bloc countries, Yugoslavia and Albania), and the average tariff of the original six members was 13% for non-agricultural goods and much higher for agricultural products. The loss for European producers located outside the EEC was thus significant.

In response, the UK and six other European countries established in 1960 the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Like the EECs customs union, this free-trade agreement (FTA) involved the abolition of duties and quotas between its members, but, like all other FTAs, it did not adopt a common external tariff. Instead, each EFTA country continued to apply its own MFN schedule to imports from third countries.

By itself, the creation of EFTA did not eliminate the disadvantage that, for example, UK exports faced on the German market compared to French exports after the creation of the EEC. But it partly compensated for this loss through better market access to other EFTA markets, such as Sweden. But the ultimate objective of the EFTA governments was to use EFTA as a bargaining chip to negotiate duty- and quota-free access to the EEC market in exchange for reciprocal access to the EFTA market (in 1960 the combined GDP of the EFTA members amounted to nearly 50% of the EECs GDP, making agreement not unrealistic). This attempt failed initially and, like producers in other countries in Europe and elsewhere, UK and other EFTA producers had to continue trading with the EEC on relatively disadvantageous GATT terms (Table 1, column (1)).

For the UK, the EECs initial refusal to create a free-trade area with EFTA was more problematic than for any other EFTA member. As the largest EFTA country (about 60% of EFTA GDP), EFTA membership offered little compensation to UK exporters for the loss of access to traditional markets now inside the EEC. In a context of relatively poor domestic economic performance, this situation prompted the UK government to submit a first application to join the EEC in 1961. It was rejected in 1963, triggering a second UK application in 1967 that was again rejected. Finally, the UK joined the EU in 1973 after the departure from office of the main stumbling block, French President de Gaulle.

This marked the beginning of the second chapter in the relationship between the EEC and the UK. The UKs accession to the EEC had two ripple effects for other EFTA members and for Ireland, all of which were highly dependent on access to the UK market. The first consequence was the accession, also in 1973, of Denmark and Ireland to the EEC (Norway voted on it, but decided against). The second was the creation of a free-trade area between the EECs customs union and the remaining EFTA members, which now also included Iceland. Since the EEC had already established FTAs with Greece, Spain and Turkey, it meant that, by 1973, EEC trade with European countries (excluding socialist countries) was mostly duty- and quota-free (Table 1, column (2)). The accession of Greece to the EEC in 1981 barely changed the situation (Table 1, columns (3)).

The third chapter in the UK-EEC relationship opened in 1985 and closed in 2004. The EEC  joined by Portugal and Spain in 1986 (Table 1, column (4))  and its custom union had been highly successful in abolishing tariffs and quotas among its members. But it had done nothing to remove non-border measures, such as product conformity procedures, that continued to hamper trade in goods. Nor had it removed barriers to trade in services or the free circulation of capital and labour. This task fell to the Delors Commission and one of its two British members, Lord Cockfield, sent to Brussels by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to eliminate bureaucratic barriers to trade within the EEC. Cockfields 1985 White Paper on Completing the Internal Market and the accompanying 1986 Single European Act formed the foundations of the single market, as the common market was then renamed.

The central role of Thatcher and Cockfield in the creation of the single market is well known. Martin Sandbu has even suggested in the Financial Times (30 December 2020) that Thatcher was the political force behind a genuinely unified European market for goods, services, labour and capital; Arthur Cockfield was its intellectual architect and bureaucratic engineer. The creation of the single market in 1993 didnt just boost trade and growth for the 12 EEC members (column (5) in Table 1). As argued by Baldwin (1995) and verified statistically by Sapir (2001), the single market programme also produced a domino effect for EEC neighbours, whose access to the EEC market was threatened by its closer integration.

In the space of three years, five EFTA countries requested EEC accession: Austria (1989), Sweden (1991), and Finland, Norway and Switzerland (1992). Austria, Finland and Sweden ultimately joined in 1995 the European Union, the successor of the EEC founded in 1993. Meanwhile, Norway (whose citizens had rejected EU membership), Iceland and Liechtenstein joined the newly formed European Economic Area (EEA), giving them access to the EUs single market on terms equal to those of EU members. Switzerland, whose citizens rejected accession to both the EU and the EEA, also gained access to the EUs single market, though on less equal terms than EEA members. Turkey, which had applied for EEC membership in 1987 but was only declared eligible to join the EU in 1997, upgraded its FTA with the EU to a customs union in 1995. Finally, the former socialist countries of central and eastern Europe established FTAs with the EU.

By 1995, the EU counted 15 members. Nearly all other European countries had close economic ties with the EU, trading with it on better than World Trade Organisation (the successor to GATT, established in 1995) terms, a situation partly linked to the UKs decisions to join the EEC in 1973 and to help create the single market two decades later (Table 1, column (6)).

The fourth chapter in the UK-EU trade relationship came with the EU accession of eleven former socialist countries of central and eastern Europe, plus Cyprus and Malta, two former British colonies, starting in 2004. This fourth wave of EU enlargement, which was strongly supported by the UK, created the biggest customs union and single market in the world, made up of the 28 EU members, the only countries belonging to both the European customs union and single market. Turkey also belonged to the customs union, but not to the single market; three of the EFTA members (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) belonged to the single market, but not the customs union; and the fourth EFTA member, Switzerland, belonged to large parts of the single market, but not the customs union (Table 1, column (7)).

This situation has now been modified profoundly by the decision of the UK to leave the EU and to leave both the European customs union and the single market. The UK-EU trade relationship is now governed by the TCA, which is fairly similar to the FTAs between the EU and major, advanced non-European countries, such as Canada (the Comprehensive Trade and Economic Agreement, CETA) and Japan (the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, EUJEPA). These agreements also provide preferential access for trade in goods, though not completely duty- and quota-free as the TCA does, a difference which, together with the difference in geographical proximity, explains why only the TCA includes level-playing-field conditions. Like the TCA, the agreements with Canada and Japan also provide some preferential access for trade in services and the removal of some non-border barriers to trade in goods and services, but considerably less so than within the single market.

Hence, the UK now finds itself in a trade relationship with the EU on terms that are far less favourable than those enjoyed by EU members or other EU neighbours like Norway or Switzerland, which enjoy duty- and quota-free access to the EU market for goods, and full or significant access to the EU single market for goods, services, capital and labour. The TCAs terms are also less favourable than those of Turkey for trade in goods (since rules of origin are absent in the customs union but not in the TCA), though they are better for services (since the EU-Turkey customs union does not cover services; Table 1, column (8)).

The UKs decision to leave the European customs union and single market is doubly ironic.

The first irony is that this decision is indirectly related to the single market programme and the fourth enlargement, two EU policies spearheaded by successive UK governments. The single market birthed the single currency in which the UK refused to participate and which left it frustrated at being excluded from important decisions, especially during the euro area sovereign debt crisis, as Ivan Rogers, a former UK ambassador to the EU has vividly explained. Moreover, the single market in conjunction with the eastern enlargement brought large inflows of foreign workers to the UK who were initially welcomed but eventually generated a backlash because of perceived pressure on certain public services.

The second irony is that the decision runs completely counter to the UKs efforts during the past 60 years to avoid being economically disadvantaged in Europe, starting with its decision to create EFTA in 1960. Today, the UK finds itself outside the EU and with less favourable access to its market than any other European country. All its former EFTA companions have either joined the EU, or remain outside the EU but inside the European single market. True, by staying outside the EU, the UK will be free to set its own rules, but it will have to continue to adhere to EU rules in order to retain access to the EU market, which combines size and geographical proximity like no other market in the world. The future will tell whether this fifth chapter in the UK-EU trade relationship is temporary or lasting, and what the short-, medium- and long-term consequences will be.

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The Covid-19 death toll now stands at 440, with the deaths of 15 more people yesterday.

The Ministry of Health reported the deaths in its daily update yesterday evening.

One of the new deaths occurred in Tobago. The Tobago Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development disclosed that the patient was a 38-year-old male with co-morbidities.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 06:20:08|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Capitol Police arrested a man from Virginia on Friday when he tried to cross a checkpoint near the Capitol in Washington, D.C., with a loaded gun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition, U.S. media reported Saturday citing D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

Identified as Wesley Allen Beeler from Front Royal, Virginia, the man told police he was carrying a Glock semi-automatic pistol, which was later discovered to have been loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition and a round chamber ready to fire, CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the case.

Beeler was stopped at a checkpoint at North Capitol and E Street NE, just north of the Capitol building, according to the report. He also had what was described as a fake credential for Wednesday's inauguration event for President-elect Joe Biden.

Police later recovered the pistol, as well as 509 rounds of ammunition, shotgun shells and a magazine for the handgun, CNN said, citing an incident report from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

Beeler was arrested for possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition, among other offenses.

The arrest came amid heightened security measures in the national capital ahead of the inauguration. Up to 25,000 National Guard members have been authorized by the Pentagon for the city, more than the amount of the troops currently stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

"Every state, territory and the District of Columbia will have National Guard men and women supporting the inauguration," the National Guard Bureau said in a statement Friday. Enditem
Stratovolcano 4835 m (15,863 ft)Kamchatka, 56.06N / 160.64E(1 out of 5)1697-98, 1720-21, 1727-31, 1737, 1740, 1762, 1767, 1770, 1772, 1785, 1787, 1788, 1789-90, 1791, 1807, 1812, 1813, 1819-22, 1829, 1840, 1848, 1852, 1853-54, 1865, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1882, 1883, 1890, 1896-97, 1890, 1896-97, 1898, 1904, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1915, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1935-36, 1937-39, 1944-1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960-63, 1963-64, 1965-1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1971-73, 1974, 1977-80, 1981, 1982, 1982-83, 1984-85, 1986, 1986-90, 1991, 1992, 1992-93, 1994-95, 1996-97, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2002-04, 2005 - ongoingDominantly explosive, strombolian and vulcanian activity, sometimes lava flows from fissure vents. At present in a phase of near-persistant activity.(volcano expedition to Kamchatka)

If you havn't done it yet,to get one of the fastest volcano news online:

Kliuchevskoi is Kamchatka's highest and most active volcano. Since its origin about 6000 years ago, the beautifully symmetrical, 4835-m-high basaltic stratovolcano has produced frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major periods of inactivity. Kliuchevskoi rises above a saddle NE of sharp-peaked Kamen volcano and lies SE of the broad Ushkovsky massif. More than 100 flank eruptions have occurred at Kliuchevskoi during the past roughly 3000 years, with most lateral craters and cones occurring along radial fissures between the unconfined NE-to-SE flanks of the conical volcano between 500 m and 3600 m elevation. The morphology of its 700-m-wide summit crater has been frequently modified by historical eruptions, which have been recorded since the late-17th century. Historical eruptions have originated primarily from the summit crater, but have also included numerous major explosive and effusive eruptions from flank craters.

NASA photo of the eruption of Klyuchevsky volcano on 30 September, 1994, the volcano's largest explosion in 40 years. The large

One of the most active and most dangerous volcanoes of Indonesia: Merapi meaning "the one who makes fire", is a feared but also venerated holy mountain looming over the city of Yogyakarta, capital of Central Java.

One of the most impressive lava dome eruptions in recent years. A new dome formed in the crater lake of Kelut volcano (East Java) in late 2007. Enjoy some unique pictures.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  The country hit a grim milestone of 500,000 COVID-19 infections, nearly a year after it confirmed its first case of the disease, the Department of Health reported on Sunday.

The DOH said the nationwide count is now at 500,577, of whom 24,691 or 4.9% are active cases. The latest report showed 84.6% of the currently ill patients experience mild symptoms, 6.6% have no symptoms, 5.3% are in critical condition, 3% are severe cases, while 0.47% are moderate cases.

Davao City logged the highest number of new infections nationwide with 107, the DOH said. This is followed by Quezon City with 106, Isabela with 65, Pampanga with 63, and Bulacan with 62.

Another 5,868 recoveries also raised the tally of survivors to 465,991, which account for 93.1% of the total patients.

Meanwhile, 11 more fatalities brought the death toll to 9,895. Of this number, five were earlier reported as recoveries and were reclassified as deaths, according to DOH.

The department also said five testing laboratories failed to submit their data on time and were not yet included in the latest figures. It added that nine duplicates were removed from the overall count after final validation.

Health experts and officials have warned of a spike in the countrys cases due to increased movement and gatherings over the holidays, as well as the recent Feast of the Black Nazarene which drew hundreds of thousands of devotees to the Quiapo Church despite the cancellation of the Traslacion.

The country confirmed its first COVID-19 case on Jan. 30 last year, a 38-year-old female Chinese national who travelled to the Philippines from Wuhan, which was then the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
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The ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade was last night forced to issue a statement to rebut utterances purportedly made by Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri in which she revealed that Zimbabwe was developing a vaccine with the help of the Chinese, but at the same time blaming the Asian giant for causing the Covid-19 pandemic.

Muchinguri was recorded by the United Kingdom-based online news organisation, ZimEye, following the death on Friday of Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister, Ellen Gwaradzimba from Covid-19.

The Defence minister never sought to establish whom she was talking to, but bared her soul when Simba Chikanza, from ZimEye, consoled her over the death of Gwaradzimba.

She accuses the Chinese of creating the virus through experiments and then failing to control the outcome.

The disease is on a fresh peak now. Cases are rising again. They (Chinese) are the ones who started their experiments and things got out of hand and now their experiments are costing us, says the voice in the recording.

They cannot control this now. They have cost us, those whom we call our all-weather friends. Look at what they have done to us. We have to be strong. Indeed we have to be strong.

Efforts to get Muchinguri to confirm contents of the recording were fruitless as her mobile phone was not reachable.

But the Foreign Affairs ministry last night issued a statement, saying the sentiments expressed in the recording did not reflect the position of the governments of Zimbabwe and China.

A spokesperson for the ministry, Constance Chemwayi, said Zimbabwe and China enjoy excellent relations.

The government does not hold the Chinese government responsible for the emergence and spread of the coronavirus that has affected every global citizen, Chemwayi said.

Government appreciates that China has exercised global leadership in efforts to find both the cause and a solution to the pandemic.

In the recording, a distraught Muchinguri says everything had been done to try and save Gwaradzimbas life, but all was in vain.

We tried everything to save her (Gwaradzimbas) life. We really tried to help her get better. The Lord has scorned us, we tried everything.the children. What about the children? They have killed me. (Ellens death) has destroyed me. This has destroyed me. I am in pain, so much pain . . .

Muchinguri declares she will not take a Covid-19 vaccine originating from outside the country.

There is no vaccine yet in the country. I will never take the vaccine unless it is developed by our own people, Zimbabweans. Why cant we also develop our own vaccine? Why should we take that which is developed by others? Why cant we also make our own vaccine? she queries.

We are trying our own, we are also trying our own, that which we are developing with the help of the Chinese maybe it will be successful, maybe it will be successful. I do not know.

In the recording, the person believed to be Muchinguri also dispels rumours that she is sick from Covid-19. She says she was, however, aware that Buhera South MP Joseph Chinotimba and acting Zanu PF spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa were the ones down with the disease.

Muchinguri last year made controversial statements that Covid-19 was a punishment for the West for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe. Standard
Exactly one year ago Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech in which he reflected on the exercise of power in the most populated country with the world's oldest continuous culture on January 13, 2020. The speech is the last one of the 92 articles included in his work The Governance of China III. This third volume assembles President Xi's speeches and texts delivered between October 18, 2017 and January 13, 2020 preceding the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the ideas in the book are clearly still valid today.

Several insights attract readers' attention from the start. At the national level, Xi's goal of realizing rejuvenation of the Chinese nation manifests itself in multiple ways, with the most striking one being the unleashing of the country's vitality leading to the greatest economic growth in humankind's history. During 2020, such vitality had not been subdued by the pandemic, but on the contrary, remained strong. Despite the still uncertain global economic outlook, the World Bank projected that China's GDP growth will accelerate to 7.9 percent in 2021. At the same time, the pandemic also reinforces Xi's assessment that the current world is facing changes unseen in a century.



In contrast with volatile international situations and the alarming domestic division in the United States, the world largest economy, also the representative of Western democracy, China's incredible feats unfolding before our eyes make people believe that it will not be long before the country can realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. Indeed, anyone who dispassionately observes the crisis in the U.S. Capitol, where hordes of vandals stormed the building encouraged by the sitting American president himself, against the backdrop of tens of millions of citizens who do not trust the mechanisms of their own democracy, knows that we are witnessing a major change with remarkable potential echo in international politics. U.S. democracy, seen as a model in the West for two centuries, is cracking dramatically due to internal causes.

In the West, it's usually the case that politicians trumpet short-term goals to win over voters, while statesmen who think deeply or adopt a long-term approach are hardly recognized and seem to belong to the past. In such a context, it is completely novel to read a 650-page corpus containing the ideas of a country's leader ruling a fifth of the world's population and contributing to multilateralism and to global interdependence like no other. In style and content, Xi's analysis is based on Marxism with Chinese characteristics, with clear language sometimes incorporating references to the country's philosophical wisdom dating back 5,000 years, making it a unique flowing narrative. Also, in times that call for more international cooperation, it is worth noting that The Governance of China III can help readers of different continents to understand Xi's motivations and the country's achievements directly, without intermediaries.

How does a leader of a country responsible for a third of the world's economic growth assess the course of the local and global economy? How does he evaluate the public policy mechanisms of the government that has managed to lift nearly 800 million people out of poverty in the last forty years? Which steps has China taken to achieve the status of a moderately prosperous society? What are the institutional merits of the country which can explain its successful fight against the novel coronavirus while most of the world is overwhelmed by the virus? What are the guiding principle and goals of the Belt and Road Initiative? What is the exact meaning of a community with a shared future for mankind? The answers to these and other fundamental questions are found in the book.

Regarding foreign policy, the reader will find explanatory references to a series of international initiatives, with China as an important player, that include APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, the G20, and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Centuries ago, some remarkable Western intellectuals studied China in search of wisdom about governance and a model of government. Over time we have learned that each country has its unique characteristics, and that, above all, it is not wise for a country to try to copy a foreign model without considering its own circumstances. China has been following its own path. Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the country has been adjusting itself to the changing situations.

Today, the world is changing at an unprecedented rate. When the world's most powerful country appears structurally divided and confused, the world needs to be reoriented. When CNNs White House correspondent reported that the incumbent U.S. president, "is leaving America in a whirlwind of violence, disease, and death and more internally alienated than it has been in 150 years," as global citizens we must wake up and readjust our perspective. The ancient Greek and Chinese classics already warned us that time is flowing, and thus we need resilience. This means that inspired by great thinkers, we must remain curious and seek the truth from facts, which is also a fine tradition of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the world's largest political party.

Following the structural guidelines outlined in Xi Jinping: The Governance of China III, the CPC, concluded the fifth plenary session of its 19th Central Committee in October. To boost its economic development, China decided to further accentuate innovation, the real economy, a strong domestic market, the invigoration of rural areas, and green and sustainable development. And the emphasis is reflected in the CPC Central Committees proposals for the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (2021-2025) and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035. Is there anything in these wide-ranging plans (which includes a vision of China and the world by 2049), that can also inspire us within the framework of a community with a shared future? Certainly, the answer is positive, and the answer is also an invitation to read the book so as to get an insight about the CPC's guiding ideas and decision-making processes in governing the country.

When the ancient country translates its governance vision into a modernization drive, which will meet its goal in a time span much shorter than Western modernization had taken in the 20th century, it is time to reflect on the importance of the governance of China and on the importance of continuous and deeper interaction. Recent examples, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), signed among Asia Pacific countries including China, and the EU-China investment agreement, both sealed in the last two months, demonstrate that the notion of a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by Xi is a feasible path.

Practical synergies mean that China and the rest of the world have more chance of pursuing progress if they work together, than if each country pursued development decoupled from other countries. This is the central message to the world of the highly recommended Xi Jinping: The Governance of China III at the beginning of a new year.

___________

AUGUSTO SOTO is director of Dialogue with China Project and representative in Spain of China Today.
An inmate on death row in Indiana Dustin Higgs, died on January 15 when the Trump administration carried out its 13th and final federal execution. The man has been accused of killing three women in Maryland in 1996. According to the reports by BBC, Higgs died of lethal injection at 01:23 local time.

Higgs was sentenced in 2000 for accompanying two other men who murdered 3 women in cold blood, with Willis Haynes, one of the men that pulled the trigger. The federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind., pronounced Higgs guilty of chargesfirst-degree premeditated murder, three counts of first-degree felony murder, and three counts of kidnapping that led to death.

Higgs sentenced to death

The Trump administration's Justice Department said in a statement that it will announce federal executions in the closing days of Trump's Presidency as the exercise has been in place for over 17 years since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt assumed office. However, the Death Penalty Information Center's Robert Dunham, in a statement to NPR, condemned the executions by Trump Justice Department during a transition period.

Read: US Announces Fresh Sanctions On Iran In Final Days Of Trump To Curb Nuclear Programs

In a statement to AP, an attorney for Higgs, Shawn Nolan defended Higgs as a fine man, a terrific father, brother, and nephew who spent decades on death row in solitary confinement helping others around him, while working tirelessly to fight his unjust convictions. Nolan told prosecutors that there was no reason to kill him, particularly during the pandemic and when he, himself, was sick with Covid that he contracted because of these irresponsible, super-spreader executions. The attorney argued that the death penalty for Higgs immediately after his recovery from COVID-19 was cruel.

Read: US Treasury Releases First Payroll Support Payments To Major American Airlines

The Democrat senate meanwhile, introduced a bill to abolish federal capital punishment this week. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, the incoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., the proposed legislation, cited by agency npr, to end health penalties at the federal level. Dems pushed to re-sentence the federal inmates that were pronounced death for their crimes. Democrats urged that Congress must act immediately, arguing that the State-sanctioned murder wasnt synonymous with serving justice.

Read: US Re-designates Pakistan's LJ, LeT As Foreign Terrorist Outfits: State Department

Also Read: US Navy Sonar Could Be Behind Increased Whale Beachings In Pacific: Study

(Image Credits: AP)



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An Australian man has reunited a long-lost travel journal with its owner decades later.

David Ryan found the dusty old book sitting at the top of a cupboard inside of his Yarraville rental apartment in Melbourne last Monday.

'If you're about to read this, blood don't!', read the opening cover of the journal.

Mr Ryan shared pictures of the journal in a bid to locate the original owner, sparking interest from internet sleuths desperate to find clues in the scrawled notes.

David Ryan found an old travel journal (pictured) in a cupboard in his Melbourne apartment and took to the internet to find the owner

After a six day search of back and forth messages as well as the help from online viewers, Mr Ryan located the owner, Nick Boyle

Mr Ryan revealed the journal was written mostly in 1999 and 2000 and said it made him feel 'weirdly free perusing' its contents.

'I bet the author would love to relive these memories,' he added.

The first of the entries was dated from the 15th of March 1999.

After a six-day search, Mr Ryan with the help of online viewers was able to trace the journal back to Nick Boyle, the keyboardist of New Zealand rock band Ziko.

The journal had made numerous references to a man named Kris Baudry, who was the drummer of the Auckland-based band.

The names mentioned in the journal linked it to a band in New Zealand named, Ziko (pictured). Journal owner Nick Boyle is pictured left playing the keyboard

But Mr Ryan struggled to find a way to contact Boyle, whose band had last released an album in 2012 and had little to no social media presence.

Eventually he was able to get in touch with another band member living in Germany through Facebook and was given an email address for Boyle.

'Is this Nick Boyle? I found an old travel journal which I think may belong to you,' read Mr Ryan's email.

'I searched some names from the journal and came across the band Ziko and one of its members suggested I try this email address.'

Boyle's priceless reaction made it all worthwhile for hundreds of Reddit users invested in the hunt.

'Holy heck! That is mine! Where did you find that? That's amazing! Thanks so much for getting in touch. Where are you and did we ever meet?,' replied Boyle.

'I'm in South Australia these days. Let me know where you are.'

Nick Boyle was shocked that his journal was found and apologised that he wasn't present on social media to help Mr Ryan in his search of him. Pictured: email exchange between David Ryan and Nick Boyle

The journal contained entries from all over Asia including Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

It also included souvenirs of banknotes from his travels and a number of cartoons.

Boyle expressed his gratitude to Mr Ryan and apologised for his lacking social media presence.

'Thank you so much for all that effort. I hope that was a somewhat intriguing and enjoyable ride for you too.'

Mr Ryan will be posting the journal over to Mr Boyle on Monday.
Principals objecting to the Government's handling of the reopening of schools since the Christmas break have refused to send a letter to parents on behalf of Education Minister Norma Foley.

The letter has been branded "unfair" by some teachers and principals, who feel it blames them for schools not reopening last week after the Christmas holidays following a standoff over increasing Covid-19 cases and safety concerns.

While some principals have provided parents with parts of the letter that offer advice and guidance on remote learning, others voiced objections to part of the correspondence dealing with the Government's U-turn on bringing students with special educational needs and Leaving Cert groups back to classrooms on January 11.

Most schools, at primary and second level, have complied with the request to issue parents with the letter.

Two principals told the Sunday Independent they were concerned about messaging in the letter. Union sources and other teachers said they are aware of other cases where principals did not forward the letter to parents or guardians of pupils.

In the letter, issued to schools last Tuesday, Ms Foley addressed the initial decision to bring some students back to the classroom last week.

Read More

"The government decision included provision that in-person learning would be maintained for two specific cohorts from Monday 11, students attending special schools and classes and final year Leaving Certificate students. Despite the confirmation by public health that schools remain safe, unfortunately it has not proved possible to get agreement to provide in-person learning for these two groups," she wrote.

"In these circumstances, there is no alternative but to pause the limited reopening and continue engagement with partners. I will keep parents of these students updated on this engagement.

"The latest advice clearly outlines that schools are safe environments, and that the protective measures and the considerable supports put in place to support schools have been successful."

Read More

One principal said they were concerned this part of the letter could be interpreted by parents as the minister blaming principals for schools not reopening. Another principal said the overall tone of the letter was of concern.

"I just don't think it is right, at this point, for us to be handing letters to parents on behalf of the minister," he said.

The letter has also been made available to parents online.

It comes as families of children with special needs said they were "deeply upset" about the confusion surrounding the partial reopening of schools on Thursday.

Guidelines for the plan were sent to schools on Friday night, enforcing an understanding that the resumption of classes was imminent.

Afterwards, Forsa, which represents SNAs, said there were a number of issues that remained unresolved around health and safety and childcare arrangements for its members.

However, it is still thought reopening on Thursday is possible, with further talks set to take place tomorrow and Tuesday to address outstanding concerns.

A spokesman for the minister said it is still a shared aim to reopen schools on Thursday for special education.

INTO general secretary John Boyle said the union is awaiting updated health advice from public health officials tomorrow after highlighting specific queries with the Department of Education.

"Having finally been recognised by the Government as essential workers, special education staff who have children are entitled to access childcare," he said.

"However, additional support on the provision of childcare facilities for our members is needed."

Yesterday, AsIAm, Down Syndrome Ireland, Family Carers Ireland and Inclusion Ireland said they were upset by a lack of clarity on the issue.

"Children with additional needs, and their parents, went to bed last night confident that the week ahead would see a much-needed return to the classroom and woke up this morning to mixed messages and deep confusion," they said in a joint statement calling for classes to resume on Thursday.

"At a time when families are struggling to cope with supporting their children on a 24/7 basis, often whilst juggling work and other care commitments, it is totally unacceptable for stakeholders to get their hopes up or to give mixed messages."

The ongoing closure of schools will feature in talks planned for the staging of the Leaving Cert, which are scheduled to take place once the issue around the reopening of special education is addressed.

A government source said there is no doubt about it being possible to hold exams in June, but consideration will have to be given to the amount of classroom time students have lost.

"With the restrictions in place and the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine, I think everyone is confident that empty schools can hold exams in June," they said.

"The problem isn't that but more that time is a factor now. Timing is key.

"The more time children spend out of the classroom, the more difficult it is to examine them."
Last week, a friend flew into a rage. His son's Leaving Cert class had been cancelled because the school couldn't put a proper Zoom class together.

I suspect he isn't alone. Nine months into a lockdown-riddled pandemic, too many professionals haven't bothered to learn digital basics.

And I do mean 'haven't bothered to learn'. If you're a white collar teaching professional, it's unforgivable not to know how to hold an online class.

Cries of 'we haven't had the right training' no longer cut it. Should we be training professionals in how to use smartphones or email addresses too?

Last week, radio shows were bombarded with angry parents telling stories of online classes that couldn't start because the teacher or school couldn't organise the day or figure out how to fully use Zoom. There are valid reasons why a Zoom class may not pass off as planned, but this isn't one of them.

"We have had no training in these internet technologies," one teacher told a radio program. Really? No training in how to use the internet? Is this 1998?

And even if we give such a teacher a bye, where the hell is the principal or administrator of the school? How is it that in a time where learning has to be online that some key leaders in education can't show their teachers how to do the basics? Why does 'stay at home' now automatically mean 'won't get nearly as much done'?

One of the consequences here is that the Leaving Certificate now hangs in the balance. These weeks in January and February will be decisive in whether it is held or abandoned in favour of predictive grades.

I know that there are separate reasons around accessibility that influence this discussion. But it's shocking to think that lost time due to technical ignorance could also be a persuasive factor.

And it's a little enervating that years of standoffish attitudes to technology from large parts of the educational establishment are now really coming home to hurt students.

Don't know that attitude I'm referring to? It's the one that teaching is somehow a completely separate thing to keeping up with modern communications. That it's not 'core' and is something akin to being asked to learn a coding language.

What baffles me is: why? Why is basic technology so intimidating and inimical to a large number of people who hold sway over kids' futures? Isn't there a vocational curiosity about how the world works? How communications work? Why the antipathy?

Whatever the answer to that isn't important right now. What is important is for holdouts to swallow their pride and learn how to use Zoom.

Learn how to share a screen or organise breakout rooms.

And if you don't know where to start, please ask someone. A colleague. A niece. A parent. Anyone. Just get it done.

This isn't a workplace industrial relations bargaining issue. This is daily living. Teachers, as well as anyone who holds a crucial role in society, should know how to do these things anyway. It's a standard part of ordinary, everyday, basic life, not some sort of faddish hobby.

NEW YEAR MOBILE PRICE WAR

A few weeks ago in these pages, I predicted that low-cost mobile services would expand in Ireland in 2021. This week, we've seen the year's first big move with Vodafone launching its own discount sub-brand operator, Clear Mobile. The terms are almost identical to those of front-runner GoMo: 12.99 monthly, all calls and texts and a huge chunk of data. The only drawback, and one which will rule it out for much of the market it is addressing, is that it has a maximum speed of 5Mbs.

In other words, Vodafone has launched a budget 3G service for your grandparents to check their WhatsApp messages or your kids to be available when outside the home. By comparison, Vodafone's 5G service is over 500Mbs and its 4G service is up to 150Mbs, so 5Mbs really is something out of an early internet history book.

In that context, there is little chance of Clear Mobile getting more than a fraction of the 250,000 customers that Eir's GoMo hoovered up in its first year, especially when there is another budget operator - An Post Mobile - which also uses Vodafone and gives you fast 4G speeds for just 2 more per month.

However, there is one solid reason why people may still consider it: coverage. Put simply, there are hundreds of thousands of people who live in areas where only one of the three main operators - Vodafone, Three and Eir - delivers any kind of a usable signal. Traditionally, Vodafone is most likely to be that operator because it invested more in its rollout (3G especially) than rivals. If you are one of these people, it matters not a whit that GoMo or 48 give you 40Mbs or 50Mbs in an urban area if it's not available in your area. This is one of Clear Mobile's clearest target markets. The problem is that those customers, if they realise the coverage difference, may already be paying for a Vodafone service. And this would be a cannibalisation hit to Vodafone, which traditionally has the highest prices in the market.

The other potential market for Clear Mobile is the customer who genuinely isn't bothered about high-speed networks but who just wants a cheaper deal. That customer already has other low-cost options, but may feel reassured by Vodafone's overall network reach here.

Whatever its success, there's little doubt that Vodafone, which already has 'second brand' operations in the UK, Spain and Italy, had to do something. GoMo, 48 and others are setting the pace in Ireland.

But it's also logical that Vodafone couldn't offer the same kind of speed as its rivals without a serious risk to its core business. Vodafone has been very successful at defending its high-priced plans, based mainly on (generally excellent) coverage. Giving it all away for 13 was obviously a step too far.
Please, people of Trinidad and Tobago, I beg you to take Covid-19 very seriously. I dont want anyone of you to feel the pain I feel.

The weight of that tearful plea from Indian restaurateur Gautam Khanna ripped the heartstrings from the body in one forceful pull, on a quiet Wednesday morning in Arima.

There is a very serious risk of violence at Joe Bidens inauguration, James Comey has warned.

The former FBI director said there were armed, disturbed people who police would need to take seriously ahead of Wednesdays event at the Capitol.

Thousands of armed National Guard troops are on the streets of Washington DC in preparation for expected protests by supporters of Donald Trump who believe his false claims of electoral fraud.

On Friday, a man was arrested at a security checkpoint in the city after police said he was carrying a fake inauguration pass as well as a loaded handgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition.

Bridges into the city were to be closed, and the National Mall and other landmarks blocked off.

Speaking to Sky News Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, Mr Comey said: Im worried because there are armed, disturbed people who are in this state of mind where they believe their country is being taken from them and so its a threat law enforcement in the States has to take very seriously.

The unprecedented security operations across swathes of central Washington DC follows the attack on the Capitol building by pro-Trump demonstrators earlier this month.

Asked whether that violence was a failure by police, he said: Yep, it seems that way to me. Watching it I was  as an American, as a human being  sickened by what I was watching.

"As someone who has spent a lot of my life in law enforcement, I was angered by the apparent failure to defend a hill, it sits on a hill with 2,000 officers assigned to it on a daily basis, the failure to defend the hill.

"It just mystifies and angers me. It is going to be important for our country to understand that failure.

Asked whether he would like to see Mr Trump impeached, Mr Comey said: I would. I think there has to be historic sanction for this behaviour.

"It is a close question as to whether he should be prosecuted after he leaves office, I am actually of the view that the country will be better off if we didnt give him the platform that a prosecution would."

Describing the outgoing president as a demagogue and mob boss, he said he wanted to see Mr Trump shouting at cars from his lawn rather than given a high profile criminal trial that could keep him in the public eye for years to come.

The country needs to find a way to heal itself and the new president needs the opportunity to lead and to heal us, as I said, both literally and spiritually and that will be much, much harder if the Donald Trump Show is on our television screens every single day in the nations Capitol," Mr Comey said.

"Id like to see some of the lights go out and he can stand on the front lawn at Mar-a-Lago and shout at cars in his bathrobe and none of us will hear it.

He also described Boris Johnson as a little less crazy, a little less mean Donald Trump when asked if Mr Biden will get on with the UK prime minister.

I don't know Boris Johnson well enough to know. I gather hes  at least hes portrayed in the States as a little less crazy, a little less mean Donald Trump but I don't know whether thats true or not.
By Steven L. Shields





Last year was unkind on all fronts: health, the economy, politics and climate change. Friends and families have suffered from COVID-19; many people have died. Our daily routines have been changed dramatically. Although I worship with my church family each week, we haven't been at the church for almost a year. Online services are better than nothing at all and at least we are with members we miss.



No more coffee hour on Sunday morning. No more fellowship lunch after the worship. I haven't been able to visit my grandchildren for a year, which is not what I had planned for in my retirement. Missing their birthdays and Christmas in 2020 was emotionally devastating.



Small business owners in my neighborhood are struggling to survive. They are my friends with whom I shop and share daily life as I come and go. My dear friends who run a kindergarten have suffered from having to close, then open, then close again  all the while dealing with lower attendance and extreme precautions to keep both staff and children safe. Their shuttle bus contractors have also suffered from significantly reduced work.



Delivery services have surged to unprecedented levels as people stay home more and avoid crowded shopping places. But delivery drivers are dying of overwork. Sure, they get paid by the number of packages they deliver, but their companies push them to deal with the heavier volume.



The weather has been strange, too. Summer 2020 in Korea had more rain and flooding than has been seen in decades. The extra water caused many basic food prices to rise. Did you try to buy tomatoes? Or cabbages? An "older sister" in my neighborhood said she couldn't make kimchi. Because of the high price of cabbage, she said kimchi had lost its flavor.



What about the political scene? Wow. It's been a roller coaster ride both in Korea and in my home country, not to mention Brexit and all the other craziness going on around the world. Rather than seriously confronting the pandemic, some politicians paid more attention to bitter in-fighting among and between political parties.



In many Western societies, the beginning of the new year is a time for reflection and an assertion of goals for the coming year; it is a time to begin anew. This tradition seems to be taking root in Korean society as well, especially among the younger generations. Making New Year's resolutions is one way to reflect on the past year. Most who make such resolutions discover their resolve fading after just a few weeks. I gave up years ago. I no longer make any resolutions. I will do what I will do.



Some people say 2020 was the worst year ever. Indeed, it was terrible, but the worst? I think many might disagree. Among my friends in Korea, many lived through the waning years of the Japanese occupation  having been forced to take Japanese names and speak only Japanese at school and in the public forum. Those same friends, and many who are younger than them, survived the Korean War's devastation.



Hunger, loss of shelter, disease, the ravages of bombing raids and slaughter of innocent villagers by combatants on every side of the war. What about when thousands on Jeju Island were massacred in the name of "democracy?" Indeed, as bad as 2020 was, it was not the worst year for most Korean people who are my age and older.



Despite all this, we try to survive. We learn to live with changed circumstances. We try to make the best of it.



During 2020, I've done more reading than I have in recent years. Ebooks, magazines and newspapers make reading much easier for me since I suffer from low vision. Regular printed material is too difficult for my poor vision to read comfortably.



Technology has made it possible for me to connect with my grandchildren by video almost every week  sometimes more than once a week. I've also enjoyed video chats with friends in many parts of the world  people who I only emailed with until this year.



Something else I've done for the first time in decades is trying to grow houseplants. I was never very good at this seemingly simple task, but surprisingly, I have several hardy plants that respond well to my touch. I've also taken up a new hobby this year  collecting Korean banknotes.



Banknotes go back to the late Korean Empire period (coins, of course, go back for centuries). Banknotes are a unique part of a nation's economic and artistic culture. I've been learning a lot of history through this hobby and my visits to a wonderful coin dealer in the Hoehyeon Underground Shopping Center.



Rather than making guilt-motivated resolutions for the new year, how about looking at something new or different that you did during 2020. Focus only on positive, happy ideas. Retrospection may be good for your soul.





Steven L. Shields (slshields@gmail.com) has lived in Korea for many years, beginning in the 1970s. He served as copy editor of The Korea Times in 1977. He is a retired clergyman and president of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea.


An early retirement proposal being suggested to the state Legislature would add up to five years to a teachers years of service  making them eligible for their pension sooner and reducing costs for municipalities struggling during COVID-19.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association is advocating a plan, which would allow older teachers to retire sooner and reduce their risk for exposure. It would allow communities to hire new teachers at a lower salary.

As COVID continues to affect us, we have teachers in their 50s, 60s and even sometimes 70s who are at an increased risk for exposure. We have medically compromised staff and any exposure for them can be deadly, said Lori Lyncosky, president of the Westfield Education Association, who has been working with the MTA and legislators on the proposal.

The state has allowed districts to establish their own protocols for remote versus in-person learning, Lyncosky said. Many teachers who are older or medically compromised are being forced to work in-person or use their Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) time in order to avoid becoming exposed by other teachers, staff or students in their schools.

On Jan. 2, the 12 weeks of FMLA expired meaning teachers who choose not to return to school and do not have the option to teach remotely will see a change in their benefits.

These teachers are going into unpaid status, which means they are not paying into retirement and are going to have to pay for their benefits out of their own pocket, she said. These are teachers who have been the backbone of districts for 25, 30 years and they are going to lose out at an astronomical rate.

Donna Bourbeau, a special education teacher at the Westfield Intermediate School, is one of the teachers who say they would take advantage of the proposal of it is approved.

Bourbeau, who just returned to the school this past week since going remote last year, has been an educator for 34 years.

I have spoken to other teachers who feel the same way. This would allow us to retire and remain financially whole, while at the same time providing employment opportunities for new graduates, she said.

Bourbeau said the proposal makes sense for school districts.

This would save districts across the state millions of dollars, she said.

The proposed legislation would protect long-term teachers nearing retirement age, as well as non professional teachers, teachers who have less than three years of experience in a district, whos employment is never guaranteed as budgets are crafted every fiscal year, Lyncosky said

By allowing our mature teachers the ability to buy into an early retirement incentive we will protect them, but as every district knows when you are talking budget and cuts to budget its usually our least senior, non professional teachers, teachers who suffer the most from these cuts, she said.

Lyncosky noted the salary for a senior teacher can often be enough to hire two new teachers or a teacher and a couple of paraprofessionals.

There is no money coming in to municipalities. The state is in crunch mode. We have a large percentage of young teachers that are going to be out of jobs and there is no place for them to go to get jobs because every district is in the same situation, she said. " We have a population of 22-27 year-old teachers who are on unemployment or working as tutors or substitute teachers or paraprofessionals if they can, and that is not what they signed on to do.

She also said newer teachers have had more training and are much more familiar with the technology necessary to make remote learning a success, adding that many long-term teachers received as little as two weeks of training on virtual platforms before they had to begin teaching their classes remotely.

These newer teachers are way more savvy than Im ever going to be at this, that is just the reality of the situation this pandemic has put us in, Lyncosky said.

Kathleen Russotto, president of the Longmeadow Education Association and an educator for more than 30 years, said there are many reasons why teachers would take advantage of the proposal including health, pandemic concerns and also a dramatic shift in the way teaching is done now.

Veteran teachers are resilient. We may not all have the experience with the new technology or remote teaching, but we have figured it out, we have adapted, Russotto said. Still, the best part of our day is being with students and only being with half of them or for districts that are all remote its a challenge. We teach to make connections with students and being remote makes that difficult.

Russotto said many teachers have shown an interest in the legislation moving forward.

There is definitely an appetite for it for many different reasons. For the veteran teachers it is an avenue possibly because of COVID or other health reasons that they could take advantage of the opportunity, she said. It also allows our younger teachers to stay in the profession and thats vital... If they can backfill the position of one long-term teacher with two younger teachers that will help the profession in the long run.

The proposal is in the early stages and the association is looking to partner with legislators across the state to support the proposal.

State Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, said it is important to get input from the community before moving forward on this legislation because of the significant impact it would have.

The MTA is in the initial stages of discussing what legislation would look like and what issues might exist. If anything, COVID-19 has highlighted how influential and integral our teachers are in all of our communities, Velis said. Any legislation touching our education system needs input from everyone in the community including state and local officials, MTA chapters, parents, school districts and more. As this process unfolds, its really important that all these stakeholders are a part of the conversation, as this is something that would impact everyone in our communities in a different way.

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Shah asserted that both vaccines developed in India are completely safe and urged people to get vaccinated when their turn comes up.This comes a day after Congress Member of Parliament Manish Tewari raised questions about the efficacy and safety of two COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use in the country."Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now started the world's largest corona vaccination programme. Congress leaders raised questions about Covid-19 vaccine. We know you cannot do anything other than protest and if someone else is doing it, they stop it too. I want to tell them at least do not stop the ones making efforts," Shah said at a rally in Belagavi, Karnataka."I have come here to assure the people of the country that both vaccines made in India are completely safe. Do not believe what Congress says. When your turn comes, please get the vaccination administered and India will soon become a corona-free country," he added.Two vaccines--Covaxin and Covishield-- have received Emergency Use Authorisation (EAU) after going through established safety and immunogenicity protocols in a well-prescribed regulatory process and these are being administered during the vaccination drive.Further attacking the Congress party, Shah said, "I want to ask Congress leaders, you ruled the country for four generations, then why was there no cooking gas in homes of poor women? Why there was no toilet, electricity, homes, Ayushman Bharat scheme for poor? Because they wanted to remove the poor and not poverty?""In the 13th Finance Commission, the Sonia-Manmohan government gave Rs 88,583 crore for the development of Karnataka. In the 14th Finance Commission, the Modi government has contributed Rs 2,19,506 crore for the development of Karnataka. Modiji did a lot of work for the eradication of poverty and tried to raise the standard of living of the poor," he added.Union Home Minister lauded the 'self-reliant India' call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi."If we all 130 million people of India use what is made in the country, then India will be the world's topmost economy automatically. Earlier, we used to buy toys from China, but now the country's first toy-manufacturing cluster is being built in Koppal. You should all be proud that children across India will play with Koppal toys and we won't have to buy from China," he said.During the rally, Shah lauded the efforts of BJP workers in Gram Panchayat polls and urged the people of Karnataka to vote for the party in Taluka Panchyata and Zilla Panchayat polls."Of the total 5,670 Gram Panchayats, BJP registered victory on 3,142. Out of a total of 86,183 panchayat members, more than 45,000 BJP workers have been elected. Today I want to tell the people of Karnataka that in the coming days, elections for Taluka Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat are also coming. In these elections, give more than 75 per cent seats to BJP, for the development work of the state," he said.Before addressing the rally at Belagavi, Shah met the family members of the party's general secretary Belagavi district, Raju Chikkangoudar who passed away recently.This ongoing visit is Shah's first trip after the Karnataka cabinet expansion which left many BJP leaders displeased. Earlier today, the Minister addressed a public rally at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College ground in Bagalkot district on the second day of his two-day visit to the state.
Parler CEO John Matze. Fox News

Parler CEO John Matze and his family fled their home after receiving death threats, a new court filing says.

Parler was recently removed from Apple's and Google's app stores, and Amazon Web Services stopped hosting the platform after it deemed Parler a "risk to public safety."

Supporters of President Donald Trump flocked to the platform after he was barred from Twitter over the siege at the US Capitol.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Parler CEO John Matze fled his home after receiving death threats, a lawyer for Matze said in a court filing Friday.

The lawyer, David Groesbeck, wrote in the document that Matze had to "go into hiding with his family after receiving death threats and invasive personal security breaches." The filing was part of an antitrust lawsuit the social-media company has brought against Amazon Web Services.

Read more: How Silicon Valley banished Trump in 48 hours

The new filing sought to seal parts of the suit as a safety measure.

Amazon Web Services stopped hosting Parler in the days after the January 6 siege at the US Capitol. In its own court filing last week, Amazon said Parler was both unwilling and unable to remove "content that threatens the public safety, such as by inciting and planning the rape, torture, and assassination of named public officials and private citizens."

Supporters of President Donald Trump, some of whom communicated on Parler ahead of time, breached the Capitol and clashed with law enforcement, leading to five deaths and temporarily halting the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Read more: Inside the rapid and mysterious rise of Parler, the 'free speech' Twitter alternative, which created a platform for conservatives by burning the Silicon Valley script

Trump's Twitter account was suspended over fears he was inciting violence, and conservatives urged their followers to join Parler afterward. The app jumped to No. 1 on Apple's App Store before the company pulled it. Google also yanked Parler from its store.

Story continues

When it stopped hosting it, AWS said Parler "poses a very real risk to public safety."

In the Friday court filing, Groesbeck didn't specify who was threatening Matze but said his position "as the CEO of the company AWS continues to vilify" put him in danger.

Bloomberg reported earlier this week that Amazon said Parler users were threatening its employees.

"Both sides of this dispute have shown that their employees have suffered real harassment and threats - including, on both sides, death threats - owing to the charged nature of this litigation," Groesbeck said in his filing.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Chief Medical Officers in Ireland and Northern Ireland have voiced their concerns about the high levels of Covid-19 and are urging everyone to stay home.

Chief Medical Officers Dr Tony Holohan and Dr Michael McBride said: As Chief Medical Officers, we are gravely concerned about the unsustainably high level of Covid-19 infection we are experiencing on the island of Ireland. This is having a significant impact on the health of our population and the safe functioning of our healthcare systems.

Unfortunately, due to the surge of infections we have experienced over the past few weeks, we have seen an increase in mortality figures and our health systems have been placed under immense pressure. We are likely to see ongoing increases in hospitalisations, ICU admissions and mortality in the weeks ahead.

Both Chief Medical Officers are strongly urging everyone to stay at home except for essential reasons and to avoid all unnecessary journeys including cross-border travel.

Many of the patients admitted to hospital in January have been under the age of 65 years. Covid-19 can affect us all, regardless of age or underlying condition. It highlights the need for us all to protect one another by staying at home. Not only will you keep yourself and your loved ones safe, but also help to save lives and avoid more preventable Covid-19 admissions to our currently struggling healthcare systems," they said.

We will continue to work together to protect public health across the island as we have done throughout this pandemic, but we need everyone to play their part by staying at home and protecting themselves and their communities.
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The Herald and Age obtained records of messages sent by Mr Fox to an associate on November 23 in which he described, in graphic detail, sexual activities with children. "And I love it ... And no one can do anything about it," he wrote. In one message, he said he administered methylamphetamine and heroin to one of the boys during a session of abuse. "Anyway I filmed it and posted it on the dark web," the message said. The messages, sent over the messaging app Line, were accessed and verified by Mr Isherwood. Mr Fox acknowledged they were authentic but said he didn't mean what he wrote and he had sent them at a time of acute stress and anger.

"All right, I was an idiot to say that but, man, there's plenty of other things I said. I threatened to blow up the court building. I have been flipping out," he told the Herald and Age. Since October, Mr Fox has been mounting an online campaign designed to combat the allegations, publishing videos and posts claiming he is the subject of false and malicious rumours. Adam Fox says he has been falsely accused. In one video, Mr Fox acknowledged the existence of footage showing a boy masturbating in his presence but said his back was turned and the incident was recorded by someone else as a set-up or prank. A local child welfare organisation reported the video actually shows Mr Fox participating. In a statement made to local authorities, one of the boys reported that his mother was receiving 4500 Thai baht ($A190) per month to allow Mr Fox ongoing access.

Asked about the payments, Mr Fox said he had paid the kids and families to support their education and wellbeing. "So of course I'm paying them. I'm not going to go into detailed descriptions of what I paid for and when," he said. After he was first arrested in March 2020, he was then granted bail and allowed ongoing access with the alleged victims. Following a press conference about the case by Thai authorities in May, a network of local non-government organisations, the Mae Sot Child Protection Network, released a public statement expressing concern Mr Fox had ongoing access to the children. The network said authorities should be "immediately separating child victims from the [alleged] perpetrator and bringing them to the government shelter for care and protection". They also said Mr Fox's bail should be revoked given the evidence against him.

In a video posted online, Mr Fox said he had bribed people, including for inside information from government workers and other purposes. "Corruption in Thailand is at all levels and with enough money you can get people to give you whatever you want, whatever you need," he said. The home of one of Adam Fox's alleged victims, typical of some homes in the poverty stricken area. Mr Isherwood alleges Mr Fox has paid to avoid investigation and charges and shift authorities' attention to others. "He has only been able to do this by bribing officials and other contacts within Mae Sot," Mr Isherwood said. "This level of corruption appears specific to the Tak province and is not reflective of Thailand as a whole."

There is evidence Mr Fox conspired to bribe officials within the local judiciary to drop drug charges against him and implicate a man called Kyaw Moe Aung, who worked for Mr Fox last year but fell out with him amid the abuse allegations. The man has been imprisoned on a series of charges. Asked about the bribery allegations, Mr Fox initially denied he had used bribes to influence officials in Mae Sot, saying he received bail "fairly and squarely", but then suggested he had made payments because he couldn't trust a corrupt system. "Do you think that I'm going to bribe people and then I'm going to talk about it on the public stage? That's suicide. I'm not going to implicate powerful people, who I still need to deal with because there's still a case going on," he said in an email. Mr Fox said he is in Bangkok and in hiding because he does not believe he will be fairly treated by the court. One boy, who is said to be Mr Fox's "favourite", may still be with him.

"I'm running from a hostile Thai government where a fair trial is no longer possible and the human rights abuses have extended to a point that I have no control over anything any more," he said in a video posted online. Mr Isherwood, who has been investigating the case on the ground in Mae Sot, said Mr Fox was skilled at muddying the waters with subterfuge in the community and online but the allegations were very clear. "This case highlights what can occur when [alleged] Western offenders are able to use financial means to both influence the justice system, allegedly abuse boys and manipulate their families," Mr Isherwood said. Mae Sot sits on the porous border with Myanmar. Credit:The New York Times The Australian citizen was a foster carer in Melbourne before going to Thailand and holds an active Victorian working with children check.

He is the owner of a company called Eat Your Veggies, which Mr Fox describes as a boutique consultancy. Mr Fox says his business success has allowed him to go into semi-retirement, travel and do charity work. According to his website, the company has been involved in the development of a school finance app called My School Connect and an online babysitter service called Little Ones. Sources familiar with Mr Fox's case said the Australian Federal Police, which has officers stationed in Thailand, has been monitoring developments but not actively participating in the investigation, which is being conducted by the Royal Thai Police. Australians who engage in child abuse and exploitation overseas can be charged under Commonwealth criminal laws. The offences carry penalties of up to 25 years in prison. In an online video, Mr Fox acknowledged that Mae Sot is viewed by many people as a "paedophile hotspot" but rejected the claims about him.
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President Donald Trump speaks at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum in Jupiter, Fla., on Sept. 8, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

Trump Hasnt Chosen Impeachment Defense Team, Campaign Spokesman Says

A spokesman for President Donald Trumps campaign says the president hasnt yet decided who will represent him during the upcoming impeachment trial.

President Trump has not yet made a determination as to which lawyer or law firm will represent him for the disgraceful attack on our Constitution and democracy, known as the impeachment hoax,' J. Hogan Gidley, a Trump campaign spokesperson, said in a statement on Jan. 17.

We will keep you informed.

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani claimed on Jan. 16 that he was going to help defend the president during the trial.

Im involved right now  thats what Im working on, Giuliani told ABC News. Giuliani, who was at the White House on Jan. 16, didnt respond to an inquiry.

The House of Representatives impeached Trump on Jan. 13; lawmakers allege Trump incited the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, in part through his speech that day in Washington.

Protesters speak to U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)

A timeline shows Trump was still speaking to supporters when protesters began breaking through police lines some two miles away, and the president has defended his speech as totally appropriate.

It isnt clear when the impeachment trial will start, since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is keeping secret for now when the body will transmit the article to the Senate. Even if it were transmitted, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has declined to call the Senate into session. The upper congressional chamber is scheduled to be on break until Jan. 19.

Trump is set to leave office on Jan. 20, when President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

Trump was impeached in 2019. In a trial in 2020, he was represented by a number of lawyers, including White House counsel Pat Cipollone, Jay Sekulow, and Alan Dershowitz.

None have said so far that theyll represent Trump again. Dershowitz told the Boston Herald last week that he wouldnt be part of Trumps defense team.

Im going to be defending him in the court of public opinion, he said.
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NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2021 ) :Donald Trump is ending his 4-year term as US president with the lowest approval rating of his presidency, according to a CNN television network's poll released Sunday.

More than one-third of those surveyed, 34 percent, said they approve of Trump's performance. CNN noted Trump's previous low in its polling was just 1 point higher.

Before November's election, Trump's approval rating stood at 42 percent, the network added.

Trump's job performance rating remains strong among Republicans at 80 percent but has dropped 14 points since October, according to the poll. It currently stands at 2 percent among Democrats, largely unchanged.

A majority of respondents, 54 percent, said Trump should be removed from office following the deadly rioting at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, when his supporters stormed the complex while a joint session of Congress was meeting to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Last week, the House voted to impeach Trump for his role in the siege, making him the first president in history to be impeached twice.

More than 9 in 10 Democrats, 93 percent, said in the new poll that Trump should be removed from office, as did 10 percent of Republicans.

Ninety-two percent of Democrats also said Trump deserves a great deal of blame for his supporters storming the Capitol, while only 13 percent of Republicans agree.

Seven in 10 Democrats added that the Republican lawmakers who objected to the electoral results deserve a great deal of blame, compared with 14 percent of Republicans.

Three-quarters of Republicans also told pollsters they have little confidence that elections in the U.S. reflect the will of the people.

The poll was conducted between Jan. 9 and Jan. 14. The survey of 1,003 respondents has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.

Trump's approval rating in a separate poll released Sunday by NBC news held relatively steady at 43 percent since the election.
Posted Sunday, January 17, 2021 6:44 am

When President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are sworn in this week, the transition away from the Trump era may bring a Mount Rainier-level elevation of clout for Washington state.

Democratic wins in the recent Georgia runoff elections flipped the U.S. Senate from Republican control to a 50-50 tie  with Harris serving as the tiebreaker.

That lifts Washington Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to powerful committee chair positions that will enable them to steer legislation and spending on everything from health care to schools to aviation and rail  even internet regulation and NASA.

The state's research universities, scientific institutes and stalled infrastructure projects could benefit in the coming years, according to political observers and experts.

Murray, who was first elected in 1992 and ranks third in Democratic leadership as assistant majority leader, will chair the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) and is the No. 2 Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. Cantwell, first elected in 2000, will be the first woman to chair the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Their ascension and combined seniority may start to rival the days of Sens. Warren Magnuson and Henry "Scoop" Jackson, Democrats who served together from 1952 to 1980, wielding their massive influence to direct a gush of federal money to Washington state.

"We may be developing the female version of the strongest one-two punch we've ever had," said Ron Dotzauer, a longtime Democratic political strategist who worked for Jackson and ran his final campaign. "I was around in the Scoop-Maggie era. They reaped enormous benefits for the state of Washington."

Only three other states in 2021 will have two U.S. senators who are women Minnesota, Nevada and New Hampshire, noted Jean Sinzdak, associate director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. And none come close to the seniority enjoyed by Murray and Cantwell.

"They are certainly a powerhouse duo," she said.

In interviews, Cantwell and Murray were keenly aware of the Democrats' precarious grip on the Senate levers of power, echoing Biden's calls to seek common ground with Republicans.

"It is close. This is not like a huge majority, this is an every vote counts

majority," Murray said. "The President Elect has made it very clear  and I know him well  (he) really wants to bring people together."

Cantwell pointed to bipartisan legislation, including a public-lands bill that brought $75 million for water projects in the Yakima Basin, a key agricultural area that had struggled to find agreement among competing interests.

"I know we live in a world of tweets, but I think actually people in Washington state have shown that we can use science and information to find collaboration, when we don't agree philosophically," she said.

But the chair positions give the senators enormous discretion to decide what bills receive hearings and which presidential appointees are speedily confirmed.

"We now can set the agenda. We now can set the priorities that we're fighting for. We now can help the constituents that I represent here in Washington state have a voice in some of the key issues facing our country, that have been left behind." Murray said.

With committees that have such broad purviews, Murray and Cantwell struggled to rattle off a list of priorities unique to Washington state. But both cited the defining crisis of our time  the COVID-19 pandemic  saying they want to speed vaccine rollout and economic recovery.

Murray said she wants to bolster paid family leave and child care options and work to help schools return to in-person classes while addressing inequities that have only grown during the pandemic.

Cantwell said she expects to join with the Biden administration in pushing for the sort of national infrastructure that didn't happen over the last four years. Her committee oversees transportation modes from commercial planes to rails, buses and roads.

"I think more infrastructure investment is one thing that I think we all can work on together and be successful at," Cantwell said. "I think our states desperately need that," she said, pointing to the West Seattle Bridge replacement as an example.

The role of Senate committee chair might seem arcane to many regular folks. But Mike Spahn, a former chief of staff for Murray, said the HELP and Commerce committees "yield uniquely powerful chairs. The impact on the actual real lives of people is so great."

Spahn said Cantwell will be in the middle of regulating the internet for the next generation, with big stakes for local tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft, as well as politically charged monopoly and legal immunity debates for social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter.

Murray, meanwhile, will be in the middle of debates over sweeping changes to health care and education. And as the vice-chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she'll help direct billions of dollars in federal spending.

"That's a good thing for the University of Washington and Washington State University," predicted Spahn.

If Appropriations chairman Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vermont, were to retire, Murray would be in line for the job once held by Magnuson, who sent so much money to Washington state that former Vice President Walter Mondale once joked that he divided federal dollars "50-50  half for Washington state and half for the rest of the country."

As chair of the Senate Commerce panel, Cantwell, too, holds a position once occupied by Magnuson.

It's not just the senators who may benefit from their increased power. Other members of Washington's congressional delegation also have accumulated influence that could add to the state's D.C. power ranking, especially Democrats now able to work with a friendly presidential administration.

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Bellevue, chairs the House Armed Services Committee. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus. And Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Medina, leads the centrist New Democrat Coalition.

And, although in the House minority, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, is a ranking member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, was recently elected chair of the Congressional Western Caucus.

Having Murray and Cantwell in prime Senate positions will pay off for the entire delegation, said John Murray, a Washington-based Republican consultant who worked on Capitol Hill for former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

"We get so wrapped up in the partisan divide that we see on TV. But they are a delegation together that works for the betterment and benefit of the entire state. Having the senators in those positions is good for everyone," said Murray, who is not related to the senator.

But, he added, there could be political risks for Murray and Cantwell "to get pulled way left" by the Democratic base, which could undermine efforts to work across the aisle.

"I've been on the other side of the 'expectations game.' Majorities get jammed to overpromise," he added.

Murray and Cantwell have served together since 2001, accumulating significant power even while serving at times in the minority. Murray is now the sixth in overall Senate seniority; Cantwell is 16th.

And they're not done.

Murray plans to seek a sixth term in 2022; Cantwell, in her fourth term, won't face reelection until 2024. Neither has faced strong Republican challengers in recent years.

While midterm elections are often brutal for the party that holds the White House, Tina Podlodowski, chair of the Washington State Democrats, said she's relishing the thought of Murray helping lead Washington Democrats at the ballot box in 2022.

"I do think that Senator Murray is somebody that is respected and in some cases beloved on both sides of the aisle. As a top of the ticket there is no better," she said.

___

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Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Eric Lis factory making glass lampshades for companies including Home Depot Inc. is being stretched to its limits with sales doubling their pre-pandemic level.But like many Chinese manufacturers, he doesnt plan to expand operations -- a reticence that could slow the pace of Chinas economic growth this year and prolong a shortage of goods being felt around the world as demand picks up.Surging prices of raw materials means margins are compressed, explains Li, owner of Huizhou Baizhan Glass Co. Ltd., in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, which makes about $30 million in annual revenue. With the global economic recovery still uneven, the future is very unclear, so there is not much push to expand capacity, he adds.The combination of higher input prices, uncertainty about export prospects and a weak recovery in domestic consumer demand meant Chinese manufacturing investment from January to April was 0.4% below the same period in 2019, according to official statistics (comparing to 2019 strips out the distortion of last years pandemic data).Due to the vast size of Chinas manufacturing sector, that poses a risk both to the nations growth -- which is currently predicted to reach 8.5% in 2021, according to a Bloomberg tally of economists estimates -- and to a global economy thats grappling with supply shortages and rising prices.Falling ProfitsWeaker-than-expected investment could have a sizable impact on GDP growth this year, said Citigroup Inc.s China economist, Li-gang Liu. Lower investment may dent imports of capital goods and equipment from developed economies like Japan and Germany, which in turn could drag their economic recovery and rebound as well, he added.AnHui HERO Electronic Sci & Tec Co. Ltd. is one of those companies feeling the squeeze. Based in the eastern province of Anhui, the company manufactures capacitors used to make electronic circuits, with sales mainly in the domestic market. Jing Yuan, the founder, says orders are up as much as 30% year-on-year, but profits are down 50% due to increasing materials costs that are not easily passed onto clients.The company is under huge cash pressure as it needs to pay half a month in advance of delivery in order to secure copper and other metals, which they previously paid for months after receiving, he said. The commodity issue has to be addressed by the government, he added.What Bloomberg Economics Says...Chinese industry is absorbing significant cost pressures from rising commodity prices -- damping the inflationary impact for the rest of the world. Will it last? Our analysis of gross margins suggests it could for a while longer: downstream industries -- where the cost crunch is most severe -- still have a small cushion.David Qu, China economistFor the full report, click here.Input shortages mean some manufacturers arent able to make use of their existing facilities, so expansion would be of little use. Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio Inc. suspended production at one of its factories last month, due to a shortage of microchips.Modern Casting Ltd., which makes iron and steel products in Guangdong, issued a note to clients this month saying it would not be able to meet its current orders due to high raw material costs. A member of staff who answered the phone at the companys office confirmed the note, but declined to give further details.Growth TransitionOn top of the higher input costs, Chinese companies face a bumpy transition toward domestic consumer spending to sustain its post-pandemic recovery.Exports, Chinas strong-suit last year, may begin to slow as vaccine roll-outs cause consumers in wealthy countries to shift spending back to services. Meanwhile, the growth rate of Chinese consumer spending has yet to fully recover.Investment sentiment among Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises is below levels seen even in 2018-9 when uncertainties from the U.S.-China trade war were a brake on expansion plans, according to a regular survey of more than 500 Chinese companies by Standard Chartered Plc.Demand is still mainly underpinned by exports, so domestic companies are aware that this is not sustainable, said Standard Chartereds China economist, Lan Shen.While some export-oriented sectors have been pushed to their limits, large amounts of slack remain for manufacturers targeting Chinese consumers due to subdued domestic demand.Retail sales growth was 4.3% in April on a two-year average basis, which strips out base effects from the pandemic, less than half pre-pandemic growth rates. Overall capacity use at Chinas manufacturers fell to 77.6% in the first quarter from 78.4% in the previous three months, with the automotive sector hit hardest by overcapacity following three years of declining sales volumes.Even for electric vehicles whose sales are surging, most companies have already built their capacity and will now focus on incremental upgrades. The majority of the investment has been done, said Jochen Siebert of JSC Automotive Consulting.China ordered state-owned companies to expand last year, with their investment growth of 5.3% in 2020 from the prior year easily outstripping the 1% increase in private investment. But for a sustainable pick-up in investment, the market, not the state, needs to feel confident.Carsten Holz, an expert on Chinese investment statistics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, estimates that privately-owned companies have accounted for 87% of manufacturing investment in 2015, the most recent year of available data. They are more sensitive to input costs.There is a pandemic plus insecurity about future trade given a new U.S. administration, neither of which is conducive to investment that relies on long-term growth prospects, Holz said.Mixed PoliciesTransport bottlenecks are also a challenge for export-oriented manufacturers. Gordon Gao, who exports gardening products from China, said that he has had to reject 80% of orders this year due to port delays. In one case, an order placed before mid-February could only be shipped three months later when a client finally secured a container.Beijing has tried to improve conditions for private companies by ordering a crackdown on speculation to curb commodity prices and easing access to bank loans.Yet the government continues to gradually withdraw fiscal and monetary stimulus measures introduced amid the pandemic last year. It set a relatively unambitious target of above 6% growth for this year, and the Communist Partys Politburo signaled last month it would prioritize reforms to control house prices and debt growth.The policy stance has definitely shifted away from supporting growth and back toward de-risking the financial sector, said Adam Wolfe, an economist at London-based Absolute Strategy Research. The risks for economic growth seem tilted to the downside, especially for capital-intensive, construction-linked sectors.For manufacturers such as Li, a longer period of domestic growth and control over input prices will be needed before capacity expansion is on the cards. While his company of 200 workers took on new permanent staff before the pandemic, for now hed rather pass the risks of investment on to others.I wouldnt do that now, I would rather hire some temporary workers and outsource the rest, he said.More stories like this are available on bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.2021 Bloomberg L.P.
For years, Mike Lindell, the chief executive of the bedding company MyPillow, has been a fringe character in Trumpworld. A major Republican donor who made his millions inventing a pillow made from shredded foam, Mr. Lindell would regularly pop up as a V.I.P. at Trump rallies. And he was seemingly ever-present on television in the West Wing as the star of MyPillow commercials, which aired constantly on Fox News.

In July, he met with President Trump at the White House to push an unproven treatment in which he had a financial stake, oleandrin, as a therapeutic for the coronavirus. He is close with Dr. Ben Carson, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, but he has long been dismissed by most of the advisers around the president as a nutso.

And yet, there he was on Friday afternoon, again, standing outside the West Wing, set to have face time with the commander in chief during his final hours in power. Mr. Lindell arrived with a concerning agenda: A photograph of his partially visible notes showed that he wanted to speak to the president about invoking the Insurrection Act and appeared to recommend martial law if necessary. He also appeared to suggest moving Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist serving as chief of staff at the Defense Department, to the position of C.I.A. Acting.

It has been easy to treat Mr. Lindell as a comedic bit player in the story of the Trump presidency. He was a man the president thought was extremely famous because of his advertisements on cable news. He was a man the president would not dismiss, the way his advisers did, because he did not dismiss anyone who was rich and constantly on television.
BEIJING, Jan. 15 (Xinhua)  General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping on Friday sent a message to Thongloun Sisoulith, congratulating him on election as the general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee.

Xi said he is glad to hear that Thongloun was elected as the general secretary of the LPRP Central Committee, and would like to extend warm congratulations to Thongloun and through him to the new LPRP central leadership on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and in his own name.

Xi noted that since the 10th LPRP Congress, Laos, under the strong leadership of the LPRP Central Committee headed by Bounnhang Vorachith, has made important progress in the cause of socialist construction and enjoyed political and social stability, sustained economic development and continuous improvement of people's well-being.

Under the new circumstances, the successful convention of the 11th LPRP Congress, which has made a series of arrangements for the development of the causes of the party and the country, bears great significance, Xi added.

He expressed his confidence that under the leadership of the new LPRP Central Committee headed by Thongloun, the party will surely lead the Lao people to unite as one and strive for greater achievements in Laos' socialist cause.

China and Laos are friendly socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, Xi said, adding that bilateral relations have continuously deepened and developed thanks to the careful cultivation and strong promotion of successive generations of leaders of the two parties and countries, continuously creating benefits for both countries and their people.

Pointing out that the world has entered a period of turbulence and transformation, Xi said he is ready to work with Thongloun to strengthen the political guidance of the relations both between the two parties and between the two countries.

He also suggested that the two sides make concerted efforts to carry forward their traditional friendship, deepen exchanges and cooperation, promote their socialist causes, and push forward the building of the China-Laos community with a shared future, so as to make positive contributions to safeguarding regional peace, stability, prosperity and development.

Xi wished Thongloun greater achievements in the new leadership post.

(Source: Xinhua)

The orthern provinces of Vietnam woke up to a chillier morning on Sunday with temperatures dropping to as low as eight degrees Celsius in lowland areas and below sub-zero in mountainous locales.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, a strengthened cold front has approached several mountainous locales of northern Vietnam.

As a result, temperatures in the area have nosedived and are forecast to sink even more on Sunday night.

By 6:00 am on Sunday, Dong Van Town in northern Ha Giang Province had logged temperature of seven degrees Celsius, while Mount Mau Son in Lang Son Province recorded 9.2 degrees and Lao Cais Sa Pa Town saw 7.3 degrees.

The cold front is poised to reach northern and north-central areas before running down south to as far as south-central provinces on Sunday night.

Under the impact of this cold front, northern and central provinces will see chances of rains and thunderstorms, with high precipitation in several localities, in Sunday.

Meanwhile, mercury will be dragged down to as low as eight degrees Celsius in lowland areas and below sub-zero in mountainous locales, accompanied by chances of frost and sleet.

Extreme cold will spread through northern Vietnam during the nights and early mornings, but sunlight will emerge in daytime.

The central provinces from Quang Tri to Quang Ngai will also experience cold weather with mercury ranging between 14 and 18 degrees Celsius.

Highland provinces in central Vietnam, as well as southern areas will see cold during the nights and early mornings.

The cold spell is considered a strong one, but not as extreme as the previous that hit Vietnam between January 7 and 11, said Tran Quang Nang from the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting

It will persist much less longer, only from January 17 to 19, with overcast and high humidity on the first day before clear daytime during the remaining two days.

A stark disparity between day and night temperatures is also anticipated.

Sunday night will see chances of snow, albeit much lower than the last [cold spell] circumstance, in Ha Giang and Lao Cai," Nang said.

"Rime and hoar frost can also emerge on Monday and Tuesday."

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Prayagraj : Jan 17 (IANS) The Allahabad High Court has stayed the arrest of a man who, while taking part in a protest against the alleged Hathras gang-rape case, had reportedly said that the 'Chief Minister of UP is a man of thick skin'.

A division bench comprising Justice Anjani Kumar Mishra and Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, while hearing a writ petition filed by Neeraj Kishor Mishra of Kasganj district, directed the state government to file its reply in four weeks and directed to list this case after six weeks.

The allegation made in the first information report (FIR) was that the man had made the comment during the protests, accusing the police of being inactive. It is further alleged that during the protest, the petitioner had said that 'the Chief Minister of UP is a man of thick skin.' The FIR further said that the petitioner was a history-sheeter and his arm licence had already been cancelled.

The FIR was lodged against the petitioner on December 11, 2020 under sections 153-B (2) (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 505 (2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Patiyali police station of Kasganj district.

During the court proceedings, the counsel for the petitioner submitted that in a democratic country, agitation against a ruling party is the constitutional right of leaders of opposition and, therefore, agitation of the petitioner, on the issue of rape of a girl of 'Balmiki Samaj' cannot be termed as hatred or ill-will between different religious racial, hence, no offence under Section 153 -B (2) and Section 505 (2) I.P.C. is made out.

While observing that 'the matter requires consideration', the court stayed the arrest of the petitioner but made it clear that it has not stayed the investigation, hence it would go on.
A soldier from Fort Bliss has been charged with the sexual assault of a soldier from his unit who was found dead almost exactly one year later.

Pfc. Christian G. Alvarado, a soldier listed in the 1st Armored Division at the Texas base, has been formally accused of three sexual assaults.

Among them, Alvarado is accused of raping 19-year-old Pfc. Asia Graham while she was unconscious on December 30 2019, at Fort Bliss.

Asia Graham, 19, was found dead in her barracks on New Years Eve. One year prior, she reported she had been sexually assaulted

Pfc. Christian G. Alvarado has been charged with the sexual assault of fellow soldier Asia Graham, who was found dead in her barracks on New Years Eve

Private First Class Asia Graham, 19, a human resource specialist, reported that she had been sexually assaulted by another soldier. She said the assault happened in December 2019 and an investigation into her claims ended on December 1 in which a top commander agreed with her. However, just one month later she was found dead in her barracks in El Paso, Texas

She was found dead in her barracks room this past New Year's Eve, a year and a day after the first alleged assault occurred.

Although the cause of Graham's death has not been released, the Army say they do not suspect foul play and are awaiting the results of an autopsy.

Alvarado was arraigned on Thursday during a general court-martial at Fort Bliss on three charges of sexual assault, two charges of making false statements and one charge of aggravated assault in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Graham was a human resource specialist who joined the Army in July 2019.

Graham, of Cherryville, North Carolina, joined the Army in July 2019 and Fort Bliss was her first duty station

She reported that she was sexually assaulted by another soldier shortly after arriving at Fort Bliss in December 2019 and six months later finally reported it to her superiors

She arrived at Fort Bliss in December 2019 after completing Basic Combat Training in Missouri and Advanced Individual Training in South Carolina. She had only been at the base for a matter of weeks before the alleged assault occurred.

She reported the assault to her chain of command six months later on June 1st, and an investigation was immediately launched.

Charge sheets show Alvarado was interviewed June 11 by CID agents, which is when he allegedly made false statements to investigators.

Alvarado told a CID agent that Graham had been on top of him during sex.

The agent said that such a claim was false given that Graham had been unconscious according to her account.

Graham had been assigned to the same battalion as Alvarado.

Her mother believes the military failed to protect Graham after she came forward. 'I was with the military life, I spoke very highly about the military. But in her situation, I think the leadership failed her,' Asia's mother Nicole Graham said

Brother, Andrew Koenigsfeld, said she had a 'heart of gold' and 'looked to motivate people'

Her mother, Nicole Graham, told WBTV in North Carolina that her daughter was 'a beautiful soul' whose 'smile lit up the room.'

'I was with the military life. I spoke very highly about the military, but in her situation, I think the leadership failed her,' Graham said earlier this month.

'Do I think she was murdered? No. But do I think if it would have handled better from the beginning, I think she would have had the proper help before and she would have been OK.'

'She was ready to fight,' said her brother, Andrew Koenigsfeld. 'Then that got taken away.'

He described his sister as having a 'heart of gold' and said she was a motivational force.

'Every day, every time I talked to my sister, she always preaches, "Go get your goals. What do you want to do with your life?"' Koenigsfeld said.

Asia is pictured with family members in an undated photo that includes her mom, Heather, left

Her division paid tribute to her in a Facebook posting online

'PFC Asia Graham was a valued member of the Iron Eagle Team,' her division wrote in a Facebook post. 'Her loss is felt not just in our formations but across the Army. We lost a skilled human resource specialist who wanted nothing more than to serve her country and her battle buddies.'

Graham's awards and decorations included the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon.

Alvarado has also been accused of committing two other sexual assaults in May and August of last year, however the victims have not been named.

'As a reminder to the Fort Bliss community, charges are merely accusations and Pfc. Alvarado, like all Americans, is presumed innocent until proven guilty,' a Fort Bliss press release stated on Saturday.

A trial date has not yet been set for Alvarado's court-martial.

Family members say Asia was sexually assaulted by another soldier at Fort Bliss, something which her Commander also agreed with

Fort Bliss is just the latest Army base to face intense scrutiny in recent months, joining the likes of Fort Hood, where Vanessa Guillen was murdered, and Fort Bragg, for a series of sexual assault claims and deaths.

Most recently, soldier Sergeant Keith Lewis, 31, at Fort Bragg in North Carolina shot his heavily pregnant wife in front of their three-year-old daughter then turned the gun on himself in a horrific murder-suicide on December 20.

Earlier that same month Master Sgt. William Lavigne II, 37, and Army veteran Timothy Dumas, 44, were both found dead in a training area at Fort Bragg on December 2 in whats suspected to be a drug deal gone wrong.

Fort Bragg has seen less eyebrow-raising death cases at the base compared to Fort Hood, with just one homicide reported in 2020 before the latest investigations began.
British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is facing a revolt from Icelandic farmers after he bought up vast tracts of the countrys pristine wilderness to secure fishing rights to rivers there.

Accounts for the British holding company for his Icelandic operations, Halicilla, reveal how he has spent 36.2 million on farms in Iceland since 2016 as part of his project to conserve the North Atlantic salmon.

But new laws introduced amid concerns over Ratcliffes spending spree means he could be banned from making further land purchases there.

British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is facing a revolt from Icelandic farmers after he bought up vast tracts of the countrys pristine wilderness to secure fishing rights to rivers there

The 68-year-old, Britains fifth- richest person and worth an estimated 12.2 billion, now owns or part-owns 39 Icelandic farms.

They include land adjoining the River Hofsa, where the young Prince Charles once fished  as seen in the most recent season of Netflix series The Crown. Another river, the Sela, has been fished by the late US President George H. W. Bush, who described it as astoundingly beautiful.

Ratcliffe also owns angling rights on four other of the main rivers in north-east Iceland: the Hafralonsa, Svalbardsa, Miofjaroara and Vesturdalsa.

Ratcliffe, a leading Brexiteer who is now based in Monaco, is the chief executive and majority owner of the petrochemical giant Ineos.

Icelandic financial journalist Sigrun Davidsdottir said there had been a lack of transparency over the purchases from farmers who had been on the land for generations.

She said: Ratcliffe is now the biggest private landowner in Iceland by far. He has no connections to the community and it has caused a lot of public concern over the lands future use. Our rivers are a valuable asset and are well taken care of, so what Jim Ratcliffe is offering is good, but not essential, and it means the farmers lose control of the land, the rivers and the profits from the fishing rights.

She said the tycoons commitment to conserving the environment felt like greenwashing when he presided over one of the worlds biggest petrochemicals giants.

Johannes Sigfusson, 67, whose 7,400-acre sheep farm bordering the River Hafralonsa has been farmed by his family since 1880, said last week: I dont know [Sir Jim Ratcliffe], but its not good for one man to buy so much land.

Ratcliffes Six Rivers Conservation Project in Iceland aims to ensure the sustainability of North Atlantic salmon stocks in the rivers.

The legislation aimed at restricting land sales, which was passed by the Icelandic parliament last July, requires landowners who own 10,000 hectares or more to get a ministerial exemption for further purchases.

Gisli Asgeirsson, director of Strengur Angling Club, controlled by Ratcliffe, said there had been some ludicrous suspicions about the billionaires reasons for buying farms, and his sole mission was conservation.

Ineos did not respond to a request for comment.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched mile after mile to pressure America to live up to its too often broken promises of freedom and equality  but he refused to ever take a victory lap. When King spoke on May 10, 1967  in what proved to be the last year of his life  to an interracial group of Atlanta leaders known as the Hungry Club Forum, he could have bragged about his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize or the landmark laws hed just successfully fought for, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But the civil rights icon could only see the massive work that was still undone.

Racial injustice is still the Negros burden and Americas shame, said King, who was facing a growing white backlash in 1967 as he pushed hard for Black economic equality and to end the Vietnam War. And we must face the hard fact that many Americans would like to have a nation which is a democracy for white Americans but simultaneously a dictatorship over Black Americans. We must face the fact that we still have much to do in the area of race relations.

We still do.

As America prepares for its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day around what would have been the activists 92nd birthday, the nation is still reeling from the violent images of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that brought together thousands of white people  from retired firefighters to tech CEOs, from gussied-up real estate brokers to lifelong neo-Nazis  who shared only one thing in common: a desire to smother any embers of Kings smoldering dream of a racially just United States.

Fueled by the psychopathic narcissism of a delusional autocrat in the White House, the Capitol Hill rioters didnt speak openly of white supremacy, yet never had to, because it so drenched their cause like the kerosene-soaked rag of a Molotov cocktail. Their utterly unfounded claims of voter fraud were aimed solely at blocking the millions of legitimate votes from predominantly Black neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Detroit, and, of course, Kings hometown of Atlanta. The insurrectionists were willing to risk their own freedom, their livelihoods, and even their lives for the cause of blocking a new president whose ascension was powered by Black voters in South Carolina, and a woman vice president of Black and South Asian descent. Their fury was stoked the day before when the Black pastor who inherited the pulpit of Kings Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, was elected to the U.S. Senate.

The white mob that sacked the seat of U.S. government the moment it promised to look more like the real America was the living, contemporary proof of the hard fact that King warned about 54 years ago, less than 11 months before a white supremacist gunman murdered him in Memphis, Tenn.  that many Americans would like to have a nation which is a democracy for white Americans but simultaneously a dictatorship over Black Americans.

Its been so often said that America underwent a racial reckoning in 2020 after the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The massive protests of late spring, in which so many white people joined the marches, acknowledged their belated recognition of what so many Black and brown Americans had known their entire lives  that white supremacy is the true virus that infects the U.S. body politic. But the very real gains of the last year  the election of Kamala Harris, Warnock, and other voices of progress, the early and unrealized talk of policing reforms  have encountered the harshest law of American physics, that for every step forward on race there is an unequal and often more powerful backlash, so strong in 2021 that it even breached the citadel of our fragile democracy.

The Capitol insurrection also provided what surely looked like a final answer to one of the loudest intellectual debates of the last couple of years in American politics  when were our true national values founded. While the Jan. 6 mob may have invoked the spirit of 1776, it was propelled instead by the cruel, icy currents of 1619, the year that the first slave ship reached our soil. In seeking to throw out Black votes and save the presidency of the man who promised white America that I alone can fix its problems, the rioters were borne again backward by those powerful waters  reminding us that every step forward for a true, inclusive democracy has forced one giant step back.

 READ MORE: An insurrection of upper-middle class white people | Will Bunch Newsletter

When America struggled in the 1770s and 1780s to define just exactly how a new nation could empower life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the powerful undertow of 1619 was there to define African Americans as three-fifths of a person, and to create Rube Goldberg devices like the Electoral College and a less-than-democratic Senate to empower the slave states and their immoral economy.

While the new nation expanded voting rights and created lively traditions of free speech as long as the beneficiaries were white men during the optimistic expansion of the early 19th century, the ghosts of 1619 imposed a gag rule on Congress from even discussing the peculiar institution of slavery, bloodied and nearly caned to death lawmakers who spoke of a truer freedom, and hid behind the robes of a Supreme Court that insisted Black slaves were not people but property.

When Americas better angels were finally horrified by the whip of slavery to embrace emancipation as the just cause of a civil war that left 600,000 dead, the recoil against Reconstruction was much more powerful than they would tell us in our history books. White mobs that looked very much like the insurrection of 2021 fought deadly battles to throw out Black votes in New Orleans, in Colfax, La., in Wilmington, while the twisted outcome of the 1876 presidential election achieved the goal that Donald Trump and his riotous co-conspirators chase today: the preservation of white supremacy. Some 80 years of white authoritarian government in the Deep South mocked any spirit of 1776.

When the Rev. King roamed this Earth in the 1950s and 1960s, the undeniable moral force of his movement ended legal segregation and expanded the vote to millions of African Americans, yet by May 1967, that voyage was getting pummeled by rocky shoals of 1619  the white Chicagoans who pelted King with rocks when he marched there for open housing and economic equality, the two-thirds of Americans who disapproved of the civil rights leader in his final years, the FBI smear campaign that reinforced an atmosphere of hate that ended with his assassination.

The holiday we celebrate on Monday is the result of the positive efforts of the many Americans  from his widow, the late Coretta Scott King, and Stevie Wonder to everyday folk  who wanted to keep Kings dream alive in the face of a palpable backlash that included the election of a president, Ronald Reagan, whod railed against welfare queens and launched his 1980 campaign by talking about state rights in the county where three civil rights workers from the King era had been murdered.

In the years since Reagan reluctantly signed the King national holiday into law in 1983, white leaders have sought to channel his legacy into volunteerism which  while admirable  also kept the spotlight off radical social change. Like the undoings of slavery and legal segregation before it, the tangible signs of racial progress  such as a rise in Black elected officials, culminating in the election of Barack Obama in 2008  struggled against those 1619 undercurrents, from the New Jim Crow of mass incarceration to a steady erosion of voting rights from a modern Republican Party turning Abraham Lincoln on his head.

One didnt need a doctorate in American history to see that the life force behind the Jan. 6 insurrection was less about the political future of one man and more about that mans promise to protect 402 years of white privilege. The symbols of supremacy were everywhere on Capitol Hill that day, from the Confederate flag that was paraded across the Capitol Rotunda to the makeshift gallows that threatened to lynch any politician linked to racial progress. The rioters were so confident their whiteness would protect them that they not only shunned masks, but posted their selfies or streamed their felonies on Facebook Live, and when they were shocked by their subsequent arrests, they begged for the privilege of a pardon from their great white father at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Outside of his I Have a Dream speech, the words from King that have most animated America in the half-century since his death have been when he declared, in an echo of the 1850s abolitionist Theodore Parker, that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. That notion, and the rays of hope from those occasional twists like Kings movement victories or Obamas election, seems to have underestimated the never-ending force with which the reactionaries of 1619 keep bending back, with a riot on Capitol Hill their latest notion of flattening the curve.

As my colleagues on The Inquirer Editorial Board emphasized this weekend, a true racial reckoning to continue Kings legacy must focus on Americas gross economic injustices  the racial wealth gap, raising the minimum wage for our essential workers who are disproportionately Black and brown, and addressing the structural biases that caused both the pandemic itself and its economic fallout to fall most heavily on people of color. In their futile efforts to block Wednesdays inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the insurrectionists wanted to prevent those goals from happening, to preserve an America where success was less about the content of ones character and more about the color of white skin.

America only ever cuts through the unending wake of 1619 when it ignores the terrorism of the mobs like the one that scaled Capitol Hill. The election of 2020 and the years racial reckoning opened a tiny window of opportunity for a new administration and a congressional majority hanging by a one-vote thread in the Senate to finally turn some of Kings economic dreams into reality. The choice in 2021 is between the radical but uplifting King vision that our nation claims to celebrate on Monday or the tyranny of the white supremacist mob that tried to bludgeon it. As we still clean up the mess inside the Capitol, we need to grab that long moral arc and yank a little harder this time.

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The new year brings new laws that affect California employers as well as the HR professionals who play a critical role in ensuring compliance. From COVID-19-related regulations to routine increases in the minimum wage, there's plenty to keep HR teams busy. Here's a summary of some key legislation and handbook updates for 2021.

COVID-19 in the Workplace

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order this spring creating a rebuttable presumption that workers who contracted COVID-19 were infected on the job and therefore were entitled to workers' compensation benefits. SB 1159, which took effect in September, codified that order through Jan. 1, 2023.

The legislation established a rebuttable presumption for COVID-19 cases contracted by certain first responders and health care workers and for other California employers with five or more employees if an outbreak occurs in the workplace. Employers should note that the presumption applies only to workers who do their jobs in a company-controlled space, such as a warehouse or office. Employees who work remotely and contract the coronavirus are not covered, said Pascal Benyamini, an attorney with Faegre Drinker in Los Angeles.

Under AB 685, employers must provide written notice to "all employees" when a COVID-19 exposure occurred at workeven if they were in a different department or were not onsite at the time. This notice must be made within one business day of the potential exposure, "a really tight turnaround," said JoAnna Brooks, an attorney with Littler in Walnut Creek. She recommends that HR professionals create a notice template that can be quickly populated and distributed if an exposure occurs. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) can order a shutdown if it deems that the worksite presents an imminent hazard to others' safety.

Pay Data Reporting

Starting in 2021, SB 973 gives employers with 100 or more employees until March 31 each year to provide pay information to the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which can use the information to enforce equal-pay and anti-discrimination laws. Employers must use employees' W-2s to issue a detailed report on pay, broken down by race, ethnicity and sex for various job categories, including administrative support workers, midlevel managers and laborers.

"HR people are going to have a huge role in leading that process," Brooks said. The state, however, has not yet provided templates to help businesses organize and present this information, though it has begun to offer some guidance. "That will be a tremendous burden on companies," she said. "For HR professionals, I anticipate this will be the bane of their existence."

Expanded Family and Medical Leave

Employers with at least five employees must provide up to 12 workweeks of unpaid job-protected leave for workers to bond with a baby, take medical leave or care for relativesincluding a child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or domestic partner. SB 1383 broadens the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), which previously granted this leave only to employees at businesses with at least 50 employees.

Time Off

Under AB 2017, California employees can, at their discretion, use at least half of their accrued sick leave to care for relatives, including a child, parent, spouse, registered domestic partner, grandparent, grandchild or sibling.

AB 2992 broadens protections for crime victims and prohibits covered employers from discriminating against employees who are victims of crime or abuse for taking time off from work to seek related relief, such as medical attention for injuries, mental health services or safety planning.

Minimum-Wage Increases



Effective Jan. 1, employers with at least 26 employees must pay workers at least $14 an hour. Employers with fewer than 25 employees must pay at least $13 per hour. Both rates are a dollar per hour more than the 2020 minimum wages. However, employers should note that many cities set their own hourly rates, and those local rates also may be increasing in the new year.

The minimum salary for exempt employees will also be raised to $58,240 at businesses with at least 26 employees and $54,080 at those with 25 or fewer employees. For California employees to fall under the executive, administrative and professional exemptions, they must be paid at least double the minimum wage and fulfill certain responsibilities.

Corporate Board Diversity



By the end of 2021, the boards of California-based public companies may look less homogenous. SB 826 requires that boards of six or more directors have at least three female directors. Five-member boards must have at least two women, and there must be at least one woman on boards with fewer than five directors.

Similarly, AB 979 mandates that boards include at least one director from an underrepresented communitysomeone who identifies as Black, African-American, Latino, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Hawaiian or Alaska Native, or as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Noncompliant companies face fines of at least $100,000.



June Bell is a regular contributor to SHRM, covering California HR matters and labor and employment issues.


On Friday, the authorities reported that the U.S. Capitol Police made an arrest at a security checkpoint in Washington after a man showed an unauthorized inauguration credential and a sweep of his vehicle uncovered an unlicensed handgun and also more than 500 bullet rounds.

Such arrest occurs as police officers have sought to reinforce Washington before Wednesday's inauguration because they think extremists, prompted by the Capitol assault on January 6, could try to trigger another violence. In anticipation of the swearing-in of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., a heavily armed 'green zone' has been built downtown, members of the National Guard are invading the area, and a metal fence has gone up from around Capitol grounds.

As per a federal law enforcement agent who had asked to remain anonymous as he was not allowed to talk about the arrest, the arrested man, Wesley A. Beeler, 31, was a contractor, and the credential appears to be legitimate. A Capitol Police spokesman has stated that the man had displayed somewhat of a "non-government" credential.

About 500 rounds were also found by investigators, including a pistol magazine, shotgun shell holster as well as hollow-point bullets. The Glock was even reportedly packed in the chamber with a round. A bumper banner on his truck also says, "if they come for your guns, give 'em your bullets first."

An indictment in the D.C. Supreme Court states that, when passing a checkpoint Friday, Wesley Allen Beeler had a half-automatic Glock gun in the middle armrest of his camion. According to the police report, he submitted an "unauthorized inauguration credential."

"The credential presented was not authorized to enter the restricted area," the police stated.

In an interview with Mr. Beeler's father, Paul Beeler, had stated his son belonged to a security detail that operated alongside the Capitol Police and National Guard.

When questioned if he was feeling that his son was promoting a peaceful power transfer, Paul Beeler replied, "That's the reason he's there."

The court has freed him on personal identification, as per the Independent U.K. news, yet given a restraining order from the district. He cannot return to the city legally unless he sees a lawyer or appears at court.

The service representatives of National Guards are joining the growing military intervention in the nation's capital, with up to 25 000 personnel anticipated for the ceremony on January 20 after a deadly Capitol violence and reports of more unrest.

According to an officer of the administration, government agencies sought to prevent several citizens who violated the Capitol with firearms earlier this month from heading to the city, even including limiting their capacity to board commercial flights, according to an officer of the administration.

The National Mall is no longer accessible to the public over the 2-mile stretch from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol. Barricades have also been installed across the Capitol.

Despite for the sake of security, President-elect Biden has denied a request to take the inauguration ceremony indoors. His inaugural committee was already preparing for a virtual coronavirus scaled-back event.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Deaths of 836 different birds



were reported on January 16 across and samples have been sent for tests in laboratories in Pune and Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal, officials said on Sunday.

As per an official statement, the deaths include that of 745 poultry birds, with Nagpur and Amravati districts from Vidarbha region reporting deaths of 290 and 75 poultry birds respectively.

In Beed in Marathwada and Gondia in Vidarbha, 50 poultry birds each died, the statement said.

It said 32 other birds like herons, sparrows and parrots, as well as 59 crows, including 33 from neighbouring Thane, also died in the state on Saturday.

"In Maharashtra, a total of 836 birds have died on January 16 till 7:00pm. The samples are being sent to Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal and Disease Investigation Section, Pune for testing," said the statement.

A total of 5,987 bird deaths have been recorded in the state since January 8.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The Tomago aluminium smelter outside Newcastle received a special visitor in September. Prime Minister Scott Morrison wanted to outline how he would use affordable and reliable energy to supercharge Australias post-COVID economic recovery. As the single biggest user of energy in the country, the Tomago smelter was an ideal backdrop. Morrison explained that his governments JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments had helped support millions of Australians. Now, the governments JobMaker plan would help create new jobs  and, to do so, it would be necessary to get more gas, more often and more reliably. Getting more gas would be achieved by resetting our east-coast gas market, unlocking additional gas to drive recovery; paving the way, ultimately, for a world-leading Australian gas hub to support high-wage jobs, including and especially in manufacturing. In his speech, Morrison mentioned gas 55 times. The government believes that increasing gas supply and use in Australia is key to rebuilding an economy that has been battered badly by the COVID-19 pandemic but as it champions the fuel and its industry, critics of gas are growing louder, questioning long-held claims about gas's credentials as a cheap and cleaner source of energy. Why does the government want more gas? How clean is natural gas, really? And whats next for its future in Australia? Credit:Artwork: Matthew Absalom-Wong

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Why does the federal government want more gas? Gas has been used in Australia for decades in power generation, heating and manufacturing. The gas that flows into your stove is a fossil fuel, primarily methane, formed over millions of years by the breakdown of micro-organisms. In Australia, large stores of it are found onshore and offshore, bound up in sedimentary basins capped by impermeable rock as well as in shale and coal seams. For domestic use, it is typically extracted by drilling then treated, piped to distribution hubs near cities and industrial centres, and plumbed into homes. The Coalition backs the expansion of the gas industry for two main reasons. Loading The first is economic: more gas, the government says, means more affordable and reliable energy to domestic manufacturers that rely on it  thereby boosting employment. A three-fold increase in east-coast gas prices in recent years has been pushing manufacturing firms to breaking point. Energy often counts as one of their big operating costs, and big businesses have been feeling the heat. In 2019, chemical giant Dow announced the shutdown of its plant in Melbourne's west, citing rising gas prices as a major driver. Sydney-based RemaPak collapsed into administration the same year, saying its gas costs had rocketed from $4 to $16 a gigajoule. Increasing supply and competition by opening up more sources of gas is intended to put downward pressure on prices. The second is to smooth the electrical grids transition from coal. The Coalition and many large companies in the energy industry promote gas as the transitional energy source, one that emits far fewer greenhouse gasses than coal but is still capable of dispatching the around-the-clock energy needed to support the growing use of weather-reliant wind and solar generators. The government says it is focused on ensuring that electricity remains reliable and affordable as the market transitions from coal and, for this reason, it is touting gas as the key plank of its plan. The problem, however, is natural gas also faces some big challenges.

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Gas is a heavy source of emissions. While it is a cleaner-burning fossil fuel than coal, it is a fossil fuel nonetheless, and Australia needs to reduce its reliance on all fossil fuels over time in order to achieve its climate targets. And gas is expensive. Despite the pleas from the manufacturing sector and the governments best efforts, there is a growing realisation in the industry that the price is unlikely to return to the good old days of $4 a gigajoule that eastern Australia has traditionally enjoyed. The first LNG cargo is shipped to Japan from Chevron's Gorgon LNG project in Western Australia in 2016. Why are prices so high, and will government measures drive them down? That depends on who you ask. Gas prices began sharply rising on the east coast in 2017, when commercial and industrial buyers started receiving new contracts offered at above $10 a gigajoule, much higher than the historic levels of between $4-$6 a gigajoule. This price rise coincided with Australia deciding to sell natural gas in its super-chilled form, known as liquefied natural gas (LNG), overseas. The construction of six new LNG export facilities at Gladstone in Queensland increased overseas demand for Australian gas  our top LNG export destinations are Japan, South Korea and China  and required producers to tap more expensive gas fields to meet their obligations. This linked the east-coast gas market to international LNG prices, pushing up domestic prices.

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Australia has become the worlds number one exporter of LNG. In 2019, cargoes of LNG accounted for about $50 billion in export earnings, sealing its position as the countrys second-biggest commodity export after iron ore ($100 billion a year). Paradoxically, Victoria, NSW and South Australia are facing the danger of winter gas shortages as early as 2023, warns the Australian Energy Market Operator. This is because most gas now being produced in Australia is in Western Australia and Queensland  far from the domestic demand centres that need gas the most in the south-east  while gas output from fields in the south-east such as ExxonMobil's and BHPs Bass Strait gas fields, which have traditionally supplied up to 40 per cent of east coast demand  have been in rapid decline. As Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chair Rod Sims explains, when you boost the supply of a product, it should drive down the cost, and this applies to domestic gas. If we really want permanently lower prices in the south, we need more gas in the south, he said. Loading Much of the federal governments efforts to rein in runaway prices has been focused on increasing availability of supply, including incentives to encourage the opening of new gas fields, support gas production and invest in pipeline infrastructure. But there are doubts about whether the governments interventions in the gas market will succeed in lowering prices or if they are swimming against the tide. As energy experts at the Grattan Institute think tank explain, the cost of producing gas in Australia has been steadily increasing over time, and the cost of supply has increased as low-cost sources have become depleted. Gas could once be provided for $4 per gigajoule or less, but today eastern Australian gas fields will struggle to supply gas for less than double that amount. Eastern Australia still has plenty of gas, but it does not have a lot of cheap gas  especially in the southern states, the Grattan Institute says. Large new resources exist, but are either relatively expensive  such as Santos Narrabri coal seam gas field in NSW  or far from major markets  such as the NTs Beetaloo Basin shale gas fields.

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At energy giant Santos massive coal-seam gas development planned at Narrabri, for instance, analysts are projecting that the cost of delivered gas will not be lower than $8 a gigajoule. Australias biggest gas producers say new east-coast projects have production costs of up to $8.25 per gigajoule, and thats before transport, distribution and other commercial costs are factored in, according to the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association. At $4 a gigajoule most Australian natural gas would stay in the ground and less production would place upwards, not downwards, pressure on prices, the industry group says. Other investors are betting on a different means of lifting supply: proposing floating terminals to import and re-gasify LNG from elsewhere in the world to reduce the risk of shortfalls and boost competition. Prime Minister Scott Morrison (centre) visits the Tomago aluminium smelter near Newcastle with Angus Taylor, the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction (second from left), in September. Credit:Tomago Aluminium Whatever the cost, will using gas help reduce Australian greenhouse gas emissions? The Morrison government and many of the nations biggest energy companies believe it will. "There is no credible energy transition plan, for an economy like Australia in particular, that does not involve the greater use of gas as an important transition fuel," Morrison said in January 2020, arguing that switching from coal to gas had helped other nations reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. When it comes to electricity, this is true: burning gas releases fewer emissions than coal, and using gas to displace coal in power stations around the world has contributed to lower emissions.

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When Joe Biden takes the oath of office this week, he will go down in history: having won more votes than any previous candidate, he will become the oldest person ever to become the countrys Commander-in-Chief. He will also, perhaps, be the first President to fulfil his mandate on the day of his inauguration.

For millions of Americans, Biden has one job  to remove Donald Trump from the White House  and he will complete this mission by lunchtime on Wednesday. Much of the country will sigh with relief as the twice-impeached Trump leaves Washington to await the Senates verdict on charges of high crimes and misdemeanours and its decision on whether he will be allowed to run for office again.

Bidens problems will begin with whatever he decides to do for an encore. As I found in my research throughout the campaign, his 81 million-strong electoral support is not a monolithic bloc. Much of the Democratic base yearned for a more liberal, progressive direction and found the compromise of nominating an elderly, white, moderate, career politician quite agonising.

President elect Joe Boden will perhaps be the first US Commander in Chief to fulfil his mandate on the day of his inauguration on Wednesday

Many hoped Bidens victory would usher in a much more radical Democratic era than might have been suggested by the new Presidents long record in Washington, or his reassuringly temperate campaign style. These were joined by a group of new voters, younger and more ethnically diverse, who were opposed to Trump and all his works and were particularly driven to address racial injustice.

Then there is a much more moderate set of voters who wish above all for a calmer, less acrimonious form of politics. Less inclined to dismiss the Trump years out of hand, they were more likely than most to prefer a President who creates a more civil political climate even if they sometimes disagree with him, rather than a President who does the right thing even if it is divisive.

If they had doubts about Biden, it was over his age and health, and the prospect that Speaker Nancy Pelosi would, in the words of one concerned citizen, invoke the 25th Amendment to remove his ass, and Kamala [Kamala Harris, his Vice President] will be President.

What they wanted was not a Green New Deal but a bit of peace and quiet. The potential for conflict and disappointment is obvious  and with his Vice President having the casting vote in an evenly divided Senate, the lack of majority in Congress wont serve as an excuse not to be bold.

Many will be tempted to see the storming of the Capitol as proof Trump supporters are a basket of deplorables

Many will be tempted to see the storming of the Capitol on January 6 as the ultimate proof that Trump supporters were, as Hillary Clinton had it, a basket of deplorables. But they cannot all be dismissed as credulous followers in the image of Q Shaman, the tattooed leader of the Capitol occupation, whose horns and furry headdress adorned our screens. Trump won more than 74 million votes in November, more than any previous Republican. As his reputation implodes, it is as important as ever to understand what he offered that so many have found so compelling.

Looking back over four years of research, at what he did and what his supporters have told us about his appeal, I think the list looks something like this (we might call them the Seven Tenets of Trumpism):

An enduring belief in American exceptionalism  the idea that the US is different from, and in important ways, greater than, other countries;

Conviction that constitutional freedoms such as free speech and the right to own guns are important and need defending;

The belief that it is possible for anyone who works hard to be successful in America, whatever their background;

Rejection of political correctness and identity politics;

Belief in business, low taxes and deregulation; support for a forceful, independent foreign policy; and  crucially  willingness to tolerate a good deal of friction in politics in the cause of advancing these things.

Agree with them or not, these are powerful principles  enough to attract nearly half the electorate.

The question for the Republican Party now is whether there can be such a thing as Trumpism without Trump. In my research, one in three Trump supporters told us they approved of what he had done as President but disapproved of his character and personal conduct. This meant two-thirds of his supporters said they approved of both his actions and the way he conducted himself.

That's not to say most will not have been horrified as they saw the seat of their democracy under attack. But for most of his presidency, what others saw as his outrageous behaviour was not just part of the package but part of the appeal. Many loved having a President who said exactly what he thought, sent Hollywood liberals into a frenzy and set out to drain the Washington swamp.

What, then, is the lesson for the Republican Party? For some, the whole Trump era, not just its final few weeks, was an aberration that the GOP should put behind it. But the party cannot simply take its current voting coalition and trade it in for a different one.

The question is whether it can distance itself from the outgoing President while holding on to the millions  minus the extremist minority  that he brought into the Republican fold. And that is assuming the party will even continue to exist in its current form.

Meanwhile, although the Biden era may be less noisy, hopes of a new age of unity and harmony are surely forlorn. If Trump inflamed the countrys divisions, he did not create them. They existed before he descended the Trump Tower escalator to announce his candidacy in 2015 and they will be there long after he has left the scene.

As we are about to see, Americans disagree over far more than the qualities of one man.

Lord Ashcrofts Reunited Nation? American Politics Beyond The 2020 Election is published this week by Biteback. For more on his work, visit lordashcroft.com.
Gunmen shot dead two Afghan women judges working for the Supreme Court in an early morning ambush in the countrys capital Sunday, officials said, as a wave of assassinations continues to rattle the nation.

Violence has surged across Afghanistan in recent months despite ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and government  especially in Kabul, where a new trend of targeted killings aimed at high-profile figures has sown fear in the restive city.

The latest attack, which President Ashraf Ghani blamed on the Taliban, comes just two days after the Pentagon announced it had cut troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500, the fewest in nearly two decades.

The attack on the judges happened as they were driving to their office in a court vehicle, said Ahmad Fahim Qaweem, a spokesman for the Supreme Court.

Unfortunately, we have lost two women judges in todays attack. Their driver is wounded, Qaweem told AFP.

There are more than 200 female judges working for the countrys top court, the spokesman added.

Kabul police confirmed the attack.

Afghanistans Supreme Court was a target in February 2017 when a suicide bomb ripped through a crowd of court employees, killing at least 20 and wounding 41.

Ghani blamed the Taliban for Sundays murders, accusing them of launching an illegitimate war and hostility.

The government once again reiterates its call on the Taliban that violence, terror, brutality and crimes will only prolong the war in the country, he said in a statement issued by the presidential palace.

They (Taliban) in order to show their real intent (for peace) should accept a permanent ceasefire.

 Appalling attack 

The top British envoy to Kabul, Alison Blake, condemned the appalling targeted attack on the judges.

We condemn this and all attacks on civilians and call for an urgent investigation into those responsible, she said on Twitter.

In recent months, several prominent Afghans  including politicians, journalists, activists, doctors and prosecutors  have been assassinated in often brazen daytime attacks in Kabul and other cities.

Many journalists and activists have left the country, worried they might the next targets.

Afghan officials have steadfastly blamed the Taliban for the assassinations, a charge the insurgent group has denied.

Some of these killings have been claimed by the rival jihadist Islamic State group.

Earlier this month the US military for the first time directly accused the Taliban of orchestrating the attacks.

The Talibans campaign of unclaimed attacks and targeted killings of government officials, civil society leaders & journalists must cease for peace to succeed, Colonel Sonny Leggett, the spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said on Twitter.

The targeted killings have surged despite the Taliban and Afghan government engaging in peace talks in the Qatari capital of Doha.

Afghan government negotiators engaged in peace talks with their Taliban counterparts are pushing for a permanent ceasefire as part of the agenda for the talks, but the insurgents so far have dismissed the calls for any type of truce.

The Taliban carried out more than 18,000 attacks in 2020, Afghanistans spy chief Ahmad Zia Siraj told lawmakers earlier this month.

On Friday, the Pentagon announced it had cut troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500 as part of its deal with the Taliban to withdraw all troops from the country by May 2021.

That deal was struck in return for security guarantees from the insurgents and a commitment to peace talks with the Afghan government.

SOURCE: AFP
Fulton Countys DA may hire an outside special assistant to oversee a Trump investigation

Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis is currently considering opening a criminal investigation of President Donald Trump for his previous attempts to overturn Georgias results in the 2020 presidential election.

The New York Times reports that a source who is familiar with the offices deliberations says Willis is considering hiring an outside special assistant to help oversee the investigation. David Worley, a Democratic member of Georgias election board, said he plans to ask the board to make a referral to Willis by February 10, the election boards next scheduled meeting.

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Worley noted that if the election board, where hes the sole Democrat, declines the referral, he would personally asks Williss office to begin an inquiry on Trump.

Read More: Biden: Science will be at forefront of his administration

Michael J. Moore, former United States attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, is one of the Georgia prosecutors who believed that Trump violated the law for pressuring Georgia officials, including Brad Raffensperger, to find the votes needed to overturn President-elect Joe Bidens victory in the state.

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

If you took the fact out that he is the president of the United States and look at the conduct of the call, it tracks the communication you might see in any drug case or organized crime case, Moore said. Its full of threatening undertone and strong-arm tactics.

Trumps interference violates at least three state criminal laws including criminal solicitation to commit election fraud  which can result in a felony or a misdemeanor.

Read More: Texas realtor who traveled to DC on private jet arrested in Capitol riot

Joshua Morrison, former senior assistant district attorney in Fulton County, noted that Atlanta especially is not right-leaning and would it would reflect in the results of a trial if he were to face a grand jury.

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My feeling based on listening to the phone call is that they probably will see if they can get it past a grand jury. It seems clearly there was a crime committed, Morrison said.

If the inquiry in Georgia pass, it will be the second criminal investigation against Trump, who is currently being investigated for his organizations finances by the Manhattan district attorney.

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The post Atlanta DA looking to charge Trump for attempting to overturn election appeared first on TheGrio.
Victoria could show the fastest recovery of any state or territory after suffering through the worst downturn in the country, with new forecasts showing the national economy will grow 4.4 per cent in 2021.

The Victorian economy is forecast to grow 5.3 per cent this year, outstripping an expected 4.6 per cent growth in Queensland and 4.4 per cent in NSW, Deloitte Access Economics latest Business Outlook released on Monday shows.

State and territory border closures to stop the spread of coronavirus wreaked havoc on local economies, but a rapid "V-shaped" recovery is predicted for the next few years by the consulting firm's partner Chris Richardson.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Credit:Getty Images

Mr Richardson said commentators comparing states in terms of virus control measures were making "a mistake" and missing the point that Australia has been a global success story overall due to combined measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. There has been fierce disagreement about how state and territory premiers and chief ministers should react to hotspots and outbreaks, with Victorian Premier Dan Andrews enforcing a strict second lockdown in late 2020 and many states shutting their borders to NSW due to outbreaks over Christmas and New Year's.
New Delhi: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting summoned Amazon Prime Video officials in connection with the controversy around web-series Tandav. This move came after several politicians asked for the series to be banned.

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Prakash Javdekar, had met with the OTT officials a year ago and had asked them to formulate rules to ban unrestrained content on web-series.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has sought a response from Amazon Prime Video keeping in mind the complaint filed against Saif Ali Khan starrer Tandav.

They have sought answers from the OTT as to what rules they have made for the content of this type currently running and what they are doing to curb them.

Earlier, BJP MP Manoj Kotak raised strong objections over Amazon Primes political drama and alleged that it features anti-Hindu content. He contacted Minister Prakash Javdekar and said that the freedom from censorship that OTT platforms enjoy has led to repeated attacks on Hindu sentiments

BJP MLA Ram Kadam and several others also took to social media to express their displeasure over the matter.

As soon as Mohammad Zeeshan Ayubs Shiva scene went viral, netizens started trending hashtags like boycott Tandav and boycott Bollywood.
Posted Sunday, January 17, 2021 6:46 am

Seattle police arrested a man outside the FBI headquarters in downtown Seattle on Saturday, after he parked a car with a burning tire next to the building and told responding officers he had a bomb, police and FBI officials said.

Police quickly apprehended the man and determined there was no bomb, interim Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz said.

The man, who is being held while police investigate the incident, appears to have been acting alone and isn't known to be affiliated with any extremist groups, Diaz and Earl Camp, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI"s Seattle office, announced in a joint press conference.

"Right now, it appears to be a lone individual making threats," Diaz said.

The incident occurred about 1:14 p.m. in an alley behind a building where the FBI houses its Seattle field office at Third Avenue and Spring Street.

Seattle police and fire personnel responded to the scene because a tire on the man's vehicle was on fire, Diaz said.

"Officers contacted the driver of the vehicle, and the driver noted there was a bomb in the vehicle," the chief said. "Officers immediately cordoned off the area and shut everything down."

Police closed stretches of Third and Fourth avenues for several hours Saturday afternoon, while FBI agents and the city's arson/bomb unit investigated the threat and "determined that there was no bomb inside the vehicle," Diaz said.

With tensions heightened following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and law enforcement nationwide on alert as Wednesday's presidential inauguration looms, Camp and Diaz said they're not aware of specific threats to any buildings or events in Seattle or Washington state.

"We feel that we are in a really good position," Camp said. "If we do get any indication of a specific threat, we will be in touch with our local law enforcement partners and take every precaution necessary to make sure the citizens of Seattle and Washington state are safe."

As part of a general precaution to potential threats at state capitol buildings across the nation, the FBI has stood up command posts in all 56 of its field offices nationwide, an agency spokesperson said Friday.

___

(c)2021 The Seattle Times

Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(Newser)  Guatemalan police and soldiers launched tear gas and wielded batons and shields against a group of Honduran migrants that tried to push through a roadblock Sunday. A group of about 2,000 migrants had stopped short of the roadblock the night before. The roadblock was strategically placed at a chokepoint on the two-lane highway to Chiquimula in an area known as Vado Hondo, flanked by a tall mountainside and a wall leaving the migrants with few options. Some 100 migrants tried to make their way through authorities around 7:30am Sunday, the AP reports. The security forces beat them back and deployed tear gas. None made it through, and the larger remaining contingent kept its distance. Some migrants were visibly injured by baton strikes. One man leaned against a wall with a bandage on his head. "They hit me in the head," he said. "I didn't come with the intention of looking for problems with anybody. We're brothers, Central Americans. We're not looking for trouble. We just want to pass."

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Guatemalan forces had blocked part of a caravan of as many as 9,000 migrants Saturday night not far from where they entered the country, seeking to reach the US border. The immigration agency distributed a video showing a couple of hundred men scuffling with soldiers, pushing and running through their lines, even as troops held hundreds more back. Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei urged Honduras "to contain the mass exit of its inhabitants." On Friday, the migrants entered Guatemala by pushing past about 2,000 police and soldiers; most did not show the negative coronavirus test Guatemala requires. Nations throughout the region have made clear they will not let the caravan pass. Mexico mounted a dissuasive campaign at its southern border, circulating videos and photos of thousands of National Guardsmen and immigration agents preparing in case the migrants cross Guatemala. Many migrants hope for a warmer reception from the administration of President-elect Joe Biden. His team has indicated it will not make immediate changes to policies at the US-Mexico border.

(Read more Guatemala stories.)
A 53-year-old woman who is wanted in Northern Ireland for the alleged theft of six designer handbags has been refused permission to seek bail.

Catherine Gaffney, with an address at Carraroe Avenue, Grange, Dublin 13, is in custody in the Dochas Centre at Mountjoy Prison as a result of convictions at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and will be surrendered to the UK authorities on completion of her sentence.

The Court of Appeal heard last Friday that the Dochas Centre has decided Gaffney qualifies for temporary release as part of a programme to help prisoners reintegrate into the community.

However, she was unable to take up temporary release due to the European Arrest Warrant and therefore applied to the High Court for bail. The High Court refused on the grounds that if Ms Gaffney is released from prison she should be surrendered to the UK authorities. Ms Gaffney appealed that decision to the Court of Appeal.

Ronan Munro SC for Ms Gaffney argued last Friday that the High Court still has jurisdiction to grant bail even when a person is being held in custody pending surrender under a European Arrest Warrant. Mr Justice John Edwards delivered the judgment of the three-judge court saying that section 27 of the European Arrest Warrant Act 2003 is "explicit and unambiguous" in stating that a person in Ms Gaffney's situation, "shall not be remanded on bail or otherwise released from custody."

Mr Justice Edwards, sitting with President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, dismissed the appeal.

Gaffney is wanted in Northern Ireland in respect of three alleged theft offences, one attempted theft offence and one offence of obstructing a Constable in the execution of his duty.

Counts one and two on the warrant state that Gaffney stole Mulberry handbags valued at 2,785 on July 7 and 8 2016, which belonged to Stephen Mewha, an employee of House of Fraser in Belfast. The items were not recovered.

The third offence alleges that Gaffney stole a further three Mulberry handbags at the same store and valued at 3,000 on November 19, 2016. The warrant states that the respondent placed a blue handbag and two red handbags into her blue reusable shopping bag before she left the shop.

The fourth offence on the warrant claims that Gaffney attempted to steal a seventh Mulberry handbag as well as a purse valued at 1,500 at the same store on December 10, 2016. The warrant states that staff detained Gaffney that day for theft believing her to be the same female responsible for previous thefts. A member of store security followed her after she placed the handbag and purse into her carrier bag and walked off toward the exit without offering payment. However, she lifted the handbag and purse out of the carrier bag and "dumped" them on a shelf when she realised that she was being followed. The respondent was detained by security staff and the police were called.

The fifth alleged offence relates to Gaffney obstructing a Constable in the execution of his duty on December 10, 2016.

By the time a decision was made to prosecute the respondent in January 2017, she had left the jurisdiction.
Bahrain-based Arab Banking Corporation (B.S.C. or Bank ABC) has acquired Egypt's unit by purchasing its entire 99.4 percent stake with a deal worth EGP 6.7 billion ($427 million), BLOM BANK 'SAL' announced in a statement on Sunday.

The acquisition agreement is waiting for the approvals of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and the Central Bank of Lebanon, among other regulatory approvals in Egypt and Bahrain, according to the statement.

BLOM BANK will sell its stake to the ABC Bank by tendering its shares into a mandatory tender offer, that is to be launched by bank ABC to all shareholders of Blom Bank Egypt after obtaining and complying with all the mandatory regulatory approvals, including the approval of CBE and the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) in Egypt.

The closing of the transaction is expected to take place in the first half of 2021.

Chairman and General Manager of Blom Bank, Saad Azhari said that the acquisition will allow BLOM BANK to comply with the latest regulations issued by the Central Bank of Lebanon which stipulate that all Lebanese banks must raise their equity by 20 percent.

Meanwhile, Group CEO of ABC, Khaled Kawan stated that the acquisition of BLOM BANK Egypt is a unique opportunity for Bank ABC to fulfil its longstanding strategic commitment to inorganically expand its core business and that it gives the bank a significantly enhanced platform for future growth in one of the most attractive markets in the region.

We have an active relationship with our regulators and will be working to secure their approvals to complete the deal as swiftly as possible. We will then look forward to working with our new BLOM Bank Egypt team to combine ABC Egypt and BLOM Egypt thereby creating a new powerhouse in the Egyptian banking sector," said Kawan.

BLOM BANK 'SAL' was advised by CI Capital, while Baker McKenzie acted as legal counsel.

Bank ABC (B.S.C.) was advised by HSBC, while Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Zulficar and Partners acted as legal counsel of the agreement.

In August, CBE approved the start of the due diligence inspection process of Egypts unit of BLOM BANK, as an action to initiate its sale.

On the wake of the Lebanon port blast, that occurred on 4 August, BLOM BANK announced that it is considering strategic options including selling its unit, as well as a resolution issued by Lebanons central bank last November that requires Lebanese banks to raise their capitals.

According to BLOM BANK data, BLOM Egypt has the largest assets owned by the bank outside Lebanon and its a key source of the banks growth within the region and globally.

In February, BLOM BANK announced that there were negotiations to sell Egypts unit. However, the bank later said that it would continue to work in the Egyptian market despite Lebanons financial crisis, adding that the negotiations were just offers that were under consideration.

BLOM Egypts capital records EGP 2 billion over 42 branches in the country. The bank has branches in 12 countries around the world, also according to BLOM data.

According to the World Bank, for almost a year now Lebanon has been facing multiple crises; chiefly an economic and financial crisis; followed by COVID-19 and lastly the explosion at the port.

In October 2019, Lebanons economy stepped into a financial crisis brought about by a sudden stop in capital inflows, which precipitated systemic failures across the banking sector and debt sector.

Lebanon is expected to witness a -25 percent decline in its real GDP growth in 2021, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

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Naga Chaitanya recently posted a picture from NC 20 sets in which he dons a serious look and a thick stubble. He is seen sitting on a wooden desk as he seems lost in thought. The actor shared the picture on social media writing, "On sets .. candid .. picture shot by @pcsreeram.isc .. what a privilege to be working with him. Blessed (sic)." Naga is snapped by cinematographer PC Sreeram.

Read: Mona Singh Recalls Being Proposed for Marriage in the Middle of the Road, Says 'It was Super Bad'

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chay Akkineni (@chayakkineni)

Samantha Akkineni responded to the monochrome pic, writing, "Are you thinking of me?"

On the work front, Naga will next be seen in Love Story opposite Sai Pallavi. The movie's teaser was launched recently.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chay Akkineni (@chayakkineni)

Samantha meanwhile, is in Mumbai nowadays where she will soon kickstart the promotions of The Family Man 2, her debut web series and maiden project in Bollywood. The teaser of The Family Man 2 was launched only recently and the full length trailer will be out on January 19. The Raj and DK created spy thriller will debut its second season on Amazon Prime Video on February 12.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Samantha Akkineni (@samantharuthprabhuoffl)

Here's the teaser of The Family Man 2.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Samantha Akkineni (@samantharuthprabhuoffl)

Samantha has joined the action thriller in season two, as an antagonist. Srikant (Manoj Bajpayee), while struggling to balance his personal and professional lives, will be pitted against a new nemesis, Raji, played by Samantha.
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The latest vaccine results suggest the Morrison government was right to wait for the United States and Europe rather than rushing a new treatment for COVID-19 in Australia.

The deaths of 29 older people in Norway are a reminder of the case for caution when Health Minister Greg Hunt was asked only days ago why he was not approving new vaccines faster.

Australians deserve as much information as possible about coronavirus vaccines. Credit:AP

But the events are also a sign of the challenge for the government in managing expectations when it can be tempting to talk up a promising new treatment or slap down scientists who question policy.

Australians deserve as much information as fast as possible at a time when there are still no answers to some of the big questions over the vaccine rollout.
An AIIMS worker, who was administered a shot of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin on Saturday, was admitted to a hospital after he developed an allergic reaction. In Delhi, 52 cases of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) have been reported so far after Covid 19 vaccines were administered to healthcare workers on the first day of the vaccination drive. Only one case has been reported as severe.

An AIIMS official said, "An All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi security guard has developed an allergic reaction after receiving COVID-19 vaccination here on Saturday. He is kept under observation of doctors at the hospital."

On the first day of the massive vaccination drive, 95 healthcare beneficiaries received the COVID-19 vaccine at AIIMS.

Meanwhile, at least 4,319 healthcare workers received COVID-19 shot against the target of 8,117. The vaccination was held at 81 sites in the national capital.

As many as 14 cases of adverse reaction to the Covid vaccines have been reported in West Bengal on the first day of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive on Saturday. Meanwhile, 11 mild adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) cases were reported in Telangana. Also, three cases of allergic reaction for Covid vaccines have been reported from Odisha.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched India's vaccination drive against the novel coronavirus via video conferencing.

Billed as the world's largest vaccination program, covering the entire length and breadth of the country, the drive aims to first inoculate millions of its healthcare and frontline workers and reach an estimated 3 crore people by the end of its first phase.

At least 1,91,181 healthcare beneficiaries received COVID-19 jab yesterday across India.

On Saturday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan interacted with his state counterparts and thanked them saying, "Today is a very important day for us."

The union health minister said, "The vaccination drive, for which preparations were being done from the last five months under the unwavering and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally started. We have got encouraging and satisfactory feedback results on the first day."

(With inputs from agencies)

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Describing the Bill  that can decide which minor port should remain operational and which has to be shut down  as blot on the federal spirit, the state government has dashed off a letter to the Centre asking the latter to convene a meeting with all the maritime states before proceeding further on the proposed legislation. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh has strongly opposed the Centres move to snatch control of even minor ports from the states through the proposed Indian Ports Bill, 2020.

Describing the Bill  that can decide which minor port should remain operational and which has to be shut down  as blot on the federal spirit, the state government has dashed off a letter to the Centre asking the latter to convene a meeting with all the maritime states before proceeding further on the proposed legislation.

AP's objections come close on the heels of the Gujarat Martime Board (GMB), the oldest autonomous authority that revolutionised the maritime sector in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's native state, also opposing several provisions of the Bill. While GMB soft-peddled on the Bill apparently due to political compulsions, the AP Maritime Board explained in detail how the Bill is ultra vires the Constitution.

The Centre under the guise of the new Bill cannot step into the shoes of states and take away all their powers, said N.P. Ramakrishna Reddy, APMB chief executive officer, in his latest letter to the Union ministry of shipping. Earlier, too, the state authorities had expressed concern over the provisions of the Bill and insisted that minor ports should remain with the states.

Ramakrishna Reddy explained that sub clause 5 specifies that all ports operating prior to the appointed date shall not function after two years, unless permitted by the Centre. "This cannot be accepted as it is against the long-term concession agreements signed with private developers, he pointed out. While the state developed or proposed to develop a few minor ports on its own, it alloted a few others to private players to develop under the public private partnership mode.

The Centre proposed a single entity, the Maritime Port Regulatory Authority, which will have control over the 130-odd minor ports nationwide. Though the states will have their boards, the Centre will appoint the constituents and will play big brother to every decision of the state boards.

Ramakrishna Reddy drew the Centres attention to previous enactments on subjects included in the concurrent list and empowering the states to regulate them as in the case of labour, industrial and energy laws. Another feature of the Bill that may threaten to lead to biased development of the maritime sector is the Centres power to decide and publish a plan for development of ports.

Waterfront and land in the sea up to the baseline belong to the state and we should decide development of our 974-km long coastline, not the Centre, the APMB chief said. The Bill is likely to hamper the states growth if the Centre ignores development of minor ports in a particular state due to reasons other than technical and commercial, which, in other words, mean political. The dispute resolution and adjudication process suggested in the Bill is also faulty and will not withstand the legal scrutiny, he pointed out in the letter.
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A man described in court as a pharmacist has denied being concerned in the production of class A drug methamphetamine.

Peter Ozvolda was arrested on Friday after being sought by police since alleged drug factory equipment was discovered during a search last May.

As he appeared before Belfast Magistrates Court today a police officer said his name had been given by a co-accused arrested at the time of the find.

Objecting to the 34-year-old Slovakian being released on bail, the officer explained that a fingerprint found on a funnel matched that of the accused.

He said the funnel, which was found with other items in a van at premises on the Ballygowan Road on the outskirts of east Belfast, tested positive for traces of the drug.

The officer explained that the process to make the drug involves the use of substances which when combined are highly explosive and pose a danger to the public.

Chemicals found on the equipment included iodine and phosphorus but Ozvolda said his fingerprint ended up on the funnel after using it to pour petrol.

A recipe for making methamphetamine in Slovak was also found in the van, according to the officer.

He said that Ozvolda had been arrested at an address in north Belfast at which police were conducting other enquiries before discovering that he was a wanted person.

The officer added that during interview he said he was a pharmacist but was not involved in making drugs.

Ozvolda is also alleged to have told officers that they would never find him again as he has no identification and no address.

Asking for Ozvolda to be released, his solicitor told the court that the co-accused in the case has been charged with possession of class A drugs but blamed his client.

But although Ozvolda admitted knowing the man he denies all his accusations.

Freeing Ozvolda on his own bail of 400 and a 400 cash surety, District Judge Mark Hamill described the evidence against him as tenuous at best though acknowledged the context in which it was found.

He ordered him to stay at his address on Newington Avenue in north Belfast during a curfew hours of 9pm to 7am and ordered him to be fitted with a tag.

The case was adjourned until February 12.

 Flash

The spokesperson of the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday condemned the latest so-called "sanctions" announced by the United States on six officials of the central and the HKSAR governments, expressing strong indignation and firm opposition.

The spokesperson for the office said that it is an international norm to enact and implement laws to punish crimes endangering national security. The Chinese government enacted the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR in strict accordance with the Constitution, the Legislation Law, and the HKSAR Basic Law, providing a solid guarantee for the enduring success of "one country, two systems."

The legitimate rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents are fully protected under the national security law in Hong Kong. Some in the United States, however, keep meddling with and vilifying China's just efforts to prohibit acts endangering national security on its own territory through legislation, although the United States itself has a rigorous legal system to uphold national security at home, which is yet another stark example of U.S. double standards.

The spokesperson emphasized that China is a country under the rule of law and Hong Kong is a law-based society, where nobody has the right and freedom above the law to jeopardize national security. The people who plotted and organized the so-called "primary election" in a flagrant attempt to undermine a fair and just election for the HKSAR's Legislative Council and paralyze the HKSAR government are suspected of violating the national security law in Hong Kong. It is an indisputable fact that officials of the central and HKSAR governments have been fulfilling their legal duties so as to staunchly uphold the rule of law and protect the overall interests and fundamental wellbeing of Hong Kong residents.

The spokesperson said that while Hong Kong residents are heartened to see Hong Kong regaining stability and "one country, two systems" returning to the right track since the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong, some American politicians have nevertheless resorted to the old playbook of demonizing the law, smearing the HKSAR authorities' law enforcement actions, and slapping sanctions on Chinese officials. These American politicians have arbitrarily trampled upon Hong Kong's rule of law and high degree of autonomy, challenged the efforts by the Chinese government and people to defend legitimate national interests, and breached international law and basic norms governing international relations, only to lay bare their ulterior motive to sow more trouble in Hong Kong and its motherland at large.

The spokesperson reiterated that Hong Kong is part of China and its affairs are China's internal affairs. Any interference or sanction will only further unite the Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots, and be firmly hit back. No such external attempt will ever weaken China's commitment to safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, still less hold back the restoration of stability in Hong Kong or the trend of China's development.

The antitrust cases against Facebook and Google might have some additional fuel. The New York Times says it has obtained documents from Texas antitrust lawsuit elaborating on a sweetheart deal (first mentioned by the Wall Street Journal) Google gave to Facebook in 2018, allegedly reducing ad competition. Nicknamed Jedi Blue, it reportedly gave Facebook favors in ad header bidding, where sites could solicit ad space bids from multiple exchanges at once, in return for backing Googles Open Bidding approach to selling those ads.

The terms gave Facebook inherent advantages, according to the Times. Facebook had more time to bid for ads, direct billing deals with the sites hosting the ads, and help from Google to understand ad audiences. As part of the agreement, Facebook said it would bid on at least 90 percent of ad auctions when it could identify users, and promised minimum spending levels up to $500 million per year. It also asked Google to avoid using bid info to skew ad auctions in its favor.

Other Google ad partners didnt get nearly as sweet a bargain, according to partners talking to the newspaper. Texas complaint effectively accused Google of guaranteeing a set number of ad wins for Facebook and putting rivals at a disadvantage.

Facebook and Google have already rejected notions Jedi Blue was anti-competitive. A Facebook spokesperson claimed that deals like that with Google help increase competition in ad bids, and that arguments to the contrary were baseless. A Google spokesperson, meanwhile, said that Texas lawsuit misrepresents the deal and other aspects of its ad business. The search firm has published a blog post outlining its objections.

That wont necessarily sway regulators, though, and there are even suggestions the two tech giants were conscious of the potential for scrutiny. A clause in the deal required that the two cooperate and assist if there was an investigation into their practices, and the agreement mentioned antitrust at least 20 times. Dont be surprised if Texas, other states and the DOJ use Jedi Blue to justify regulatory action against Facebook and Google, no matter how much the companies believe theyre in the right.


Smallwood noted that none of the incidents alleged from 2019 were violent, and he has no criminal background, as Friday was his first arrest. Additionally, none of the complaints were signed by any of the alleged victims, Smallwood said.
In November, when it became clear that Joe Biden would be the next US President, Londons Financial Times analysed what that would mean for a number of world leaders who had cosied up to Donald Trump. A news analysis headline said, Modi forced to tread different path in post-Trump era, arguing that Bidens victory, China stand-off and missed Asia trade deal (RCEP) make New Delhi vulnerable. FTs chief foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman was blunt: For Russias Putin, Indias Modi and the UKs Johnson, relations with the US will become more challenging.

That is a worry in Delhi that some in government circles admit privately, not merely because of Modis Ab ki baar Trump sarkar endorsement, but even more because of a whole host of actions the Modi government has taken, especially since the 2019 Lok Sabha victory, that are seen to have eroded Indias pluralism and democratic principles.

Of course, there are others who think that India-US relations are not going to be impacted because Biden will be pragmatic in dealing with Modi to take on China. They point to Americas Indo-Pacific strategy, suddenly declassified last week, which stated that strengthening relations with India and building it up as a counterweight to China was key. But thats nothing new. The desire to build up India as a democratic counterweight to Communist China has been US policy since Eisenhower; building India up as a regional strategic counterweight to China has been US thinking since the secret draft 1992 Defense Policy Guidance. It has been US strategy since the George Bush administration declared in March 2005 that the US was ready to help Indias rise to major power status, including militarily.

Joe Biden may well choose to be pragmatic in dealing with Modi. But heres what the late Naresh Chandra, Indias Ambassador to the US during Vajpayees premiership, once told me. In 2003, when there were concerns in the US about the Vajpayee governments commitment to religious freedoms and the safety of minorities (following the Gujarat riots under Modis watch), Amb. Chandra, who was present at the Jaswant Singh-Strobe Talbott dialogue, said that while India-US relations were on a slow, strategic time-clock, these questions about religious rights, human rights, etc, will never be given up in diplomacy.

They bring them up whenever there are difficulties in the relationship in other areas. Giving the other side a reason to bring up such questions would either stop the relationship from growing or we would be forced to concede on some other issue of national interest.

Faced not only with authoritarian Chinas rise but also with the debasement of democracy at home, Joe Biden has promised to organise a global Summit for Democracy in the first year of his presidency to ...bring together the worlds democracies to strengthen our democratic institutions, honestly confront the challenge of nations that are backsliding and forge a common agenda to address threats to our common values (India slid back 10 positions on the EIU Democracy Index and in Freedom House rankings for 2019).

Biden sees democracy as fundamental to achieving the ambitious agenda he has set out for his presidency. In April, he wrote in Foreign Affairs, the global challenges facing the United Stateshave grown more complex and more urgent, while the rapid advance of authoritarianism, nationalism, and illiberalism has undermined our ability to collectively meet themthe international system that the US so carefully constructed is coming apart at the seams. Trump and demagogues around the world are leaning into these forces for their own personal and political gainWorking together, democracies can and must confront the rise of populists, nationalists, and demagogues; the growing strength of autocratic powers and their efforts to divide and manipulate democracies.

When Biden promises to eliminate dark money in political funding, bring along rights activists, labour unions and environmentalists to the democracy summit as well to trade negotiations with the US, and to fight for the rule of law and against authoritarianism, none of these conversations are going to be easy for the Modi government.

How India is seen today

Freedom House, the US democracy advocacy group whose report Joe Biden quoted, put India in the countries in the spotlight list in 2019, along with China and Russia. Almost since the turn of the century, the US and its allies have courted India as a potential strategic partner and democratic counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific region, it noted. However, the Indian governments alarming departures from democratic norms under Prime Minister Narendra Modis BJP could blur the values-based distinction between Beijing and New Delhithe BJP has distanced itself from the countrys founding commitment to pluralism and individual rights, without which democracy cannot long survive. As damning an indictment as one can get.

And that was focused on just one issue  the treatment of minorities. What would Freedom House have said had it looked at demonetisation, the dark money political funding scheme called electoral bonds, the frequent promulgation of ordinances, many of them violative of the Constitution such as the love jihad ordinances or the labour ordinances that simply negated worker rights and protections, etc?

In the face of such severe indictment, should Modi expect business-as-usual with Bidens America? Should it point to the China threat and say, look America needs us, so dont needle us on democracy? Or should it resort to bravado and say, We dont need good relations with America, we have Modi?

Listen to K Subrahmanyam

In 2012, the Indian Express published a previously unpublished essay on Indias grand strategy by the late K Subrahmanyam, the doyen of Indian strategic thinkers and father of foreign minister S Jaishankar. He wrote: India is unusual in having had a grand strategy at Independence to meet the external and internal challenges to its growth in order to become a major international actor. He identified the Constitution itself as Indias grand strategy. No other country is comparable to India in terms of its diversity of religions, languages and ethnicities. Consequently, unity is only possible under a secular, pluralistic, democratic and quasi-federal constitution.

Recognising that the geopolitical situation had changed post-Cold War and with the rise of China and that non-alignment was not the desirable strategy for such a world, he wrote: Thus the real question about the future world order is whether it is to be democratic and pluralistic, or dominated by one-party oligarchies that prioritise social harmony over individual rightsIt (India) will therefore have three options: partnering with the US and other pluralistic, secular and democratic countries; joining hands with China at the risk of betraying the values of its Constitution and freedom struggle; and remaining both politically and ideologically non-aligned, even if against its own ideals.

As Biden takes office and goes about planning for the Summit for Democracy, Narendra Modi will do well to ponder over those choices. If he can indeed change course from the centralising, authoritarian path it is on, Biden may be a great opportunity, one that Modi can use to propel India to leadership in a new world order.

In Subrahmanyams time, American non-proliferation champions used to harangue India for going nuclear. Subrahmanyam used to call them non-proliferation Ayatollahs, but he would not shirk from attending those meetings and defending Indias position. Today, if foreign minister Jaishankar will not even attend a meeting with US Congress representatives because Pramila Jayapal, a critic of the Modi government, would be present there, would he or Modi even want to be invited to the Summit for Democracy?
Vivek Oberoi is a complete family person and his various Instagram posts prove this. Vivek Oberoi's Instagram is filled with pictures of him and his family, that send out complete family goals. From vacationing together to sharing pictures with them with the cutest captions, Vivek Oberoi has often proved that he loves his family more than anything in the world. Check out some of Vivek Oberoi's photos with his family that set family goals for everyone else.

Vivek Oberoi's Instagram posts with his family

This is one of the most adorable pictures of all of Vivek Oberoi's. He shared these pictures of his family from the time they went to the Maldives for a vacation. The family looked adorable in their quirky bright 'vacation' outfits as they posed for pictures by the ocean and while on a boat ride.

Vivek Oberoi shared this picture from the time they celebrated Diwali together. The family rocked in their traditional outfits as they posed for pictures. The family lighted the diyas together and also made a beautiful rangoli in their backyard. Along with the picture, he shared in the caption that his family was his biggest blessing and his strongest pillar of support.

Also Read: Vivek Oberoi Shares Throwback Family Picture, Calls Them His 'unshakeable Strength'

Vivek Oberoi is often seen taking quick vacations with his family, to relax and enjoy some time with his family amid his busy schedule. While in quarantine, the actor shared these family pictures from the time they visited Paris. He posed for a picture with his family, in front of the Eiffel tower and some of the most gorgeous lanes of the city with a pretty backdrop.

Also Read: Vivek Oberoi Shares Heartfelt Birthday Wish For 'best Dad' Suresh Oberoi

Apart from vacationing together, Vivek and his family also make sure to be together during festivals. He shared this video on the occasion of Janmashtami when he and his wife Priyanka Oberoi, enlightened their children Vivaan and Ameyaa about the Indian traditions, customs and festivals.

Also Read: Vivek Oberoi Calls Stardom A Blessing, Says 'must Have A Greater Purpose In Life'

Vivek Oberoi shared this cute throwback picture of his family from the time his youngest daughter Ameyaa was born. He shared that this picture reminded him of the time his daughter perfectly fit in his arms and his elder son Vivaan was all excited to become an elder brother.

Also Read: Vivek Oberoi's Brother-in-law Aditya Alva Arrested After 4 Months In Sandalwood Drugs Case

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
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Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will meet officials of Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Pharmaceuticals on Monday to discuss the export of Covid-19 vaccination , the government said on Sunday.

The meeting comes amid the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination rollout, which is being called the world's biggest inoculation drive against the pandemic.

India was able to vaccinate 2,07,229 frontline workers on Saturday -- the first day of the drive -- which is the highest day one inoculation numbers in the world.

"The figures are higher than the US, UK and France," said the health ministry.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had virtually interacted with the health ministers of all states and Union Territories, congratulating officials for the successful rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Vardhan said the two coronavirus vaccines -- Covaxin developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and Covishield by the Serum Institute -- were a 'sanjivani', life infusing, in the fight against the killer virus.

The Indian drug regulator, DCGI, had approved SII's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for emergency use on 3 January.

India's vaccine export plans

According to reports, India plans to offer 20 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to its neighbours. It is drawing up a policy to supply vials to countries across the globe.

An Indian state-run company will reportedly buy vaccines from the Serum Institute of India Ltd. and Bharat Biotech International Ltd. for supplying to Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Seychelles and Mauritius. Some of supplies may be free and treated as aid, a Bloomberg report said.

The first batch of the vials will be shipped over the next two weeks, the report said. The government will then offer the vaccines to countries in Latin America, Africa and the former Soviet republics.

The central government had earlier said that the domestic demands of the vaccines will take priority over exports.

India i one of the world's biggest producers of vaccines and generic drugs.

Nepal's approval of Covishield

Nepal had on Friday approved the use of AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine manufactured in India against the novel coronavirus.

"Conditional permission has been granted for emergency use authorization of Covishield vaccine against Covid-19 in Nepal," a statement by the country's Department of Drug Administration said.

The announcement came on the day of the sixth meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Commission when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a talk with Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali in Delhi.

"During the meet, Nepal congratulated India on the remarkable success in the production of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines in India and requested for early provision of vaccines to Nepal," said the Ministry of External Affairs.





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JERUSALEM  The Jan. 6 storming of the United States Capitol Building by activists and rioters is being used as a justification by Big Tech companies to declare themselves the sole arbiters of truth and to constrain the ability of other voices  particularly conservative voices  to make their case.

This is wrong and is a dangerous overreach by the leading Big-Tech companies.

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have claimed for years to be neutral and open platforms  not publishers, not editors, not arbiters of the truth.

Until now.

Although President Donald Trump released a video condemning the attack in the halls of Congress, it wasnt enough for Silicon Valley. The Big Tech leaders have issued their own overreaching verdict. They banned the president of the United States from publishing his views and statements on Facebook and Twitter.

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, stated on Jan. 7 that Trump was banned indefinitely from Facebook to prevent the use of our platform to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government.

Twitter followed several days later on Jan. 9 and announced a permanent suspension of Trumps @realDonaldTrump twitter account, citing risk of further incitement of violence.

Lets be clear, the breaking into of the Capitol Building by an angry and violent mob was a very serious crime, and all those who were directly involved in breaching the Capitol should be arrested and prosecuted. But let's also keep in mind that the attack involved a relatively small number of Americans. Thus, the punishment should fit the crime.

Instead, Big Tech is exhibiting excessive force. It is overreaching in its response to Trump. The mainstream media often uses the phrase excessive force when describing the Israeli armys response to missile fire from Gaza on Israeli cities. I havent heard yet excessive force in the mainstream medias reporting on this weeks events.

This overreach by Big Tech is a dangerous and hypocritical precedent, not just for the U.S., but for all countries, including Israel.

Ill get to the hypocrisy in a moment. First, the danger.

Many Israeli politicians including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Yair Lapid communicate in Hebrew to the Israeli public through Facebook posts. Will Facebook executives suddenly decide one day soon to ban Israeli politicians from speaking to their people on their platform if they dont like what Israeli leaders have to say?

What if there is an illegal and deadly riot in Israel in response to a speech by an Israeli politician? Will Facebook impose a ban on that leader?

The free speech implications for the U.S.  a nation of 320 million people  are chilling enough. How much more for a small country of less than 10 million? Should faceless executives in Silicon Valley be able to silence the voices of free citizens and democratically-elected leaders around the world?

Now, heres the hypocrisy.

Neither Facebook nor Twitter have permanently banned Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from their platforms, even though Khamenei actively and repeatedly calls for the destruction of Israel and incites violence against the U.S., Israel and other nations in the Middle East. Why not? Is it not a massive overreach to ban a democratically-elected leader from social media, yet allow the leader of the worlds most dangerous terrorist state to keep voicing his hateful messages on these platforms?

Here's the problem. The Big-Tech leaders in Silicon Valley believe it is their job to deem what is good speech and what is bad speech and how seriously to deal with (or ignore) offenders. They also believe it is their job to determine which information you should have and not have access to.

But how do they decide? What moral compass do they use to determine? In this modern age of diversity and free thinking, do we really believe it is right that the powers that be who run Big-Tech, the mainstream media, and all social media platforms to force their worldview on you and me? Are we really comfortable letting Big-Tech silence every fact and every view they dont like?

That said, silencing Trump apparently wasnt enough for Big Tech.



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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 17:14:11|Editor: huaxia

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By Xinhua writers Wang Bin, Zheng Mingda and Wen Xin

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Pioneering China's development as the leader of China's ruling party, Xi Jinping has been steering the Communist Party of China (CPC) to enhance friendship, promote exchanges with foreign political parties, and work with political parties worldwide for the global good.

Under the dual capacities of Chinese president and general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Xi has undertaken three overseas visits and received visiting leaders and representatives of foreign political parties on around 40 occasions in the past eight years.

The CPC is the largest political party in the world and will embrace its centenary later this year. It has been an earnest champion of a new mode of party-to-party relationships, advancing the sound and stable development of international relations.

EXPANDING CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

So far, the CPC has maintained regular contact with more than 600 political parties and political organizations from over 160 countries and regions around the world.

Political parties play an important role "in the progress of human civilization," Xi said at the opening of the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting held in Beijing in December 2017. It was the first-ever gathering of political parties worldwide, and Xi stressed there that the CPC is ready to "make more friends across the world."

To facilitate state-to-state relations by way of enhancing intra-party friendships, Xi has in recent years engaged in various forms of interaction with leaders of foreign political parties.

In 2017, Xi invited General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong for tea at the Great Hall of the People, where they discussed the similarities of the Chinese and Vietnamese cultures and exchanged ideas to enhance the traditional friendship between the two peoples.

In September 2019, when China was celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xi conferred the Friendship Medal on Raul Castro Ruz, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, lauding his contribution to China's development.

The mechanisms for dialogue between the CPC and other political parties have been constantly improving. Occasions such as the China-Arab States Political Parties Dialogue Extraordinary Meeting and the UK-China Leadership Forum have added mutual trust, resilience and vitality to the CPC's relationships with foreign political parties.

"The landscape of the CPC's international work is developing toward one that is more comprehensive and wide-ranging, running via multiple channels at a deeper level, with an expanding circle of friends," Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, said in an interview.

ENHANCING MUTUAL EXCHANGES

The Chinese economy is forecasted to register 1.9 percent growth in 2020, faster than most of the largest economies, as efforts to contain COVID-19 and support recovery have paid off, according to the International Monetary Fund.

As China has blazed a development path that suits the country's actual conditions under the leadership of the CPC, more political parties are keen to learn from China's success to contribute to the progress of their own respective countries.

Noting China's development will create more opportunities for the world, Xi said that China "will draw on our own practices to explore the laws governing the evolution of human society and share with other countries what we have learned" at the high-level meeting in 2017.

The CPC has engaged in exchanges of various forms with foreign political parties over governance and reforms. In one such exchange, Bounnhang Vorachith, former general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee, visited villages in China's Hunan and Fujian provinces to learn about targeted poverty alleviation, considering similar practices back in Laos.

Drawing from the CPC's experience, Raphael Tuju, secretary general of Kenya's ruling Jubilee Party, said the party is exploring the possibility of establishing a party school to inculcate a culture of discipline among party members. Six parties in southern Africa co-founded the Julius Nyerere Leadership School in 2018 to strengthen self-construction and improve their governing capacity.

The CPC has become a model for wise governance and also for the positive management of ideological, political and organizational issues, said Ilyas El Omari, former general secretary of the Authenticity and Modernity Party of Morocco.

A COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE FOR MANKIND

The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to wreak havoc across the world, with a total of more than 92 million cases and a death toll topping two million as of Saturday, and cases continue to surge.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has once again proved that mankind is a community with a shared future that shares weal and woe," said Xi in a letter to World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

While leading the Chinese nation in successfully containing the coronavirus, the CPC has shared China's COVID-19 response plans as well as diagnosis and treatment solutions with over 400 political parties, and has provided medical supplies and technical support for political parties and organizations in need, bearing the welfare of all peoples in mind.

The pandemic, interwoven with profound changes unseen in a century and other emerging global challenges, calls for greater responsibilities shouldered by political parties worldwide.

Notably, the CPC's concept of building "a community with a shared future for mankind" has resonated with an increasing number of political parties, as more countries in the Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America have reached a consensus with China on building a community with a shared future to realize mutual benefit and wider cooperation.

The CPC will strive for "a new mode of party-to-party relationships, seeking mutual respect, mutual learning and common ground while shelving differences. The party will continue to promote mutual understanding and mutual trust among countries, political parties and peoples, to strive for a community with a shared future for mankind," said Song. Enditem

Irans Revolutionary Guards on Saturday fired long-range ballistic missiles into the Indian Ocean on the second day of a military exercise, Reuters reported citing state media.

The drill, which comes in the waning days of high tensions with U.S. President Donald Trumps administration, was conducted in the countrys central desert region.

It followed Fridays testing of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and locally manufactured new drones in the same area.

One of our most important defence policy goals is to use long-range ballistic missiles against enemy warships, including aircraft carriers and warships, state media quoted Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami as saying.

With these missiles, which have a range of 1,800 kilometres, he said, we can now strike moving targets in the ocean, instead of the usual low-speed cruise missiles.

Saturdays drill targets were in the Gulf of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean.

Chief of Staff General Mohammad Baqeri said while Iran had no offensive intentions, it would now be able to respond to any hostile and malicious act in the shortest time.
MOSCOW  Gen. Nikolai T. Antoshkin, the commander of a perilous helicopter firefighting operation in which he and other pilots braved radiation exposure to contain the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, died on Sunday. He was 78.

He died after a difficult illness, according to a statement by Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russias Parliament, where General Antoshkin had been a deputy for the ruling party, United Russia, since 2014. Sergei Neverov, the head of the partys faction in Parliament, said the general had been hospitalized with Covid-19.

General Antoshkin was a leader of the so-called liquidators, the hastily assembled teams of military and civilian workers sent to the Chernobyl disaster site. Braving enormous risks, they became heroes and are now widely revered in Russia for preventing the crisis from becoming worse.

The No. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, north of Kyiv in Ukraine, exploded on April 26, 1986, spewing radiation into the atmosphere and threatening to emit much more as a fire raged in the open reactor core, spreading radioactive smoke.
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SPRINGFIELD  Three weeks after the state enacted a major police reform bill, city police say they are left in an awkward position of waiting to find out exactly what reform will look like.

Springfield Commissioner Cheryl C. Clapprood and the heads of the departments two unions each said this week that they welcome police reform in general. But they questioned how the law is being rolled out, and worried about a number of uncertainties not stipulated within the bills 129 pages.

Im just going to stay the course until someone says this is the way you have to go, Clapprood said. And then whatever that way that is, its probably going to affect us one way or another.

Speaking to reporters and editors for The Republican / MassLive this week, Clapprood and Capt. Brian Keenan, of the police supervisors union, and Joseph Gentile, of the patrol officers union, each said efforts on police reform started out with promise  but eventually succumbed to politics and the political process.

I was disappointed that after a good start, the decision appeared to have been made that getting it done fast was more important than hearing from people, and letting people understand it and digest it, Gentile said.

Keenan said the final push by the House and Senate to pass the reform package and send it to the governor was rushed. Meanwhile, it took several years for Massachusetts to study and pass legislation on legal marijuana, casino gambling and education reform.

I was told this by a legislator who pointed out that rushed legislation very seldom stands the test of time, Keenan said. I hope thats not the case with this, but that is what happened.

The bill, officially known as an act relative to justice, equity and accountability in law enforcement in the Commonwealth, was signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker on New Years Eve. The House and Senate each passed their versions of the bill in June, and then agreed on a compromise version in mid-December that was sent to Baker.

Beacon Hill took up the issue of police reform in earnest last summer against a backdrop of protests nationwide following the May death of George Floyd, a black man killed when a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck during an arrest. Floyds death  documented in an 8-minute video shot by a bystander  touched off numerous Black Lives Matter protests across the county.

The Massachusetts legislation bans racial profiling and restricts police use of facial recognition software, and bans chokeholds and most no-knock warrants.

But the most controversial part of the law is the creation of a Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission that will set criteria for police conduct, training and the use of force. The commission will also certify police officers across the state  and have the power to decertify those accused of misconduct, bad behavior or breaking the law.

Certification is for three years and has to be renewed.

The bill also includes a controversial proposal for a special legislative committee to study qualified immunity for police. The committee will include legislators and appointees from the governor, as well as a police union member and representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union, Massachusetts Bar Association, Massachusetts Municipal Association and the NAACP.

Qualified immunity is a legal standard that bars plaintiffs from personally suing a public official  such as mayor, a school principal, or a police officer  for performing functions related to the performance of their job.

A portion of the bill proposes that any law enforcement officer who loses their certification for conduct ... that violates a persons right to bias-free policing will also lose their qualified immunity. This means officers accused of egregious conduct could find themselves, and not their employer, personally responsible for any damages resulting from a lawsuit.

Keenan said that part of the bill was unnecessary, and unnecessarily punitive.

It was a revenge piece of legislation that did not have to be in there, he said.

Qualified immunity has never been extended to reckless officers who knowingly and willfully break the law, he said. The concern now is that it will be taken away in cases where someone makes a bad judgment call.

Clapprood said her department has enacted a number of changes in the last few months regarding use of force. The department has also rolled out a body camera program.

The department is making policy changes after a Department of Justice investigation and report, released in July, documented numerous instances between 2013 and 2018 that it said showed officers in the narcotics bureau routinely violating the civil rights of drug suspects, and supervisors routinely looking the other way. The report made several non-binding recommendations on how the department should operate, and the city has been working to implement them.

The department is also reviewing its policies and practices in order for the department to gain certification from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.

Clapprood said an immediate concern is how the commission created by the police reform bill will define as acceptable standards for officers. If those standards differ from the Department of Justice recommendations, or the standards required by the Massachusetts Police Training Council, or even existing labor contracts, the department could find itself in a bind.

Because of whats happening to us here now with the DOJ recommendations, and the reform bill recommendations, and  contracts that I have that are in existence now, I find myself in a strange place where I dont know which one takes precedence, Clapprood said.

The reform bill is out there, but its not finalized and I really dont know what the use of force is going to be, she said. All I can do is all I can do and Im moving forward with common sense reform that I knew had to be made.

A major shortfall with the bill, she said, is that while it addresses training and education for police, it provides no funding for training or recruitment. Clapprood called that a missed opportunity.

Everything takes money, she said. If you want to change things, it takes training, it takes manpower, and it takes money  and the reform bill didnt touch on that.

Mark Leahy, executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, said that since Baker signed the bill his office has fielded calls every day from police chiefs wanting more information about its implications.

Leahy said he would like to be able to tell them  but he doesnt know himself.

Theres a great deal of confusion, he said, adding that hed just had a call from a chief 30 seconds ago. The chief wanted to know how the changes will affect his department, and Leahy said he told him that he had no idea.

Part of the confusion has to do with the bills lack of funding, he said. And, its unclear what the standardized practices will look like  or when, where or how the standards commission will operate, or what it will ultimately recommend.

We have no idea if they are going to go with established best-practices for police, or if they are going to get creative, he said. We have to wait and see and be prepared to respond. It is a very trying time. There is a lot of anxiety for our members.

Departments in Massachusetts and nationwide adopt best practices for different elements of the job in terms of investigations, arrests, crowd control, evidence handling and patrols. Officers are trained in them.

It would be one thing if the commission decides to continue with established standards. It would be another if it radically alters them.

We have to wait and see and be prepared to respond, Leahy said.

Like Keenan, Leahy said he feels the legislation was rushed through in the wake of the public outrage over George Floyds death. Police reform became a front-burner issue, and legislators figured they had to do a sprint to get it done before the end of the session. A proposal for a standards commission was discussed on Beacon Hill in 2013 but went nowhere legislatively, he said.

According to the legislation, the commission will include nine members serving five-year terms: three appointed by the governor, three by the attorney general, and three jointly by the governor and attorney general.

Of the nine members, three will be police officers: a police chief, a patrol officer below the rank of sergeant, and one minority officer nominated by the Massachusetts Association of Minority Police Officers.

Other members will include a retired superior court judge, a social worker nominated by the National Association of Social Workers, a lawyer specializing in civil rights and social justice nominated by the Massachusetts Bar Association, and someone nominated by the Mass. Council on Discrimination.

There is some concern among police that having just three law enforcement voices on the commission is not enough.

Were concerned with people who are unfamiliar with the job, with the things that were all trained on ... and when it comes to how we use force and whats expected with us, Gentile said.

Keenan said he favors the idea of professional licensure for police, just like it exists for doctors, nurses and lawyers. But in other professions, people who work in the field set standards and codes of conduct.

To have a group of board members making these decisions, and quite frankly to have some of them come from groups that are very anti-law enforcement or even very anti-gun making career decisions over police  is dangerous, he said.

State Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, shared that view of the commissions makeup.

He said he supported most of the reform bills measures, but voted against the bill because he believed there were too few police voices on a commission that would have the power to decertify officers.

In other states with similar commissions, past or present police officers make up at least half the seats, he said.

A ratio of six civilians to three police officers was too skewed, he said, explaining, I was a yes at 5-4 civilians to police. I wanted a little more parity.

He said he heard from several police officers sharing this sentiment.

I supported 90% of the bill, he said. Do we need police reform? Absolutely! One hundred percent. It has been a long time coming, but we need to have smart reform.

Former State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, D-Springfield, said he does not understand the trepidation over the bill.

Gonzalez, who was the chairman of the Black & Latino Caucus that pushed for the reform, said a committee will work on the nuts and bolts details over the next six months. The secretary of the Executive Office of Public Safety will be a part of that discussion.

Input from the police will be included, he said, adding, They will be a part of it.

There will be no surprises when its done, he said.

As for claims the legislation was rushed, Gonzalez said the topic of police abusing their authority, violating peoples rights, and not being subject to accountability has seen a lot of talk and little action for years.

Weve been talking about this for 20 years, he said.

Any institution facing a groundswell from the public demanding change has two options, he said: it can work to change or it can resist. The police have tended to resist, he said.

Their failure to address these changes led to someone else addressing it for them, he said.

Gonzalez said the vast majority of police honor their profession and serve with integrity.

The system has too long protected the few bad apples, he said.

This law will help the officers and the unions and the chiefs of police who have complained out loud about not wanting bad apples, by giving them a way and a process to remove them, he said.

Related content:
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 23:31:34|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

SINGAPORE -- Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 30 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 59,113.

Of the new cases, 28 are imported and two are in the community.

- - - -

MINSK -- Belarus reported 1,924 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, taking its total to 225,461, according to the country's health ministry.

There have been 2,532 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 209,208, the ministry added.

- - - -

SHIJIAZHUANG -- Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, reported 27 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and three asymptomatic cases from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sunday.

As of noon on Sunday, the city had reported a total of 706 locally transmitted confirmed cases in the latest outbreak since Jan. 2, Meng Xianghong, vice mayor of Shijiazhuang, told a press briefing.

- - - -

MUSCAT -- Oman will shut down its land borders for one week starting Monday to curb the spread of the coronavirus as total infections hit 131,790, the official Oman News Agency (ONA) reported on Sunday.

The measure will come into effect from 6 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) on Monday and the closure can be extended, ONA said, citing a decision by the Gulf state's coronavirus emergency committee.

- - - -

DHAKA -- Bangladesh reported 569 new COVID-19 cases and 23 new deaths on Sunday, making the tally at 527,632 and death toll at 7,906, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

The official data showed that 13,446 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh. Enditem
Drury High graduate Nick Burchard is planning to use sites around North Adams to produce his horror film 'The Uncredited.'

Drury Graduate to Direct Horror Film in North Adams

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  A Drury High School graduate is hoping to bring his dream  or, more appropriately, his nightmare  to film life.

The horror film "The Uncredited," written by Nick Burchard, will be filmed in North Adams this spring, pending fundraising and the COVID-19 pandemic. Burchard's Tiny Viking Productions is making the film in conjunction with Sancha Spiller and Kasey Rae of Skylah Productions of New York City.

"I grew up in the area, and I've always appreciated the historical places, in particular the Hoosac Tunnel, Mohawk Theater, and the old mills," Burchard said. "I think North Adams has a very unique setting, with the mountains surrounding the city and of course, all the steeples.

"The Uncredited" follows a young woman who appears in an independent film. While watching it, her friends notice something disturbing in the background of her scene. This leads to rumors and distrust in even the closest group of friends.

"My goal is to make great characters, and even though it's a spooky thriller the characters in it are just friends sitting down to watch a movie together," Burchard said. "They crack jokes, roast each other, and are all collectively trying to have a good time  but that juxtaposed with the realization that one of them might be hiding something is what creates the thriller edge to this. I think it's really fun."

Spiller added that the film does not rely on horror tropes such as jump scares. She said the screenplay is character-driven.

"It showcases our greatest fear of not knowing the people around us as well as we think," she said. "It makes us second guess who we trust and remember that just being in the wrong place at the wrong time can have horrifying consequences."

Burchard was heavily involved in the theater program and the performing arts at Drury. He said the high school helped him become a well-rounded artist. He said he learned everything from rigging up lights to comic book illustration.

After graduating in 2016, Burchard went to college in New York City, where he worked as a production assistant for a Skylah Productions set and met Spiller and Rae.

"We really respected each other as artists, became friends from there and gained a mutual admiration for each other's work," Spiller said.

Burchard later moved to Los Angeles where he established his own production company, Tiny Viking Productions.

"I focused a lot on building my portfolio of scripts and pitches," he said. "I reached out to my friends at Skylah Productions, and we felt like this would be the right project to collaborate on and we went from there."

Burchard said once the pandemic hit, he returned to the area and started writing. The plot of "The Uncredited" came to him in a dream and he's used the down time to write.

"I had the idea for a short film about these friends sitting down to watch an obscure movie one of them was in, and they see something strange in the background of a shot," he said. "I couldn't get this idea out of my head, so I wrote it how I write most of my projects. I focus on the characters in the story first. I try to make sure they are the most interesting parts of the script. If the characters hold strong POV's, their stories will flow naturally, so that's typically what I focus on when writing. I'm also an illustrator, so I storyboard the script after I write it."

The film in its entirety will be shot in North Adams and Burchard plans to utilize a local crew.

Burchard and Spiller are still raising funds to make the film a reality. The crowdfunding will wrap up in the few days and so far is about 73 percent to their $8,150 goal.

"The next two weeks are pivotal in getting the film off the ground. Now is truly the time where all donations to the film big and small make all the difference," Spiller said earlier this week.

People can donate on the film's Seed & Spark page. More information can also be found on the crowdfunding platform.

Spiller said the hope is to begin hiring cast and crew and begin shooting in April. She added this is all dependent on the state of the pandemic.

"From a filming standpoint, we're taking COVID incredibly seriously. Our goal is to film in the safest environment possible," she said. "We'll have PPE gear readily accessible and mandating masks and social distancing on set. Although of course if needed we will push back our shooting date. The safety of our cast and crew is our top priority."

Burchard said the plan to enter the film into the festival circuit and ultimately show the film on a streaming platform.
US continues to face very serious problems in trade and economic relations with China

Armenia 1st President: There is a risk of civil war

Scenes of apprehension of Azerbaijani who attacked Armenian in Moscow disseminated on the Internet

Germany, France, Netherlands urge tech giants to test start-up purchases

Armenia 1st President: There has never been such rough dialogue between Armenian and Azeri leaders as there is now

California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development opening office in Yerevan

US Department of State issues statement on detention of Armenian soldiers by Azerbaijani forces

Armenia 1st President says Aliyev is certain that Pashinyan won't win elections and is trying to get all that he can

UN calls for $ 95 million in aid to Palestinians

Twitter is concerned about safety of its employees in India

Artsakh hero: Impotent and perhaps also treacherous authorities of Armenia need to be removed from power immediately

France MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to show maximum restraint

Azerbaijani attacks Russia citizen of Armenian descent in Moscow

Armenia acting MOD provides President with information about capture of Armenian servicemen

Lithuania MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to go to de-escalation of situation and pull out troops

Russian Deputy FM, EU Special Representative discuss situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia acting FM resigns

Acting Deputy FM: Armenia reserves itself the right to take necessary steps to protect its territorial integrity

China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

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Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

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140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

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Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

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Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

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Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

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Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

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Lucknow: Now, other Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders have also spoken the language of their chief Akhilesh Yadav over the corona vaccine. SP MP Shafiqur Rahman Burke has questioned the corona vaccine. He has urged people and their supporters not to have the corona vaccine. While 2 lakh people were vaccinated in India on the first day of the vaccination campaign and no cases of side effects were reported, some leaders have now been able to spread confusion about it.

In Uttar Pradesh, the BSP and now a member of Parliament from SP, Shafiqur Rahman Burke said that they feel something wrong with the vaccine, so people should not vaccinate the corona. According to media reports, he said in his statement, "the vaccine is coming for the first time. You have not yet seen or understood. The theological statement had earlier issued saying that there was some confusion in the vaccine. In Norway, the case of death of 30 people in the use of vaccines has come to the fore. Don't get it.

He further said that people should wait till the vaccine becomes favorable. He has instructed the government to use the vaccine only after testing. It has been allowed only after the entire trial and testing of the vaccine, yet people are being misled. After several days of trial and study, it was sent for sanction for emergency use.

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UK to host G7 Summit in Cornwall in June to discuss these issues

Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Dr. Shehbaz Gill said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was beneficiary of foreign funding and it must account for the funds it received from abroad

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jan, 2021 ) :Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Dr. Shehbaz Gill said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was beneficiary of foreign funding and it must account for the funds it received from abroad.

Addressing a press conference at the Governor's House here on Saturday, he said the opposition parties were recipients and distributors of unexplained amounts and the opposition leadership was morally and legally bound to explain this to the nation.

SAPM Dr. Gill said Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI) received some funding from expatriate Pakistanis in small amounts of 10, 20 and 100 Dollars but the real beneficiaries of actual foreign funding were the opposition parties.

He said Maryam Nawaz and other corrupt politicians cannot dupe the public anymore, adding that they must account for the money transacted through fake accounts of "almost 15000 of their employees".

He said since the Broadsheet verdict was written in English, PML-N leadership planned to "declare victory" to hoodwink public, forgetting the verdict could be translated into urdu as well.

Shehbaz Gill said the government will officially write to U.K. based law-firm Broadsheet to collect all information about Nawaz Sharif's assets from the company so that the looters in the garb of so-called leaders could be exposed before the masses fully.

He said he was amazed at the impudence and shamelessness of the convicted opposition leaders like Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz who made victory signs while appearing in courts, adding that he personally felt embarrassed on being merely summoned by the honorable court in a case.

Shehbaz Gill said he had lodged forgery cases against the culprits because the company's power of attorney holders were not authorized to transact any legal business, besides one of the complainants was abroad and his signatures were forged to lodge an FIR against him.

To a question, the SAPM said he was facing a trial for pointing out theft of public money in the Metro Bus project ,adding it was not something he did in his personal capacity.

He said he would face the trial and vowed to expose those corrupt leaders who caused huge financial loss to the national exchequer.

Gill clarified that he did not have any differences with Nadeem Afzal Chan.

On Maryam-Shehbaz meeting in the court, the SAPM said Maryam Nawaz had usurped 'political inheritance' of Hamza Shehbaz and Shehbaz Sharif, and the expression of love before public was a mere eye wash. He alleged that due to treachery of Maryam, Shehbaz Sharif has been forced to surrender all powers in the party.

"Maryam Nawaz visits courts in order to get more media exposure as there is no love lost between the two families", Gill responded.

To a query, he said Turkey was very close to his heart and he harboured immense respect for Maulana Rumi a great devotee of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) whose last resting abode was in Turkey. "It is out of reverence to Turkish people and Maulana Rumi that I have not insisted on the arrest of Turkish nationals nominated in my F.I.R lodged by me", he added.

To a question, he said the sugar-cane growers were provided relief during present government, adding that "It has been for the first time in country's history that sugar-mills owners have paid the farmers in-time and the have got a good price for the crop without delay".

To another query, he said,"It is a long journey" but PM Imran Khan will ensure relief to all sections of society", adding that "Rome was not built in a day and PTI government should be given time to set things right".

On PIA plane's grounding in Malaysia, the SAPM said the PIA, in an effort to control undue expenditures, had asked for relief in lease payments as revenues had fallen due to air travel bans during the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that," leasing company had refused to provide any relief in our case although companies had provided relief all over the world".
Three mystery cases of the same strain of COVID-19 that erupted within hours of each other at opposite ends of Sydneys northern beaches are at the centre of the hunt for the outbreaks patient zero.

However, the popular theory that Sydneys latest wave of cases was spawned by a celebrity or a business identity self-isolating on the beaches affluent northern peninsula appears to have been debunked by authorities.

NSW Health has revealed it did not grant any exemptions to isolate outside of hotel quarantine to any local residents in the month leading up to the outbreak.

Anytime Fitness Avalon has been investigated by NSW Health as the potential source of the outbreak to no avail. Credit:James Brickwood

That leaves an airline crew member, foreign diplomat, hotel quarantine or transportation worker the most likely source of the outbreak.
Samsung is reportedly working on a new handset that will offer a mammoth 7,000mAh battery. Dubbed as Galaxy M62, the smartphone has made an appearance on the US FCC website.

The listing reveals the phone has SM-M62F/DS model number. It comes with a 25W charger, USB Type-C port, and 3.5mm headphone jack. The FCC listing also mentions SM-E625F/DS model number, which is said to be the Galaxy F62. According to GSMArena (via myfixguide), Samsung could offer the phone as Galaxy M62 and Galaxy F62 in different markets.

That said, it is not the first time we have come across leaks surrounding the Galaxy M62. According to a recent Geeekbench listing, the smartphone will come with Exynos 9825 processor coupled with 6GB of RAM. It is said to run on Android 11 out-of-the-box.

Samsung Galaxy M62 was previously rumoured to be a tablet device, but recent rumours suggest it is a mobile phone.

ALSO READ: Here's your first look at Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

It is worth noting that Samsung already offers a slew of handsets with a 6,000mAh battery. Some of the top phones with the said battery capacity are Galaxy M31, Galaxy M31s, Galaxy M21 and Galaxy F41.

That said, Galaxy M51 is Samsungs first phone with a 7,000mAh battery. Launched in September last year, Galaxy M51 comes in 6GB+128GB and 8GB+128GB combinations. The phone has a 6.7-inch sAMOLED Plus Infinity-O display. It runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz coupled with Adreno 618 GPU.

The quad-rear camera setup comes with a 64-megapixel primary sensor (Sony IMX 682), 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens (123-degree field of view) and 5-megapixel macro lens. For selfies, it has a 32-megapixel camera.

Samsung Galaxy M51 with 7,000mAh battery is available online for a starting price of 22,999.

(Natural News) The President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is going after Big Tech with the announcement that he intends to form a coalition with other world leaders to fight against censorship.

The move comes after several prominent social media platforms banned President Trump and his supporters.

In a report by the Associated Press, Lopez Obrador compared Big Tech censorship to the Spanish Inquisition. After saying he intends to submit a proposal on the matter at the next G20 meeting, he said: Yes, social media should not be used to incite violence and all that, but this cannot be used as a pretext to suspend freedom of expression.

How can a company act as if it was all powerful, omnipotent, as a sort of Spanish Inquisition on what is expressed?

Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said they have already started talking to allies in the effort, getting responses from officials in Germany, Africa, Latin America, France, the European Union and Southeast Asia.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is another leader who has criticized these actions against Trump publicly, calling the censorship by corporate managers problematic. Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said that the president should have the ability to voice his opinion.

Acting Australian Prime Minister Michael McCormack concurred, calling out Twitter for taking down comments by someone who is still serving as the American president while allowing a doctored image that appears to depict an Australian soldier harming a child to be posted freely.

Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called for new regulations to be put in place governing Instagram, Twitter and Facebook in the European Union. Although he fell short of mentioning the Trump case specifically, he said that the owners of corporate giants should not decide which views are right and which are not.

The French Junior Minister for European Union Affairs, Clement Beaune, said that he was shocked that Twitter suspended President Trumps account, saying this is something that should be decided by citizens rather than a CEO.

But yes, Im shocked by the fact that it is now, entirely in private hands. It cannot be in private hands only, he told Bloomberg TV.

He added that there should be a public framework of regulation wherein these platforms can argue that content is violating the law and needs to be removed, but that is something he said should be decided by legislatures and citizens.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said this responsibility should fall to the state, saying that Big Tech is one of the threats to democracy.

The regulation of digital giants cannot be done by the digital oligarchy itself, he stated.

Twitter CEO says Trumps ban is only the beginning

Shortly before the announcement, Project Veritas released a video they received from a whistleblower in which Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said that Trumps ban is only the beginning of further purges that will see significantly more accounts being banned. These purges, he added, will continue after Joe Biden is inaugurated.

I dont think this is going away any time soon, and the moves that were making today around Qanon for instance, one such example of a much broader approach that we should be looking at and going deeper on, he said.

He added that America is extremely divided, as his platform shows, and that his companys role is to protect the integrity of that conversation. Of course, he failed to explain how shutting one side out of a conversation protects its integrity.

Weve long known that super-liberal Big Tech doesnt believe in free speech where conservatives are concerned, but with their banning of Trump, they can no longer keep pretending that they are somehow apolitical. Dorsey is right about one thing: America is divided, and those divisions can only begin to be healed when we allow for healthy dialogue and uphold Americans rights to free speech.

Sources for this article include:

NationalFile.com

APNews.com

NYPost.com
(Natural News) Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is facing criminal charges for his involvement in the events that led to the contamination of Flint, Michigans water supply. Snyder joins other officials such as former state health director Nick Lyon and top aide Rich Baird in the list of indictments, following a new investigation on the scandal.

Flints water supply was contaminated with lead due to state oversight, subsequently poisoning a number of residents. The contamination also resulted in an outbreak of Legionnaires disease among residents from 2014 to 2015.

Snyder stepped down as governor in 2019 upon the election of current Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. But t was under his term that state-appointed managers in Flint switched the citys water source to the Flint River in 2014. The move was designed to be a cost-saving measure while a new pipeline to Lake Huron was being constructed.

The decision proved to be disastrous. The water was not treated to reduce corrosion, allowing lead to leach from old pipes and make its way into the citys water supply. The toxic water affected about 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, bacteria from the contaminated water was blamed for the Legionnaires disease outbreak.

Despite Lyon being aware of cases being reported months before, he and Snyder only announced the Legionnaires disease outbreak and the water contamination in January 2016.

A special prosecutor accused Lyon of failing to timely inform the public about the outbreak sooner, which led to the then-health director facing involuntary manslaughter charges in 2018. His attorneys argued there was insufficient information to share regarding the outbreak. However, a new team of prosecutors led by Attorney General Dana Nessel overturned the previous investigation.

The attorney generals team conducted a new probe on the matter in 2019. This second investigation gave rise to the charges being faced by Snyder and other officials who served during his term.

Snyder and other former officials are expected to appear in court soon

Two people with knowledge about the investigation told the Associated Press Jan. 12 that Nessels office has informed lawyers of the accused regarding the indictments. The defense counsels were also told to expect initial court appearances soon.

Courtney Covington Watkins, a spokeswoman for Nessel, said investigators were working diligently and will share more as soon as were in a position to do so.

But Snyder and Lyons respective lawyers slammed the charges slapped on their clients. Snyders attorney Brian Lennon released a statement Jan. 12 stating that a criminal prosecution would be outrageous, adding that state prosecutors have refused to share information about these charges with us.

Rather than following the evidence to find the truth, the office of the special counsel appears to be targeting former Gov. Snyder in a political escapade, Lennons statement said.

Lyons attorney Chip Chamberlain echoed the same sentiment, branding the new case a travesty of justice. He said prosecutors turned down his request for a copy of the new charges against his client.

Other defense lawyers were also informed of the looming indictments. Attorney Jamie White said his client, former Flint public works chief Howard Croft, is being charged. Attorney Randy Levine, who represented Baird, said he was notified Jan. 11 that his client would face charges. Levine commented about his client: When the Flint water crisis hit, [Baird] wasnt assigned by [then] Gov. Snyder to go to [the city.] Rather, he raised his hand and volunteered.

Snyder apologized for the scandal in 2016, saying that the state government at all levels had failed Flint. However, the former governors apologies appeared to be insufficient.

Flint resident LeeAnne Walters said she wants details about the charges against Snyder and other officials. The very fact that people are being held accountable is an amazing feat. But when peoples lives have been lost and children have been severely hurt, it doesnt seem like enough, she said. The mother of four is credited with exposing the lead contamination of the citys water supply. (Related: Veteran mistreated at work for being the husband of Flint water crisis whistleblower.)

Sixty-one-year-old Edna Sabucco, another Flint resident, criticized Snyders concealment of the scandal. He swept things under the rug, she said. And to me that makes him just as guilty as anybody else, because he should have come out singing like a canary.

Visit WaterWars.news for more news about Flint, Michigans contaminated water supply.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

MSN.com

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With the start of the new year, most manufacturers have increase prices of their entire model range in the Indian market. The brands are stating that the price hike is due to the rise in inputs costs for manufacturing vehicles in the country.

New TVS Jupiter Variant Launched In India

TVS Motor Company has launched a new variant of the brand's popular scooter model, the Jupiter. Called the Sheet Metal White (SMW) is offered in two colour options: Metallic Silver & Metallic Titanium Grey.

The newly launched SMW is now the base-spec variant of the Jupiter scooter. The TVS Jupiter retails at Rs 63,497, ex-showroom (Delhi). The new base variant of the Jupiter comes powered by the same 110cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine  here are more details.

2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan Launch Details

The Royal Enfield Himalayan is one of the most affordable adventure-touring motorcycles sold in the Indian market. The company is all set to introduce an updated version of the motorcycle with minor updates to the latest Model Year.

According to recent media reports, the 2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan is expected to go on sale sometime by the end of this month. It will most likely be offered with the brand's Tripper navigation technology and more  here are more details.

2021 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sport Launched

Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India (HMSI) has launched a new 2021 Model Year of the brand's adventure-touring motorcycle, the Africa Twin in the market. The 2021 Africa Twin Adventure Sport retails at starting price of Rs 15.96 lakh, ex-showroom (India).

The 2021 Model Year of the motorcycle remains more or less the same as the old model. However, the ADV-tourers get new paint schemes: Darkness Black Metallic' (manual) & Pearl Glare White Tricolour' (DCT)  here are more details.

2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R India Launch Details

The Kawasaki ZX-10R will be receiving a couple of upgrades from the brand. The company will be launching a new 2021 Model Year of the ZX-10R soon in the market. According to the latest media report, the updated motorcycle is expected to arrive sometime in the month of March this year.

The 2021 ZX-10R will feature an all-new design that is inspired by the brand's H2 motorcycle. It will also feature updated electronics, mechanical hardware and also an updated engine  here are more details.

Bajaj Dominar Range Prices Hiked Again

Bajaj Auto has increased the prices of Dominar 250 and the brand's flagship model, the Dominar 400 motorcycle in the country. Both motorcycles now get pricier by around Rs 2,000. The company is yet to comment on the latest price increased issued in the market.

After the latest price increase, the Bajaj Dominar 250 retails at Rs 1,67,718. On the other hand, its elder sibling the Domniar 400 costs Rs 1,99,755. All prices are ex-showroom (Delhi)  here are more details.

Thoughts About The Top Bike News Of This Week

Prices for most two-wheelers continue to increase in the Indian market. Most brands have announced a new price list for its entire line-up, which is already in effect. The popularity of adventure-touring motorcycles continues to grow regardless of the pricing scale in the country.
Press Release

January 17, 2021 Pangilinan asks govt to stem rising food prices SENATOR Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan asks the national government to strictly monitor food prices and try to stem the price increases monitored from the start of the new year by ensuring that the food supply chain is unbroken and the distribution flow is smooth. "Kakarampot na lang ang nabibili sa palengke ng limang daang piso. Sobra ang itinaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin ngayong bagong taon. Dagdag pahirap ito sa pandemya (There's very little P500 can buy in the wet market. The prices of food went up this new year)," Pangilinan said. According to the price monitoring of the Department of Agriculture, as of middle of last week, January 13, per kilo prices were as follows: liempo (or pork belly) at P420, pige (beef rump) at P450, whole chicken at P180, cabbage at P220, Baguio pechay at P180, red onion and garlic at P140, sili (pepper) can go as high as P1,000. At the Tandang Sora Market in Quezon City, galunggong, which is considered as "the poor man's fish" increased to P300 per kilo from last December's P260. "Hirap na sa paghanap ng pagkakakitaan ang mga kababayan natin dahil sa pandemya. Siguruhin naman natin na yung nabawasan na nga nilang kita ay malayo-layo naman sana ang maaabot (Our people's livelihoods have been severely affected by the pandemic. Let's ensure that what little they earn now goes a long way)," Pangilinan said. "Kung hindi natin kaya ang 'sahod itaas', pagtuunan natin ang 'presyo ibaba'," he added. Food prices are on the rise because food supply dropped due to the pandemic lockdowns, the successive typhoons in the last quarter of 2020 destroyed crops, as well as the African swine flu and the closed fishing season during the cold months. Pangilinan said rising food prices may also be due to ill effects of the flood of food imports. He said more Filipino farmers seem discouraged from planting after consecutive losses as cheaper food imports ease their produce out of the market. "Kailangang mapasigla pa natin ang kabuhayan ng ating magsasaka para mas ganado silang magtanim. At pag mas marami silang ani, mas mababa ang presyo ng mga bilihin sa palengke," he said. Aside from regulating food imports and addressing the African swine flu, the former Presidential Assistant on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization also urged the faster implementation of the Sagip Saka law, which was signed into law in 2019. The Sagip Saka law or Republic Act 11321 is a comprehensive approach to the weak Philippine agriculture sector by pegging the standard of success of agriculture not only to yields, irrigated lands, mechanized farms, and such results but also to the incomes and general well-being of Filipino farmers. Pangilinan reiterated that agriculture, which was the only sector that grew during the pandemic in 2020, should serve as a major driver of economic growth. "Kailangan nating kumain araw-araw, may pandemya man o wala. Essential job ang pagsasaka, pag-aalaga ng manok at baboy, at pangingisda," he said. "Pasiglahin natin ang agrikultura, at sisigla rin ang ating ekonomiya, lalo na sa pandemya," he added.
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Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
President Muhammadu Buhari has showered praises on Bisi Akande, the pioneer Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as he turns 82 y...





President Muhammadu Buhari has showered praises on Bisi Akande, the pioneer Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as he turns 82 years old.

Buhari, in a copy of the birthday best wishes made available to newsmen by his Spokesman, Garba Shehu, described the former Osun State Governor as one of the biggest and strongest pillars of democracy in the country.

Buhari also noted in the message, that Akande is committed to service of the country and welfare of all citizens.

The President specifically pointed out that the APC, which Akande helped establish in 2014 has benefited from his wealth of experience and leadership qualities and strong democratic convictions.

The President prayed that God will continues to keep Akande in good health and grant him longer life so that the elder statesman will continue to be useful to his fatherland and humanity.
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The temptation to tap deeper into the states largest permanent fund has been an itch some state lawmakers have been wanting to scratch for years. While theyve traditionally fallen short in the state Senate, the ouster of key Democratic leaders and the support of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pave the way for approval this year.

Proponents call for increasing the annual distribution from the Land Grant Permanent fund from 5% to 6% of its proceeds.

Democrats and Republicans alike have understood the less they dip into the fund now, the more money will be available for our public schools and universities in the future. In fact, a legislative analysis of a proposal to raise annual distributions by 1% says distributions for beneficiaries would be lower after 28 years because of slower growth in the fund.

But supporters insist additional money is needed now to address shortcomings in the states early childhood and education systems, and that helping New Mexicos children immediately will far outweigh the importance of keeping the corpus intact. And they point out that the fund has reached a whopping $20.8 billion.

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If the proposal passes both chambers, it will still need approval from New Mexico voters in a statewide election and from Congress. The state could seek voter approval as soon as this year.

But the first step is for lawmakers to not only approve the increased distribution, but to determine how the extra revenues should be used.

The Journal editorial board has long opposed further tapping the permanent fund. But if lawmakers do vote to do so, its crucial they use the money carefully to target it so that it is guaranteed to provide a measurable return.

To that end, it would make sense for lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle to consider investing the money into brick-and-mortar projects capable of realizing tangible improvements, such as technology upgrades to promote distance learning and overall school infrastructure improvements at public schools, both regular and charter.

The pandemic has laid bare the inequities of internet access for students in rural areas and for low-income students in urban areas. Spending some of the approximately 180 million extra dollars made available each year by the 1% increase in distributions from the fund to improve access would offer a quickly felt boost to education throughout New Mexico.

And spending a portion of the remaining money on infrastructure would also help with another pressing issue the state is now facing. A state judge in Gallup ruled late last year that New Mexicos capital outlay system for funding brick-and-mortar projects in school districts is unconstitutional. District Judge Louis E. DePauli ordered state officials to come up with a new system thats fair to all students  and money from the Land Grant Permanent Fund could be part of the solution.

This makes more sense than funneling the money into programs or a general increase for overall education  areas where it will be difficult to measure tangible results.

A proposal backed by Albuquerque Democratic state Reps. Antonio Moe Maestas and Javier Martinez calls for spending the bulk of the money toward education services for children too young for kindergarten, such as pre-K, and on home-visiting programs to help new parents.

While providing quality early childhood programs is critical to improving a childs education and well-being, it should be pointed out that the governor already signed a bill last February establishing an early childhood trust fund. The $300 million fund  one of the governors marquee initiatives  is intended to grow to $1 billion.

The state has also rapidly increased spending on early childhood programs in recent years. In fact, a total of $550 million of state and federal dollars were spent on early childhood programs in New Mexico last year. And its worth noting that not all of the money allocated for certain programs was spent because not enough families signed up.

In 2019, lawmakers approved a new Cabinet-level agency, the Early Childhood Education and Care Department. Lets give the new department a chance to determine the best path for improving early childhood education and the resources needed before simply writing a check.

Some lawmakers are also floating the idea of making the increased distributions from the land grant fund more broadly available for K-12 education. But it will be like water flowing out a pipe if it is used simply to boost salaries and benefits for adults in the system or for pet programs that dont exhibit clearly measurable increases in learning.

At its current rate of distribution, the Land Grant Permanent Fund is expected to deliver more than $900 million to 21 beneficiaries this fiscal year, with public education receiving about 86% of that amount.

An additional benefit of using the money on infrastructure would be the boost to the local economy and the employment situation as the state recovers from the pandemic.

And there should be a sunset clause, say 10 years. Voters could then re-authorize the 6% distribution if it is shown that it has led to measurable results.

Since future generations will ultimately pay a cost for our spending today, if the proposed increase makes its way into practice lets use the money wisely in long-lasting, visible and measurably impactful ways.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
More than 25,000 patients have caught coronavirus in hospital since the second wave of the pandemic began in September.

One in six Covid-19 patients in NHS hospitals in England were infected while being treated for other conditions, according to internal Health Service figures.

So far this month, 5,684 Covid-positive in-patients out of 44,315  about one in eight  were infected after being admitted for other conditions.

An intensive care consultant in the Midlands said that he took a 'snapshot' of all the patients in his unit on one day last month and found that 40 per cent of them had been infected in hospital.

A specialist Covid nurse treating people at home said many of her patients had contracted the virus in hospital and were re-admitted when their conditions worsened.

Susan Colborne, 52, claims Pamela Clifford would be alive today if Royal Stoke Hospital had delayed her cancer surgery

The nurse said one elderly lady, originally admitted after breaking a rib in a fall, was now critically ill and had passed the virus on to two close relatives while at home.

And a daughter has lodged an official complaint over her mother's death. Susan Colborne, 52, claims Pamela Clifford would be alive today if Royal Stoke Hospital had delayed her cancer surgery.

The 72-year-old oesophageal cancer sufferer had health complications that put her at risk of Covid-19, Mrs Colborne said. The hospital has launched an investigation.

Sage, the Government's scientific advisory group, highlighted the problem last month.

'It can be clearly seen that the proportion of infections that were acquired in hospital steadily increased throughout October and November,' its pandemic modelling sub-group noted.

More than 25,000 patients have caught coronavirus in hospital since the second wave of the pandemic began in September. Pictured: Medical staff outside Royal London Hospital in London

An NHS spokesman claimed that in-hospital infections have now fallen to 7.7 per cent. He added: 'High community infections and crowded hospitals  in some cases with over half their beds occupied with Covid patients  increases the risk, so the overriding goal has to be to bring community transmission back under control.'

Separate figures showed that the majority of coronavirus deaths are still among the elderly.

Jason Oke, from Oxford university's Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, found the median age at which people had died from Covid-19 in October was 82.4.

He said this has barely changed, and now stands at 82.3 across the pandemic. The median age for all other causes of death since March is 81.4.

Figures from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre show that the age of patients needing intensive care for Covid has also increased.

The median figure has risen from 59 in the first wave to 62 for the period from September.

Dr Oke said: 'The figures suggest that if the Government meets its target of offering a vaccine to everyone over 70 by mid-February, we should expect a huge dent in the numbers of people dying.' The Medical Research Council also confirmed that the chances of surviving the disease have significantly improved, thanks to a wider range of treatments.

It estimates the proportion of people infected who will die has fallen from 1.3 per cent in the first wave to 0.94 per cent.

Every 30 seconds, another Covid victim is admitted

By Colin Fernandez, Science Correspondent for The Daily Mail

A new Covid-19 patient is admitted to hospital every 30 seconds, NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens warned yesterday.

Sir Simon said the Health Service was facing the worst crisis in its history as 671 daily deaths were recorded  the deadliest Sunday of the pandemic so far.

His grim warning came as a survey of ambulance staff found many were 'in tears' before shifts while patients were 'dying waiting for ambulances'.

A separate survey of frontline doctors revealed their 'ongoing distress' after working through the first wave.

In the past seven days, 29,228 Covid patients were admitted to hospitals.

However, in a sign that lockdown may be working, the number of daily cases fell to 38,598, down from 54,940 last Sunday.

Sir Simon Stevens also revealed earlier today that a quarter of the Covid-19 hospital admissions are people under 55

In England alone, 15,000 patients have been taken into hospital with the virus since Christmas Day  equivalent to 30 full hospitals, according to Sir Simon.

He said cases were still rising in some areas and some age groups, including the over-60s, with 75 per cent more Covid patients in hospital now than at the previous peak in April.

The R number, he added, is between 1.2 and 1.3, meaning that for every ten people catching the virus it is spread to a further 12 or 13 people.

'The facts are very clear and I'm not going to sugar-coat them,' Sir Simon told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

'Hospitals are under extreme pressure and staff are under extreme pressure.'

He said that infection rates, although steadying, were still too high. Meanwhile, three out of four ambulance staff are at 'breaking point', and are suffering low morale, a survey suggests.

The GMB union said almost two in three out of 2,000 of members surveyed said they believed their PPE should be upgraded.

Workers said patients were dying waiting for ambulances because crews are 'stuck at hospital' with Covid patients, as a backlog of hundreds of calls builds up.

One said: 'We had a taxi pull up in an ambulance bay with a dead male while his wife was shouting for help.'

Another said staff were 'frightened almost to tears' as their shifts started.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'The safety of NHS and social care staff including paramedics has always been our top priority and we continue to work round the clock to deliver PPE that helps protect those on the front line.'

Another study found frontline doctors faced 'ongoing distress' after the high-pressure conditions of the first wave.

Nearly half of the 5,400 emergency, anaesthetics and intensive care professionals surveyed reported psychological distress as the first peak approached.

Trauma was detected in almost a quarter, according to the research by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and the University of Bath.
With COVID-19 making the immunisation of adults necessary, the Centre has involved cardiologists, neurologists, general physicians, and pulmonologists in the AEFI committees at national, state, and district levels

The Centre on Sunday said 447 recipients across India suffered Adverse Event(s) Following Immunisation (AEFI) over the first two days of the massive COVID-19 vaccination drive.

The nationwide inoculation programme started on Saturday (16 January).

Addressing a press briefing, the Union health ministry said of the 447 cases, only three required hospitalisation.

"One of the hospitalised beneficiaries is under observation at AIIMS Rishikesh and is stable. Two others have been discharged from Delhi's Northern Railway hospital and AIIMS Delhi."

The ministry added that most of the AEFIs reported were minor and included fever, nausea, and headache.

On Saturday, the ministry hailed the exercise conducted in 3,352 vaccination sites across the country as a "success".

However, reports emerged on Saturday evening of AEFIs in Delhi (52), Maharashtra (22), West Bengal (14), Rajasthan (21), and Telangana (11).

One beneficiary each in Delhi and Kolkata were hospitalised on Saturday after receiving the vaccine.

In Delhi, a security guard who was administered a dose of COVAXIN had to be hospitalised after he developed a severe AEFI. Additionally, in West Bengal, which reported 14 AEFI cases, a 35-year-old nurse in Kolkata was hospitalised after falling unconsciousness following the jab.

The adverse reactions are being closely tracked through India's existing surveillance framework, especially in the context of questions surrounding the safety of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.

The extent and severity of such adverse events is expected to have a major bearing on public confidence towards the vaccination drive, which is likely to stretch for several years, say experts.

What is an AEFI?

An AEFI is defined as "any untoward medical occurence which follows immunisation and which doesn't necessarily have a causal relationship with the usage of the vaccine. The adverse event may be any unfavourable or unintended sign, abnormal laboratory finding, symptom or disease".

This definition is according to the Union health ministry's revised guidelines on AEFI reporting in 2015.

Adverse reactions to a vaccine are broadly categorised based on their cause, severity, and frequency. The categories based on severity and frequency are: (a) Common minor reactions and (b) Serious and severe vaccine reactions.

Meanwhile, the cause-specific reactions are: vaccine product-related reaction and vaccine quality defect-related reaction.

Here is an overview of the mechanism for tracking adverse events linked to the coronavirus vaccines in India.

The Hindu quoted Dr NK Arora, head of the operations research unit of the ICMR's National Task Force for COVID-19 , as saying that the monitoring is being carried out based on the country's existing vaccine safety surveillance mechanism under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

The AEFI framework under UIP includes doctors, data and public health specialists. "The vaccine safety surveillance network extends up to every district, where a panel of doctors and health workers monitor events of concern after getting any vaccine, investigate and report to state and national level," Arora told The Hindu.

However, with COVID-19 making the immunisation of adults necessary, the Centre has involved "cardiologists, neurologists, general physicians, and pulmonologists in the AEFI committees at national, state, and district levels," Arora added.

So far, India's immunisation and monitoring systems was largely focused on infants and children for drives like polio.

The AEFI tracking network is strengthened from ground-up. ASHA workers, Aanganwadi workers, auxiliary nurse midwives (ANM), health supervisors, and medical officers  collectively called 'peripheral health workers'  at primary health care (PHC) and community health care (CHC) centres play an important role in tracking and reporting AEFIs.

The 2015 guidelines instruct the medical officer in charge to report all severe AEFIs immediately and send the report to the district immunisation officer (DIO) in 24 hours. The DIO will then verify the report and forward it to state- and national-level committees within 24 hours.

A research paper entitled Vaccine pharmacovigilance in India: Current context and future perspective, 2019 by Meher BR noted that the various stakeholders involved in AEFI reportage are: Peripheral health workers, peripheral medical officers, private practitioners, DIOs, state immunization officer, AEFI secretariat, national AEFI committee, marketing authorisation holder (MAH).

Loopholes in AEFI reporting

The Universal Immunisation Programme in India started in 1985. However, the efficiency of the system was "suboptimal", research papers said.

To bolster the system, the Centre issued the National AEFI Surveillance and Response Operational Guidelines in 2005-2006, which were then distributed to medical officers in the public sector across the country.

The latest guidelines were issued in 2015.

A major pitfall of the current framework, as observed by researchers, is the low participation by doctors and medical health professionals in the private sector.

"While there is a system for AEFI reporting from government sector in India based on the operational guidelines, there is limited awareness about the reporting system in the private sector resulting in inadequate reporting.

"(Increased surveillance) is possible through information dissemination and better collaboration with professional bodies (like Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP)) and Government of India. The improved AEFI surveillance and reporting system in India will go in a long way to increase and retain the faith of the community in the existing and new vaccines and increasing the immunization coverage in India" noted research paper Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) Surveillance in India: Position Paper of Indian Academy of Pediatrics, 2013.

The paper by Meher BR quoted data as saying that around 10 to 20 percent of the routine immunisation in India is provided by private pediatricians, "and the numbers are even higher for the vaccines which are not included in the UIP".

The paper also noted that training in reporting cases of AEFI for peripheral healthcare workers is inadequate.

"Although requisite periodical training has been prescribed for them in the guideline, there is not much research data available in public domain pertaining to health-care professional's knowledge, skill, attitude, and practice toward reporting of AEFI," the paper said.

Reports of AEFIs across India after COVID-19 immunisation

Soon after the exercise ended on Saturday, one "severe" and 51 "minor" cases of adverse reactions were reported in Delhi.

District officials said most of the persons who developed "minor" AEFI post vaccination complained about dizziness and headache. They will be monitored for a few days to ensure their normal state of health, PTI reported.

According to AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, the security guard who had to be hospitalised on Saturday is in his 20s and complained of palpitations soon after receiving the jab. He also developed an allergic skin rash within 15 to 20 minutes after being inoculated and was admitted to the facility.

Eleven cases of "minor" AEFI were reported from south and southwest districts, showed official data. The "minor" AEFI cases were reported from all districts except northeast and Shahdara districts.

On Saturday evening, The Indian Express reported that Maharashtra had recorded 14 cases of adverse events, however, none were fatal.

A separate report by The Indian Express also quoted Telangana public health director G Srinivasa Rao as saying that 11 mild cases of adverse reactions were noted. They experienced "pain, giddiness, and sweating, which are the most common in any vaccination program," he said.

The Union health ministry said more than 1.91 lakh healthcare and sanitary workers had been vaccinated at 3,352 sites across the country.

The vaccines that were administered were 'COVAXIN', which has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the ICMR and Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine 'Covishield', which is being manufactured by the Serum Institut-e of India (SII). COVAXIN has been given the green light without the completion of its Phase 3 trials.

Meanwhile, Norway cautioned against side-effects of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as 29 people  most of them senior citizens and terminally-ill  died after receiving their first shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Reacting to the deaths, Pfizer, said that "the number of incidents so far is not alarming, and in line with expectations."

With inputs from agencies

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A man has been taken into custody after allegedly threatening an off-duty NYPD officer with a knife in Eltingville on Saturday evening, according to the NYPD.

The officer was walking near the Eltingville Staten Island Railway Station on Richmond Ave. with his wife when the alleged perpetrator approached them around 5 p.m., a spokesman told the Advance/SILive.com.

The man then allegedly attempted to touch the officers wife, according to police.

After a conversation between the perpetrator and the officer, the man allegedly pulled a knife and menaced the off-duty cop with it, police said.

ESU, Metro PD police and a K-9 unit searching for evidence, regarding an attempted stabbing of an off duty police officer at the Elitingville train station a little after 5 p.m. Saturday evening.

He quickly fled the scene, the spokesman explained.

The perpetrator was caught and arrested shortly after at the corner of Richmond Avenue and Amboy Road, police said.

There were no injuries resulting from the incident, according to police.
Scotland is a 50/50 chance to vote for independence next time there is a referendum after a comprehensive poll put the SNP on course to win a comfortable majority in this year's Scottish Parliament elections.

The elections, which are scheduled for 6 May, are expected to be pivotal for Scotland. The SNP is standing on the promise of a second referendum on independence following Brexit and a surge in support for leaving the UK.

The poll forecasts that the SNP will win 72 seats, an increase of nine that would comfortably give them the 65 or more needed for a majority. Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon would use such an outcome as a mandate to call for a referendum.

Scottish parliament, poll-based forecast:



SNP: 72 MSPs (+9 vs. 2016)

CON: 24 (-7)

LAB: 19 (-5)

GRN: 9 (+3)

LDEM: 5 (-)



Built by BE's very own @bnhw_, here's what we believe is the most likely outcome for the Holyrood elections based on current poll data.https://t.co/uEj3q47OMe pic.twitter.com/66ypjUBevg ? Britain Elects (@BritainElects) January 15, 2021

Scotland voted 62% to Remain in the European Union in 2016 and Sturgeon has consistently argued that the country was being taken out of the EU against its will. Since last summer, polls have shown a majority in favour of independence.

But Boris Johnson has said that there should be no referendum for 40 years. That's one reason why no referendum before 2025 is 1.910/11 on the Exchange while a 2022 referendum - the year Sturgeon could aim for - is 4.77/2.

If Johnson rejects a formal call for a referendum, the SNP could pursue the matter through the courts.

Gordon Brown to make sensational return in Scotland?

The poll says Labour are heading for their worst result ever in Scotland. They're projected to win 19 seats - a far cry from the 56 they won in the first Scottish Parliament elections in 1999.

This week Richard Leonard resigned as leader of Scottish Labour. The timing was hardly ideal, coming four months before such a crucial election, but there was a widespread sense the party had gone backwards under his leadership, as it finished fifth in the 2019 European elections in Scotland and fourth in the general election the same year.

Some commentators have tipped ex-UK prime minister Gordon Brown to make a sensational return to frontline politics as Labour's leader in Scotland. Brown has been a staunch opponent of independence and his intervention arguably swung the outcome of the last referendum when Scots voted 55 to 45 to stay in the union.

Today's Sunday Times reports that allies of Labour leader Keir Starmer have sounded out Brown about the possibility.

It's a nice story but surely that's all it is. One obvious problem, for example, is that the role is only open to MSPs and MPs and Brown is currently neither. Anas Sarwar, who lost the leadership election to Leonard four years ago, is touted as the most likely successor.

Biden 4/1 to visit Ireland first

Joe Biden's inauguration as American's 46th president will take place on Wednesday and speculation has already begun about which country he will visit first on official business.

Johnson would love for it to be the UK 6/1, as Britain tries to exploit its special relationship with the US post-Brexit, but Ireland, where Biden has ancestral roots, is the 4/1 favourite.

The Sportsbook's range of inauguration markets also gives you the chance to bet on the colour of Biden's tie (blue is 10/11), as well as on the exact words he will use during his inaugural address.



Of more significance is the new market on Trump's second impeachment. This week the US Congress voted to make Trump the first president to be impeached twice. The case now moves to the Senate where it's 1/3 that a majority will not vote to convict him.

Is Armin Laschet Germany's next chancellor?

This year will also see the end of an era in German politics when Angela Merkel steps down after 16 years as chancellor. Armin Laschet is 2.186/5 to be next chancellor after this week winning the contest to become the chair of the Christian Democratic Union.

Laschet is in a strong position to be the party's candidate for chancellor at September's German federal election. He would be a centre-right continuity candidate for the job, although the CDU could still nominate another politician and Markus Soder 2.47/5, the popular leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, looks the most likely alternative.

Merkel is the third longest-serving chancellor in history.
MDOT is naming snowplows and everyone can help

Nick Schirripa, MDOT Office of Communications, 269-208-7829 Transportation

January 17, 2021 -- Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) snowplows now will have a special and personal touch on the department's interactive Mi Drive map. Inspired in part by TrafficScotland.org, MDOT has started giving snowplows unique and creative names on the Mi Drive map. Current names include Plowasaurus Rex, Sir Salts-A-Lot, and Snowboni, and were chosen from hundreds of public offerings.

Yes, Plowy McPlowface is on the list.

Among the submissions were three special names: Tiger, Chill Bill, and Frosty, all from Roxane Gilbert's 5th Grade students at Fair Plain East Elementary in Benton Harbor. Tiger, the school's mascot, is now the name of one of the plows along M-63 near the school.

"We are excited that these snowplows will reflect our students' creativity," Fair Plain East Principal Brian Litten said. "Going forward, this partnership with MDOT will open the doors for our students to recognize career opportunities."

Starting with several snowplows in MDOT's Southwest Region, MDOT is hopeful to name each of the more than 250 MDOT plows statewide in the near future.

"This idea really was driven by people who reached out to us and wanted to know how they could name our plows like those in other places," Nick Schirripa, MDOT spokesman, said. "There was so much positive energy and excitement generated so quickly for this idea, it was contagious. We couldn't help but give the idea some legs and get some fantastic ideas for names."

To see each snowplow's name, visit Mi Drive at www.Michigan.gov/Drive and activate the MDOT snowplow tracker map layer. By hovering over an icon, the plow name will appear. Clicking on the icon will show the name and a description of what the truck is doing, as well a driver's seat view of current road conditions through the snowplow cameras.

"We hoped this could be both fun and instructive and we're thrilled with the participation from students and others in the community," said MDOT Director Paul C. Ajegba. "I love many of the suggestions, and I cant wait to see more."

School and community groups are encouraged to submit ideas as an organization, in essence adopting a snowplow as their own and creating opportunities to learn more about snowplowing operations, winter driving, and other transportation-related safety topics.

More names are needed, and everyone is welcomed to participate. Go to www.Michigan.gov/NameMISnowplow and submit your ideas. There are a few guidelines. To be considered, suggestions must be G-rated and family friendly, and submissions that include famous, character, or brand names cannot be used. Staff from each of MDOT's seven regions will be able to select their own plow names from the list.
The deadly novel coronavirus has been detected in some samples of ice cream in northern China, forcing authorities to seize products that have been potentially contaminated.

According to a report by Sky News, anti-epidemic authorities in Tianjin Municipality are now contact tracing people to identify those who have come into contact with the batches that were manufactured by Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Company in order to quarantine them.

All of the products by Tianjin Daqiaodao have now been sealed temporarily. Earlier, the company had sent three samples of its product to the municipal centre for disease control in order to have them tested for coronavirus. All three tested positive, according to The Independent.

According to the investigation that has been carried out so far, the company used multiple raw materials to make the batches of ice cream. And some of them were imported. For instance, the milk powder was imported from New Zealand while the whey powder had been imported from Ukraine.

The company also confirmed that over 1600 employees had been placed in quarantine following the report. Around 700 of them have already tested negative for coronavirus while the remaining are yet to be confirmed.

A health expert has said that there is no reason for concern and that it is likely that the infection came from a person.

This is not the first time China claimed that coronavirus had been detected in food samples.

In November 2020, Chinese officials claimed that traces of COVID-19 were found on cold-chain imports from different countries, including India. Two Indian frozen butterfish packages, one Russian frozen salmon packaging sample and two Argentina frozen beef samples tested positive for COVID-19, the report said. Chinese officials said coronavirus traces were found on packages from 20 countries.

This is the second-time Chinese officials claimed to have found coronavirus on Indian fish exports. On November 13, China's General Administration of Customs suspended imports of seafood products from an Indian company for one week starting from Friday after COVID-19 was found on the outer packaging of some samples of frozen cuttlefish.

A few weeks earlier, the Chinese city of Jinan said it had found coronavirus on beef and tripe and their packaging from Brazil, Bolivia and New Zealand, while two other provincial capitals detected it on packaging on pork from Argentina.

China had ramped up testing on frozen foods after repeatedly detecting the virus on imported products, triggering disrupting import bans, even as the World Health Organization says the risk of catching COVID-19 from frozen food is low.
MEXICO CITY  Wielding truncheons and firing tear gas, Guatemalan security forces on Sunday stepped up their efforts to stop a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants who have surged in from Honduras in recent days in hopes of reaching the United States.

Soldiers and police officers blockaded a road between the Honduran border and the city of Chiquimula in southeastern Guatemala to stop the caravan, which by some estimates included as many as 7,000 people. Many are fleeing poverty and violence made worse by the pandemic and two major hurricanes that pummeled the region late last year.

Shortly after dawn on Sunday, migrants tried to force their way through the phalanx but were beaten back by security forces with truncheons, shields and clouds of tear gas, according to the local news media and a video circulated by the Guatemalan government.

Fortunately, our security forces managed to contain this pitched battle, said Guillermo Diaz, director general of the Guatemalan Migration Institute. We managed to calm everything in a very complicated situation. He added, We are talking about national security here.
ST. LOUIS, Jan. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Out of an abundance of caution for the safety and security of its clients and associates, financial services firm Edward Jones has closed 35 branch office locations closest to the upcoming inaugural events in Washington, D.C., until further notice. While the branch locations are closed, the firm remains open and ready to serve. Clients whose branch location is temporarily closed and who need assistance can access their accounts by contacting the firm's Client Relations team at the number below.

Edward Jones Client Relations:

1-800-441-2357 (Monday  Friday 7 a.m.  7 p.m. CT)

Edward Jones strongly condemns the recent violence in our nation's capital and joins with other government and civic leaders as well as members of the business community in calling for a peaceful transition of power, which is a hallmark of our democracy.

Edward Jones apologizes for any inconvenience this temporary closure may cause and looks forward to reopening all locations as soon as it is safe for our clients and associates to return.

About Edward Jones:

Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in St. Louis, provides financial services in the U.S. and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm's business, from the investments its financial advisors offer to the location of its branch offices, caters to individual investors. The firm's 19,000-plus financial advisors serve more than 7 million clients and care for $1.5 trillion in assets under management. Visit our website at edwardjones.com and recruiting website at careers.edwardjones.com . Member SIPC.

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Despite a stark warning from the FBI that state capitals could be targeted by far-right extremists or armed protesters this week, just a handful of demonstrators appeared at government buildings in Harrisburg and Trenton on Sunday as throngs of law enforcement patrolled.

We are breathing a collective sigh of relief, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora said Sunday afternoon. It appears there are more skateboarders than protesters here.

The relief rippled across a nation on the edge, still reeling from the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that left five dead and set off a massive law enforcement response from coast to coast ahead of President-elect Joe Bidens Wednesday inauguration. Last week, the FBI warned that at least one group that backs President Donald Trump called for supporters to storm government buildings, and authorities said some far-right personalities indicated theyd begin their demonstrations Sunday.

 READ MORE: State capitals are preparing for unrest after far-right threats, and residents are dreading it: I feel like Ive been held hostage

In preparation, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf activated hundreds of members of the National Guard, the Capitol was closed, and police fortified the building with barricades. Streets were shut down in Harrisburg and Trenton, and residents hunkered down in their homes.

It turned out that both cities were quiet Sunday. In Harrisburg, a few demonstrators appeared, as did a couple counterprotesters, including one who approached police and denounced white supremacy while clutching his lunch in a Styrofoam container. The largest gathering near the Capitol was likely a scrapbooking convention at a nearby hotel, made up of mostly women armed with scissors and creativity.

The calm was largely the case at state capitals across the country over the weekend and in D.C., where much of the city is being patrolled by about 25,000 National Guard troops, including some from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Tall fencing surrounds the Capitol, and the National Mall is closed to the public in an unprecedented lockdown of the nations capital.

On Sunday, police in Washington said they arrested a woman at a security checkpoint who was impersonating an officer. On Saturday, they arrested a man who had a gun and 500 rounds of ammunition in his truck.

Some experts in counterterrorism who warned of the potential for violence this week said extremists who were organizing online to wreak havoc may have been deterred by the enormous law enforcement deployment and the arrests taking place daily of people accused of breaching or attempting to break into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

 READ MORE: Pa. man joined in the Capitol riots and posted selfies on Facebook, feds say

Colin P. Clarke, director of research at the Soufan Group, an intelligence and security consulting firm, said law enforcement must remain vigilant and take threats from far-right extremists seriously, including after the inauguration. He said Trumps violent rhetoric and lies about a stolen election laid the groundwork for four years of political violence.

He delegitimized the Biden administration, Clark said. Our government is not illegitimate. There was no fraudulent election. But people think there was.

In Harrisburg on Sunday, one man who did show up wore a Fraud 2020 hoodie and granted interviews to reporters and photographers whod gathered near the Capitol. Another man wearing a Gadsden flag face mask said he attended the demonstrations in Washington that led up to the insurrection at the Capitol, but said he didnt support violence or vandalism.

Theres a lot of unhappy American citizens, said the man, who declined to provide his name.

 READ MORE: Welcome to the presidency, Joe Biden. Please solve all these crises.

Counterprotester Gene Stilp, a mainstay in the Dauphin County activism scene, came to the Pennsylvania Capitol with a homemade cutout of Trump, which he symbolically tore down. The base read: white supremacist, fascist, guilty of negligent homicide in the deaths of over 375,000 Americans, liar, and traitor.

A line of Pennsylvania Capitol Police officers held riot shields and batons as they stood at their posts at the top of the buildings steps. Pennsylvania State Police horses did laps through nearby streets. The surrounding area was otherwise quiet, with most shops and restaurants closed as a precaution.

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse said residents should expect a strong police presence throughout the city through Inauguration Day, saying in a prerecorded video Sunday: The Capitol will be defended, Harrisburg will be protected, and we will make it through this challenging time together.

 READ MORE: Retired Delco firefighter accused of injuring officers and a Del. man who paraded a Confederate flag are charged in the Capitol riot

In Trenton, a lone protester with a Stop the Steal sign loitered for less than half an hour in front of the New Jersey State Senate Annex on Sunday morning.

Cops, media, and one lonely anti-fascist is how Daryle Lamont Jenkins summed up the scene. The organizer of One Peoples Project and an anti-fascist researcher, Jenkins said he came to Trenton to see whether there would be any activity but was not surprised that things were quiet, especially following the mounting arrests of insurrectionists. Jersey right-wingers dont like heat. Thats why they live in New Jersey.

Police still were taking precautions, including blocking off the section of State Street where the state Senate, New Jersey State Library, and the building housing the office of Gov. Phil Murphy are located. Dump trucks and police cars guarded the ends of the blockaded area.

Gusciora, the mayor, said local, state, and federal law enforcement authorities collaborated on the response and would continue to do so through Inauguration Day, though the lack of a large visible force was intentional so as not to incite friction. He acknowledged that some businesses had chosen to board up in preparation for any violent acts.

Its a shame, Gusciora said, that has to happen in this day and age.

Staff writers Erin McCarthy, Aubrey Whelan, Sean Collins Walsh and William Bender contributed to this article.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (C) and China's ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo (L) welcome the shipment of China's Sinopharm inactivated coronavirus vaccines at the Belgrade Airport, Serbia, Jan. 16, 2021. A million doses of China's Sinopharm inactivated coronavirus vaccines arrived at the Belgrade Airport in Serbia on Saturday, the government confirmed in a press release. The shipment was welcomed at the Belgrade Airport by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, China's Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo, Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar and the head of the Security Intelligence Agency Bratislav Gasic. (Photo by Predrag Milosavljevic/Xinhua)

BELGRADE, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- A million doses of China's Sinopharm inactivated coronavirus vaccines arrived at the Belgrade Airport in Serbia on Saturday, the government confirmed in a press release.

The shipment was welcomed at the Belgrade Airport by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, China's Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo, Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar and the head of the Security Intelligence Agency Bratislav Gasic.

Vucic said that the arrival of the vaccine is a "proof of the great friendship between Serbia and China," and it will help protect the lives of 500,000 people, adding he will get vaccinated with the Sinopharm vaccine.

"As an ordinary person and the president of Serbia, I am convinced of the quality of the Chinese vaccine, which will be decided by our competent agency," he said.

Vucic stated that Serbia has procured all vaccines that have arrived so far bilaterally through "negotiating with the Americans for Pfizer, with the Russians for Sputnik V and with the Chinese for the Sinopharm vaccine."

The vaccination would start once the Chinese vaccine gets a final approval by Serbia's Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices.

Serbia has reported nearly 370,000 COVID-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic, while 3,708 people have died. A total of 5,409 patients are hospitalized across the country, of whom 196 are connected to respiratory ventilators.

After peaking every day in November and December last year, the numbers of new infections are decreasing in January.

The COVID-19 vaccination drive started in Serbia on Dec. 24, 2020, and so far the country has obtained around 1.4 million doses of different vaccines.

Sinopharm is the third vaccine to arrive in Serbia, after the Pfizer-BioNtech and the Sputnik V vaccines.

China has provided help to Serbia over the course of the pandemic. Besides medical supplies, a Chinese medical expert team spent months helping Serbian authorities coordinate the country's anti-pandemic response, while the Chinese BGI group helped build two "Fire Eye" testing labs.

Ambassador Chen said that Serbia and China are fighting the coronavirus side by side, and "China is the first country in the world to promise that its vaccine will be a global public good."

"The Sinopharm vaccine was officially registered in China on Dec. 30, and it arrived in Serbia only after 16 days. The arrival of the Chinese vaccine is part of our joint fight against the virus, and I believe it will contribute to fighting the epidemic in Serbia," Chen said.
Eoin O Broin is not your average Sinn Fein TD. Originally from Cabinteely in south Co Dublin, O Broin is one of the new breed of Sinn Fein politicians looking to get his party to the holy grail of government. Just don't expect him to become taoiseach.

He was born to middle-class parents who sent him to be privately educated in Dublin's exclusive Blackrock College. He has since risen through the ranks within the party to become one of their most reliable performers.

Described as a "brain-box" by party leader Mary Lou McDonald, the 48-year-old O Broin represents a new generation of Irish republicans whose journey into politics has been built on activism and peaceful protest.

Before he took up elected office in both Dublin and Belfast, O Broin was involved in music and played at Irish rock and folk festivals where he supported Rory Gallagher in his last concert, as well as busking with Glen Hansard. It was during his short-lived music career that he dabbled in drugs.

"I was a double bass player, with dreadlocks," he smiles. Influenced by the punk movement, he says there was "a lot of hash about the place".

"A lot of hash and weed would have been smoked, and at some point I am sure there would have been a little bit of speed. I was part of that culture it's not something I regret."

O Broin says he was "very lucky" to have been born into a comfortable family "and at no stage during my upbringing did we want for anything".

It was the mid-1980s when he took an interest in politics while attending Crown Woods Comprehensive in London after realising "the world we lived in wasn't fair". He found himself following the Troubles in Northern Ireland and trying to work out why there was so much division.

"In Dublin in the 1980s there was very little discussion about the conflict in the North, very little debate or discussion going on in schools and we never discussed it.

"Living in London I met lots of people from the North from a unionist, Protestant, nationalist, republican background which helped me to understand and the media coverage in Britain was more open than in the South," he says.

One of O Broin's "motivating factors" in getting involved in Sinn Fein in 1995 when he moved to Belfast was because the ceasefire "opened up an opportunity for conflict resolution". While he says he understands why the IRA and loyalist groups got involved in violence, he believes the Troubles "should not have happened".

"There are different views on the causes of the conflict, on what conflict resolution is. I don't think you can understand any conflict without understanding the political causes of it - and that's not about justifying the violence of one group or another group."

In 1997, O Broin was arrested after scaling the roof of Belfast City Hall as part of a protest by Saoirse, the republican prisoners' freedom organisation. Pretending to be painters, he and others climbed on to the dome and displayed a banner which read: "Free all PoWs now."

"The RUC arrived and tried to get access to us from the windows but unfortunately the officers were heavier than the ladder's load would bear, and they had to get the fire brigade with a raised platform to get us down - it took four hours."

Months later the group tried it again, only to be intercepted by an armed response unit carrying machine guns. "The RUC thought we were loyalists planning to kill Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly [a former IRA prisoner] who was due to speak at an event later that day," he explains.

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He accepts that his party's past links with the IRA are anathema to many voters, explaining that some have "very honestly and politely told me they won't vote for me because of Sinn Fein's relationship with the IRA". Even many of his former schoolmates have "found my political trajectory difficult to understand for a long period of time".

"I respect that," he says. "In a conflict, everyone believes their particular position is justified, I am not interested in those debates. When people ask me my attitude to the conflict, my answer is an honest one - it would have been much better if it had never happened.

"Peace-building, listening to others and understanding the views of others" were crucial in finding peace in the North, he says, adding that "this has yet to happen fully in the South".

"I think one of the things we need in the South is for people to try and start doing the same. That doesn't mean people have to change their views, such as those people who blame the IRA for the conflict in the North, or those people who believe the IRA were justified in what they did.

"But the politics I learned my trade in is the politics of moving beyond that, so there is never a generation of republicans or loyalists who would even think about that [a return to violence]."

In those early days, O Broin rode a scooter from Dublin to Belfast "where I would be going no more than 50mph". After the two-and-a-half-hour journey "you'd walk like a cowboy afterwards".

He remembers the moment he was hit by a joyrider in Belfast the night before the annual Twelfth of July celebrations and taken to hospital where "the only people admitted were people who were injured or hurt from the 11th night".

"There was me - a southerner - and a UDA lad who hurt his hand having banged the Lambeg drum all day. I was scared senseless, not speaking a word behind the curtain."

O Broin would go on to work with families who lost loved ones to the IRA and collaborate with unionist organisations while representing one of the most deprived wards in the North, from 2001 to 2004, a time of heightened tension in north Belfast.

Another issue for his party is trying to keep a lid on some of its supporters' inappropriate - and often highly offensive - content on social media, including that of Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley, who had to apologise last year after comparing a 1920 IRA ambush in Co Cork to the killing of British soldiers by the Provisional IRA at Narrow Water, Co Down, in 1979.

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O Broin says the toxicity of social media is a problem "for all political parties" and not just his own, which has repeatedly found itself embroiled in controversy due to so-called 'Shinnerbots'.

"We have a really big problem in cyberbullying and social media needs to be regulated like publishers. I don't need Sinn Fein supporters being on social media attacking my political opponents," he says, citing the "daily abuse" that some politicians, including his colleagues, receive on Twitter and Facebook.

"Some of it is the most appalling, racist, homophobic, sexist abuse. That must be tackled and some of that comes from, by the way, people who might consider themselves supporters of Sinn Fein or other parties. We need to legislate; we need to be cleaning up our act."

He has been subjected to online death threats from Donald Trump supporters "who say the Covid restrictions are infringing on their liberties", and "terribly dull trolling from Fine Gael supporters". But says, having been warned of loyalist death threats while working as a councillor in Belfast, "I make a judgment on what I should report to gardai".

As for Sinn Fein's political aspirations, O Broin says he is "open to the possibility" of a left-led government which, he says, could include Fianna Fail given its "ideological promiscuity and the fact they have a working, middle-class base and a soft republican base".

"Could I envisage a situation with Fianna Fail as a junior partner in a progressive, left republican-led coalition? Certainly, I would be open to negotiations around that I would be up for sitting around the table with others." But such an arrangement, he adds, "would have to include a programme of government that we have never seen before in the history of the State".

Despite believing his party could do a better job in charge, he says he would "absolutely not" like to be taoiseach. He says he "never saw myself as an elected politician" but has made no secret of the fact he'd like to be housing minister one day, having spent his career advocating for the homeless. The royalties for his book, Home: Why Public Housing is the Answer, were donated to Inner City Helping Homeless.

"I have a vision of what we can do in that office in the right government. Beyond that, I have no ambitions to be in elected office or higher office."

The overlapping of homelessness, mental health and addiction has put "a very vulnerable group of people at greater risk of premature death", explains O Broin. "The support measures are not adequate; these are people who should not be dying. Senior government ministers need to spend a day with those working on the frontline."

A fan of comedy, including impressionist Oliver Callan, O Broin says political satire is important because politicians "should not get ideas above our station".

Politics aside, he has just finished writing his next book, Defects - Living with the Legacy of the Celtic Tiger, which will include extensive interviews with people who bought homes, including at Priory Hall. Another short book - a celebration of the building that houses Busaras - will include photographs by Brian Teeling and words by O Broin.

He lives with partner Lynn Boylan, a Sinn Fein senator and a "formidable politician in her own right", and admits to being "desperately romantic".

His Twitter feed outside working hours is usually awash with the couple's love of seafood and fine drink, prompting his critics to brand him a "champagne socialist". He laughs this off.

"For me, what matters in politics is not where you come from. None of us controls where we were born or where we grew up, what matters is what you do with the advantages that life may have given you.

"I don't mind what people call me, but my drinking choice is whiskey, not champagne," he says.
US President-elect Joe Bidens pick for national security adviser called on Russian authorities to free Navalny. Mr Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable, Jake Sullivan said in a tweet. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, responded to a question about the arrest by saying Was he arrested in Germany? I'm not up to date, according to the online news site Podyom. Peskov, like Putin, is noted for avoiding saying Navalny's name. Polices buses await the arrival of Navalny at Vnukovo International airport in Moscow. Credit:Bloomberg Navalny has sizeable popularity in Moscow. Many supporters on Sunday went to Vnukovo airport where his flight was scheduled to land, though it was diverted to Sheremetyevo without explanation.

The OVD-Info organisation that monitors political arrests said at least 53 people were arrested, including Navalny supporters and journalists, at Vnukovo, where the arrivals hall had been blocked off and prisoner transport vehicles were parked outside. There were at least three detentions at Sheremetyevo, it said. Police officers detain a man at Moscow's Vnukovo airport ahead of the scheduled arrival of Alexei Navalny. Credit:AP The independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and opposition social media reported on Sunday that several Navalny supporters in St. Petersburg had been removed from Moscow-bound trains or been prevented from boarding flights late Saturday and early Sunday, including the co-ordinator of his staff for the region of Russias second-largest city. Navalny fell into a coma while aboard a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow on August 20. He was transferred from a hospital in Siberia to a Berlin hospital two days later. Labs in Germany, France and Sweden, and tests by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established that he was exposed to a Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.

Russian authorities insisted that the doctors who treated Navalny in Siberia before he was airlifted to Germany found no traces of poison and have challenged German officials to provide proof of his poisoning. Russia refused to open a full-fledged criminal inquiry, citing a lack of evidence that Navalny was poisoned. Loading Last month, Navalny released the recording of a phone call he said he made to a man he described as an alleged member of a group of officers of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, who purportedly poisoned him in August and then tried to cover it up. The FSB dismissed the recording as fake. Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlins side for a decade, unusually durable in an opposition movement often demoralised by repressions. He has been jailed repeatedly in connection with protests and twice was convicted of financial misdeeds in cases that he said were politically motivated. He suffered significant eye damage when an assailant threw disinfectant into his face and was taken from jail to a hospital in 2019 with an illness that authorities said was an allergic reaction but that many suspected was poisoning.

A lawyer by training, he began his rise to prominence by focusing on corruption in Russias murky mix of politics and business. In 2008, he bought shares in Russian oil and gas companies, so he could push for transparency as an activist shareholder. Navalnys work to expose corrupt elites had a pocketbook appeal to the Russian peoples widespread sense of being cheated. Russias state-controlled television channels ignored Navalny, but his investigations of dubious contracts and officials luxurious lifestyles got wide attention through the back channels of YouTube videos and social media posts that often showed his sardonic sense of humour. In 2013, he placed second in the race for Moscow mayor behind the candidate of Putins power-base United Russia party. That established him as a formidable force and a worry to the Kremlin. He intended to run for president in 2018, but was kept off the ballot because of his previous criminal convictions. His own legal obstacles and the widespread obstruction authorities set before other independent candidates seeking public office led Navalny and his organisation to adopt a new strategy for the 2019 Moscow city council elections. The Smart Vote initiative analysed which candidate in each district appeared to have the best chance of beating United Russias pick and tried to drum up support for that candidate.

The initiative appeared to be a success, with nearly half of the city council seats going to systemic opposition candidates, although its effectiveness couldn't be quantified. Navalny intends to redeploy the same strategy in this years national parliament elections. European Union members Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia called for the "imposition of restrictive measures" against Russia following the arrest of Navalny, the Lithuanian Foreign affairs minister said in a tweet on Sunday. "Detaining Alexei Navalny by the Russian authorities is completely unacceptable. We demand his immediate release," the minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, said in a tweet. "EU should act swiftly and if he is not released, we need to consider imposition of restrictive measures in response to this blatant act," he added. Conundrum for the Kremlin

A Scottish poet has been accused of 'making Scottish people sound stupid' and being a 'propagandist for independence' after her rhymes in Scots went viral.

Lennie Pennie, 21, from Fife, has attracted thousands of fans who watch her recite poems from her bedroom in what she says is a bid to keep the minority language alive.

Her poem 'I'm no havin children' has been watched nearly 500,000 times and her 'Scots word of the day' posts feature English translations of obscure Scottish words.

However the student has also attracted some criticism with one social media user accusing her of being a 'propagandist for Scottish independence'.

Lennie Pennie, (pictured) 21, from Fife has been accused of 'making Scottish people sound stupid' and being a 'propagandist for Independence' after her rhymes in Scots went viral

Another accused her of 'perpetuating a faux identity and culture in order to assert Scottish exceptionalism'.

She replied on Twitter saying: 'It's so demoralisin' tae be a lassie oan here, some ae yous need tae shut the mooth and open the lugs mair.'

Others have been more positive, hailing her for highlighting an important part of Scottish identity.

Speaking about the abuse she has received online she told The Scotsman: 'Most messages have been heartwarming, but a few have been pretty nasty.

'I've been shocked to find most of the haters are Scottish people who say 'Scots is just English spelt wrong', or 'you make Scottish people sound stupid, it's fake Scottishness.'

She has attracted thousands of fans who watch her recite poems from her bedroom in what she says is a bid to keep the minority language alive

'If you speak Scots, you're apparently a hardcore nationalist, which isn't the case. People enjoy it for cultural, sentimental and heritage reasons. It's been spoken through generations.'

She is fluent in a language which some on social media have dismissed as 'a dialect at most'.

However, the student has also attracted some criticism for the videos and poems she has posted online

She responded to the abuse on Twitter saying that it was 'demoralising' to receive so much criticism

In response to the abuse Welsh actor Michael Sheen offered her some support (pictured)

To this she said: 'You're more than welcome to think that. I happen to think it's a language, as it's been classed as such by impartial lingustic experts, both Scottish and international governments and much of the Scottish population.'

In response to the abuse, Welsh actor Michael Sheen offered her some support online.

He tweeted: 'I think Lennie is brilliant. She's getting some idiotic abuse. She has such talent and passion and joy.

'The people responsible are just an absence. Anyone who isnt following her should listen to her stuff and send her some love.'

She has now vowed not to let a few negative comments put her off, and has said she's determined to keep up an active role in teaching Scots.
WhatsApp has taken to social media channels to try to allay deep concerns that users have been voicing about data sharing and privacy. The company has decided to extend the deadline for its terms update acceptance from February 8 to May 15. However, millions have already decided to move to rival messenger services such as Signal and Telegram.

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Recently, WhatsApp revealed an upcoming terms and conditions update that subscribers had to agree to in order to keep using the worlds most widely used cross-platform instant messaging application. Originally, WhatsApp users had until February 8 to accept the new terms, which included different ways user data was going to be shared with the messenger services parent company, Facebook.

Unsurprisingly, this news hasnt gone down too well with millions of WhatsApps two billion regular users, who have now sought alternative instant messaging clients with privacy policies that arent perceived to be either as invasive or as unprotected as those of WhatsApp. This means rival services like Signal and Telegram have been receiving millions of new subscribers, something which both have been happy to boast about.

Signals servers couldnt cope with the huge influx of new users, with the company sharing how it had 10 million+ installations via Google Play on January 12 and 50 million+ later that same day. Signal also couldnt help taking a little dig at its currently beleaguered rival, stating: privacy is our top priority, but adding capacity is a close second right now. Telegram also revealed it had welcomed 25 million users in just 72 hours, with co-founder Pavel Durov pointedly expressing people no longer want to exchange their privacy for free services.

WhatsApp has attempted to deal with users concerns by extending the user agreement deadline to May 15 and explaining that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see private messages or hear private calls. The company has posted a graphic (see below) to help explain how private messages are protected, but its likely the exodus of users will continue. Although WhatsApp users in the UK and Europe will also have to accept the new terms to keep using the service, the strict European privacy regulations mean that there will be no additional data-sharing going on.

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Yet again speaking against the Trinamool government, Bengal Minister for Forest Affairs Rajib Banerjee on Saturday, alleged that people in TMC were not letting him 'work for the people'. Banerjee took to Facebook to dissent against the Trinamool, stating the senior leaders have not paid heed to his concerns. Banerjee had previously dissented against the Trinamool party and also attended Suvendu Adhikari's meeting before joining BJP.

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Vaccination on at 3000 centres pan-India; AIIMS dir inoculated

Banerjee: 'Stopped from working for people'

In a Facebook live session today, Banerjee claimed, "I feel very bad when the Youth is not getting jobs and education in West Bengal and cant support their families. I was stopped to do work for the people. When I was called by the senior Party leaders earlier, I informed them about my displeasure but they have not yet heard. I have not been doing it just during the times of election, even in past I have spoken against the injustice." After his session, he further said that he had said what he wanted in that video, not wanting to add more.

4 of Mamata Banerjee's ministers skip cabinet meeting; Rajib Banerjee next to quit TMC?

Rajib Banerjee miffed

Previously, prior to Suvendu's exit, Banerjee had openly said that loyal party workers in TMC are being "overlooked". He later reiterated that those working in the interest of people and hardworking are not getting due importance in Mamata Banerjee-ruled Trinamool Congress. Though Rajib maintained that he is with the Trinamool Congress and has not quit the state cabinet, he also said that he won't share with the media whether he had any talks with the party in recent times.

Later, even Saumitra Khan claimed that either TMC leader Arup Roy or Minister Rajib Banerjee is likely to join BJP. Banerjee has skipped several cabinet meetings and was incommunicado even as TMC leaders tried contacting him. Trinamool recently saw the exit of Suvendu Adhikari along with 6 MLAs, 1 MP, and 16 other grassroots leaders - who joined BJP and has now been fielded in the saffron party's political campaign. Later Adhikari's two brothers joined BJP, while his father has been removed from his party post.

The saffron party is gearing for a tough battle in Bengal - aiming to attain more than 200 seats, while not fielding a CM face yet. The BJP had already politically divided Bengal into five parts - North Bengal, Rath Bang (South Western District), Nabadwip, Medinipur and Kolkata, handpicking Shivprakash, Sunil Deodhar, Dushyant Gautam, Bhikubhai Dalsania, Ravindra Raju, Vinod Sonkar, Harish Dwivedi to ta work on booth levels in these regions. With over 65,000 booth committees and 14,000 Shakti Kendra constituted, the BJP has appointed five veterans as central observers - with the final call to be taken by Amit Shah. Both Shah and Nadda have already visited Bengal multiple times in the past few months.

Mamata's Forest minister Rajib Banerjee joining BJP? Saumitra Khan gives two options

'BJP more dangerous than Covid': TMC MP Nusrat Jahan's jibe leaves Malviya angry at Mamata
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - A military Humvee combat vehicle was stolen from a National Guard Armory in the city of Bell in Southern California early Friday morning, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The Humvee was 'up-armored,' which means it had been upgraded and is considered a combat vehicle.

The theft of the $120,000 Humvee is being investigated by the FBI's Major Theft Task Force in Los Angeles, which includes FBI agents and Task Force officers with the Los Angeles Police Department. Also assisting are the Bell Police Department, the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The California Army National Guard is supporting the investigation.

A theft from a military facility, which is government property, is a violation of federal law and carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

The FBI has offered a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the recovery of the vehicle.

The Humvee has four doors and is painted with green camouflage. The bumper number is #40BSBHQ6. The administrative number is #WV57TO-HQ06/M1165A1. The registration number is NZ311R. The Battalion number, '40TH BSB,' can also be seen on the vehicle.

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of the vehicle or the person or group responsible for the theft is urged to call the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.
Photo: Whistler Fire Fighters IAFF Local

Whistler fire crews were busy on Friday night after a large fire at an under-construction building started and quickly grew.

Whistler Fire Rescue Service Chief John McKearney told CTV News that firefighters responded to a call for the home at Sunridge Drive around 11:30 p.m., which looked drastic from a distance.

One video was posted to Twitter by a witness, capturing the thick orange flames in the distance and heavy smoke filling up the sky.

Theres a fire on Whistler/ Blackcomb

Rn , I really hope no one is hurt.. ? pic.twitter.com/i3nfBUcrxz  Rach (@rachael_fitch) January 16, 2021

"The captain registered right away that this looked like multiple houses on fire and called for a full complement of career and paid on-call (firefighters), which was the right move," McKearney told CTV News Vancouver. "Having gotten up there, what looked like it was multiple houses was one large structure that was completely timbers and two-by-fours and had no protection on it."

The building had been stripped "down to the studs," according to McKearney since it was undergoing major renovations at the time. The bare base made it "kindling" once the fire started.

Thirty-seven crew members arrived on the scene to find the home fully engulfed in flames.

"The people that were in that house (next door) were evacuated and they left for a period of time, but there was no damage to that house due to the protection lines that were set up," McKearney added.

Firefighters were keeping their focus on preventing the flames from spreading to another nearby home, moving their defensive attack on the west side of the building.

There were also propane tanks left inside the engulfed building by contractors that fire crews were aware of and some of the tanks ended up exploding during the blaze.

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire and no one was inside the building at the time.

So far, no evidence has been found to suggest the blaze is suspicious and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to McKearney.

"We do see that the majority of the heat was in what would be considered the southwest corner of the house, so we're just trying to ascertain just what was going on there," he said.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
COPENHAGEN -- Denmark on Saturday found its first case of a more contagious coronavirus variant from South Africa, and saw a rise in the number of infections with the highly transmissible B117 variant first identified in Britain, health authorities said.

The Nordic country extended a lockdown for three weeks on Wednesday in a bid to curtail the spread of the new variant from Britain, which authorities expect to be the dominant one by mid-February.

Denmark has become a front-runner in monitoring coronavirus mutations by running most positive tests through genome sequencing analysis.

Between mid-November and Jan. 10, 256 Danes were infected with the new variant from Britain, the State Serum Institute (SSI) said in a report published on Saturday.

That corresponded to 1.3% of all positive tests genetically analysed during that period.

In the first week of January, the percentage share of positive tests with the mutation was 3.6%, a growth rate which worried authorities and prompted the lockdown extension.

Preliminary data showed 11 of those infected with the variant had travelled prior to infection, including five in Britain, but SSI said it was unclear whether they had been infected abroad or in Denmark.

Later on Saturday, SSI announced that the first case of infection with another more contagious variant first found in South Africa had also been registered, in someone who had travelled to Dubai.
OPELIKA  A 30-year veteran of the Opelika Police force is now leading the department.

The City of Opelika has named Shane Healey as the citys new Chief of Police, effective immediately. Healey replaces John McEachern who retired at the end of November, WTVM-TV reported.

We are excited about Captain Healey moving into the Chief position. His love for this community and his forward-thinking approach is going to bring new ideas and ways of policing to our community...It makes me proud to know that we have one of the best police departments in the southeast. Shane brings more than 30 years police experience and he is deeply rooted in this community. I look forward to working with Shane and the OPD leadership team, Mayor Gary Fuller said.

Healey began his career with the Opelika Police Department in 1991 and was promoted to captain in 2014.

I am humbled and honored to be chosen to lead some of the best men and women in law enforcement. Together we will continue to provide superior service to the citizens of Opelika. We are excited to improve existing relationships and build new ones with all citizens. I am passionate about Opelika and deeply committed to making our city the best that it can be, Healey said.
Jalore (Rajasthan): Six people were killed and 17 others sustained injuries as a bus caught fire after coming in contact with an electric wire in Maheshpur of Jalore district late on Saturday night.

The incident took place around 10.30 pm yesterday near district headquarters, Chagan Lal Goyal, Jalore Additional District Collector said.

The driver and the conductor of the bus died on the spot, while the four persons succumbed to their injuries during treatment in hospital.

"Seven persons among the 17 injured have been referred to a Jodhpur hospital. However, the driver and the conductor of the bus died on the spot while four succumbed to injuries during treatment in hospital," Goyal said.

Further details into the matter are awaited.

President, PM express grief over Jalore bus tragedy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed grief over the death of six persons in a bus accident in Rajasthan's Jalore district.

Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister expressed grief and offered condolences to the bereaved families, saying "the news of a bus accident in Jalore, Rajasthan, has caused immense grief. Many people have lost their lives in this accident.

"I express my condolences to the family members and wish the injured well soon," said the Prime Minister.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot also expressed grief.

"Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in an unfortunate bus accident near Maheshpura, Jalore in which 6 people have lost lives and several others have been injured. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families, may God give them strength to bear this loss. May those injured recover soon," Gehlot tweeted.

In a tweet, Congress leader Sachin Pilot Pilot said, "The news of the death of many people due to electric current in a bus in Maheshpura village in Jalore district is very sad and painful. My deepest condolences to the families of the dead. I pray to God for the peace of the departed souls and for the speedy recovery of the injured."



Donald Trump has reportedly told his advisers to never bring up former President Richard Nixons name again, as he faces calls to resign before his presidency ends on 20 January.

CNN reported on Thursday that some of President Trumps advisers had a casual discussion recently about whether he should resign before the end of his presidency.

President Trump reportedly shut down the idea immediately, telling several of his aides that mentioning Nixons name is banned, while warning in a separate expletive-filled rant to never bring up the former president in conversation again.

Nixon was the last US president to resign when he left office in 1974, as the House voted to start impeachment proceedings on him after he refused to hand over taped calls that prosecutors believed tied him to a break-in at the Democratic National Committees headquarters.

The former president was later pardoned by his successor Gerald Ford, who served as his vice president before taking office after Nixon resigned.

Earlier this week, President Trump became the first ever president to be impeached twice, as the House brought forward an article of impeachment, which charged him with incitement of insurrection, relating to his actions prior to the Capitol riots.

Impeachment proceedings were started after a mob of pro-Trump rioters breached the Capitol building on Wednesday 6 January, which was incited by Mr Trump at a rally he held nearby. Five people died as numerous others were injured in the riots.

President Trump incited the riot by urging his supporters in the crowd to walk down to the Capitol, adding: You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.

He was previously impeached in 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice, related to his dealings with Ukraine. The Senate acquitted Mr Trump in early 2020.

Recommended Trump impeachment trial to focus on his attacks on election

President Trump has faced calls to resign from office in recent days, following his role in the Capitol riots and his second impeachment by the House. Several of his cabinet members have resigned in the wake of the riots.

However, CNN reported that Mr Trump dismissed suggestions by his aides to resign, as he did not think that he could count on vice president Mike Pence to pardon him, like Nixon could with Ford.

President Trump faces a Senate impeachment trial in the early days of president-elect Joe Bidens administration, following the House vote to impeach him on Wednesday.

He could be barred from running for president again if senators vote to convict him for his role in the Capitol riots and his repeated false claims of widespread election fraud.
He's made no secret of his love for tattoos.

And Dan Osborne revealed on Saturday that he received his first tattoo at the tender age of just 14.

The former TOWIE star, 29, said: 'I can't believe I'm posting this,' as he shared a throwback picture as a teenager with his first ink.

First ink: Dan Osborne revealed on Saturday that he received his first tattoo at the tender age of 14

Dan was also seen sporting a necklace and a short haircut in the throwback snap.

In response to a fan request for a photo without tattoos, he penned: 'Really struggling to find one.

'Can't believe I'm posting this pic haha... I was 14 and just had a tattoo. What a lad I thought I was,' alongside a face palm and laughing face emojis.

The legal age for tattoos in the UK is 18. Any tattoo shop or artist who completes a tattoo on a minor can be prosecuted and fined.

However some countries in Europe allow tattoos at an earlier age depending on the parent's consent. MailOnline have contacted Dan's reps for comment on where he received his first ink.

Impressive! The father-of-three is now a professional tattoo artist and he owns his own parlour, Ink Paradise, in Bexleyheath, South East London

The father-of-three is now a professional tattoo artist and he owns his own body art parlour, Ink Paradise, in Bexleyheath, South East London.

He shares a son, Teddy, with his ex-girlfriend Megan Tomlin, and two daughters, Ella, five, and Mia, two, with his partner Jacqueline Jossa.

The former EastEnders actress, 28 revealed she went to a therapist during lockdown in 2020, amid her marital woes with husband Dan.

However, Jacqueline confirmed she was ready to make a fresh start in November as she revealed her plans to move into a new family home in the New Year.

During a Q&A on her Instagram Stories, one fan asked: 'What are your plans for 2021?'

The I'm A Celebrity winner revealed the family already have some big plans in place as well as some that still need to be made.

Listing her plans, Jac wrote: 'To move house, have a chilled January and then work work work! Some big family birthdays, and plans need to be made.

'Hopefully corona f**ks off by then,' she added.

It comes as she recently shed light on when she moved out of the home she shares with her family.

'It felt like everybody wanted to watch me fall apart,' she told The Sun. 'I kept it in for a while, but then over lockdown it was a really good time and place for Daniel and I to go through everything  an opportunity for us to talk through it all.

Family unit: Dan shares a son, Teddy, with his ex-girlfriend Megan Tomlin, and two daughters, Ella, five, and Mia, two, with his partner Jacqueline Jossa (pictured in 2020)

'For me, this meant turning to therapy. And because of that, I couldn't be in the same house as Dan. There was no big argument or bust-up, and there were no other girls. Moving out was literally how I had to deal with it.'

Claiming she needed 'space' from her husband, Jacqueline went on: 'It really, really helped, especially in terms of communication, teaching us how to talk to one another better. Therapy is a really good thing, whether for yourself or for a couple. I don't understand why it's still frowned upon.'

Jacqueline also addressed the women who have sold stories about her husband's alleged infidelities.

'Listen, you can't stop the b*****s selling stories  that is fact, I know that. They can say what they want, Daniel and I know the truth,' she hit back.

Dan also blamed the pressures of lockdown on the situation, adding that entertaining their children plus not being allowed their usual freedoms became too much and that they just needed 'time apart'.

However, he insisted they had worked through their problems and were looking forward to having a 'clean, fresh start together'.

He also said he'd like for them to renew their wedding vows as Dan admits that looking back on his wedding day amid the sea of negativity has 'tarnished it'.

Jacqueline and Dan have had their share of ups and downs with allegations of cheating on Dan's part since they married in 2017.

Dan later admitted he had been unfaithful to Jacqueline and that she had forgiven him for his past indiscretions.
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The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are preparing for the most comprehensive winter drill in recent years, the military said in a statement on Sunday, Daily Sabah reports.

According to the statement, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces will also attend the drills that will take place in Turkey's eastern Kars province.

Tank divisions, cannonries, sniper teams, personnel of the Special Forces Command, helicopters and commandos will also participate in the drill.

The Winter 2021 Drill will take place between Feb. 1 and Feb. 12, and will also feature domestically developed weaponry and equipment.

According to the report, the drill will mostly focus on operational capabilities during the harsh weather conditions of winter months, including practices of sheltering, reinforcement, maintenance and educational development.

Ground and air assaults, airdrops, airborne operations and logistic support will be practiced by both militaries.
The family of a young plumber who took his own life just one month after getting engaged have spoken out about his tragic death in a bid to encourage struggling young men to seek help.

Luke Hausler, 24, from South Australia, took his own life on January 10, leaving his loved ones in complete shock.

His brother Zak said that while Ms Hausler had battled mental health issues when he was younger, he did a '180 flip' after meeting his fiancee Zoe.

Luke Hausler, from South Australia, committed suicide on January 10, leaving his loved ones in complete shock. Pictured with his fiancee Zoe and daughter Lahia

Mr Hausler's boss John created a Go Fund Me for his family, which has already raked in $38,000 and counting from complete strangers

'He was a young man who very much struggled through life, and then he met Zoe and she just changed his life,' Zak told 7News.

Mr Haulser and Zoe were renovating their Adelaide home and taking care of their 19-month-old daughter Lahia in the lead up to his death, which Zak said he didn't see coming.

'You would never think that this would happen with Luke at all, he was just the happiest and most bubbly person you would ever meet and very warm,' Zak said.

'We want to reiterate that anyone who suffers with their mental health should speak up, especially young men.'

Zak said it's 'crazy' how many young men are taking their own lives in the prime of their lives.

Mr Haulser and Zoe were renovating their Adelaide home and taking care of their 19-month-old daughter Lahia in the lead up to his death

About 75 per cent of Australians who die by suicide are males.

Zak urged anyone struggling with their own mental health issues to let their guard down and open up about what they're going through.

He described his younger brother as a 'rock for people' and said he will remember him as an 'Aussie larrikin' who was 'selfless' and 'courageous'.

Mr Hausler's boss John created a Go Fund Me for his family, which has already raked in $38,000 and counting from complete strangers.

Lifeline crisis support number: 13 11 14. www.lifeline.org.au. Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
Sanjay Raut (Image: ANI)

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut on January 17 announced that the party will contest the upcoming West Bengal Assembly Elections.

Raut said the decision to contest the 2021 West Bengal polls was taken after holding discussions with Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.

The Shiv Sena leader said: "After discussions with party chief Uddhav Thackeray, Shivsena has decided to contest the West Bengal Assembly Elections. We are reaching Kolkata soon."

Notably, Raut has not specified the number of seats the Shiv Sena will contest during the election to the 294-member Assembly in West Bengal.

The Bengal Assembly elections are being closely watched this year as the Bharatiya Janata Party is fighting tooth and nail to make inroads in the state where it has never come to power. The ruling Trinamool Congress has lost many of its tall leaders to the saffron party already.

The dates of the West Bengal election have not been announced yet, but it is slated to be held in the months of April-May.
Fiji, the favourite of Western nations, won the presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday, beating Bahrain and Uzbekistan in a ballot that resolved a tense deadlock over the selection.

The vote was called after an impasse that meant the council, the only intergovernmental global body to promote and protect human rights, began meetings this week leaderless for the first time in its 15-year history.

The presidency rotates geographically with each region typically making a selection by consensus but members of the Asia-Pacific group could not agree, forcing the first-ever ballot in the council.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

The UN council is the only intergovernmental global body to promote and protect human rights. Photo: Reuters alt=The UN council is the only intergovernmental global body to promote and protect human rights. Photo: Reuters

Fiji's Nazahat Shameen Khan, a British-educated former high court judge, won with 29 votes versus 14 for Bahrain and four for Uzbekistan, vice-president Ali Ibn Abi Talib Abdelrahman Mahmoud told a nearly empty UN chamber where delegates voted one-by-one due to Covid-19 measures.

The deadlock over the presidency came at the start of a year that is widely expected to see the United States rejoin after quitting the forum in 2018, and with a review of the council's activities expected to begin.

Observers and diplomats saw Fiji's rivals as being backed by Russia, China and Saudi Arabia although a Chinese diplomat said he would be happy for any candidate to win. Officials from Russia and Saudi Arabia did not respond to requests for comment.

China's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Chen Xu, congratulated Fiji in a tweet on Friday and pledged support.

The 47-member council does not make legally binding decisions but it can authorise probes into alleged rights violations by mandating international fact-finding missions.

Story continues

Marc Limon of the Universal Rights Group think tank, welcomed Khan's selection.

"It is important for the council to have a country like Fiji that has a positive record on human rights and a good story to tell," he said, alluding to the collapse of the former UN rights body after Muammar Gaddafi's Libya led it.

A diplomat said he expected debates to be more intense this year, given that Russia and China return to the council after periods off it.

"I expect a lot of heated debates and the potential for acrimony," he said, saying China's actions in Hong Kong and Xinjiang could be flashpoints.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2021 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.


President-elect Joe Biden plans to swiftly alter the shape of the U.S. government with an aspirational inauguration speech, a legislative package aimed at coronavirus recovery and a burst of executive orders designed to signal an immediate break from President Donald Trump.

The day he takes office, Biden is planning to return the United States to the Paris climate accords and repeal the ban on U.S. entry for citizens of some majority-Muslim countries. He will sign an order extending nationwide restrictions on evictions and foreclosures and implement a mask mandate on federal property.

Those moves will launch a 10-day governing sprint that will include executive actions to help schools reopen, expand coronavirus testing and establish clearer public health standards. "President-elect Biden will take action - not just to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration - but also to start moving our country forward," incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain wrote in amemo released Saturday.

In his first days in office, Biden also intends to send to Congress several pieces of legislation including a sweeping immigration bill. In remarks last week, he began outlining legislation that he views as most urgent - a $1.9 trillion plan aimed at stabilizing the economy.

Any president's opening agenda provides a window into his top priorities and offers the first clues as to which agenda items will be prioritized. But Biden's unusually sweeping list reflectsnot only the multiple challenges he faces, but also illustrates his desire to quickly emerge from the shadow of his predecessor, closing a dark chapter in American history marked by false claims of election fraud, an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and a second impeachment.

But Biden will face severe challenges to his attempts to turn the page: an inauguration conducted before military guards under threat from violent extremists. A West Wing largely empty because of health concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic. And a Republican Party that largely refuses to acknowledge that Biden won the election fairly and therefore rejects his legitimacy.

Historians struggle to find parallels to what Biden is confronting: a public health crisis that has triggered an economic crisis and collided with a social crisis. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin compared it to a combination of what Franklin D. Roosevelt faced during the Great Depression and Abraham Lincoln confronted during the Civil War.

"It's huge what he's facing," said Goodwin, who has written extensively about Roosevelt and Lincoln. "History has shown when you have crises like this, it's an opportunity for leaders to mobilize resources of the federal government. . . . All the presidents we remember, they dealt with a crisis. When you're given that chance, the question is: Are you fitted for that moment?"

The moment, at noon on Wednesday, will become Biden's.

The six-term senator and two-term vice president, who has attended nearly a dozen inaugurations, will for the first time deliver the Inauguration Address. He has been working on his Inauguration Day speech off and on for the past several weeks with speechwriter Vinay Reddy, aiming for a message of unity in a fractured era.

"People are really anxious," said Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., a close Biden ally. "This marks a turning point. We can see it, we can feel it. It's a very significant break. And we will hear it in his speech. . . . People want to believe in their country, to feel this democracy is worth saving."

While Biden has promoted his presidency as a return to bipartisan dealmaking, Clyburn and others have urged him not to hesitate to make liberal use of his executive powers and to consider seeking the elimination of the Senate filibuster.

"He wants to govern in a bipartisan way," Clyburn said. "But I've said to him that he cannot allow his programs to get hijacked by people who have some other agenda. I advised Barack Obama again and again to use executive authority, that these people were not going to work with them."

Clyburn said that in conversations with Biden, he has stressed that Harry S. Truman used the executive order to racially desegregate the military and Abraham Lincoln to begin dismantling slavery.

"You've got to lay out your vision and invite people to join you in the effort," Clyburn said. "But if they don't join you - whatever authority you've got, use it."

Clyburn and others also emphasized the challenges Biden will face within his party, which holds only the thinnest of majorities in the House and Senate. "We've got a caucus that's blue dogs, yellow dogs, moderates, conservatives, liberals. We've got them all," Clyburn said. "He may have a harder job keeping us united than getting bipartisanship going."

Former Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., warned that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been adept at stalling Democratic priorities in the past, and Reid urged Biden to take a muscular approach to working around Republicans.

"McConnell has done everything he can to damage the Senate. It's only turned into a manufacturing site for judges," Reid said. "They don't do amendments, they don't do any legislation at all."

Reid said Biden - who served in the senate for 36 years - knows better than most how to cut deals. But he said that Biden may need to consider changing the Senate rules so that a minority cannot stop legislation from moving.

"I believe the filibuster is on its way out. It's not a question of if; it's a question of when it's going to go," Reid said. "Joe Biden has said he will see if he can work something out with McConnell to get legislation done. Maybe with all eyes pointed to McConnell, he won't be the grim reaper he's been in the past. But if that continues after whatever Biden thinks is a reasonable time, he may need to get rid of the filibuster."

Biden's team is expected to begin work Wednesday, reporting to a White House complex that many tearfully left four years earlier. His incoming press secretary, Jen Psaki, will hold a briefing that day - one that, four years ago, was marked by Sean Spicer's falsely claiming that Trump had had the largest-ever inauguration audience on the Mall.

But many of Biden's aides will start their tenure working from home, as they have been for months, and few visitors are expected at the White House.

Biden's transition team has been prodigious on the hiring front, appointed 206 White House officials, a record and more than double the number of appointments President Barack Obama had made at this point in 2009, according to the Center for Presidential Transition.

He also has already announced 44 nominees that need Senate confirmation, which surpasses Obama, who held the previous record at 42 nominations announced before the inauguration.

But though early nominations are typically swiftly confirmed, Biden may not have any Cabinet officials confirmed on his first day, the first time this would have happened since 1989.

Two of Trump's Cabinet picks were confirmed on Inauguration Day in 2017, and President Barack Obama had six confirmed at the start of his first term.

"I am hopeful that the Senate will move quickly, consistent with history," said David Marchick, the director of the nonpartisan Center for Presidential Transition. "It matters more than ever today during a crisis."

Biden is eager to signal a rapid shift from Trump at the beginning of his tenure and to tap into the jubilation some feel at Trump's exit. But he also is conscious of marking the solemnity of the moment. His first event in Washington, expected on Tuesday night, is a memorial marking the nearly 400,000 American lives lost to the novel coronavirus.

The nation's second Roman Catholic president is expected to attend Mass on the morning of his inauguration, along with a national prayer service the day after.

In his first weeks, Biden's primary focus will be moving his initial stimulus and legislation through Congress. But he's also preparing to craft a second proposal aimed at rebuilding the economy.

"If Republicans in Congress want to show they genuinely want to move forward in this moment, quickly confirming his nominees and passing a bold package is the quickest way to do that," said Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del., a close Biden ally.

During the campaign, Biden made a wide range of promises for action on "Day One" of his administration - and it is unclear whether he will get to all of it immediately.

"Day One, if I win, I'm going to be on the phone with our NATO allies saying, 'We're back,' " he told KPNX in Phoenix over the summer. "We're back, and you can count on us again."

He pledged to send a bill to Congress repealing liability protections for gun manufacturers on his first day and vowed to eliminate tax cuts passed under Trump in 2017.

"Right now, the president gives advantage to companies that go overseas and invest overseas by reducing the taxes they have to pay on foreign profits," Biden said during a July interview with WNEP in Scranton, Pa. "I'd double that tax and do that on Day One."

Among the other things Biden pledged to accomplish on his first day was to restore federal workers' right to unionize and to issue new sweeping ethics standards that would apply to his administration.

He also said he would reinstate federal guidance, issued by Obama and revoked by Trump, ensuring that transgender students can have access to sports, restrooms and locker rooms in accordance with their gender identity.

"He is looking forward to delivering on the promises he made when running for president," Psaki said Friday when asked about Biden's Day One agenda items. "You can anticipate he will use the power that every president before him has used on executive action."

But there is a long history of presidents failing, when they have their actual first day in office as president, to follow through on theoretical Day One promises they made while campaigning.

Trump said that on his first day as president, he would repeal and replace Obama's signature health-care law (he didn't) and begin construction of a wall on the border with Mexico (that didn't occur).

Trump also declared that because he would be sworn in on a Friday, his first-day agenda should get an extension.

"Day 1 - which I will consider to be Monday as opposed to Friday or Saturday. Right?" Trump said in an interview with the Times of London. "I mean my Day 1 is going to be Monday because I don't want to be signing and get it mixed up with lots of celebration."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Virtual Events in Paducah

PADUCAH - Paducah's celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., will be virtual this year.President J.W. Cleary of the Paducah-McCracken County NAACP told West Kentucky Star they didn't want to put anyone in harm's way with an in-person event.Cleary said, "We just didn't want to take a chance of anybody catching COVID or getting hurt or any of that nature, but with the Man Upstairs' help, that everything would be back to normal next year."Because of the change, there will only be two events, rather than several that are typically scheduled over the three-day weekend.Instead of Monday's luncheon at the Cherry Civic Center, an hour-long program will be aired on Zoom and Paducah Channel 2 at noon, and again at 7 pm. It will also be available for viewing at the local NAACP chapter's Facebook page. The event will include remarks by Mayor George Bray and County Judge-Executive Craig Clymer, presentation of awards for the MLK Essay Contest (sponsored by Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership), local scholarship winners, and keynote speaker Phyllis Young Nichols.Nichols is the President and CEO of the Knoxville Area Urban League. She joined the organization as a curriculum and education specialist in 1994 and has been CEO since 2000. She is a graduate of East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Recognized as a Senior Fellow by the National Urban League, Nichols' expertise in board and affiliate development has facilitated her work with the national league and other non-profit organizations across the country.The "I Am the Dream: Answering the Call," event at 7 pm Monday night will be streamed on the Facebook page of the W.C. Young Community Center. "I Am the Dream," honorees will be recognized, and an encouraging word will be delivered by Rev. Donna Hawkins of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church.
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JACKSON, MI  A mainstay in Jackson County for more than 60 years will depart from its Jackson station after its sale last week.

The Jackson City Council approved a plan at its Tuesday, Jan. 12 meeting to sell Locomotive 5030, a train engine located in R.A. Greene Park near the Jackson Wastewater Treatment Plant, to a Pennsylvania nonprofit and tourist railroad.

Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust, located in Boyertown, Pennsylvania, between Philadelphia and Reading, agreed to pay $50,000 over five years for the 1912 relic. It plans to restore the historic car built from steel from a nearby Pennsylvania foundry and assembled within 30 miles of the railroad there.

While Jackson has its own rich railroad history, the locomotive is infamous for its involvement in a deadly wreck nowhere near the city. Originally part of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, it departed from Durand for Flint on June 5, 1923. The high speeds and poor conditions of the railway caused the train to leave the tracks fairly close to the small city. Four people were killed and about 30 more were injured.

Read more: Engine part of railroad history

The locomotive was repaired and put back into service, but engineers felt it was cursed, and no one wanted to operate it, Colebrookdale officials wrote about its history. It was retired in 1955, according to Jackson Citizen Patriot archives.

Jackson acquired the locomotive in 1958 as a gift to the city from the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, City Spokesman Aaron Dimick said.

The engine has been on display in the park off Lansing Avenue since then. Residents used to be able to enter the car, but it was fenced off years ago due to safety concerns as it had deteriorated. City officials have given it some upkeep, mostly through new paint throughout the years, but the restoration needed is beyond the citys scope, Dimick said.

Unfortunately, we just dont have the funds to properly care for this historic train, Dimick said. So, were pleased that an organization can come in and give the train new life. We would rather see it fully restored and functional again, rather than just sitting in one of our parks as a relic that continues to deteriorate.

The train will stay in Jackson for several years, however. Colebrookdale intends to raise $2 million to transport it  a process that requires building new track and connecting it to nearby rail  and then renovate it to its original glory.

Colebrookdale takes riders on two-hour excursions on its 8.6-mile track through valleys in Pennsylvania. Guests can eat in renovated dining cars or ride in the locomotive.

The citys acceptance of the offer was contingent on Jackson not incurring additional costs during the process.

With this company wanting to spend $2 million dollars to get it going again, its clear that it would take a lot of attention that the city just doesnt have to get it to where it needs to be, Dimick said.

READ MORE:

Peek Through Time: Horrific wrecks, injuries and deaths part of Jacksons railroad history

Peek Through Time: Before it welcomed hikers and bikers, Falling Waters Trail was path for locomotives

Peek Through Time: Charting Jacksons rise and fall in population
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.


Each year, guests at the OBrien Awards go all out for their wardrobe for the annual Black-Tie Gala. With the event being virtual this year, organizers are still encouraging finalists and guests to dress up according to the Boots & Bling theme to get into the spirit of the event, and they've some extra incentive.

Tara Hills Stud, based in Port Perry, Ont., is sponsoring the Show Us Your Boots & Bling Best Dressed contest for this years virtual event. The panel of judges, including Tara Hills owner, David Heffering, will select the Best Dressed male and Best Dressed female from photos submitted.

In addition to bragging rights, the winners will each receive a $50 HPI card, a $100 TrackIT credit, and a gift basket from 13th Street Winery.

To take part in the contest, simply email a photo of yourself in your Boots & Bling attire to [email protected]. Please provide your name and member number, if you are a Standardbred Canada member.

SC will start to accept submissions at noon on Sunday, January 31, and the deadline to enter is Tuesday, February 2 at noon. (Photos that have been edited in Photoshop, etc. will not be considered.)

Boots and Stetsons are encouraged as are your finest denim, or cocktail dress and dont forget, plenty of bling!

If you need some inspiration, check out some of the outfits from past editions of the Country Music Awards.

The 2020 Virtual OBrien Awards Gala takes place on Sunday, January 31, 2021 and will be available for viewing on standardbredcanada.ca from 7:00  8:30 p.m. (EST).
Banda : , Jan 17 (IANS) A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped in a village in Banda district, and the police said the accused has been arrested.

Circle officer (CO) Nareni, Siyaram said the 23-year-old accused had lured the minor to a secluded spot by offering her Rs 10. He allegedly raped the girl there.

The incident took place on Friday night.

When the girl's family went to the house of the accused to complain about the incident, he and his family members threatened to kill them.

A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The accused was arrested later on Friday night and three of his family were held for issuing life threats, the Circle Officer said.

Meanwhile, the victim, who is in a serious condition, has been admitted to hospital and additional force has been deployed in the village as a precautionary measure.

Members of the California National Guard in downtown Los Angeles, Calif., on June 6, 2020. (Kyle Grillot/AFP via Getty Images)

FBI: National Guard Humvee Stolen in California

The FBI said a green camouflage Humvee operated by the National Guard was stolen in Bell, California, on Friday.

The agency said the Humvee had identifiers including a bumper number of 40BSBHQ6 and an Admin# WV57TO-HQ06/M1165A1; Reg# NZ311R & Battalion 40TH BSB.

The agency said that those who provide information leading to the recovery can get up to $10,000.

A green camouflage #Humvee was stolen from @CaArmyGuard in #Bell CA on Friday. Identifiers include Bumper# 40BSBHQ6; Admin# WV57TO-HQ06/M1165A1; Reg# NZ311R & Battalion 40TH BSB. Please call 3104776565 to claim a #reward up to 10K for info leading to the recovery #BOLO ### pic.twitter.com/BGDaAzauF2  FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) January 17, 2021

The agency did not provide more details.

It came as the Army confirmed that up to 25,000 National Guard members would be deployed for Inauguration Day.

A statement from the Army to news outlets on Friday said the increase would support the federal law enforcement mission and security preparations during the inauguration, and it would be led by the U.S. Secret Service.

Our National Guard soldiers and airmen are set around the city to protect our nations Capital, National Guard Bureau Chief Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson said in the statement.

And in a statement on Wednesday, President Donald Trump reiterated to Americans that they shouldnt engage in violence.

In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking, and NO vandalism of any kind, Trump said. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.
NEW YORK, N.Y. --- Governor Andrew Cuomo called on the federal government to step up its vaccine distribution. This comes as New York is set to receive 250,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine next week. The governor said that is not enough. Cuomo said the number of eligible people to receive the vaccine far outweighs the number of doses the state is getting.

Cuomo said as of this weekend, 7 million people in New York State are eligible to receive the vaccine.

The Governor issued a statement saying "We are in a footrace to get the vaccine into the arms of eligible New Yorkers as quickly and equitably as possible. However, we now have 7 million New Yorkers vying for a fraction of doses made available to use by the federal government. We need Washington to step up and increase New York's supply to make sure everyone who wants the vaccine has the opportunity to get it," said Cuomo.

So far the state said they have administered 83 percent of the vaccines (Both 1st and 2nd doses) that they have received from the government.

The state reported 73,336 people were given a vaccine in New York State yesterday.
A record 324,233 more people received their Covid-19 jab last Friday, further boosting hopes that Britain will hit its target of 15 million vaccinated by mid-February.

As the total number of injections soared to 3.56 million  meaning more people in the UK have received the first dose of the jab than have had Covid  Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi told The Mail on Sunday: This is another important milestone, every jab is another vulnerable person protected or a brilliant hero on the frontline protected.

The daily rate of jabs more than doubled between Monday and Friday. To reach the 15 million target, an average of 369,000 a day will need to be given a jab until February 15.

People queue as Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Ashton Stadium in Bristol, Britain, on January 11 this year

Mr Johnson pictured above during a media briefing on coronavirus in Downing Street, London

With more Brits now having had at least one vaccination than have tested positive since the start of the pandemic, some towns have already given all those aged over 80 their first injection.

The NHS sent out 641,000 invitations for jabs to people over 80 last week and another 380,000 this weekend.

A further 500,000 will go out this week along with, Ministers hope, the first invites for those in their 70s. Letters are being sent in special blue envelopes to reduce the risk of them being mistaken for junk mail.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock pictured during a media briefing on coronavirus in Downing Street, London, on January 11

It came as:

A further 1,295 deaths were recorded but the number of daily cases (41,346) fell by more than a third on the figure a week before, suggesting lockdown measures are working;

Ten new large-scale vaccination centres will open this week including a racecourse and a cathedral. Dozens more High Street pharmacies will also start administering jabs, bolstering 1,000 GP-led services and more than 250 hospitals already providing injections;

Prince William urged people to have their jabs as his grandparents had done and praised the nations success on vaccination, saying: There is a big UK story here to tell;

The boss of French pharma giant Valneva said his firm is just days away from starting manufacture of another vaccine on British soil;

Science experts warned a Labour proposal to shake up the pharmaceutical industry would leave Britain struggling to develop its own coronavirus vaccines;

Airports warned they could be mothballed unless the Government provided more financial support after Boris Johnson suspended all of Britains quarantine-free travel corridors from tomorrow;

Mr Zahawi, who last week said he was absolutely confident that the UK will meet its target to vaccinate the most vulnerable by February 15, said last night: Together we will protect the most vulnerable and get our freedom back.

To reach the 15 million target, an average of 369,000 a day will need to be given a jab until February 15 (file photo)

As the vaccine roll-out continues, people over 80 who live up to a 45-minute drive from centres will be given the option of choosing to go to a pharmacy site through the new national booking service.

Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: The NHS vaccination programme is off to a strong start with more than three million people receiving the life-saving jab, including more than a third of those aged 80 or over.

Meanwhile, Ministers are increasingly confident that the vaccines will work on new variants, although there could be a slight drop in efficacy.


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 Flash

U.S. Capitol Police arrested a man from Virginia on Friday when he tried to cross a checkpoint near the Capitol in Washington, D.C., with a loaded gun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition, U.S. media reported Saturday citing D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

Identified as Wesley Allen Beeler from Front Royal, Virginia, the man told police he was carrying a Glock semi-automatic pistol, which was later discovered to have been loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition and a round chamber ready to fire, CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the case.

Beeler was stopped at a checkpoint at North Capitol and E Street NE, just north of the Capitol building, according to the report. He also had what was described as a fake credential for Wednesday's inauguration event for President-elect Joe Biden.

Police later recovered the pistol, as well as 509 rounds of ammunition, shotgun shells and a magazine for the handgun, CNN said, citing an incident report from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

Beeler was arrested for possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition, among other offenses.

The arrest came amid heightened security measures in the national capital ahead of the inauguration. Up to 25,000 National Guard members have been authorized by the Pentagon for the city, more than the amount of the troops currently stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

"Every state, territory and the District of Columbia will have National Guard men and women supporting the inauguration," the National Guard Bureau said in a statement Friday.
Agitating farmer unions on Sunday remained firm on holding a tractor rally on the Republic Day and vowed to continue their stir till the agri laws are repealed, even as Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar urged them to discuss alternatives to scrapping the legislation at the next meeting scheduled for January 19. "We are prepared to sit in protest till May 2024 Our demand is that the three laws be taken back and the government provide a legal guarantee on the MSP," Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait told reporters in Nagpur.

The statement indicating little change in the unions' stand came ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on Monday on the issue of agri bills and ongoing protests on Delhi's borders for over 50 days. The top court would also hear on Monday a plea of the central government, filed though the Delhi Police, seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor march or any other kind of protest by farmers "which seeks to disrupt the gathering and celebrations" of Republic Day on January 26.

Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border protest site, union leader Yogendra Yadav said, "We will carry out a tractor parade on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi on Republic Day. The parade will be very peaceful." "There will be no disruption of the Republic Day parade. The farmers will put up the national flag on their tractors," he said. Stressing that the farmer unions should give up their stubborn stand after the apex court's stay on the laws on January 12, Agriculture Minister Tomar said they should come for a clause by clause discussion on Tuesday.

"Now that the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of these laws, then there is no question of being stubborn," Tomar told reporters before leaving for his home constituency of Morena in Madhya Pradesh. The government wants farmer leaders to come for a clause by clause discussion at the next meeting on January 19. Except for the demand of repealing the laws, the government is ready to consider "seriously and with an open heart" other alternatives, he said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah too reached out, saying the Narendra Modi government is dedicated to farmers and the three central farm laws would ensure a manifold hike in their earnings. Since coming to power, the Modi government had increased the budget for the farm sector and also the minimum support price (MSP) for various crops, he said at an event in Bagalkote district in Karnataka.

"I want to say that if there is any big priority of the Narendra Modi government it is to double the farmers' income," he said. The apex is also likely to take up the issue of a member recusing himself from the panel appointed by it to end the impasse between the agitating farmer unions and central government and may appoint another person in his place.

The committee has received the terms of reference and will begin its work from January 21, its member Anil Ghanwat said. "We are meeting on January 19 at the Pusa campus. Only members will meet to decide the future course of action," Ghanwat, President of Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra), told PTI.

"One of the four members has backed out of the committee. If the apex court does not appoint a new member, the existing members will continue," he said. Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann had recused himself from the committee last week. Apart from Ghanwat, agri-economists Ashok Gulati and Pramod Kumar Joshi are the other panel members.

On Saturday, farmer union, Bhartiya Kisan Union Lokshakti, filed an affidavit requesting the top court to remove the remaining three members of the committee and select people who can do the job "on the basis of mutual harmony". The farmers' body said the principle of natural justice is going to be violated as those appointed to the four-member committee "have already supported these laws".

It has also sought dismissal of a plea of the central government, filed though the Delhi Police, seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor march on January 26. Addressing a press conference in Nagpur, BKU leader Tikait noted that they had welcomed the SC's stay on the implementation of the farm laws, but said the committee formed by the apex court has members who "supported" the farm bills.

"We do not want to go before the committee formed by the court. The government has also said that the government and farmers will find a solution on this issue," he said. Dismissing allegations that the protest was being fuelled by "rich farmers", Tikait said people from villages and various outfits have joined the agitation.

"This is an ideological revolution that started from Delhi and will not fail. Farmers from villages do not want us to return until the three farm bills are taken back," he said. "The government is adamant on its stance of not withdrawing the bills and this agitation will continue for long," Tikait added.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various border points of Delhi against the three laws  the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act. Asked about the government holding parallel talks with protesting farmer unions after the setting up of the SC panel, its member Ghanwat said, "We have no issue if a solution is found and the protests end from either (efforts of) our panel or from the government's separate talks with the protesting farmer unions." "Let (Government) them continue the discussion, we have been given a duty and we will focus on that," he added.

So far, the government has held nine rounds of formal talks with 41 farmer unions but has failed to break the logjam as the latter have stuck to their main demand of a complete repeal of the three Acts. In the last meeting, the Centre had suggested that the unions constitute their own informal group to prepare a concrete proposal on the three farm laws for further discussion at their next meeting on January 19 to end the long-running protest at various Delhi borders.

Meanwhile, farmer union leader Darshan Pal Singh alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is filing cases against those who are part of the protest or supporting it. "All farmer unions condemn this," Pal said, referring to the NIA summons reportedly issued to a farmer union leader in a case related to the banned Sikhs For Justice outfit.

Asked about the issue, Tikait said, "Those who want to be part of the agitation must be ready for court cases, imprisonment and sealing of property." He said the farmers had to start the agitation as the opposition parties were weak. The Congress also alleged that the NIA is now being used against farmers and said they will not be cowed down by their notices.

Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala questioned the government's intention behind sending notices to farmers from agencies meant to probe terrorists. Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms aimed at increasing farmers' income, but the protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislation would weaken the minimum support price (MSP) and "mandi" (wholesale market) systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.

.

(With PTI inputs)
A body has been found in the search for missing teenager Santino Hogan, 16, who disappeared two days ago.

The teenager, known to friends and family as Sonny, left his home in Glenfarg, Perth and Kinross, around 6pm on Friday evening.

A body was then found in a park within the village at 2pm today, Police Scotland said.

Officers believe it to be Sonny, although formal identification is yet to take place.

A spokesperson for Tayside Police Division said: "Around 2pm on Sunday 17 January the body of a male was found in a park in Glenfarg.

The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
By Jamie McGeever and Pedro Fonseca

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian health regulator Anvisa on Sunday approved emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines from China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd and Britain's AstraZeneca, clearing the way for immunizations as the pandemic enters a deadly second wave.

Minutes after Anvisa's board voted unanimously to approve both vaccines, Monica Calazans, a 54-year-old nurse in Sao Paulo, became the first person to be inoculated in the country, receiving the Chinese vaccine known as CoronaVac.

President Jair Bolsonaro, a coronavirus skeptic who has refused to take a vaccine himself, is under growing pressure to start inoculations in Brazil, which has lost more than 200,000 to COVID-19  the worst death toll outside the United States.

(Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi)

Delays with vaccine shipments and testing results have held up vaccinations in the country, once a global leader in mass immunizations and now a regional laggard after countries such as Chile and Mexico started giving shots last month.

Bolsonaro's government aims to kick off a national immunization program this week but is waiting on shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine at the center of its plans. That has added to public frustration and offered a political rival the chance to upstage the right-wing president.

Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, who oversees the Butantan biomedical center that is partnered with Sinovac in Brazil, said Anvisa's decision was a triumph for science as he gave the go-ahead for the first vaccination in his state.

"A victory for science. A victory for life. A victory for Brazil," Doria tweeted.

Bolsonaro, for whom Doria is a potential center-right rival to his 2022 re-election efforts, has taunted the governor over CoronaVac's disappointing 50% efficacy in Brazilian trials. But the federal Health Ministry has agreed to acquire and distribute the shot for the national immunization drive.

Story continues

Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello told a news conference that the rush to start vaccinating immediately was an illegal "marketing ploy" and the government would start distributing the vaccines to states on Monday, with the nationwide immunization plan beginning on Wednesday.

Brazil could eventually vaccinate 1 million people a day, he said.

Adding to the urgency for vaccinations, a second wave of the outbreak in Brazil is snowballing as the country confronts a new, potentially more contagious variant of the coronavirus that originated in Amazonas state and prompted Britain and Italy to bar entry to Brazilians.

Butantan, which is set up to fill and finish CoronaVac doses on its production line, plans to supply 46 million doses of the two-dose shot by April, the institute said in a statement. Some 6 million of those are ready to go.

The federally funded Fiocruz institute is still waiting for a delayed shipment of the active ingredient in the AstraZeneca vaccine for finishing on a Rio de Janeiro assembly line.

The Health Ministry has scrambled to line up 2 million ready doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India, but officials there have suggested it may take weeks to approve exports. Pazuello said on Sunday he expected the doses from India this week.

(Reporting by Eduardo Simoes in Sao Paulo, Pedro Fonseca in Rio de Janeiro, Jamie McGeever and Ricardo Brito in Brasilia; Editing by Brad Haynes, Lisa Shumaker and Peter Cooney)
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The Defence Headquarters of the Nigerian military said the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole has destroyed additional seven gun trucks, and eliminated scores of ISWAP terrorists who attempted to reinforce attack at Marte, in Borno.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, John Enenche, in a statement on Sunday, said the success came after the earlier destruction of seven gun trucks by combined ground and air operations.

Mr Enenche, a major general, said the troops had successfully repelled a Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), terrorists attack on Marte on the night of Jan. 15, into early hours of Jan.16.

He said the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) helicopter gunships had engaged the convoy of ISWAP gun trucks as they approached Marte axis for reinforcement.

According to him, the helicopters delivered accurate hits in their multiple waves of attack, obliterating no fewer than six additional gun trucks, which were seen engulfed in flames across the battle space.

Several other terrorists were mopped-up in follow-on attacks as the helicopter gunships continued to strafe the fleeing ISWAP elements.

The Armed Forces of Nigeria, operating in concert with other security agencies and stakeholders, will sustain the offensive against the enemies of our Great Nation.

We shall not relent until normalcy is restored, not only in the Northeast, but also in every other troubled part of our beloved country, Mr Enenche said.

(NAN)

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Sweat gushed out of every pore, forming a wet sheen like a frogs skin, as I futilely tried to touch my head to the floor while keeping my legs straight (Dandayamana Vibhaktapada Pascimottanasana, or standing separate leg stretching pose). My soaked clothes mightve weighed 10 kilos  though I only wore a threadbare T-shirt and shorts that used to be part of a pyjama set. I  and the 15 or so other people in the boiling room with mirrors all along one side (to better see our suffering, perhaps?)  smelled terrible. And yet, I was smiling.

Just let the sweat happen  feel all the gunk, all the toxins seeping out of the body!

The teacher, Sarah, may have had a point  but I felt like I was on fire.

The stretching and the heat is so good for you  its like power washing for your joints!

Ive been going to hot yoga classes every day for several weeks, struggling through 26 postures over 90 minutes in a room heated to more than 40 degrees Celsius. Im not very flexible, and usually hate exercise. Im certainly not the stereotypical yogi, ridiculously muscular, without a gramme of fat, fond of herbal teas, and typically female (or, if a guy, sporting a man bun).

But when my flatmate asked me to come along one spring evening, I thought itd be fun to give it a try. Stepping into the practice room, the heat was like walking into a sauna  so oppressive that I wasnt able to even think about being intimidated by other people; about halfway through, I genuinely wondered if I was going to collapse from heatstroke.

But the environment also felt so comfortable, so supportive (it helped the teacher only had words of encouragement when I could barely do any of the poses she guided us through). Afterwards, lying on my rented mat panting from exhaustion, I felt a surge of euphoria, and awoke the next day with more energy than Id had in years.

Fast-forward to the present. Im beginning to fall in love, and the benefits have been numerous.

My self-confidence has grown; just finishing each class feels like a tremendous accomplishment. Feeling my brain melt into mush as I can only focus on the teachers instructions has done wonders for reducing COVID-related anxiety. Ive learned the importance of self-love and body positivity  each class has people of all ages, body types and genders, and its especially inspiring to see older men with larger bodies.
The word 'vaccine' has been appearing in the media more often than at any time in human history. And for good reason. Mass vaccination is the only sure-fire way out of Covid-19, which is something we all so desperately want.

So where are we at? The vaccine roll-out proceeds apace. As of midnight on January 13, 77,303 vaccine doses were administered, with 69,378 of them to frontline healthcare workers. There should be 70,000 residents and staff in 589 long-term care facilities vaccinated by January 24. Beyond that, the Health Minister has said that the current plan is to vaccinate 700,000 people by the end of March. This will cover the top three groups on the prioritisation list - those in long-term residential care (staff and residents), frontline healthcare workers, and those aged over 70.

This is predicted to have a huge effect on the mortality rate - as much as a 90pc decrease. Beyond that, the plan is to vaccinate four million people by the end of September. Wake me up when September ends. GPs, pharmacists, and what are being called MVCs - Mass Vaccination Centres - will all be deployed.

All being well, Ireland will have achieved a huge level of vaccination against Covid-19, surely by Christmas. Think of that for a moment. The week before Christmas 2021 will see the announcement that the greatest number of people in the history of Ireland will have been vaccinated in less than one year.

Normal life

A key question is: will this mean life getting back to the way it was? This will still take a few months for two reasons, although gradually things will begin to return. We're still not fully sure that the vaccines will stop transmission of the virus. This is an important issue. It may appear odd. How can vaccines that we have heard are so great not be able to stop the virus spreading? This is because of how these vaccines work.

Your body mounts an immune response to the vaccine. That response will work especially well deep in your body. This means it will protect you from getting sick, because that only really happens when your lungs are infected, affecting your breathing. The vaccine has been injected into muscle in your arm, mobilising the immune system in your body. The trouble is, the immune troops may not make it to your nose in sufficient numbers, and so some virus might still grow there. Not enough to make you sick. But enough for you to maybe pass on the virus to someone else.

The unwanted viral guests will make it into the hallway of your house, but won't make it as far as your kitchen to eat your food. And they might leave your house and infect someone else's house, and penetrate deeper if they haven't been vaccinated, causing sickness.

We'll therefore have to keep up with the measures we've all been following until we feel more confident. There can be some relaxation as the level of illness and death falls, but we would be wise to keep up with everything for the next few months. We certainly can't use the prospect of vaccination as an excuse to let our guard down.

Optimism

There is room for optimism on the issue of transmission though. Even if some virus gets into your nose, it won't grow much and there may be some immune stragglers getting there which fight it. If you do spread it, the dose of virus coming from you will be low. This is good because it means that the person catching it won't get sick and it might help protect them, by triggering a mild immune reaction, a bit like a vaccine.

And even better, initial reports from Israel have shown that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine might decrease transmission by 33pc. Heading in the right direction, and the follow-on vaccines might be even better. Once we get to a large proportion of the population being vaccinated, anyone vaccinated who does get infected will only have mild symptoms, like the common cold, because the virus will only get as far as their noses and upper airways. In effect we might all turn into children, who when infected only have mild if any disease. If transmission is clearly blocked, that will be great as the R number will fall and spread will decrease substantially. This is especially important when the new variants are dominant, as they can spread more easily. In more vaccine news last week (it is unrelenting), signs are good that the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine works against the new variants.

All of this tells you one obvious thing. We must get as many people vaccinated as soon as we can. The first challenge is supply. The EU, our supplier, says this will not be a problem. Contracts were concluded to buy 600 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech, 400 million doses of the AstraZeneca, and 160 million doses of the Moderna vaccines. All of these vaccines work. And then there are orders for vaccines still being tested: 400 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson and 405 million doses of the CureVac vaccines.

This is plenty to vaccinate everyone in Europe (population: 741.1 million). And yet the EU has been criticised for not being aggressive enough in its efforts to acquire vaccines. Germany has done a side deal with Pfizer/BioNTech for 30 million extra doses in spite of the European Commission saying that EU countries should not 'launch their own procedures for advance purchase of vaccines', because the EU doesn't want countries with less money to be left behind. A laudable goal but clearly one that Germany has disregarded, presumably because of the seriousness of the situation in Germany.

If supply becomes an issue for Ireland, my colleague Kingston Mills has made the compelling suggestion that those in a low-risk group who have been infected already might wait a few weeks. This is because of more and more evidence emerging that infection will confer substantial protection against reinfection, particularly against illness. This makes sense should the vaccine supply be an issue, which hopefully will not be the case.

Everyone is looking in awe at Israel. They secured a supply of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine back in November, paying a premium price. They have now vaccinated two million people and will have vaccinated 5.2 million people by March 20. They will have achieved in March what Ireland is hoping to achieve possibly by June. It would be great if Ireland could get there sooner.

Logistics is the second issue but hopefully this is also well in hand. Our aim in the coming weeks has to be to improve on this timeline.

Hesitancy

There is a third issue. Hesitancy. This is still an understandable response and the way to alleviate it is through information and reassurance. There was also criticism last week of the information campaign. This is to be rolled out extensively in the coming days and is a key element. Transparency and clarity are key here. Also, to tell the public how it's all going by releasing the numbers of those vaccinated. The plan is to do this on a weekly basis, but I would favour daily.

Along with the grim tally of the case numbers, hospital admissions and deaths every night, why not give us the number of people vaccinated each day? Wouldn't that give everyone a little lift, and certainly tell us that we're making progress?

The Taoiseach has said the world will look very different in June when the vaccine roll-out is at an advanced stage. He told party colleagues this would give the Government more options when it comes to Covid-19 decisions. This can only happen if the health service delivers on the greatest challenge it has ever faced. We've started off well, with a vaccination rate second in Europe. Let's keep it up.

Luke O'Neill is professor of biochemistry in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College Dublin
Every adult in the UK will be offered a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine by September, Dominic Raab has pledged.

The Foreign Secretary said it would be great if the rollout could be faster but that the government was working to the early autumn target.

Northern Irelands vaccination programme has been one of the most successful across the globe.

The UK was one of the first nations to start vaccinating and Northern Ireland has been the quickest of all parts of the nation.

More than 110,000 people have been vaccinated here, with around 20,000 of those receiving their second dose.

Read More

In an interview on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Mr Raab said: Our target is by September to have offered all the adult population a first dose. If we can do it faster than that, great, but that's the roadmap.

More than 3.5 million people across the UK have now received their first dose of a vaccine and some 324,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines were administered in the space of 24 hours.

The Foreign Secretary also said people should not go on holiday as he stressed the NHS is "on the cusp".

"We've just got to stay at home as much as possible unless there are really strong, limited exceptional reasons for travelling domestically or internationally, and that's the way we get through to a better place."

When pressed on whether there would be enough vaccine supply for someone to get their second dose within 12 weeks, Mr Rabb said "we ought to" be able to deliver.

His comments came as another 1,295 deaths in the UK were reported on Saturday, the third-highest daily total since the pandemic began, but the lowest number of lab-confirmed cases this year was reported - 41,346.

A further 22 deaths and 705 cases of Covid-19 were reported by the Department of Health (DoH) on Saturday.

The DoH said the reporting of some cases may have been slightly lower than normal due to a technical issue.

The departments death toll here is at 1,581.




All travellers into the UK face being forced to quarantine in hotels under plans to further lock down Britain's borders.

Ministers have asked officials to prepare for the creation of quarantine hotels, where arrivals would self-isolate before being allowed out.

The fresh crackdown would further reduce the risk of virus variants entering the UK and undermining the vaccination drive, amid fears new strains could be resistant to the jabs.

It comes after variants emerged in South Africa and Brazil, with scientific advisers warning more are likely to develop and could be imported from around the world.

The Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies called for a change in quarantine rules in a report on Friday, saying the existing system of 'in effect, voluntary self-isolation' should be replaced as 'a matter of urgency'.

Instead 'a managed isolation system' would ensure 'the full period of isolation is completed'. The report said new strains highlighted 'international travel as a gaping hole in the UK's response to the pandemic'. The Independent SAGE group does not officially advise the Government and is separate from its advisers.

Travellers are allowed to use public transport or taxis after arriving into the UK. They are then supposed to quarantine for up to ten days, but the vast majority are not thought to have faced any checks.

The Sunday Times reported that a fresh quarantine crackdown, if introduced, could use GPS and facial-recognition technology to check people don't leave self-isolation.

Arrivals could be seen hugging loved ones after landing at Heathrow Airport today, hours before new Covid restrictions come into place making it harder to travel to the UK

From tomorrow, all passengers flying in to the UK will have to provide a negative Covid-19 test

Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said the quarantine system 'is costing people an awful lot of money' and is costing 'multiples of what it used to cost to fly in and out of Australia'

Australia's quarantine system and how a sex scandal prompted a second wave Entry to Australia is closed except to citizens and those with an exemption - with all travellers required to quarantine for 14 days. The quarantine takes place at a designated facility, such as a hotel. Accommodation is pre-arranged and not up to travellers to book. In some parts of the country, travellers are expected to pay toward the cost of their stay. Testing takes place on day two and 10 of the isolation period, with a negative test allowing people to leave on day 14. While 14 days is the standard amount of time in isolation, people who refuse to comply can be held for up to 24 days. Last summer a second-wave of Covid in Melbourne was revealed to be caused by security guards at one of the designated facilities sleeping with quarantined guests and taking them to nearby shops. Premier of the state of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, told the Herald Sun in July that there had been a 'handful' of breaches by staff at hotels including Stamford Plaza and Rydges on Swanston hotel, also in Melbourne, where isolated travellers were staying. The scandal plunged Melbourne back into lockdown after 31 cases of Covid were linked to the Stamford Plaza. Advertisement

Any new measures would follow the scrapping of 'travel corridors' announced by Boris Johnson on Friday.

All arrivals will have to provide a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of travel or be banned entering the UK. Both measures came into force at four o'clock this morning. Those flouting the rules face fines of between 200 and 6,400.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: 'We keep all measures under review.'

It comes as a senior Tory MP today warned Australia-style quarantine will have a 'real impact' on millions of lives and said the system will 'have a very severe impact on the travel industry around the world'.

Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said the quarantine system 'is costing people an awful lot of money' and is costing 'multiples of what it used to cost to fly in and out of Australia'.

Speaking to Speaking to Krishnan Guru-Murthy on Channel 4 News, he said: 'This is going to have a real impact on many people's lives and anybody who's got friends who have been to Australia or has family in Australia or New Zealand knows the impact this has had.

'So this is something I'm glad the Government has taken with extreme caution.

'That's why I'm absolutely clear that many other aspects of the Government's powder-keg needs to be used including aid spending to make sure we spread out quite a lot of these vaccines as soon as we can.;

Mr Tugendhat added: 'This is costing people an awful lot of money. It means a stay in a hotel can be, in Australia it can be a few thousand dollars.

'Now if you add that onto the cost of flight and onto the cost of tests and all the rest of it you're talking multiples of what it used to cost to fly in and out of Australia and I suspect it's going to have a very severe impact on the travel industry around the world.'

It comes as travellers flew into the UK to beat the 4am deadline tomorrow.

Arrivals could be seen hugging loved ones as they landed at Heathrow following a busy morning in the departures lounge.

Earlier today passengers were queuing in the departures lounge, as a travel consultant warned there were 'bumpy days ahead,' when new travel rules come into place.

Departures were expected to be busier as business travellers fly-out on Sundays ahead of the working week.

More arrivals are expected later this evening after thousands flew in to the UK yesterday ahead of Monday's restrictions. Travellers could be seen waiting for their results after taking tests inside Terminal 5.

Queues at Heathrow today come amid concerns that most UK arrivals are going unchecked for Covid compliance by Border Force.

From tomorrow, passengers will need to provide a negative result from a PCR, LAMP or lateral-flow test in order to travel in to the UK. Arrivals at Heathrow were able to pass through untested today

Arrivals from Dubai landed at Manchester Airport this afternoon ahead of new Covid-19 restrictions

From 4am tomorrow passengers will have to hand over a negative Covid-19 test certificate to check-in staff before flying to the UK.

Guidance on the Government website states it must meet standards on 'specificity and sensitivity' of 90 per cent and 87 per cent respectively.

Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, told MailOnline: 'There's likely to be some very bumpy days ahead where travellers coming in will face some confusion over their tests.

'Airline staff are not medical experts and I expect there will be some confusion over whether the Covid test certificates meet the specifity and sensitivity requirements that the Government has set out.

'I'd advise to anyone arriving in Britain is before they pack their bags, to check the Government website and make sure they get the right test before flying out.'

The Government has pointed out PCR, LAMP and lateral-flow tests are all acceptable methods.

Border Force is stepping up checks on passengers arriving in the UK from next week, with arrivals expected to quarantine for up to 10 days

Passengers travelling through Heathrow Airport could be seen waiting for the result of their Covid-19 test this morning

Queues stretched far back as people dashed to fly out of the UK before travel corridors close tomorrow. The closure means people will only be able to arrive the UK if they have tested negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours of their flight

As passengers queued at Heathrow's Terminal 5, figures revealed just 247 fines had been handed out to people who broke quarantine rules since the start of the pandemic

Testing is in place for arrivals and departures at Heathrow, but there are concerns rules requiring passengers to provide a negative Covid result could cause confusion at check-in desks abroad

While departures remains busy, there is a quieter flow of arrivals at Heathrow Airport today

Officials have been told to prepare to use facial-recognition and GPS technology in order to ensure people stay in isolation when they arrive in the country.

Passengers are being asked to complete online passenger locator forms to tell officials where they are staying after arriving in the UK.

But MPs have heard just one in 10 of the forms are checked by Border Force, while police officers told to visit addresses for potential breaches of quarantine simply walk away if no one answers - with no follow up investigation.

Since the start of the pandemic, millions of people have flown in to the UK, but just 247 fines have been handed out to people flouting quarantine rules.

MP David Morris told The Sun: 'We are past the stage of being able to trust people to isolate if the system is not being policed.

'We should ramp up the fines or follow Australia's lead and take travellers straight to secure hotels.'

The Department for Transport has said tomorrow's measures will come alongside increased enforcement, both at the border and across the country.

Border Force is expected to increase the number of spot checks carried out on passengers arriving in the country.

Visitors will have to pay for the hotel stays themselves under the proposed plans.

Testing facilities have been set up at Heathrow Airport, offering arrivals the chance to cut the number of quarantine days from 10 to five

With airlines taking short trips to Edinburgh and Newcastle today, some passengers may have been taking connecting flights before tomorrow's travel restrictions come into place

Officials have been told to prepare to use facial-recognition and GPS technology in order to ensure people stay in isolation when they arrive in the country

Civil servants were told to study New Zealand's policy of 'directed isolation', reported the Sunday Times.

Arrivals are charged with stay at an airport hotel and forced to remain in isolation for two weeks in the country.

In Australia, travellers are charged between 1,500 and 2,500 for isolation hotel stays of between 14 and 24 days.

Civil servants also discussed Poland's 'enhanced isolation' system, in which people are contacted daily and told to send a picture of themselves where they are isolating.

The pictures are cross-referenced using GPS data and facial-recognition software and are visited by police within 20 minutes if they fail to comply.

Officials discussed the ideas at a meeting on Thursday and it is understood the technology would be confined to new arrivals, not anyone ordered to self-isolate in the UK.

The current regime announced on Friday in the UK means people arriving will still have to isolate for 10 days even if they have had a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours - or five if they have another negative result during that period.

All passengers are asked to fill out locator forms to ensure they follow lockdown rules, but it new figures reveal Border Force checks just one in 10 of the documents. Pictured: Heathrow's depature lounge this morning

MPs have called for fines to be 'ramped up,' for those who do not follow the UK's quarantine rules

Travellers queued to fly out of London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday as new rules on arrivals begin from 4am tomorrow morning

All arrivals to the UK could face staying in new quarantine hotels under plans to reduce the transmission of new coronavirus variants

The ban will be backed by tougher spot checks and will stay in place until at least February 15 as ministers and scientists work out how to manage the threat posed by mutations of the virus.

Yesterday it was revealed that 11 Britons have had one of the variants that have sprung up in Brazil - although it is not yet clear how much of a threat it poses.

Travellers from South America, Portugal, some of central America and South Africa are already barred from coming to the country.

Earlier, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps defended the timing of the South America border ban amid complaints ministers have been 'behind the curve' responding to the threat of new Covid variants.

The ban also covers the Central American state of Panama and Portugal  due to its strong travel links with Brazil  and the former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde.

It applies to everyone who has been in the area over the past 10 days - although UK and Irish nationals are exempt - and came into force at 4am.

Two students landed at Manchester Airport with full PPE as they landed from their Dubai flight and are heading to York University

Scientists analysing the Brazilian variant believe the mutations it shares with the new South African strain are associated with a rapid increase in cases in locations where there have already been large outbreaks of the disease.

British and Irish nationals and others with residence rights are exempted from the measures that were backed by the Scottish and Welsh governments, though they must self-isolate for 10 days along with their households on their return.

Mr Shapps described the ban as a 'precautionary' measure to ensure the vaccination programme rolling out across the UK was not disrupted by new variants of the virus.

Asked if the Brazilian strain was currently in the country, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Not as far as we are aware, I think, at this stage.

'There haven't been any flights that I can see from the last week from Brazil, for example.'
Planet will not be the same after COVID-19: PM Modi

100 ex-civil servants write to PM over transparency in PM-CARES fund

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

New Delhi, Jan 17: A group of as many as 100 former civil servants wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, raising questions regarding the transparency in PM-CARES fund.

"It's essential that the position and stature of the Prime Minister is kept intact by ensuring total transparency in all dealings [he] is associated with," the group wrote in the letter.

The letter has been signed by 100 former civil servants including former IAS officers Anita Agnihotri, S P Ambrose, Sharad Behar, Sajjad Hassan, Harsh Mander, P Joy Oommen, Aruna Roy, former diplomats Madhu Bhaduri, K P Fabian, Deb Mukharji, Sujatha Singh, and former IPS officers A S Dulat, P G J Nampoothiri, and Julio Ribeiro among others.

"We have been keenly following the ongoing debate about the Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations, or 'PM-CARES'.

Both the purpose for which it has been created as well as the way it has been administered have left a number of questions unanswered," they said in the letter.

The Opposition has also been relentlessly attacking the PM CARES fund questioning its transparency and demanding that it should be merged with the PM National Relief Fund.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had lashed out at the Centre last year after the PMO had turned down an RTI request concerning the PM CARES fund.

PM-CARES was set up by Centre on March 28, 2020. PM Modi is the Chairman of the trust while the Defence Minister, Home Minister, and Finance Minister are the other members. All citizens including individuals, corporates, and organizations can contribute to this fund to augment the relief efforts in the wake of the novel Coronavirus crisis. One can donate via bank transfer, UPI, Debit, and Credit Cards, and Internet banking.

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Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2021, 14:17 [IST]
This feature has been produced in partnership with Automobili Lamborghini.

Lamborghini has always been known as the bedroom poster brand. Theres just no other marque quite like it for high-speed devotees.

The Italian brands automobiles are just as famous for their dramatic, distinctive designs as they are for their earth-shattering performance and technological innovation. The Miura, the Countach, the Diablo, the Aventador These machines continue to inspire car fans around the world. If you want a car thats going to turn heads, Lamborghini is the first brand that comes to mind.

Their newest machine, the sleek yet spicy Huracan, continues that long Lamborghini tradition of making the most insanely beautiful automobiles on the market. The Huracan in any guise is a stunning car, but the newest example of the breed  the Huracan EVO RWD Spyder  is the best of the bunch, and might just be the most eye-catching car in Australia.

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Everyone stops and stares as you drive past or park. You even hear kids scream ooh Lamborghini, sick! It just makes people smile. Get behind the wheel and youll soon be smiling too: take the top down, let that 5.2L V10 hum and those rear wheels spin, and youve got an instant good vibes creator.
Accusing Union Home Minister



of an anti-Kannada attitude, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday asked him to clarify to the people of regarding the local language not finding place on the foundation stone plaque of the RAF unit in Bhadravathi, which he inaugurated.

Hitting out at Chief Minister and his Deputy Govind Karjol for ignoring the same, he said in a series of tweets that those who tolerate insult to the dignity and honour of the land as well as its language were not fit to hold the reins of the state's administration, as he accused them of "betraying" Kannadigas.

Shah on Saturday had laid the foundation stone of a new battalion campus of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) near Bhadravathi in Shivamogga district in the presence of Yediyurappa, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Karjol among others.

"...the inscription plaque unveiled on the occasion to mark the foundation stone laying is in only Hindi and English. It clearly shows that Kannada has been ignored though the foundation stone that has been laid in Karnataka," Kumaraswamy tweeted.

Stating that it is the responsibility of the centre to show due respect towards the languages of the states as our country has adopted the three-language formula, he said, but violation of such a sensitive norm by the union Home Minister himself is an insult to the Kannada language as well as Kannadigas.

"The behaviour of Mr Shah who has ignored Kannada in the process of providing prominence to English and Hindi indicates an anti-Kannada attitude. It is an insult to the pride of Kannadigas. It is that has given land for the Centre's RAF unit," the former Chief Minister pointed out.

"It is an unpardonable act that despite getting land from for the RAF unit, Kannada has been completely ignored in the foundation stone plaque," he said, adding should clarify to Kannadiagas on the episode of violation of three-language formula in the foundation stone plaque.

The Karnataka government has provided a 50.29-acre land for the headquarters of the 97th battalion of the RAF, the blue dungaree wearing special anti-riots wing of the Central Reserve Police Force.

Kumaraswamy said, it is "highly condemnable" that even the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister who were present on the occasion chose to ignore dignity and honour of our land and its language.

"Those who tolerate insult to the dignity and honour of land as well as its language are not fit to hold the reins of state's administration. The act and behaviour of the Union Home Minister, Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister are nothing but betraying Kannadigas," he added.

Kumaraswamy had earlier too had been very critical of the alleged Hindi imposition and discrimination against the people of other languages, especially from the south.

Terming "Hindi Diwas" celebration as an "underhand method" to impose the language on people speaking other languages, he had in September demanded its cancellation.

The JD(S) leader had also asked as to how much more people of other languages including Kannadigas have to "sacrifice" in this country for not knowing Hindi.

(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 Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday said the rest of the health workers in the state will get COVID-19 vaccines by January 22. Speaking to reporters here, Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Navneet Sehgal said, "The anti-COVID vaccination drive in the state started on January 16, and rest of the health workers will get vaccinated by January 22. There should be no rumours regarding vaccination." He added that the vaccination drive in the state is being done as per the Centre's guidelines, and there will be no change as far as the vaccine shots are concerned.

A total of 20,076 healthcare workers at the frontline of India's COVID-19 battle got their first jabs in UP on Saturday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching the world's largest vaccination drive against the pandemic. CM Yogi Adityanath had on Saturday visited the Balrampur Hospital in Lucknow and reviewed the vaccination drive where the first doses were administered to Dr Praveen Kumar and staff nurse Geeta Devi. Adityanath also interacted with the hospital staff.

Sehgal also informed that the state conducted only 72 tests in March last year and it has now increased to 18,000 per day.



President-elect Biden's covid relief plan unveiled $1.9 trillion to stop the virus and improve vaccine capabilities and create emergency funds.

These are three key goals of the costly covid relief plan legislation: $400 billion to stop the spread of COVD-19 and improve vaccine capabilities; over $1 trillion to benefit families who need immediate financial support; and $440 billion in emergency funds for small businesses and neighborhoods that are cash-poor.

"I believe we have the moral obligation," Biden said in his speech last Thursday night in Delaware. "In this pandemic in America, we can't let the people go hungry, we can't let people get evicted, we can't watch nurses and educators lose their jobs too." he continued.

President-elect Biden calls for an extra $1,400 in stimulus checks for Americans in his "American Rescue" proposal, in addition to the $600 already accepted, raising the total stimulus to $2,000. Other financial assistance includes boosting unemployment benefits by $100, taking the total to $400 a week, and to increase the child tax credit to $3,000 per child.

It shoehorns the long-term priorities of Democratic reform, such as raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, extending workers' paid leave, and raising tax benefits for families with children. The last item will make it easier for women to go back to work, allowing the economy to recover in turn.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer thanked Biden for including liberal priorities in a joint statement, promising that after Biden takes office next Wednesday, they will move quickly to pass it. But in both Congress houses, Democrats have slim margins, and Republicans will fight back on issues ranging from raising the minimum wage to supplying states with more cash while insisting that their priorities, such as corporate liability protection, be included.

In his first 100 days, Biden had previously vowed to produce 100 million vaccines, but it would take years if vaccines were not still delivered faster in December. The US will need to "ramp up five to six times the current pace to 1 million shots a day," to meet its target, he said.

With a $50 billion investment, Biden intends to extend COVID-19 research, and the document reiterated his dedication to ensuring that tests are available for free to all Americans.

The investment involves the procurement of quick tests to produce faster results, expand laboratory resources to handle further tests, and introduce systematic testing procedures in schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and local governments.

The president-elect also plans to introduce emergency paid sick, family, and medical leave, stabilize emergency support for childcare centers with $25 billion, and avoid COVID-related evictions.

His new covid relief plan legislation will also launch his campaign to eliminate the tipped minimum wage and a nationwide minimum wage of $15.

READ MORE: Man With Unauthorized Inauguration Credentials and Loaded Handgun Arrested by US Capitol Police

On Thursday, Biden also laid the groundwork for how his administration would improve the vaccine delivery method. "The vaccine rollout in the United States has been a dismal failure so far," Biden said.

Biden is proposing $400 billion to improve the vaccine system, emphasizing growing the number of distribution sites for community vaccines. An incoming senior official from the Biden administration reiterated confidence that providing 100 million vaccine shots will be reached in the first 100 days.

This is the first of two bills intended to fix COVID-19 by Biden. In a joint session of Congress on Thursday evening, Biden said he would introduce his "recovery" bill in February.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
After paving the way for a new era of 'Covid-free' concerts in the summer of last year, the Starlite Catalana Occidente festival is set to return this summer to celebrate its ten-year anniversary in Marbella.

Due to be held between 2 July and 28 August, this festival has already announced an array of international stars, many of whom were unable to travel to Spain last year because of Covid-19 restrictions. So far, the confirmed international lineup includes iconic faces such as Lionel Richie, Tom Jones, Passenger, Ozuna, Simple Minds, Sebastian Yatra, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Maluma, Il Divo, Ara Malikian and Bonnie Tyler (although her postponed performance date is yet to be confirmed).

National stars such as Raphael, Pablo Lopez, Rozalen, Aitana and David Bisbal will also grace the auditorium stage for the 2021 edition of the Marbella boutique festival.

Starlite prides itself as one of the few "emblematic festivals" held worldwide in demonstrating how a "safe culture" can be implanted in the live music industry.

The founder, Sandra Garcia-Sanjuan, previously commented on how they have adapted their venue to be safer in the light of social distancing guidelines.

With capacity reduced to 1,500 spectators per concert and no recorded incidents related to Covid-19 last year, Garcia-Sanjuan said, "Starlite Catalana Occidente's rigorous compliance with health regulations has led it to be an example throughout the world of the return of live music to the stage."

Tickets already purchased for postponed concerts last year will remain valid for the new dates, or they can even be exchanged for any other festival performance. Seats are now on sale on the festival's website with a wide choice of options up to VIP boxes.

Alongside the concert experience the venue continues its traditional blend of music, culture and gastronomy in its wide selection of "gastro spaces", which include "finger foods, signature tapas and trendy cuisine". Alternatively, the Starlite Restaurant, with reservation availability, is open both before and after the concerts.
WHAT IS KENJA COMMUNICATIONS?

KEN DYERS

CORNELIA RAU

RICHARD LEAPE

MICHAEL BEAVER

KENJA RESPONDS

ALL ABOUT CONTROL

One of the countrys most controversial spiritual groups has sparked outrage by refusing to join the National Redress Scheme for victims of child sexual abuse.Alexis CareyNEWS.com.auJANUARY 10, 2021Australian survivors of child sexual abuse have been dealt a major blow after three organisations  including one labelled cult-like  refused to participate in a compensation program.The National Redress Scheme for victims of child sexual abuse was established in 2018 in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.It helps people who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse access counselling, a direct personal response from the institution in question, and a payment of up to $150,000.However, three organisations failed to meet the December 31, 2020 deadline to join the scheme, Fairbridge Restored Limited, Jehovahs Witnesses and Kenja Communication, which means survivors will be locked out of compensation.Of the three, Kenja  a communications training group consistently described as a cult by ex-members and critics  is the only one to deny sexual abuse occurred within its ranks.Kenja has decided not to join the National Redress Scheme because we are firmly of the belief that no child sexual abuse has ever taken place at Kenja, co-founder Jan Hamilton told news.com.au in a statement.Whilst we agree with the objectives of compensating child sex abuse victims, it is not appropriate in our view where genuine claims do not exist.One of the co-founders, Ken Dyers, fought false allegations of child sexual abuse over many years and was exonerated by the courts.Ms Hamilton has also repeatedly denied that Kenja is a cult.While the decision has sparked public anger, its just the latest in a series of high-profile scandals to hit the secretive organisation over the years.Described as a training facility for people who want to develop their ability to be more effective or cause over their lives, Kenja was founded in Australia in 1982 by Ken Dyers and his partner Jan Hamilton.There are centres in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, and the groups website emphatically denies it is a religious group or cult, instead insisting Kenja training views self-determinism as an imperative for personal growth.Among Kenjas most controversial practices are energy conversion meditation and Kenja klowning, with the former described online as the spirit in action which involves viewing the physical world with spiritual detachment and experiencing energy in its various forms.But a number of former members have claimed the sessions with Ken Dyers were one-on-one, with participants  including women and children  fully naked.Sometimes wed be processed naked in one-on-one sessions  Ken said it helped energy flow freely through the body. Once, when I woke from the fog of a naked processing session, Ken was lying on top of me with his trousers and underpants around his ankles. But my Kenjan mind-training kicked in and I immediately dismissed the idea hed acted inappropriately, reasoning I could trust Ken and, if hed touched me, Id remember it, former member Annette Stephens wrote in a 2012 article published by news.com.au.According to Kenja, in a Klowning class, exercises provide an opportunity for each person, through the non-threatening avenue of laughter and humour, to locate and let go of behaviours which are self-destructive and often unconscious.The co-founder faced a string of child sexual abuse charges over the years, although he was only convicted of one charge, which was then overturned after appeal.In 1992 Liberal MP Stephen Mutch described Dyers in Parliament as a seedy conman selling mumbo-jumbo garbage and in 1993, Dyers was charged with 11 counts of sexual assault against four girls before being acquitted.In 2005 Dyers was charged with another 22 counts, but the case was deferred after the NSW District Court ordered a mental health assessment.Dyers took his own life in 2007 at the age of 85 after being informed by police that new allegations had been made against him.Ms Hamilton then attempted to sue the state of NSW for damages, alleging a letter sent to her husband by police amounted to misfeasance in public office.However, her claim failed in June 2020, with the NSW Supreme Court declaring it was not satisfied that the sending of the letter was conducted with an intention to cause harm.In 2005, Kenja was in the spotlight again after mentally ill former member Cornelia Rau was detained by the Australian government for 10 months due to a bizarre misunderstanding.Authorities assumed the German-born Australian resident was an illegal immigrant and did not realise her mental health struggles, which led to her detention.Ms Rau was eventually released in 2005, and in the same year her sister Christine told The Age she blamed Kenja for her siblings decline.It was while she was with them that she started getting sick, she told the publication, adding Kenja seemed very secretive and wouldnt talk to her about her sister.Sydney schoolteacher Richard Leape is another mentally ill Kenja member who vanished and sadly, has not been seen since 1993.Mr Leape was being treated for schizophrenia during his involvement in the organisation, and his family also shared concerns about its methods.In a 2005 Daily Telegraph article, Mr Leapes sister Annette said her brothers case was reminiscent of Ms Raus.Im appalled to read this organisation is still in existence and have grave concerns that there may be many other persons who have had contact and so-called therapies with this organisation, and developed very serious mental illnesses, she said at the time.Yet another tragedy linked to Kenja involves Michael Beaver, who was a member for two years and who was also diagnosed with schizophrenia.He later took his own life, alleging in a suicide note that Kenja was partly to blame.In a statement sent to news.com.au, Jan Hamilton insisted Cornelia Rau, Richard Leape and Michael Beaver had participated with great joy and happiness in the Kenja activities.Due to personal circumstances they left Kenja, she said in a statement.However there was no animosity at the time of their departure. In no way was Kenja responsible for the personal difficulties which they encountered, years after they left Kenja.It is reprehensible that people are blaming Kenja for these individuals personal difficulties to further their hostile agendas against Kenja.Ms Hamilton also denied that Kenja was a cult.Over many years Kenja has been subjected to attack by some people who have referred to it as a cult and dangerous. These attacks began with a hostile Liberal Member of parliament, Mr Stephen Mutch, in 1992 who described Kenja as a dangerous cult, she said.Mr Mutch now operates a business called Cult Consulting Australia. Since that time a handful of disgruntled people, along with so-called anti-cult organisations, have attempted to discredit and disparage Kenja, Ken Dyers and myself.Many thousands of people however have participated in Kenja and speak highly of its benefits and contributions to the improvement of their lives. These people come from many walks of life and we would be happy for you to meet with some of them to talk to them about their experiences in Kenja over decades.Ms Hamilton claimed that Kenja had spent decades helping people.A particular focus of Kenjas activities over 40 years has been the positive development and fulfilment of the lives of young people, she wrote.Kenja fosters an environment of caring and humanity, which many people who spent their childhoods participating in Kenja can testify to.Regrettably, over the years we have had a small number of disgruntled people who have sought to vent their hostility towards our organisation, which has given rise to false sex abuse allegations. Those allegations which were contested in rigorous legal proceedings were thrown out by the Courts.Tore Klevjer, a registered counsellor specialising in religious abuse, extremism and control who assists former cult members, told news.com.au cults were typically defined by the power they exercise over members rather than a particular belief system.Cults are all about control, he explained, adding there was not a particular personality type that was more susceptible.He said people were more vulnerable to cults at particularly needy points in their lives, such as when they faced a crossroads, and said when a person was initially drawn to a cult, they were usually love bombed at first.They are treated like they are very special, which is very welcome if youve spent your life not feeling very special, he said.Its a big drawcard, and from here control slowly starts to take place.People are asked to renounce certain things, to disengage from their family and friends, they often give excessive amounts of money to the group and their time is (managed) so they have less time to spend with other people.Mr Klevjer said cults tend to alienate people from their loved ones, and said those who left cults often experienced symptoms such as post traumatic stress, anxiety, depression and phobias and had difficulty readjusting to normal life.He urged those affected by cults to seek professional support and recommended Cult Information and Family Support Inc (CIFS) as a valuable resource.
Health staff who are administering the Covid-19 vaccine in long-term care settings across the country have been told it is not appropriate to give it to residents whose duration of life may be shorter than the length of time it will take for the jab to work.

The advice is being issued by HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry following 23 deaths of a number of very frail elderly patients in Norway after getting the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency (NOMA) said there is no certain connection between the deaths and the vaccine but there is a possibility that common adverse reactions that are not unusual could aggravate underlying illness in the elderly.

It said it was not alarmed or worried because they are very rare cases and they occurred in very frail patients with very serious disease.

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In a letter to clinicians Dr Henry said: Given that the benefit from vaccination begins only about 1014 days following the first dose and full protection is not achieved until 7-14 days following the second dose of vaccine currently in use, it is not appropriate to vaccinate people if their expected duration of life is less than that for the vaccine to take effect and if, in that context, their overall care is focused on comfort and dignity.

He said that to date well over 10 million Covid-19 vaccines have been administered globally, with vaccination programmes prioritising those at high risk, including older people.

All events reported as possible side effects following vaccination are being closely monitored. It is important to note that fatalities will occur from natural causes or background illnesses, and will continue to do so, during any vaccination campaign.

Dr Henry said NOMA and the Norwegian National Institute of Public Health have reported 23 deaths connected temporally with the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine of which 13 have been assessed.

The reports suggest that common adverse reactions to mRNA vaccines, such as fever and nausea, may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some very frail elderly individuals.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee has reviewed the available information and has advised that the vaccination rollout should continue as planned and reiterate that, as in all situations, a careful, individual assessment of the risk/benefit ratio for those receiving a Covid-19 vaccine should be carried out.

All members of the vaccination team should have undergone appropriate training regarding vaccinations and the management of immediate reactions.

They should be aware of situations where vaccines are contraindicated and precautions to be taken. Vaccine should be deferred in people with acute febrile illness, those who are acutely unwell until recovery, and for four weeks following diagnosis of Covid-19, he added.

Residential care facility staff should be aware of expected side effects following administration of a vaccine and should be familiar with the processes following vaccination.

Specifically, they should know who to contact if a resident becomes unwell following vaccination and the reporting process for any adverse events.

In addition, given that the benefit from vaccination begins only about 1014 days following the first dose and full protection is not achieved until 7-14 days following the second dose of vaccine currently in use, it is not appropriate to vaccinate people if their expected duration of life is less than that for the vaccine to take effect and if, in that context, their overall care is focused on comfort and dignity, he added.

Dr Henry said that matters relating to decisions on the potential benefit or otherwise of the vaccine for those who are extremely frail and/or approaching end of life should form part of the considerations during the consent process with the patient, and in consultation with their families as appropriate, and may need input of more than one healthcare professional.

Liaison between the persons GP and the nursing staff of the long-term residential care facility may be required to provide the best advice to support the process of consent to vaccination. Where the vaccination is deferred or declined on the basis of this process, a note should be made in the persons healthcare record.

The HSE plans to concentrate the roll-out of the vaccine this week more on long-term care facilities than in hospitals.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the plan is that all nursing home residents will have received their first vaccination dose by next Sunday.

In a statement Pfizer and BioNTech said they are aware of reported deaths following administration of the vaccine.

We are working with the Norwegian Medicines Agency (NOMA) to gather all the relevant information.

Norwegian Authorities have prioritised the immunisation of residents in nursing homes, most of whom are very elderly with underlying medical conditions and some which are terminally ill.

NOMA confirm the number of incidents so far is not alarming, and in line with expectations. All reported deaths will be thoroughly evaluated by NOMA to determine if these incidents are related to the vaccine. Norwegian Health Authorities have now changed its recommendation in relation to vaccination of the terminally ill. Our immediate thoughts are with the bereaved families.
Visva Bharti asks Bengal govt to measure Amartya Sens Santiniketan plot

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Kolkata, Jan 17: Amid the controversy over Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's family being in "illegal" possession of land in Visva-Bharati campus, the central university on Saturday demanded that the West Bengal government measure the plot to resolve the issue.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Bidyut Chakraborty is being subjected to criticism for going on a drive to recover illegally occupied land which rightfully belongs to the institute, Visva-Bharati Officiating Registrar Ashok Mahato said in a statement.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and several prominent intellectuals of the state have expressed support to the economist on the row.

The statement said, "We demand the surveyor of the Land and Land reforms department of government of West Bengal measure the plot" and this should be done as soon as possible to permanently resolve the dispute.

A controversy had erupted on December 24 last year, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the centenary celebrations of Visva-Bharati, when media reported that the university has written to the West Bengal government alleging dozens of land parcels owned by it were wrongfully recorded in the names of private parties including Sen.

In the statement issued on Saturday, the officiating registrar said that a portion of the 1130 acre of land belonging to the varsity has been occupied illegally.

The university again claimed that the VC got a phone call from a number in June or July 2019, and the caller handed over the phone to Sen who criticised the demolition of illegal shops near ''Pratichi'', his ancestral residence.

Sen, who now lives in the USA, had already trashed both claims by the Visva-Bharati maintaining that he did not visit India during June-July 2019, had no hawkers near his residence and the land, on which his house stands is on a long-term lease, which is nowhere near its expiry.

Stating that the Visva-Bharati authorities had never complained to him or his family about any irregularity in holding the land, Mr Sen has accused the VC of acting at the behest of the Centre "with its growing control over Bengal".

On the VC first broaching the subject concerning Sen's purported phone call in 2019 at a meeting with the faculty, the statement said that Mr Chakraborty's statement was not meant to indict Sen, who, in view of his significant contribution to academia, "is worthy of the highest respect".

The VC rather wanted "to air his disgust at the sheer hypocrisy displayed by VBUFA (Visva-Bharati University Faculty Association) colleagues who, despite being asked for their inputs repeatedly in the meeting, did not speak up then, but were quick to leak the exclusive information later ostensibly to score brownie points."

After the meeting, VBUFA President Sudipta Bhattacharya apparently wrote a mail to Sen to verify whether the Nobel laureate had telephoned the VC to oppose hawker eviction outside his residence in Santiniketan. Sen's faculty assistant then replied on his behalf asserting that the economist had not made any such request.

"The vice-chancellor made statements regarding his telephonic conversation with Prof Sen and also about the land encroachment in his virtual meeting with his colleagues on December 9. It was a closed door meeting, only those belonging to Visva Bharati had access," the statement said.

The university issued a show cause notice to Bhattacharya last month for allegedly violating code of conduct by approaching the media with "internal correspondence".

Mr Bhattacharya was put on suspension on January 7 on another charge of circulating allegations on social media against a colleague.

Bhattacharya recently alleged irregularities in the appointment of a colleague and even wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Visitor and Chancellor of the central university respectively, about it.

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Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2021, 10:51 [IST]
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It might feel right now like the companies who control us are invincible monopolies, as mighty and unchanging as the mountains themselves. But that idea is pure foolishness, we tell you! The following companies, as powerful as they are, hit major roadblocks in years past. If things went a little differently, they wouldn't now exist at all.

5 Things Went Bad For Harley-Davidson When A Bowling Ball Company Bought Them Up

Salvatore Rubino Harley-Davidson. Teaching men you can feel incredibly masculine while spreading your legs.

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But For A While ...

At the end of the '60s, Harley had to face off a bunch of hostile takeovers, until they were finally bought up by the company American Machine and Foundry. AMF built bowling balls. Actually, AMF built a whole lot of things, and that was the problem. They thought of Harley as one small part of their manufacturing empire, so they fired a bunch of Harley people and cut back on investment, while ramping up production so much that quality standards had to drop. And they made Harley diversify into a few ill-thought-out ventures.

How embarrassing did it get for them? Let's put it this way: A lot of retrospectives from this period spotlight how Harley followed their bicentennial "Liberty Edition" motorcycle with a poorly selling "Confederate Edition" ...

Harley-Davidson The flag was actually pretty tasteful, compared to the engraved motto reading "Confederate States of America"

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... but at the time, that wasn't even an embarrassment next to the other stuff AMF had them cranking out. Like the years in the '70s when they were building Harley-Davidson snowmobiles:

Harley-Davidson That pun is worse the more you think about it.

Which was still more on-brand than the Harley-Davidson electric golf cart.

Harley-Davidson A Hells Angel saw this ad and wept a single tear.

But in 1981, the managers of Harley-Davidson manage to buy control of the company back from AMF. The exact process by which this happened isn't interesting enough to describe, but we're sure a sufficiently inspired screenwriter will be able to make it thrilling in their Harley-Davidson Hollywood movie (starring Margot Robbie as Harley and Pete Davidson as Davidson). The final shot in this movie will be something that happened in real life: the new owners driving the 800 miles to their new headquarters in Milwaukee in formation, on bikes.

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Ahead of the January 18 resumption date, the Senate of Bayero University Kano ( BUK) has introduced online classes for undergraduate students in General Courses.

This was disclosed in an internal university bulletin dated January 15 and made available to PREMIUM TIMES Sunday.

The General Courses are mandatory subjects for all undergraduate students.

The management said it introduced the online classes in view of the drive to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines set by the Presidential Taskforce on COVID.

The universitys senate in the statement directed all

GSP and EEP courses for the first semester of the 2019/2020 Academic Session to be offered online.

On the modalities for the online classes, the school management said students should follow the following step:

STEP 1: Visit the University website; under the Quick Links, click on Online Courses.

STEP 2: On the online courses portal, select your registered course under Available Courses.

STEP 3: The login screen then appears; enter your registration portal username and password.

Per concerns related to the second wave of COVID-19, the management said it had set preventive protocols in place, therefore, expresses readiness for the resumption of academic activities.

The Management has distributed essential equipment for the COVID-19 preventive protocols to all the faculties, centres and directorates to be mounted at strategic locations within the campuses as part of the precautionary measures against the pandemic.

The equipment, which included motorized hand washing machines, hand sanitizers and infrared thermometers, must strictly be used by every staff, student and other visitor to the institution

Munir Suleiman, director of the university health service, said, every staff, student and a visitor to the University must comply with the preventive protocols before being allowed entry and/or move around the campuses.

He added that the management would not take it lightly with anyone who violates the COVID-19 preventive protocols.
Ten new large-scale centres, including a rugby ground, racecourse, food court and a cathedral, will open up next week across Britain to join the seven already delivering vaccines to immunise against COVID-19, the UK's National Health Service (NHS) said on Sunday.

It comes as a further 324,233 vaccine doses were administered across the to take the total above 3.5 million, a milestone hailed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a "fantastic national effort".

The state-funded health service leading the UK's "biggest" vaccination programme in history also confirmed more than 1 million people aged 80 or over have been invited to book a jab at a Vaccination Centre.

There are now 1,000 general practice (GP) led services and more than 250 hospitals offering vaccinations, with dozens of new high street pharmacies stores also jabbing people by the end of next week.

"The NHS vaccination programme, the biggest in NHS history, is off to a strong start with more than three million people receiving the life-saving jab, including more than a third of those aged 80 or over," said Ruth May, chief nursing officer for England.

"We are adding more sites as more vaccine supplies become available, so that people can choose a convenient option, with around a million invites sent over the last week for those aged 80 and over. Having worked alongside clinicians at my local hospital I know how tough it is for our staff treating an increasing number of seriously ill people with COVID-19 so I cannot stress enough how important it is that everyone plays their part by practicing social distancing and following the national guidance," she said.

The government is also urging the public to "play their part" in supporting the drive by helping people attend their appointments.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock asked people to commit to three pledges to "help out", "join up" and "stay informed" during ongoing efforts to vaccinate, run clinical trials and share accurate health advice.

The NHS said that vaccination centres offer a convenient option for those who do not want to wait to be contacted by GPs or hospitals. People aged 80 or over living up to a 45-minute drive from the 17 centres are being written to with the option of choosing to arrange a vaccination there or at a pharmacy site through the new national booking service. Alternatively, people can choose to wait to be contacted in due course by their local GP-led vaccination service.

The NHS said it sent out 641,000 invitations last week and another 380,000 are landing on doormats this weekend. Another half a million will go out in the coming week.

Appointments are staggered to allow for social distancing and people who do book one are being asked not to turn up early to avoid creating queues. The 10 new centres mean there will be at least one in each health region and help to ensure that people are within reach of a jabbing service, including more rural parts of the country.

Care home residents who are unable to travel to vaccine centres, hospitals or GP-led sites, are being jabbed at their homes.

The NHS highlighted how it made history when Maggie Keenan became the first person in the world to be protected against outside of a clinical trial when she received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at Coventry Hospital on December 8, 2020.

The NHS was also the first health system to deliver the new Oxford/AstraZeneca when Brian Pinker, 82, was jabbed earlier this month.

The priority groups for receiving the vaccine were set by the government following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The government has committed itself to a target of vaccinating all the vulnerable groups in the top JCVI categories by February 15.

(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.)
WASHINGTON - A Virginia man was arrested after law enforcement found at least one firearm and ammunition in his truck as he tried to enter an inauguration security checkpoint near the Capitol on Friday evening with a credential that was not authorized, according to court documents.

Wesley Allen Beeler, 31, of Front Royal, drove his Ford F-150 up to a checkpoint on E Street Northeast of the Capitol, where he was met by Capitol Police officers, according to the court documents.

Beeler was arrested on charges of carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition, a Capitol Police spokesperson said. A judge ordered him released on personal recognizance and issued a stay-away order from the District.

"It was an honest mistake," Beeler explained after being released. In a tear-filled interview, he said he has spent the last week working as hired security in downtown Washington ahead of the inauguration. He was running late to work and forgot that his firearm was in his truck when he left his home in Virginia, where he said he has a license to carry. He denied that he had more than 500 rounds of ammunition listed in his arrest report.

"I pulled up to a checkpoint after getting lost in D.C. because I'm a country boy," he said. "I showed them the inauguration badge that was given to me."

Beeler said he was given a credential by his employer, MVP Protective Services. A man who answered a phone number connected with MVP protective services said, "Unfortunately, at this time I am not authorized to speak," when reached by a reporter Saturday evening.

U.S. Capitol police said in charging papers that while they determined Beeler was "not authorized to enter the restricted area" and in a statement Saturday that he presented "a non-government issued" credential.

As his credential was being checked, another officer noted bumper stickers on the truck's windows, which read, "Assault Life" and "If they come for your guns giv 'em your bullets first," police said.

The officers asked Beeler if he had weapons in the car, and he volunteered that he had a Glock in his center armrest, charging papers said.

After removing Beeler from the truck, officers found the firearm, a 9mm handgun, was loaded with a high-capacity magazine and 17 rounds of ammunition and the pistol was chambered and ready to fire, court document said.

Police said they also found more than 500 rounds of pistol ammunition, including hollow-point bullets. Nearly two dozen shotgun shells were "located in plain sight in the rear cargo area of the vehicle," the court documents said.

Beeler said he recalls having only the loaded firearm and the shotgun shells in his vehicle.

"It was just me forgetting to take it out of my truck before I left for work. I don't know what the D.C. laws are. It still comes back on me, but I'm not a criminal," Beeler said.

Beeler said he volunteered for a job in the District of Columbia after a friend let him know of an overnight job with MVP to guard media equipment located at 7th and Constitution. He said the credential he was given has previously been enough to enter that area.

He said he has numerous security assignments in the past, including working as a corrections officer and providing security for a Saudi embassy property. A spokesman for Allied Universal Security Services confirmed that Beeler previously worked for a smaller security company it acquired.

Beeler's mother and father, who both spoke to The Post before Beeler was released from custody, said he works in private security and had been reporting for work downtown through the past week.

Beeler's wife, Noelle Beeler, said she realizes why people reacted with fear and concern at the report of a man with a Glock and a cache of ammo in his truck in downtown Washington.

"It's understandable during these times. It does sound suspicious," she said. The couple was trying to find a way for Beeler to return home after his release and to explain what happened to their children.

"I don't want my kids to think I'm a bad person," Beeler said.

Beeler has been ordered not to return to the city except to appear in court or meet with his lawyer.

- - -

The Washington Post's Julie Tate, Jennifer Jenkins, Peter Hermann, Alex Horton, and Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 12:55:10|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Two gunmen on a motorcycle fired on a group of female judges near a bus stop in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Sunday morning, killing two and injuring two others, a security source confirmed. Enditem
China remained the largest supplier of goods to Vietnam in 2020 as Vietnam ran a trade deficit of US$35.2 billion with the neighboring country last year, up 3.7% against 2019, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs indicated that Vietnam had exported products worth US$48.9 billion to China in 2020, up 17.9% year-on-year, while the country had spent US$84.1 billion on imports from China, a year-on-year rise of 11.5%.

Two-way trade between Vietnam and China totaled US$133 billion last year, up 13.8% year-on-year.

The main drivers for the trade growth were processing and manufacturing goods and building materials.

However, some traditional exports of Vietnam faced difficulties while being shipped to China due to the global coronavirus pandemic, with agricultural and fishery products reporting export revenue of US$6.8 billion, down 3.3%.

The Department of Asia-Africa Markets on January 15 said that last year, the global economy and trade activities between Vietnam and China saw many difficulties and challenges. Given the two countries efforts in controlling Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, bilateral trade remained stable.

SGT
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MOSCOW  Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested Sunday at a Moscow airport as he tried to enter the country from Germany, where he had spent five months recovering from nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin.

Navalnys detention at passport control in Moscows Sheremetyevo airport was widely expected because Russias prisons service said he had violated parole terms from a suspended sentence on a 2014 embezzlement conviction.

The prisons service said he would be held in custody until a court rules on his case. No date for a court appearance was immediately announced. The service earlier said that it would seek to have Navalny serve his 3 1/2-year sentence behind bars.

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Navalny, 44, who is President Vladimir Putins most prominent and determined foe, brushed off concerns about arrest as he boarded the plane in Berlin.

Its impossible. Im an innocent man, he said.

The arrest raises tensions in Russia as it approaches national parliament elections this year, in which Navalnys organization is expected to be active in trying to defeat pro-Kremlin candidates. Navalny decided to leave Berlin of his own free will and wasnt under any apparent pressure to leave from Germany.

This is a real act of bravery for Alexei Navalny to return to Russia, given that government agents already tried to kill him once, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth tweeted. But he understandably wants to be part of the pro-democracy movement in Russia, not a dissident in exile.

U.S. President-elect Joe Bidens pick for national security adviser called on Russian authorities to free Navalny. Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable, Jake Sullivan said in a tweet.

The outgoing U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said the U.S. strongly condemns he decision to arrest Navalny and called his detention the latest in a series of attempts to silence Navalny and other opposition figures and independent voices who are critical of Russian authorities.

Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, responded to a question about the arrest by saying Was he arrested in Germany? Im not up to date, according to the online news site Podyom. Peskov, like Putin, is noted for avoiding saying Navalnys name.

Navalny has sizable popularity in Moscow. Many supporters on Sunday went to Vnukovo airport where his flight was scheduled to land, though it was diverted to Sheremetyevo without explanation.

The OVD-Info organization that monitors political arrests said at least 53 people were arrested, including Navalny supporters and journalists, at Vnukovo, where where the arrivals hall had been blocked off and prisoner transport vehicles were parked outside. There were at least three detentions at Sheremetyevo, it said.

The independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and opposition social media reported Sunday that several Navalny supporters in St. Petersburg had been removed from Moscow-bound trains or been prevented from boarding flights late Saturday and early Sunday, including the coordinator of his staff for the region of Russias second-largest city.

Navalny fell into a coma while aboard a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow on Aug. 20. He was transferred from a hospital in Siberia to a Berlin hospital two days later.

Labs in Germany, France and Sweden, and tests by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established that he was exposed to a Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.

Russian authorities insisted that the doctors who treated Navalny in Siberia before he was airlifted to Germany found no traces of poison and have challenged German officials to provide proof of his poisoning. Russia refused to open a full-fledged criminal inquiry, citing a lack of evidence that Navalny was poisoned.

Last month, Navalny released the recording of a phone call he said he made to a man he described as an alleged member of a group of officers of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, who purportedly poisoned him in August and then tried to cover it up. The FSB dismissed the recording as fake.

Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlins side for a decade, unusually durable in an opposition movement often demoralized by repressions.

He has been jailed repeatedly in connection with protests and twice was convicted of financial misdeeds in cases that he said were politically motivated. He suffered significant eye damage when an assailant threw disinfectant into his face and was taken from jail to a hospital in 2019 with an illness that authorities said was an allergic reaction but that many suspected was poisoning.

A lawyer by training, he began his rise to prominence by focusing on corruption in Russias murky mix of politics and business. In 2008, he bought shares in Russian oil and gas companies, so he could push for transparency as an activist shareholder.

Navalnys work to expose corrupt elites had a pocketbook appeal to the Russian peoples widespread sense of being cheated. Russias state-controlled television channels ignored Navalny, but his investigations of dubious contracts and officials luxurious lifestyles got wide attention through the back channels of YouTube videos and social media posts that often showed his sardonic sense of humor.

In 2013, he placed second in the race for Moscow mayor behind the candidate of Putins power-base United Russia party. That established him as a formidable force and a worry to the Kremlin.

He intended to run for president in 2018, but was kept off the ballot because of his previous criminal convictions. His own legal obstacles and the widespread obstruction authorities set before other independent candidates seeking public office led Navalny and his organization to adopt a new strategy for the 2019 Moscow city council elections.

The Smart Vote initiative analyzed which candidate in each district appeared to have the best chance of beating United Russias pick and tried to drum up support for that candidate.

The initiative appeared to be a success, with nearly half of the city council seats going to systemic opposition candidates, although its effectiveness couldnt be quantified. Navalny intends to redeploy the same strategy in this years national parliament elections.

___

Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
Parents wait outside a school in Tongliao, in northern Chinas Inner Mongolia on September 10, 2020. (NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Leaked Documents Reveal Chinese Governments Corruption, Bureaucrats Incompetence

Internal documents from the Inner Mongolia government revealed that local bureaucrats were incompetent and corrupt.

The government of Hulunbuir city arranged ten inspection teams composed of senior officials to probe different government departments and organs from late March to late May.

Later, the inspection teams finished 11 reports and sent them to the municipal government. A trusted source shared these reports with The Epoch Times recently.

The inspection teams reported that each government bureau spent large sums of money without a proper decision process since 2013. Some departments failed to keep proper records of their assets. Officials also spent government money for their personal travel and other expenses, the reports revealed.

Undestroyed Documents

In May, the central government deemed all COVID-19-related data to be state secrets.

The Hulunbuir government was asked to destroy certain documents, but the inspection team found that the government bureau in charge of the task was not able to do so effectively.

[Paper shredding] machines are very slow Its very possible that the secret documents would be leaked when the bureau transports them. There are tons of coronavirus epidemic-related secret documents that should be destroyed but werent. They were saved in storage, the report stated.

Internal report from the Hulunbuir government reported that dozens of tons of pandemic-related documents were not destroyed as the central government requested. (Provided to The Epoch Times by insider)

Coal Mines

Inner Mongolia is one of Chinas biggest coal production regions. The inspection reports criticized that coal mines in Hulunbuir didnt follow pollution control and environment protection requirements.

Also, because coal mines did not pay attention to production safety, at least 54 people died in mining accidents since 2000, the reports stated.

After inspecting state-run and private coal mines in Manzhouli city, Chen Barag Banner, and Jalainur District, one team found that key parts of many important documents were selectively lost.

These documents include environment protection-related documents; archived documents about small-sized mines, which were closed and merged with large-sized ones according to a central government mandate; and records showing government approval for companies to develop mines.

The report pointed out that the documents were likely lost due to corruption and bureaucratic incompetence.

Officials signed fake contracts to give permission to private enterprises to develop mines without first conducting an evaluation Officials teamed up with entrepreneurs to cheat state property, the report stated.

In one instance, officials claimed three mines resources were depleted, but the mines continued production in the following years. The inspection team suspected that the officials intentionally made the wrong claim and in exchange, received benefits from the mining company. Because all land is government-owned in China, companies usually must pay the local government commission and taxes for their mining production.

Internal report from the Hulunbuir government listed key documents that were lost or missing. (Provided to The Epoch Times by insider)

Poverty Alleviation

Following Beijings poverty alleviation policy, which provides financial assistance to people living below the government-designated poverty line, the Hulunbuir branch of Red Cross China allocated donations to 3,297 poor citizens since 2013, one document stated. Red Cross China, unlike its international counterparts, is directly funded and operated by the Chinese regime.

But an inspection team found that 2,619 were actually government staff who had incomes above the poverty line. Only 373 people who received donations were actually poor, according to the report.

The report emphasized that there were many poor people living in Hulunbuir, but the local Red Cross did not properly distribute donations to them.

Internal report from the Hulunbuir government reported that authorities requested a large number of air raid shelters to be built, but most were not completed. (Provided to The Epoch Times by insider)

Air Raid Project

Many Chinese built air raids during the mid to late 1960s amid Party leader Mao Zedongs war-mongering fervor about a potential conflict with the United States.

City governments have mandated each residential compound and village to build their own air raid shelters.

Two inspection teams visited air raid projects throughout the city.

They found that few of the projects in Hulunbuir were finished. Moreover, the finished projects were not qualified to defend against air raids.

The local government had paid real estate developers subsidies for the shelters construction.

But many developers built the shelters into underground parking lots, which cannot properly defend against air raids. For example, the Zhongrun Shopping mall in the Ewenki Autonomous Banner area was supposed to build a shelter with the size of 3,300 square meters (35,521 square feet). However, officials approved the space for 4,200 square meters (45,208 square feet) and the developer later built the shelter into parking lots, a report stated.

A farm road leads to cow barns in Tuanjiecun, Hulunbuir, China, on May 3, 2019. (Betsy Joles/ Getty Images)

In some cases, local governments collected fees from residential apartment developers and then approved them for building the sheltersbut did not actually construct them.

In total, misuse of the governments air raid shelter budgets reached over 300 million yuan ($43.9 million), the reports stated, noting that these cases were likely related to local corruption.
Ideanomics (NASDAQ:IDEX) stock seems like a potentially huge winner. After all, Ideanomics has positioned itself to grow in both the blockchain and electric vehicle industries.

A hand lingers over a bright blue tech wheel that says "fintech."

Source: Wright Studio / Shutterstock.com

Im as big a bull on those two sectors as anyone. And so you might expect Id be a bull on IDEX stock as well.

Thats not the case, however. I see a number of concerns with Ideanomics  among them the precise fact that the company is targeting two very different industries. Throughout its history, Ideanomics has chased the hot sector while failing to deliver. Id be very worried that history will repeat.

InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips

How We Got Here

The first concern with Ideanomics is that it hasnt been either a blockchain or an EV play for very long. The blockchain pivot came in 2017, after an attempt to develop a streaming video business in China (known as You on Demand) fizzled out. The move to clean energy, via the companys Mobile Energy Group, followed in 2019.

In both cases, its not hard to get the sense that Ideanomics was simply chasing the hot sector. It hasnt had much success in either. The blockchain business wound up with a consulting agreement in 2019 in which it was paid in a cryptocurrency known as GTBDollar.

Ideanomics said in both an SEC filing and on a conference call that it had converted GTB into bitcoin and Ethereum, but later walked back that statement. In fact, in the middle of 2019, the company claimed to own 2,409 Bitcoins and 17,460 Ethereum. At the moment, those holdings would be worth over $100 million.

Yet the following quarter, Ideanomics walked back that statement. It clarified that its holdings (which had somehow increased over the preceding three months) do not represent a direct holding of either cryptocurrency. Its GTBDollar holdings proved to be worthless.

At the moment, investors seem more enthused about MEGs efforts in China. But so far, the company hasnt had much success there, either. In the third quarter, Ideanomics did have record revenue of over $10 million. It had an operating loss of $12 million.

Story continues

The New Deals and the Old Deals

Now, an investor could look at the losses and argue that Ideanomics simply is early in its growth cycle. After all, there is no shortage of unprofitable companies with valuations well above Ideanomics current market capitalization of $650 million. In addition, the company has made a pair of acquisitions of late which appear to have stoked investor optimism.

Neither case really holds. Investors need to understand what MEG is, at least for now: purely a middleman. It buys vehicles (most, but not all, of which are electric vehicles) from manufacturers and generates a small markup in selling those vehicles to taxi operators and the like.

Its not a profitable business. Gross margins were less than 7% in the third quarter. Nor is it a scalable business, either.

As for the acquisitions, well see. The acquisition of title company Timios Holdings, which closed this month, is intriguing. But its not clear how the business fits into the supposed fintech business which has generated less than $1 million in revenue so far this year.

Ideanomics then announced the purchase of Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification, or WAVE, for $50 million in cash and stock. But the purchase price itself raises concerns. This is a market where EV charging companies are valued in the billions off often-minimal revenues. Why is WAVE, with supposedly advanced wireless charging solutions, settling for a relatively paltry price?

The Case Against IDEX Stock

Theres also the problem that Ideanomics past acquisitions and efforts have generally struck out. In 2018, it acquired FinTalk for $5.7 million and promptly wound the business down. Influencer platform Grapevine was acquired and then supposedly sold last year, but according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings remains on the books. Its done little to contribute to Ideanomics results.

The Delaware Board of Trade defaulted on a government loan. Ideanomics made little progress on Fintech Village, a supposed blockchain innovation center, in Connecticut, and is now selling the property.

Maybe this time is different. Perhaps WAVE really becomes a leader in EV charging, or the blockchain efforts somehow bear fruit.

But theres an old saw that this time is different are the four most dangerous words in investing. Its an old saw for a reason. This is a company thats constantly chased the hot thing: streaming video, blockchain, electric vehicles, EV charging. Every time, its failed to deliver. Every time, shareholders paid the price.

With IDEX stock gaining once again, clearly the optimism has returned. I hope the end result isnt the same, though I fear it will be.

On the date of publication, neither Matt McCall nor the InvestorPlace Research Staff member primarily responsible for this article held (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in the article.

Matthew McCall left Wall Street to actually help investors  by getting them into the worlds biggest, most revolutionary trends BEFORE anyone else. Click here to see what Matt has up his sleeve now. As of this writing, Matt did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

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The post Dont Get Suckered Into Ideanomics Stock appeared first on InvestorPlace.
Global warming poses an existential threat to humanity. We need Joe Biden to become the Climate President. The need for bold and timely action on climate was a major reason why voters rejected the Trump administration this November.

A decade ago the Green Party initiated the call for a Green New Deal (GND). It combined a rapid ten-year transition to 100% renewables, zero-emissions with an Economic Bill of Rights (guaranteed living wage jobs, universal health care, housing, education) as FDR had called for in his last State of the Unions.

Congress should make the GND a core part of a COVID economic relief package to reboot our economy as Europe is doing. Green investments are the most effective job creation program.

Climate groups have also outlined a series of critical executive actions that President Biden should take on day one (See ClimatePresident.org). This includes steps to stop new fossil fuel infrastructure and ban fracking. Natural gas is a gangplank to climate collapse, not a bridge to a clean energy future.
Storm Filomina played havoc on the Costa del Sol over the weekend and, along with damage and human casualties, many of the area's animal charities were severely affected. Urgent appeals were put out by local organisations requesting help with clean-up operations of premises badly damaged by torrential rain and gale-force winds. There were also appeals for blankets, medication, food, mops and brooms.

Spanish equine association SEARCH was one of the organisations that suffered from flooding. The Coin-based rescue centre's roof was badly damaged, causing severe leaks, while essential deliveries of hay could not be delivered because of mud slides.

The ACE dog shelter in Mijas was badly affected when a nearby river burst its banks. Thankfully, more than 400 dogs and over 100 cats currently in the charity's care were saved due to the swift action of the volunteers. Unfortunately, two of the dogs died the following day and many of the animals are, in the words of founder Fabienne Paques, "critically ill with lung infections".

Volunteers needed

Protectora de Animales Domesticos (PAD) is calling for volunteers to help with the clean-up of the shelter in Mijas, which was also badly damaged by the rain. A spokesperson said that they need around 20 people to help with getting the shelter back in operation.

The Last Chance dog shelter, also in Mijas, was preparing to evacuate animals due to severe flooding, but quick-thinking volunteers managed to pump the water out before the kennels became totally submerged. The charity is now appealing for tinned food and blankets.

"The rain has had a massive impact and we nearly had to remove the dogs from the shelter," founder Jacqui Ross said.

Information about how to help can be found on the charities' Facebook pages.
The controversy surrounding Armie Hammer has taken a strange new turn. After the Call Me by Your Name actor backed out of a film co-starring Jennifer Lopez, other claims about him began to surface on social media.

None of them have been verified, but a fresh set of accusations caused the Miss Universe committee in the Cayman Islands to chime in  and report their concerns about Hammer to the police.

Armie Hammer attends the Hotel Mumbai New York screening, 2019 | Jim Spellman/WireImage/Getty Images

What was behind Armie Hammer social media drama

Armie Hammer trended on Twitter and Instagram after someone posted a string of direct messages allegedly from him describing his sexual fantasies. The messages  posted by contained references to cannibalism and other acts, and the screenshots went viral on multiple platforms, including TikTok.

I am 100% a cannibal. I want to eat you. F**k. Thats scary to admit. Ive never admitted that before, read one text. Posted anonymously on the Instagram account @HouseofEffie, a series of accusations from women began pouring in about their alleged experiences with Hammer.

In one instance, an ex of his told Page Six that Hammer had some odd behaviors. Courtney Vucekovich claimed he once said to her he wanted to break her rib and eat it. If I had a little cut on my hand, hed like suck it or lick it. Thats about as weird as we got, she said to the outlet.

Many social media users were appalled and expressed disgust, with some saying they were outraged about consent issues. The online furor prompted Hammer to respond and he announced his departure from the film, Shotgun Wedding.

Hammer issued a statement via Deadline decrying the accusations.

Im not responding to these bullsh*t claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for 4 months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic. Lionsgate is supporting me in this and Im grateful to them for that, he wrote.

Armie Hammer's ex Courtney Vucekovich: He wanted to 'barbecue and eat' me https://t.co/OS3wEueOu2 pic.twitter.com/nwkHMrvNdq  Page Six (@PageSix) January 14, 2021

RELATED: Armie Hammer Once Got Arrested for Possession: I Knew at That Moment I Was F*cked

New allegations about Armie Hammer trickle down to Miss Cayman Islands

Now, a fresh set of accusations have hit social media claiming that Hammer has a burner Instagram account, Metro UK News reported. Another set of old posts attributed to the actor include one about outsmarting a drug test for his custody battle, another about divorce and drugs, and one with a woman in lingerie in a hotel room.

In the latter, the Instagram video with the woman on a bed includes a caption that reads, Well my ex (for a very good reason) wife is refusing to come back to america with my children. So I have to go back to Cayman which sucks. Except there are a few silver linings. Like f***ing Ms. Cayman again while Im down there.

Though the womans face wasnt visible in the post, there was some confusion about her identity.

Miss Universe committee representative speaks out

The video prompted the official Miss Universe Committee Cayman Islands to speak out with a lengthy statement. It was posted on Facebook and Instagram and the group stated theyve filed a report with the police.

The Miss Cayman Islands Universe Committee is aware of a video allegedly posted by Armie Hammer referring to a scantily Posted by Miss Cayman Islands Universe on Friday, January 15, 2021

The Miss Cayman Islands Universe Committee is aware of a video allegedly posted by Armie Hammer referring to a scantily clad young woman as Miss Cayman, it reads.

The Committee and the reigning Miss Cayman regard this issue with the utmost seriousness and the matter has been reported to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS). The role of Miss Cayman is in part, to serve as a role model to young Caymanian women. The depiction of the woman in the video goes against all that our organisation stands for and the Committee is consequently requesting that Mr. Hammer immediately remove all references to Miss Cayman from his social media channels, the message concluded.

Derri Dacres-Lee, chairperson of the committee, indicated the person in the video is not reigning Miss Cayman Islands, Mariah Tibbetts. Hammer and his camp have not responded to the new viral claims.
Kurt Campbell has been appointed as a coordinator for the Indo-Pacific on president-elect Joe Bidens National Security Council

U.S. president-elect Joe Biden has appointed two senior National Security Council (NSC) officials on Asia-Pacific and China affairs, including a newly created post designed to coordinate Asia policies across the federal government.

The move, announced Friday, signaled the incoming Biden administration may want to continue outgoing President Donald Trumps Indo-Pacific strategy of countering and being tough on China in the region, Chinese foreign policy experts told Caixin.

Kurt Campbell, a veteran foreign policy expert and former U.S. assistant secretary of state on East Asian and Pacific affairs from 2009 to 2013, has been appointed as a coordinator for the Indo-Pacific on Bidens National Security Council at the White House.

He will also become a deputy assistant to Biden, according to the Asia Group, a Washington-based consulting firm where Campbell is chairman and co-founder.

Laura Rosenberger, a senior fellow at the Washington-based German Marshall Fund think-tank, will become a senior director for China at the NSC. She was also a foreign policy advisor for former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Rosenberger said on Twitter that she is honored to be joining Bidens National Security Council and humbled by the enormity of the task.

Campbells newly established post, likened to an Asia Tsar, is designed to integrate China policy across different government agencies with a veteran Asia expert at the helm, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing a source familiar with the decision.

It was not immediately clear whether Campbell will be authorized to oversee all of the NSCs Asia-related policy planning, which is separately tasked to four directors for South Asia, East Asia and Oceania, Russia and Central Asia, and China.

Campbell's appointment showed the new administration wants to consider Asia as a whole in policy planning, as well as prioritize key policy goals for the region, Diao Daming, a U.S. expert at Renmin University in Beijing told Caixin.

It's highly likely that Campbell would continue to enhance the U.S. regional alliances in Asia to consolidate American leadership as a way to counter China, he said.

He added it is still too early to say what influence Campbell will have on China policy in his new role. Observers believe that at the NSC, Rosenberger is closer than Campbell to their boss, the incoming national security advisor Jake Sullivan, also a Clinton adviser. That indicates that Rosenberger could have more say on China policy.

Rosenberger previously served as NSC director for China and Korea in Obamas White House. She was also chief of staff to the then-deputy secretary of state, Antony Blinken, who has been nominated by Biden to become his secretary of state.

Campbell was the key driver of the U.S. Pivot-to-Asia strategy, formulated in the first term of the Obama administration to shift the U.S. geopolitical priority from Europe and the Middle East to Asia. That included a focus on both cooperation and competition with China in regional security and economic areas.

Since 2017, the Trump administration has adopted a new Indo-Pacific strategy that includes a more confrontational approach mainly focused on countering Chinas global influence, which led to the worsening of China-U.S. ties.

Campbell has largely incorporated the Trump administrations Indo-Pacific strategy into his thinking about U.S. policy towards China, based on his previous writings.

In one of those, a co-authored opinion piece published by Foreign Affairs magazine on Tuesday, Campbell wrote that for todays Indo-Pacific strategy, there are the need for a balance of power; the need for an order that the regions states recognize as legitimate; and the need for an allied and partner coalition to address Chinas challenge to both.

Campbell also said in a 2018 article, titled The China Reckoning, also published by Foreign Affairs, "Neither carrots nor sticks have swayed China as predicted. Diplomatic and commercial engagement have not brought political and economic openness. Neither U.S. military power nor regional balancing has stopped Beijing from seeking to displace core components of the U.S.-led system.

However, he also said on Thursday during an Asia Society think-tank panel discussion that the two countries could make small steps to unlock the current deadlock in bilateral ties, including reversing expulsions of journalists, reopening closed consulates and easing visa restrictions.

Campbell also told a China Development Forum last November that the U.S. and China should restore bilateral dialogue mechanisms such as strategic and economic dialogues that had been scrapped by the Trump administration.

More risk-control mechanisms should be established to manage and prevent crises from escalating, he said, adding that areas of cooperation between the two countries include pandemic response, vaccine development and climate change.

Zha Daojiong, a professor of international relations at Peking University, told Caixin that Campbell's job description is carved in stone as described in documents on Trumps Indo-Pacific strategy.

Since there is not that much difference in ideas framed as either Pivot-to-Asia or Indo- Pacific, Mr. Campbell does seem to be expected to translate his advocacy into action, Zha said, Part of that action may well be continuation of the bulk of Asia and China policies under Trump.

Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com)

Support quality journalism in China. Subscribe to Caixin Global starting at $0.99.
OPEC was formed in 1960 by founding members Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. For a brief period, the petroleum cartel became the dominant force behind world oil prices and a key geopolitical power broker, with its members controlling nearly half of world oil production and more than three-quarters of global oil reserves. As U.S. oil production entered a period of apparently inexorable decline after its 1970 peak, Washingtons desire to shore-up energy security and create a bulwark against communist expansion into the Middle East saw Saudi Arabia become a key U.S. ally. OPEC at the height of its power, in the 1970s, flexed its muscles by cutting oil output causing prices to spiral upward triggering two oil price shocks that sparked global recessions. Since then, OPECs power has steadily deteriorated, with that decline accelerating over the last two decades because of rapidly growing non-OPEC oil production, notably in the U.S and Brazil.

The U.S. shale oil boom caused onshore production to swiftly soar after nearly three decades of decline. U.S. crude oil imports from the Middle East plummeted and Congress lifted a four-decade restriction on U.S. oil exports. Even Riyadhs 2014 plan to regain market share and obliterate the U.S. shale oil industry by opening the spigots and significantly boosting production, causing crude oil prices to enter a sustained decline, failed. In 2018, the U.S. overtook Saudi Arabia to become the worlds largest oil producer, pumping 10.96 million barrels of oil equivalent daily. Since then production, spearheaded by the shale oil industry, has grown with the March 2020 oil price collapse having little sustained material impact on the U.S. shale oil industry. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates U.S. 2020 oil production averaged 11.3 million barrels of crude oil daily which, while a 7% decline compared to 2019, is still a notable 29% greater than the 8.8 million barrels produced daily during 2014 during the shale oil booms peak. The EIA expects 2021 U.S. oil production to decline by 2% year over year to 11.1 million barrels daily, which is still 26% greater than 2014. The resilience of the U.S. shale oil industry can be attributed to improving technology and expertise which along with growing operational efficiencies has caused breakeven prices to steadily fall. According to the Dallas Federal Reserve, new shale oil wells have an average breakeven price of $46 to $52 per barrel compared to around $77 a barrel in 2014. There is every indication that U.S. shale could surprise energy markets once again during 2021 and keep pumping crude oil at a furious pace regardless of softer prices. U.S. foreign policy is also eroding OPECs geopolitical power and ability to manipulate oil prices. Sanctions against Iran and Venezuela are preventing those petroleum-rich nations from expanding oil production or strengthening their influence within the cartel. It also rewards Saudi Arabia by retarding Irans economic growth, thereby curtailing Teherans influence in the Middle East and cementing Riyadhs authority as OPECs leading producer. The White Houses petro-diplomacy under President Trump highlights OPEC diminishing influence and ability to manipulate oil prices. During 2018 when the Brent had rallied to over $70 and was flirting with $80 per barrel, threatening U.S. economic growth, Trump weighed in exerting pressure on OPEC to boost production keeping prices low. Then in early April 2020, after oil prices collapsed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and looming price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, threatening the survival of the U.S. shale oil industry, Trump intervened once again. He contacted Riyadh and threatened the withdrawal of U.S. troops unless the Saudis cut production to bolster crude oil prices.

Related: Shale Giant Chesapeake Emerges From Bankruptcy

It is not only the rapid growth of U.S. oil production over the last decade which is challenging OPECs control over oil prices and geopolitical power. Saudi Arabias growing dependence on U.S. support for waging its proxy war against Iran for control of the Middle East and leadership of the Muslim world as well as OPEC has weakened the cartels independence and geopolitical power. Riyadh benefits tremendously from Washingtons foreign policy, notably the severe economic and diplomatic sanctions imposed on OPEC members Iran and Venezuela. By denying both countries access to global energy markets they are unable to grow their petroleum production, crimping their influence and giving Saudi Arabia a freer hand with setting cartel policy. That ensures neither Venezuela nor especially Iran can prosper from the increased economic wealth that comes from higher oil production, placing severe pressure on both pariah regimes while bolstering Saudi Arabias position. A stronger, but somewhat less independent Saudi Arabia magnifies the effect of U.S. regional policy while giving Washington a more reliable proxy with which to influence regional affairs and maintain control over the Middle Easts vast petroleum resources. This also blunts Moscows ability to expand its regional influence through its alliance of convenience with Teheran, which saw both countrys support President Bashar al-Assads dictatorial regime during the bloody Syrian civil war. Those developments have given Washington a greater say on OPEC oil production and ultimately prices. This is underscored by Riyadhs decision to cut one million barrels daily of Saudi Arabias oil production to buoy prices and absorb increased Russian output. Not only has Riyadh bolstered oil prices at a critical time, especially for U.S. shale, but indicates the Saudi government seeking to curry favor with the incoming Biden administration.

For those reasons, President Biden must carefully consider whether rejoining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and removing all U.S. sanctions is the right move, particularly with Teheran enriching uranium in breach of the deal. This is particularly the case when Irans recent belligerence and aggression are considered. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps recently seized a South Korean tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, while Teheran is ratcheting-up support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduros dictatorial socialist regime despite the massive humanitarian crisis his government has unleashed.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Samples of ice cream tested positive for coronavirus in China and the incident has left health authorities rushing to trace people who are now at risk of infection.

The contaminated ice cream caused Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Company to dump 2,089 boxes of the product, but some officials allege that 4,836 boxes have been contaminated, Sky News reported.



Image For Representation/unsplash

Three samples of locally produced ice cream were found to be contaminated in the Tianjin municipality, in the northeast of the country.



Also Read: Novel Coronavirus May Become Just Like Common Cold In Future, Say Scientists

Reports state that the market regulation authorities in other provinces outside Tianjin where the ice cream was sent were notified of the issue, and customers who may have purchased the product are being told to report their health to community officials.

1,812 boxes were allegedly dispatched to other provinces and 935 entered the local market but only 65 were sold,



Image For Representation/Reuters

Officials say that the coronavirus was able to survive in the ice cream due to the cold temperature and was likely transferred from a person who had the disease.

Dr Stephen Griffin, a virologist based at the University of Leeds, said the ice cream's positive test likely derived from human contact and was a 'one-off'.

Also Read: China Locks Down City Fearing Covid-19 Outbreak

He told Sky News, 'The chances are that this is the result of an issue with the production plant and potentially down to hygiene at the factory.'

Image For Representation/Reuters

Tianjin produced the batch of ice cream using raw materials including milk powder imported from New Zealand and whey powder imported from Ukraine.

Also Read: China Locks Shijiazhuang City Fearing COVID Outbreak; Over 20,000 Forced To Leave Their Homes
The Supreme Court-appointed committee on the three new farm laws will hold its first meeting on 19 January to decide the future course of action, its member Anil Ghanwat said on Sunday.

"We are meeting on January 19 at the Pusa campus. Only members will meet to decide the future course of action," Ghanwat, President of Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra), told PTI.

The apex court had on 11 January stayed the implementation of the contentious farm laws, against which several farmers' unions have been protesting at Delhi borders from 26 November last year.

A four-member committee was also constituted to resolve the impasse between the farmers and the central government.

The committee consisted of Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann, Anil Ghanwat, and agri-economists Ashok Gulati and Pramod Kumar Joshi.

However, shortly after this, Bhupinder Singh recused himself from the committee and said I will always stand with my farmers and Punjab".

In a statement Thursday, 81-year-old Mann, a former Rajya Sabha member, said he was thankful to Honble Supreme Court of India for nominating" him to the committee.

As a farmer myself and a Union leader, in view of the prevailing sentiments and apprehensions amongst the farm unions and the public in general, I am ready to sacrifice any position offered or given to me so as to not compromise the interests of Punjab and farmers of the country," he said.

The Supreme Court may take into account the matter of recusal of the member from the panel on Monday when it is scheduled to hear the pleas relating to the controversial farm laws and the farmers' protests.

Ghanwat said that if the apex court does not appoint a new member, the existing members will continue. He added that the committee has received the terms of reference and will begin its work from 21 January.

Asked about the government holding parallel talks with protesting farmer unions after the setting up of the SC panel, he said, "We have no issue if a solution is found and the protests end from either (efforts of) our panel or from the government's separate talks with the protesting farmer unions."

"Let (Government) them continue the discussion, we have been given a duty and we will focus on that," he added.

So far, the government has held nine rounds of formal talks with 41 farmer unions but has failed to break the logjam as the latter have stuck to their main demand of a complete repeal of the three Acts.

In the last meeting, the Centre had suggested that the unions constitute their own informal group to prepare a concrete proposal on the three farm laws for further discussion at their next meeting on January 19 to end the long-running protest at various Delhi borders.

The tenth meeting between the farmers and the government is also scheduled to be held on 19 January.

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President-elect Joe Bidens goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans during his first 100 days in office got a seal of approval from the countrys top infectious disease expert on Sunday.

The feasibility of his goal is absolutely clear, theres no doubt about it, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on NBCs Meet the Press.

He also voiced approval for steps Biden has outlined. The president-elect promised Friday to boost vaccine production and distribution as the coronavirus outbreak continues to rage.

What the president-elect is going to do is where need be, Fauci said.

Since last month, the U.S. has been using vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna. Fauci said he expects drugs made by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca to get federal approval soon.

Were weeks away, not months away, he said.

He also chalked up surprising revelations that the federal government doesnt have a stockpile of vaccines for use in second doses to a misunderstanding.

Fauci said hed been informed that feds initially held back some doses as Americans received their first of two shots, but stopped doing so when it became clear that the cadence of the flow of doses was really going to be consistent and reliable.

The doc also warned of new strains of COVID-19 emerging around the globe.

People need to realize theres more than one mutant strain, he said. Theres one from the U.K. thats essentially dominated. Thats the one that is actually is seen in the United States. Theres another more ominous one thats in South Africa and Brazil.

The thing we really want to look at carefully is that does that mutation lessen the impact of the vaccine? Fauci continued. And if it does ... then were going to have to make some modifications.

___

Shant Shahrigian of the New York Daily News wrote this story.

(c)2021 New York Daily News

Visit New York Daily News at www.nydailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Pakistani security forces have detained and forcibly expelled a prominent ethnic Pashtun rights activist, Sanna Ejaz, from the restive province of Balochistan.

Ejaz is a leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a civil rights movement that has come under a growing government crackdown.

Video footage uploaded on social media showed security forces ushering Ejaz into a vehicle on January 17.

Moments before she was detained in the district of Zhob, Ejaz told RFE/RL that paramilitary forces notified her that she was barred from entering Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

They are saying my presence could cause unrest, she told RFE/RL.

Ejaz, a resident of the neighboring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said she had travelled to Balochistan to launch a library for women.

The library was established by Waak, a movement cofounded by Ejaz and dedicated to promoting womens rights and education.

Police said the provincial government in November 2020 issued a notice banning PTM leaders, including Ejaz, from traveling to Balochistan for 90 days.

Balochistan is the scene of a separatist insurgency and a brutal state crackdown that has killed thousands of people since 2004.

Activists claim Pakistans powerful military has committed widespread abuses in Balochistan, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings of political activists and suspected separatists, arbitrary arrests, and torture. The province is home to a sizeable Pashtun community.

Ejaz was among several PTM leaders charged with making anti-state speeches during an unsanctioned rally in the port city of Karachi, in Sindh Province, on December 6, 2020.

Among them was Ali Wazir, a lawmaker and PTM leader, who was arrested on sedition charges over accusations he made anti-state comments during the rally.

Wazir remains in police custody. He is expected to be presented before an anti-terrorism court.

The PTM has campaigned since 2018 for the civil rights of Pakistans estimated 35 million ethnic Pashtuns, many of whom live near the border of Afghanistan where the military has conducted campaigns it says defeated the Pakistani Taliban.

The movement has attracted tens of thousands of people to public rallies in recent years to denounce the powerful Pakistani Army's heavy-handed tactics that have killed thousands of Pashtun civilians and forced millions more to abandon their homes since 2003.

International rights groups say authorities have banned peaceful rallies organized by the PTM and some of its leading members have been arbitrarily detained and prevented from traveling within the country. Some members have also faced charges of sedition and cybercrimes.
The Democratic Republic of Congo honoured independence hero Patrice Lumumba on Sunday, marking 60 years since he was assassinated in a plot linked to the fledgling nation's colonial master Belgium.

President Felix Tshisekedi paid tribute to the charismatic politician at a site in the capital Kinshasa where a memorial is to be installed in his honour.

Lumumba's body will never be recovered however. Shot by firing squad by Katangan separatists and Belgian mercenaries on January 17, 1961, in southeastern Congo during the first, chaotic months of independence, his body was dissolved in acid.

The only part of his body ever recovered was a tooth seized from a Belgian policeman who, by his own account, took it while helping to dispose of the body.

Last month, Tshisekedi said Belgium would return the tooth to his family in time for independence anniversary celebrations on June 30.

Juliana Lumumba, the slain leader's daughter, wrote to Belgium's King Philippe last year, at the height of Black Lives Matter protests, asking for its return.

Prominent Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, also paid tribute to Lumumba, calling him "one of the greatest heroes in history".

Lumumba was a "man of determination who fought to the end for the freedom, the sovereignty of the #DRC", he wrote on Twitter. "A model of courage for the youth."

Lumumba was ousted from his post as prime minister shortly after independence and then delivered to his death at the hands of the Katangan separatists and the mercenaries.

In 2001, a Belgian parliamentary committee acknowledged that the country was "morally responsible" for his death. In 2012, a Brussels appeals court went further, describing his murder as a war crime.

An investigation in Belgium for war crimes is in its final phase, according to lawyer Christophe Marchand, who filed a complaint in 2011 on behalf of Francois Lumumba, a son of the slain leader.

"It was the Belgians who planned Lumumba's death and who carried it out," said Congolese historian Guillaume Nkongolo, referring to recently opened archives.

st/jj/gd

Georgia Pastor Mike Stone to run for So. Baptist presidency

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Georgia Pastor Mike Stone is a candidate to be president of the Southern Baptist Convention, according to Florida Pastor Tom Ascol, who believes it is vital the denomination be led by a pastor.

"We're going to have a faithful Baptist pastor who will be nominated to help lead us as the next SBC president," Ascol, president of Founders Ministries, told The Christian Post in a phone interview Tuesday.

The nation's largest Protestant denomination is comprised of churches and the pastors who are called to shepherd those congregations, he explained, underscoring that it's time for the SBC to "get back to the basics" and that all of the entities and agencies within it belong to the churches.

"At this critical juncture where we have so many challenges in the culture that have come into the denomination and in our local churches, we need a man on the ground [as president]."

Although Ascol is among the Reformed wing of the denomination and Stone represents the traditionalist SBC view  which has been a source of contention in the SBC in recent years  the Florida pastor speaks warmly of the Georgia minister. Their theological differences have not been a barrier to friendship, Ascol said.

"And that's the way it should be in the Southern Baptist Convention, and right now we need all who are committed to the inerrancy and sufficiency, the full authority, of Scripture to unite together. And I think [Mike Stone] will do that. I've not sensed anything from him except just recognition that we are all brothers and these are fraternal discussions we can have but right now we have a bigger concern with what is going on in the culture and the division that has come into our Convention which needs to be addressed by good, clear, simple pastoral leadership."

Stone, who is the pastor of Emanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, Georgia, confirmed Tuesday in a CP interview that indeed he is in the running for the job, though it was something that he felt prompted by the Holy Spirit while praying during a recent season where the SBC presidency was the farthest thing from his mind. He sensed God say to him: "Would you be willing to be nominated if that were My will for you?"

For the Lord to confirm this, Stone prayed that his wife would be in full support of it and for her to initiate it. Stone recounted that his wife is not into Convention affairs at all or the inner workings of the denomination and it would thus be unusual for her to initiate a conversation on the subject.



"The very next day, without me breathing a word of it to her, she initiated this conversation and she asked if she could share with me why she thought God may be moving in that direction," Stone said.

His staff and lay leadership of his church also began to speak positively about the prospect.

"I cannot say that God has called me to be the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention. I can say that God has led me to allow my name to be put in nomination. And my response is not as much a call to be elected but it's a call to be obedient."

Stone plans to emphasize a renewed focus on evangelism as he speaks to SBC leaders about his candidacy  which the denomination has historically called our "one sacred effort"  as well as the importance of the sufficiency of Scripture and greater grassroots involvement in the denomination.

While most Southern Baptists will say they believe that the headquarters of the Convention is the local church given their strong belief of autonomy of every congregation, in practice, the denomination has become top-down management in their approach to the denomination's cooperative efforts.

"In order for the Cooperative Program to work it has to be cooperative. What we're seeing, and there is specific evidence of this, is local churches sending cooperative program dollars through their state and regional conventions and then on to the national conventions and entities and the entities are making decisions that hinder the ministries of the supporting state conventions. And you have decisions made on the ground in local areas in local churches that are being dictated by and driven by national entity headquarters," Stone said.

"Increasingly, Southern Baptists on the ground have less and less influence and impact over what is happening with their own Cooperative Program dollars."

He stressed: "I do think that the Southern Baptist Convention will be best led by someone who has a direct tie to the local church."

Stone is also a previous chair of the SBC Executive Committee.
New Delhi, Jan 17 : The CBI has nabbed a senior railway engineering service officer of 1985 batch along with two others in an alleged bribery case of Rs 1 crore, sources said on Sunday.

A CBI source told IANS, "The arrested railway officer has been identified as Mahendra Singh Chauhan and the amount has been recovered." The source said that Chauhan allegedly demanded the bribe to favour a private company connected to the North East Frontier Railway which is headquartered at Malegaon in Assam.

He said that CBI carried out searches at 20 places in Assam, Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim at premises linked to the accused.
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NYTimes makes fun of the new, weird radiator grilles Quote: Every generation of automotive design has its Mona Lisa  and its Dogs Playing Poker.



Weve had tail fins (time for a comeback?) and the mock-convertible tops of landau vinyl roofs (I cruelly  but rightfully  judge my parents on that tacky 1980s decision). Remember the sharply angled rears of the bustleback Cadillac Seville, Lincoln Continental and Chrysler Imperial? No? Lucky you.



We may look back at 2020 as the moment automakers reached peak grille. Of course theres that pandemic and political chaos. But more than ever, grilles are in. Grilles are big. Grilles are bold. Grilles are somewhat unnecessary on some cars, but there they are. Some could qualify for their own ZIP code if they werent on wheels.



To understand why this is, it helps to understand the difficulties automakers face in trying to produce standout designs. Cars and trucks are global products that must meet seemingly countless worldwide governmental safety and fuel efficiency standards. Imagine a new law school graduate having to pass the American, German, Japanese, Korean and Swedish bar exams in order to work. I rest my case, Your Honor.



Automakers spend billions of dollars meeting the blizzard of regulations and shaping silhouettes to cheat the wind. We see only the styling that envelops the engineering. Design is the sizzle, the emotion, at the very least a tiebreaker when it comes to choosing a vehicle.



Quote: Years ago, Lexus didnt have identity, said Kevin Hunter, president at Toyotas Calty Design Research studio. It was trying to be a brand for everyone, which neutralized our position and identity.



Thus, the Spindle Grille was born. The exaggerated hourglass shape is now the unmistakable face of Lexus, Toyotas luxury marque. Initially likened to Predator or Darth Vaders mask, it quickly divided various camps. And thats OK with Mr. Hunter.



The identity is one we call our own, very different from our competitors, he said. Its very big and polarizing, thats true, but we like the fact were polarizing now. It means that were pushing the envelope and taking more chances. Consumers recognize it  the grille binds our cars together as a cohesive unit. Quote: With aerodynamics dictating auto design, the front is the best place to give vehicles some character. People dont buy the cars they forget. You may not like Picassos Cubism period, but you know it when you see it.



Quote: It might come as a surprise, but automakers arent necessarily trying to appeal to the widest possible audience. Ask Domagoj Dukec, head of BMW design, what the brand stands for and he says, Be stunning, and make a difference. Mission accomplished with the 2021 BMW 4 Series Coupe. The current it car for maximum face, it takes the brands classic twin-kidney grille and turns the visual up to 11. Maybe 12.



The design has generated attention that money cant buy  exactly what Mr. Dukec and his team aimed for.



Design is the emotional approach to any product experience, he said. Its of course very subjective. Not everybody will like it, but it must have personal and individual significance to the customer. This can be different from product to product. That bold face on the 4 Series is not something a businessperson would want on their 5 Series. Quote: BMW is no stranger to styling controversy. In a 10-year run that began in 1999, Chris Bangle turned out designs so polarizing there were back ends widely known as Bangle Butts. Now many see Mr. Bangles designs as groundbreaking.



Mr. Dukec understands that not all will like the large nostrils of the 4 Series. But they get the message across.



Its very distinctive in our portfolio, and clearly BMW, he said. Polarizing, yes, but this is very welcome because people want to show off.



Quote: Another contender for Grille of the Year can be found across the Genesis lineup. Called the Crest Grille, its an elongated version of the emblem found between the wings of the brands badge. And its the size of Seoul.



Brash? Certainly. But the scarcity of the brands new GV80 S.U.V. suggests the designers did something right.



You might absolutely hate the grille, said Jarred Pellat, from Hyundais luxury brand, and thats what I love about Genesis design. The designers arent afraid to make strong statements while building a brand from scratch. We dont have the history of some of our German competitors  were free to innovate with design. The Crest Grille tells people this is a Genesis, like a second logo. Quote: The round headlights and seven-slot grille of Jeeps Wrangler are an actual trademark for the brand (though the lights were square for a spell starting in the late 80s). Jeep defends it like a Rubicon clawing rugged terrain, suing General Motors Hummer division and most recently Mahindra, the Indian automaker.



Fun fact: All Jeeps have a seven-slot grille, but not all of them are actually functional, said Mark Allen, head of Jeep design. Its completely blocked off on the Compass, but its far from useless: It says this is a Jeep.



That rugged American image has helped the brand grow in sales to 1.5 million, from 350,000 at the start of Mr. Allens tenure in 2009. Jeep is the most successful American brand in the famously closed Japanese market. It cant hurt that Wrangler is the most recognizable vehicle on the planet. Oh, and its grille is pretty darn large.



Quote: Andrew Smith, executive director of Cadillac design, said, Design is ultimately about making the customer feel special, to make them feel like they stand out in the crowd. While the brands frontal signature is large vertical LED running lights, only a few models, like the Escalade, have an acre of face space.



We dont do Russian doll design, where theres a small, medium and large version of an S.U.V.,  Mr. Smith said. Theyre all Cadillacs, but theyre different, and the grille wants to be in proportion to the face of the vehicle.



He added: In the case of Escalade, the giant maw is functional. People tow with it, it hauls a lot of people and cargo, so there needs to be airflow to cool the engine. The same goes for pickups. Quote: Cadillac has announced that it is accelerating the switch to electrification, starting with the Lyriq S.U.V. in late 2021. Electric vehicles will challenge designers. With no engine to cool, the fronts will still have a big role.



Lyriqs face will have a complex lighted feature so it looks like a truly luxurious vehicle, Mr. Smith said. Plus, weve got Super Cruise and emerging autonomous technologies with sensors that need to be at the front of the vehicle. Were designing surfaces that are flush and clean to put those sensors behind so theyre invisible to the customer.



The front will continue to provide identity, like a belt buckle of sorts, he added.



BMWs Mr. Dukec agrees. Our upcoming iX electric vehicle has almost no openings in front, he said. The signature twin kidneys that announce this is a BMW are closed because its an E.V. But the kidneys will house the cameras and sensors that cant see through paint.



And those kidneys? You guessed it, theyre huge. Source: New York Times
Members of the state Senate Judiciary Committee speak with state court officials during a virtual meeting on Wednesday.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 17 : If you order 'Mashavadakam' in Mani's tea shop at Karamana in Thiruvananthapuram, you will get a discount of Re 1 from the the actual price of Rs 5 for the popular snack 'Uzhunnuvada'.

Mashavadakam is the Sanskrit name for Uzhunnuvada and this is Mani's small contribution to the development of Sanskrit language in this hamlet of Karamana.

The Vishwa Samskrita Pratishthanam and the Samskrita Bharathi have joined together to promote the ancient language in this area. Around 2000 people live here, and more than half of them can understand Sanskrit while a large number of them can communicate in the ancient language.

H.G. Mahadevan, a product of Government Engineering College, Thiruvananthapuram, who has served in various capacities as an engineer in Europe and India, took avid interest in promoting the language among the people of this area after his retirement in 2018.

Mahadevan told IANS: "Sanskrit is a language which needs to be promoted and this area has a rich background in Sanskrit from time immemorial. So we thought why not be a little more active in promoting the language? We were going smoothly with our endeavour until Covid struck." He said that the M.H. Sasthrikal Smaraka Samskrita Padana Pracharana Kendram along with the Vishwa Sanskrita Prathishtanam and Samskrita Bharathi is promoting the language.

Mahadevan is the son of illustrious Sankrit scholar late M.H. Sasthrikal, who was considered as a walking encyclopedia for Sanskrit.

Two teachers, Santhosh Kumar and Janani, are the inspiring models for the students of Sanskrit in the 'Agraharams' or Brahmin settlements in Karamana, which is in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city.

H. Ramakrishnan, a chartered accountant who lives in the Agraharam, told IANS, "From little children to elderly people, Sanskrit is popular among all in our area right now, and the ancient language getting promoted in this manner is a tribute to the language as well as its earlier proponents like M.H. Sashtrikal, who knew the intricacies of the language in all aspects." There are four white sign boards in different areas of Karamana and each day a new sentence in Sanskrit is written on them so that there is freshness in the promotion of the language.

Slowly but steadily, the Karamana area is turning into a major Sanskrit hub and the Devanagari language is turning into a style statement of this area.

Mahadevan, who is relentlessly campaigning for the promotion of the language, told IANS, "Making each and every person in this area speak in Sanskrit is the motto and we are sure that in a few years down the line, we will achieve this dream." The team had conducted an exhibition to start with at the Karamana community hall in which all the popular items were displayed with each product having a Sanskrit caption in addition to the Malayalam titles.

"This made people familiar with the common materials which we use daily and finding their Sanskrit meaning made people understand the language through a first-hand experience", Mahadevan said.

Another exhibition was held later and these exhibitions made people more aware about the Sanskrit names of the products which they use daily.

Aadikesavan, a chief general manager at the State Bank of India and a resident of Karamana, told IANS, "This Tamil settlement has had a long lineage of Sanskrit scholars for at least three centuries. Indeed, Karamana was the cultural hub of Thiruvananthapuram those days. The scholars were progressive and one of them, Parasurama Sastry, in fact founded the first woman's only mutt in Thiruvananthapuram, the Bharathi Sarada Matom."
But when fertility services were identified as an essential service and permitted to reopen fully in May, Queensland Fertility Group medical director Associate Professor Anusch Yazdani said demand skyrocketed. "In May, after almost three months, we restarted, and it has gone absolutely crazy  in the nicest possible way," he said. Demand for assisted reproductive services also spiked after the March-May lockdown in Queensland. Credit:AFR "There has been a complete change around. In November, we were about 70 per cent above the preceding year. There has been an almost doubling of demand." People were moving their family plans forward, Dr Yazdani said, and demand had jumped not just for assisted reproduction but for all of the obstetric and gynaecological sector.

"We thought in July when we restarted and everything had commenced fully after the lifting of the ban in May, we were looking at a bump of all of those people who were delayed," Dr Yazdani said. "In fact, that's not the case, it's now a sustained increase." Dr Yazdani noted that while spending time at home had forced people to rethink their priorities, overseas travel restrictions also meant people were putting their savings into falling pregnant rather than international holidays. But while the pandemic has given some Queenslanders time and space to start their families, for others, it has been difficult. Delays for older IVF clients has meant a great level of pressure and mental stress as they might feel time was slipping away for their chance at having a baby, Dr Yazdani said.

Two other key problems were that access to international assisted reproduction was impossible, thanks to the travel bans, and donors who would normally supply eggs or sperm for struggling couples had vanished. "Our donors who are out there  people who would normally donate  in uncertain times, haven't wanted to donate," Dr Yazdani said. "We've had to go back to waiting times to access things like donor sperm, and certainly donor eggs." Dr Yazdani said he was pleading with people to contact fertility clinics if they had ever considered becoming an egg or sperm donor, as demand continued to rise and people were left waiting. "I think donors are absolutely incredible people. To give someone that type of gift is incredible," he said.

"They are very, very special people and, for a whole lot of reasons, we have seen a reduction because people were worried about donation during a pandemic." The reality of any possible post-pandemic birth-rate spike in Queensland will likely not be known for another year until the full data is available on 2020's birth rate. With international travel off the agenda, more Queenslanders are prioritising having a family. Credit:iStock In 2019, Queensland recorded 61,735 births, down 0.3 per cent from the year prior. Nationally, 305,832 babies were born  also a 0.3 per cent reduction. Last year the Mater Mothers hospitals in South Brisbane and Redlands welcomed 10,455 babies  20 fewer than 2019.

The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in 2019 reported 4864 births, and Gold Coast University Hospital 5199. Data for 2020 births was not immediately available for public hospitals. For people who were preparing to give birth, Brisbane-based doula and birth planner Cheryl Sheriff said there needed to be a greater focus on emotional support and education around what to expect. Hospitals and birth support services have necessarily reduced in-person contact and classes for people preparing to have a baby, with many now held remotely. Pre-pandemic, Ms Sheriff said one in seven women had post-natal depression and one in 10 men, a ratio that she was concerned could have risen in the past year. Despite the challenges, Ms Sheriff said many of her previous clients had contacted her for support as they were pregnant again.

But she said "the unknown" was a serious mental stress, particularly when it came to hospital restrictions on how many people they could have with them during labour. Such restrictions change frequently in response to COVID-19 outbreaks. "It takes an emotional toll on women when they're at their most vulnerable. I'm sure it has a lot of long-term impacts, and a lot of impacts on women's mental health as well," she said. Ms Sheriff is attempting to work through that issue with one hospital after being told she could not attend a woman's labour this week due to limitations imposed when Brisbane faced another potential COVID-19 outbreak. "It's her second baby with me, and it's been distressing for everyone," she said. "We've sent emails, we've asked for exemptions ... we don't have any control if the hospital overnight makes a change to the [health directions]."
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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 01/17/2021



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[ Spoilers Warning: This report contains spoilers revealing if Jovi and Yara are still together and the couple is living in America.]

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Did Jovi and Yara get married and are they still together, or has the couple split?

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

couple Jovi Dufren and Yara Zaya were forced to spend weeks apart during Yara's 90-day stay in America on her K-1 visa as shown on Season 8 of the series, so what do spoilers reveal about if Jovi and Yara are still together now?Jovi, a 29-year-old who works in underwater robotics from New Orleans, LA, met Yara, a 25-year-old makeup artist from Kiev, Ukraine, through a travel app.Jovi said he thought Yara was very beautiful and they're both family-oriented and seemed to like a lot of the same things -- such as beaches, scubadiving and traveling.Jovi decided to meet Yara in-person during a work trip to Budapest. He said he had no expectations when they first met and, despite an awkward introduction, "really good sex" led to more hangout sessions.During the first few months of their relationship, Jovi and Yara took vacations together all over the world, including a stop in Bali. Jovi also visited his girl in the Ukraine multiple times.Jovi revealed he got Yara pregnant six months into their relationship and that was a huge shock to him."I was dumbfounded, it was so unexpected. This is not what I'm ready for. I thought she was trying to trap me. I thought, 'This is her ticket to America,'" Jovi admitted. "But after the shock wore off, it actually pulled us pretty closer together."At that point, however, Jovi said he loved Yara, and so he decided to propose marriage to her during a trip to Cuba.Afterward, Jovi applied for a K-1 visa so he could marry Yara and they could become a family, but then the couple received bad news that they had lost the baby.Since Yara was no longer pregnant, Jovi confessed he experienced a case of cold feet and realized there was no rush to get married anymore and settle down together in America.But after more time passed, Jovi determined Yara was the person he wanted to be with and he felt good about having her in his life. And Yara was prepared to move to Louisiana in just a few days after her K-1 visa was approved.Jovi's friends and family didn't think he was ready to settle down since the free spirit was used to a partying lifestyle, and Jovi's mother Gwen warned her son that many Ukrainian women want to get to the United States and receive green cards.However, Jovi decided to change his ways for Yara and put his trust in her.Jovi only had two weeks to spend with Yara before he had to take off and work on a boat for a month."If Yara and I don't work out, I'll be devastated," Jovi said, before the couple reunited at the airport.When asked to reveal what she loved most about Jovi, Yara wasn't sure what to say other than he had a good body when they first met.Yara disappointed Jovi that night by refusing to go out on the town. Yara just wanted to shower, sleep and rest after her long journey to America, but Jovi was hoping to party and introduce Yara to his friends."I don't think me and Yara are on the same page about a lot of things, but our 90 days start today and we have a lot to think about before we get married," Jovi said.During Yara's first full day in New Orleans, Jovi then gave Yara a tour of the city, including Bourbon Street, which Yara considered chaotic and crazy.Yara seemed overwhelmed by her environment and admitted she thought America was going to be "sweet dreams" but Ukraine was better -- although "more poor."Jovi then introduced Yara to his mother, but Yara was uncomfortable about spending the night at Gwen's place, which was upsetting to Gwen.Jovi said he needed the women to get along in order to have a happy future, but Gwen was once again disappointed upon hearing about the couple's Las Vegas wedding plans.Gwen wanted to be able to attend the wedding, along with Jovi's grandparents, but Yara insisted she wanted his big day to be an intimate affair.Gwen suggested that Yara was being a bit selfish, but Yara said she wasn't going to let Gwen control her."I will not get married in a trailer park," Yara said.Yara and Jovi later argued while picking out furniture for their apartment together.Yara didn't appreciated how Jovi treated her in front of other people, and she apparently grew tired of people thinking she was the "b-tch" in their relationship when he was allegedly "rude" and "mean" to her.Yara reminded Jovi that she had left everything in her country behind for him and so it would be nice for him to make sacrifices for her as well, like a silly white rug for their living room.Jovi eventually apologized for his behavior in the furniture store and said he just wanted to make Yara happy and feel at home."Everything I do is to basically make her feel more comfortable," Jovi told the cameras.Jovi realized both he and Yara had "selfish tendencies" and needed to be more accommodating with each other and compromise more, so Jovi gave in and bought a white rug for their apartment's living room.Yara admitted she thought New Orleans was "a nasty village," and she said she just didn't like the city. Yara wished she and Jovi could move somewhere else, like Los Angeles, so she told Jovi to make her happy by relocating, but Jovi pictured raising a family in New Orleans.Since Jovi had to leave for work for a whole month, he gifted Yara with a new iPhone so she would be able to call and communicate with him. He didn't want Yara to be completely bored by herself in the city since his mother even lived an hour away.Yara was thrilled about the phone and gushed how Jovi was the best boyfriend ever in the moment.The couple then discussed children while dining out, and Yara said she hated the idea of being left alone with the kids while Jovi worked a full month at a time away from home.Yara said she'd need help with their kids, but Jovi said his mother did a great job of raising him while his father was gone doing similar work.Jovi said he loved his upbringing and also thought it would be great to spend four weeks of interrupted time with his children once he returned home from work.Yara broke down into tears and recalled how Jovi had left her alone when she had an operation while pregnant with Jovi's child and so she no longer trusted him.Yara complained about Jovi leaving her when she had a miscarriage, adding that she might never be able to trust him again and would never want to be left alone with children again.Jovi recalled the turn of events differently and insisted he never meant to ditch Yara during her time of need. Jovi also said he never realized Yara was so resentful about him leaving her alone in Albania while she was pregnant with their child and lost the baby.Yara was upset her last night with Jovi ended on a low note with her crying.Jovi said he felt bad about the conversation because he did leave Yara after her miscarriage but he didn't know at the time she would have follow-up doctor appointments and the procedure Yara had mentioned.Yara wasn't looking forward to living without Jovi, who knew it would be tough for Yara because she had no friends or family in New Orleans. Even Jovi's mother lived an hour away.The pair hugged and kissed at the airport, and they both expressed how much they loved and would miss each other.Yara was a little scared, sad and homesick, and as some time passed, she found herself incredibly bored and lonely. Yara also complained about how people in the city got drunk really early in the day, which drove her crazy.Yara decided to meet up with Jovi's friend Sara to get their nails done. Yara said even if she and Sara didn't become best friends, it would be nice to have a girl to hang out with.Yara told Sara that time had passed so quickly and her relationship was definitely interesting because now she and Jovi had time to miss each other.Yara revealed she had no plans to have a baby in the near future and she'd like to open her own business, maybe a salon working as a makeup artist.Yara also anticipated Jovi would find a different job for her so they'd be able to spend more time with each other, but Sara told the cameras Jovi loved his job and there was no shot he'd give it up for a woman.Sara asked Yara whether she truly thought Jovi was ready to settle down because he definitely had a history of partying and getting drunk. Sara also warned Yara that Jovi used to be a regular at one of the local stripclubs."He would sleep with them," Sara said."That's a part of Jovi he don't tell me about," Yara replied. "I heard some things about his ex because everybody tell me that she was so bad."Sara revealed Jovi's ex got so drunk one night that she had pissed herself in bed in the middle of the night. Yara laughed and said that girl sounded "nasty," but Sara pointed out that's who Jovi was before he got involved with Yara.Yara said if Jovi partied hard all the time, she simply wouldn't want to be with him.Yara told the cameras that she had gotten to know a totally different side of Jovi and a part of her feared she had been lying to herself the whole time or just not paying attention. Click here to read Jovi's denial about having slept with strippers, and click here to see his reaction to Sarah throwing him under the bus to Yara.Yara complains in a trailer teasing what's to come on 's eighth season that Jovi is an alcoholic and party animal."He needs to understand I [gave] up everything I have to be here," Yara says in a confessional.Yara later says she "deserves somebody better" after Jovi is shown joking with a friend how he wasn't married yet."I'm going to walk away," Jovi threatens his fiancee."You f-cking walk away," Yara dares him with tears in her eyes. "I'm just done with you."It appears Jovi and Yara are still together and married within the 90-day period that followed her arrival in America. For starters, Jovi's Instagram profile picture features Yara.And on Yara's Instagram, her description says, "38 country, traveling with my [love]." Jovi has a similar description on his own Instagram page, saying he's been to 57 countries and is "on an adventure to see the world!"Yara posted a photo of herself standing next to a Christmas tree and wished her followers a Happy New Year for 2021, and one eagle-eyed fan noticed the room looked like Jovi's apartment.In mid-December 2020, Yara posted a picture of herself touching her hair, and an eagle-eyed Instagram user noticed an engagement ring and wedding ring on Yara's left hand.But when a fan commented, "Ooooooooo a wedding ring," Yara commented, "Not wedding, this is an ordinary ring, I wear it so that the engagement ring does not get lost, because it is big for me."The fan wrote back that Jovi needs to size the ring for Yara, and she replied, "Hahahahah, i was thinking about that, but I newer have time."Jovi posted the video clip of Yara saying he no longer had a good body, which was footage that aired in the premiere of 's eighth season."Well damnnnnn, that's harsh," Jovi playfully captioned his post along with crying-laughing emoticons.Yara shared the same video clip on her own Instagram account and said, "It's so funny. I'm definitely not a romantic person who can talk about feelings."When one fan wrote, "I can't wait to see more of you and jovi you two are so cute together."Yara replied, "Thank you," which seemingly confirms they are still a couple.On December 6, Jovi requested of his followers, "Tune in to see our story."And Yara commented on his post, "You are special!! WE DONT HAVE SEX IN THE FIRST NIGHT."Earlier that month, Yara posted a photo of herself filming behind-the-scenes and wrote alongside it, "I want Jovi to look at me with the same loving eyes as this woman looks at me in the first photo."Yara also uploaded a photo of herself drinking wine with a cityscape in the background, and Jovi commented on the picture, "Dayummmm. Are you single??"Jovi's flirtatious remark would seem to suggest they're still together.The pair were definitely still together in early May 2020, when Yara captioned a selfie of the couple with three red heart emojis.One follower gushed "gorgeous couple," and then Yara responded, "Thanks."Yara also posted a throwback photo of Jovi proposing marriage down on one knee. She wrote "memories" alongside the photo with a red heart emoji.And in February, Yara uploaded a few photos of herself in an ivory suite and pink shirt, and Jovi commented, "Like."Going back to late December 2019, Jovi posted a photo with Yara in which they were sitting in front of a fireplace at Christmas time.Yara commented, "I look ugly here."One month earlier, Yara posted photos with Jovi posing on a rooftop and captioned them, "Best [man] in the world, love you so much."Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
A bag of cement which usually costs approximately $50 has more than tripled in price at some places since Covid-19 invaded the country in March 2020.

Some people are paying as much as $150 and more for a bag of cement.
Image shows LG Electronics' new smartphone with a rollable display, introduced during a press conference at CES 2021, Jan. 11. Courtesy of LG Electronics



Smartphone business restructuring could boost LG Electronics value



By Baek Byung-yeul



LG Electronics denied media reports last week that it was reportedly thinking of exiting its money-losing smartphone business. But industry officials said Sunday that now is the time for LG to get off the fence, because the fundamental strength of the business conglomerate is evolving from consumer products to manufacturing key components in the burgeoning IT and electric vehicle (EV) industries.



LG was used to be the top player in the bygone days of "feature" or "design-centric" mobile phones. Compared to rivals such as Nokia and Samsung Electronics more than a decade ago, users were fond of the refined and trend-setting designs of LG phones. Many people in Korea still have fond memories of LG's svelte Chocolate phone, streamlined Shine phone and uber-chic Prada phone.



But the company lost its luster after lagging behind in the industry-wide transition to smartphones in the late 2000s. This was because senior LG executives at the time decided to keep concentrating on the feature phone business and opted not to acquire memory chipmaker Hynix Semiconductor, which SK consequently purchased in 2012.



Now, LG's presence in the mobile phone business has diminished gradually to the point that it is not even considered a serious competitor to market leaders such as Apple, Samsung and Chinese phone makers.



To keep its mobile business afloat, LG Electronics has increased outsourcing portions of its low- and mid-tier smartphones to cut costs. But even those measures have proven unsatisfactory after the firm suffered operating losses for 23 consecutive quarters as of the third quarter of 2020.



As far as hardware goes, smartphone users may feel no significant difference between the Galaxy or LG smartphone as the industry has already matured and has grown saturated with almost every manufacturer producing quality handsets.



But when it comes to related services and software technologies, consumers are attracted more to the Galaxy series of smartphones that offer a much wider range of apps under Samsung's ecosystem.



By using what's called a "Samsung Pass" app installed in Galaxy devices, users can sign in to their accounts, websites or apps securely using their biometric data. Samsung device users can also enjoy seamless connectivity between smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and wireless earphones. Except for die-hard Apple fans, the ecosystem Samsung has established would probably be suitable for fans of the Android operating system.



Because the smartphone industry is currently dominated by a few players, one knowledgeable source said now is the time for LG to pull out of the mobile phone business or overhaul the business unit.



"The smartphone business has been stagnant for years, with Apple, Samsung and Chinese companies firmly occupying the market. This means it has become difficult for LG, which has been lagging behind the competition, to generate meaningful revenue in the business," the official said.



To be sure, LG has not been sitting by idly as rival Samsung grew to lead the global smartphone market in terms of market share. LG Group has been trying to make fundamental changes in its business operations to transform itself into a core player in emerging businesses such as the EV industry.



While LG has mostly been known for its consumer goods manufacturing business, industry officials said the conglomerate is rapidly becoming a major parts supplier. The group's core affiliates, including LG Chem, LG Display and LG Innotek, have been identified as some of the main beneficiaries of the rapidly growing EV business.



LG Electronics also impressed investors in December by announcing the establishment of a joint venture with automotive parts maker Magna International to manufacture e-motors, inverters and onboard chargers used in EVs.



Magna had been involved in Apple's EV-manufacturing business under Project Titan. The announcement drove LG Electronics shares to their 30 percent daily limit on the day the news broke, because investors hoped the joint venture could potentially supply components to Apple's EVs. The iPhone maker announced recently that it plans to roll out its first EVs in 2024.



The overwhelming response from investors apparently caught LG executives by surprise, but also gave them confidence that they are on the right path. Investors also welcomed news that LG may withdraw from the smartphone business as its shares rose 2.5 percent in after-hours trading.



"Under the group's Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, LG Electronics is advised to reorganize its business structure in a way where it can become a market leader. The company doesn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past in the smartphone business," another industry official said.



"The time has come for LG, which has been criticized for being a latecomer for the past decade. The market has expressed its support for LG's possible exit from the smartphone business."



Police appeal for witnesses to help investigation into fatal road traffic collision by Gwersyllt

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jan 17th, 2021

Police are appealing for witnesses to a collision in Gwersyllt two days ago.

On Friday afternoon police closed the road between Wheatsheaf Lane and The Meadows, with the area remaining taped off for several hours as investigation work took place.

In a statement this morning North Wales Police said, We are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic collision on Old Mold Road, Gwersyllt on Friday January 15 at approximately 2:45 PM.

A grey Mercedes Vito collided with a grass verge and the driver, a local man was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

We are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision, or may have dash cam footage to assist the investigation.

Anyone who can help the investigation is asked to contact the Roads Policing Unit on 101 quoting reference 21000031035.

We were not all "at it". Not everyone let babies die cruelly in mother and child "homes". Just as we were not all responsible for the reckless behaviour that later broke banks and cost Ireland billions. Blaming society in general is a means of avoiding accountability.

It is wrong for the official report on mother and child "homes" to claim that responsibility for harsh treatment meted out to single mothers and babies "rests mainly with the fathers of the children and their own immediate families". To add simply that institutions of the State and church "supported", "contributed to" or "condoned" that treatment is a cop-out.

It is puzzling for the report to claim prominently that: "There is no evidence that women were forced to enter mother and baby homes by the church or State authorities." This is literalism, a narrow definition of "force" that misses the point. The report itself admits: "Most women had no alternative." It states, too: "They were forced to leave home, and seek a place where they could stay without having to pay. Many were destitute."

Social hysteria, sustained by church authorities and by the cowardice of governments, forced desperate women to enter unfit "homes" once the father of the baby or the parents of the mother failed to provide shelter and support.

Of course, society in general bears some blame. But no matter how rigidly communities treated pre-marital sex "to protect the farm", it was no excuse for "refuges" that were funded by church and State letting innocent babies die and mistreating their mothers.

Those who were morally and professionally responsible for the system were government ministers, heads of government departments, religious orders, local bishops and gardai, and doctors who used children as guinea pigs. Their behaviour was cowardly, unchristian. They knew of babies dying in disproportionate numbers, of women in misery, because of abuse and rape, but looked away.

The failure of church and State to pursue older fathers guilty of rape or incest was one reason for the scandal, but the report blaming terrified young fathers seems not far off blaming the mothers themselves.

Public relations apologies, by politicians who say sorry on behalf of everyone before moving on, are cheap. There were, in fact, some who spoke up when it came to mother and child "care". People like health inspector Alice Litster, who pointed out what was wrong but was ultimately ignored.

Another was Minister Noel Browne, politically terminated in the 1950s for wanting the best possible medical service for mothers and babies. And there were those like Edna O'Brien and John McGahern, who left Ireland when condemned for writing frankly about sex. Those in power did too little to change attitudes. They ensured what President Higgins on Friday defined as "a judgmental, authoritarian version of church/State relations" prevailed. Hysterical book and film censorship bred ignorance. Young people were denied contraception, despite the fact that this inevitably meant more unwanted babies.

It is sobering to recall that in the late 1950s a railway worker was jailed, and lost his pensionable job in Naas, because he sold condoms.

Before sentencing him to two months' jail and fining him 20, Justice O'Grady said, "I have given this case careful consideration and I look upon it as a very serious matter" (Leinster Leader, December 14, 1957). One month later, a senior counsel persuaded the Circuit Court to remit his prison sentence and halve the fine. But the man did not get his job back. The local parish priest also took steps to ensure that he would not receive the State pension.

And not even a woman made pregnant through rape or incest, no matter how brutal the circumstances, could get an abortion. It was out of the question. But having her baby die of malnourishment and neglect in a "home" was not. Some lives were more sacred than others.

Too many citizens were satisfied to see unmarried mothers and their "bastards" suffer. Others were afraid. Speaking out could tar you as a troublemaker, and that mattered when so many scarce jobs were determined partly by religious favouritism and political pull. All it took was a nod to ruin your chances.

Recently we have seen what happened when Garda Maurice McCabe spoke out about corruption in the justice system. He was almost crushed personally as senior gardai, officials and opinion-formers looked the other way or rubbished him. How much harder it was to speak out in the mid-20th century.

Catholic authorities groomed the fiction of Ireland as a special, moral society. It was a unique example, an English-speaking country that was Catholic when others were not. It pumped out children for whom it had no jobs but many of whom came to staff the Roman Catholic mission overseas, from Africa to Alberta. The Irish Catholic Church once helped to educate and inspire generations of Irish people. It ran health and social services when nobody else did. The image of the loving Sacred Heart became a symbol of the people's spiritual identity.

After Independence, bishops abused their power. They have alienated many from religion. When the bulk of a nation loses its cultural identity without finding a coherent new one, it leaves society prey to darker forces. Where there was faith and hope, church authorities sowed doubt and despair. The psychological implications of this are generally ignored.

Irish Catholic authorities have not been up to the task of reform. The hierarchy listens to whom it likes to hear. Even as the report recited shocking details last week, church authorities would or could not say where all the abused and neglected babies are buried. The new Archbishop of Dublin is already busy refusing to bless divorced couples in second relationships and gay couples who are Christian.

Bishops expressed regret last week, politicians apologised. But there was no TV or Zoom event to grip the national imagination, no sight of church and State in robust dialogue with those most hurt. Still today, some Irish children suffer unacceptable conditions and inequality.

Colum Kenny is a journalist, barrister and historian. He is Emeritus Professor at Dublin City University
Nehru was all the time inclined to emotionally attach himself to the socialist policy, which inevitably resulted in developing soft corner in his mind towards China and Russia, which were communist countries at that time.

by N.S.Venkataraman

When India attained independence from the British rule, Jawaharlal Nehru became the Prime Minister and remained in the job for around fourteen years till his end. Jawaharlal Nehru was, no doubt , a historian ,a scholar and had firm commitment to Indias cause . He had deep faith in socialist philosophy. The problem arose when Nehru confused socialist philosophy with communist philosophy and convinced himself that the world was passing through a conflict between communism ( socialism in Nehrus view ) and capitalism, which could lead to war like situation.

With his abiding desire to ensure peace in the world, , Nehru promoted the philosophy of non alignment and said that the non aligned nations would not join the communist bloc (largely represented by China and Russia) and capitalist bloc ( largely represented by USA).

However, Nehru was all the time inclined to emotionally attach himself to the socialist policy, which inevitably resulted in developing soft corner in his mind towards China and Russia, which were communist countries at that time.

With his historical knowledge of India - China cultural relationship, Nehru went out of the way to keep China in good humour and he dreamt that his friendly policy would ensure that China and India would be eternal friends and partners .He could not visualize about Chinas ambitions and greed under communist regime.

It was a shock for Nehru when China occupied Tibet and in the process massacred thousands of innocent Tibetans. Nehru knew that Tibet was wronged but he did not want to undo his friendly relation with China and also did not have the courage to confront China. This was particularly so, since confronting China would mean aligning with capitalist country USA, which he did not like. Nehru remained virtually quiet even when China continued its atrocities in Tibet. To satisfy his conscience, Nehru allowed His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetans to enter India as refugees and accommodated them, taking an element of risk in dealing with China.

It was a second shock for Nehru in 1962, when China entered India and successfully occupied thousands of kilometer of Indian territory. The weak Indian army and not strongly equipped by Nehru , since he assumed that China would not go to the extent of waging a war against India , lost thousands of soldiers. India lost the war and was humiliated.

Nehru passed away around two years later with deep disappointment after clearly realizing that his appeasement policy towards China was wrong and his view about Chinas objectives was not correct , even as the historian Nehru continued to admire the past culture and civilization of China. Nehru died as a sad person.

The next decisive approach towards China happened when Vajpayee, who was the Prime Minister later on , recognized Tibet as part of China. Vajpayee knew that Tibet was wronged but he did not have the courage to confront China as he was afraid of Chinas superior military and technological power. In essence, Vajpayees approach towards China was not much different from that of Nehru.

When Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India, he too adopted what looked like similar policy towards China like that of Nehru and Modi too went out of the way to appease China to keep it in good humour.

With China creating a war like situation with India in recent times once again ,Narendra Modi has now realized that his policy towards China is wrong . Unlike Nehru, Narendra Modi now has the time to revise his China policy and it appears that he has finally decided to confront China. Compared to the year 1962, when India - China war took place, China has become much more stronger now economically, militarily and technologically. Confronting China is even more difficult ,now compared to the period when Nehru was the Prime Minister.

Nevertheless, the approach and policy of Modi clearly give an impression that Modi has decided to stand upto China. This was in sharp contrast to the period when Nehru and later on when Vajpayee were the Prime Ministers ,when both of them developed cold feet and did not want to take confrontation with China to logical end.

Today, the uppermost priority for Modi is to ensure that China would not indulge in misadventure once again.

Modi is taking many steps to strengthen the army and unlike Nehru , has no prejudice in aligning with USA to fight against China in a border war , if it would become necessary.

Still , some well meaning critics think that Modi is initiating only half steps and does not want to recognize Tibet as an independent country, which would be the ultimate proof for Modis determination to stand upto China.

In recent times, China has become more aggressive and has already successfully converted Pakistan to the status of what looks like a client state , particularly since Pakistan has openly declared itself as sworn enemy of India. A joint military war by Pakistan and China on one side and India on the other side is a distinct possibility now.

Modi clearly knows this and has to device his counter plans accordingly . Such plans has to necessarily include forging strong alliance with Taiwan , Japan, Australia and United States, since all these countries share the concern about Chinas increasing military power and expansionist policy.

In any case, it is now becoming absolutely clear that Modi approach towards China is not any more based on appeasement of China , as seen in Nehrus time and Vajpayees time.

Certainly, China would do its utmost to weaken Modi government internally and externally and create problems for India in variety of ways and try to unsettle India.

Modi now has a challenge as well as opportunity in the China front, to show that he is different from the earlier Prime Ministers of India.

The world watchers are looking at the unfolding scenario with great interest.
England has been ravished by a new strain causing case numbers to surge

Young Australian health care workers fighting the mutant Covid super-strain in London dreamed of death when they finally tried to rest after gruelling days battling the virus.

Katherine Lennon moved to Britain from Cairns in Far North Queensland in December 2019 to work as an intensive care nurse.

One year later, with a death toll of more than 88,000 in Britain, the 25-year-old hears sirens and sees death in her dreams.

Katherine Lennon moved to the UK from Cairns in Far North Queensland in December 2019 to work as an intensive care nurse

Ms Lennon, 25, now has dreams about sirens and dead people in her ward in a London hospital

'Last night I just kept having nightmares about people dying in the bays,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

'Usually those nightmares involve pressing alarms and no one coming and yelling for help.'

The UK recorded another 1,295 coronavirus deaths and 41,346 new cases on Saturday (local time) - as fatalities continued to rise by more than 1,000 for the fifth day in a row.

That was a 25 percent increase on deaths from a week earlier and took Britain's grim toll to 88,590, with paramedics and nurses among the dead.

Ms Lennon said her shifts far exceed the standard 15 hours and nurses are looking after up to four patients each, prioritising who they care for due to bed and staff shortages.

Pictured: Paramedics transport a patient with visible oxygen tank from the ambulance to the emergency department at the the Royal London Hospital, on 15 January

Pictured: Paramedics wheel a patient to an ambulance outside the Royal London hospital in London on January 12

Patients who are incredibly sick have to be turned on their stomachs to help them breathe, which can take up to eight staff and 30 minutes to do.

Ms Lennon described showing the family of a dead patient how to put on protective gear so they could safely say goodbye to their loved ones as heartbreaking, but there is no time to for her to grieve.

After a patient died in her bay, they bed was quickly cleaned to make way for someone else.

'You don't have time to be sad because someone else needs that bed,' she said.

Some patients can be revived, but she said the intensity of the virus was much worse during the second wave.

Ms Lennon said her shifts now far exceed the standard 15 hours and nurses have been looking after up to four patients each

When Ms Lennon arrives at work after getting up at 6.30am, she dresses in full-body uncomfortable and hot protective gear which often leaves her dripping with sweat.

No one is allowed to eat or drink while wearing protective gear and nurses can go up to six hours without food or water during their shift to avoid taking the gear off and putting it on again.

She arrives home at 9.30pm and does it all again the next day.

England was the first nation in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine, with more than three million doses already administered.

Ms Lennon was among the first to get the shot

With her second shot coming on February 23, Ms Lennon said it will be like a late present for her 26th birthday on the 12th.

-When Ms Lennon arrives at work after getting up at 6.30am, she dresses in full-body uncomfortable and hot protective gear which often leaves her pouring with sweat

Catheryn Jones is a paramedic from Hobart who has been working for the London Ambulance Service since 2017.

As a frontline worker, the 25-year-old has seen the explosion of Covid cases in the city first hand.

'Quite a few of my workmates have caught Covid. Unfortunately we have had a few colleagues pass away as well,' she told the Herald Sun.

'Thankfully I've remained well over the entire time and haven't had Covid and have had my first dose of the vaccination.'

Ms Jones said almost every patient she attends to has coronavirus, and there is a wait time for ambulances of three to five hours.

PPE gear that 'makes us all look like painters' has become her uniform but, like Ms Lennon, she has to remove the suit completely to even drink a cup of coffee.

One Covid-positive patient was about to die in palliative care and couldn't see his friends or family.

Ms Lennon arrives home at 9.30pm and wakes up for 6.30 again each morning to go to work

All emergency workers could do was take out their iPads and Facetime the patient's family so he could say goodbye.

Despite being surrounded by death and devastation, the young paramedic says she still loves her job.

'You know what, despite it all I do love my job I genuinely find it the most rewarding one that I could be doing,' she said.

Over the weekend, NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said someone is being admitted to hospital with coronavirus 'every thirty seconds'.

The NHS boss said that hospitals had seen a huge increase in patients since Christmas and added that there are enough new cases to fill a whole hospital every morning.
The BJP on Sunday alleged that



several leaders in were administered COVID-19 vaccines meant for healthcare personnel and frontline workers, resulting in a shortfall of doses in the state.

Several leaders, including two MLAs, were among the people who received the COVID-19 vaccine in Purba Bardhaman district on Saturday, the opening day of the nationwide vaccination programme.

Many healthcare workers in the state had alleged that they could not get the jab though they were asked to come for it.

"The vaccines sent by the central government are for healthcare staffers, police personnel and other frontline workers who are serving the society in the pandemic situation. Nearly 3.5 crore vials were dispatched by the Centre across the country. These doses are not meant for political leaders.

"If these vaccines were taken by some leaders, there would be a shortfall," BJP state unit president Dilip Ghosh told reporters.

Some TMC leaders are so scared of their lives that they jumped the gun, violating the norms, he said.

The Centre is targeting to vaccinate over three crore healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase of the inoculation drive for free.

Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had on Saturday expressed her dissatisfaction over "inadequate" supplies of COVID-19 vaccines to the state for the programme.

According to a state government official, Bengal was supposed to receive over 10 lakh vaccines in the first phase, but have got 6.89 lakh doses so far.

Around 15,707 people were administered the first dose of the COVID 19 vaccine in the state on Saturday.

The ruling party in the state accused the BJP of creating a controversy over the vaccination programme.

"The Centre is not adequately supplying COVID vaccines to It is keeping control over the supplies. If needed, the state government will bear the cost of administering the vaccine to every person in the state," TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said on Sunday.

Alleging that the BJP had not joined the fight against COVID-19 in the state he said the saffron party's only agenda is to "carry out personal attacks in the run-up to the assembly polls".

Elections to the 294-member Bengal assembly are due in April-May.

(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.)
Dozens of Sudanese protesters burned the Israeli flag Sunday during a rally against Khartoum's recent signing of a deal on normalising relations with Israel, an AFP correspondent reported.

Demonstrators gathered outside the cabinet offices in the capital Khartoum, chanting anti-Israel slogans and carrying banners reading, "normalisation is betrayal" and "normalisation is a crime".

On January 6, Sudan became the third Arab country to sign the US-brokered "Abraham Accords" on normalising ties with Israel after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain last year.

Morocco has also agreed a US-sponsored "normalisation" with Israel that restores past relations.

The protesters, who said they belonged to an anti-normalisation group, also carried banners reading "down with Abraham accords" and "Abraham Accords are American blackmail in exchange for submission".

Sudan signed the accords less than a month after Washington removed Khartoum from its "state sponsors of terrorism" blacklist as part of a quid pro quo for the East African country normalising ties with Israel.

In October, Khartoum said its deal with Israel would only come into force after its approval by a yet-to-be-formed parliament.

The country has been undergoing a rocky transition since the army toppled long-time president Omar al-Bashir in 2019 following months of mass protests against his rule, triggered by economic hardship.

The transitional administration, which took power months after Bashir's ouster, has been pushing to rebuild the country's economy beleaguered by decades of US sanctions and internal conflict.

It has sought to boost its international standing by forging closer ties with the US, as it grapples with a deepening economic crisis exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Short link:


Iconic fast-food chain Pizza Hut has declared ambitions to unseat rival Domino's as the nation's dominant pizza chain, as its private equity owner Allegro Funds explores a possible ASX float of the business.

Pizza Hut, which has fallen in popularity since its heyday in the 80s and 90s, has been buoyed by recent investor appetite for the burgeoning fast-food space. The chain's Australian operations were sold by US-based Yum! Brands in 2016 to Allegro, which made major changes to the business including stripping down the menu and setting up much-needed tech systems to allow the brand to compete in the UberEats-driven delivery market.

Pizza Hut could be a listed company as its private equity owners mull whats next for the growing business. Credit:Neil Newitt

Current chief executive Phil Reed was appointed in 2018, and says the business has seen significant growth over the past 24 months, supported by COVID-driven demand for takeaway food.

"We're in a very, very strong position because of the technology that we put into place and also our operational excellence, which has meant our cash flows over the course of COVID has increased 60 per cent," Mr Reed told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Sunday, January 17, 2021

This is a story of false identification and the fact that many people, in any large investigation, come forward with stories that are just not believable. In this case, a Mr. Cedric Rolleston told Garrison investigators that he saw Clay Shaw with Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963. Clay Shaw's legal team had to run down the lead and eventually Mr. Rolleston recanted. Yet, even today, conspiracy books don't quite tell you the whole story about Mr. Rolleston.

Mr. Rolleston enters our story in 1963 when he contacts the FBI regarding Lee Harvey Oswald.

Here is the FBI report which is included in Warren Commission Document 205 - they unfortunately spelt his name wrong which makes it hard to find.

But, in 1967 Rolleston contacted Jim Garrison's office.

Garrison flew Rolleston to New Orleans to be interviewed. This short piece is from the Emporia Gazette of July 19, 1967.

Here is the statement Rolleston gave to Garrison:

Apparently, he told Garrison a lot more than this statement. Here is an excerpt from Hugh Aynesworth's book, JFK: Breaking The News:

Clay Shaw's defense team had to run down the lead. Edward Wegmann sent a letter to Hugh Aynesworth:

Here is the reply from Aynesworth:

Clay Shaw had an alibi - he was in New Orleans.

A week after the Martin Luther King assassination, William Gurvich, an investigator for Garrison, contacted the FBI because he believed that Rolleston had been in Memphis.

Ultimately, Rolleston had a change of heart and said that Shaw was not the man with Oswald. This is from the Opelousas Daily World from June 13, 1968.

Mr. Rolleston had a lengthy history of impersonation. This is from Madison Capital Times from March 2, 1950.

And, then there is this from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of February 25, 1952:

Well, Rolleston kept on going. Here is an excerpt from a New York Times article from October 20, 1975. The article about about growing criticism of the Warren Report, and the movement for a new inquiry.

The sentence above reads, "Mr. Von Rolleston was wearing a large red button in his lapel with the legend "I believe in elves."

So, how do conspiracy authors treat Rolleston? Joan Mellen tries to use Rolleston as a corroborating witness to either multiple Oswalds or the real Oswald being in Lafayette.

Mellen doesn't tell you that Rolleston WAS unreliable.

And, of course, Garrison wanted Oswald in Lafayette. It would help with the Clinton witnesses. In the summer of 1967, Garrison was interviewed by Playboy and he provided a couple of memos of "secret" information that could not be put into print. Here is one of them:

Rolleston was one of those witnesses, until he talked to Shaw's attorneys and recanted.

And, James DiEugenio uses Rolleston as a foil to bash reporter Hugh Aynesworth.

No mention that Rolleston might be unreliable.

Don Carpenter writes in his book, Man of a Million Fragments, that Rolleston "wrote a bizarre letter" to the HSCA "with yet another story about the assassination." Unfortunately, he died soon after.
I am writing as a registered Republican to urge All Pennsylvanians to contact their senators and urge them to take courageous and necessary action to join in what should be a bipartisan effort to hold Sen. Doug Mastriano accountable for inciting, aiding and abetting, and participating in the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week.

Sen. Mastrianos claims that he left and did not participate in any unlawful acts ring hollow in consideration of his previous and unrelenting efforts to falsely claim fraud in the 2020 presidential election in Pennsylvania, the same election that saw sweeping victories for Republican legislators throughout the Commonwealth. In fact, by his own admission, Sen. Mastriano chartered a bus to transport his constituents to the Capitol event and then abandoned them to the consequences of their actions, all while publicly denying his own complicity.

Like Sen. Mastriano, I served my country for 30 years, completing 10 combat deployments in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. After experiencing three civil wars first hand, I am outraged beyond words that someone who swore the same oath as I did to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic should participate in an effort to overthrow the Constitutional process of electoral college ratification and instigate a civil war in my own country.

It is time to put the country and the Commonwealth above party loyalty.

John J. Patterson VI, Newville, Pa.


The latest vaccine results suggest the Morrison government was right to wait for the United States and Europe rather than rushing a new treatment for COVID-19 in Australia.

The deaths of 29 older people in Norway are a reminder of the case for caution when Health Minister Greg Hunt was asked only days ago why he was not approving new vaccines faster.

Australians deserve as much information as possible about coronavirus vaccines. Credit:AP

But the events are also a sign of the challenge for the government in managing expectations when it can be tempting to talk up a promising new treatment or slap down scientists who question policy.

Australians deserve as much information as fast as possible at a time when there are still no answers to some of the big questions over the vaccine rollout.
Gov. Gavin Newsoms brother-in-law, Joshua Irwin Schiller, was arrested in Marin County for alleged domestic violence, police said.

Shortly before 11 p.m. on Wednesday, police officers responded to reports of a disturbance in a residence in Ross, where Schiller and his wife, Melissa Siebel Schiller, sister of Jennifer Siebel Newsom, have a home.

Police investigators determined that Schiller, 40, allegedly committed an act of violence against the victim, a spouse/cohabitant, a police statement said.

Police said the victim had visible injuries that were minor and did not require immediate medical treatment, a police statement said.

Schiller was arrested and booked at Marin County Jail.

I fully expect the charges to be dropped, Schillers attorney, Douglas Horngrad, said Monday in a statement. This was a misunderstanding and both Mr. and Mrs. Schiller have made clear to me that he did not physically harm her. There was no instance of domestic violence.

The case was referred to the Marin County District Attorneys Office.

Schiller is a California regional administrative partner at the Boies Schiller Flexner law firm, which is based in New York and has offices in San Francisco.

Vanessa Arredondo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vanessa.arredondo@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @v_anana
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has called on China to allow the United Nations (UN) to visit a province where it is accused of appalling human-rights abuses against the Uighur minority group.

Mr Raab said reports of internment camps and women being forcibly sterilised in Xinjiang were truly shocking and that authorities in Beijing should permit the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit the sites.

The Chinese government has denied accusations of widespread abuse in the north-western province, mainly targeted at the Uighur minority group, including allegations of forced sterilisation, slave labour and mass internment.

Appearing on Sky News Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, Mr Raab was asked what the UK Government was doing amid accusations that China was holding a million Uighur people in re-education camps and women were subject to forced sterilisation.

Mr Raab said the Government had recently announced measures that would make sure we dont have any British businesses that are either supplying to or profiting from the internment camps.

What we say is if you dispute the allegations and the claims and the reports, theres a simple way to clear this up: allow the UN Human Rights Commissioner to visit and access and see these sites Dominic Raab

Earlier this month, Mr Raab announced that firms will face hefty fines unless they meet requirements showing their supply chains are free from forced labour and will be given robust guidance on how to carry out due diligence checks to make sure they are not sourcing products tainted by the human-rights violations.

Speaking on Sunday, Mr Raab said: I think its a shocking, truly shocking, set of circumstances in Xinjiang, against the Uighur Muslims.

Mr Raab said 38 other countries had followed the UKs lead in criticising and condemning human-rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

During the interview, Sky News presenter Sophy Ridge read to Mr Raab a tweet she said was sent by the Chinese embassy in the US discussing eradicating extremism and making Uighur women no longer baby-making machines.

She said: I just want to be clear, were talking here about people being forced to have abortions, given injections to stop their periods, having surgery in some cases, so theyre unable to have children. Are words of condemnation and a few restrictions on British business really enough?

Mr Raab replied: Its absolutely disgraceful. Its appalling and shocking in the modern world, in a leading member of the international community, and, no, this isnt enough.

What China says is this is all lies cooked up by the West, and Britain a leading member amongst them.

Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab says a tweet from the Chinese Embassy in the US on Uygur women is 'absolutely disgraceful, itas appalling and shocking in the modern world, in a leading member of the international community'.#Ridge https://t.co/Pgnql0n9bX pic.twitter.com/G3aC5Wt7p7  Trevor Phillips on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) January 17, 2021

What we say is if you dispute the allegations and the claims and the reports, theres a simple way to clear this up: allow the UN Human Rights Commissioner to visit and access and see these sites.

We are pushing for an authoritative third party, like the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the UN, to conduct that visit.

Mr Raab was also asked if he thought the treatment of the Uighur minority group in China was genocide and if the issue would be put on the agenda of the G7 summit that the UK is due to host in June.

He said: I think its for a court to decide whether the very complex definition of genocide is met.

But what is clear, frankly, whatever legal label you put on it, is that there are convincing and persuasive third party authoritative reports of serious violations of human rights on an appalling industrial scale.

He said the UK was excited to work with the incoming President Joe Biden administration in the US on making sure human rights and protecting democracy is on the agenda.

Mr Raab added: As we preside over the G7, and its an exciting year for international leadership for the UK, that will be the case, and Ive already talked with Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Pelosi of the House of Representatives, recently, including speaking to her over the Christmas period.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 01/17/2021



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[ Spoiler Warning: This report features spoilers about Brandon and Julia and if the couple is still together and living in America.]

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Did Brandon and Julia break up or is the couple still together now?

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

couple Brandon Gibbs and Julia Trubkina believe they have set a wedding date on Season 8 of , but did they actually go through with the wedding? What do spoilers reveal about Brandon and Julia's relationship and if they are still together and happy?Brandon, a 27-year-old pest-control technician who helps to run his parents' farm in Dinwiddie, VA, and Julia, a 26-year-old go-go club dancer from Krasnodar City, Russia, are currently starring on the TLC's new season of .Brandon had never been in a serious relationship before meeting Julia, who also competes in beauty pageants and bodybuilding competitions.Brandon said he fell in love with Julia at first sight when they initially videchatted because she was "the most beautiful" girl he ever saw and he couldn't stop thinking about her."My first message to her was, 'You look like my future wife,' and that was six hours after meeting her on video chat," Brandon revealed."From that point, we were on the phone every possible second we could be. After a few weeks, I flew over there to ask her to be my girlfriend."The couple then applied for a Tourist Visa so Julia could visit him in the United States, but once the consulate learned Brandon was her boyfriend, she was told to apply for a K-1 visa instead.Since Brandon couldn't stand the thought of living without Julia, after only five months of a long-distance relationship, he invited her to join him in Iceland -- and that's where he proposed marriage to her.The couple then traveled to France where both of their families met for the first time."At first, my parents [Ron and Betty] weren't sure about Julia. They weren't sure if she wanted a Green Card or money," Brandon said.Brandon told Julia over videochat they needed to live with his parents to save some money because he had burned through their savings from the trips they had taken as well as the K-1 visa process. Brandon said he had spent almost $10,000 in seven months.Julia also wouldn't be able to get a job in the United States for a while, so Brandon knew he had to support her.Julia worried about living with Brandon's parents for too long, but he promised they'd leave at some point and not stay forever."My mother can be overbearing, which is why I kind of think they will butt heads and clash," Brandon explained in a confessional.Betty was apparently concerned about Julia's career as a dancer, saying she hoped she was never a prostitute, stripper or call-girl. Betty also hoped Julia, a city girl, could embrace living on a farm and help out with chores that needed to be done."This is probably the first time in a relationship I've been this vulnerable," Brandon shared. "I don't know how sure I am that we're meant to be together, but I know how sure I am that I want to be with her."Brandon, however, had yet to tell Julia they were going to sleep in separate bedrooms while staying in his parents' house, and Betty was pushing Brandon to get Julia on birth control to prevent a surprise pregnancy even though Julia had been against the idea all along.Julia explained that while she didn't want to welcome children for another two or three years, she never had an accident before with her serious ex-boyfriend.Brandon admitted Julia -- whom he dubbed "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" -- has the tendency to have mood swings, so he hoped everything would go perfectly upon her arrival.Once at the airport, Julia ran into Brandon's arms and she called Brandon "perfect." She appeared ecstatic to be reunited with her long-distant love."I'm going to take a Green Card and stay here! Just joking," Julia told the cameras.Although Julia was happy to be with Brandon, Betty came across overbearing with her talk of birth control and keeping the couple in separate rooms during the 90 days of Julia's K-1 visa.Julia said she was ready to "explode" and that conversation was just too much for her."If I try fixing the situation, we have fighting with his parents 100 percent. Him lie [to] me... We don't marry if [he starts lying] to me more, more and more," Julia told the cameras.Julia went to bed angry her first night in America, and Brandon apparently didn't get lucky.But during Julia's first day in America, she had a nice time taking in "all the sights" -- a day Brandon's mother had completely planned out.Julia wished she and Brandon had more "romantic" time together, and Brandon wished he had been more honest and upfront with Julia about their living situation ahead of time."I know, but I think we have problems with each other," Julia told Brandon. "So if we leave, we have problems with money and we have fighting. If we not leave, we'll have a problem with your mother and we'll have fighting."Julia was also shocked to hear Brandon had spent all of his money and had none left for their future together.Julia said she didn't want to repeat her mistakes given she didn't get along with her ex's parents when they all lived together in Russia."I can't control my mother. I can't control how they will interact. They both have really strong personalities, and I just feel like they're going to clash," Brandon lamented in a confessional.Julia wanted to be No. 1 in Brandon's life as well as his top priority, and Julia demanded that Brandon fix the situation or else.Brandon and Julia then packed up their belongings and headed to the farm in Virginia.Julia learned how to feed the horses and the chickens, and Brandon said Julia had "an awesome reaction" to the farm. Brandon said Julia's positive attitude made him feel "80 percent sure" they'd make it as a couple.Julia said she likes animals a lot and enjoys petting them, but at the same time, she noted she wasn't ready to take care of them.Julia was also a little bothered by Brandon's mother essentially barking orders at her to do things, because Julia told the cameras she didn't envision her job being at the farm."I don't know what I love more. I love Brandon but I love a nice life. I need to make [a] choice. I give it one month. If after one month, if I don't love this place, I say him, 'We need to go.' And we live in city. If we live in city, fine," Julia explained.Julia said she didn't feel comfortable and struggled to understand the English language. She also told Betty and Ron that she was afraid to sleep alone -- but they still didn't change their minds about the living arrangement.With 88 days to wed, Brandon had to go to work and said Julia would be on the farm by herself all day since his parents also have day-jobs and needed to go to work.Julia wasn't happy about sleeping in a separate room from Brandon, but she apparently snuck into his room the previous night for a little alone time.When Julia got out of bed, she retrieved eggs from the chickens, and Brandon's family friend was there to help and told Julia that she needed to wake up at 7AM to feed all the animals.Julia said she hates waking up early since she's a night-person and was used to staying up until 6AM sometimes as a go-go dancer. Julia slept until noon at Brandon's home, and she didn't exactly love the farm chores. Julia, in fact, was afraid of the pigs."I don't want this. This is not the life [of] my dreams. Brandon say we need to stay here before we marry, but I say to him, 'No, Brandon, this is not going to work.' I need to leave," Julia vented in a confessional.When Brandon got home from work, Julia said he didn't hug or kiss her. She said it was like Brandon had forgotten about her already.When Julia sat down with Brandon, she said she hated living on the farm and would no longer take care of the pigs. Julia already thought about going home, and Brandon thought she was being ridiculous because she had only spent one day at his parents' home."I wish she would see this as an opportunity and just give life on the farm a chance," Brandon told the cameras.Julia at least wanted to spend some alone time with Brandon that night, but Brandon brought Julia to meet his grandparents, who were very excited to see Julia and get to know her.Brandon and Julia announced at the dinner with Brandon's parents and grandparents that they planned to get married on May 9, which Betty pointed out was Mother's Day weekend. Brandon's father agreed May 9 would be "a terrible wedding day."Brandon liked choosing a date that made Julia happy, even though Betty wasn't happy about it. Ron pushed for May 2, but Julia wanted May 9 because Brandon first contacted her with a sweet message on the ninth of a different month.Julia stood her ground because May 9 was what she wanted, and Brandon defended her and stood up for her much to his family's dismay.Julia took to Instagram in mid-January and dropped major hints she and Brandon remain a couple.On January 12, Julia posted a sweet selfie of the couple."Just cute photo #90dayfiance#Brandonandjulia," Julia wrote alongside the picture with a blowing-kiss emoticon.Several days earlier, Julia uploaded a photo of Brandon giving her a piggyback ride."It seems to me that this week we will not be in the episode. a little positive to you all #90dayfiance #90dayfiance8 #Brandonandjulia," Julia captioned the photo, adding three kissing emoticons.Julia also conducted a recent Q&A with her followers on Instagram Stories and dropped additional hints that suggest she is still with Brandon and living in the United States."Everything is pretty nice," Julia said of her current life. "It's pretty in my life. I've never had, like, an easy life," Julia said. "I all the time chose a hard life."Julia said her English "is much better than before," probably because she's around English-speaking people all the time."I try to learn everything but it's so hard for me," Julia added.When asked whether she likes living in Virginia, Julia responded, "I guess you'll watch the episode to see how I'm enjoying it."When an Instagram user called Julia and Brandon "the cutest couple," Julia replied, "Thank you so much."Julia also revealed she currently has a great relationship with Brandon's parents, although there is tension between them on the currently-airing season of .A fan asked how Julia essentially puts up with her "parents-in-law," and Julia responded, "I love my parents a lot because my parents want what is best for me. If I could choose other parents I would never choose other parents because my parents are the best and I love them a lot."Julia also said she hopes she can "start working" soon and put her degree in design to good use in either apartments or homes.As far as her favorite experience in the United States goes, Julia revealed, "I like people in America because everyone smiles and everyone tries to help. You never ask for help but people try. This is so cool."When asked whether she likes Russia or America better, Julia said there are some things she likes better in Russia and other things she likes better in the United States.She noted the countries are just "different." For example, Julia said she cannot drive yet in America while she has her license back in Russia.Julia shared excitement, however, when someone mentioned all the states she can travel to in the United States. Julia said she'd love to visit New York especially.Julia told her followers it was "hard to leave [her] house and family" in Russia, but she added, "My parents understand this."But Julia played coy when asked direct questions about whether she married Brandon and is still in the United States and living with Brandon's parents.Julia admitted she doesn't want to "get in trouble" by breaking her NDA contract with TLC.When one fan wrote that it seems like she married Brandon, Julia replied, "I don't know!"And she explained to fans, "I can't say where I stay right now or what I do right now."But Julia did admit her favorite thing about Brandon is that "he is so cute." Julia beamed when talking about Brandon, so it appears unlikely that they've broken up.Julia also appeared to spend Christmas in America, as she posted a photo of herself posing next to a giant Christmas tree decorated in gold ornaments inside of a store."I know how important Christmas is in America! it is a sweet and family holiday when all dreams come true," Julia captioned the photo."in Russia the New Year is more important on December 31st. I wish everyone that wishes come true, love and be loved! #90dayfiance #90dayfiance8 #Brandonandjulia."Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
Restaurants in Region 2, which includes Peoria and Bloomington, will be allowed to resume indoor service at 25% capacity, or 25 people, whichever is less, according to the states public health department. Reservations are limited to two hours max, and parties are capped at four people; the health department recommends dining only with members of the same household.
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
By Dr. Karishma Collette

ANN ARBOR, MI  I came to Ann Arbor from India in 2005. From my training and career in higher education, I know firsthand the importance of a strong K-12 foundation.

I have two daughters in Ann Arbor Public Schools and support their school with many hours of volunteering and fundraising. In March 2020, we accepted the need to suspend school and stay home, given the unknowns about COVID-19. With time, we have learned how to protect against COVID in schools.

We witnessed private and neighboring public schools reopen in the fall with mitigation measures. And watched with dismay as AAPS leaders turned their backs on science and locked the doors to our children. AAPS is now the only school in Washtenaw County that has been 100% remote since March.

Last summer, AAPS announced three options - a hybrid option (part-time school in lower-density settings) and two virtual options. For vulnerable and special needs students, AAPS promised an in-person Connections+ program. This response matched our expectations of equity and excellence. But then things fell apart. AAPS moved to 100% virtual, erecting impossible metrics that prevent reopening. Connections+ turned into little more than a marketing label for learning pods organized, staffed, and supported by the community.

One-size-fits-all 100% virtual education doesnt work for our community. Many children of essential workers, younger students, students with IEPs and learning challenges and English language learners need in-person instruction. Many children and teens are struggling with isolation, depression, and anxiety. More than 100 Ann Arbor physicians explained this in a letter to AAPS. And yet, our schools remain shuttered.

Ann Arbor prides itself on equity but seems to have forgotten that families of vastly different circumstances rely on brick-and-mortar school. Those with means are fleeing our district, while many who remain are drowning. The longer our public school stays fully remote, the more the disparities will grow between the haves and have-nots.

Almost a year into this pandemic, we know that in-person school can happen safely with risk mitigation. Many studies speak to this (see CDC, UNICEF, and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine). Many Michigan school districts (including large ones like Detroit) have delivered face-to-face instruction without driving COVID spread - either in schools or surrounding communities. There remains no evidence-based reason for AAPS to be closed this long.

On Jan. 8, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asked all schools to offer in-person options to all students by March 1. I was excited but then learned our district will ignore her guidance. At AAPS, in-person instruction might begin in early March, for the youngest students. Students are in school for a maximum of two days per week and will apparently learn via a device even when they are with their teacher.

This minimizes what we need most and what research shows is most important: Students learning face to face with teachers.

No other school in Washtenaw County and very few in the state are stalling this long in delivering true education. I was taken aback by the lack of clarity displayed by our leaders at the Jan. 13 school board meeting when talking about our hybrid plan. This lack of preparation appears to be a key reason for delaying student return.

Thats unconscionable when many students and families have been suffering so long. I ask AAPS leadership to honor Gov. Whitmers directive and offer in-person instruction for all ages inside the March 1 deadline. Show me that your commitment to education and equity is strong even in moments of crisis.

 Dr. Karishma Collette is an AAPS parent and member of Ann Arbor Reasonable Return, a grassroots advocacy group working to return in-person education to Ann Arbor. A molecular cellular and developmental biology scientist, she works as a University of Michigan teaching consultant.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 14:46:01|Editor: huaxia

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SUVA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Fiji reported two more imported COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total tally to 55 in the island nation.

According to a statement by Fiji's health ministry on Sunday, one patient is a 49-year-old female and the other is a 58-year-old female, and both of them arrived in Fiji on a flight from New Zealand on Dec. 24 last year.

They tested positive during routine exit testing while undergoing mandatory quarantine in the Fijian government-designated border quarantine facilities in Nadi, the third-largest city of the island nation. Both are now isolated at the Lautoka hospital near Nadi.

The frontline border and quarantine staff who were directly involved with the cases have followed Fiji's standard infection prevention and control protocols, and will be monitored and tested as necessary.

Fiji recorded its first case of COVID-19 on March 19 last year, and two deaths so far.

Currently, Fiji imposes a strict travel restriction for foreign visitors and a nationwide curfew remains effective from March 30 last year. Enditem
In your quest to find the world's cheapest hotel, would you book one if it exists in a remote cold desert in Colorado? Well, YouTuber Ryan Trahan did exactly that and stayed for one night at an Airbnb in the middle of nowhere in a cold desert in Denver, Colorado, in the United States.

The interesting part of this Airbnb was that it just had a few basic amenities like a bed with blankets mattress and a sleeping bag. There was no roof or room as such, and it almost looked like a scene from Man versus Wild. Ryan told his viewers that on the way to his Airbnb, he came across a wolf and a carcass of a horse, which meant that he could pretty much be attacked by the wild animals.

The eight minutes forty-five second video that came out on January 15 shows how Ryan survived one night at the Airbnb situated in a remote cold desert where temperatures were in -15 degree Celsius. Giving an idea of how remote his Airbnb location was, Ryan said that the nearest hospital was six hours away. However, the 22-year-old YouTuber did come prepared as he showed the stuff that he was carrying with him that included a bear repellant spray, a few snacks like mini pretzels and Arizona Iced-tea.

Ryan also carried some durable washcloths and firesticks with him in case of emergency. However, when Ryan wanted to start a fire to keep himself warm in the night, he did not find any tree for the wood and the fire plan was cancelled. Even with the help of some rocks and little dried grass that was in the region, the fire did not light up.

Moving further in the video, Ryan discovered a cardboard box under his bed where the hotel staff had kept a bathing robe, a sleeping mask, and most interestingly, a room service phone number. At first, Ryan thought that the number would not work since his place was situated at a faraway place. But on dialing the number, Ryan did get to talk to the front desk of the hotel that he booked. He asked them to get him a hamburger to which the front desk responded that it would take thirty minutes for the order to reach him. However, the delivery guy lost his way, and it was not until five hours had passed since Ryan placed his order that he finally got to eat his McDonalds hamburger with fries. The food was rock hard as Ryan described it in the video.

Watch the video here:

However, the youtuber managed to survive his night at the remote desert and the video has garnered over 305,792 views till now.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will visit Jordan on Monday upon an extended invitation by King Abdullah II, Jordan's state news agency Petra reported.

The visit comes less than a week after Cairo hosted a quartet meeting attended by the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Jordan to discuss coordination and consultation on means to push forward with the Middle East peace process.

It also comes months after the Egyptian President attended in August a tripartite summit between Egypt, Jordan and Iraq to discuss partnership and bilateral and regional issues of common interest, including the Palestinian cause.

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Robots will be used to deliver medicines and essential services to Covid-19 patients at a hospital in Assam, officials said here on Sunday.

Designed by the Guwahati-based Yantrabot Technologies Pvt Limited with remote-controllable robotic vehicles, the robot will deliver food, medicines and other essential services to Covid-19 patients and patients suffering from extremely contagious diseases inside quarantine facilities.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday handed over two robots to the Principal of Dibrugarh-based Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), Sanjib Kakati, to deliver food, medicines and essential services to Covid patients.

An official release said it is part of the Covid-19 infrastructure equipment grant sponsored by the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, Rotary Club of Dibrugarh and Bangladesh's Rotary Club of Dhaka Royal under its "Global Grant".

Sonowal thanked co-founder Arunjyoti Borgohain of Yantrabot Technologies Pvt Limited for designing the robot. The Chief Minister said the two robots would have a huge role in rendering care to patients in the hospitals.

Meanwhile, in a first-of-its-kind in northeast India, a robot developed by young scientist Harjeet Nath from Tripura University was deployed in a government Covid Care Centre in May 2020.

Nath has made the robot from locally available material, including scrap. He has named it as 'WARBOT' to fight the war against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nath aimed to assist the frontline health workers, including doctors, in taking care of the coronavirus patients from a distant place. The young scientist in July 2020 donated the robot to the Tripura Medical College and Dr B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Teaching Hospital.

The medical college had used the robot at the 250-bed Covid Care Centre in Hapania, on the outskirts of Agartala. Tripura Medical College Professor and in-charge of the Hapania Covid Care Centre, Shib Sekhar Datta, said the robot was useful to some extent.
Almost a third of recovered Covid patients are readmitted to hospital within five months and up to one in eight die of Covid-related complications.

Research by Leicester University and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that out of 47,780 people discharged from hospital in the first wave, 29.4 per cent returned to hospital within 140 days and 12.3 per cent died.

The devastating long-term effects of coronavirus can cause many survivors to develop heart problems, diabetes and chronic liver and kidney conditions.

Study author Kamlesh Khunti, professor of primary care diabetes and vascular medicine at Leicester University, told the Telegraph this was the 'largest study of people discharged from hospital after being admitted with Covid'.

Professor Khunti said: 'People seem to be going home, getting long-term effects, coming back in and dying. We see nearly 30 per cent have been readmitted, and that's a lot of people. The numbers are so large.'

The study has yet to be peer-reviewed and the alarming statistics are based on initial data. In other developments:

NHS figures revealed one in six Covid-19 patients in English NHS hospitals arrived without the virus but were infected there since September;

Another 671 deaths were recorded, the highest number for any Sunday of the pandemic so far, along with 38,598 new cases;

NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said a patient is being admitted to hospital with coronavirus every 30 seconds;

Ex-Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption sparked a row after telling stage 4 bowel cancer sufferer Deborah James on TV that her life was 'less valuable' than other people's;

All travellers arriving in Britain face being forced to quarantine in hotels under plans to further lock down the country's borders;

England rugby star Maro Itoje called for every schoolchild to have a laptop as he vowed to tackle the 'digital divide';

Parks remained packed despite the Prime Minister warning people to 'think twice' before leaving the house;

Dominic Raab warned the public it is 'too early' for them to book summer holidays for this year.

Paramedics transport a patient from the ambulance to the emergency department at the the Royal London Hospital

It comes as a further 671 people have died from Covid-19

But Professor Khunti said he was surprised to find that patients were returning to hospital with a different diagnosis and that many had developed further complications.

He added: 'We don't know if it's because Covid destroyed the beta cells which make insulin and you get Type 1 diabetes, or whether it causes insulin resistance, and you develop Type 2, but we are seeing these surprising new diagnoses of diabetes.'

Kamlesh Khunti, professor of primary care diabetes and vascular medicine at Leicester University

The Government currently register a death as Covid-related if the patient dies up to 28 days after a positive test.

But the real death toll may be much higher if thousands of Covid survivors return to hospital with serious health problems months after first contracting the disease.

In December, the ONS estimated one in 10 people who caught Covid went on to suffer long Covid with symptoms lasting three months or more.

Common symptoms of long Covid include extreme tiredness, shortness of breath and problems with memory and concentration.

Although vaccines are considered most important for the elderly, who are most at risk of dying if they catch Covid-19, the research shows it is also crucial to get the jabs to adults of other ages.

It found death rates were 14 times higher among under-70s with coronavirus (86.2 per 1,000 person-years), compared to those without (6.1). Readmission rates were also four times higher (556.6 vs 127.0).

Under-70s were affected by lung, heart, kidney and liver problems, and new cases of diabetes, weeks or even months after they had recovered from Covid-19.

But the risks were still greatest for the over-70s.

It found death rates were 14 times higher among under-70s with coronavirus (86.2 per 1,000 person-years), compared to those without (6.1). Readmission rates were also four times higher (556.6 vs 127.0)

The Leicester researchers wrote: Individuals discharged from hospital following acute Covid-19 face elevated rates of mortality, readmission and multi-organ dysfunction compared with the background levels that exist for these individuals, and the relative increase in risk is neither confined to the elderly nor uniform across ethnic groups.

Responding to the study, Christina Pagel, director of the clinical operational research unit at University College London, tweeted: 'This is such important work. Covid is about so much more than death. A significant burden of long-term illness after hospitalisation for Covid.'

It comes as NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said that someone is being admitted to hospital with Covid 'every 30 seconds'.

The NHS boss, who was appearing on the Andrew Marr show, said that hospitals had seen a huge increase in patients since Christmas and added that there are enough new cases to fill a whole hospital every morning. He also revealed that a quarter of the admissions are people under the age of 55.

Sir Simon said: 'The facts are very clear and I'm not going to sugar-coat them, hospitals are under extreme pressure and staff are under extreme pressure.

'Since Christmas Day we've seen another 15,000 increase in the in-patients in hospitals across England, that's the equivalent of filling 30 hospitals full of coronavirus patients.

'Staggeringly, every thirty seconds across England another patient is being admitted to hospital with coronavirus.'

It comes as a further 671 people have died from Covid-19 today, representing the highest Sunday increase.

The surging death rate comes despite hopes infections might finally be tailing off. A raft of official data and scientific estimates published this week offered the strongest evidence yet that the tough lockdown restrictions have worked.

Cambridge University researchers believe the R rate - the average number of people each infected person passes the disease onto - may have dipped to as low as 0.6 in London and the South East. The figure must be below one for an outbreak to shrink.

Public Health England revealed weekly Covid cases have fallen in every age group except the over-80s, despite the spread of the highly infectious variant first spotted in Kent which officials feared couldn't be contained.

In more positive news, he also revealed that a trial for 24-hour Covid vaccines within the next 10 days.
New Delhi:

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Friday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi at latters residence to discuss presidential poll. The meeting lasted for over 30 minutes.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad informed that the BJP leaders did not cite any name, and asked them to give candidate's name.

Earlier, Congress leader Mallikarjun Khadge said that they would examine the proposal put forth by BJP leaders to the Congress president.

It is said that the leaders are trying to build consensus over the candidate.

BJP leaders did not mention any name, instead tried asking us the same: Ghulam Nabi Azad,Congress on Sonia Gandhi meet #PresidentialPoll pic.twitter.com/YNmjTkNVy7  ANI (@ANI_news) June 16, 2017

Earlier, the opposition parties had met to chalk out their presidential poll strategy on Wednesday as the process started for the filing of nominations for the July 17 election

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had said the 10-member opposition panel would meet again to decide on a suitable presidential nominee.

The sub-group formed for this purpose had met in the chambers of Azad, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

Also Read | Presidential polls: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar bats for Pranab Mukherjees re-election, asks BJP to build consensus

A three-member panel has been formed comprising Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and M Venkaiah Naidu to build consensus on candidature.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The immigration authorities in the US finalised two rules in the week gone by that can damage Indian IT firms and also Indians. The department of labors wage hike rule and stringent regulations that will make it tough to qualify for H-1B visa were finalised as the Trump administration winds down.

The final wage hike rule kicks in 60 days and the H-1B visa regulations 180 days after the date of publication. These were first announced on October 6, 2020 but were blocked by courts. Final rules are promulgated after people have had a chance to comment on them.

What are these final rules?

Wage hikes for H-1B workers

The department of labor (DOL) reissued its interim final rule on wage hikes it first implemented on October 8, 2020. It was struck down by three federal courts on grounds that the agency couldn't have implemented the rule without inviting comments and a notice period. The rule has increased the wages for H-1B workers by as high as 50 percent in certain regions.

The revised final rule announced on January 12, 2021 make some changes. Not only will it come into effect after 60 days, it also says that the hike will be implemented in a phased manner spread over several months.

The agency has also reduced the scale of the hike. For instance, the wage hikes range between 35 percentiles and 90 percentile compared to 45 percentile and 90 percent for the four H-1B wage levels.

Nevertheless, these hikes are still high. Stuart Anderson, Executive Director, National Foundation for American Policy, said in his report that the new DOL wage rule would require employers to pay 28 percent more for computer programmers, making it difficult for companies to employ foreign workers.

If a computer programmer is paid $70,000 per year, the new rule will push the package up by $19,600.

What does it mean for H-1B aspirants and employers?

Immigration law firm Fragomen in a note said the rule would not come into effect till July 1, 2021 since the implementation was phased.

These could be subjected to lawsuits, considering that the wage hike rule was earlier blocked by the courts. Moreover, the Biden administration could place the wage rule  along with other regulations finalised during the last days of the Trump Administration  on hold in order to review its contents and determine whether it should take effect, the note said.

Strengthening H-1B visa programme

After the wage hike rule, the department of homeland security implemented a final rule on the employer-employee relationship. The rule, announced on January 14, 2021, will be effective 180 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register.

Under the rule, the employers of the third-party H-1B workers will now have to initiate H-1B for the workers.

Most IT firms initiate H-1B visa for its employees to work for its clients in the US. So far, clients did not have to take part in the H-1B application process. The new rule changes that.

by broadening the employer-employee definition, (it) is now requiring the entities who use the services of the H-1B worker to also file H-1B petitions if they meet the broader definition of employer, Cyrus Mehta, an immigration attorney in the US, wrote in his blog.

The impact

The visa rule has the potential to hit the Indian IT industry, which services top US firms. Mehta said the rule was aimed at destroying the Indian IT industry by forcing its clients to file H-1Bs as secondary employers.

It will also hurt corporate America, which relies on this IT industry to keep humming away, creating jobs, and thus remaining competitive in the global economy. The change will also do significant harm to other sectors as well that involve third-party placements, including nursing, consulting, audit, engineering services among many others, he added.

But there is hope. The Biden administration takes charge on January 20, 2021 and could stall the implementation of the rule.

The rule is likely to be politically unpalatable, even to Democrats who disfavor the H-1B visa program, given how overbroad and radical it is, as well as the deleterious impact it would have on the American economy and US companies who use H-1B workers," Mehta said.
MANILA  Seven Philippine soldiers, including an air force colonel, died when the helicopter they were flying in crashed in the southern Philippines during a hunt for communist rebels over the weekend.

The military said the helicopter, a refurbished UH-1H Vietnam-era craft commonly known as a Huey, was flying Saturday with another Huey on a supply run to a remote base in Pantaron, a mountainous region in Bukidnon Province, when it crashed.

The other helicopter radioed and told them they were trailing smoke, said Maj. Gen. Andres Centeno, the commanding general of the armys Fourth Infantry Division. It crashed into an open field.

No survivors were found when rescuers reached the area, he said.

The soldiers names were not released pending notification of their families, but the highest ranking among them was an air force colonel, the military said. Of the other six, three were airmen and three served in the army.
Ever since this pandemic, I have been thinking about setting up my own server at home for storing my image, video and audio backups that I can access on any device. While Google Drive has served me well in the past, I am now running out of storage space for images and videos that I shoot for work. I also have a massive DVD collection that I have converted to digital files which I need access to from to time. Now that DVD players are non-existent, the only way to watch content is via streaming.

A solution to all these problems is the Synology DS220j, a personal cloud solution for backups and data sharing. The DS220j has countless uses including accessing your media files on phones, smart TVs and streaming boxes and even helps in storing video footage from CCTV cameras. From music to videos to images, the DS220j can store everything.

Which Is The Best Hard Drive For NAS

 MensXP_Akshay Bhalla

While Synology only sells the NAS (network-attached storage) enclosures which means you need to get your own HDD for storing data. There are plenty of options available but we recommended getting the WD RED or WD RED Pro HDDs for this purpose. These drives are the industry standard amongst data hoarders simply because they are more reliable and specifically optimised for NAS systems. For the DS220j, we used 2X 6TB WD Red Pro drives for storing innumerable amounts of data such as images, movies, music and our entire PC backup.



 MensXP_Akshay Bhalla

The drives are built specifically for Synologys RAID feature and come with a 5-year warranty. These drives are meant to be kept on 24/7 and work flawlessly with Synologys RAID error recovery control feature. Last but not least, for streaming content, you need HDDs that have a high RPM and these drives can go up to 7200rpm. A simple search on Google and Reddit will yield that the WD Red line of HDDs are the industry standard for network-attached storages. So, for the purpose of this guide, we decided to go with the best and in our experience, these drives worked like a charm.



Getting Set Up

 MensXP_Akshay Bhalla

When it comes to setting up, the DS220j is fairly straight forward. As the enclosure uses the SATA interface, you can essentially plug in the hard drives and get started with the setup. You do have to put in some screws though for better protection and keeping the HDDs in place. The exclusive has LED indicators and a small opening at the back for airflow keeping the drives cool. In addition, there is a Gigabit LAN port and three USB 3 ports.



 MensXP_Akshay Bhalla

Once you are done setting up and plugging in the DS220j with LAN, all you need to do is start a browser and load the IP address. You can locate the IP address from your routers interface or use the DiskStation Manager (DSM) setup wizard. Once youre done setting up the IP address, Server Name and your Synology account; its time to get rolling with transferring files. Since the DS220j is connected to the network via LAN, you can now transfer your files from the computer without using any external drives. You simply drag and drop folders as you like. I had setup a few folders such as movies, images, music and ebooks. After the transfer of your files is complete, you can now setup your media server via using a Plex Account.



Streaming Your Content

You will first need to download the Plex Media Server app for the package center; Synologys sort of app store. Once downloaded, Plex will automatically setup the media server with the DS220j after you have signed in. You are now almost ready to stream your own content on your phone, smart TV and media player. Click on the Plex Media Server, go to Settings and set up your directory path from the menu. Once the remote patch from Plex has been mapped, the app will automatically start indexing content from your enclosure.



 MensXP

In order to start viewing your content, you need to make sure you are on the same network as the DS220j on your device and have the Plex app installed. Plex is available on Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs and every other major Android smart TV out there. Once youve signed in to Plex from your smartphone or TV, your entire library will be viewable and you can start watching right away. Thanks to being on the local network, you dont experience any form of buffering problems either as you simply play audio or videos directly from the HDD. If you wish to watch content on your smartphone or tablet from anywhere, you will have to setup a virtual network on your router if it supports its and connect to the DS220j via that method.



 Plex

The Ubiquiti Dream Machine is capable of doing that however there are plenty of other routers that have the same feature by default. Having said that, when playing content remotely, the DS220j will transcode the video and the enclosures Realtek RTD1296 1.4Ghz quad-core processor and 2GB RAM is only capable of running one stream at a time. Since this is an entry-level NAS enclosure, you cant really upgrade the hardware with this model however you can do so with some of Synologys other models. When viewing content from the same network, you can have multiple devices streaming content at the same time without any problems.



Apart from streaming your own content, you can also use the DS220j for taking backups of your devices and in turn take a backup of your backup. You can use Synologys RAID feature which basically takes an automatic backup of your stored files. In the event of a hard drive failing, you will still have access to all of your data however there is a drawback to this solution. The feature basically reduces the total usable storage space by half, in our case that would be 6TB as the other 6TB was being used for the automatic backup.

Why The Synology DS220j?

 MensXP_Akshay Bhalla

The Synology DS220j enclosure is the perfect starting point for beginners and it does not take too much space. Its ideal for saving backup data or running a home media server to stream video, music, audiobooks and other tasks that can be automated. If youve always been wondering how one can set up a media server of their own, the Synology DS220j is the perfect way to go.


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(Newser)  Dating apps are conducting their own investigations of the attack on the US Capitol last week, identifying and removing anyone who joined the riot. The apps also are being used by customers as a tool to identify those who were in the mob, the Washington Post reports, with men and women initiating contact with possible rioters on the platforms, then sending photos or confessions to the FBI. Women have changed their locations on the apps to Washington to try to ensnare rioters. A Florida woman spotted a photo on Bumble that looked like it was taken at the riot, and the man answered that his perfect first date would be "Storming the Capitol." She got him to share more photos and say that he'd been to the Capitol; the woman, who called it her "civic duty" to look for rioters, then contacted the FBI. Match Group, the owner of Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, PlentyofFish and Match, also say it's trying to kick off rioters.

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"We have already banned users who have used our platform to spread insurrectionist content or who have attempted to organize and incite terrorism," Bumble said in a statement. The company uses software to scan "text content that promotes the insurrection or related activities," an official said. One woman tweeted that she knows of someone who changed her political idenfication on Bumble to conservative, per the Hill. "Shes matching with MAGA bros and theyre bragging and sending her pics and videos of them in the Capitol," Allison Norris wrote. "She's sending them to the FBI." Bumble temporarily took down its political filter, which drew complaints from amateur investigators, who said the change protects rioters. The filter has been restored after tweaks, Bumble said. (Read more Capitol attack stories.)

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - A couple of car clubs came together outside of Ricks Cafe Saturday morning.

Grozie Thomas, the head of Mississippi Headtuners, said he and the president of the Bankrupt Mafia, Keneth Still, always have car meets. This time, Thomas wanted to meet for a good cause.

Theres a lot of people street racing, burning out, doing crazy things. Were just trying to show the community, the police, and everything that were not like that. Were also a family and we try to give back, he said.

When Thomas and Still heard the Salvation Army in Starkville needed a new truck, they decided to host a fundraiser.

The salvation army helps so many people, and this was our way of saying you know what, were going to help you guys for a change," Still said.

Bethany Westoby, manger of the Starkville location, said the truck she used to pick up and drop off donations broke down last year. Westoby said shes grateful the two men reached out her.

The two clubs hoped to raise at least 3000 dollars for the Salvation Armys new vehicle. They also collected food and clothes for those in need.

Still and Thomas plan on having a fundraiser for another organization next year.
BOSTON: Some users have fled Facebook and Twitter after the platforms booted President Donald Trump and some of his confederates for inciting unrest and spreading false claims about election fraud. Some migrated to far-right friendly sites like Parler or Gab. Others joined a service that aims to stand apart.

MeWe is a 4-year-old, full-featured social media company positioned as an anti-Facebook. It says it does not collect data on its users, and features a Privacy Bill of Rights. In the past year, MeWe more than doubled its membership to nearly 15 million. In the week ending Jan. 12, it was downloaded 787,000 times from Apple and Googles U.S. smartphone app stores, according to SensorTower.

While Trump supporters disaffection with Facebook has surely helped, CEO Mark Weinstein says MeWe owes its growth to everyone who is infuriated by their data being sold down the river by surveillance capitalists.

Weinstein spoke to The Associated Press from his southern California home. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: Where are your members? Under your freemium model, how many people pay for services such as additional data storage and video calling?

A: The members are 50% in North America, about 24% in Asia, 24% in Europe and 2% in Australia. Some are in South America, in Brazil and Argentina. Were translated into 20 languages. Currently 3% to 4% of our members sign up for premium. We havent spent a penny on marketing. All our growth is organic.

Q: What does your capital investment and revenue look like? Who is behind the company?

A: Weve got about $22 million from high net worth investors and our advisory board includes Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the World Wide Web, and Sherry Turkle, perhaps the most esteemed academic expert on the impact of technology on human beings. We have fewer than 100 employees and we did $1.2 million in revenue in 2020. Revenue grew 300 percent from November to December.

Q: Your terms of service are explicit about prohibiting hateful and inciteful content and insist it will be promptly taken down. But Ive seen some incendiary language in chats. The watchdog Alethea Group reported similar, and it was apparently taken down. How can you be sure you are adequately moderating the site, especially amid a growth spurt you say has hit 20,000 new users an hour? How many moderators do you have?

A: Social media can get messy in times like these. And just like Facebook and Twitter, and other sites that also moderate we are doing the very best we can. We are expanding our moderation team as rapidly as we can, and were investigating reports from our members, who are helping. (Weinstein would not disclose the size of his moderation team.)

Q: You say MeWe is not built, as its big competitors are, to serve up politically charged material.

A: We are absolutely not an opinion chamber of one side or another. We are fundamentally different by design from Twitter or Parler or Gab. Were a social media platform like Facebook, where family members and friends connect. Your news feed is purely and exclusively everything you choose to connect to. There is nothing injected into your news feed by us or anybody else on the platform. We dont have trending topics. We dont have boosted content.

Q: What is your stance on potentially dangerous speech and misinformation of the type that could, say adversely impact public health during a global pandemic?

A: We have absolutely no censorship for good people who follow our rules. We dont care what your opinion is, if youre on the right or the left. Thats none of our business. Also, MeWes structural design prohibits the amplification (of misinformation). Members do moderation for us, but a very deep violation can lead to immediate removal and being reported to outside authorities. For others, a member can be placed in jail temporarily suspended and then a three-strike rule applies.

Q: You said in a 2019 op-ed piece that you dont believe that breaking up Facebook will solve the problem of competition in social media. Is that still your thinking?

A: Breaking up Facebook would just create a lot of mini-Facebooks. It doesnt solve the problem of surveillance capitalism.

Facebook has lobbyists worldwide influencing legislation and government officials. And it doesnt comply with regulations, anyhow. Regulating Facebook more carefully will only serve to institutionalize surveillance capitalism, make it harder for competition and sort of legitimize their business model, which is really an illegitimate form of capitalism.

Pure capitalism is, plain and simple, delight your customer, build a relationship of love and trust. Respect them and they will be your customer for a lifetime. Facebook has completely broken that bond. Facebook is a marketing company. Facebook is a data company. Theyre not a true social network. Their customers are advertisers, marketers and political operatives. MeWes customers are its members.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Our weekly roundup of books that should be on your radar.

We love stories, and even in the age of Netflix-and-chill, there's nothing like a good book that promises a couple of hours of absorption  whether curled up in bed, in your favourite coffeehouse, or that long (and tiresome) commute to work. Every Sunday, we'll have a succinct pick of books, across diverse genres, that have been newly made available for your reading pleasure. Get them wherever you get your books  the friendly neighbourhood bookseller, e-retail website, chain store  and in whatever form you prefer. Happy reading!

For more of our weekly book recommendations, click here.

***

 FICTION

The Last Queen

By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

HarperCollins India | Rs 599 | 372 pages

Bestselling author Chitra Banerjee Divakarunis latest novel tells the story of Rani Jindan, the daughter of the royal kennel keeper who went on to become Maharaja Ranjit Singhs favourite queen. She soon became regent, protecting her six-year-old sons heritage, fighting the British to keep them from annexing Punjab, and stepping out of the zenana to conduct state business. She was later imprisoned and exiled, but that still didnt crush her will.

Read more about the book here.

People on our Roof

By Shefali Tripathi Mehta

Niyogi Books | Rs 450 | 228 pages

Author and poet Shefali Tripathi Mehtas novel follows Naina, who lives in a south Delhi colony bungalow with her mother, sister, and the stigma of madness running in their family. As memories surface, she sets out in search of the truth behind her fathers disappearance, and soon the past starts unravelling.

Read more about the book and an excerpt from the book here.

 MEMOIRS and BIOGRAPHIES

Bike Ambulance Dada: The Inspiring Story of Karimul Hak: The Man Who Saved 4000 Lives

By Biswajit Jha

Penguin Random House India | Rs 250 | 256 pages

Writer Biswajit Jha presents the authorised biography of Padma Shri awardee Karimul Hak. Several years ago, Hak lost his mother because he couldnt afford an ambulance, later resolving that history shouldnt repeat itself. Since then, hes started a free bike-ambulance service from his village to the nearest hospital, filling the gap in rural healthcare, and saving thousands of lives.

Read more about the book here.

Ghalib: A Wilderness at My Doorstep  A Critical Biography

By Mehr Afshan Farooqi

Penguin Random House India | Rs 799 | 416 pages

Associate professor of Urdu and South Asian Literature at the University of Virginia, Mehr Afshan Farooqi presents a critical biography of Ghalib, exploring his life, works, and philosophy. Born in Agra towards the end of the eighteenth century, he began composing verses at an early age, writing in both Urdu and Persian. With European colonialisms impact on Indian literature, Ghalib responded with far-sightedness and imagination, producing a complex poetic trajectory.

Read more about the book here.

 NON-FICTION

Undercover: My Journey into the Darkness of Hindutva

By Ashish Khetan

Context | Rs 499 | 332 pages

Journalist and lawyer Ashish Khetan recounts the time he spent undercover in Gujarat, deep in the world of Hindutva, documenting a hate-filled world where stories of rape and murder are exchanged over cups of tea. He secretly filmed men close to power corridors admitting to their part in the 2002 Gujarat riots, who attest that the riots couldnt have happened without support from the state government. His investigations led to the convictions of Babu Bajrangi, Maya Kodnani, and others.

Locking Down the Poor: The Pandemic and Indias Moral Centre

By Harsh Mander

Speaking Tiger Books | Rs 399 | 240 pages

Author and activist Harsh Mander shows how grave the COVID-19 crisis was and continues to be, and how its a direct consequence of the Indian governments public policy choices, especially of introducing lockdown with a small relief package. He informs of daily-wage workers and those working in the informal sector, overwhelmed by hunger and dread. He also details the callousness of a strategy that forced lockdown in a country where crores live in congested rooms with no possibility of distancing, toilets, or running water.

Read more about the book here.

On Citizenship

By Romila Thapar, N Ram, Gautam Bhatia, and Gautam Patel

Aleph Book Company | Rs 499 | 172 pages

In this volume of essays, four of Indias public intellectuals explore the key aspects of what constitutes citizenship in India. The writers are acclaimed historian Romila Thapar, who explores how citizenship evolved in India and the rest of the world; editor N Ram provides a political history of citizenship; legal scholar Gautam Bhatia explores the constitutional provisions related to citizenship; and jurist Gautam Patel looks at key provisions of the Constitution and more.

Read more about the book here.
On January 6, the world watched as the US Capitol was attacked by pro-Trump rioters. Since then, each day has been filled with revelations about how it was plotted and carried out. Many are still trying to process the initial shock.

While seeing Confederate and Trump 2020 flags draped all over the Capitol was a shocking sight for some, others were not surprised.

"It was simply the culmination of the past four years under Trump's presidency," said librarian Djaz Zulida.

Zulida is a job information resource librarian for the Brooklyn Public Library system. Soon after the riot, the library set out to compile books that would help put this insurrection into perspective.

"While a book list is not the end all, be all as far as resources, this felt like a place where we could begin, a place where we could encourage a conversation, and to filter out some of the noise and give people a little bit of a framework, focusing on a number of different issues," Zulida said.

Zulida combed through the library's resources and learned that the library could use more books that discuss the 25th Amendment, which lays out a process for orderly transition of power in the case of death, disability, or resignation of the President. They included "Birch Bayh: Making a Difference," a book about the man that authored the amendment.

"I assumed, of course, that the amendments are written by politicians," Zulida said. "But I had no idea that there was one person so specifically, wrapped up in the details of putting together the language and the idea and turning that into a constitutional amendment."

This is the list of more 30 books they compiled and a description of the book's relevance to the subject.

"Stupid Wars: A Citizen's Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions" by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince

A humorous look at epic fails in historical upheavals, putsches, and coups. Looking through a sardonic lens can help us process events that were quite serious and devastating.

"How to Get Rid of a President: History's Guide to Removing Unpopular, Unable, or Unfit Chief Executives" by David Priess

From the calumny and chaos of John Tyler's presidency to Andrew Johnson's drunken swearing-in, the conduct of several Presidents have been less-than stellar.

"Will He Go?: Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020" by Lawrence Douglas

This book by legal scholar Lawrence Douglas, published in May 2020, addresses what turned out to be the very real fear of a less-than-peaceful transition of power by the 45th president.

"Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump" by David A. Neiwert

This 2017 book reports on the beliefs and conspiracy theories of the so-called 'alt-right,' offshoot of conservatism that mix racism, white nationalism, anti-Semitism and populism.

"We Should Have Seen It Coming: From Reagan to Trump  A Front-Row Seat to a Political Revolution" by Gerald F. Seib

The trajectory of the modern conservative movement and how it evolved into a populist movement that Trump rode to power, written by the executive editor of the Wall Street Journal.

"American Sanctuary: Mutiny, Martyrdom, and National Identity in the Age of Revolution" by A. Roger Ekrich

A detailed look at political crisis and national identity in the early years of the United States.

"The Oath and the Office: A Guide to the Constitution for Future Presidents" by Corey Brettschneider

A detailed primer on the important parts of constitutional law dealing with the office of President by a professor of political science at Brown University who teaches constitutional law and politics,

"American Government 101: From the Continental Congress to the Iowa Caucus, Everything You Need to Know About US Politics" by Kathleen Sears

A wide-ranging primer on the actual workings of US government and politics.

"Burning the Reichstag" by Benjamin Carter Hett

This book examines the many accounts of the German Reichstag fire of 1933 that helped solidify Adolf Hitler's power in Germany. It disputes claims that the fire was perpetrated by one individual as it investigates Nazi involvement as well as looking at how the fire was used to boost the Nazi Party and discredit the Communist Party.

"Birch Bayh: Making a Difference" by Robert Blaemire

A three-term Indiana senator, Bayh helped write the 25th Amendment on presidential disability and succession and the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18. He is the only non-Founding Father to author two constitutional amendments.

"Hitler's First Hundred Days: When Germans Embraced the Third Reich" by Peter Fritzsche

Documents the suppression of dissent and dissenters and the ascendance of Nazi power that turned Germany from a divided republic into a one-party dictatorship.

"Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics" by Lawrence O'Donnell

The MSNBC host details the political upheaval, assassinations, and dirty tricks in the 1968 elections.

"Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws that Affect Us Today" by Cynthia Levinson and Sanford Levinson

From gerrymandering to presidential succession, a husband-and-wife team break down some important pieces of the Constitution, examines its flaws and offer some potential solutions.

"A Most Wicked Conspiracy: The Last Great Swindle of the Gilded Age" by Paul Starobin

An examination of the political corruption and greed of party bosses, elected officials and robber barons in America at the turn of the 20th century.

"Surviving Autocracy" by Masha Gessen

Defining autocracy and how close Americans came to autocratic rule during the Trump presidency in informative, concise chapters. The book stems from an essay the author wrote for the New York Review of Books.

"Unmaking the Presidency: Donald Trump's War on the World's Most Powerful Office" by Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes

The authors, the executive editor and editor-in-chief of the Lawfare blog, detail Trump's rejection of political norms and expectations for presidential behavior.

"The Fixers: The Bottom-Feeders, Crooked Lawyers, Gossipmongers, and Porn Stars Who Created the 45th President" by Joe Palazzolo and Michael Rothfeld

Two Wall Street Journal reporters document questionable actions by Trump before and during his presidency.

"If This Be Treason: The American Rogues and Rebels Who Walked the Line Between Dissent and Betrayal" by Jeremy Duda

Journalist Jeremy Duda examines the line between dissent and treason by looking at several historical moments in which Americans were accused of treason but others found their acts worthy of praise.

"American Kompromat: How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump, and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery" by Craig Unger

This book explores the kompromat, or compromising information, that Russia may have amassed on major political figures and how Russia may have attempted to target Donald Trump when he was a New York businessman.

"Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House" by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz

The story of Spiro T. Agnew, Nixon's vice president, and the bribery and extortion ring he ran while in office.

"The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation" by Brenda Wineapple

A recounting of President Andrew Johnson's abuse of executive orders that led to him becoming the first US president to be impeached.

"The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President" by Jill Wine-Banks

The Watergate scandal and Nixon impeachment as told by Jill Wine-Banks, a trial lawyer on the special prosecutor's Watergate task force.

"An Artist in Treason: The Extraordinary Double Life of General James Wilkinson" by Andro Linklater

Gen. James Wilkinson was charismatic and complicated soldier who fought for the United States in its earliest days yet repeatedly acted against the country and even spied on it.

"Night of Camp David" by Fletcher Knebel

A 1965 novel about an American president coming unhinged and ranting about conspiracies, it was republished in 2018.

"Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide" by Cass R. Sunstein

An accessible primer on impeachment's past, present, and future.

"The Case for Impeaching Trump" by Elizabeth Holtzman

Attorney, politician, and author Elizabeth Holtzman lays out the requirements for an impeachment and the necessity of one.

"How Did We Get Here?: from Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump" by Robert Dallek

A historian looks at the personalities and politics from the early 20th century until now and how we've arrived in our current political milieu.

"The Presidents: Noted Historians Rank America's Best - and Worst - Chief Executives"

A survey of leading historians and presidential biographers on the best and worst of America's presidents.

"Richard Nixon: The Life" by John A. Farrell

The life and political career of Richard Nixon, the 37th President who resigned before he could be impeached over the Watergate scandal. He remains the only president ever to resign the office.

"The Trial of Adolf Hitler" by David King

The book recounts the arrest, trial, and imprisonment of Adolf Hitler and others for treason after a failed coup attempt in Germany that became known as the Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler turned the 1924 trial into a launching pad for himself and the Nazi Party.

"It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis, with an introduction by Michael Meyer and a new afterword by Gary Scharnhorst

Lewis's 1935 novel about fascist presidential candidate Berzelius Windrip and how a US president turns into a dictator.

"1876" by Gore Vidal

Vidal's historical novel is written in the form of a journal detailing the life of character Charles Schermerhorn Schuyler in the 1870s with a focus on the disputed presidential election of 1876.

"Rutherford B. Hayes" by Trefousse L. Hans

A historian chronicles the disputed 1876 election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden.
Brian Smith served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and retired as an assistant chief with the California Highway Patrol. He resides in Bakersfield. If you have a personal Cop Tale to share, please contact Smith at bmsmith778@gmail.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 21:01:57|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has dismissed European states' concerns over Iran's intention for uranium metal production, Press TV reported on Sunday.

In a statement, the AEOI urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Britain, France and Germany to avoid creating any "misunderstanding" about Iran's plan for uranium metal production, according to the report.

The AEOI statement came in a response to the three European states who expressed concerns about Iran's military implications of producing uranium metal.

Iran has not yet "presented the design information questionnaire of the uranium metal factory" to the IAEA, it said.

The issue of the factory producing uranium metal is stipulated in Article 4 of "the Strategic Action to Lift Sanctions and Protect the Iranian Nation's Rights Act" passed earlier by the parliament, and the AEOI is obliged to implement the law, Tasnim news agency cited the statement as saying.

On Saturday, Britain, France and Germany alleged that Iran's move to begin work on uranium metal-based fuel contravened the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Their call came after the IAEA said Iran notified the nuclear watchdog that it had resumed research on uranium metal production in order to provide advanced fuel for a reactor.

Based on the Iranian parliament's law, the AEOI is mandated with designing such a factory as well as other countermeasures in response to the Western states' "violations of the JCPOA," according to Press TV. Enditem
The Duchess of Cornwall has admitted that she is an 'entrenched technophobe' but says she was compelled to start her online book club by 'moving letters' she received during the first lockdown.

Camila, 73, has revealed her motivations for launching her new virtual 'reading room' which has already attracted more than 30,000 literary enthusiasts to her Instagram site @duchessofcornwallreadingroom

The royal said that, having inherited a love of books by her father as a child in Sussex, she felt part of a 'universal community of reading souls'.

Writing in The Times, she added: 'Notwithstanding my advanced age and entrenched technophobia, I thought the best place for us to meet one another might be online.'

The Duchess of Cornwall (pictured) has admitted that she is an 'entrenched technophobe' but said she was inspired to start her online book club by 'moving letters' during the first lockdown

Camilla said that at the start of the first national lockdown she compiled a list of her own favourite 'desert island books' which, much to her delight, opened up discussion of other literary classics with readers around the world.

She continued: 'The most moving letters were those from people who described how books had been their lifeline.

'In some cases, their only company for weeks has been characters in novels. Reading was comforting for us, making us laugh, taking us on journeys that we could not undertake in the flesh and, crucially, reminding us that we are not alone.

'We found a community in reading at a time when we were, sadly but necessarily, unable to be with those we love.'

She resolved to set up an online platform which she said 'explores the magical world of books; the extraordinary people who write them; and the emotional, social and educational benefits of reading'.

Dame Hilary Mantel's The Mirror And The Light has been picked by the duchess alongside William Boyd's Restless, Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak (pictured)

It comes after Camilla revealed the first four personal picks for her new initiative which are The Mirror and The Light by Hilary Mantel; Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens; Restless by William Boyd; and Elif Shafak's The Architect's Apprentice.

In a special film created to welcome readers to the Instagram-based literary initiative, the royal spoke about her own love for reading.

'To me, reading is a great adventure. I've loved it since I was very small and I'd love everybody else to enjoy it as much as I do,' she said. 'You can escape, and you can travel, and you can laugh and you can cry. There's every type of emotion humans experience in a book.'

Camilla is following in the footsteps of TV presenters Richard and Judy by launching her own book club.

The Duchess of Cornwall's Reading Room will be a 'celebration of literature' and, she hopes, a hub for literary communities around the world.

Four of her recommended books will be unveiled each season, with the first out today.

A stunning portrait (pictured) of the Duchess of Cornwall was released ahead of the announcement of the royal's Reading Room book club's first four titles

Hillary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light is the conclusion to her Wolf Hall trilogy, based on the life of Thomas Cromwell, and was eight years in the making.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is set in the desolate marshlands of the North Carolina coast and tells a coming-of-age story through the eyes of an abandoned child. The New York Times described it as a 'painfully beautiful' first novel.

By contrast William Boyd's spy story Restless explores the wartime adventures and peacetime intrigues of Russian emigre Eva Delectorskaya, who is recruited for the British Secret Service in 1939.

The Duchess of Cornwall's Reading Room will be a 'celebration of literature' and, she hopes, a hub for literary communities around the world

Lastly, The Architect's Apprentice is described as a 'dazzling and intricate' tale from Elif Shafak, set in 16th Century Istanbul.

Camilla was inspired to set up the free initiative as a result of the phenomenal response to two suggested reading lists she published during the first lockdown, as well as research which showed that book sales soared by 400 per cent.

The duchess and her team decided to set up a more permanent platform to celebrate and explore literature from around the world - @duchessofcornwallsreadingroom.

Sources say she has put her 'heart and soul' into the venture, which is a royal first.

Each recommended book will be accompanied by exclusive content from the authors, as well as the duchess herself, to spark conversation and debate.

Since joining the Royal Family, Camilla has made the issue of literacy - particularly in children -one of the cornerstone of her work and is patron of seven charities including National Literacy Trust.

Dominic Raab has questioned whether the Brexit deal could be responsible for fishing businesses being unable to continue (Danny Lawson/PA)

Delays to fishing exports are just teething problems following Brexit, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has claimed.

Challenged about the warning from the seafood sector that fishing businesses could collapse within days, Mr Raab said he was not convinced it was because of the Governments trade deal with the European Union.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday morning, Mr Raab argued the trading agreement will create huge, sustainable opportunities for the fishing sector.

Exports of fresh fish and seafood have been severely disrupted by delays since the UKs transition period ended on December 31.

We are very focused on working with all the different sectors, including the fishing industry, to resolve any of these teething problems Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary

Some Scottish fishermen have been landing their catch in Denmark to avoid the bureaucratic system that exports to Europe now involve, according to Scotlands Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing.

On land, lorries transporting freshly-caught produce have been held up at distribution hubs and many have struggled to enter into France  a situation which First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described as shameful and disgraceful.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a committee of MPs that fishing businesses would be compensated for what he described as temporary frustrations.

Asked about the potential collapse of parts of the fishing industry because of problems caused by the Brexit deal, Mr Raab said: Im not convinced that that is the result of the agreement.

The agreement we have struck  short term, medium term and long term  will create huge, sustainable opportunities.

Of course we have always said as we leave the transition period with a deal, but even more if we hadnt found a deal, there will be some teething problems.

Expand Close Alistair Carmichael called on ministers to get a grip (Aaron Chown/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Alistair Carmichael called on ministers to get a grip (Aaron Chown/PA)

We are very focused on working with all the different sectors, including the fishing industry, to resolve any of these teething problems.

Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland Alistair Carmichael said: Its hard to find a minister who will admit to having even sat down and read the trade deal.

Brexit might be a game to the likes of Dominic Raab and Boris Johnson but for thousands of people in Scotland this is their business and their livelihood on the line.

The Government needs to get a grip now.

Fishermen are telling the PM that his deal did not do any of the things he claimed for it, let alone what he had promised.

The harder the Tories spin, the angrier fishing communities get. The Government needs to start listening to the people who know what they are talking about and start to clean up the mess that the Prime Minister has created.

Luke Pollard MP, Labours shadow environment secretary, responded to Mr Raabs comments, saying: The Government should stop blaming the fishing industry and start taking responsibility for the mess it has created by its own incompetence.

Fishing businesses from Shetland to Penzance are crying out for help but all the Government can offer them is excuses and blame.

With reams of new red tape they promised they would remove, Ministers are holding British businesses and our economic recovery back.

They should close the loopholes in their deal, and come up with the investment our coastal communities have long been promised.
Passengers wearing face masks walk through the arrivals hall after landing at London Heathrow Airport. (Getty)

Dominic Raab said the government will consider introducing mandatory hotel quarantines for international arrivals in response to new strains of COVID found in South Africa and Brazil.

The foreign secretary was asked on Sunday about reports in The Sunday Times that travellers would be subject to New Zealand-style rules which would require them to pay to stay at an airport hotel for two weeks.

According to the newspaper, officials would then use GPS and facial-recognition technology to check that people are staying in their accommodation.

Asked whether hotel quarantines for international arrivals would be introduced Raab told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "We will consider all the measures in the round.

Raab warned against international travel. (Getty)

"In terms of enforcement, we are going to be strengthening the checks at the border - so when people come in - to make sure that they have filled out the passenger location form, that they have got that negative test that they have to vouch for before they get on the flight.

"Also, because the effect of abolishing or suspending the travel corridors is that people go into quarantine and self-isolation for 10 days, we're making sure that Public Health England checks are in place to make sure people are adhering to those rules.

Read more: Sage member warns Brazil variants 'likely' in UK already as government races to stop new strains arriving

"As well as changing the rules, we are also making sure that we beef up the capacity to make those checks."

It comes after travel to the UK from Brazil, Portugal and 14 other countries has been banned in response to a new strain of COVID originating in Brazil.

Experts have warned that the new variant could be more infectious than the strain from South Africa - which is also on the UKs list of countries under a travel embargo.

Watch: Minister insists UK travel rules are robust

Raab dismissed claims that the government had been "too slow" in setting up border measures to prevent the importation of new coronavirus variants.

Story continues

He told the BBCs Andrew Marr programme: "I don't accept that we have been too slow in this - we are broadly the same pace in terms of Canada and Germany."

Raab added that people should not go on holiday as he warned that the NHS is "on the cusp".

"I think right now people should be staying at home unless it is absolutely necessary, so, no, they shouldn't be going on holiday - I don't think that is appropriate," he told Sky.

"Any travel, domestic or otherwise, ought to be for the limited exceptions that have been spelled out.

"We've got this narrow period where the NHS is on the cusp, we've got to protect it, and we've got the light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine rollout.
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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been detained after defiantly flying back to Moscow on Sunday, his spokesperson said, months after he was left in a coma when he was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok.

Facing the threat of his arrest upon touching down, Navalny, a prominent critic of the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin, boarded a plane in Berlin, where he had been evacuated for treatment in August from a hospital in Siberia at the insistence of his family.

The plane, which was originally headed for Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, was diverted to the capital's Sheremetyevo Airport shortly before it landed, Navalny's press officer, Kira Yarmysh, confirmed in a tweet, without explaining why the plane was rerouted.

Yarmysh posted a video of Navalny being escorted away by officials in Sheremetyevo, saying he was being detained without explanation and was not allowed to bring his lawyer. His whereabouts and status are unknown, Yarmysh tweeted Sunday.

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Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service released a statement to the state-run media agency Tass confirming that Navalny was being detained, allegedly for "repeated violations of the probationary period." He will remain in custody until he can appear in court, the statement said.

While Navalny, 44, was in the air, the Russian broadcaster Dozhd TV showed images of his associates, including the lawyer and politician Lyubov Sobol, being detained as they were waiting for him at Vnukovo Airport.

Inside and outside the airport, hundreds of people defied a warning from the Moscow prosecutor's office to welcome Navalny. Dozhd TV showed images of some supporters being detained and riot police moving in.

Security measures were heightened at the airport, and several prisoner transport trucks could be seen outside.

Jake Sullivan, President-elect Joe Biden's appointee as national security adviser, denounced Navalny's detention and insisted that those who poisoned him must be held accountable.

Story continues

"The Kremlin's attacks on Mr. Navalny are not just a violation of human rights, but an affront to the Russian people who want their voices heard," Sullivan tweeted Sunday.

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Amnesty International said it considered Navalny a "prisoner of conscience" in a call for his release. Russian officials have conducted a "relentless campaign" against him, said Natalia Zviagina, director of Amnesty International's Moscow office.

"Aleksei Navalny's arrest is further evidence that Russian authorities are seeking to silence him," Zviagina said. "His detention only highlights the need to investigate his allegations that he was poisoned by state agents acting on orders from the highest levels."

Image: Alexi Navalny (Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP - Getty Images)

Hours earlier, wearing a bright green jacket and carrying a small suitcase, Navalny boarded his Moscow-bound flight and waved to the throng of reporters and other passengers before he was applauded by some as he entered the plane.

"I am very, very happy today," he said, adding that he felt like "a Russian citizen who has every right to come back home."

Asked whether he was concerned about going back to Russia, he said: "Why would I be scared of Russia? What bad things can happen to me in Russia?"

Navalny announced his decision to return to Moscow on Wednesday, signaling his intention to continue his political struggle against Putin.

In an online video message, he said it had never crossed his mind not to return to Russia.

"This is because I didn't leave. I ended up in Germany  in an intensive care box  for one simple reason: They tried to kill me," he said.

Navalny, a thorn in the Kremlin's side for more than a decade, exposing what he says is high-level corruption and mobilizing crowds of young protesters, fell ill on a flight to Moscow from Tomsk, a city in Siberia, on Aug. 20.

The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Omsk, which is also in Siberia. There, he was taken to a hospital for treatment and placed into a medically induced coma.

Supporters of Navalny, who was barred from challenging Putin for the presidency in 2018, immediately said they believed he was poisoned.

But Russian doctors said their initial investigation did not indicate that that was the case, and they suggested instead that he may have suffered a metabolic problem.

After a medical team flew in from Germany, Navalny's family insisted that he be transferred to Berlin for treatment.

Germany concluded that he had been poisoned with Novichok, the Soviet-era military-grade nerve agent; Navalny's associates accused Putin of being responsible.

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The Kremlin has denied all involvement, insisting that there is no evidence that Navalny was poisoned and refusing to start a criminal investigation. Moscow has also insisted that Navalny was free to return home like any other Russian citizen.

His supporters fear that Navalny could be jailed because his poisoning has elevated his status as the Russian government's strongest foe both inside the country and internationally.

At the end of December, the Federal Penitentiary Service warned Navalny that he faced time in prison if he failed to immediately report to its office in line with the terms of a suspended sentence and probation he received for a 2014 conviction, which he has rejected as politically motivated. The European Court for Human Rights has ruled that his conviction was unlawful.

It said Thursday that Navalny was on a wanted list, with an order out to arrest him.
Looking back on the day a farm accident changed his life in 2005, beef farmer Philip O'Connor says that cutting corners and rushing jobs was definitely a factor in what unfolded.

"I was doing a load of different things and the clock was dictating the schedule, my head wasn't clear.

"Hindsight is a great tool," says the 52-year-old, who farms in Kinvara, Co Galway with his wife Bernie and their three children, 11-year-old twins Ozzie and Siofra, and Jonah (8).

"I caught my leg in a beet pulper on the back of a tractor," recalls Philip. "-Ever since I was a child I had a habit of kicking things. A piece of beet got caught on top of the pulper and I went for it with the boot - next thing I knew, my foot got caught in the pulper.

"I was caught in the machine for an hour and a half before help arrived. It was a windy January day and it was very hard for people to hear me. I was only found when a neighbour up the road went outside and heard me roaring, but I was getting weak at that stage.

"I was shouting for so long that I began to eat sugar beet to keep my mouth moist because it had gone dry. The doctors say that the sugar in the beet helped me because it gave me the energy to keep going.

"The fire brigade came to cut me out and that took another hour and a half."

After emergency surgery in University Hospital Galway, Philip - who was 36 at the time and had been married to wife Bernie for four years - lost his leg five inches below his knee. But, remarkably, he was back on his feet with the help of a walking aid within days.

"My accident happened on a Sunday. I was in hospital, lying there feeling sorry for myself and a woman came in and said that she wants me back on my feet by the following Monday. To put it politely, I told her what I thought of her, but she was right.

"She went away, I looked at the wound, got my head around it and off I went after that. I was walking on the Friday.

Farming system

"I wouldn't take things lying down, so I decided I'd just have to get on with it. Life moves on, whether you like it or not. I was out of the hospital in 16 days.

"You think these accidents will happen to someone else, you never think it'll happen you, but sometimes it does."

Philip's leg was slow to heal due to an MRSA infection, but he was fitted with a prosthetic leg on May 24.

"That summer I cut over 100 acres of silage and brought in the bales," he says.

The accident prompted him to make some changes on his farm.

"Cattle are less physically demanding," he explains. "The cows are a lot wilder and I was dealing with bulls as well. The cattle are more timid.

"I didn't want to be sleeping in an armchair so I can get up in the middle of the night to calve cows, so I just decided to get out of them."

But despite having plenty of offers for help, he was determined to do as much work as he could himself, despite the occasional setback with his leg.

"My friends and family were great but they have their own lives to live as well," he says. "They were very good but you can't keep going back to them."

The majority of people involved in farm accidents are older farmers.

Philip believes this is unlikely to change and says poor prices are a big reason for the decline in the numbers of young farmers .

"If you go to the mart you see the people involved in farming are getting older because the money isn't there for the next generation to take it over," he says.

"If a young person has a job, they know they're guaranteed a week's wages. Why would they get involved in farming?

"Then you have things like quality assurance and other inspections which instead of making things easier, are making life harder for farmers. All of this is putting young people off it. All farmers want is a fair price for their produce."
(Newser)  Alexei Navalny, a leading Kremlin political opponent, was taken into custody Sunday just after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from a poisoning. Navalny had just told journalists in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport: "This is the best day in the past five months. Everyone is asking me if I'm scared. I am not afraid. I feel completely fine walking towards the border control." While he was in Germany, Russia had place Navalny on a wanted list over an old fraud case that Navalany and the European Court of Human Rights say was politically motivated, the Washington Post reports. A spokesperson for Navany tweeted Sunday that a lawyer "was not allowed to go with him" when Navalny was detained, per CNN. He was traveling with his wife, Yulia, whom he kissed goodbye as police officers took him.

story continues below

Russia had ordered Navalny to return, and he announced last week that he was taking a flight Sunday. Failure to appear at a parole hearing was the stated reason for his arrest, per the Guardian, and Navalny could go to prison if the terms of a suspended sentence from 2014 are changed. A crowd of supporters had gathered Sunday to meet Navalny at another airport, where Navalny's flight was scheduled to land, but it was diverted to Sheremetyevo. The day before, Navalny posted a thank-you on Instagram to the people in Germany who helped him during his stay, including: "Doctors and nurses. Physical therapists and police officers"even "the prosecutors who interrogated me on requests from Russia." After landing Sunday, he'd also told reporters, "I know that I will leave and go home because I'm right and all the criminal cases against me are fabricated." (Read more Alexei Navalny stories.)
City Editor

Tom Roeder is the Gazette's City Editor. In Colorado Springs since 2003, Tom has covered the military at home and overseas and has cover statehouses in Denver and Olympia, Wash. His main job, though, is being dad to two great kids.
In yet another controversy over COVID vaccine rollout, many healthcare workers in West Bengal alleged that they could not get the jab as several Trinamool Congress leaders, including two MLAs, were among the people who received the COVID-19 vaccine in Purba Bardhaman district on Saturday. District health officials said that these leaders are all associated with different hospitals as members of the Patients' Welfare Committees, and therefore they are eligible for the vaccination programme in the first round. However, BJP's national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya described the incident as "loot".

The vaccination drive at the Bhatar State General Hospital began with local TMC MLA Subhash Mondal getting the first shot. Later, former TMC MLA Banamali Hazra, Zilla Parishad Karmadakshya Jahar Bagdi and Bhatar Panchayat Samity Public Health in-charge Mahendra Hazra also received the vaccine. At Katwa Sub-divisional Hospital, local MLA Rabindranath Chatterjee of TMC was among the 34 people who received the vaccine on the first day. Meanwhile, sources said that CM Mamata Banerjee has written to PM Modi seeking more vaccines for people of West Bengal.

READ | TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee makes shocking 'Saffron Rapist' remark; outraged BJP lashes out

Earlier, at a meeting with the chief ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested that public representatives, should not be part of this initial exercise. "This is my personal suggestion and no one should take it otherwise. We public representatives are not part of it," he had said. However, Opposition leaders have cast aspersions on the safety of the COVID vaccines and have asked as to why PM Modi and other leaders and ministers are not the first to take the vaccine shot.

BJP vs TMC

BJP's Vijayvargiya said, "Corona vaccine was looted. The prime minister sent free vaccines for corona warriors, health workers and frontline workers. But in West Bengal, TMC MLAs and goons took the vaccine forcefully. Mamata Banerjee claimed that PM Modi sent less number of doses, shame," he tweeted in Hindi.

     !!!



      ,            .  #TMC        



        



  !  Kailash Vijayvargiya (@KailashOnline) January 16, 2021

However, senior TMC MP Saugata Roy also said that it would have been better had the party leaders not taken the vaccine. "The TMC leaders and MLAs who got the vaccine are members of Patients' Welfare Committees of different hospitals. So, they got it. However, it would have been better had they not taken it today. These are isolated incidents. It would be wrong to blame the party," he said.

READ |In Poll-bound West Bengal, TMC MP Says 'state Will Drown In Ganga If BJP Comes To Power'

West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021

While the BJP has chalked out a massive plan for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls which includes Home Minister Amit Shah visiting the state every month till the elections, Trinamool has already begun its outreach programme highlighting the welfare schemes of the Mamata Banerjee government. The TMC has also roped in former JDU VP and poll strategist Prashant Kishor for Mamata's re-election while the BJP's campaign is being headed by senior leader Kailash Vijayvargiya, under the leadership of BJP chief JP Nadda. Violence has already started in the state ahead of polls with both sides clashing wit each other. Earlier, Dilip Ghosh had also asked his BJP cadre to arm themselves with sticks and give it back to the Trinamool cadre if it comes to it.

West Bengal assembly with 294 seats will go to polls in April-May 2021, Trinamool holds 222 seats. BJP has made major inroads in the state in the Lok Sabha elections winning 18 seats and establishing itself as the major opposition force in the state. While the BJP has claimed it'll win 200 seats, the Trinamool, via Prashant Kishor has contended that the saffron party won't cross 99.

READ | BJP's Sovan Chatterjee Claims Mamata Govt Tapped His Phone; TMC Says 'use WhatsApp/Signal'

READ | Birbhum MP Satabdi Roy to remain in TMC after Abhishek Banerjee brokers peace
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 17:59:59|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia on Sunday reported three more imported COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the kingdom to 439 so far, said a Health Ministry statement.

The new cases were detected on Cambodian migrant workers returning from Thailand on Jan. 12, 13 and 15 via land borders, the statement said.

- - - -

JAKARTA -- Number of Indonesians overseas confirmed positive for COVID-19 rose to 2,816, with three new cases registered, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

Of the three new cases, two were reported in Britain and one in Kuwait.

- - - -

MANILA -- The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines on Sunday reported 1,895 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the country to 500,577.

The death toll climbed to 9,895 after 11 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. It added 5,868 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 465,991.

- - - -

BEIJING -- Over 100,000 drivers for online platforms under Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing have made reservations for COVID-19 vaccines in Beijing, according to the company.

As of 2 p.m. Saturday, more than 46,000 drivers have been inoculated in the city, the company said.

- - - -

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles became the first county in the United States to surpass 1 million total cases since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, local health officials said Saturday.

The most populous county in the country, home to 10 million residents, on Saturday reported 14,669 new confirmed cases and 253 additional deaths, pushing its cumulative cases up to 1,003,923 with 13,741 related deaths, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

- - - -

SUVA -- Fiji reported two more imported COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total tally to 55 in the island nation.

According to a statement by Fiji's health ministry on Sunday, one patient is a 49-year-old female and the other is a 58-year-old female, and both of them arrived in Fiji on a flight from New Zealand on Dec. 24 last year.

- - - -

ULAN BATOR -- Mongolia reported five new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking its nationwide tally to 1,517, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases said Sunday.

The latest confirmed cases were locally transmitted or detected in the country's capital city Ulan Bator, the center said in a statement. Enditem
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A Nurse at the War Memorial Hospital in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality of the Upper East Region has died of COVID-19 at the Regional treatment centre in Bolgatanga.



The Kassena-Nankana Municipal Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Mr Habib Mahama who confirmed the death of the nurse to the Ghana News Agency, said he died on Friday, January 15.



He said the deceased worked at the Paediatric Unit of the hospital as a Registered General Nurse, adding that 15 staff of the facility had tested positive to the virus, and advocated mass testing for all staff of the War Memorial Hospital to be sure that more staff were not infected.



Mr Mahama also called on management of the hospital to close down the facility for fumigation to ensure safe environment for health care delivery.



He said leadership of the GRNMA in the Municipality was yet to get more information on how his members were responding to treatment at the Centre, and further advised members of the Association in the Region to adhere to the health protocols.



All is not lost, we have to observe the necessary protocols to make sure that we keep ourselves safe. We also want to call on authorities of the health care system to ensure that the necessary Personal Protective Equipment and other logistics are provided for our members to enable them work without fear.



Some health professionals who attended to the deceased at the treatment centre before he passed on, disclosed to the GNA that his oxygen concentration level on arrival at the treatment centre was about 34 per cent, and despite all interventions, to save him, he passed on.



Meanwhile, a situation report from the Upper East Regional Health Directorate, compiled by Dr Emmanuel Dzotsi the Regional Director and his team, indicated that there were 39 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality.



The report said 22 out of the number were females, while 17 were males.



It said two of the female cases were less than 15years, three were between the ages of 15 to 24 years, seven were between 25 to 34 years, four were between 35 to 44 years, two between 45 and 59 and four were above 59 years.



On the part of the male cases in the Municipality, the report indicated that eight persons out of the 17 males who tested positive were from the ages of 25 to 34, while nine ranged from the ages of 35 and above 59 years.



According to the report, 586 cases and contact tracing were done, out of which 528 turned negative while results of 19 persons were pending.

Source: GNA









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Britain announced plans to hold the first in-person meeting of the G7 for nearly two years in June, inviting the leaders of major developed economies to a picturesque seaside village to discuss rebuilding from the pandemic and climate change. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wants to use Britains presidency of the G7 to forge a consensus that the global economy must recover from the Covid-19 crisis in a pro-free trade and sustainable way. Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world ...
Dominic Raab today insisted the Government is working hard to resolve post-Brexit border 'teething problems' as fishing firms warned they are days from collapse.

The Scottish fishing industry has blamed new checks and paperwork for delays at UK ports, resulting in goods arriving in the EU rotten and prompting buyers to look elsewhere for new suppliers.

Boris Johnson has said he believes the disruption will only be 'temporary' as both sides get used to new arrangements following the end of the transition period. He has also committed to compensating affected businesses.

Fishing bosses have accused ministers of betraying them in the trade deal between Britain and Brussels.

But Mr Raab rejected the claims and said the new accord is a 'great deal for the fishing industry'.

Scottish fishermen have said post-Brexit border delays mean their goods are arriving in the EU rotten

Responding to the accusation of betrayal, the Foreign Secretary told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'Well no, I don't accept that. I think this is a great deal for the fishing industry, both short term and long term.

'We get control over our fisheries back, full control as an independent coastal state.

'There is an immediate 15 per cent uplift in our access to fisheries for the UK sector in the first year, that rises to two thirds in the five year transition period, then we have annual negotiations.

'And of course the fishing industry is going to want to increase its capacity to take advantage of those increased stocks and that is why we are putting in 100million to shore up, to strengthen the fishing industry right across the whole of the UK to make sure that this really important opportunity of leaving the EU and leaving the transition period can be properly grasped.'

Mr Raab was told that many fishing firms fear they will collapse unless the border issue is resolved quickly.

He replied: 'I am not convinced that that is a result of the agreement. The agreement we have struck both short term and medium term and long term will create huge sustainable opportunities.

'Of course, we have always said as we leave the transition period and with a deal, but even more if we hadn't had a deal, there will be some teething problems.

'We are very focused on working with all of the different sectors, including the fishing industry, to resolve any of these teething problems.

'As I said, there is 100million worth of investment going into the UK fishing sector so that these really important opportunities can be grasped.'

Boris Johnson, pictured arriving in Downing Street this morning, has said the border problems will only be 'temporary'

Jamie McMillan, the managing director of Lochfyne Langoustines, told the BBC last week that border delays meant his goods have been 'rotten on arrival' in the EU.

He said: 'Customers are not buying from us any more - we have become unreliable suppliers. Everybody has stopped buying.

'This has happened for the past two weeks. We can't continue this to happen for another week because we will be out of business. We have had no sales to the EU, our biggest market.'

Donna Fordyce, chief executive of Seafood Scotland, said: 'Some businesses, many of which have been run by families for generations, are now days away from collapse.'
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed means to activate the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement with Wamkele Mene, the secretary-general of the AfCFTA, during a meeting held in Cairo on Sunday.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Trade and Industry Minister Niveen Gamea, the presidential spokesperson, Bassam Rady, said in a statement.

The meeting comes almost two weeks after the official launch of the agreement.

El-Sisi, during the meeting, asserted Egypt's full support for the agreement, which he said represents a promising start to achieve continental integration as well as the desired economic and trade integration for African states.

"Egypt is totally ready to offer its expertise in this respect to activate the free trade area," the president said.

Stability is of supreme importance when it comes to providing a befitting environment to make the agreement work, El-Sisi added.

Mene expressed his appreciation for Egypt's keenness to launch the agreement during his chairmanship of the African Union (AU) two years ago, the statement added.

The agreement establishing the AfCFTA was signed in March 2018 in Rwandas Kigali. African countries began officially trading under the agreement earlier this month, following months of delays owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, when the AfCFTA agreement enters into force, it will affect more than 1.2 billion people, with a total domestic product of about $3.4 trillion.

Moreover, when operational, the AU says the AfCFTA will be the largest free trade bloc in the world.

The agreement is expected to offer jobs for more than 1.5 billion people, with a projected trade exchange worth $3.4 trillion, the trade committee of the Egyptian Junior Businessmen Association said in a previous statement.

AfCFTA is the biggest trade deal in the world in terms of the number of participating countries since the establishment of the World Trade Organisation in 1994.

The AfCFTA agreement is merging 54 African countries of 1.3 billion people in one market within an economic bloc with a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion, according to the African Centre for Economic Transformation.

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Australian Farmers Back New Quad Bike Safety Rules

Australias farmers have offered strong support for federal government moves to improve the safety of ATVs or quad bikes, backing new laws to fit rollover bars amid a horrific death and injury toll.

The National Farmers Federation believes the devices, which will become mandatory on all new bikes from October, will help save lives.

This puts it at odds with Australias peak automotive body which has urged the government to reconsider the new regulations, arguing there is a lack of data to support safety claims.

NFF spokesman Ben Rogers said the organisation believed the governments proposals were a sensible middle ground.

On the one hand theres the safety risk, but on the other hand, theres the risk of over-regulation and making them impossible to be used or generally unavailable, he told AAP.

For us, we recognise quad bikes are an important vehicle. We want to continue to have use of them.

But we have to be realistic that there is a serious safety risk here.

If its not addressed in some way shape or form, some more drastic measures are going to be taken, either by work, health and safety regulators or the federal government banning them.

However, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries doesnt support fitting rollover bars and wants a tougher approach to training and helmet compliance.

It has also warned the new rules could result in major overseas manufacturers abandoning the Australian market.

The safety stoush comes at a time when quad bike accidents claim an average of 16 lives in Australia each year.

By mid-December the death toll in 2020 was 21, with about half of those the result of rollovers according to figures compiled by Safe Work Australia.

In 2019 the federal government revamped regulations for quad bikes and similar all-terrain vehicles or ATVs.

Since October last year manufacturers have had to ensure all vehicles meet either European or US safety standards and include a rollover warning label.

From October 2021, they must meet stricter stability rules and be fitted with an operator protection device (OPD), more commonly called a rollover bar.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says the purpose of an OPD is to hold the quad bike off the ground, helping to protect the rider from being crushed or pinned in the event of a rollover.

Two devices have been suggested and while the cost could go as high as about $800 this is not considered an issue for the industry, with bikes retailing for between $12,000 and $25,000.

In support of its case, the FCAI has pointed to a study by US vehicle safety company Dynamic Research which found that the risk of injury from the rollover bars was equal, and in some circumstances greater, than the safety benefits.

The NFF said that study had come in for strong criticism and many more backed the benefits of OPDs.

Federal Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar told AAP that the government remained committed to improving the safety of quad bikes.

Tim Dornin in Adelaide
French And Saunders: Titting About

It was only a matter of time before Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders launched their own podcast. This six-part series  only on Audible  is as enjoyable as youd expect.

It was only a matter of time before Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders (above) launched their own podcast. This six-part series  only on Audible  is as enjoyable as youd expect

The two old friends chew the fat on whatever subjects occur to them, from Idris Elba to road rage and Dawns enthusiasm for kissing. Its idle chit-chat of the best kind.

A Bit Of A Stretch

In 2016, documentary-maker Chris Atkins was sentenced to five years in jail for tax fraud. He served half that, including a stretch in Wandsworth, one of the most notorious prisons in Britain.

This fascinating new podcast lifts the lid on what jail is really like, featuring interviews with other lags, who recall what it feels like to enter a prison wing for the first time.

The Fault Line

In the wake of 9/11, an unlikely bromance formed between George W. Bush and Tony Blair. This podcast, hosted by David Dimbleby, charts the 18 months after the terrorist attack that led the two leaders countries into war.

In the wake of 9/11, an unlikely bromance formed between George W. Bush and Tony Blair (above). This podcast is hosted by David Dimbleby

Dimbleby has authority, and the guests are excellent, including an intelligence officer who warned that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction.

Phoebe Reads A Mystery

When is a podcast not a podcast? Possibly when its an audiobook. Several times a week, honey-voiced American crime journalist Phoebe Judge reads a chapter from a book she loves.

Shes just finished trawling through Jane Eyre, but its best to start with her decidedly shorter rendition of Agatha Christies first published novel, The Mysterious Affair At Styles.
Migrants hoping to reach the U.S. border walk alongside a highway in Chiquimula, Guatemala, on Jan. 16, 2021. (Sandra Sebastian/AP Photo)

Guatemala Tries to Block US-Bound Caravan of 9,000 Honduran Migrants

GUATEMALA CITYGuatemalan soldiers blocked part of a caravan of as many as 9,000 Honduran migrants on Jan. 16, at a point not far from where they entered the country seeking to reach the U.S. border.

The soldiers, many wearing helmets and wielding shields and sticks, formed ranks across a highway in Chiquimula, near the Honduras border, to block the procession of migrants.

Guatemalas immigration agency distributed a video showing a couple of hundred men scuffling with soldiers, pushing and running through their lines, even as troops held hundreds more back.

Honduran migrants hoping to reach the U.S. cross the border patrolled by Guatemalan soldiers, in El Florido, Guatemala, on Jan. 16, 2021. (Sandra Sebastian/AP Photo)

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei issued a statement calling on Honduran authorities to contain the mass exit of its inhabitants. On Jan. 15, the migrants entered Guatemala by pushing past about 2,000 police and soldiers posted at the border; most entered without showing the negative coronavirus test that Guatemala requires.

The government of Guatemala regrets this violation of national sovereignty and calls on the governments of Central America to take measures to avoid putting their inhabitants at risk amid the health emergency due to the pandemic, Giammattei said in the statement.

Guatemala has set up almost a dozen control points on highways, and may start busing more migrants back to Honduras, as it has done before, arguing they pose a risk to themselves and others by traveling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Governments throughout the region have made it clear they wont let the caravan through.

Mexico continued to drill thousands of National Guard members and immigration agents on its southern border, in a show of force meant to discourage the caravan from crossing into Mexico.

Honduran police stand guard at the crossing border with Guatemala, in El Florido, Honduras, on Jan. 16, 2021. (Sandra Sebastian/AP Photo)

On Jan. 15, two groups of more than 3,000 Honduran migrants each pushed their way into Guatemala without registering, a portion of a larger migrant caravan that had left the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula before dawn. A third group entered Guatemala on July 16.

Video shared by the Guatemala Immigration Institute showed cheering people streaming in, while border agents looked on and tried to keep them from blocking traffic.

The Honduran migrants walked deeper into Guatemala, driven by deepening poverty and the hope of a warmer reception if they can reach the United States border. However, several previous attempts at forming caravans have been broken up by Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

On Friday, the migrants had set out at about 4 a.m. from San Pedro Sula, young men and entire families carrying sleeping children. Some quickly caught rides while others walked along the highway escorted by police.

Migrants hoping to reach the distant U.S. border rest on the side of a highway, in Jocotan, Guatemala, on Jan. 16, 2021. (Sandra Sebastian/AP Photo)

Before the large breach on Jan. 15, Guatemalan authorities had reported picking up only small groups of Hondurans and returning them to the border. But Guatemala may start busing more migrants back to Honduras.

The migrants leave with little certainty about how far they will make it. Regional governments have recently appeared more united than ever in stopping their progress.

Migrants hoping to reach the distant U.S. border walk along a highway, in Jocotan, Guatemala, on Jan. 16, 2021. (Sandra Sebastian/AP Photo)

Francisco Garduno Yanez, head of Mexicos National Immigration Institute, said in a Jan. 15 statement that his country has to guarantee our national territory and called for an orderly, safe and legal migration with respect for human rights and with humanitarian policies.

On Jan. 13, the 11-nation Regional Conference on Migration expressed concern over the exposure of irregular migrants to situations of high risk to their health and their lives, primarily during the health emergency.

On Jan. 14, Mexican officials said they had discussed migration with U.S. President-elect Joe Bidens pick for national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and raised the possibility of implementing a cooperation program for the development of northern Central America and southern Mexico, in response to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic and the recent hurricanes in the region.

When hundreds of Hondurans tried to form a caravan last month, authorities stopped them before they even reached the Guatemala border. Other attempted caravans last year were broken up by Guatemalan authorities before they reached Mexico.

By Sonny Figueroa and Claudio Escalon
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around 50F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around 50F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.


A total of 17,072 beneficiaries received the Covid-19 vaccination on the second day of the inoculation drive in 553 sessions, the Union health ministry said on Sunday.

With this, the total number of people who have gotten inoculated so far has reached 2,24,301.

View Full Image Vaccination drive

The vaccination sessions were only conducted by six states on the second day of the drive.

Among the beneficiaries, 447 people reported suffering from AEFI (adverse event following immunization) on both days. However, only three of the cases required hospitalisation.

While two of them have been discharged in Delhi, one person is under observation at AIIMS Rishikesh.

The central government on Sunday held meetings with states and Union Territories to discuss the progress of the drive, identify bottlenecks and plan corrective measures.

Vaccination progress

As many as 2,07,229 people were vaccinated on day one as India kicked off the world's biggest inoculation drive against the pandemic.

"This is the highest day one vaccination numbers in the world. The figures are higher than the US, UK and France," said the health ministry.

According to the government, the massive inoculation exercise was done during 3,352 sessions conducted by 16,755 vaccinators.

Sanitation worker Manish Kumar became the first person in the country to be vaccinated against coronavirus on Saturday. Kumar had received his vaccine shot at New Delhi's (AIIMS).

The inoculation drive suffered minor setbacks on Day 1 at some places due to glitches in the CoWIN app.

However, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had virtually interacted with the health ministers of all states and Union Territories, congratulating officials for the successful rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Vardhan said the two coronavirus vaccines -- Covaxin developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and Covishield by the Serum Institute -- were a 'sanjivani', life infusing, in the fight against the killer virus.

The Indian drug regulator, DCGI, had approved SII's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for emergency use on 3 January.

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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (C) and China's ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo (L) welcome the shipment of China's Sinopharm inactivated coronavirus vaccines at the Belgrade Airport, Serbia, Jan. 16, 2021. A million doses of China's Sinopharm inactivated coronavirus vaccines arrived at the Belgrade Airport in Serbia on Saturday, the government confirmed in a press release. The shipment was welcomed at the Belgrade Airport by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, China's Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo, Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar and the head of the Security Intelligence Agency Bratislav Gasic. (Photo by Predrag Milosavljevic/Xinhua)

A million doses of China's Sinopharm inactivated coronavirus vaccines arrived at the Belgrade Airport in Serbia on Saturday, the government confirmed in a press release.

The shipment was welcomed at the Belgrade Airport by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, China's Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo, Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar and the head of the Security Intelligence Agency Bratislav Gasic.

Vucic said that the arrival of the vaccine is a "proof of the great friendship between Serbia and China," and it will help protect the lives of 500,000 people, adding he will get vaccinated with the Sinopharm vaccine.

"As an ordinary person and the president of Serbia, I am convinced of the quality of the Chinese vaccine, which will be decided by our competent agency," he said.

Vucic stated that Serbia has procured all vaccines that have arrived so far bilaterally through "negotiating with the Americans for Pfizer, with the Russians for Sputnik V and with the Chinese for the Sinopharm vaccine."

The vaccination would start once the Chinese vaccine gets a final approval by Serbia's Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices.

Serbia has reported nearly 370,000 COVID-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic, while 3,708 people have died. A total of 5,409 patients are hospitalized across the country, of whom 196 are connected to respiratory ventilators.

After peaking every day in November and December last year, the numbers of new infections are decreasing in January.

The COVID-19 vaccination drive started in Serbia on Dec. 24, 2020, and so far the country has obtained around 1.4 million doses of different vaccines.

Sinopharm is the third vaccine to arrive in Serbia, after the Pfizer-BioNtech and the Sputnik V vaccines.

China has provided help to Serbia over the course of the pandemic. Besides medical supplies, a Chinese medical expert team spent months helping Serbian authorities coordinate the country's anti-pandemic response, while the Chinese BGI group helped build two "Fire Eye" testing labs.

Ambassador Chen said that Serbia and China are fighting the coronavirus side by side, and "China is the first country in the world to promise that its vaccine will be a global public good."

"The Sinopharm vaccine was officially registered in China on Dec. 30, and it arrived in Serbia only after 16 days. The arrival of the Chinese vaccine is part of our joint fight against the virus, and I believe it will contribute to fighting the epidemic in Serbia," Chen said.
Doubling farmers income biggest priority of Modi govt: Shah

India

oi-Deepika S

Bagalkot, Jan 17: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said doubling farmers' income was the biggest priority of the Narendra Modi government and that the three central farm laws would ensure manifold hike in their earnings.

Since coming to power, the Modi government had increased the budget for the farm sector and also the minimum support price on various crops, he said.

"I want to say that if there is any big priority of the Narendra Modi government it is to double the farmers' income," he said at an event in Kerakalmatti village in this district in Karnataka.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone and inauguration of farmer-friendly projects of the MRN group, headed by newly inducted Karnataka Minister Murugesh R Nirani, Shah listed out various programmes and initiatives of the central government for the welfare of the farmers.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa led BJP government in the state too has not left any stone unturned to work for the welfare of farmers, the Home Minister said.

Questioning the Congress as to why it could not take up measures like Rs 6,000 cash support per year for farmers and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana insurance scheme among others, he said, it was because the party's intentions were not right.

"The Narendra Modi government is a government dedicated to farmers. Three new laws that the Modi government has brought in, which the Karnataka government has also passed...I want to congratulate Yediyurappa for it. Farmer's income will increase multifold due to them," he said.

His remarks came amid the continuing agitation by farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, on the borders of Delhi, demanding the repeal of the three laws.

Farmers were not compelled anymore to sell their produce at one place and can get access to global and Indian markets for their crops, he added.

Shah also said that none had the courage to abrogate the provisions of Article 370 and Article 35A in Kashmir in the past 70 years.

"You made Modi the Prime Minister and on August 5, 2019, he ended Article 370 and Article 35A from Kashmir and connected it with India permanently. Today elections have also happened there peacefully without shedding even a drop of blood and Kashmir has become ours permanently," he added.

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Srinagar: How Pakistan promotes terrorism and infiltration in the Kashmir valley is well known. However, every move by Pakistan is proving to be unsuccessful due to the smile of the security forces. This can be gauged from the fact that the number of terrorists operating in the valley has now gone up to only 217, the lowest in the last decade.

Pakistan adopts every tactic to promote terrorism in Kashmir. The weapon smuggles up to the drugs and also uses drones and tunnels. Recently, security forces have detected several secret tunnels that go up to the Line of Control (LoC). The security forces have also gunned down the drones to be sent to aid the terrorists from across the border. According to Lt Gen BS Raju, GOC, Poplar Corps on the presence of terrorists in the Kashmir Valley, "The recruitment of terrorists has been under control in the year 2020, especially as compared to 2018. The number of terrorists presently present in the valley is 217, the lowest in the past decade."

He said that the technology is being used to thwart Pakistan's efforts to provide arms and drugs to terrorists through drones and tunnels. Ground-penetrating radars are being used for this, which is used to detect tunnels.

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(CNN)  Los Angeles has become the first US county to report more than 1 million coronavirus cases, according to state officials.

Some 14,669 new cases were added Saturday taking the county's total to 1,003,923 cases and 13,741 confirmed virus-related deaths -- 253 reported on Saturday, Los Angeles County's Department of Public Health said in a news release.

The department also announced its first confirmed case of the UK Covid-19 B.1.1.7 variant Saturday, in a male who had traveled to L.A. County but is now isolating in Oregon.

'Brunt of the winter surge'

The health department said it believed the more contagious UK variant was likely already spreading in the community and urged residents to "more diligently" follow safety measures.

"The presence of the UK variant in Los Angeles County is troubling, as our healthcare system is already severely strained with more than 7,500 people currently hospitalized," said health department director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement.

"Our community is bearing the brunt of the winter surge, experiencing huge numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, five-times what we experienced over the summer.

"This more contagious variant makes it easier for infections to spread at worksites, at stores, and in our homes. We are in the midst of a public health emergency so please do everything you can to protect yourselves and those you love," Ferrer said.

L.A. County's case total surpasses that of Illinois' Cook County (429,270 cases) and Arizona's Maricopa County (407,631 cases) combined, according to John Hopkins University data.

Cook and Maricopa counties currently have the nation's second and third highest tally of cases, respectively, JHU data shows.

"There are currently 7,597 people currently hospitalized with Covid-19, and 22% of these people are in the ICU," L.A. County Public Health said in its release.

The census bureau says L.A. County is the most populous county in the nation with about 10.1 million residents, followed by Cook County (5.2 million), Harris County in Texas (4.5 million) and Maricopa County (4.2 million).

'Waking up to a nightmare every day'

Los Angeles City Fire spokesman David Ortiz spoke to CNN at the Dodger Stadium where vaccines were being administered Saturday.

Ortiz said the situation in Los Angeles was "surreal."

"It feels like you're waking up to a nightmare, every day. We are trying to make a dent in this huge pandemic of people that are getting sick, hearing how many people are dying every day, it's, it's unfathomable," he said.

"We on our fire department have lost two of our members -- two valuable members -- to this disease, and so it hits home watching the nurses pleading with people to stay home, to not have these parties.

"It's, it's heartbreaking to see them work themselves to exhaustion and continue to come in every day -- every day -- and put on their game face and go to work on all these people -- taking care of all these people."

Ortiz said a lot of the deaths from Covid-19 were unnecessary but that the vaccination program provided hope.

"Because every person that gets vaccinated, that's an opportunity of a person that may be saved by that vaccine. And that's one less person that's going to become a victim to this virus," he said.

Coronavirus has already infected and killed more people in the US than in any other country.

There have been 187,691 new cases of Covid-19 and 3,151 new deaths from the virus reported in the US as of Saturday 10 p.m. ET, according to John Hopkins University, taking the US totals to at least 23.7 million cases and 395,650 deaths.

At least 31.1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been distributed across the US and at least 12.2 million of them have been administered, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This story was first published on CNN.com.


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The police in Zamfara have arrested four suspects over alleged killing of a Fulani herdsman.

At a press conference in Gusau on Sunday, the Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, said the police command also recovered 200 rustled cows following its steadfastness in crime fighting.

He said some weapons were recovered and the command secured the release of no fewer than eight persons abducted three weeks ago.

We recovered no fewer than 200 stolen cows, five AK 47 rifles, three vehicles and a large number of ammunitions, he said.

According to the commissioner, the peace process being led by the state government has yielded huge results, including the unconditional surrendering of three 3 AK-47 rifles and 47 rounds of live ammunitions.

As a result of the ongoing peace engagement in Shinkafi Local Government Area, we have recovered one AK-47 rifle with two magazines and 18 rounds of live ammunition, he said.

Mr Yaro restated the commands readiness to constantly engage stakeholders in the state to ensure an effective fight against crime and violence.

READ ALSO: Police confirm kidnap of 6 family members in Zamfara

We shall continue with the peace process, we shall continue to engage meaningfully with all the stakeholders in order to rid the state of all forms armed banditry, he said.

Zamfara in Nigerias northwest has been besieged by criminals ranging from bandits, kidnappers, cattle rustlers to cross border thieves in recent time.

In spite of the state governments claims that its efforts at curtailing the rising spate of insecurity are yielding results, the criminals do not seem to be relenting.

(NAN)
Meet the loveable pooch who has transformed the life of a little boy with autism.

Just over a year ago, Max Gainor struggled so much with movement and muscle tone that even a short walk was a challenge for him. He spent most of his time outdoors being wheeled in a buggy.

This week, Max (7) went on a 40-minute walk with his best friend Jangle - a milestone his family could only have dreamed of.

After initial training with his human family, Jangle underwent extensive training with Irish charity My Canine Companion last year which was tailored to meet Max's needs. In the year since, his life - and the lives of all the family - have been transformed," said mum Tanya.

"We got the most amazing puppy we could have ever wished for. He has given my son confidence and independence, and he keeps him safe. Max used to have to be in a buggy everywhere we went, but now he is attached to his best friend, and is so proud holding that handle when he is walking by his side."

Max, who also has an intellectual disability, suffers from weak muscle tone and hypermobility in his joints, which also leaves him physically very tired. Before Jangle, a golden doodle, came along he couldn't walk for any great distance.

Expand Close Max Gainor with Doodle, who goes everywhere with him / Facebook

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Whatsapp Max Gainor with Doodle, who goes everywhere with him

"That's how Jangle has helped him with his joints, he's made him more active so that now he's stronger and he can walk further," adds Tanya.

"The short walks started for five minutes to build up the strength in his muscles. Now he's walking 40 minutes and he's not in a buggy any more. Max is non verbal as well so it's hard for him to communicate. But he sees Jangle as a tool to communicate with us. When he wants to leave a place he goes to Jangle and holds his handle."

There's been another huge benefit, said Tanya. When her boy and his dog are attached, it means members of the public can see that he has challenges.

"Jangle has given people the awareness to see there's a little boy who needs a bit of extra help. People will stop in traffic to let them cross, it's brought them so much respect and helped people to understand. As a mammy it's been very emotional. Before he used to be in a buggy, now he's so proud and relaxed when he's walking."

She added that the two-year-old dog has been of huge benefit to the entire family, including dad Ray and little sister LolaRae.

"He helps the whole family and he's great company for LolaRae."

Read More

Tanya had overcome a lifelong fear of dogs to embrace the arrival of the assistance dog into their family home in Tallaght, Dublin.

"The idea of getting a service dog made me so frightened and scared. I was that person that would not enter someone's house if there was a dog in their house, or I'd cross the road when I saw one walking towards me.

"Then I saw a video online, of how amazing these dogs can be for children with autism, and it made me think how much my son really needed one of these dogs. I put my fear aside, and had to do what was best for my son, Max. The best thing I have ever done was decide to get a service dog for Max."

Following an assessment with Cork-based charity My Canine Companion, the family was placed on a waiting list. Tanya credits the organisation with being "incredibly understanding" of her fear, and they encouraged her to attend socialisations where she would meet other dogs and parents.

The puppy moved into his new home with the family before returning to Cork last year for months of specific mobility and guidance training.

"Now I love him so much, I love him like he was another child. He gets me out of the house in the evening, he's helping my mind because having a child with autism can be very hard. He really makes me feel better and he's well matched to Max because Max is quite chilled and so is Jangle. He's like the dog version of Max!

Read More

"In the last couple of weeks Max has started using a scooter because his walks with Jangle have given him the strength and independence to do that. He's come along in so many different ways."

She's telling her story, she said, to raise awareness of how My Canine Companion changes the lives of families. The charity, she added, gets no Government funding and has been hit hard by the pandemic. She wants other families to benefit from the charity's work the way hers has.

My Canine Companion have launched a virtual event, encouraging people to walk a mile a day for 30 days for the charity.

For more information on their work and how you can support it, go to mycaninecompanion.ie.
Two years ago, in January 2019, the World Health Organization said vaccine hesitancy was among the top 10 threats to global health. That was before COVID-19 spread around the globe. VOA's Carol Pearson tells us how doctors are working to overcome that hesitancy.

Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community.

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12 opposition parties extend support to farmers protest call on May 26; urge Centre to hold talks with farmers

Farmers Protest: Ready to protest till May 2024, says BKU leader Tikait

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Jan 17: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday said farmers are prepared to protest against the Centre's new farm laws "till May 2024", and termed the ongoing agitation by peasants at Delhi borders as an "ideological revolution".

Addressing a press conference in Nagpur, Tikait said they want a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Farmers have been protesting near Delhi since November 26, 2020, demanding scrapping of the three new farm laws, which have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of the MSP and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

The Supreme Court last Tuesday stayed the implementation of the three new farm laws till further orders and decided to set up a four-member committee to resolve the impasse over them between the Centre and farmers'' unions protesting at Delhi borders.

Asked how long will farmers will sit in protest, Tikait said, "We are prepared to sit in protest till May 2024...our demand is that the three laws be taken back and the government provide a legal guarantee on the MSP."

The next Lok Sabha elections in the country will be due around April-May 2024.

Dismissed allegations that the protest was being fuelled by "rich farmers", Tikait said people from villages and various outfits have joined the protest.

"This is an ideological revolution of farmers started from Delhi and will not fail. Farmers from villages do not want us come back until the three farm bills are taken back," he said.

"The government is adamant on its stance of not withdrawing the bills and this agitation will continue for long," Tikait added.

He welcomed the SC''s decision on staying the implementation of the farm laws, but said the committee formed by the apex court has members who "supported" the farm bills.

"We do not want to go before the committee formed by the court. The government has also said that the government and farmers will find solution on this issue," he said.

Tikait also said the opposition parties in the country were weak and that is why farmers had to start this agitation against the Centre's new laws.

On National Investigation Agency's (NIA) notices to some people supporting the farmers'' protest, he said, "Those who want to be part of the agitation must be ready for court cases, imprisonment and sealing of property."
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Chrissy Teigen really likes to spice up classic recipes. The model-turned-media personality has authored two cookbooks. And, she regularly shows off her favorite dishes on her Instagram page and her Cravings blog.

Recently, Teigen shared her take on one of Julia Childs most famous dishes. To kick it up to another level, Teigen added one specific ingredient.

Chrissy Teigen | Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Beginners in the kitchen can handle Julia Childs recipe for Beef Bourguignon

Child was Americas first TV chef who became famous in the 1960s for her Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook. Many of the recipes were new to American households, and they were definitely delicious. Childs recipes werent always for beginners in the kitchen. But there were a few that newbies could handle.

One of Childs favorites was for Beef Bourguignon (or as the French call it Boeuf Bourguignon). And according to Kansas.com, Child once touted the dish as certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man.

The dish is a savory, flavorful meal thats perfect during the winter. Its essentially a beefy stew that can be made in advance. Its also great for reheating because it becomes even more flavorful.

Often served with some good bread to sop up the juices and a side of boiled potatoes, Childs recipe serves six.

Chrissy Teigen adds a new ingredient and takes the dish to a new level

Childs recipe for the classic French beef stew is delicious. But for those who love a little kick, Teigens take on the dish definitely delivers. Teigen reimagines this dish with an extra oomph of spice from gochujang, a Korean chile paste.

On her Cravings blog, Teigen recently shared that she wanted to put a new twist on the dish to make things a little spicier and interesting. The former model also changed the name of the dish from Beef Bourguignon to Beef Bourguinjang.

Enter: beef bourguinjang, made with spicy Korean gochujang, aka hot red chile paste, common in stews like kimchi-jjigae and stir-fried rice cakes called tteokbokki. Its super thick, crimson red, and made of gochugaru (red chile pepper flakes), fermented soybeans (kinda like miso, super umami), salt, and glutinous rice (aka sticky rice), Teigen explained.

RELATED: Chrissy Teigen Teases Her 2020 Super Bowl Menu

She says that the sticky rice actually adds an underlying sweetness to the paste, which keeps it from being in your face spicy.

Teigen advises adding it slowly to your slow-simmered beef stew for an extra depth of flavor, the right amount of spiciness, unami, and a bright red color. She also recommends using a little gochujang in stir-fries, salad dressing, roasted veggies, or anything else that needs a little more oomph.

Chrissy Teigens recipe for Beef Bourguinjang

Teigens recipe for Beef Bourgiunjang serves six to eight people and takes a prep time of about 40 minutes. The cooking time for this dish is three hours and 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and be sure to set a rack on the lower third of your oven and remove the others to make room for your Dutch Oven.

Ingredients:

3 pounds beef chuck (cut into 1 -inch cubes)

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

4 tablespoons canola oil

8 ounces thick-cut bacon, diced

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 pound carrots (about 4 medium or 6 small), peeled and cut into chunks

8 whole peeled garlic cloves

 cup gochujang (such as Chung Jung One)

 cup tomato paste

One 750 ml. bottle dry red wine (such as Pinot Noir)

2 cups low-sodium beef stock

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried thyme

4 tablespoons butter

1 pound frozen pearl onions, defrosted

1 pound button mushrooms, preferably small (about  inch); halved or quartered if larger

3 tablespoons flour, plus more as needed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Teigen explains how to put the dish together on her Cravings with Chrissy Teigen blog.
Last year, US President Donald Trump had extended an invite to Prime Minister Modi for an expanded G7 meeting to discuss China.

New Delhi/London, Jan 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited by his UK counterpart Boris Johnson to attend the G7 summit in the UK as a guest in June this year.

On Sunday, an official statement issued by the British High Commission in New Delhi said that Prime Minister Johnson will use the G7 presidency to unite leading democracies to help the world build back better from coronavirus and create a greener, fairer and more prosperous future.

The G7 - UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US - along with the EU is the only forum where the world's most influential and open societies and advanced economies come together for close-knit discussions.

The UK has also invited heads of Australia and South Korea to attend as guest countries to deepen the expertise and experience around the table.

The statement said that Prime Minister Johnson's ambition is to use the G7 to intensify cooperation between the world's democratic and technologically advanced nations. Between them the 10 leaders represent over 60 per cent of people living in democracies around the world.

Describing the G7 as the most prominent group of democratic countries, Johnson said it has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face. "From cancelling developing world debt to our universal condemnation of Russia's annexation of Crimea, the world has looked to the G7 to apply our shared values and diplomatic might to create a more open and prosperous planet," he said.

Coronavirus, he said is "doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced. It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future."

The statement said that as "the pharmacy of the world, India already supplies more than 50 per cent of the world's vaccines, and the UK and India have worked closely together throughout the pandemic."

Recalling that the UK was the first P5 member to support a permanent UNSC seat for India and the first G7 member to invite India to a G7 summit in 2005, the UK government said that as the current BRICS President and G20 President in 2023, India will play a key role in driving multilateral cooperation around the world.

2021 marks a crucial year of international leadership for the UK. In addition to the G7 summit, during February the UK will assume the Presidency of the UN Security Council and later this year, the UK will host COP26 in Glasgow and a global education conference aimed at getting children in the developing world into school.

--IANS

aat/kr
(Natural News) After infiltrating the Capitol on Jan. 6 while dressed as a Trump supporter, far-left extremist John Sullivan was interviewed by CNNs Anderson Cooper, who promoted Sullivans work and referred to him as a journalist, despite lacking any credentials.

Not only that, but Sullivan was later arrested for his involvement in the siege, as it appears that he was [let inside the gate] by law enforcement. Nobody actually stormed the building, in other words.

Since appearing on CNN, Sullivan admitted in sworn affidavits that he incited violence. Sullivan was heard screaming, we gotta get this s*** burned! while inside the Capitol. He also yelled, we did this together! after breaching the final barricade surrounding the building.

Sullivan also just so happened to film the murder of Ashli Babbitt by Capitol police.

I dont want to see people get hurt unnecessarily, especially when there should be, like, a better way to go about it, Sullivan announced on CNN, unopposed by Cooper.

So, I told everybody, theyre willing to go peacefully. Just go put down their arms.

While Cooper did introduce Sullivan as a left-wing activist, he failed to disclose that Sullivan heads up an anti-fascist terrorist group called Insurrection USA whose members have engaged in far worse than what took place at the Capitol.

Back in August, Sullivan himself was heard outside the White House calling for his comrades to rip Trump out of that office. He further threatened to get that mother****r.

We gotta f***ing rip Trump out of that office right over there, f***ing pull him out that s***. Nah, nah we aint about f***ing waiting till the next election, we about to get that mother****r. I aint about that s*** because you know what time it is? I want yall to repeat after me. Its time for a revolution. Its time for a revolution. Its time for a revolution.

CNN hired domestic terrorists to invade Capitol while blaming Trump supporters

Another CNN employee, Jade Sacker, participated in the siege and bragged about it on camera.

While penetrating the Capitol barricades with her BLM and Antifa comrades, Sacker was heard screaming, We did it! She then asked if her co-conspirator was filming the incident, to which he responded in the affirmative, promising to delete the footage.

This individual did not delete it, though, and it is now circulating on Twitter  for how long is anyones guess.

To make this clear: CNN was embedded with BLM / Antifa pretending to be Trump supporters videoing them to incite a riot, tweeted @amuse, an account associated with the upcoming book Deplatformed: The Conservative Survival Guide.

According to sources she was working on a CNN project, but shes done a lot of work for NBC and NPR.

The @amuse account further revealed that since she is designated as a reporter, Sacker is exempt from all lockdown regulations.

Shes allowed to keep working while you and your children are stuck at home, @amuse added. If CNN is allowed to maintain its press access anywhere in D.C. there needs to be a serious overhaul of our entire system.

At one point in the video, the man filming tells Sacker, who sounded shocked they made it inside, that, I tried to tell you but I couldnt say anything, suggesting that he knew full well what the plan was and that its execution was a success.

And they want us to believe that the election was fair? asked another Twitter user after watching the damning footage.

My work is intended to create evidence, to inspire a dialogue that may act as a catalyst for change, Sackers photojournalist bio reads.

As more news breaks about the Capitol false flag siege, you will find coverage of it at FalseFlag.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheNationalPulse.com

NaturalNews.com

Twitter.com
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Justice Department prosecutors have formally walked back their assertion in a court filing that said Capitol rioters sought to "capture and assassinate elected officials."

A federal prosecutor in Arizona asked a magistrate judge in a hearing on Friday to strike the line in a recent court filing about defendant Jacob Anthony Chansley, a man who is alleged to have led some in the crowd in the first wave into the Capitol with a bullhorn while carrying a spear and wearing a

"We do not want to mislead the court by discussing the strength of any specific evidence" related to his intent, Allison said.

Chansley will remain in jail as he awaits trial, a judge decided on Friday, after the Justice Department portrayed him as a particularly belligerent leader among the rioters. Chansley's case eventually will move to the federal court in DC.

The line was a chilling description yet of rioters who seized the Capitol last week, writing in a court filing that the intention was "to capture and assassinate elected officials."

Justice Department lawyers have begun describing in more alarming terms what transpired.

In a separate case, prosecutors in Texas court alleged that a retired Air Force reservist who carried plastic zip tie-like restraints on the Senate floor may have intended to restrain lawmakers.

Chansley's attorney said he is not violent.

"He loved Trump, every word. He listened to him. He felt like he was answering the call of our president," Chansley's attorney Al Watkins, appearing on CNN Thursday night, said. "My client wasn't violent. He didn't cross over any police lines. He didn't assault anyone." Watkins said Chansley also hopes for a presidential pardon.

Prosecutors describe those who took over the Capitol as "insurrectionists" and offer new details about Chansley's role in the violent siege last week, including that after standing at the dais where Vice President Mike Pence had stood that morning, Chansley wrote a note saying "it's only a matter of time, justice is coming."

Chansley later told the FBI he did not mean the note as a threat but said the Vice President was a "child-trafficking traitor" and went on a long diatribe about Pence, Biden and other politicians as traitors.

Before he was arrested, Chansley told the FBI he wanted to return to Washington for the inauguration to protest.

Prosecutors accuse Chansley of being a flight risk who can quickly raise money through non-traditional means as "one of the leaders and mascots of QAnon, a group commonly referred to as a cult (which preaches debunked and fictitious anti-government conspiracy theory)."

They also said Chansley suffers from mental illness and is a regular drug user, according to prosecutors' detention memo.

Former Air Force reservist carried plastic zip tie-like restraints on the Senate floor

A body armor-clad retired Air Force reservist who carried plastic zip tie-like restraints on the Senate floor may have intended to restrain lawmakers, federal prosecutors argued in a Texas court on Thursday.

Prosecutors say Larry Rendell Brock, a 53-year-old retired Air Force Reserve officer who was arrested in Texas, was photographed roaming the Senate chamber clutching a white flex cuff, which is used by law enforcement to restrain or detain subjects.

In court, prosecutors "argued that Mr. Brock intended to use the zip-ties to restrain those he viewed as enemies -- presumably, federal lawmakers, who had moments before been evacuated from the chamber," said Erin Dooley, a spokeswoman for the United States Attorney's Office, in the Northern District of Texas.

Protesters enter the Senate Chamber on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Brock was arrested January 10. He was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to court records.

Now-viral photos show the man prosecutors have identified as Brock sporting a military helmet, green tactical vest and black-and-camo jacket. His ex-wife had identified him to the FBI after seeing him in a photo from the insurrection, according to an FBI agent's affidavit supporting Brock's arrest.

A magistrate judge on Thursday released Brock to home confinement with electronic monitoring and limits on interacting with others involved in the riot and barred him from possessing guns or accessing social media.

According to court filings, prosecutors allege that Brock posted on Facebook about buying body armor and a helmet for a "civil war" and believed the US election was being certified by a "hostile governing force."

In an interview with the New Yorker, Brock denied that he holds racist views. He repeated President Donald Trump's baseless assertions of election fraud.

Brock told the magazine that vandalism to the Capitol building "was not my intent." He said he had picked the restraints off the ground and intended to give them back to a police officer.

This story and headline have been updated with DOJ's walk-back of the "capture and assassinate" allegations.
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Many art lovers spent the last year learning to pinch and zoom the details on modern masterworks in virtual exhibitions, or press and hold Instagram Stories to appreciate the finer points of contemporary paintings. They rarely had the opportunity in that period to be in the same room as the pieces, overhear the assessments of strangers, and hover over platters of wine and hors doeuvres. Some of the old-normal magic is expected to return as galleries, which gradually reopened towards the end of 2020, will coordinate to take in visitors for longer hours until January 17 as part of the Mumbai Gallery Weekend.

Ashiesh Shah, Lingam Lamp, cast aluminium.

Everything has become so online. It will be nice to see the tactility of art again, says Viraj Mithani, an artist who leads art walks in the city for Carpe Arte. The gallery weekend concept, which extends across venues in southern and central Mumbai, has marked the citys culture calendar ever since its beginnings in 2012. That was when a few art spaces in the Colaba area first decided to host free previews and talks  sans invitations or RSVPs  so that more people would feel comfortable walking into spaces that can otherwise seem intimidating. Carpe Arte and a few other groups conduct interactive tours of the spaces for non-specialist audiences.

The art world largely coasted through the pandemic. Galleries and auction houses had already been embracing digital sales before the outbreak, so their attention turned to sprucing up those means to reach out to collectors. Christies India, AstaGuru, and Saffronart among others reported steady sales in the region. Meanwhile, artists themselves found a muse in the loneliness and absurdity of the moment. Many of them pledged their art to help those affected by the lockdown, including struggling members of their own industry.

Men on Elephant, Bhupen Khakhar, oil and pastel on paper.

Although a few venues reopened as early as last June, the trickle of visitors is still small. The prayer behind this edition of the event is to bring people back. We hope more people will start venturing back to galleries in greater numbers, observes Tara Lal of Colabas Chatterjee & Lal, which is among the 22 participating venues. The normal gallery experience, even in non-COVID times, is one of being left alone to enjoy the art with few if any other visitors around you. As such, it makes for one of the safer public activities. The organisers will be following the basic checks  masks, social distancing and temperature scanning  and taking people inside in batches in case of more visitors.

Given its aspirations to democratise gallery-going, the Mumbai Gallery Weekend does not rely on a single connecting thread. Instead, all the venues involved simply aim to time their most important openings to coincide with the weekend. Colaba-based Akara Art will show rare oil paintings by Santiniketans Jogen Chowdhury, who is mostly known for his crosshatch works, and a mix of paintings, watercolours, and ceramics by the Baroda Groups Bhupen Khakhar. The two-person exhibition will be titled Proximate Paths because both artists went on to have similar trajectories. Both artists began defining the identity of their subjects through the prism of class and region, says gallerist Puneet Shah.

TARQ. Rithika Merchant, Arcadia, 2020.

Another prominent post-Independence painter KG Subramanyans works  from his early tentative strokes in the 1950s to the 2000s when he was strongly influenced by the folk arts  will be mounted in the Prabhadevi premises of Saffronart which is to auction them later this month.

The galleries will not be hosting any art-themed talks or workshops, however, like in past years. The novelty in this edition comes from the inclusion of designers Atelier Ashiesh Shah and Rooshad Shroff, as well as an antiquities store  Natesans, which will show historical works in stone, bronze, wood and paper, the rarest of which are non-exportable. Increasingly, the worlds of design and the fine arts have converged over the last couple of years. Equally, there has been a noticeable trend of contemporary art being shown together with historical material, Lal says, explaining the events new direction. Shah will display, among other works, a Lingam Lamp which he designed and made in cast aluminium during the lockdown, while Shroff will throw open his Horniman Circle studio to exhibit handmade objects such as embroidered chairs.

Contemporary artists will show pieces they crafted at various times in their practice, which have become especially meaningful in present circumstances. Chemould Prescott Road in Fort will reopen after 10 months with Aditi Singhs some things are always burning. The ink paintings were born of the artists contemplations on walks in Nepal, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Lake District. We answer a need to come into a relationship with wild places when we push our minds and bodies to places that are impossible to find indoors, notes the gallery. In Colaba-based TARQ, Rithika Merchants watercolours and collages will attempt to understand environmental degradation. In light of the pandemic, I think her themes of looking for a new world, for a utopia where we can go once the anthropocene is over, are even more important, says gallerist Hena Kapadia of Merchants Birth of a New World.

The Mumbai Gallery Weekend will be on from 12 noon to 8 pm until January 17. A schedule is available on www.mumbaigalleryweekend.com
Ocean temperatures continued to rise in the year 2020, despite the COVID-19-induced lockdowns and subsequent travel and work restrictions, says a new study.

It reports the highest ocean temperatures since 1955 from surface level to a depth of 2,000 meters.

Reuters

Published recently in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, the study has been authored by 20 scientists from 13 institutes across the world. The observation in the study concludes with a plea to global policymakers and all to consider the impending disastrous effects of climate change in their actions.

"Over 90% of the excess heat due to global warming is absorbed by the oceans, so ocean warming is a direct indicator of global warming -- the warming we have measured paints a picture of long-term global warming," said Lijing Cheng, lead author of the paper and associate professor with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Observations of heating oceans

Antarctica (Representative Image: Reuters)

The scientists at the CAS used an indigenous method to calculate the ocean temperatures and salinity of the oceans to a depth of 2,000 meters from the surface. They took the required data from all available observations from various measurement devices from the World Ocean Database, highlights a EurekaAlert report.



The scientists discovered that the upper 2,000 meters of the world's oceans absorbed 20 more ZettaJoules of heat in 2020 than the previous year. The report mentions that this amount of heat is enough to boil 1.3 billion kettles, each containing 1.5 liters of water.

"Why is the ocean not boiling?" Cheng said. "Because the ocean is vast. We can imagine how much energy the ocean can absorb and contain, and, when it's released slowly, how big the impact is."

Impact

In their study, the researchers report several effects of ocean warming. These include amplification of the ocean salinity pattern as well as an increase in division among the upper and the lower layers of the ocean.

"The fresh gets fresher; the salty gets saltier," Cheng said. "The ocean takes a large amount of global warming heat, buffering global warming. However, the associated ocean changes also pose a severe risk to human and natural systems."

(Representative Image)

Apart from the ecosystems being altered directly by the heating of the oceans, the researchers warn that these have extended climatic effects too. Cheng cited the examples of 2020 wildfires in Australia, Amazon, as well as the west coast of the United States.



"Warmer oceans and a warmer atmosphere and also promote more intense rainfalls in all storms, and especially hurricanes, increasing the risk of flooding," Cheng said. "Extreme fires like those witnessed in 2020 will become even more common in the future. Warmer oceans also make storms more powerful, particularly typhoons and hurricanes."

Cheng called for a serious acknowledgement of the issue to safeguard the planets future. "Any activities or agreements to address global warming must be coupled with the understanding that the ocean has already absorbed an immense amount of heat and will continue to absorb excess energy in the Earth's system until atmospheric carbon levels are significantly lowered," Cheng said.
A portion of Pennsylvania Route 34 in Cumberland County is currently closed due to a police incident.

According to the Pennsylvania State Police, Route 34 is closed from East Pine Street to Old Deer Lodge in Mount Holly Springs.

Details about the police incident were not immediately available.

Police ask that people avoid the area.

The insurrection at the Capitol building on Jan. 6 has touched or affected everybody in some way. However, one Laredoan that used to work in the building described the attack as one of the most frightening chapters in modern American history.

Former City of Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas  who has served in the FBI, as a security consultant and as a Capitol building police officer from 1970 to 1975  served in the nation's Capitol building during a tense time in American history during with during the Watergate scandal. However, he said the tension never reached anything like what he saw less than two weeks ago.

There were a lot of demonstrations obviously, Salinas said. There was demonstrations all the time for various issues, and most of the time the demonstrations were very peaceful, and there were some that were a little bit more tense where we had to arrest people because of their disorderly conduct, but never anything to this level.

Salinas said the event saddened him more than made him mad because of the symbolism behind the an attack and because they were attempting to derail an election.

When I saw this happening, I was saddened and sickened by what I saw, Salinas said. Never, never would I have thought that a United States Capitol would be invaded in such a violent manner. This is the home of democracy, and to see this go down like that is just incredible. It was a very vicious and defiant attack on our democracy.

He said the images of a police officer protecting the Capitol almost getting crushed to death by the rioters moved him deeply as he recalls his time at the building. He is glad the fatalities were minimized thanks to the response of some of the law enforcement personnel in the moments after it began.

Salinas commends the service undertaken by one Capitol building police officer who did as much as possible to block the rioters from entering even further into the congress chambers. He said this is what he would have done if he was still serving there.

You are there to serve and protect, you are there to protect the lives of the people who work in that building, Salinas said.

Salinas is surprised the attack could happen considering how secure the area must be not just because of the potential for demonstrators but also foreign attacks.

According to Salinas, there are about 23,000 Capitol building police officers that served in a 12-block area to protect both chambers of Congress and make sure everyone had the safety needed to continue their functions. Also, the Capitol police get assistance when needed from Washington D.C. police and the national guard.

Salinas said times of great crisis such prompt various agencies to work together and that the issues seen Jan. 6 could have been due to a lack of communication between agencies. He said this is critical because it shows to the countrys enemies that entering the Capitol is not as difficult as it may seem.

What scared me and bothered me the most was when you see terrorist groups, foreign and some domestic groups, when they saw how easy it was gaining access to the U.S. Capitol. That is really frightening, Salinas said.

He believes that now law enforcement and military personnel around the Capitol must be more aware of these possible threats and prepare better.

The most important thing is that you have to be prepared and have good communication between agencies, Salinas said. Now we have social media that is monitored to be able to share information, and when you share information, then you can prepare actions to prevent these kinds of things. I know there is going to be some obvious changes, and the other thing is that if people know something, then they must say something.

Ultimately, the former mayor said the president is to blame for what happened.

It was very clear that there was blame, Salinas said. The people there were his supporters, and they have the right to support whoever they want. However, when you cross the line and it means that you are breaking the law, then that means something totally different. He incited this insurrection.

One other thing Salinas finds disturbing is that this is one of the first inaugurations in the country in which things will be solemn as there will be little festivities for the incoming administration due to both heightened security and a limit on the amount of people who will be permitted to attend.

He said the inauguration should be a time when all Americans should celebrate no matter who becomes the president because it is a sign of true democracy just as he previously saw Presidents Nixon, Reagan, Bush and Obama take office.

Salinas said service as a Capitol building police officer is not all about preparing for the worst. It is also a time in which these officers become friends of politicians that become high level officials within the federal government.

Salinas remembers giving a hug to Gerald Ford as he came through the same door he was guarding that day in the nations Capitol right before he became president. He asked the future president Le puedo dar un abrazo? meaning Can I give you a hug?: and then told him Vaya con Dios.

Salinas said he also spent time with Fords vice president Nelson Rockefeller who he was tasked to take care during his visit to Congress and spent several hours with him. He said the vice president was a classy man who spoke Spanish with him and others.

As for what is to come, Salinas simply hopes the country becomes more united.

I am hopeful that America can unite and move on and appreciate the freedoms that we have in this great democracy, Salinas said. I love this country. I love America.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com

A leading coronavirus expert is calling on the Government to make QR code scanning at potential "super-spreader" venues like bars and nightclubs mandatory, amid continued low use of the COVID-19 tracer app.

Epidemiologist Dr Michael Baker says the next six months would be a "very dangerous" time for the country, with high risk of an outbreak while waiting for the vaccine roll-out to begin.

Both the US and the UK are experiencing unprecedented peaks in https://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/260170-appeal-information-on-missing-art.html with the worldwide death toll reaching the grim milestone of two million.

But with no community transmission here, daily use of the Covid Tracer app has fallen off dramatically, down to a fifth of its peak which is causing concern among experts.

Last Monday, a total of 515,759 scans were recorded nationwide, down from the high of 2.5 million on September 4.

Baker says contact tracing of community cases had prevented wider transmission.

Meanwhile, New Zealand health officials are trying to learn more about two travellers on an Auckland to Fiji flight who tested positive for the virus.

The two cases were detected during mandatory tests while the pair were in managed isolation in Nadi.

Both cases had arrived in Fiji on Air New Zealand flight NZ952 from New Zealand on December 24, 2020.

Despite moving through Auckland, a Ministry of Health spokesman said there was no "additional risk" posed by the cases.

Global toll

Over 94.7 million people have been infected by COVID-19 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The United States continues to record the most infections and fatalities - 23.8 million cases, 396,549 deaths. India and Brazil have also recorded high concentrations of cases and deaths - India has reported 10.5 million cases and 152,274 deaths, Brazil has 8.4 million cases and 209,296 deaths. To date, 2 million people have died from the virus.

International researchers from the World Health Organisation  WHO- are in Wuhan, China, to find clues to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new Brazilian variant has also been identified. It shares similarities with the highly-infectious variants from the UK and South Africa. The discovery prompted the UK government to ban flights from 13 South American countries, Panama, Cape Verde and Portugal.

What should I do?

Anyone who wants to get tested can find their local testing centres by visiting the Ministry of Health website.

New Zealand is at COVID-19 alert level 1.

Masks are mandatory for: people travelling on public transport services in and out of the Auckland region; the drivers of small passenger service vehicles in Auckland, such as taxis and app-based ride services; and people travelling on passenger flights throughout New Zealand.

If you are sick, call your GP before you visit, or Healthline on 0800 358 5453.

To avoid contracting and spreading the virus, wash your hands properly, cough and sneeze into the crook of your elbow and throw tissues away immediately.

Reach out, find support from people who care, connect with your community or help a neighbour in need.

Stuff
When the bodies of two Carbondale natives were pulled out of the Schuylkill River in August 1931, officials and their family believed the worst.

Both Maurice  some articles called him Morris  Scott, 24, and his fiancee, Helen Loftus, 21, were strong swimmers, according to a news article in The Philadelphia Inquirer on Aug. 19, 1931. Loftus parents, who were living in Upper Darby when Helen died, immediately demanded a full inquiry and announced intentions to hire private detectives.

The two were scheduled to be married in November, according to news articles.

Its hard for any of us to believe they could drown in a river like the Schuylkill, Helen Loftus brother, Thomas, told the Inquirer. For that reason we believe there was something else about their deaths, something that we should know.

Additionally, both bodies had bumps and bruises, including marks on Loftus head that could indicate a skull fracture, the Inquirer reported.

A preliminary investigation into the drowning was made by W.G. Petry, detective attached to the park guard headquarters, the newspaper reported. Unable to determine if the marks ... were caused by submerged rocks and tree stumps, he turned the investigation over to detectives of the murder squad.

The couple had set out for a canoe trip on Aug. 15, 1931, a Saturday; Scott had left a $5 deposit on the boat, according to the article. When Sunday dawned with no sign of the couple, their relatives became alarmed.

Shortly after 11 a.m. Aug. 18, 1931, park guards found an overturned canoe beached near the west end of the Girard Avenue bridge. A little while later, Scotts body was found in the river. Loftus body was found and removed from the river that evening, the Inquirer reported.

Initially, police doubted the two met their end during a robbery. Scott had little cash on him when he left the house that day, family members said.

But a day later, police opened a formal investigation after the citys deputy coroner, Hugh English, examined the bodies and reported that he believed the couple were beaten and dumped in the river, according to an Aug. 20, 1931, Philadelphia Inquirer story.

The theory was formed that Scott died while trying to protect his fiancee, the story said. It was thought likely that the girl was then taken to an island in the river near where the overturned canoe ... was later discovered.

Later that day, however, police abandoned the theory that someone killed the couple.

A Scranton Times article published in the afternoon of Aug. 20, 1931, said Philadelphias First Deputy Coroner Arthur Sellers reexamined the bodies and concluded the injuries were caused by rocks, tree stumps and other debris in the swift Schuylkill River.

Sellers ... stated that a thorough investigation made both by his office and the police gave every indication that the couple were drowned when their canoe capsized while they were in the vicinity of the Girard Avenue bridge dam, the article reported.
The publication of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation report last week has given rise to an extraordinary outpouring of pent-up emotions which had been contained in a simmering cauldron of abeyance not just for the five years the commission has sat, but also for the decades spanning back to the foundation of the State. As one of our writers says today, how the mothers and their children born in these homes stayed sane in the face of a galactic wound inflicted upon them, and therefore on us all and our psychic inheritance, is a mystery.

In the immediate aftermath of publication of the report, criticism has been strongly expressed in relation to two related findings in particular: that there was no evidence that women were forced by the Church or State authorities to enter mother and baby homes and that most women had no alternative; and the related finding that women were brought to these homes by their parents or other family members without being consulted as to their destination. These findings motivated Taoiseach Micheal Martin to extend his appropriate and heartfelt State apology into a wider apology on behalf of all society to the survivors. However, the survivors and their advocates were concerned that such an apology could be wrongly interpreted to the effect that when society is to blame, then nobody is to blame.

At a fuller reading, however, the commission report is an impressive body of work whose authors admit at the outset that the story of mother and baby homes in Ireland is complex, with nuances which cannot easily be captured in a summary. There is no doubt that the church and State authorities are indeed held to account for the establishment and appalling running of these homes, and for the creation of a culture throughout the time concerned, which saw wider society in general either strongly support or acquiesce to the existence of such homes.
The ministry is looking at other avenues for affordable capital infusion, including setting up of a Bank Investment Company (BIC), as the RBI has raised concern over the issuance of zero coupon bonds for recapitalisation of (PSBs), sources said.

Setting up BIC as a holding company or a core investment company was suggested by the P J Nayak Committee in its report on 'Governance of Boards of in India'.

The report recommended transferring shares of the government in the to the BIC which would become the parent holding company of all these banks, as a result of this, all the PSBs would become 'limited' banks. BIC will be autonomous and it will have the power to appoint the board of directors and make other policy decisions about subsidiaries.

The idea of BIC, which will serve as a super holding company, was also discussed at the first Gyan Sangam bankers' retreat organised in 2014, the sources said. They added that it was proposed that the holding company would look into the capital needs of banks and arrange funds for them without government support.

It would also look at alternative ways of raising capital such as the sale of non-voting shares in a bid to garner affordable capital.

With this in place, the dependence of PSBs on government support would also come down and ease fiscal pressure.

To save interest burden and ease the fiscal pressure, the government decided to issue zero coupon bonds for meeting the capital needs of the banks.

The first test case of the new mechanism was a capital infusion of Rs 5,500 crore into Punjab & Sind Bank by issuing zero-coupon bonds of six different maturities last year. These special securities with tenure of 10-15 years are non-interest bearing and valued at par.

However, the (RBI) expressed concerns over zero-coupon bonds for the recapitalisation of PSBs.

The RBI has raised some issues with regard to calculation of an effective capital infusion made in any bank through this instrument issued at par, the sources said.

Since such bonds usually are non-interest bearing but issued at a deep discount to the face value, it is difficult to ascertain net present value, they added.

As these special bonds are non-interest bearing and issued at par to a bank, it would be an investment, which would not earn any return but rather depreciate with each passing year.

Parliament had in September 2020 approved Rs 20,000 crore to be made available for the recapitalisation of PSBs. Of this, Rs 5,500 crore was issued to Punjab & Sind Bank and the Ministry will take a call on the remaining Rs 14,500 crore during this quarter.

With mounting capital requirement owing to rising NPAs, the government resorted to recapitalisation bonds with a coupon rate for capital infusion into PSBs during 2017-18 and interest payment to banks for holding such bonds started from the next financial year.

This mechanism helped the government from making capital infusion from its own resources rather utilised banks' money for the financial assistance.

However, the mechanism had a cost of interest payment towards the recapitalisation bonds for PSBs. During 2018-19, the government paid Rs 5,800.55 crore as interest on such bonds issued to for pumping in the capital so that they could meet the regulatory norms under the Basel-III guidelines.

In the subsequent year, according to the official document, the interest payment by the government surged three times to Rs 16,285.99 crore to PSBs as they have been holding these papers.

Under this mechanism, the government issues recapitalisation bonds to a public sector bank which needs capital. The said bank subscribes to the paper against which the government receives the money. Now, the money received goes as equity capital of the bank.

So the government doesn't have to pay anything from its pocket. However, the money invested by banks in recapitalisation bonds is classified as an investment which earns them an interest.

In all, the government has issued about Rs 2.5 lakh crore recapitalisation in the last three financial years. In the first year, the government issued Rs 80,000 crore recapitalisation bonds, followed by Rs 1.06 lakh crore in 2018-19. During the last financial year, the capital infusion through bonds was Rs 65,443 crore.

(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 Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), a retirement fund entity, has allowed its subscribers to update exit dates online when switching jobs. The launch of date of exit facility has made it convenient for the users to make the changes on their own.

Earlier, the EPF account holders had to wait for their former employers to decide on their last date.

The date of exit cannot be marked till two months of leaving the company. It was noted that subscribers had complained that their previous employers were not cooperating in declaring the details on the EPFO portal.

Here are simple steps to follow to update your date of exit.

To begin with, log in to the EPFO portal www.epfindia.gov.in using your Universal Account Number (UAN) and password.

Once a user has logged in, go to the manage section and select Mark Exit. You will now get the option to choose your PF account number from select employment dropdown menu. Fill in the details of the date of exit and the reason of exit.

Proceed further by opting for request OTP which will be sent on your Aadhar-linked mobile number. Select the checkbox and then click on update and then ok.

Once you have filled all details and submitted, a message stating successful update of date of exit will be sent. You can go to view and service history to check details like date of joining and exit from both EPF and EPS.

It is important to mark the date of exit as it might affect claim submissions and settlements later on. If the date of exit is not updated correctly, then your employment might not be treated as continuous and tax may be levied on the interest earned during the intervening period.


A car crash has closed Route 9W in both directions Sunday morning in Bergen County, officials said.

The crash, which happened near John Street in Englewood Cliffs, downed power lines and forced the closure of all lanes on both sides of the highway, 511NJ.org reported.

There are injuries, 511NJ.org reported. Englewood Cliffs police have not responded to a request for more information.

Its not clear when the roadway is expected to reopen.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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A baton twirler spouts revelations as she spins, a fundamentalist handles a curling snake and a dementia patient unravels in Jane Martins Talking With 

Eleven women amuse, move and frighten, always speaking from the depths of their souls in Martins 1982 play.

The Vortex Theatres online production of Talking With  stars a cast of 11 Albuquerque actresses at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays Jan. 22-31. All performances are free, but reservations must be made at vortexabq.org.

Director Tim Crofton has long used the play in his acting classes.

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Im a teacher and invariably my acting classes contain a lot of women, he said. Good monologues for women are still relatively thin on the ground.

No narrative thread connects the characters, each of whom gives a 10-minute monologue.

The play includes the pieces Fifteen Minutes, Scraps, Clear Glass Marbles, Audition, Rodeo, Twirler, Lamps, Handler, Dragons, French Fries and Marks. The ladies cover a wide spectrum of life and age from the fading star in Rodeo to the young aspiring actress in Audition

We have a snake handler who works for an extreme southern church that uses snakes as part of their rituals, Crofton said. There is a young woman who is a champion (baton) twirler. As she twirls, she comes to epiphanies.

Theres a woman who lives in Oz (as in The Wizard of Oz), he continued. Theres another whom, in reaction to a rather boring first half of her life, tattoos her entire body.

All of the rehearsals and preparations occurred online using COVID-19 safety precautions.

We have put this together without seeing each other in person, Crofton said. I think initially I was a bit reticent to get involved in online theater. But there seems to be more of a commitment. It could be a whole new art form.

Originally from north London, Crofton has always been involved in theater, from acting to behind-the-scenes work to directing. He moved to Albuquerque five years ago and teaches for Albuquerque Public Schools.

Talking With  stars Debi Kierst, Alaina Warren Zachary, Carolyn Hogan, Abby Van Gerpen, Deborah Blanche, Michelle Belmont, Sophia Wasteneys, Christy Burbank, Catalina Lehrner, Robin Havens-Parker and Fabiana Borghese.

Online

The Vortex Theatres online production of Talking With  stars a cast of 11 Albuquerque actresses at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays Jan. 22-31. All performances are free, but reservations must be made at vortexabq.org.

A Montana Highway Patrol trooper is being praised for his heroic actions after pulling a driver from her submerged vehicle in the icy Yellowstone River Thursday.

Trooper Connor Wager entered the near-freezing water after responding to a rollover crash south of the town of Emigrant, the Montana Highway Patrol said on Twitter.

"After arriving on scene, he found a vehicle on its roof with the front end completely submerged in the Yellowstone River. The driver was trapped inside the vehicle & the water was nearly freezing," it said in a series of tweets.

"Wager tethered himself with a rope & entered the water making his way through the fast moving current to the overturned vehicle. The strong current prevented the rear hatch from opening, so he broke through the rear window with a rescue tool & pulled the woman out of the car."

The highway patrol said Wager and the driver were able to reach the shore with the help of first responders. Both were treated by emergency services and Wager was released with minor injuries.

"Thank you Trooper Wager for your heroic efforts," the patrol said.

The Park County Sheriff's Office said it had received a call around noon Thursday about a vehicle upside down in the river.

"Due to some very quick and heroic work by Deputies, Highway Patrol and Paradise Valley Fire, the driver was rescued and brought to safety with no major injuries," the office said on Facebook. "Outstanding work by all!"
Bain & Company, a top global management consulting firm, strengthens its team with the announcement of a new partner promotion in the Middle East. The promotion of Cyril Gourp is among 48 partner and 6 expert partner appointments across 25 global offices.

Cyril Gourp is a core member of the Financial Services and Private Equity practices at Bain & Company with deep industry knowledge and expertise. With over 18 years of professional experience in management consulting and banking, including 9 years in the Middle East, he has extensive knowledge in driving full potential strategies and transformation programs in Financial Services. Prior to joining Bain & Company, Cyril worked for a global management consulting firm and Exane BNP Paribas.

He holds an MBA from HEC Paris and a masters degree in computer engineering from the Engineering School of Information and Digital Technologies in France.

The newly promoted partner, Cyril Gourp assumed his new role effective 01 January 2021. Tradearabia News Service
Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain said on Sunday that there have been 51 cases of minor complications reported from the coronavirus vaccine that was rolled out across the country yesterday.

The Delhi Health Minister said that there was one severe case, where the patient was admitted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences.

There have been 51 minor incidents yesterday where there were some minor complications and 1 was a bit serious. The severe case was been admitted to AIIMS. Till last night he was admitted there, Jain reportedly told ANI.

"Only one case in Delhi had to be admitted to the hospital, the remaining 51 did not have to be hospitalised. They were only observed for a short while," the minister added.

Out of the eleven districts, South and South-West district witnessed eleven AEFI each, followed by six each in East and West district, five each in South East and New Delhi, four in North-West, two in Central district, one in North district and none in North East and Shahdara.

Reports said that the patient admitted in AIIMS is a 22-year-old security guard who works at the hospital. He was admitted in the hospital's ICU till last night and is stable now.

The vaccination drive was carried at 81 session sites across the city and in total, 4,319 healthcare workers were inoculated, as against the target of 8,117 set by the government.

Nationwide, as many as 1.91 lakh beneficiaries were inoculated on the first day of the vaccination drive at 3,351 session sites with doses of either Bharat Biotech's Covaxin or Oxford's Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. Additional Secretary in the Health Ministry, Manohar Agnani, said that no case of post-vaccination hospitalisation was reported.
This week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo reversed New Yorks approach on the Covid-19 vaccine, loosening eligibility requirements to anyone age 65 and up.

The switch has opened up new logistical challenges. But state and local officials hope it puts more shots in arms, following a troubled initial rollout marked by delays and waste.

People involved in New Yorks effort said the first month of distribution was plagued by public feuding between state and local officials, threats from Mr. Cuomo of $1 million fines for not following distribution rules, and accusations of misguided decision-making.

New York, which has suffered more Covid-19 fatalities than any other state, has distributed 37% of the 1.9 million vaccine doses it received as of Friday, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The percentage is on par with Rust Belt states like Ohio and Pennsylvania but behind large, populous states like Texas and Florida and smaller states like neighboring Connecticut, which has used 51% of its allocation, per the CDC.

New York state officials have now opened Covid-19 vaccination sites at university campuses, convention centers and stadiums, as they loosened eligibility requirements for the vaccine.

But county executives said many of the problems arose from Mr. Cuomos decisions to bypass local health departments and put major hospitals in charge of the earliest distributions.

The governor, a Democrat, also held firm to strict rules, based on CDC guidelines, about who was eligible for the vaccine, leading some doses to sit unused and at least some small batches of vaccine to be thrown out, officials said.

He changed course on Jan. 8 after days of pressure from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and other local leaders. The state began distributing vaccines to counties, and released doses to people who are not just health-care workers or residents and staff of nursing homes.

A state official said Friday that New York state had distributed about 74% of the doses that had been delivered and were under state control, and that the CDC figures include vaccination at nursing homes through a federal program. Rich Azzopardi, a senior adviser to Mr. Cuomo, said the state was following CDC recommendations and focused early doses on hospitals because they employ many front-line health workers.

We knew there was going to be a time very soon when we had the capability to deliver more shots than we had doses. Its better to put that apparatus in place," he said. Everyone should put their ego aside and work together."

The vaccine rollout has been bumpy in many states. California has distributed about a quarter of its shots, and a dozen jurisdictions have delivered less than 30% of their allotted doses, according to the CDC.

Arizona has administered 34% of its 571,725 doses, CDC data showed Saturday. Mounting frustration over the slow rollout there led Gov. Doug Ducey to issue a Dec. 30 executive order directing the state health department to create a vaccine-allocation system and permitting the agency to reassign doses.

In New York, Mr. Cuomo initially limited eligibility to the 1A group, which includes health-care workers, until this week. He said on Jan. 8 that an additional 3.8 million peopleincluding teachers, police officers and people 75 years or olderwould become eligible. Following federal guidance, the pool expanded to people 65 years or older on Tuesday and now totals an estimated 7 million eligible people.

On Tuesday, Mr. Cuomo said it could take six months to vaccinate everyone who is now eligible.

But some officials say New York lost ground in the early weeks due to what they called mismanagement by Mr. Cuomo. State law requires counties to plan for mass vaccinations, and county executives, most of whom are Republicans, said they were surprised to be passed over.

Our hospital network wasnt expecting and wasnt built for vaccine distribution," said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, a Republican. The governors office is micromanaging it."

Mr. Azzopardi said Mr. Molinaro was playing politics.

Greater New York Hospital Association President Kenneth Raske acknowledged that some hospitals were better prepared for distribution, and said staff refusal accounted for some variation.

We have different hesitancies in our communities and it has taken a while to get the apparatus to do this together at each of the institutions," he said.

Mr. de Blasio and Mitchell Katz, who runs New York Citys public hospital system, asked for permission to give shots to police officers and people more than 75 years old. They said they had extra doses available because some hospital workers declined the vaccine when offered.

Mr. Cuomo said no, citing a concern that health-care workers needed to be inoculated to maintain hospital staffing. Every hospital and county that received the vaccine was required to go along with state eligibility rules that forbid the transfer of medicine without approval.

The state also threatened fines of $1 million and the revocation of the licenses of any facility that broke the rules. Additionally, Mr. Cuomo issued an executive order to fine hospitals $100,000 if they didnt distribute the doses they were given.

The effect, in some instances, prompted a Catch-22 with a scarce commodity, said Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, a Democrat. Mr. McCoy said he received a call on Jan. 7 from the director of the county-run nursing home saying there were about 20 extra vaccine doses. Did he want to allocate them to some other deserving group, like police officers?

If you give it to anyone out of 1A, youre subject to a fine," Mr. McCoy recalled saying. He said the doses were returned to the pharmacy running that days vaccination clinic, but likely spoiled.

Mr. Cuomo said Tuesday that these kinds of incidents would no longer occur. But new problems emerged as more people were eligible: A state website became overloaded and counties reported a deluge of calls.

The governor said he needed more vaccine doses, and predicted New Yorkers would now be frustrated by long wait times. He blamed the Trump administration for expanding eligibility so rapidly.

All this volume, and it has to go through the point of a needleliterally and figuratively," Mr. Cuomo said Friday.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin vowed Saturday to strengthen bilateral cooperation on anti-pandemic efforts and economic recovery.

While meeting with Locsin, Wang said under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the bilateral relations have withstood various tests, and the friendship between the two peoples have been strengthened in jointly combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the year of 2021, the two sides should plan the year-round exchanges and cooperation as soon as possible with the focus on anti-pandemic efforts and economic recovery, said Wang.

The two countries should further increase common interests while dissolving differences, strengthen cooperation, unswervingly follow the course charted by the leaders of the two countries, so that the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two sides will bear more fruits to benefit the two countries and the two peoples, he said.

Wang said that China and the Philippines are friendly neighbors, and enjoy a long tradition of helping each other. China has decided to donate a batch of COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines and encourage Chinese companies to seek vaccine cooperation with the Philippine side, he said.

Wang said fruitful results have been achieved in major cooperation projects in recent years, noting that the two countries have completed 11 projects while 12 others are in progress or in the pipeline, and 12 more are under negotiation.

He said China is ready to further synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and the Philippines' "Build, Build, Build" program, accelerate trade liberalization and facilitation, strengthen cooperation on cross-border e-commerce and finance, and share development opportunities and development fruits.

The regional cooperation in East Asia gained momentum last year in spite of difficulties and achieved positive results, Wang said, adding that China appreciates the important role the Philippines, which serves as the country coordinator of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China relations, has played in deepening the China-ASEAN ties.

China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the Philippines to well hold the commemorative activities with ASEAN countries to mark the 30th anniversary of the dialogue relations between China and ASEAN, upgrade Chian-ASEAN ties, forge a blue economy partnership and put into force the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement at an early date, Wang said.

Wang said China is ready to speed up the progress of consultations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea with ASEAN countries to work out the regional rules that are substantive, effective and consistent with international law.

For his part, Locsin said the Philippines-China relationship is a mature one based on equality and mutual benefit between two sovereign countries.

Under the guidance of the heads of state of the two countries, both sides have overcome the challenges posed by the epidemic and constantly advanced the cooperation in the areas including economy, trade and infrastructure, among others, he added.

The Philippines thanks China for providing anti-epidemic supplies including vaccines and sharing anti-coronavirus experiences to support its fight against COVID-19, said the Philippine foreign secretary.

The Philippines is looking forward to further strengthening the cooperation with China on COVID-19 vaccines, he noted.

Locsin called on the two countries to deepen mutual trust, enhance cooperation, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, bringing their ties of comprehensive strategic cooperation to a new height.

The Philippines is pleased to notice that the Chinese economy has swiftly recovered from the pandemic, Locsin said, adding that the global economic recovery needs China.

The Philippines is willing to learn from China's experience in constructing a new, dual-circulation development pattern, promote cooperation and achieve common development, Locsin said.

He also said the Philippines is willing to work with China to advance the consultations on the COC, create synergy between the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and the Belt and Road Initiative, and push for a steady growth of the ASEAN-China relations.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

After the meeting, Wang and Locsin witnessed the signing of cooperation documents and the ceremonial unveiling of a plaque to mark the establishment of Bank of China Manila as the Chinese currency renminbi (RMB) Clearing Bank of the Philippines.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WLFI) - Governor Eric Holcomb is temporarily closing the Indiana Statehouse and canceling all legislative activity for safety reasons. He is one of several state governors making this move to protect state capitols from any violent protests that may arise ahead of President-Elect Joe Biden's presidential inauguration on Wednesday.

Gov. Holcomb said in a press release that the Statehouse will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Senate Pro Temp Rodric Bray and House Speaker Todd Huston have canceled all legislative activity for the week of January 18th.

Demonstrations are expected at state capitols in several states beginning on Sunday. The FBI and the governor's office said officials have received no credible threats against the Statehouse.

Gov. Holcomb said the following in his statement:

The safety and security of our state employees and the Hoosiers who use our state services are always top of mind. After an evaluation with public safety leaders, we have decided to err on the side of caution and close the state government complex to the public. Hoosiers will still be able to access essential state services online, on the phone, or in-person at branches around the state.

Sen. Alting said people of all ages and occupations work in the statehouse, and it's about keeping them all safe.

"For the safety of my colleagues and my friends, more so than myself, I support the closure and I think it was a wise decision by leadership and the governor," he said.

Gov. Holcomb announced on Wednesday that he authorized 625 Indiana National Guard soldiers to go to Washington D.C. They will be there from Saturday until Friday to help with security. They are joining about 20,000 other National Guard soldiers at the nation's capitol.

Sen. Alting said he is disappointed that the state has to put time and resources toward keeping the statehouse safe when there are so many challenges facing Hoosiers that they should be working to solve.

"We should be concentrating on trying to expedite the COVID shots, we should be concentrating on the economy and getting people back to work, being compassionate for the homeless that's out there who have lost their apartments or their housing and solve these types of problems," he said. "We should not be here concentrating on shutting down a statehouse or deploying our military to Washington D.C. We have great challenges in all 50 states and that's truly what we should be working on. It's a darn shame and I feel very disappointed that we have to act upon how we are acting in this country and in Indiana."

The Indiana Legislature has a lot to tackle this session. It's a budget year, they have to redraw all of Indiana's district lines and they have to address many important issues from COVID-19 to public education funding. Sen. Alting said he is confident they can address it all during this session, which officially ends on April 29th.

He hopes that on Monday, the nation will take a moment to reflect on its values for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and that we can get 2021 back on a positive and productive path.

"Let us go into Martin Luther King Jr. Day thinking to ourselves what that great man stood for and what he practiced," he said. "A man who did not support violence, who believed that if you protest you do so in a peaceful and respectful manner. We all need to listen to the words that are more true today than they may have been he was alive."
The 16 men and women who represent Ohioans (thats the concept, anyway) in the U.S. House of Representatives are a middling bunch. True, President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Rep. Marcia Fudge, a Warrensville Heights Democrat, to be U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Also true, many Ohioans know who Rep. Jim Jordan, the Urbana Republican, is, love him or hate him.

Middling they may be, but Jordan and some other members of Congress from Ohio have demonstrated theyre renaissance men. They fret not over petty problems that trouble ordinary Ohioans  putting food on the table, paying the mortgage  but Big Picture stuff. Its what transforms a political hack into a statesman: the congressional version of the Walter Mitty syndrome.

Walter Mitty is a character created by Columbus-born James Thurber (once a Columbus Dispatch reporter). Mittys name has become a capsule description (the American Heritage Dictionary says) of an ordinary, often ineffectual person who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs.

And so, on Jan. 6, amid 2021s cut-price remake of 1933s German Reichstag fire, some Republicans stood in the Capitols House Chamber to question whether voters in some states really and truly wanted to elect Biden the 46th president of the United States.

The brave Republicans who challenged Novembers results are above petty issues  say, the COVID-19 pandemic (which has killed more than 10,000 Ohioans) or the fact that more than one in eight Ohioans lives in poverty. No, those data are beneath the notice of Natures nobles.

Accordingly, five U.S. House Republicans from Ohio rose to the occasion and implied in so many words that Arizonas and Pennsylvanias election returns had to be fishy because, cmon, only tone-deaf voters could want Americas Nero to stop fiddling.

So Ohios quintet joined other House Republicans in demanding review of Arizonas and Pennsylvanias votes  which, complete coincidence, Joe Biden had won.

Jordan is Numero Uno on Ohios Team Trump. Funny thing, though, Phoenix (Arizonas capital) is 1,800 miles from Urbana.

Meanwhile, median household income in Ohios Crawford County, part of Jordans congressional district, is $44,971. Thats 21% less than Ohios statewide median ($56,602). But, hey, things are good enough in the Bucyrus area that Jordan can answer his call to greatness by focusing on the Big Picture  Arizona.

Then theres U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, a Republican from Cincinnatis Westwood neighborhood. He didnt vote to challenge Arizonas pro-Biden result, but voted to challenge Pennsylvanias. The commonwealths capital, Harrisburg, is 500 miles from Cincinnati. Meanwhile, according to city data, citywide life expectancy in Cincinnati was 76.1 years during the 2007-2015 period, the latest span posted. But in Westwood it was 73.3 years. Chabot, too, is a Big Picture Guy: Come what may, who-voted-how in Punxsutawney matters at least as much as his constituents circumstances.

Three other Ohioans joined Jordan in challenging Arizonas and Pennsylvanias tallies: GOP Reps. Warren Davidson, of Troy; Bob Gibbs, of Holmes Countys Lakeville; and Bill Johnson, of Marietta.

Clark County (Springfield) is in Davidsons district. Clarks median household income is10% less than Ohios statewide median. Coshocton County is in Gibbs district. That countys median household income is 18% less than Ohios; and Meigs County (Pomeroy) is in Johnsons district. Meigs Countys median income is 21% less than Ohios.

But some things matter more than others. How the five congressional Ohioans voted on Jan. 6 showed who  and what  really matters to them.

Removing Trump: 14th Amendment could be answer

As noted elsewhere by others, the Constitutions 14th Amendment might (as readily as impeachment, but with far less rigmarole) forbid President Donald Trump from again becoming president. Part of the 14th says no one who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion may hold any public office. (In fairness, the president hasnt been charged with, let alone convicted of, insurrection or rebellion.)

Ohios history with the 14th is complicated: Statehouse Republicans voted to ratify it in 1867; Statehouse Democrats  yes, Democrats  tried to un-ratify it in 1868.

Main author of the 14th Amendment (a civil rights keystone) was U.S. Rep. John A. Bingham (1815-1900), a Republican from Harrison Countys Cadiz, who is less remembered today than he should be  but far more than Donald Trumps Ohio Five ever will be.

Thomas Suddes, a member of the editorial board, writes from Athens.

To reach Thomas Suddes: tsuddes@cleveland.com, 216-408-9474

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Lauren Boebert tweeted out Nancy Pelosis location as the Capitol was being breached

68 elected officials from Colorado have sent a letter to lawmakers requesting a probe into Rep. Lauren Boeberts actions before and during the day of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to multiple reports.

The letter was addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Kevin McCarthy.

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In the letter published by KUSA, Colorado officials of the 3rd Congressional District, expressed deep concern about Boeberts actions leading up to and during the protests that turned into a violent deadly mob.

Read More: Pelosi imposes fines for GOP House members refusing metal detectors

The calls for the newly-elected Republican Congresswoman to resign intensified after she tweeted out Nancy Pelosis location as the Capitol was being breached.

Representative Boeberts actions, including her statements on the floor immediately preceding the insurrection and her social media posts leading up to the riots were irresponsible and reprehensible, the officials wrote. The letter says the congresswomans speech and tweets encouraged the mob mentality of her followers, as well as those who directly participated in the mob.

In this screenshot taken from a congress.gov webcast, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) speaks during a House debate session to ratify the 2020 presidential election at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Bidens 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. A group of Republican senators said they would reject the Electoral College votes of several states unless Congress appointed a commission to audit the election results. (Photo by congress.gov via Getty Images)

According to The Washington Post, Boebert, a gun rights advocate with links to the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, has denied the allegations which she said have led to death threats and hundreds of vile phone calls and emails.

The Colorado officials asked not only for an investigation but for any appropriate disciplinary action against Boebert, who has been in office for less than two weeks.

Read More: Rep. Sherrill says colleagues gave reconnaissance tours day before Capitol riot

Our bigger concern is that hate groups are proliferating in America and they are heavily armed. We request that you create a Congressional panel to thoroughly investigate these groups. They pose a real threat to American democracy, to our communities and to our residents, the lawmakers wrote.

Story continues

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Amid the calls for Boebert to resign, her communications director, Ben Goldey has resigned. In a statement to Axios, Goldey said: Following the events of January 6th, Ive decided to part ways with the office. I wish her and the people of Colorados Third District the best.

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The post 68 officials push for probe of congresswoman who tweeted lawmaker locations during riot appeared first on TheGrio.
Nursing and midwifery student nurse placements have been suspended.

According to a statement issued by the Department of Health on Saturday, the decision was taken to facilitate redeployment of additional qualified nurses and midwives to support the Covid-19 response.

However, the announcement comes ahead of a motion by Sinn Fein calling for fair pay for student nurses. The motion is due to come before the Dail on Wednesday.

This follows the defeat of a similar motion brought by Solidarity-People Before Profit in December which was opposed by the government and defeated by 77 votes to 72.

The Department of Health says the suspension of student placements is part of a plan to maximise the workforce to deal with the current surge of Covid-19.

It says the HSE requested that experienced and qualified staff who currently support undergraduate training for students be released for redeployment as part of the Covid-19 response. Clinical placements will therefore be suspended for at least two weeks from January 18 as there will be no educational and support infrastructure for them.

The department says this is an evolving situation and is under constant review in the context of the Covid-19 demand trajectory.

Students on First and Third Year placements are not counted in staff numbers but those in Fourth Year are included for rostering purposes as half of a full-time nurse or midwife. Placements for interns who are in Fourth Year will continue with the appropriate education and support infrastructure in place.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD said: I would like to thank all student nurses and midwives for their ongoing commitment to the future of our health services. This is an uncertain time for them and I know many will be disappointed by this news. I would like to reassure them that all options will be considered in re-starting these placements as soon as it is possible.

In making this decision, the Chief Nursing Officer is engaging with the HSE, the Higher Education Institutes and the regulator to ensure that the impact of this decision is minimised for all nursing and midwifery students.

Chief Nursing Officer in the Department of Health, Rachel Kenna said: I recognise the enormous commitment students have made in participating in the clinical learning environments at a very challenging time. The education of student nurses and midwives is a priority for all of us, but this must be done safely, with the appropriate supports and supervision structures in place.

The decision is supported by the HSEs Office of the Nursing & Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD), Senior Nurses and Midwives from clinical services, the Chief Nursing Office (CNO) in the Department of Health and the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).

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Critics have condemned an academic debate about Winston Churchills views on empire and race which will be hosted by the Cambridge college named after him.

The event is billed as a reassessment of the wartime leader and will feature a line-up of controversial speakers.

They include Professor Priya Gopal, a fellow at Churchill College Cambridge and staunch critic of the British Empire.

Another is Kehinde Andrews, a professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University who last year attacked the singing of Rule, Britannia! at the Proms.

An academic debate is to be held about Winston Churchill's views on empire and race at Churchill College Cambridge (pictured), named after him

The event is billed as a reassessment of Churchill (pictured) will feature a line-up of controversial speakers

Critics last night warned the event risked legitimising attempts to rewrite British history. Churchills grandson, former Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames, said: It seems to me extremely unlikely young ladies and gentlemen will get a balanced view of Churchills life.

I would ask Churchill College to have speakers also there to... bring a sense of proportion to this idiotic debate thats got out of control in all our universities.

Frank Furedi, emeritus professor of sociology at Kent University, added: This is about a plundering of history and a systematic attempt to recant the past.

There has been renewed focus on Churchills legacy following the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Churchill monument in Parliament Square was defaced with the words was a racist last June.

And the National Trust was criticised after the charity linked Chartwell, Churchills family home in Kent, to slavery.

Professor Priya Gopal, a fellow at Churchill College Cambridge and staunch critic of the British Empire, and Kehinde Andrews, a professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University who last year attacked the singing of Rule, Britannia! at the Proms, are due to speak at the event

The Churchill monument in Parliament Square was defaced with the words was a racist last June

Professor Gopal, who was born in India, sparked anger last summer after tweeting White Lives Dont Matter. As white lives.

The university stood by her after she said the comments were very clearly speaking to a structure and ideology, not about people. She said that she had been misunderstood, and that she was clearly not attacking white people.

Professor Andrews has criticised the singing of Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory at the Last Night of the Proms. He said: Some of those songs, particularly those two, are racist propaganda. They celebrate the British Empire which killed tens of millions of people.

Journalist Dr Madhusree Mukerjee is also due to take part in the February 11 debate on Churchill, a free online event. Her books include Churchills Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India During World War II.

Churchill Colleges website states the debate is part of a year-long programme of events about him.

Churchill College, Cambridge University and the academics were approached for comments.
CLEVELAND -- Vaccines do not save lives. Only vaccinations can do that. After ten months of being battered by COVID-19, with Black and brown communities showing the highest rates of infection, hospitalization, and deaths, an end to this pandemic may finally be in sight. However, that will not be the case if those most impacted by the virus are unwilling or unready to be vaccinated. What is needed at this moment are trusted voices from within the most impacted communities to vouch for the science that has created the vaccines, to acknowledge the reasons why many in the African American community have expressed an unwillingness to be vaccinated, and to encourage those who are ready and willing to proceed with vaccination.

There is no denying the suspicion and hesitancy in the African American community when it comes to this vaccine. Memories about the 40-year Tuskegee experiment are still fresh in our collective memory. Three hundred ninety-nine Black men infected with syphilis went untreated so medical researchers could track the effects of that disease on the human body. That experiment stretched from 1932 to1972, and it was not until 1997 that President Bill Clinton publicly acknowledged and apologized for that horrific episode in American medical history. I am reminded of a Lakota Sioux writer who observed that, over the last 150 years, Native American reservations have been the site of deliberate biological genocide where disease could run rampant. A similar concern about biological genocide exists today.

There are suspicions also raised by the term Operation Warp Speed. Was this vaccine rushed through without regard for the usual time involved in clinical trials? Will these vaccines be effective among all segments of our society? Are people being asked to become human guinea pigs in the search for a cure? Are there any persons who should not take the vaccine because of certain preexisting conditions, and how might they know that if they do not have their own personal physician? Will the vaccines be administered in locations that are easily accessible for persons throughout our community? All of this must be understood as part of the reason why some African Americans remain unwilling to take the COVID-19 vaccinations.

However, while those concerns deserve to be mentioned, there is an equally if not substantially larger issue that must be considered, and that is the deadly impact this virus is having on Black and brown communities across this country. The simple truth is that we cannot defeat this virus if large portions of the population are not vaccinated. Experts suggest that we need 75% to 80% of the U.S. population to be vaccinated if we are to slow the spread of the virus. Failure to reach that goal could be catastrophic for public health, for national security, and for the economic stability of our country.

With that in mind, a coalition of African American clergy led by United Pastors in Mission, the Cleveland Baptist Association, and a coalition of minority physicians affiliated with the three major hospital systems in Greater Cleveland are coming together to serve as trusted voices encouraging people to be vaccinated at their earliest possible opportunity.

We are making this announcement to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 18.

Dr. King entitled one of his books, Why We Cant Wait. While he used that phrase in response to the fight against racism and segregation, the phrase also applies to the fight against COVID-19. Over 21 million Americans have been infected. Nearly 400,000 Americans have already died, recently at a rate of more than 3,000 persons every day.

Dr. David Satcher, the former head of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and former surgeon general of the United States, told our group in a phone conference last month, I am more afraid of COVID-19 than I am of the vaccine. This is the urgency that brings our coalition together.

We all acknowledge that not everyone in our community is ready to be vaccinated. However, as clergy and clinicians who are caretakers of both body and soul, we are calling upon persons in the African American community to be educated, motivated, and vaccinated as soon as they are ready to proceed.

We are dying in increased numbers every day. That is Why We Cant Wait!

The Rev. Marvin A. McMickle is pastor emeritus of Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland. Clergy co-signers are the Rev. Larry Macon Sr., senior pastor of Mt. Zion Church of Oakwood Village; the Rev. Yvonne Carter, executive minister of the Cleveland Baptist Association and the Rev. Otis Moss Jr., pastor emeritus of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland. Physician co-signers are Dr. Edgar B. Jackson, chief of staff emeritus of University Hospitals; Dr. Margaret McKenzie, president of the Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital; and Dr. Lynn Milliner of the MetroHealth System.

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* Email general questions, comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
Patna, Jan 17 : Facing criticism over the deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar, state DGP S.K. Singhal claimed that the situation now is better than during previous DGP Gupteshwar Pandey's tenure.

Singhal took charge as Bihar DGP on September 22 after previous DGP Pandey took VRS to contest the Bihar Assembly election. However, he did not contest elections after the Janata Dal (United) denied a ticket to him.

"I have taken over charge as DGP in September. When you compare the crime graph of October 2020 with October 2019 and during the tenure of same period of other months with previous year, the crime graph is lower," Singhal said.

"Why would you not point out crime data of 2019 when the department had registered a higher number of criminal cases?" Singhal asked the media.

Singhal has been facing the heat ever since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar publicly contacted him over phone and directed him to respond to media queries. The Chief Minister has received complaints about the current state DGP and other police officials refusing to face the public.

Opposition leaders such as RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, Bihar Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha, Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) leader Pappu Yadav and others pointed to the monopoly of bureaucrats in their respective departments, alleging they ignored common people and did not even answer the phones of public representatives as well.

The Bihar DGP pointed out the total cognisable crime cases till October 2020 are 2,14,968 which is lesser than 2019 when the department had registered 2,27,604 cognisable crimes during the same period.

Heinous crimes like murders are still higher in 2020 as compared to 2019.
I f you multiply two miserable things can they add up to a better world? Logic says no. But politics isnt logical. Thats why the

Government is hoping that after Covid and Brexit it can stage a feel-good coming together of newly-vaccinated presidents and prime ministers

at a glossy United Nations climate summit. Like the Olympics, it has been delayed from last year and it is now supposed to take place in Glasgow in November.

Its meant to be Britains post-EU coming out, as well as proof that all the easy talk about building back better after Covid can mean something.

It might even impress President Biden, whose administration seems set to view Boris Johnson as a mini-me Trump hangover, but could be persuaded otherwise if he gets to see that Britain never chased the US down the deathly route of climate change scepticism. For once PMs speechwriters wont be short of facts when they script his usual bluster about Britain leading the world.

Still, anywhere can host a summit and everywhere from Lima to Marrakech has done since COP1 in 1995. What difference has it made? Since then, global carbon emissions have risen by about as much as they did in the whole period between 1900 and 1970

One reason to hope things might be better this time is that the climate crisis now feels real. Global average temperatures are up. So is extreme weather. Politicians are under pressure.

That could be why the thing you might have expected to happen during Covid  a retreat from worrying about the environment as economies collapse and jobs go  didnt come about. At least, not yet. Instead the corporate world is picking up on climate change as never before.

Even businesses such as Trafigura, a hard-core oil and mining trader which is not the sort of company whose owners are likely to stage a fun run to save endangered dolphins, set its first emissions reduction targets this month.

So whats the Government got planned for COP? In a reshuffle you probably wont have noticed the other day, the business secretary Alok Sharma was appointed President of planning for Cop26. The fact hes only just been appointed and is the third person picked to run the event suggests he might need some help. So here are three ideas.

The first thing Britain should do in Glasgow is admit that just talking about carbon emissions isnt enough. They are part of the climate crisis, but its the wider implosion of biodiversity, the degradation of our soils and the pollution of water supplies that needs sorting out if humanity is to endure.

If we only obsess about carbon, we will keep on doing harm to the natural world. In France theres a plan to fell 1,000 hectares of forest near Bordeaux to make room for a billion-dollar solar power plant. On the one hand we need to grow trees to store carbon. With the other were chopping them down to make low carbon power.

We need to join all this up. If we farmed in a different way, for instance, we wouldnt just store carbon in soil, as we could. Wed also help solve other environmental problems too.

The second thing Britain could do this year is spell out a truth: that even our bold plan to reach net zero by 2050 isnt enough. It only covers what happens inside our borders and does not count carbon in imports  in iPhones made in China but sold here.

Like the false summit on a mountain ridge, we might struggle towards net zero only to find its not the place we need to reach.

So whats the plan to deal with this? That could be the third British contribution to the summit. However much we might wish it, the world is never going to agree a single climate plan. There will always be evaders and loopholes and anyway there is no UN police squad to enforce the rules.

We are also (blame Trump and Brexit) heading into an era of trade tariffs and tougher borders. So we should use them to do good. Free-traders wont like it but what about a carbon tax on our most carbon-heavy imports  starting with things like concrete and steel? It would be popular.
Union Home Minister on Sunday asserted that the three farm laws enacted by the Centre recently would enable farmers to increase their income manifold, as they will be able to sell their produce anywhere in the country to anyone for the highest price.

"The farm laws will help farmers to increase their income manifold, as they can sell their crop to whoever offers the highest price to them," said Shah in Hindi at Bagalkot in Karnataka's northwest region, about 475km from Bengaluru.

Addressing a huge public rally (Jansevak Samavesh) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College ground in the town on the second day of his visit to the southern state, Shah said the Narendra Modi government was committed to improve the welfare of farmers, as it had been working for them since it came to power six years ago in 2014.

"Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, lakhs of farmers are getting Rs 6,000 per year directly in their bank accounts. The BJP-led NDA government has also given Rs 13-lakh crore worth loans to farmers across the country as against Rs 6-lakh crore given by the Congress-led UPA government earlier," reiterated Shah.

Defending the farm laws against whom a section of farmers have been protesting since November 26 on Delhi borders and seeking their repeal, Shah said the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) across the country would be linked digitally to enable farmers sell their produce directly to those who offer them the highest price.

Noting that the Modi government was promoting increasing use of ethanol in fuels like petrol and diesel, the Home Minister said sugarcane growers would also benefit from higher ethanol production.

"The GST (Goods and Services Tax) on ethanol has been reduced to five per cent from 18 per cent to encourage sugarcane growers to increase ethanol production and help the country save on crude oil import bill by blending it with petrol and diesel," said Shah.

Hinting that efforts were being made to produce ethanol even from rice paddy to benefit farmers, Shah said ethanol production had increased 5-fold since 2014-15 to 190 crore litres in 2018-19.

"Ethanol production from sugarcane and rice paddy will be increased to 400 crore litres by 2022 from 325 crore litres in 2020 for blending it more with petrol," added Shah.

Shah also unveiled the new sugar factory of the Nirani group of companies, owned by state minister Murugesh Nirani, who was inducted into the cabinet on January 13 in Bengaluru.

Shah flew to Bagalkot from Belagavi in a helicopter with state Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi.

Shah also laid the foundation for the expansion of Saipriya Sugars Ltd factory to 75,000 tonne crushing per day, 260mw co-generation and 26-lakh kilo litres of ethanol per day at Kerakalmatti in Badami taluk of Bagalkot district.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Japan's health authorities reported another 5,759 new cases of coronavirus across the country on Sunday. A record 972 people are in serious condition.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 1,592 new cases. Tokyo and the three neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama all reported their highest figures for a Sunday.

This was the first weekend since the state of emergency was extended from the Greater Tokyo area to cover 11 prefectures in total.

The latest analysis shows far more people were out and about in many places across Japan on Saturday than during the first state of emergency. Crowds were more than seven times larger in some spots.

Nishimura Yasutoshi, the minister in charge of the coronavirus response, said on an NHK program on Sunday that the government is urging people to stay at home. Companies are also being asked to reduce commuting by 70 percent.

Nishimura said, "I am asking everyone to pull together and comply with infection control measures so the state of emergency will not have to be prolonged."

Nakagawa Toshio, the head of the Japan Medical Association says people should be on their guard as there has been another surge in the number of young patients.

Nakagawa said, "It's becoming clear that younger people are also susceptible to the after-effects of the virus, such as damage to internal organs."

Meanwhile, the health ministry has announced a plan to expand testing.

Antigen tests are simpler and faster than PCR tests. But they were also believed to be less accurate and were only given to people with symptoms.

Officials now say as long as there is sufficient virus present, there is no significant difference in the accuracy of the two types of tests.

Staff, patients and elderly residents will be given the antigen tests at medical institutions and care homes. PCR tests will be used to confirm any positive results.

Health ministry officials say regular mass testing at such facilities will detect carriers sooner and prevent cluster infections.
Kamala Harris s term as vice president will be defined from the start by the Senates partisan split, as the former lawmaker is pushed into a powerful role in a chamber that must decide whether to convict the outgoing president of inciting an insurrection.

After wins by Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Georgias runoff elections, the upper chamber is divided 50-50 between Republicans and the Democratic caucus, meaning Harris can use her tie-breaking vote as president of the Senate to push through nominees and pass bills on which senators are split along party lines.

And its a cudgel she will likely have to use, even though President-elect Joe Bidens team has said it hopes to secure Republican support for legislation, especially if Democrats dont do away with the 60-vote rule on most legislation.

No sooner than Biden and Harris are sworn in, theyll be working to pass their $1.9 trillion Covid-relief plan, which has elements that would likely appeal to enough moderate Republicans to gain some favor in the Senate but other parts that may spur partisan warfare.

Under current rules, Democrats can pass some items with just 51 votes through a process known as budget reconciliation. The rest will require the spirit of cooperation Biden had promised he can resurrect.

In the mood?

Yet theres no reason to believe Republicans will be in the mood to play along.

Their narrow defeats in Georgia, setting up the 50-50 split, mean Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will lose his power to dictate the agenda in Washington or block nominees. But as minority leader, hell still hold sway over his own caucus.

And the recent mob that stormed the Capitol, while uniting most members against the violence, also highlighted the deep political divides Bidens administration will face.

The Senate may soon be turning to putting Trump on trial after the House impeached him last week for a historic second time.

The Supreme Court chief justice normally presides when a sitting president is tried, but Trump will be out of power by then. McConnell, in a memo to GOP senators, said it was unclear whether Chief Justice John Roberts would preside, and Roberts has declined to comment.

If he doesnt, Harris likely would be the presiding officer, which would give Democrats a one-vote edge to settle disputes on issues such as evidence.

Taking on good will

Biden has suggested that Harris could be a dealmaker instead of a tie-breaker, potentially taking on some of the good will he earned with the few senators remaining from his 36 years in the Senate.

Ive never once misled any of my Republican colleagues. Not one single time. And they know they can trust Kamala as well. And we can figure out where we can cooperate. Where we cant, we have our arguments," Biden said on a December call with supporters.

But Harriss ability to win over Senate Republicans may be limited. Her contact list of friendly Republicans is smaller than Bidens. Shes not known for close relationships with McConnell or his leadership team. Nor has she gained a reputation as a participant in the various gangs" of party moderates and compromisers.

In her four years in the Senate, Harriss work put her consistently at odds with McConnells efforts with President Donald Trump to reshape the federal judiciary and pass the massive 2017 tax-cut bill with only GOP votes.

On the Senate Judiciary Committee, she used her high-profile seat to oppose Trumps judicial nominees and was a particularly incisive questioner of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings.

Narrow majority

Still, the progressive senator has collaborated with some Republicans. She worked with Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Trump loyalist, to reauthorize a preservation program for historically black colleges and universities. She also worked with Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma on legislation that sought to protect U.S. elections from foreign meddling by strengthening the cybersecurity of voting systems.

The narrow majority means party leaders will also have to accommodate Democrats from Republican-leaning or battleground states, such as West Virginias Joe Manchin and Montanas Jon Tester. Recently elected Democrat Mark Kelly won in Arizona as a moderate, and hell be back on the ballot in 2022 as a target for Republicans.

Democrats could craft a package that includes more stimulus checks, a progressive tax rewrite, a climate plan and an expansion of the Affordable Care Act. Trump used budget reconciliation to pass his tax cuts and attempted to use it to end the ACA, known as Obamacare, which was also passed in 2010 using budget reconciliation.

The process does have limits, and with only 50 votes plus Harris, Democrats have no wiggle room. Changes to Social Security, for example, arent allowed under reconciliation, nor are items with even an incidental impact on spending or taxes.

Other Democratic priorities such as gun control or increasing funding for agencies are also not allowed under reconciliation. Instead, those would be subject to a filibuster, a tactic the minority party can use to block action unless there are 60 votes in the Senate to proceed. That means incoming Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would have to find 10 Republicans to support the Democrats efforts.

Where we can find common purpose and common ground, lets do that. Let that be our priority," Harris told ABC News last month. As opposed to finding out where we disagree, lets actually focus on where we might agree, and then get some work done."

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An additional 4,686 COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths were announced Sunday as vaccine appointments in New Jersey remained difficult to secure.

The state recently expanded vaccine eligibility to those over 65, residents with certain health conditions and smokers, creating a backlog for appointments when vaccines promised by the federal government did not materialize.

Governors were given assurances by @HHSGov that wed receive additional vaccines from the national reserve for our seniors, health care workers, and first responders, Murphy wrote Saturday on Twitter. We need answers for why this stockpile doesnt exist and our allocations have been reduced from what we expected.

Murphy added that the vaccine would be distributed to those at higher risk of severe cases of COVID-19 due to their age and underlying conditions.

Our first priority is to vaccinate those at higher risk for severe COVID due to age and chronic health factors  and to have the infrastructure in place to rapidly scale up distribution when federal supply meets demand, Murphy wrote on Twitter.

The 7-day average for new confirmed coronavirus cases is now 5,367, up 4% from a week ago and 13% from a month ago.

Hospitalization data for Sunday was not immediately available. There were 3,677 patients hospitalized in New Jersey with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases as of Friday night. That marked 134 more than the previous night and an increase after two days when the number of people hospitalized dropped.

The state of 9 million residents has now lost 20,439 residents in the COVID-19 outbreak  18,348 confirmed deaths and 2,091 considered probable, according to state data. New Jersey has already announced 1,252 confirmed deaths this month, following 1,890 in December.

New Jersey has reported 565,097 total confirmed cases out of more than 8.6 million tests administered since officials announced the states first case March 4. There have also been 62,124 positive rapid antigen tests, which the state began reporting publicly earlier this month, though officials have cautioned that they could overlap with the confirmed PCR tests.

The statewide rate of COVID-19 transmission remained steady at 1.12. A transmission rate over 1 indicates the outbreak is expanding.

The positivity rate for tests administered on Wednesday, the most recent day available, was 10.12% out of 54,903 tests. The positivity rate had been at 10% or higher since Dec. 22, before dipping below 10% on Monday.

New Jerseys top health official warned Wednesday that the state is preparing for a surge in hospitalizations from the latest spike in cases that could come as soon as next week and may trigger a new round of restrictions, particularly involving elective surgeries.

While hospitalizations have remained between 3,500 and 3,900 for weeks  far below the peak of more than 8,000 in the spring  state Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said hospital officials are concerned about the weeks ahead due to available staffing.

What we will not have is the appropriate level of staffing that people are familiar with, conventional staffing, Persichilli previously said. So we will be working with our hospitals if they need to progress to what we call contingency staffing, and hopefully never crisis staffing.

Murphy has warned that hospitalizations above 5,000 patients would likely trigger new restrictions  particularly involving elective surgeries, which include procedures like removing tumors.

VACCINATIONS

More than 348,414 doses of the vaccine have been administered in the state as of Sunday, according to the states COVID-19 dashboard. Of those, 308,874 were the first of two doses people will receive, while 39,330 were the second, according to the dashboard.

The single-day high so far was Jan. 8, when 24,482 doses were administered, according to the state.

New Jersey has averaged about 9,500 shots a day through the first 30 days of the program, including Christmas Day when no doses were administered. The state has been averaging about 17,000 shots a day over the past seven days, state records show.

The state has faced criticism for rolling out inoculations too slowly. Officials stress there may be an undercounting of the number of vaccines administered because of reporting delays and New Jersey, like other states, is depending on the federal government for its supply.

Murphy announced Wednesday that people 65 years and older, as well as people with chronic health conditions and smokers are now eligible to get vaccinations.

Officials have said doses should be available for the general public by April or May. Health officials have said they hope to vaccinate 70% of the states adult residents  about 4.7 million people  by the end of May.

In recent days, New Jersey has opened the first three of its six planned mega-sites for mass vaccinations. There are also vaccines currently available at 130 locations throughout the state, including local health departments, ShopRite stores and pharmacies.

More than 1.5 million people have registered to get their vaccine.

VACCINE DOSES ADMINISTERED BY COUNTY

ATLANTIC COUNTY - 11,485 doses administered

BERGEN COUNTY - 39,504 doses administered

BURLINGTON COUNTY - 16,936 doses administered

CAMDEN COUNTY - 19,691 doses administered

CAPE MAY COUNTY - 5,107 doses administered

CUMBERLAND COUNTY - 5,575 doses administered

ESSEX COUNTY - 27,451 doses administered

GLOUCESTER COUNTY - 12,319 doses administered

HUDSON COUNTY - 15,064 doses administered

HUNTERDON COUNTY - 5,744 doses administered

MERCER COUNTY - 8,151 doses administered

MIDDLESEX COUNTY - 25,934 doses administered

MONMOUTH COUNTY - 27,141 doses administered

MORRIS COUNTY - 18,251 doses administered

OCEAN COUNTY - 25,122 doses administered

PASSAIC COUNTY - 15,882 doses administered

SALEM COUNTY - 1,704 doses administered

SOMERSET COUNTY - 14,010 doses administered

SUSSEX COUNTY - 6,084 doses administered

UNION COUNTY - 16,609 doses administered

WARREN COUNTY - 3,641 doses administered

OUT-OF-STATE RESIDENTS - 16,458 doses administered

UNKNOWN COUNTY - 10,551 doses administered

HOSPITALIZATIONS

There were 3,677 patients hospitalized in New Jersey with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases as of Friday night. It was 134 more than the previous night, a spike after two days where hospitalizations had dropped.

It included 651 in critical or intensive care (25 more than the previous night), with 427 on ventilators (11 fewer).

There were 437 COVID-19 patients discharged Friday, according to the states COVID-19 dashboard.

Data for Saturday was not immediately available.

SCHOOL CASES

There have been 111 in-school coronavirus outbreaks in New Jersey involving 564 students, teachers and staff since the school year began in late August, according to the state dashboard.

Those numbers do not include students or staff believed to have been infected outside school or cases that cant be confirmed as in-school outbreaks. Though the numbers keep rising every week, Murphy has said the school outbreak statistics remain below what state officials were expecting when schools reopened for in-person classes.

New Jersey defines school outbreaks as cases where contact tracers determined two or more students or school staff caught or transmitted COVID-19 in the classroom or during academic activities at school.

The number of New Jersey school districts with all-remote learning has increased as students return from winter break, Murphy said Monday.

There are 339 districts that started 2021 remotely  an increase of 18 all-remote districts from Dec. 21. Only 77 school districts are returning with full in-person instruction (down from 82 on Dec. 21), and 348 are returning with a hybrid of in-person or remote instruction (down from 362).

Another 47 districts are using some combination of in-person, hybrid, or all-remote across multiple buildings  one more than Dec. 21.

AGE BREAKDOWN

Broken down by age, those 30 to 49 years old make up the largest percentage of New Jersey residents who have caught the virus (31.2%), followed by those 50-64 (23.7%), 18-29 (19.3%), 65-79 (11.1%), 80 and older (5.4%), 5-17 (7.5%) and 0-4 (1.6%).

On average, the virus has been more deadly for older residents, especially those with preexisting conditions. Nearly half the states COVID-19 deaths have been among residents 80 and older (47.55%), followed by those 65-79 (32.36%), 50-64 (15.63%), 30-49 (4.09%), 18-29 (0.36%), 5-17 (0%) and 0-4 (0.02%).

At least 7,644 of the states COVID-19 deaths have been among residents and staff members at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. That number has been rising at a steeper rate in recent months, with deaths at the states nursing homes nearly tripling in December.

There are currently active outbreaks at 426 facilities, resulting in 6,802 active cases among residents and 7,368 among staffers.

GLOBAL NUMBERS

As of Sunday morning, there were more than 94.59 million positive COVID-19 tests across the world, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. This week, the world hit a grim benchmark, surpassing 2 million deaths from coronavirus-related complications.

The U.S. has reported the most cases, at more than 23.7 million, and the most deaths, at more than 395,800.

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Last year, the company announced refreshed street-level details that would provide us with more information about a specific location, and now it looks like four regions out there are getting this update.More specifically, London, New York City, San Francisco, and Tokyo are updated with plenty of new details on Google Maps , including accurately scaled road widths, pathways and stairs in parks, sidewalks, crosswalks, and medians and pedestrian islands.In some cities around the world, you can now find street-level details, like crosswalks, sidewalks, and true-to-scale road widths, within Maps. These details help you more accurately explore an area and make plans before you visit. This can be especially helpful when you navigate on foot or have accessibility needs, like wheelchair or stroller requirements, Google explains on a support page As others have noticed, too, theres nothing you can do in order to get this Google Maps update, as the whole thing is powered by a server-side switch. In other words, even if you are running the latest Google Maps versions, be they stable or beta, the search giant itself needs to enable the refreshed maps details for your device.Needless to say, Google will soon bring the same update to more regions across the world, as the rollout is taking place gradually. The amount of work required to provide such accurate details is obviously massive, so it could take a while until smaller cities out there get the same street-level refresh.In the meantime, Google is also working on bringing the Google Maps driving mode to more users. This feature is currently in the preview stage in the United States for Android users, and the company is expected to release additional improvements and expand availability throughout the year.


KYODO NEWS - Jan 17, 2021 - 13:21 | World, All

North Korea is set Sunday to convene a session of its top legislative body, the Supreme People's Assembly, days after the country's ruling Workers' Party wrapped up its first congress in nearly five years.

The focus is on whether Kim Jong Un would change his title as national leader from chairman of the State Affairs Commission to president, a title last held by his grandfather and North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung.

During the eight-day congress that ended Tuesday, Kim Jong Un was elected general secretary of the ruling party, taking over the top post previously held by his late father, Kim Jong Il, the nation's former leader.

At the legislature's latest session, legislation related to the country's new five-year national economic development strategy is also expected to be adopted.

The Supreme People's Assembly is usually convened once a year in April to rubber-stamp budgetary and personnel matters already determined by the ruling party, headed by Kim Jong Un. This year, the session was decided to be convened following the party congress.

Related coverage:

North Korea stages military parade ahead of U.S. Biden's inauguration

Kim pledges to bolster North Korea nuke arsenal at party congress: KCNA

North Korea's Kim takes over party's highest title from late father
Steve Fulop doesnt seem too worried about the Jersey City mayoral election in November.

With fewer than 10 months before the Jersey City mayoral election, Fulop has hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank. He has friends and allies across the county. And so far, nobody has officially stepped forward to challenge him.

By contrast, 2017 challenger Bill Matsikoudis announced his candidacy a full year before the election. Fulop won that race by a margin higher than 50%, the highest margin in decades. And, despite a few recent political misstepsa failed takeover of the Board of Education, a 2018 falling-out with the county democratic organizationthe mayor seems poised to coast to a third term in November.

(Fulop) has got very high favorables and he (has) got very high name recognition, said Hudson County Commissioner Bill ODea, a veteran of the countys political scene. Any viable contender would need money, name recognition, and a record or platformand so far, ODea said, there is nobody out there that meets those criteria.

As of January, there are two known potential challengers. Jersey City councilman-at-large Rolando Lavarro told The Jersey Journal last month that he is strongly considering a run.

Taking back our city from the political machines will only happen through a grassroots movement, from the bottom up, he said in a texted statement. This election will answer the question as to whether Jersey City is fed up and will rise up. I think the people are.

But many in the city are looking at Rob Menendez Jr., an attorney at Lowenstein Sandler and the son of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, as a potential challenger.

In a texted statement, Menendez Jr. said he was engaging in conversations with Jersey City residents who are frustrated with an administration that passed an inclusionary zoning ordinance which is being challenged in court by affordable housing advocates and an administration that is attempting to increase the salaries of the mayors political appointees while residents face significant employment issues caused by this pandemic.

But perhaps most disappointing is the mayors silence when lives are lost because of the violence that continues to plague this city, he added. After 16 years of Steven Fulop, it seems abundantly clear that Jersey City would be better off if the mayor honored his campaign pledge to only serve two terms.

In an interview earlier this month, Fulop scoffed at the idea of a potential challenge from Lavarro, a former ally.

I feel bad for Rolando Lavarro, he said. Somewhere along the way, hes lost his focus on the people of Jersey City and just has his pure jealousy and anger towards me personally.

Asked about Menendez Jr., he took a different tone.

Let me just say, I think a dialogue is a healthy thing for Jersey City, and I dont have a problem with anybody running, he said.

But Fulop seems to have spent the last year trying to ward off that exact possibility. Ahead of the 2021 election, the mayor has made efforts to shore up his political relationships across the countywhile taking special care to highlight his alliances with politicians who might otherwise support Menendez Jr.

An October press release noted that a fundraiser for the mayor drew Assemblyman Nicholas Chiaravalloti, a former staffer for Sen. Menendez, and Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis, a friend and ally of the senator.

Earlier this month, he touted the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, who has been a close ally of Sen. Menendez for years.

And in early January, he announced that Hudson County Democratic Organization President Amy DeGisea friend of Menendez Jr.would join his ticket as a candidate for city council at-large.

That announcement was seen as a sign that he has mended fences with the HCDOand with Amy DeGises father, County Executive Tom DeGise, after Fulop and State Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack made a failed 2018 play for his seat.

By cutting off his political oxygen, Fulop could force Menendez Jr. to either back down or run (despite his name) as a political outsider.

Thats a significant disadvantage in Hudson Countys machine politics, but not an automatic disqualification. Fulop himself ran a successful 2005 campaign for city counciland then, in 2013, for mayoras an outsider promising to clean up corruption and dysfunction.

Menendez Jr. seems poised to adopt a similar strategy. He has aligned himself with minority communities in the city and has needled Fulop on social media, criticizing him as out of touch and self-involved.

That could resonate with Jersey City residents, many of whom feel that Fulop has been too cozy with developers and are angered by what they perceive as inaction on issues of racial and economic justice.

Earlier this month Americans voted against disinformation and for honesty, accountability, transparency and a science-based approach to combating COVID-19, Menendez Jr. tweeted in November. Jersey City voters will get to make the same decision in 2021.

And, should he decide to run, Menendez Jr. would have at least one powerful politician in his corner: his father. In a remarkable escalation of a personal feud, Sen. Menendez made it clear where he stands on the mayor.

Despite supporting Mayor Fulop in his failed 2017 gubernatorial effort, he chose to undercut my campaign in 2018 when I was running to stand up for New Jersey against President Trump and his allies in the Senate, Sen. Menendez said. Any Hudson County Democrat who chooses to forget history and Mayor Fulops record of broken promises shouldnt be surprised when he abandons them once they no longer serve his own political ambition.

In a way Mayor Fulop feels sorry for Senator Menendez -- hes fixated on local politics in Jersey City when he should be focused on critical issues in Washington D.C., Fulop spokesman Phil Swibinski shot back. Senator Menendez seems hell bent on forcing his son down the throats of Jersey City voters to expand his own political power.

The incumbent is still a clear favorite. Fulop has a firm hold on the city council; in a special election last year, Yousef Saleh, his chosen candidate to fill the late councilman Michael Yuns seat, won handily.

And, as ODea said, voters might not want to change ships or horses in the middle of the pandemic.

It will be very difficult for somebody to challenge him, ODea said. And I will say this: Every month that goes by, that likelihood of a formidable challenge becomes less and less and less.

Thats partially due to the mayors massiveand growingfundraising advantage. As of October, when the most recent reports were filed, Fulop has $983,719 on hand and $290,761 in a joint candidates committee fund.

A Fulop-linked Super PAC, Coalition for Progress, had an additional $3.2 million, as of November. Two months ago, the PAC accepted its first donation in roughly two years: $10,000 from engineering firm Remington & Vernick.

Its unclear whether the PAC will spend any money to support Fulops mayoral bid. But the entity appears to have closer ties to the mayor than was previously known: since 2019, the PAC has been registered under the name and address of Drew Nussbaum, the business partner of the mayors wife, Jaclyn Fulop. Nussbaum is the PACs treasurer and custodian of records, election documents show, and business filings for Exchange Physical Therapy Group, LLC, list both Nussbaums and Jaclyn Fulops names and addresses. Nussbaum declined to comment.

Asked about the election earlier this month, Fulop expressed optimism.

I think were in a good spot, but we dont take anything for granted, he said.
Even the most optimistic could not have predicted that a vaccine against the Covid-19 would have been developed in such a short period of time. This is a battle that modern science has won. We were told it would take 18 months to two years or more to produce a coronavirus vaccine, but in fact it took less than a year.

It was only normal that the Covid-19 vaccines were developed by labs and scientific circles that saw huge investments directed towards accomplishing certain missions in the US, Europe, China and Russia.

The thing about these investments is that they are politically supported and backed by institutional work that supports scientists and research and puts together the work of scientific research centres, governments and companies amid active international cooperation between all these parties. This is what encourages the sustainability of such high-yield investments.

However, the threat of the pandemic continues, with an increasing number of infections and fatalities. The mutation of the virus poses a new threat that requires ongoing scientific efforts. For science to help people, it needs effective systems and adequate resources, as has been confirmed by a report of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) that warned of the coronavirus months before the outbreak based on its experience with previous pandemics.

The GPMB warning was not taken seriously, however, and as its report warned the world was then hit by negligence in the necessary preparations before the outbreak and panic and confusion after it.

A new report by the GPMB called A World in Disorder has now called for five urgent lessons to be learned in order to bring order out of the catastrophe.

These are that the political leadership is largely responsible for not making the protection of peoples lives a priority even in cases where that conflicts with their livelihoods, that effective preparations against pandemics are not limited to what governments do to protect people, but rather depend on what people do to protect each other, and that the impact of pandemics extends beyond health damages to social and economic dimensions that weigh heavily on the poorest and most vulnerable groups in society.

The efforts made to prevent the pandemic were not sufficient given the health and social considerations or the necessary response, and the return on investment in securing the global health system is very high, the report said.

The estimates of the return on investment in prevention systems can be described in terms of the proverb that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The money the world has lost due to the pandemic would have been sufficient to prevent it for a period of no less than 500 years, given that the cost of fighting the pandemic had exceeded $11 trillion up until the time the GPMB report was released, in addition to the $10 trillion in lost revenues due to the pandemic.

The cost of preventive measures to prevent the pandemic would not have exceeded $5 per person per year and a total of $39 billion annually for the entire worlds population. Even so, it seems that the lessons of the pandemic have not yet taken hold, as the World Health Organisations (WHO) COVAX facility, which targets making vaccines available in developing countries, has faced a deficit of 85 per cent of its total funding of $38 billion since its establishment last year.

Besides the financing challenges, it is important to stress that the global preparations required to prevent and deal with the pandemic are not the sum of individual initiatives. Dealing with the pandemic as a global shock should be dealt with within one integrated system. Any health system is measured by the strength of its weakest link, and one fatal error would be to believe that the coronavirus crisis will end if the most-vulnerable stratum is vaccinated and refrains from mingling with others.

The reason behind providing the vaccine for all, including the poor in lower income countries, is dictated by the concept of preserving personal interests  if it is not sufficient simply to adhere to the values of compassion and solidarity in the face of the most severe human, social and economic crisis humanity has experienced in the modern era.

However, the application of this simple approach to international solidarity, not necessarily absent from the general concept, has been impeded by practices such as politicising vaccines according to their country of origin or beneficiary country, reserving unneeded stocks of vaccines beyond the actual needs of countries able to procure the necessary funding, and procrastination in supporting the poorest countries.

To curb the spread of the pandemic in developing countries, including the Arab and African states, it is critical not to halt efforts to address the health and social repercussions of the pandemic and ways to ensure and recover from its economic impacts.

It is vital to prevent these countries from experiencing liquidity crunches resulting from shrinking growth and the contraction of their economies and to prevent them from suffering from debt crises in the light of what is known as the fourth wave of debt accumulation that has come on the back of the three waves that have taken place over the past five decades.

Debt accumulation has been responsible for two economic crises in developing countries and for the global financial crisis of 2008 that followed the third wave. Fears of a fourth wave of such accumulation have mounted after the rise in loans by seven per cent annually before the outbreak of Covid-19 and their recent increase by nine per cent, according to the recently released World Banks Global Economic Prospects report.

The pandemic hit as the Arab countries, with a few exceptions, were suffering from the repercussions of a lost decade of development due to low growth rates and a retreat of public and private investments and exports. Moreover, a number of Arab countries have been mired in domestic conflicts and tensions. For these and other reasons the region has been the only area in the world where extreme poverty has been on the rise.

The Middle East and North Africa region, which includes the majority of Arab countries, experienced an economic downturn of about five per cent last year, which will not be compensated for by limited growth of about two per cent this year. The situation requires setting out public-spending priorities to support the response to the pandemic, strengthening social security systems, and driving up vital public investments to pave the way for private domestic and foreign investments to generate job opportunities.

If public investments in developed countries and emerging markets by one per cent of GDP increase private investments by about 10 per cent, thereby increasing growth and employment opportunities, then such investments should be directed towards stimulating economic activity at a time when it is feared that a global economic slump could turn into a lingering recession as demand continues to decline in the light of the repercussions of the pandemic.

Sustainable investments compatible with the need to protect the environment and that do not exacerbate climate change, and smart investments that drive competitiveness in the digital age, have a positive impact on the general public and the economy. Such vital investments are the ounce of prevention that to the economy and its future are worth a pound of cure.

*The writer is an economist. An Arabic version of this article appeared on wednesday in Asharq Al-Awsat.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 14 January, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Captain Joseph Lewis of Louis, of the Oneida Indians, study for the Attack on Quebec, by John Trumbull, ca. 1785-86. Image Credit: Yale University Art Gallery. Colonel Louis (also known as Colonel Joseph Louis Cook, Akiatonharonkwen, and Nia-man-rigounant, c. 1740-October 1814)  The highest-ranking officer of both Black and American Indian descent commissioned in the Continental Army. Born in Saratoga, New York, Louis had an African father and a Saint-Francois Abenaki mother.1 His parents probably named him Nia-man-rigounant, which means variegated bird.2 In 1745, a joint French-Kahnawa:ke raid took the family captive. The Mohawks of Kahnawa:ke formally adopted the child, and renamed him Akiatonharonkwen, which translates to he unhangs himself from the group.3 He grew up near a Jesuit mission, where he learned to read and write. The young man converted to the Roman Catholic religion and received the name Colonel Louis at his baptism.4



Intelligent, ambitious, and fluent in French, English, and Mohawk, Louis became a prominent chief.5 In the French and Indian War, Louis joined the Mohawks of Kahnawa:ke in their campaigns against the British near Lake George and Lake Champlain. He took up arms again with the revolution, aiding the 1775 Patriot invasion of Quebec, which ultimately failed and forced Louis to retreat with them. He later fought at Oriskany and in the Saratoga Campaign.



In May 1778, Louis joined the Oneida delegation to Valley Forge. General Steubens military secretary Peter Stephen Du Ponceau described walking in a wood near his quarters one morning, only to stumble upon a tall Indian figure in American regimentals singing a fashionable French opera. A surprised Du Ponceau stated, He would have been a valuable acquisition to the French Opera, where I have never heard a voice of such extraordinary power, and at the same time susceptible of modulation.6



Instead of pursuing a career in opera, Louis continued in his wartime leadership role, where his powerful voice likely aided his oratorial skills. On June 15, 1779, he received a commission of Lieutenant Colonel from the Continental Congress. It remains the only known commission given to a man of African descent.7



After the American Revolution, Louis convinced the Oneida to lease approximately 5 million acres. He cited the prosperity derived from leases by the Mohawks of Kahnawa:ke. Subsequently, the Oneida leased their land to Colonel John Livingston for 999 years, thinking that they could maintain territorial control as landlords.8 Yet, the New York government declared the leases invalid, took the land by military force, and then resold it. Despite these losses, Louis continued to represent the Oneida in negotiations between 1792 and 1796.9



By then, he had settled in Akwesasne, a Mohawk community in the St. Lawrence valley.10 Despite his advanced age, Louis fought at the 1814 Battle of Lundys Lane, where American forces were defeated when they invaded Canada. He fell from his horse, and later died of his injuries at the approximate age of seventy-four. Louis was buried near Buffalo, New Yorkwith military honors given at his funeral.11 (also known as Colonel Joseph Louis Cook, Akiatonharonkwen, and Nia-man-rigounant, c. 1740-October 1814)  The highest-ranking officer of both Black and American Indian descent commissioned in the Continental Army. Born in Saratoga, New York, Louis had an African father and a Saint-Francois Abenaki mother.His parents probably named him Nia-man-rigounant, which means variegated bird.In 1745, a joint French-Kahnawa:ke raid took the family captive. The Mohawks of Kahnawa:ke formally adopted the child, and renamed him Akiatonharonkwen, which translates to he unhangs himself from the group.He grew up near a Jesuit mission, where he learned to read and write. The young man converted to the Roman Catholic religion and received the name Colonel Louis at his baptism.Intelligent, ambitious, and fluent in French, English, and Mohawk, Louis became a prominent chief.In the French and Indian War, Louis joined the Mohawks of Kahnawa:ke in their campaigns against the British near Lake George and Lake Champlain. He took up arms again with the revolution, aiding the 1775 Patriot invasion of Quebec, which ultimately failed and forced Louis to retreat with them. He later fought at Oriskany and in the Saratoga Campaign.In May 1778, Louis joined the Oneida delegation to Valley Forge. General Steubens military secretary Peter Stephen Du Ponceau described walking in a wood near his quarters one morning, only to stumble upon a tall Indian figure in American regimentals singing a fashionable French opera. A surprised Du Ponceau stated, He would have been a valuable acquisition to the French Opera, where I have never heard a voice of such extraordinary power, and at the same time susceptible of modulation.Instead of pursuing a career in opera, Louis continued in his wartime leadership role, where his powerful voice likely aided his oratorial skills. On June 15, 1779, he received a commission of Lieutenant Colonel from the Continental Congress. It remains the only known commission given to a man of African descent.After the American Revolution, Louis convinced the Oneida to lease approximately 5 million acres. He cited the prosperity derived from leases by the Mohawks of Kahnawa:ke. Subsequently, the Oneida leased their land to Colonel John Livingston for 999 years, thinking that they could maintain territorial control as landlords.Yet, the New York government declared the leases invalid, took the land by military force, and then resold it. Despite these losses, Louis continued to represent the Oneida in negotiations between 1792 and 1796.By then, he had settled in Akwesasne, a Mohawk community in the St. Lawrence valley.Despite his advanced age, Louis fought at the 1814 Battle of Lundys Lane, where American forces were defeated when they invaded Canada. He fell from his horse, and later died of his injuries at the approximate age of seventy-four. Louis was buried near Buffalo, New Yorkwith military honors given at his funeral. Endnotes 1. Barbara Graymont, ATIATOHARONGWEN, in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 5, University of Toronto/Universite Laval, 2003, accessed September 23, 2020, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/atiatoharongwen_5E.html.



2. Darren Bonaparte, Colonel Louis at Oriskany and Valley Forge, Wampum Chronicles, accessed September 2, 2020, https://www.wampumchronicles.com/oriskanyandvalleyforge.html.



3. Darren Bonaparte, Colonel Louis Cook, Wampum Chronicles, accessed September 2, 2020, https://www.wampumchronicles.com/toomanychiefs6.html.



4. Darren Bonaparte, Louis Cook: A Colonel of Truth?, Wampum Chronicles, accessed September 2, 2020, https://www.wampumchronicles.com/coloneloftruth.html.; and Darren Bonaparte, Colonel Louis at Oriskany and Valley Forge, Wampum Chronicles, accessed September 2, 2020, https://www.wampumchronicles.com/oriskanyandvalleyforge.html.



5. Alan Taylor, The Divided Ground (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006), 172.



6. Darren Bonaparte, Colonel Louis at Oriskany and Valley Forge, Wampum Chronicles, accessed September 2, 2020, https://www.wampumchronicles.com/oriskanyandvalleyforge.html.



7. Euell A. Nielsen, Colonel Joseph Louis Cook (ca. 1737-1814), BlackPast, August 3, 2020, https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/colonel-joseph-louis-cook-ca-1737-1814/.



8. Alan Taylor, The Divided Ground, 173.



9. Barbara Graymont, ATIATOHARONGWEN.



10. Alan Taylor, The Divided Ground, 225.



11. Euell A. Nielsen, Colonel Joseph Louis Cook (ca. 1737-1814).
As the pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on mental health, three women tell Anna Moore why ending it all felt like their only option  and how a small act of kindness brought them back from the brink

On a rainy autumn night in 2013, Malan Wilkinson stood on the wall of a 130ft bridge, soaking wet, crying hard, brain racing, her mouth so dry she could barely breathe.

For several months, shed been slipping. That year, Id married my partner and it had only lasted a couple of months, says Malan, now 35. I was still waiting to get to that place where I felt things were going to get better  and they didnt.

Small things go first, like brushing your hair, then your teeth. An hour begins to feel like a day, time is so slow. Im one of triplets but I hadnt told my sisters, or anyone, how bad things were. I didnt want them to worry. I didnt want to be a burden.

Cars were slowing, horns were beeping, but none stopped. I really did want to end my life, remembers Malan. I was trying to find the definitive moment where everything made sense and Id jump.

Then a man appeared below her. He said, You dont know me and I dont know you, but Im a teacher. I tell young people all the time that this is not the answer. There are lots of answers, I promise you. You will get through tough times. Please come down. Malan told him to leave, but he stayed.

I was extremely rude to him, but he was just so compassionate, says Malan. I lost the moment. Then I heard sirens. I did come down and he asked for a hug. We held each other for a long time, not saying anything  this man I didnt even know.

The next three months were spent in hospital, the start of a long, slow road to recovery involving medication and therapy. Malan still has weekly walks with her psychiatric nurse  and she also has much to be grateful for. Last year she had a wonderful holiday in Aberdaron, on the western tip of the Llyn Peninsula. She has written a Welsh-language book Rhyddhaur Cranc (Freeing the Crab) about mental health, which was shortlisted as a Wales Book of the Year. She loves her job as a Welsh-language radio and TV producer.

I feel privileged that Ive had these years, she says. It changed the way I thought about people  they do care. The end as I thought it was on the bridge didnt have to be my final answer.

The selflessness that man showed that night changed a part of me. Depression eats you alive  its incredible that words and a big heart can give someone so much hope in the darkest of places.

There can be no doubt that, across the UK, mental health has been sorely tested in recent times  and many more people have found themselves in the dark place where Malan once was. Last October, the London Ambulance Service reported that call-outs to attempted suicides and suicides stood at 37 a day, compared with 22 the year before. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, almost half of psychiatrists saw an increase in urgent and emergency mental-health cases during lockdown. Analysis of longitudinal data (which tracks the same individual or household over a certain length of time) by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that mental health has worsened substantially since the start of the pandemic  by 8.1 per cent on average, with adults and young women the hardest hit.

Azhar, a Samaritans volunteer since 2018, confirms that most of his calls are Covid-related. Its fair to say that the disease and its ramifications have affected everyone, he says. Ive recently spoken to someone who hasnt seen her granddaughter since she was born. Another caller during the second lockdown hadnt spoken to another person for two days.

Theres a huge breadth and depth of callers, whether its the elderly and isolated, prisoners whove been confined to their cells and not allowed visitors, students struggling at university or people stuck with their families and finding it overwhelming. And although each story is different, the rock-bottom feeling of hopelessness is the same. Suicidal feelings are fuelled by the belief that life will never get better, the conviction that recovery isnt possible. And yet it is.

Becca Johnson, 24, came frighteningly close to ending her life in 2018. She was living alone, at the end of an unhappy, unhealthy relationship, anxious, sleep-deprived, caught in a spiral. One November night, drunk on vodka, she intended to kill herself and had the means to do it.

I sent some texts and my best friend was so worried, I think he must have called 999, says Becca, a rehabilitation support worker with the NHS. Next thing I knew, there was a knock on the door.

Two paramedics had come in an ambulance. They gave me the friendliest greeting Id ever had, she says. One of them sat me down and told me that he suffered from depression too and had once found himself standing on a bridge. Just talking to someone who understood how I was feeling, who really related  I couldnt believe it. It was a very special moment.

When youre at rock bottom, grappling with frightening thoughts, speaking to someone is an important first step, says Konnie Ali, advice and information officer from the charity Rethink Mental Illness. Call 999 in an emergency, otherwise your GP, NHS 111, an emotional support line, or anyone you trust  a friend, family member, mentor or colleague.

Nicole*, 30, a media worker and mother of a seven-year-old son, believes calling the Samaritans saved her life. At 25, despite having everything shed ever wanted  a child, a relationship, a successful business  the traumatic events from Nicoles childhood caught up with her and rose to the surface.

My mother had problems with alcohol and was in an abusive relationship, says Nicole. I lost my dad at 16. I witnessed things I shouldnt have, but didnt have the level of awareness to realise how much it impacted me. Id always had extreme emotions but at 25, it was just complete hopelessness.

Its hard to put into words the pain I was feeling. I didnt want to wake up each morning, but I had a son so there was a lot of guilt. I didnt want to be here but I had to be here. My son needed me, although I felt I wasnt good enough as a mother. I wanted to do anything to escape the pain, even if it meant leaving my family behind.

The first time Nicole called the Samaritans, she didnt expect much. I thought no one could help me, but actually those calls enabled me to help myself, she says. Id been quite cut off. Friends and family didnt understand or werent able to support me in the way I needed. Id usually call the Samaritans late at night in the difficult moments when there was no one awake and I needed to keep myself safe. Having someone with no agenda, who didnt make me feel judged, allowed me to get it off my chest. Talking about how I was feeling, as I was feeling it, helped me to observe it all and detach a little bit.

That detachment was key for Nicoles recovery. I then began to educate myself on depression and to understand where mine came from, she says. Whereas before Id feel the emotions and thoughts and let them consume me, I learned to respond differently. I can think, Youre feeling down, but this is why and thats OK.

In times of crisis, do not turn to alcohol or drugs, which can impact your judgment, behaviour and emotions, advises Rethinks Konnie Ali. Its also advisable to move yourself to somewhere you know to be a safe place, whether thats your bedroom, a library or your local park. Try not to be physically alone, and distract yourself in ways that work for you  it might be playing a game or even just turning on the radio. Konnie also recommends making a crisis box to open in low moments, filled with things that might help and are personal to you  a scent, a family photo, your favourite sweets. Try to think about getting through this moment, not about making decisions for next month or next year, she adds. Try to get through the day, not the rest of your life.

For Becca, weekly therapy as well as anti-anxiety medication, antidepressants and amazing support from her friends and family helped turn her life around. I was fast-tracked to therapy and didnt want to go. At first, I couldnt even tell my therapist my name, I was that low, she says. But the therapist told me that even getting in the car and coming was an achievement. Over the years, the sessions helped so much  Ive looked at my childhood, looked at everything and it has helped me understand why I am this way. Its incredible.

For all three women, learning to be more open about their mental health has been crucial. Im far more honest with my sisters and my family, says Malan. Her psychiatric nurse has also been a lifesaver. One way she helped was the way she made me think about language, says Malan. When I talk about feeling bad, my default used to be something like, Im done with this. Thats like hitting a brick wall  you cant go anywhere from it. Its not about minimising your feelings, but learning to express them in a different way. Im under a lot of stress, do I need time off work? is a healthier way of talking about it.

Getting her sheepdog Winnie has been daily therapy. Walking on the beach, we have a thousand conversations even though she cant talk! says Malan. Being creative has also helped: I blog every day and play the piano. Nicole recommends creativity in all its forms. Whether its writing, photography or playing piano, putting my energy into something creative really helps me, she says. She also admits that recovery is an ongoing process, but when she recently reached her 30th birthday, she contacted the Samaritans to thank them. I didnt think Id ever get to be 30  I didnt believe Id make it, she says. Malan was also able to thank the man who talked her down from the bridge. We met in the local art centre a couple of weeks afterwards and enjoyed some tea together, she says. I was so nervous. How do you start to thank the person who saved your life?

Words seemed so insufficient, yet his words when he asked me for a hug that night held so much value. I really owe my life to him.
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Marmorstein: You might soon be living in a million dollar home  unfortunately

The a2 Milk Company wishes to advise that Chief People, Safety and Sustainability Officer, Lisa Burquest, has advised of her resignation from her role effective 31 January 2021.

Lisa joined the company in November 2018 and since then has worked with the rest of the Executive Leadership Team to build capability, capacity, performance and engagement through its people, whilst continuing to evolve the unique culture of The a2 Milk Company.

CEO Geoff Babidge said: Id personally like to thank Lisa for her contribution and wish her well for her future endeavours.

Lisa will be taking up the role of Chief People Officer for Virgin Australia on 1st February which will allow her to leverage her experience in managing large workforces undergoing transformation and change.

A search for Lisas replacement will commence shortly.

See the link below for more details:

Organisational Announcement

Source: The a2 Milk Company Limited

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Vaccinations have commenced for healthcare workers from across Dublin South, Kildare and West Wicklow at a newly set up mass vaccination centre, managed and facilitated by Beacon Hospital.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly told the Dail on Wednesday the Government plans to have 700,000 people vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of March.

Updated projections sent by Mr Donnelly to TDs confirm that the Government now expects to receive 3.7m doses between April and the end of June and a further 3.8m between July and the end of September.

The newly set up vaccination centre, once home to The Beacon Hotel and recently purchased by Beacon Hospital, can provide minimum 100 vaccines per hour and has the flexibility to rapidly expand by adding additional vaccination stations.

A peer vaccination team of up to 90 Beacon Hospital doctors and nurses will vaccinate staff Monday to Saturday ensuring that all personnel are protected in a planned and timely way.

The vaccination centre at Beacon Hospital is one of the first in the country which will provide additional capacity to the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group and its Community partner, Dublin South, Kildare and West Wicklow.

Ann OShea, Chief Officer, South Dublin Kildare West Wicklow and Brian Fitzgerald, Deputy CEO Beacon Hospital spoke with vaccinators at the first clinic held where more than 500 staff from community services will be vaccinated in the coming days.

Ann OShea Chief Officer, Dublin South, Kildare and West Wicklow (CHO7) said, We are delighted to extend the commencement of our vaccination programme by partnering with Beacon Hospital through our ongoing integration and partnership with the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group.

With circa 7,000 staff to be vaccinated across our area, we have a mammoth task on our hands but one that we believe with patience and cooperation, we can deliver.

Brian Fitzgerald, Deputy CEO Beacon Hospital said they are proud to support the HSEs roll-out Covid-19 vaccines.

"The state-of-the-art vaccination centre was set-up by our facilities staff in just 72 hours, and Id like to commend them for their efficacy and hard work in making this happen so quickly.

"Im proud of the 90 staff members at Beacon Hospital who have volunteered to be vaccinators at the centre and support the national effort.

"Id also like to thank senior personnel at the HSE for collaborating with us and supporting this important project.

More than 900 doses of the vaccine are available to the facility, with further deliveries expected to support the scheduling plans for the ongoing programme across community and hospital services.

Ms Eileen Whelan, Chief Director of Nursing at Dublin Midlands Hospital Group said, Vaccinations work, and vaccination is key to ensuring patient and staff safety during the Covid-19 pandemic. We prioritise patient and staff safety equally during the pandemic and we continue to advocate to ensure vaccine allocations for all of our healthcare workforce.
DEAR ABBY: My brother, who lives 1,000 miles away, is thinking of moving back to our hometown to be around family and start over. I love him. Hes not a bad person, but he was a terrible father. He is now a widower, and he suffers from depression.

The problem is, some of his children and adult grandchildren plan to move with him. The children and their children are felons, ex-cons, drug addicts, alcoholics and thieves. My brother is none of those things.

I am willing to welcome him, but my husband and I want nothing to do with his kids or grandkids. I dont trust them to be in my house. Theres no way we will welcome them into our family or do whatever it is they expect of us to start a new life. I dont think it is our responsibility. My children (their cousins) want nothing to do with them, either. How do I handle this? -- STANDING FIRM IN IOWA

DEAR STANDING: Before your brother makes the move to your community, ASK him what his plans are regarding making a new start. While youre at it, inquire about what his children and grandchildren intend to do after they arrive. Listen carefully to what your brother has to say, then tell him that, because of their criminal history, you and your husband cannot comfortably entertain them in your home. Say it kindly but firmly, and do not allow yourself to be drawn into a debate about it. From your description of them, it shouldnt come as a surprise.

** ** **

DEAR ABBY: My husband of 21 years was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer three years ago. Our children are now adults. We had a fabulous life, lots of laughter, lots of travel, lots of friends. Then everything came to a screeching halt, and the past seems a dream. I try to remain optimistic, but his doctors have given us more bad news. Today he is not in pain, and his naps have slowed down. I work full-time, but he had to retire.

With COVID, its hard to go anywhere with him. How do I stop feeling guilty if after work I want to go to a friends house for an hour or two, or to dinner at an outdoor restaurant? Or a drive to clear my head? I know Ill soon be wishing I could sit on the couch and watch TV with him again, but lately, I just need to carve out a small slice of time for me. -- GUILTY IN MASSACHUSETTS

DEAR GUILTY: Do not beat yourself up for being human. When a beloved spouse is terminally ill, it is extremely stressful for both the patient and the caregiver. This is why it is important for your own health to allow time for yourself. How much time can vary from individual to individual, but it must be enough to rejuvenate.

Your husband needs you, but he also needs you to be your best self so you can provide physical and emotional support during this important final chapter. If you were to talk about this with him, I am sure he would tell you that I am right. If you let your conscience guide you, you wont go wrong, and you will have fewer regrets.

** ** **

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

** ** **

For an excellent guide to becoming a better conversationalist and a more sociable person, order How to Be Popular. Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Popularity Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

COPYRIGHT 2021 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

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WASHINGTON (AP)  In his first hours as president, Joe Biden plans to take executive action to roll back some of the most controversial decisions of his predecessor and to address the raging coronavirus pandemic, his incoming chief of staff said Saturday.

The opening salvo would herald a 10-day blitz of executive actions as Biden seeks to act swiftly to redirect the country in the wake of Donald Trump's presidency without waiting for Congress.

On Wednesday, following his inauguration, Biden will end Trump's restriction on immigration to the U.S. from some Muslim-majority countries, move to rejoin the Paris climate accord and mandate mask-wearing on federal property and during interstate travel. Those are among roughly a dozen actions Biden will take on his first day in the White House, his incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, said in a memo to senior staff.

Other actions include extending the pause on student loan payments and actions meant to prevent evictions and foreclosures for those struggling during the pandemic.

These executive actions will deliver relief to the millions of Americans that are struggling in the face of these crises, Klain said in the memo. President-elect Biden will take action  not just to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration  but also to start moving our country forward.

Related: Joe Biden in 2020

"Full achievement of Bidens goals will require Congress to act, Klain wrote, including the $1.9 trillion virus relief bill he outlined on Thursday. Klain said that Biden would also propose a comprehensive immigration reform bill to lawmakers on his first day in office.

Providing a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally will be part of Biden's agenda, according to people briefed on his plans. Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum and among those briefed, said immigrants would be put on an eight-year path. There would be a faster track for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields people from deportation who came to the U.S. as children, and for those from strife-torn countries with temporary status.

On Thursday, the new president's second day in office, Biden would sign orders related to the COVID-19 outbreak aimed at reopening schools and businesses and expanding virus testing, Klain said. The following day, Friday, will see action on providing economic relief to those suffering the economic costs of the pandemic.

In the following week, Klain said, Biden would take additional actions relating to criminal justice reform, climate change and immigration  including a directive to speed the reuniting of families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under Trumps policies.

More actions will be added, Klain said, once they clear legal review.

Incoming presidents traditionally move swiftly to sign an array of executive actions when they take office. Trump did the same, but he found many of his orders challenged and even rejected by courts.

Klain maintained that Biden should not suffer similar issues, saying the legal theory behind them is well-founded and represents a restoration of an appropriate, constitutional role for the President.

___

Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 21:23:47|Editor: huaxia

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Intense clashes erupted Saturday between the joint pro-government Yemeni forces and the Houthis in the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. The pro-government forces managed to repulse a large military operation carried out by the Houthis in Durayhmi district.

Police in the northern Vietnamese province of Thai Binh have broken up an illegal drug ring run by a 75-year-old woman.

An official from the provincial Department of Police told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday that officers had searched the house of Tran Thi Dam, 75, in Quang Trung Ward, Thai Binh City, which is the capital of the namesake province.

Dam has also been taken into custody for the illicit trade of narcotics.

Police have confiscated a large number of drugs of various types and relevant exhibits, the official elaborated, adding that the rings activities were very complicated and subtle.

Preliminary investigation showed that most of the ring members are Dams children, grandchildren, and relatives.

They took advantage of Dams house location, which is situated deep inside an alley, to buy and sell narcotics.

Multiple members were tasked with keeping a watch to avoid being caught by competent authorities.

Local residents said they noticed drug users enter and exit the house every day and night.

However, no one reported the ring to police officers for fear of being harmed by Dams subordinates.

Police records showed that Dam recently finished her eight-year jail term for illegally trading narcotics.

Her son is also serving his sentence for a drug-related crime.

Further investigation is ongoing.

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1. Yes. The public must have assurances that ethical standards are met by everyone.

2. Yes. As long as an independent board hears the grievances, its a worthwhile idea.

3. No. The concept is too broad. It should be limited to the citys elected officials.

4. No. There are plenty of stipulations in place already. An ordinance is a waste of time.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say without seeing how it would be structured and applied.

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vaccinated over 17,000 health care workers in 553 sessions on the second day of the Covid vaccination drive across six states, taking the total number of vaccinations to 224,301. There were more than 400 adverse events following the jab, such as fever, headache and nausea, the said on Sunday.

The number of vaccinations has been less than half the targeted number, given the government planned to vaccinate 100 beneficiaries per session, for reasons ranging from lack of confidence in the vaccine to technical glitches.

According to the updated figures shared by the health ministry, one the first day of the vaccine launch had administered the first dose of the Covid antidote to 207,229 beneficiaries  the highest Day One vaccinations in the world, ahead of the UK, the US, and France. However, the number fell short by almost 100,000 in reaching the expected target, with several health workers either not showing up or not willing to take the vaccine being offered.

On Day One, for instance, a controversy had erupted after a letter by Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital doctors was made public, citing apprehension by doctors in taking Bharat Biotechs Covaxin vaccine instead of Serum Institutes Covishield, which was being administered in Delhis state hospitals.

ALSO READ: All data pertaining to Covid vaccine trials should be made public: PMSF

Tamil Nadu gave the shot to a little over 3,000 health workers, against a capacity of nearly 15,000 on Sunday. We dont go by a daily vaccination target. Our vaccination drive is based on demand, said Dr Radhakrishnan, adding that leading doctors had taken the vaccine on Day One, while the health department would expand the vaccination drive in the coming days.

Government Stanley Hospitals Dean P Balaji added that many employees had gone to their native place to celebrate Pongal and from Monday onwards, more health care frontline workers would get the jab.

At Stanley, they managed to vaccinate only about two nurses of the 25 registered ones.

Some nurses said they wanted to wait till the other doctors got inoculated. Others said they were facing pressure from families to not get the Covid shot.

Top doctors, including State Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan, of the state got vaccinated on Sunday to instil confidence. He said the drive would pick pace gradually.





ALSO READ: 'Wait and watch' approach blamed for for 53% turnout for vaccine in Delhi

On the low turnout, Delhis Health Minister Satyendra Jain said, It can only be speculated why people did not show up... It is voluntary even after registration. The trend in Delhi has been the same as the rest of the country.

While most of the 447 adverse events reported after vaccination were minor, three people needed hospital admission. One of them was discharged from the Northern Railway hospital in Delhi within 24 hours and another from the All Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The third patient is under observation at AIIMS, Rishikesh, and is reportedly stable.



The has received several complaints from states regarding the CoWIN app, which is the backbone of the entire vaccination drive. States were unable to upload sessions and could not access beneficiary details online.

In many states, including West Bengal, hospitals were selecting beneficiaries manually from the list of registered health workers and partially using the digital platform. As of now, we are going ahead with the vaccination on Monday, but a final call will be taken after seeing the preparations in the evening, said officials.

In Maharashtra, too, doctors and nurses who got the doses on Saturday received telephone calls from ward offices asking them to inoculate.

States have selected days in the week when they would vaccinate health workers to ensure regular immunisation work is carried out smoothly.

Lack of coordination between Maharashtra government and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials on Saturday led to conflicting messages on deferring the vaccination drive.





ALSO READ: Pfizer vaccine worries Norway as 29 elderly people die after taking shot

While BMC issued a statement saying the vaccination drive has been pushed back to Monday due to unresolved issues in the CoWIN app, state officials denied any such deferral.

Vaccination was not at all planned on Sunday. There was no question of cancellation, said state Health Secretary Pradeep Vyas.

Most states have picked four days in the week, except Andhra Pradesh which can vaccinate on all six days, except Sunday. Uttar Pradesh will limit itself to two days in a week and scale it up in the coming weeks.

Karnataka, which held vaccinations on Sunday, witnessed some adverse events. We are in no hurry to complete the vaccination drive within one week. We are continuing with it in such a manner that our routine services like maternal and child health care are not hampered, said state Deputy Director (Immunisation) Rajani Nageshrao.

According to the states health department, Covishield will be administered in 237 centres, and Covaxin in six centres, including Bellary, Shimoga, Hassan, Chikmagalur, Chamarajnagar, and Davanagere.

The government had despatched Covaxin to 12 states, while Covishield had been supplied across all states and Union Territories.
MONTREAL - Quebec reported 2,225 new COVID-19 cases and 67 further deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus on Saturday as the province marked one week since instituting a curfew and tougher public health measures.

MONTREAL - Quebec reported 2,225 new COVID-19 cases and 67 further deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus on Saturday as the province marked one week since instituting a curfew and tougher public health measures.

In announcing the most recent tally, Health Minister Christian Dube tweeted Saturday that all Quebecers need to continue to follow public health rules to ensure cases and hospitalizations go down.

People take advantage of the mild weather in a park Friday, January 15, 2021 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Quebec has now reported more than 9,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, but hospitalizations dropped for a second day, this time by 22 for a total of 1,474 patients.

There were also four fewer patients in intensive care for a total of 227.

Among the measures introduced one week ago was a curfew between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. with police dolling out fines to those who are contravening the order.

A group braved a snowstorm to gather in east-end Montreal to denounce the province's decision to employ a police solution, saying the curfew has a "symbolic effect" but only serves to create a "climate of fear."

Organizers said in a statement the provincewide curfew -- a first in Canada -- is "unacceptable", "absurd" and "dangerous," particularly for the most vulnerable in society.

Earlier this week, Dube said it was too early to say whether the new measures, which will last until at least Feb. 8, are having the desired effect.

The hard-hit province has now reported 240,970 confirmed infections and 9,005 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, with 210,364 recoveries.

Quebec currently has 21,640 active cases.

Meanwhile, the province said it was working on an updated vaccine distribution plan after Dube announced Friday that 86,775 of the 176,475 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine won't be delivered as planned between now and Feb. 8.

The drugmaker is upgrading its European production facilities to increase the number of doses it can produce, meaning a reduction in output.

"This decrease in arriving vaccines implies a revision of the objectives presented in recent days," the province's Health Department said in a statement on Friday. "Teams are actively working to establish a new dose distribution plan in accordance with the vaccination priorities established."

On Thursday, Quebec announced its vaccination rollout, which includes waiting between 42 and 90 days to administer a second booster in an effort to vaccinate as many Quebecers as possible amid mounting pressure on the health-care system.

"The strategy adopted by the public health authorities is to immunize as many people as possible with priority groups," the department said. "All vaccine doses received will therefore be used for this purpose."

Quebec has administered 137,856 doses of COVID-19 vaccine including 62,733 people in the past seven days and 10,783 people on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2021.
Then-Republican congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks to a GOP women's group in Rome, Ga., on March 3, 2020. (John Bailey/Rome News-Tribune via AP)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Temporarily Suspended by Twitter

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) announced her personal Twitter account was temporarily suspended by the social media company.

According to a statement from her office on Jan. 17, the Republican freshman congresswoman said the San Francisco-based company claimed she made posts that could lead to a risk of violence.

Officials at Twitter didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

Just days after the Silicon Valley Cartel launched a multi-front attack to chill free speech in America by deplatforming President Donald Trump and purging an unknown number of conservatives, Twitter has decided to suspend my personal account without explanation, Greene said in a statement. The borderline monopolistic stranglehold a few Big Tech companies have on the American political discourse is out of control.

If a conservative dares to utter a political opinion that is deemed unapproved by the internet police, they are now subject to false accusations of inciting violence simply for having a conservative view  the censorship has got to stop.

Greene said that the posts flagged by Twitter asserted that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his chief operating officer, Gabriel Sterling, were responsible for alleged voter fraud in the state on Nov. 3 and during the Jan. 5 Senate runoff elections.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is searched by U.S. Capitol Police after setting off the metal detector outside the doors to the House of Representatives Chamber in Washington on Jan. 12, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

It came more than a week after Twitter suspended President Donald Trumps account following his remarks to supporters in Washington on Jan. 6, as the U.S. Capitol was breached during a joint session of Congress. Later, Trump called on demonstrators not to engage in violence and lawlessness.

Meanwhile, social media platform Parler, which was championed by right-wing commentators, was suspended by Amazon Web Services (AWS) earlier this month. Amazon said the platform failed to moderate users content and asserted that some users made violent threats.

Parler has since filed a lawsuit against AWS to restore its service, while arguing that AWS is engaging in monopolistic practices. The suit noted that Twitter is a major client of AWS.

In her statement, Greene called on Congress to protect free speech on social media platforms.

Americans rights are being stripped and they arent being heard by the people they elected to represent them, she said. And with Big Tech silencing them, they literally cant be heard. The censorship has got to stop.
The Covid-19 pandemic has continued to obstruct trade activities of the leather and footwear industry in the main export markets of Vietnam, including Europe and the US.

Last year, the whole industry exported US$19.5 billion, down 11.5 percent compared to 2019. Currently, Vietnam has controlled the pandemic, so many long-term orders have returned to enterprises. However, experts predict that the difficult situation will last until the end of this year.

Footwear production at Biti's Company. Photo: SGGP

Converting production activities to adapt new situation

Regarding this issue, Ms. Phan Thi Thanh Xuan, an expert from the project on promoting reform and enhancing connectivity of small and medium-sized enterprises funded by the US Agency for International Development, said that the leather and footwear industry had been negatively affected last year since the outbreak of the pandemic. At that time, most enterprises merely had enough materials for production until the first week of March. From March onwards, the pandemic spread from Italy to all countries in Europe and the US, shutting down this market. Almost all stores from Europe to the US were closed, and sales fell freely.



Another problem is that prolonged pandemic has changed the trends, as well as the habits of consumers in the market. More than 60 percent of consumers have cut down expenses on fashion products. About 65 percent of consumers have switched from fast fashion to basic and durable fashion products, and 67 percent care about the quality of the working environment of manufacturing enterprises. Up to now, enterprises encounter difficulties because they cannot find the market for their products and have not changed production in time to meet the new market changes.



To minimize the above difficulties, enterprises have no other choice but to convert production activities, such as increasing the investment in automation, increasing productivity to help reduce costs, building a closed production chain, and gaining independence in raw materials. However, according to Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Thuy, Head of the Department of Integration Strategy and Policy under the Institute of Industrial and Trade Policy and Strategy, out of 3,000 footwear producers, only 17 have designing activities, 400 process intermediate stages or produce auxiliary materials and accessories, and 20 percent of them use automation equipment.

Supporting the establishment of chains



Economic experts said that it is time for Vietnam to look directly at the shortcomings of the domestic footwear industry. First of all, most enterprises produce under the cut, make, and trim (CMT) manufacturing. Because they export through foreign intermediaries, they have not built brands. Enterprises have also failed to grasp information about the trends of markets and customers, so they remain passive in production. Most enterprises only produce upon the orders given by partners.



As for the value chain, domestic enterprises are losing the balance between stages. Particularly, they focus more on the processing of footwear and bag products but less on designing, producing raw materials and auxiliary materials, and branding. The source of input materials is heavily dependent on imports, so it does not meet the requirements of rules of origin of new-generation free trade agreements. Just a few Vietnamese enterprises with big brands play a leading role in establishing the domestic supply chain.



From another perspective, the fashion industry has not received adequate attention and lacked linkage to form a chain. Regarding sustainability, the appraisal of manufacturing enterprises according to sustainability criteria has not been fully implemented. Activities related to traceability and transparency have not been methodically built and fully carried out. Authorities have not had specific criteria to monitor, evaluate, and use them as a foundation to develop policies to support the green and sustainable development of enterprises.



Quickly overcoming the above disadvantages will create conditions for enterprises to accelerate development. Mr. Nguyen Duc Thuan, Chairman of the Vietnam Leather, Footwear, and Handbag Association (Lefaso), said that on average, the world produces 20 billion pairs of shoes annually. Of which, China accounts for 60 percent. Vietnam accounts for a modest percentage of about 5 percent. However, in the context that orders from China are pouring heavily into Vietnam, the opportunity to expand the market share of the Vietnamese leather and footwear industry is great. From the end of last year up to now, long-term orders have returned steadily. Enterprises have actively made production plans until the end of this year.

Mr. Cao Quoc Hung, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, affirmed that the ministry had been promoting the implementation of groups of solutions for sustainable development of the footwear industry. Particularly, it will focus on developing raw materials and auxiliary materials for textile and footwear industries to meet the needs for domestic raw materials and auxiliary materials to meet the rules of origin of free trade agreements. It will step by step support the establishment of the domestic textile, garment, and footwear value chain, focus on developing human resources to meet the needs of enterprises in the fields of management, designing, technology, market development, and research and development. Besides, the Vietnamese textile and garment industry must go green, ensure international standards on environment, safety, labor, and sustainable development. This is also a necessary foundation for footwear enterprises to remove technical barriers and penetrate more deeply and broadly into the global market in the coming time. SGGP

Ai Van

Vietnamese garment and footwear surviving during the coronavirus The Vietnamese garment factories are persuading international brands to use domestic fabrics and raw materials.

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New Delhi, Jan 17 : The CBI has nabbed a senior railway engineering service officer of 1985 batch along with two others in an alleged bribery case of Rs 1 crore, officials said on Sunday.

A CBI officer said, "The arrested railway officer has been identified as Mahendra Singh Chauhan and the amount has also been recovered." The official said that the CBI busted a racket on the allegations that some senior public functionaries of North Eastern Frontier Railways were involved in corrupt practices with private contractors for the on-going projects in the North Eastern Frontier Railways.

He said that the contractors were allegedly being facilitated in awarding the contracts processing of subsequent bills and release of payments by the public functionaries in lieu of illegal gratifications.

CBI has registered a case against Chauhan, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)/Construction-II, North East Frontier Railways, Maligaon, Hem Chand Borah, Deputy Chief Engineer, Laxmi Kant Verma, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEN) and Pawan Baid, Director, ABCI Infrastructures Pvt. Ltd, Bhupendra Rawat, an employee of ABCI Infrastructures Pvt. Ltd., a private person Indra Singh and other unknown persons under relevant sections of IPC and PC Act.

The officer said that it was alleged that the accused were abusing their official position for obtaining illegal gratification.

It was further alleged that the said Director of private company was in contact with said CAO in various on-going projects in NFR region.

He said it was also alleged that on his demand, the said Director through his employee got delivered bribe of Rs one crore to the relative (private person) of said CAO at his residence in Dehradun.

"The accused allegedly exchanging bribe money were caught and the alleged bribe of Rs OneA crore was recovered," the official said.

CBI teams carried out searches at 21 locations including at Delhi, Uttrakhand, Assam, Tripura and West Bengal which led to recovery of cash of Rs 54 lakh.

"An alleged bribe of Rs 60 lakh, which was earlier paid to said Chauhan has also been recovered," he added.
The virus will always get you if you dont move quickly. If you need to be right before you move, you will never win. Perfection is the enemy of the good when it comes to emergency management. Speed trumps perfection. The problem we have in society at the moment is everyone is afraid of making a mistake. Everyone is afraid of the consequence of error. But the greatest error is not to move. So said Michael Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organizations Health Emergencies Programme discussing lessons learned from Ebola responses.

"The virus will always get you if you dont move quickly. If you need to be right before you move, you will never win. Perfection is the enemy of the good when it comes to emergency management. Speed trumps perfection. The problem we have in society at the moment is everyone is afraid of making a mistake. Everyone is afraid of the consequence of error. But the greatest error is not to move." So said Michael Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organizations Health Emergencies Programme discussing lessons learned from Ebola responses.

It is abundantly clear from my perch the vaccine rollout in Manitoba has been an unmitigated disaster. This isnt about partisanship  its about competence. When it comes to managing the rollout of a lifesaving vaccine, we in Manitoba specifically, and Canada in general, should not be boasting about our performance.

Earlier this week Premier Pallister sent out a Facebook message showing a 95 year-old woman getting her first vaccine shot. She was the first Manitoba senior to get inoculated. It was a great photo and a wonderful personal moment. Sadly, it comes far too late for a number of Manitobans  our friends and neighbours  whose lives may have been saved had we been more organized. We werent.

Consider this note from Paul Samyn, editor of the Winnipeg Free Press: "Heres an important point of reference: as of Friday, the two COVID vaccines will have been in the province for a month. As of the last report from the province, only 10,353 doses have been administered." He emailed this note out on Tuesday night.

As of that same day, the Federal Government had delivered 25,825 doses of the vaccine to Manitoba. That is, we have used roughly 40 percent of the doses available.

Meanwhile, by comparison, Israel is now vaccinating their 55 year-olds. The vaccine information was available to all of us at the same time. Why they have inoculated over twenty percent of their total population while we have inoculated roughly one percent of Manitobans?

They bought their vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, just as we have. So what am I missing?

Ive heard explanations including the need for special refrigerators. Well, with respect, the vaccines must be used within five days of thaw in order to be effective. You could drive from Winnipeg with the vaccine to Brandon in 2 hours  this is a false argument.

Heres the reality  we are not particularly innovative or flexible. We appear to have given control of this rollout to a tiny number of bureaucrats and politicians who havent puzzled out relatively simple logistics. This is simply about getting vaccines in arms.

Remember this Pallister comment from December 3rd: "Our team of hundreds of dedicated Manitobans has been planning and preparing for months for a vaccination campaign that will be unlike anything else this province has ever seen. We are assembling the necessary people, equipment and other resources so we can rapidly stand up a large-scale, super-site vaccine campaign, as soon as the vaccine is delivered."

If this is unlike Manitoba has ever seen, my sense would be that the level of incompetence may be unmatched. To borrow from a friend, we have reached a new high  in low.

We expect Conservatives to manage. This isnt about policy ideas  its about pure logistics. This is about organizing, distributing and putting needles in arms.

It is time for Manitobans to demand better. We should expect our governments, Federal and Provincial, to show us why this rollout has been so uncoordinated, just as they need to explain to us, using real facts, why so much of our economy is shuttered. Enough with the talk  show us the facts.

Im so tired of governments blaming each other. Is it Trudeau? Pallister? Who cares? Get the vaccines moving. It is not Prime Minister Trudeaus fault we have used so few of the vaccine doses delivered to Manitoba. In fact, according to a CBC report from January 12th, Manitoba ranks as the second-worst province in terms of vaccines doses used relative to doses distributed from the Feds.

Are people getting the virus in restaurants? Barbershops? The Saskatchewan data told us that was not the case. This information was not shared by Manitoba officials.

In my business, I speak with clients who are telling me how they invested in their businesses to meet our governments stringent regulations and yet, without data, saw their businesses shuttered and lives damaged immeasurably. These folks understand the dangers of COVID, as do I, but they also ask why they cant follow the governments own rules, act responsibly, and reopen.

We appear to be managing this crisis through fear and orders. We dont provide data to Manitobans to explain decisions. Their opinions are not welcomed while capricious orders are issued that impact every part of our economy and lives. Show us you can manage the rollout and we might give you the benefit of the doubt.
Some of Donald Trump's evangelical supporters are staying loyal to the outgoing President despite last week's attack on the Capitol.

Evangelist Franklin Graham blasted the 10 Republicans who voted with the Democrats to impeach Trump over the deadly assault by the President's supporters.

"Shame, shame on the ten Republicans who joined with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats in impeaching President Trump yesterday," he wrote in a strongly worded Facebook post.

"After all that he has done for our country, you would turn your back and betray him so quickly? We have never had a president like him in my lifetime."

He then went on to praise Trump for his track record on a number of key policy areas like employment, taxation, China and the Middle East.

"He gave us lower taxes, a strong economy, and low unemployment. He made NATO take notice and pay their own way," he said.

"He had the guts to take on North Korea and meet with their leader personally. He didn't let China walk all over us. Just his Mideast peace initiatives in the last couple of months deserve a Nobel Peace Prize."



Graham, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, also praised Trump for his commitment to the unborn and people of faith.

"He has defended religious liberty like no president before him, and that matters to all people of faith ... He was also the most pro-life president we have ever had."

He said the Democrats had been driven to impeach Trump "because they hate him" and said the Republicans who voted in favour of impeachment had "joined in the feeding frenzy".

"It makes you wonder what the thirty pieces of silver were that Speaker Pelosi promised for this betrayal," he said.

Some critics accused Graham of wrongly likening Trump to Jesus Christ, who was sold for 30 pieces of silver, but he said that impeaching the president would only further divide the country.

"President Trump isn't a perfect person. I don't support or agree with some of the things the President said and did the last couple of weeks. January 6 was a low point in his presidency," Graham said.

"We knew he had flaws when he ran for office in 2016. But I, and millions of others, voted for him because of the platform and policies he promised. I still support those.

"The Democrats have been trying to get rid of the President since the day he took office. What they did yesterday only further divides our nation. I hope President-elect Biden will keep his word and work for unity as he has said."

Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, has also defended Trump against impeachment.

Writing after the impeachment vote, he said: "At the end of the day, this impeachment isn't about banning the president from running for office again.

"The Left lives in a swamp of hypocrites. They say they want to bring civility back. But who can watch what unfolded today and believe it? No one is saying Trump is blameless. What they are saying is that it's time for Democrats to stop using these crisis points to sow further resentment, division, and turmoil."



Reposted with permission from Christian Today
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Brussels, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jan, 2021 ) :More than 100 people have been infected with the UK strain of the coronavirus at a Belgian retirement home, its director told AFP on Sunday.

Three residents died after the virus began spreading at the De Groene Verte home in Houthulst, northwestern Belgium, Jurgen Duyck said.

A total of 111 people have been confirmed as infected, including 39 staff members. The cluster represents two-thirds of the home's residents.

The British variant -- believed to be more infectious than previous strains of Covid-19 -- was also detected in eight residents and an unknown number of staff at a home for people with disabilities in the same area, the Belga news agency reported.

Belgium has suffered one of the world's worst per capita death rates from the coronavirus, with nursing homes representing more than half of overall deaths from the disease, according to the Public Health Institute.

Mayor Joris Hindryckx said the outbreak in Houthulst had prompted a halt to "all social and sporting activities" in the town of around 10,000 people.

The source of the contamination is unknown, but the mayor said the infection must have been "indirect" as none of those testing positive at the retirement home was known to have travelled to Britain.

He said those infected must quarantine for 10 days instead of the usual seven.

But an epidemiologist urged a "full lockdown" in Houthulst and called for all inhabitants to be tested.

Writing in the daily Le Soir, Yves Coppieters said: "We have the foundations of a third wave of contaminations.

" He also told Belgian tv channel La Une that "if there is already a cluster of this intensity, there are sure to be others".

Without blanket testing, "we won't succeed against a variant that is a lot more contagious," he warned.

On Friday, Yves Van Laethem, spokesman for Belgium's health authorities, said there were already several dozen cases of both the British and the South African strains of the coronavirus in the country, adding that "other strains could emerge".

He noted that the Pfizer vaccine, the one most widely used in Belgium, is effective against the two variant strains.

Residents of the Houthulst retirement home were set to be vaccinated against Covid-19 this week, but the programme was postponed because of the large number of Covid patients, Hindryckx said.

The elderly are the priority target in the vaccination campaign, which according to official figures had reached 17.26 percent of retirement home residents and staff by January 13 with the first dose of the vaccine, which is to be followed up by a second dose.

Belgian authorities said Saturday that a delay in deliveries of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses would not affect the vaccination of this segment of the population.

The country recorded 16.6 percent excess deaths last year attributed mainly to Covid-19.

Since the start of the pandemic, Belgium has recorded 677,209 cases and 20,396 deaths.
In the past four years, President Donald Trump's administration has implemented or at least proposed dozens of changes in environmental laws and rules that affect Louisiana businesses and residents. Many of the changes have been cheered by industry and by Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, but have been opposed by environment and health advocates who now expect Joe Biden eventually to reverse them after he becomes president Wednesday.

Soon after taking office in 2016, Trump made clear through a series of executive orders that his administration would try to speed federal permitting processes and to eliminate numerous rules affecting both industry and state and local governments.

To Cabinet-level positions overseeing the Environmental Protection Agency and the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Interior and Transportation, he appointed people supportive of his efforts to reduce regulations affecting business and industry, including the rewriting of dozens of environmental rules.

The result was a lengthy list of proposed or finalized changes, some of which are continuing to appear daily in the Federal Register, the compendium of federal regulations, just before Biden takes office. Many of those changes have already been challenged in court by environmental groups  and sometimes by the regulated industries the changes purport to help.

In Louisiana, the Trump administration's changes to speed infrastructure projects  some of which were begun during the Barack Obama administration  held out the promise of knocking several years off the lengthy federal permitting process for the state's keystone coastal restoration projects: the $1.4 billion Mid-Barataria and $800 million Mid-Breton sediment diversions.

Many Trump administration changes have found favor from the parent companies of Louisiana petrochemical facilities, electric utilities, farmers and land developers.

Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion A mock-up of the proposed $1.4 billion Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, from a 2019 update provided to the state Coastal Protection and Resto

In opposition were environmental groups, fishery activists and community groups. They said some of the changes threatened human health, their constituents' livelihoods or other interests.

Here are some of the rule changes that might affect Louisiana and that the Biden administration might target for modification:

Infrastructure permitting

The Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton projects would divert sediment from the Mississippi River into nearby wetlands, in hopes of building more earth in southeast Louisiana. They are listed under FAST-41, a program initially set up by Congress during the Obama administration.

Trump administration changes require coordination among federal agencies to speed permitting. A draft environmental impact statement for the Mid-Barataria project is expected to be released in March, with a possible final permit completed by the end of the year  at least a year faster than initially scheduled.

Independently, Congress declared that both projects met the requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in protecting bottlenose dolphins and other marine mammals. Fishers who oppose the projects say it remains unclear whether environmental issues involving the dolphins, including increased freshwater flow that might harm them, will now be addressed by the impact statement or the permit.

BP to spend $1.3 billion on Atlantis Gulf oilfield BP's Thunder Horse platform sit in the Gulf of Mexico at sunrise on June 12, 2013. (Photo by Marc Morrison, BP)

Gulf of Mexico oil, gas production

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management fast-tracked environmental reviews for additional lease sales for oil and gas development in much of the Gulf of Mexico, and held a number of lease sales to speed drilling operations. This won support from industry and from politicians who see it as a way to protect Louisiana jobs.

Part of the Trump administration's effort was to allow more seismic testing, which environmental groups oppose as a threat to marine mammals. The opponents also say additional oil and gas wells will produce more greenhouse gases, which will exacerbate the states coastal land loss.

Endangered Species Act

In mid-December, the administration completed Endangered Species Act changes that supporters say would add clarity and speed to the process of deciding what species needed protections.

"Their updates to the Endangered Species Act establish proper thresholds and criteria that will increase regulatory efficiency and enhance the cooperative relationship between the states and the federal government," Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said after the administration's 2019 changes to the regulations.

Critics say the changes severely limit federal agencies efforts to identify land as critical habitat for the survival of some species, including bottlenose dolphins, red-cockaded woodpeckers, several fish species and Louisiana black bears.

Louisiana black bear In this May 17, 2015, file photo, A Louisiana black bear, sub-species of the black bear that was protected under the Endangered Species Act, l

President Trump has cemented his legacy as the most anti-wildlife president in history, said Stephanie Kurose, a senior policy specialist with the Center for Biological Diversity, on the day the final rule was published. Todays rule will have devastating consequences for some of Americas most iconic species, including the grizzly bear, whooping cranes and Pacific salmon.

National Environmental Policy Act

The National Environmental Policy Act makes federal agencies assure that major federal actions dont significantly affect the environment. In July, the administration cut the time needed to issue permits, including a requirement that comprehensive environmental impact statements be completed in two years. As an example of the potential effect such a hard deadline could cause, the Mid-Barataria diversion permit process began in June 2016, but a final permit is not scheduled until April 2022.

Noranda alumina plant The Noranda alumina plant in Gramercy is shown Feb. 24, 2016. The company received a state permit for mercury emissions in 2017. (Photo by Dav

Clean Air Act

In December, the EPA adopted a final rule making major changes in the ability of regulators to measure the financial costs of clean air regulations against health benefits. The new rule prohibits recognizing what are called co-benefits, health improvements that result when chemicals other than those targeted by a regulation are also reduced by the regulation's requirements.

The rule change could aid permitting and ease regulation on a number of petrochemical and electric utility plants in Louisiana.

In recommending the rule, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler decried Obama administration restrictions on the release of mercury and other air toxins from coal-fired power plants. The Obama-era rule looked at benefits from reduced ozone formation and other health improvements, beyond simply the effects of removing mercury, in determining the benefits outweighed the cost to utilities of reducing emissions.

Environmentalists and health activists say removing the additional health benefits from the weighting method conflicts with the reason that Congress adopted the Clean Air Act, which was to reduce health effects of all emissions.

Gas pumps Employee Ronald Paul wipes down one of the gasoline pumps at the Circle K at Doucet Road and Johnston Street in Lafayette on March 18, 2020. I

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Ozone air quality

On Dec. 31, the EPA decided against reducing limits on nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, which combine to form ozone in ground-level air, despite numerous recommendations by health officials that reducing the emissions would reduce asthma and other breathing illnesses in high-ozone areas.

In the first half of the Trump administration, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality successfully removed the five-parish area around Baton Rouge from being listed as in non-attainment in 2018, after showing that the area met the threshold of 70 parts per billion of ozone, the level reconfirmed by the EPA in December.

If the level were reduced to 65 parts per billion, as recommended by health professionals, restrictions on emissions at gasoline station pumps in the Baton Rouge area would have to be reinstituted, and New Orleans, too, likely would have had to adopt the pump restrictions. In addition, petrochemical plants and oil refineries in areas not meeting the 65 ppb standard might also have to adopt new emission restrictions.

Particle pollution

In December, the EPA decided not to reduce emission levels for both fine particles, called PM2.5 because the particles are 2.5 micrograms per cubic meters or less, and coarse particles, or PM10. Supporters, including the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute, say industry already has made great strides in reducing particle emissions and more restrictive rules aren't needed.

Opponents, including many health professionals, contend that existing levels of fine particulates are responsible for 45,000 deaths a year. Environmental groups and some state attorneys general say higher death rates are more often found in in communities of color and lower income. In Louisiana, environmental activists in St. James Parish point to high particulate matter levels as a contributing factor for the higher rate of COVID-19 deaths there and in other parishes along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

EPA refuses to tighten rules on particulate pollution, linked by scientists to coronavirus deaths ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published.

'Once in, always in'

In November, the EPA changed a rule that required a once in, always in policy for plants that are being permitted as major hazardous air pollution sources. Under the old rule, even if the company made production changes that reduced emissions below the major rule requirements, it must comply with what could be expensive requirements to equip the plant with maximum available control technology. The Trump administration changes let the company adopt less stringent regulations required for so-called area sources.

Critics such as Eric Schaeffer, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project, say the changed rule lets companies increase emissions from the reductions required under the major source rules to levels just below the amount where they would again be a "major" source. That could result in large increases in emissions.

Lead and copper pipes

In December, the EPA published a final rule that for the first time requires testing for lead by water utilities at schools and other sites but more than doubles the time for requiring replacement of service line pipes with high lead levels from 14 years. Supporters say the changes will improve efforts to reduce lead poisoning in children.

Critics contend the change lets water utilities take more time to replace lead or lead-soldered pipes in their distribution systems, an effort intended to reduce harmful levels of lead in drinking water. New Orleans and other Louisiana public water systems have run into problems with lead found in water in the past.

Get the lead out Orleans Parish School board member Nolan Marshall, fourth from left, receives a complaint from A Community Voice organizer Jo Ann Jackson, lef

Consumer energy, water conservation

Trump has repeatedly complained about - and ordered changes in - a variety of regulations from past administrations to encourage consumers to conserve energy and water. Examples include restrictions on water flow through shower heads and the use of incandescent light bulbs.

"So shower heads: You take a shower; the water doesnt come out. You want to wash your hands; the water doesnt come out," Trump said in July. He said consumers - not federal regulators - should determine what kinds of conservation devices they should use.

Opponents say modern versions of the water equipment and light bulbs already are providing the same services to the public, without wasting water or energy. They say the water devices are important in areas with low water supplies, and that energy-saving devices also reduce carbon emissions.

Migratory birds

In February, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service proposed redefining the scope of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to quit prohibiting the incidental take  harming or killing  of migratory birds. The change could make it easier on contractors that are rebuilding coastal wetlands at times when migratory birds are roosting. Critics say it also could let rice and crawfish farmers kill birds disturbing their crops.

Cormorants in waiting As cormorants line up atop crawfish traps in a rice pond, waiting for a good meal, one takes off. (Photo by Travis Spradling, The Advocate)

Science in rulemaking

On Jan. 7, the EPA published a final science transparency rule to limit the agencys reliance on scientific studies that dont provide public access to underlying data or methods. Under the new rule, if a health study was based on information collected from hundreds of test subjects, and the identities of those subjects were kept secret for privacy reasons, the information could not be used in rulemaking.

"The American public deserves to know which studies we are using to craft our regulations, which of those studies are key or pivotal to our decisions and, to the extent possible, that data should be available for the public to see," Wheeler said in announcing the final rule.

Environmental and science professional groups have objected to the new rule, as has the EPAs own Science Advisory Board. They say it weakens the use of science in policymaking, because most in-depth, health-based science studies are conducted using such privacy protections.

Lets call this rule what it is: a deliberate attempt to exclude scientific evidence from the policymaking process, said Sudip Parikh, chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which represents more than 120,000 scientists worldwide. It puts the EPAs mission and our public health at risk

+6 Trump administration takes aim at bird protection law that hit BP with $100 million oil spill fine In its last weeks, President Donald Trumps administration is rolling back a landmark bird conservation law that led to more than $100 million

+3 Trump administration moves forward with Gulf fish farming plan despite court decision Floating cages with fish by the thousands may be popping up in the Gulf of Mexico after all.

+6 'Game-changer' ruling could restrict chemical dispersants on next big oil spill A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump's administration to update its oil spill response plans and potentially limit the use of th
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Crews recovered the body of missing boater, Theresa Parker of Hamilton County, around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Recovery efforts had been underway since Friday, when Ms. Parker and two others capsized a canoe on Chickamauga Lake near Sequoyah Nuclear Plant.

There were no life jackets aboard the canoe.

Responding crews found one man on shore and boat crews found one woman along the bank. Both were transported to CHI Memorial Hospital in Hixson suffering from cold water immersion symptoms.

Harsh weather including water temperatures around 47 degrees Fahrenheit and strong winds along with a strong water current made search and recovery efforts difficult.

Ms. Parkers body will be transported to the Hamilton County Medical Examiners office.

TWRA along with the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office, Hamilton County STARS Rescue Service, Hamilton County Marine Rescue and Tennessee State Parks searched through various means including towfish sector scan sonar, bank searches, side scan sonar, remote operated vehicles and drone.
More Americans may soon be able to take more than three months of paid leave from work for sickness or to care for children and family members during the pandemic, if Congress approves a plan proposed by President-elect Biden.

Last spring, the first coronavirus relief package included paid leave. But a limited group of workers was eligible, and it expired in December. Now, as part of a wide-ranging plan to respond to the pandemic, the incoming administration has proposed reinstating and significantly expanding it.

What kind of reasons can it be used for?

Mr. Biden proposed offering paid leave to people who are:

Sick with Covid-19 symptoms

Quarantining because of Covid-19 exposure

Needing time off to get the vaccine

Caring for family members who are sick with Covid-19 symptoms

Caring for children whose school or day care center is closed because of the pandemic

Caring for older relatives or adult dependents whose long-term care facility is closed because of the pandemic

Who would qualify?

Nearly all American workers, both part-time and full-time. Analysts said the plan would cover 106 million more workers than last years paid leave plan, which excluded those at companies with more than 500 employees; many of those at companies with fewer than 50 employees; and some health care and government workers. These groups would now be covered. So would self-employed and gig economy workers  they would probably receive tax credits based on their typical pay.

Why does paid leave matter right now?

Paid leave expired just as the pandemic became even harder on American workers. Record numbers of people are becoming infected with Covid-19, and many schools and child care centers remain closed.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Before attorney Albert Bacon Fall became a U.S. Senator from New Mexico and, later, Secretary of Interior, he was connected to several infamous violent incidents in the state.

At Interior, he steered the lease of lucrative oil fields in Wyoming and California to his wealthy cronies and, in 1929, aged 68, he was convicted of bribery in the Teapot Dome scandal, which began to unravel in 1921. On hearing the jurys verdict, Fall, now the first cabinet member in U.S. history to be convicted of a felony, slumped forward in his wheelchair, author Laton McCartney wrote in his book The Teapot Dome Scandal.

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Fall had once disarmed gunfighter John Wesley Hardin, according to McCartney. Angry, he was as dangerous as a diamondback rattler, he wrote of Fall.

Paul Hutton, a distinguished professor of history at the University of New Mexico who specializes in American history and history of the American West, said Fall was infamous.

While an attorney, Fall represented Jessie Wayne Brazel, who had admitted killing Pat Garrett, Billy the Kids killer, in 1908 near Las Cruces.

He (Brazel) said he shot Garrett in a dispute over grazing land, he shot him in the back while Garrett was urinating and Fall got him off on self-defense, Hutton said, in a recent telephone interview.

Everyone knew the fix was in and it was all a sham. Brazel may not even have done the killing, it may have been a hired killer that Garretts enemies had brought in, according to Hutton. Obviously, Fall was a good lawyer, I guess.

The Garrett killing was not the only southern New Mexico crime in which Falls name is mentioned.

Garrett was investigating the murder of Albert Jennings Fountain from many years before, which was New Mexicos most famous unsolved murder, and that was making a lot of the ranchers down there uncomfortable, said Hutton.

Fountain, also an attorney, was a wealthy rancher and served in the New Mexico House of Representatives, and according to McCartneys book, was an enemy of Fall.

Fountain and his young son both went missing one summer day in 1896 as they rode home on a buckboard, never to be seen again, McCartney wrote.

Proof of Falls involvement was lacking, but to this day the Fountain family believes that Fall was somehow responsible for the disappearance of father and son, he wrote.

In 1923, former New Mexico Territory Governor Miguel Otero wrote to a Senate investigation of Falls involvement in Teapot Dome,

The bodies of Colonel Fountain and his little son were never found, and the case was never tried,' McCartney reported.
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The United States Department of State has released a fact sheet of the activity at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The COVID-19 pandemic which saw its first outbreak in a wet market in Wuhan, China last year has now spread all across the world. However, the origin of the virus is not yet clear. As per the fact sheet, the department says that the virus could have emerged from human contact with infected animals or through a laboratory accident. The report says, Scientists in China have researched animal-derived coronaviruses under conditions that increased the risk for accidental and potentially unwitting exposure.

Major elements

The fact sheet highlights three major elements about the COVID-19 virus- Illnesses inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Research at the WIV and Secret military activity at the WIV. The reports revealed that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019. This was before the first outbreak. The reports say that this raises questions about the credibility of WIV senior researcher Shi Zhenglis public claim that there was zero infection among the WIVs staff and students of SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-related viruses. It also talks about how accidental infections in Chinese labs have contributed to previous virus outbreaks.

Read: US Announces Fresh Sanctions On Iran In Final Days Of Trump To Curb Nuclear Programs

The reports urged that the WHO investigators must have access to the records of the WIVs work on bats and other coronaviruses before the COVID-19 outbreak. The team landed in Wuhan after a lot of controversies. After the team landed, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged that there was COVID-like illness among staff at a Chinese virology institute in autumn 2019. In a press statement, the top US Official again blamed Beijing for the outbreak of the deadly virus and urged the WHO to press the government of China on the new information. The 15-member international team of health experts had arrived in China on Thursday and they are taken with probing into the origins of the lethal coronavirus infection that has killed nearly two billion people across the globe.

The team also determined that the WIV has collaborated on publications and secret projects with Chinas military. The report says, The WIV has engaged in classified research, including laboratory animal experiments, on behalf of the Chinese military since at least 2017". It added, "The United States and other donors who funded or collaborated on civilian research at the WIV have a right and obligation to determine whether any of our research funding was diverted to secret Chinese military projects at the WIV".

Read: US Treasury Releases First Payroll Support Payments To Major American Airlines

Two WHO members test positive

The unprecedented coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan in late 2019 and since it has infected tens of millions of people across the globe. The Trump administration has repeatedly blamed China for the outbreak with the President routinely calling it the China Virus. WHO, on the other hand, has said that establishing the pathway of the virus from animals to humans is essential to preventing future outbreaks.

Meanwhile, upon arrival in Wuhan, two members of the international team have tested positive for coronavirus antibodies. According to WHO, the 15-member team had undergone COVID-19 tests in their home countries prior to leaving for Wuhan, however, upon reaching Singapore, two members of the team tested positive for Immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies, but negative for PCR. WHO has said that the two scientists are still in Singapore undergoing tests for COVID-19 for both IgM and IgG antibodies.

Read: US Navy Sonar Could Be Behind Increased Whale Beachings In Pacific: Study

Also Read: US Re-designates Pakistan's LJ, LeT As Foreign Terrorist Outfits: State Department

(Image Credits: AP/Unsplash)
The share of India's active COVID-19 cases, which stand at 2,08,826, has fallen below 2 per cent of the total caseload for the first time, the Union health ministry said on Sunday.

The ministry attributed the fall to the steady decline in the daily cases.

"For the first time, India's share of active cases within the total positive cases has shrunk below 2 per cent (1.98 per cent)," the ministry said in a statement.

The country has reported less than 20,000 daily cases over the past 10 days, it said.

The total recovered cases -- 10,196,885 -- exceed active cases by 99,88,059.

According to the ministry, has recorded less than 300 daily deaths for the last 23 days.

The ministry said six states and union territories accounted for66.30 per cent of the181case fatalities reported the previous day.

India's COVID-19 caseload climbed to 1,05,57,985 on Sunday with 15,144 fresh infections while recoveries surged to 1,01,96,885, pushing the national recovery rate to 96.58 per cent, according to data released by the ministry.

The death toll increased to 1,52,274 with 181 more fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

(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.)
France and Russia prepared to beef up their coronavirus inoculation programmes next week, even as authorities sought to allay concerns about supplies of the vaccines while the global pandemic shows no sign of being brought under control.

With infections surging past 94 million and more than two million deaths -- and Europe among the hardest-hit regions -- France and Russia were hoping to shift their vaccination programmes into a higher gear from Monday.

That is when France, which saw its death toll rise past 70,000 at the weekend, is set to begin inoculating people over 75 and Russia will begin mass vaccinations.

The vaccination campaigns come amid concerns that delays in the delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could hamper the rollout in Europe, which critics have already condemned as too slow.

US drugmaker Pfizer, which developed the jab in collaboration with Germany's BioNTech, said it was working to "significantly" scale up production at its plant in Belgium in the second quarter.

After a short delay, deliveries should be back to the original schedule to the EU from January 25.

"There's a dip," France's Europe minister Clement Beaune told Franceinfo radio.

"But it's better that it happens now when we have stockpiles than when the wider vaccination campaign starts."

- Tighter curbs -

Until vaccination is widespread, countries across the globe are still having to rely on lockdowns, curfews and social distancing to control the spread of the virus.

Switzerland and Italy are tightening their restrictions from Monday and Britain will require all arrivals to quarantine and show negative tests.

Newspaper reports suggested the UK could try to emulate countries such as Australia and New Zealand in requiring travellers to self-isolate in hotels at their own expense.

Foreign minister Dominic Raab said such a system could be difficult to manage but "we need to look at that very carefully based on the experience of other countries".

Austria, currently in its third national lockdown, said that the current curbs will be extended by another two weeks until February 8.

Oman said it will close its land borders for one week, possibly two, starting Monday over concerns about new variants of coronavirus, according to the official Oman News Agency. Air travel remains open.

- Good start in India -

India's vaccination drive got off to a successful start with more than 224,000 people receiving their first jabs and just three people hospitalised after side effects, the health ministry said Sunday, as reports emerged about concerns over a homegrown vaccine.

Authorities have given emergency-use approval for two jabs -- "Covishield", a version of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and the Indian-made "Covaxin", which has yet to complete its Phase 3 trials.

The government plans to immunise some 300 million people out of its population of 1.3 billion by July.

In Israel, the prison service said it would begin vaccinating all prison inmates, including Palestinians, following calls from right groups, Palestinian officials and Israel's attorney general.

Israel has given at least one vaccine dose to more than two million of its citizens, a pace widely described as the world's fastest per capita.

But the Jewish state faced harsh criticism when Public Security Minister Amir Ohana said Palestinian prisoners would be the last to get inoculated.

Spain on Sunday began administering second vaccine doses to people who had already received the first at the end of December, mostly nursing home residents and care staff.

In Norway, where 13 frail elderly people died after a first vaccine injection, the Medical Medicines Agency, after assessing the cases, suggested last week that the deaths could be linked to side effects of the jab.

But agency official Steinar Madsen told public broadcaster NRK that the there was no cause for alarm.

"It is quite clear that these vaccines present very little risk, with the minimal exception of the most fragile patients," he said.

- Belgian cluster -

In Belgium, 111 people in an elderly care home -- or two-thirds of all residents and staff -- tested positive for the British variant of the novel coronavirus, which is feared to be more contagious. Three of them have died.

Belgium has registered 20,396 Covid-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

In the world of sports, Australian Open chief Craig Tiley said the Grand Slam tournament will still begin next month, even as problems mounted for organisers as another 25 players were quarantined for two weeks.

A total of 72 players are now confined to their hotel rooms in Melbourne for 14 days, and barred from practising, after coming into contact with Covid-19 cases on flights to Australia.

The tournament was thrown into disarray on Saturday when three people tested positive for Covid-19 on two of the 17 charter flights bringing players and their entourages to Melbourne and Adelaide.

A fourth person, a member of a broadcast team on one of the same flights tested positive on Sunday.

Quarantine rules mean 47 players will not be allowed out to train but organisers said the tournament was still set to begin on February 8.

Short link:


Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-18 01:19:49|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- About a month after COVID-19 vaccine rollout began in the United States, it is still impossible for the public and the media to track the rollout of vaccines in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other long-term-care facilities (LTCF) in most states, said a latest report of The COVID Tracking Project.

In most states, the details of vaccine rollouts across the country's LTCF remain "closely guarded," according to the report.

The vaccine rollout in the United States has drawn great public attention since it started on Dec. 14 last year.

Health experts and officials have blamed states for slow vaccine rollout. The country planned to inject 20 million Americans by the end of 2020. However, only about 12.28 million total doses have been administered as of Jan. 15, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In the meantime, the lack of vaccine distribution data in LTCF raises public concern.

"For the last month, the public has had minimal visibility into the roll out of COVID-19 vaccines to long-term-care facilities," said The COVID Tracking Project in the report.

Last week, South Carolina published the names of nursing homes and other LTCF where residents and staff have been vaccinated. States and the CDC should follow suit, said the report.

"This is the first facility-level vaccination data we've seen from a U.S. state, and it's a crucial step in transparency around vaccine distribution to these most vulnerable populations," said the report.

U.S. LTCF population has been hit hard by the virus since the beginning of the pandemic. According to the tracking project, less than 1 percent of U.S. residents live in LTCF, but deaths among LTCF staff and residents make up at least 37 percent of the nation's total COVID-19 deaths.

As of Jan. 7, more than 133,000 COVID-19 deaths were reported among LTCF residents and staff, according to the tracking project.

In early December, the CDC recommended a phased distribution list for early COVID-19 vaccines, with healthcare personnel and LTCF residents in Phase 1a of the vaccination program, and then Phase 1b which includes those aged 75 years and older and frontline essential workers.

Phase 1c includes persons aged 65 to 74 years and aged 16 to 64 with high-risk medical conditions, and essential workers not recommended for vaccination in Phase 1b.

The United States started to administer the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines to LTCF population on Dec. 28. Enditem
Axios

While Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) was out of state at a conference, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R) issued an executive order Thursday banning mask mandates in school and public buildings, AP reports.Why it matters: Little never issued a statewide mask mandate, but there have been some in counties, cities and schools. McGeachin announced last week she was running for governor, challenging Little who has only served one term, and her order could appeal to far-right voters in the state.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Little's office told AP that McGeachin did not tell the governor about the order in advance. Throughout the pandemic, Gov. Little has been committed to protecting the health and safety of the people of Idaho and has emphasized the importance of Idahoans choosing to protect our neighbors and loved ones and keeping our economy and schools open, Little spokesperson Marissa Morrison saidBackground: In March, McGeachin participated in an anti-mask protest, the Washington Post reported, and she suggested last year that the pandemic may or may not be occurring."According to AP, Idaho has recorded more than 190,000 cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and roughly 2,000 deaths.What she's saying: Ive been listening to people all across the state with the concern about, especially, why are little kids being forced to wear masks in school, McGeachin told AP.My oath to the Constitution is to protect those rights and freedoms of the individual, and Ive never supported any type of a mandate on the individual, especially when it comes to health care choices.McGeachin said she had contracted the virus in 2019 and now has a "natural immunity," per AP.Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin issued an executive order banning mask mandates, not face masks. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a management agreement with Saleh Alsalamah and Partner Companies, to open Holiday Inn Jeddah Corniche.

Having signed Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz last year with the same partner, this latest development is part of IHGs dedicated efforts to increase its midscale portfolio in the region.

Once completed, Holiday Inn Jeddah Corniche will be IHGs third Holiday Inn hotel in Jeddah, joining Holiday Inn Jeddah Gateway and Holiday Inn Jeddah  Al Salam.

Expected to open in January 2022, the 156-room property will be strategically located behind the corniche road, near Jeddah Waterfront, InterContinental Jeddah and Crowne Plaza Jeddah. The hotel is also in close proximity to one of the citys must-see attractions, Jeddah Corniche, offering long stretches of sandy beaches, a winding pier and lush parklands, making it the ideal destination for business and leisure travellers alike.

Holiday Inn Jeddah Corniche will feature well-appointed guest rooms, excellent facilities including a business centre, two meeting rooms (450-sq-m in total) as well as a state-of-the-art gymnasium, spa and pool for guests to relax and rejuvenate. Furthermore, guests will have three dining options offering an excellent selection of food and beverages.

Commenting on the signing, Matthew Tripolone, Vice President, Development, Middle East and Africa, IHG said: We are proud to partner with Saleh Alsalamah and Partner Companies once again to add another Holiday Inn hotel to our growing portfolio in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Given the continued progress on Saudi Arabias Vision 2030 projects, we expect a continued need for midscale hotel accommodation in key cities such as Jeddah and Riyadh. We believe that upon opening in 2022, Holiday Inn Jeddah Corniche will be well suited to the diverse guest profile visiting the country; the perfect choice for corporate and leisure travellers.

Sheikh Saleh Hossain Al-Salamah, Chairman of the Board, Saleh Alsalamah and Partner Companies added: We see significant opportunities in Saudi Arabia for the midscale hotel market and IHGs global reputation is a key driver behind our investment in the brand. The Holiday Inn brand has an international appeal and we are confident that this latest hotel will perform successfully and cater to the increasing demand for midscale accommodation in the country. We are certain that Holiday Inn Jeddah Corniche will offer guests a comfortable and quality option for visitors to Jeddah and play a key role in the citys future too.

IHG currently operates 95 hotels across seven brands in the Middle East, including: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, voco and Six Senses with a further 42 in the development pipeline due to open within the next three to five years. - TradeArabia News Service
The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the American Baptist minister whose name is synonymous with the civil rights struggle of African Americans, is celebrated every year on Jan. 18.

This year's celebration  considering the Black Lives Matter protests of this summer, considering COVID-19 which disproportionately affects communities of color, and considering the fraught presidential transition  just might take on a particular urgency.

Putting this compilation together for MLK Day events in Indy, I immediately thought of Professor Leslie Etienne, who works in both the School of Educations Teacher Education Department and in Africana Studies Program at the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

Etienne became the new director of the newly established Africana Studies Program at IUPUI this fall. The Center has a new office in the Madam Walker Legacy Center, which is presenting, along with Indiana University, A Call to Action, Then and Now on MLK Day (See more below).

According to Etienne, there is a direct connection between the civil rights protests of the 1960s, in places like Selma, Alabama, and the Black Lives Matter protests of the last summer.

Another commonality between the two periods, he said, are attempts to cast aspersions on Black resistance movements.

Martin Luther King, who of course is canonized in the social imaginary; one of the things that he talked about was police brutality, Etienne said.

Hopefully January 18, despite the fraught circumstances, will provide some an opportunity to reflect on Dr. Martin Luther Kings legacy  and his wide vision for social justice and racial healing.

All events take place on MLK Day, Monday, January 18. Entrance and/or participation in these events is free unless stated otherwise. Please check the websites as advanced tickets are often required.

The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis

While the museum is, at the present time, operating at a lower capacity, the largest childrens museum in the world will still offer free admission from 10 am to 5 pm. The Griot Drum Ensemble and storyteller Portia Jackson will perform.

Conner Prairie Interactive History Park

Conner Prairie will both have in-person and virtual activities and exhibits for learners of all ages. Visit the Conner Prairie Interactive History Park website for more information.

Dr. Martin Luther King Park and Landmark for Peace Memorial

The park bearing Dr. Martin Luther Kings name, where Bobby Kennedy spoke announcing Kings death on April 4th 1968, is one of the most special places in the whole city of Indianapolis. State Rep. Greg Porter calls the park the central spoke in seven neighborhoods.

I think that its not only a park but a park that embraces the diversity of the community, he said. And I think thats very crucial because thats hallowed ground. Its a common place.

While youre free to explore the park, you can also take part in other events hosted by Indianapolis Parks & Recreation, include Marvelous MLK Mural at Broad Ripple Park, a MLK Day Self-Guided Hike at Eagle Creek Park, and a special MLK Day Virtual Craft and Play Kit ($3 per person) available for pick up at Broad Ripple Park.

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art

From the museum website: Admission to the Eiteljorg Museum and other White River State Park (WRSP) venues is FREE on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Visitors are encouraged to give a monetary donation to Gleaners Food Bank at the museum (please do not bring food items). Visitors will enjoy a last chance to see our amazing model train exhibit, Jingle Rails: The Great Western Adventure, as well as two featured exhibitions, Please Touch: The Sculptures of Michael Naranjo and Powerful Women: Contemporary Art from the Eiteljorg Collection. Dont forget to shop in the Frank and Katrina Basile Museum Store and enjoy a delicious lunch in the museum cafe.

Indiana State Museum

From the museum website: Martin Luther King, Jr. left behind a significant legacy. On this third Monday in January, join us as we come together to celebrate and remember his life and impact. See some of Dr. Kings most iconic speeches, experience activities that explore civil and human rights, and reflect on what you can do to ensure Dr. Kings dream lives on for future generations.

Please note that canned goods and non-perishable donations will not be accepted this year. Donations are welcome on-site via credit/debit cards with all proceeds benefiting Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana.

Visitors will be able to watch some of Dr. Kings famous speeches, participate in a letter writing campaign helping ease the loneliness of people in isolation, listen in to story time highlighting diverse voices and more. During your visit, be sure to stop by the Indiana Store to receive 10% off your purchase. To ensure capacities are kept at safe levels, visitors are invited to attend from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., or 3 to 5 p.m. Pre-registration is not required; admission is first-come, first-served.

Indianapolis Historical Society

From the website Help honor the activism, leadership and volunteer work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when the Indiana Historical Society (IHS) hosts a free day of special programs and performances on Monday, Jan. 20. The daylong celebration takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis. Throughout the event, families and friends can donate new or gently used winter clothing, pack first aid kits and write encouraging notes, to be distributed by HealthNet. The organization will also hold discussions on how to help people who are experiencing homelessness in central Indiana.

Madam Walker Legacy Center: A call to action: then and now

At 3:45 p.m. the Madam Walker Legacy Center and Indiana University will present "A Call to Action: Then and Now," a social justice virtual program with two of this nation's most prolific civil rights activists  Angela Davis and Alicia Garza  will draw from both the past and the present to discuss activism for civil rights, social justice, and equality. They will propose pathways to build a world more reflective of Dr. King's dream. Click here for more information and to register.

"A Call to Action" is part of a day-long social justice conference that begins Sunday at 7 p.m. with a live stream of April Ryan, White House correspondent and CNN political analyst, who will discuss the current state of civil rights and the need to persist toward freedom for all. The discussion will be followed by a Q&A session.

Martin Luther King Day at the Indianapolis Zoo

From the Zoo website: Service and community were central themes in the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In recognition of his life and legacy, guests are invited each year in January to join the Indianapolis Zoo as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day presented by Honda Manufacturing. Along with our other partners in White River State Park, parking and admission to the Zoo are free on this day  donation dip jars will be on site for monetary donations benefiting Gleaners Food Bank. Guests must reserve their time in advance

NCAA Hall of Champions

Did you know that there are 24 NCAA sports? You can experience them all through interactive exhibits. These include a 1930s replica gymnasium, sports simulators, and trivia challenges. A childrens area on the first floor is where kids will have the opportunity to post their dreams. You can also participate in a scavenger hunt for prizes. Reservations are required. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Visit website here for reservations and more information.
NatWest has been plunged into a row over transgender rights and the role of big companies in political debates.

Baroness Sheila Noakes  a former Shadow Treasury Minister and ex-director at NatWest and the Bank of England  has blasted the bank for intervening in a debate about the laws around people transitioning from one gender to another.

She said it was not the role of large corporations like NatWest to spread 'woke nonsense'.

A sign of the times: Baroness Noakes reacted after NatWest replied to a Government inquiry into the Gender Recognition Act

Baroness Noakes reacted after NatWest replied to a Government inquiry into the Gender Recognition Act.

NatWest told the inquiry it would be 'supportive' of removing the need for married people to have a spouse's consent to be legally recognised as their preferred gender.

The bank's intervention sparked a backlash. One group called Trans Widows' Voices tweeted: 'Why on earth is it the place of NatWest to have a position on how trans widows are able to exit our marriages.'

The feminist campaign group - which represents women who have split or want to split from transitioning partners  also questioned whether NatWest had consulted customers, shareholders and staff 'to arrive at this very political stance'. NatWest is still 62 per cent owned by the taxpayer after being bailed out in the financial crisis.

Baroness Noakes, who served as a non-executive director of NatWest until last year, tweeted in response: 'I hope NatWest Group will answer this valid question. There is too much woke nonsense circulating in major corporates.'

The debate started after Parliament's Women and Equalities Committee launched an inquiry in October into reforming the Gender Recognition Act.

The Government had revealed reforms to the act the previous month that cut the cost of applying for a gender recognition certificate. But it stopped short of allowing people to officially identify as their chosen gender without a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria and without a spouse's consent.

Nancy Kelley, head of Stonewall, an LGBT charity, said: 'We've urged the Government to remove the need for spousal consent. It's deeply unfair and potentially harmful to give a partner the power to block trans people from having their gender legally recognised.'

But Trans Widows' Voices said it was 'horrified' that a bank would take a position in the debate 'as it is entirely outside their remit'.

'We think it unlikely that NatWest has consulted its customers, share holders or employees on this matter, and members of all these groups are just as likely to be trans widows as they are to be transgender,' the group said in a statement.

'We fear NatWest can no longer be relied on to act impartially in disputes between trans widows and their husbands. If your bank thinks you have no right to exit a marriage, how can you be confident it'll treat you fairly if you divorce?'

The group said spousal consent was important in allowing marriages to be annulled before their partners officially change gender.

'This is an essential safeguard for women who cannot get divorced, for religious or cultural reasons. It also prevents heterosexual women being trapped in legally same-sex marriages they did not sign up to.'

NatWest said it recognised that any change to the act 'may indirectly impact others' and asked the inquiry to consider how changes 'could be balanced against the need to protect the rights of others'.

Other corporations have waded into the debate. The City of London Corporation, the governing body of the City, said in 2019 that transgender women could use the women-only pond on Hampstead Heath. It is the custodian of the park.




By Lee Hyo-jin







A woman in her 20s in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, has been detained for allegedly abandoning her newborn baby, resulting in death, according to police, Sunday.







Ilsan Seobu Police Station said the woman, whose identity has not been revealed, faces arrested on the charge of infanticide.







After giving birth in the bathroom of her home in Goyang, Saturday, she allegedly threw the baby out of the window into a narrow alley.







The naked baby with the umbilical cord still attached was found dead by neighbors at around 1 p.m. the same day. Witnesses said the body was frozen from the cold weather. A cold wave warning had been issued in the area.







After two hours of examining surveillance footage, police tracked the suspect down near her home. After conducting an initial investigation and questioning, officers transferred her to a hospital due to a medical condition.







Police will soon resume questioning the woman to figure out the exact timeline of the crime. The baby's body will be transferred to the National Forensic Service, Monday, for an autopsy to look into the exact cause of death.








Rey Del Rio/Getty ImagesBY: JONATHAN KARL AND WILL STEAKIN, ABC NEWS

(WASHINGTON)  President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani tells ABC News he's working as part of the president's defense team in his upcoming second impeachment trial -- and that he's prepared to argue that the president's claims of widespread voter fraud did not constitute incitement to violence because the widely-debunked claims are true.

"I'm involved right now  that's what I'm working on," Giuliani told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl.

A few hours later, Giuliani -- who led the president's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results -- was spotted at the White House.

Giuliani's involvement in Trump's impeachment defense comes as many of the lawyers involved in the president's first impeachment, including White House counsel Pat Cipollone and his deputies and outside lawyers Jay Sekulow and Jane and Marty Raskin, do not plan to return for the second trial.

Along with Trump, Giuliani spoke at the Jan. 6 rally ahead of the Capitol attack, where he urged the crowd to engage in "trial by combat." Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died when pro-Trump supporters marched to the Capitol following the rally and forced their way into the building in an effort to keep members of Congress from certifying the presidential election for president-elect Joe Biden.

Giuliani said there are "different opinions" regarding how the president should approach his second impeachment.

The former New York City mayor said that in his defense of the president, he would introduce allegations of widespread voter fraud that have been raised -- and rejected -- in dozens of courtrooms across the country.

"They basically claimed that anytime [Trump] says voter fraud, voter fraud -- or I do, or anybody else -- we're inciting to violence; that those words are fighting words because it's totally untrue," he said. "Well, if you can prove that it's true, or at least true enough so it's a legitimate viewpoint, then they are no longer fighting words.

In a series of court cases following the election, Giuliani and pro-Trump attorney Sidney Powell alleged, unsuccessfully, that an array of forces from voting machine manufacturers to poll workers had plotted to steal the election from Trump despite Biden's victory in the Electoral College as well as the popular vote.

Regarding impeachment, Giuliani also said that he personally believed Trump should move to dismiss the trial outright.

"If they decide to bring it to a trial, he should move to dismiss the impeachment as entirely illegal. That it was the only impeachment ever done in what, two days, three days," Giuliani told ABC News. "We would say to the court, 'You are now permitting in the future, basically in two days, the Congress can just impeach on anything they want to."

In an historic move last week, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump, with all Democrats along with 10 Republican members voting to charge the president with inciting supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol.

"The president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion, against our common country. He must go," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said on the House floor. "He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love."

Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in House leadership, was among the 10 Republicans who voted to charge the president. Cheney issued a scathing statement condemning the president's actions ahead of the vote, writing, "The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the president."

Giuliani dismissed the validity of the single article of impeachment accusing Trump of inciting violence against the government on the grounds that the president's rally speech did not incite the riot because there was a delay between the speech and the attack.

"Basically, if [incitement] is going to happen, it's got to happen right away," he said. "You'd have to have people running out, you'd have to have people running out of that frozen speech, right up to the Capitol. And that's basically, incitement," Giuliani said.

If the effort to dismiss the impeachment article fails, which is likely, Giuliani said he wouldn't rule out the president testifying. Trump's lawyers were opposed to him testifying during his first impeachment trial, but Giuliani says this situation is different and the impeachment defense is "much more straightforward."

"You always make that decision at the last minute," Giuliani said. "As a lawyer, I wouldn't be as strongly opposed to his testifying as I was then."

Sources close to the president had recently told ABC News that Trump had been increasingly irritated with Giuliani and had not been taking his calls, but he now appears still very much involved in the discussions about how to handle the impeachment trial.

One of the big remaining questions about Trump's final days in office is what pardons he may issue and if he will attempt to pardon himself, something Trump has told advisers he would like to do even though no president has ever done so. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone has advised Trump against a self-pardon, in part because he does not think such a pardon would hold up in court, according to sources familiar with the conversations.

Giuliani declined to say what advice he has given the president about pardoning himself, but he told ABC News that his personal opinion is that it's perfectly justified.

"I think any lawyer would have to tell you there's nothing in the Constitution that permits it. There's nothing in the Constitution that prohibits it. The plain language of the Constitution doesn't limit who we can pardon," Giuliani said. "Do I think there's justification for it because of the atmosphere we are in? Practical justification? Absolutely."

Giuliani dismissed concerns of some Trump advisers that a self-pardon would make Trump more vulnerable to future civil lawsuits because it would be seen as an admission of guilt.

"I mean his legal life's gonna be complicated no matter what," Giuliani told ABC News. "Maybe because I'm more of a criminal lawyer than a civil lawyer, I'd much rather have my civil life complicated than my criminal life."

Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Emergency services at the scene of the fatal crash on the Ballylagan Road near Straid, Ballyclare

Police investigating a fatal collision between a car and a lorry in Co Antrim have issued a witness appeal to the driver of a white van.

The crash happened near Ballyclare, on the Carrickfergus Road close to Ballylagan Road, Ballynure, on Monday. The incident was reported to police around 9.15am.

The male driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene, while another patient was taken to Antrim Area Hospital by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.

Read More

Commenting on the specific witness appeal, Inspector Siobhan Watt said: We would ask the driver of a white van towing a trailer believed to have been travelling ahead of the car involved in the collision, to please get in touch with police in the Collision Investigation Unit on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 285 of 11/01/21.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Scientists working at the Wuhan lab confessed to being bitten by COVID-19 infected bats in a cave while collecting samples.

A video that emerged two years ago, before the coronavirus pandemic struck Wuhan and later the world, shows Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) scientists working on 'live viruses' without gloves and masks. This was in apparent breach of the World Health Organisation safety rules on PPE.

A scientist can be seen holding a bat with his bare hands in the video.

One researcher said one animal's fangs went through his rubber gloves 'like a needle'.These revelations will, first of all, raise the possibility that the scientists became infected with a coronavirus, including even COVID-19.

It further raises questions for the WHO team which is investigating the origins of Covid-19 following months of wrangling with Beijing over access to the Wuhan site.

China has been saying for months that although Wuhan is where the first cluster of cases was detected, it is not necessarily where the virus originated. The novel coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, was first detected in Wuhan in late 2019. The WHO team has arrived in Wuhan to begin the probe, which aims to investigate the animal origin of the pandemic after many hiccups.

Also read: COVID-19 vaccination drive: Over 1.91 lakh people inoculated on Day 1, no hospitalisation post-jab

Also read: India rolls out COVID-19 vaccination drive; check out pics
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
President-elect Joe Bidens recent announcement that he plans to release more vaccine doses immediately after the inauguration as part of a plan to vaccinate 100 million Americans in his first 100 days is the right one.

We need to blanket our population with partial immunity as soon as possible in order to more quickly deplete the reservoir of vulnerable victims.

Viral particles die when they dont reach a vulnerable victim in fairly short order.

The current policy of storing millions of doses of vaccine in freezers so they can be available, weeks later, as booster doses will continue to provide the COVID-19 virus with the many vulnerable individuals it needs to perpetuate itself.

Of course, this decision must be accompanied by a moon shot effort to produce and distribute more vaccine doses as quickly as humanly possible.

If there is a possible delay to some individuals in receiving the booster dose, I hope it will only marginally reduce the vaccines overall effectiveness.

Our experience from former vaccination programs that rely on booster shots suggests that any decrease in effectiveness should be minor.

Lets accelerate this arms race now while there are vaccines in the freezer and replenish our stock as quickly as possible.

Dr. HARRIS PASTIDES

USC President Emeritus

Professor Emeritus, Epidemiology

Little Oak Island Drive

Folly Beach

Learning lost

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacted a terrible toll on our children. Online learning, while fine for some, has caused many children and young people to essentially lose a full year of school.

We must get them back in the classroom in front of their teachers. Teachers must be pushed to the front of the line for COVID-19 vaccinations.

If we vaccinate our teachers, we can get our children back in school and back to learning where they can grow physically and emotionally healthy once again.

Children and young people need to be with their peers to learn how to be social creatures and live in a society. They cannot master these skills alone in front of a computer.

MARY HANLEY

Shell Ring Circle

Mount Pleasant

History lessons

My favorite class in high school was history because those teachers told the best stories.

My family was not surprised when I decided to become a history teacher myself.

One of my favorite things to do as a teacher is to explore the unheard stories that often are left out of the history books or relegated to the back.

While these stories are sometimes not as flashy or well known, they are just as important.

Without those pieces, the more well-known stories of underdog victories and democratic ideals rising up wouldnt have been possible.

Years from now, when the attempt at insurrection at The Capitol will be written and discussed in high school history books, it will state that law, order and democracy prevailed, and that America continued having a peaceful transition from one president to the next.

That is why we need to thank the people who fought the insurrection.

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To all of the members of Congress and their staff who returned to finish the job after the riot was over, we must say thank you.

And, to the members of the media who risked violence, intimidation and harassment to document this domestic terrorist attack so we would know who to prosecute, we must also say thank you.

WYNNE BOLIEK

Faris Circle

Greenville

No to open-carry

The sight of people brandishing weapons, rifles, shotguns and pistols on Jan. 6 in our nations Capitol alarmed people of both parties who have respect for law and order.

Those carrying weapons may have come from states that gave them the right to carry guns openly, but that they brought them to Washington, D.C., was ominous.

A lesson to be drawn from this national spectacle applies to our own legislative agenda in South Carolina.

There are pre-filed bills allowing the open carry of weapons in the state. That would mean that a person with a permit, or even without a permit in several of the bills, would be able to take handguns everywhere: on the street, into bars and restaurants, to public events and in public spaces.

We have the Second Amendment and other laws governing the right to purchase weapons for lawful purposes such as sport, hunting and self-protection. We do not need to encourage the public to carry weapons openly. If we do, a minor disagreement could escalate into a tragedy or our own Statehouse could be threatened.

I urge everyone concerned about public safety to oppose the passage of any open-carry law in South Carolina and to let their legislators know we do not want guns carried openly in public.

JUDY HINES

Bishop Gadsden Way

Charleston

Paying for beach

As a longtime resident of the Isle of Palms, I am mystified that residents from other areas of the Lowcountry demand free parking for their beach adventures.

The public parking on the island includes city parking for a fee, Charleston County parking for a fee or parking in limited areas of road rights of ways, which is currently free. Unfortunately, there is no free lunch and there is a cost associated with the free parking.

Who do you think pays for police protection? The Isle of Palms.

Who do you think pays for fire protection? IOP.

How about the emergency protection when beachgoers are stung by a jellyfish or find themselves in trouble past the breakers? IOP.

Who hauls off all of the empty beer cans, fast food wrappers, dirty diapers and broken beach chairs? IOP.

Who maintains the right of way, mows the grass, trims the trees and fills the potholes made from beachgoers parking in wet areas? IOP.

Where does the city get its funding? Residents of the Isle of Palms. Few other sources contribute to these costs, yet residents of other areas have a right to free parking?

Yes, the beach is free and always has been. If you dont want to pay for parking, ride your bike, walk, Uber or ride the bus.

However, you must pay for your governmental services while on the beach.

BLAIR HAHN

Palm Boulevard

Isle of Palms
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday said some people did not turn up for coronavirus vaccination at the last moment, adding that the government cannot ask anyone to compulsorily take the jab. He also said that the number of vaccination centres in Delhi will be increased from 81 to 175 soon.

In Delhi, a total of 4,319 healthcare workers - 53.3 per cent of those registered - got the vaccine shots on the first day of the COVID-19 vaccination drive on Saturday, the minister said. Jain noted that a similar trend was observed across the country, adding that around 50 per cent of those registered got the jabs on the first day.

"Some people decided not to turn up at the last moment. The vaccination programme is completely voluntary. We cannot ask anyone to compulsorily take the shot even if the person has registered for it," he said. One "severe" and 51 "minor" cases of AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) were reported among health workers who were administered the coronavirus vaccine in Delhi on Saturday, according to official figures.

An AIIMS security guard had developed an allergic reaction after receiving the vaccine. He was kept under observation of doctors, an official had said on Saturday. "His current status is not known 51 others were discharged after some time," Jain said.

The minister also said that the Delhi government decided to omit vaccination centres of municipal corporations due to the ongoing strike by the civic bodies. "The number of vaccination sites will be increased from 81 to 175 in some days. Thereafter, it will be increased to 1,000. It will also include the sites of municipal corporations," he said.

On some political parties questioning the efficacy of the vaccines, Jain said the Centre gave permission for emergency use of the vaccines after completing a rigorous process. "All protocols were followed. So, there should be no questions about it," he said.

The health minister added that the COVID-19 positivity rate has come down to 0.44 per cent. "The coronavirus positivity rate has remained below 0.5 per cent for the last few days. We can comfortably say that the third wave is on the wane. Cases have decreased. Still, I want to appeal to people to take precautions and use masks," he said.
Raise Your Hand Texas is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving public schools through funding and legislative change. As regional director for the organization, Dr. Robert Long, III leads the efforts to make sure public schools get as much funding and legislative support as possible for public schools.

Long discussed advocating for public schools and outlined some of Raise Your Hand Texas biggest goals for the 87th legislative session.

Tell us about Raise Your Hand Texas. What are the organization's primary goals?

I am Dr. Robert Long, III. Regional Director for Advocacy & Outreach-West Houston at Raise Your Hand Texas. Raise Your Hand Texas is a non-profit advocacy organization and foundation that proudly supports public education in our state. Over the last 14 years, weve worked with thousands of school leaders, teachers, legislators, and others to strengthen and support public education for all Texas students  all 5.4 million of them.

More by Claire Goodman: Fort Bend County sheriff-elect outlines plans, shares Seven-Point Plan

What are some of the biggest policy changes RYHT is pushing for in this legislative session?

One of Raise Your Hands priorities is to protect the investments made in House Bill 3. We need to ensure our teachers can provide the highest quality education possible, especially in a time when COVID has created so many uncertainties, including learning loss and the social-emotional needs of teachers and students. Effective teachers, early childhood programs  especially full-day pre-Kindergarten  innovative programs, focused interventions, and smaller class sizes are all important to the success of our students.

We also believe student growth and performance should be measured fairly. As the Texas public education system adjusts to new instructional approaches and deals with technology issues due to COVID-19, state policymakers must reevaluate whether our accountability system appropriately measures all the factors of an effective education. Our A-F rating system is primarily based on one test, given on one day. We applaud the suspension of the A-F rating system this school year and we believe that approach should continue as long as schools are impacted by the current pandemic. This represents a perfect opportunity for a statewide working group to create a new school accountability system that appropriately evaluates our schools performance beyond a single test.

Finally, we think Texas communities deserve an equal playing field. We believe its time for the state to examine the differences between traditional public schools and charter schools. Charter schools were founded on the promise of fostering locally developed, innovative approaches to educating children. But policies that favor charter schools over traditional schools have created a parallel and inefficient public school system at a significant cost to the state and its students. Its time to level the playing field.

What are some of the greatest challenges facing public schools in the wake of COVID-19?

COVID-19 will put an additional strain on school budgets.

The global pandemic will alter districts approach to instruction, health and safety, and food services. Districts will also have to address student and teacher connectivity issues, adopt schoolwide learning management systems, and plan for safely operating schools. Simply implementing the health and safety protocols for reopening campuses will cost an additional $485 per student for an average school district, nearly the same amount as the HB 3 funding increase.

The 2020 stimulus, the federal CARES Act, provided Texas with additional funding for public education, including $1.3 billion for low-income students. The Texas Education Agency used these funds during the 2019-20 school year to offset state funding. During the 2021 session, that savings as well as the money from the stimulus package passed in December, should be used to avoid cuts in the Foundation School Program and not to plug other holes in the state budget.

Hold Our Schools Harmless is one of your biggest advocacy efforts. Can you tell us about it?

If the Texas Education Commissioner doesnt continue to fund schools based on historic attendance  a technical term called hold harmless  it is possible schools may have to make cuts to their budgets, including possibly laying off teachers or cutting programs, in the middle of this semester.

For many reasons, tens of thousands of students have not returned to in-person or remote learning. Despite the best efforts of schools to find many of these students, some are simply not coming back in the short term. But they will. And when they do, they need to return to schools that are fully staffed, with programs in place to provide direct interventions for any learning loss, something we know is impacting many, especially our low-income families and communities of color. In the meantime, districts still have to cover all the hard costs associated with running schools. Keeping schools fully funded for the rest of the school year is a simple and straightforward move that the state can and should take today.

This years been hard enough on everyone. Our educators didnt push off their responsibility to support students and families when the pandemic hit. And state leaders shouldnt delay in acting to support our teachers and principals.

The STAAR test is very controversial. Where does RYHT stand on the issue?

We believe more legislators and members of the public should be paying attention to how the STAAR is used to grade our schools. Many people dont realize that, for elementary and middle schools, their state accountability letter grade is dependent almost entirely on one testthe STAARadministered on one day. That doesnt begin to capture all our schools do.

Teacher retention is a major issue. How is RYHT advocating to keep teachers?

At RYHT, we know that absolutely teachers make the difference. Texas students deserve a teacher workforce that is more diverse, better prepared, compensated fairly and continuously improves. Establishing a thriving, sustainable teacher workforce reflective of the demographics of the state is the most important factor in ensuring Texas has an effective public education system.

We believe it is our moral imperative to ensure every child, in every classroom in Texas, is taught by a quality teacher. We first must confront the issues of how teachers are entering the profession, how they are being trained, and why they are leaving the profession.

We know that scholarships are a powerful tool to communicate the importance of teaching and to attract high quality candidates into the field in the short-term. Exposure to the teaching profession, as early as middle school, has proven to be an effective long-term strategy for recruiting high-potential youth into the field, especially young men of color.

Also, teachers trained in quality preparation programs achieve better student outcomes, rank higher on principal evaluations and remain in the field longer than those trained in ineffective programs. Unfortunately, the majority of Texas teachers are trained in low quality alternative certification programs.

Recognizing the critical role teachers play, we created Raising Texas Teachers and the Charles Butt Scholarship to elevate the teaching profession in Texas though partnerships with higher education and scholarships with higher education.

In addition to our programmatic work we have helped organize a statewide movement, Teachers Can, supported by more than 125 partnering businesses and organizations committed to honoring the critical role teachers play in the success of Texas.

On HoustonChronicle.com: New bill could make alcohol to-go permanent in Texas

What are some of the ways people can get involved in helping advocate for public education?

This session will no doubt be a challenging one for many reasons. But if Texans can commit to continuing to invest in and prioritize our public schools, we will be well on our way toward overcoming the obstacles we are facing now, and ensure a better tomorrow.

At Raise Your Hand Texas we believe that every legislative session should be a public education session, and your voice matters in setting that priority. To further prepare yourself for the 87th Texas Legislative Session, you can visit: https://www.raiseyourhandtexas.org/policy/2021-legislative-priorities/ to view our 2021 Legislative Priorities and learn more about our organizations complete body of work.

Check out our advocacy page, https://www.raiseyourhandtexas.org/advocacy/, to find more ways to get connected and get involved. Lastly, if you would like to join us in standing up for public schools in Texas, sign up by texting the phrase RAISEMYHAND to 40649 to stay in touch with Raise Your Hand Texas. We look forward to working with state legislators, their staff, and the many advocates and policymakers who will help advance public education this session because the future of Texas is in our public schools.

claire.goodman@chron.com
2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS.

We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover.

We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.
Jurgen Klopp's unlikely bromance with Sir Alex Ferguson stops short of the Liverpool boss imagining what life would have been like if he'd taken a job at Old Trafford instead of Anfield.

Fergie tapped up Klopp during his Borussia Dortmund days and the pair still text each other regularly and joined forces on Friday night a fundraiser for the Alzheimer's Society.

Fortunately for Koppites, the German chose Liverpool and has brought the glory days back with Champions League and Premier League wins.

Jurgen Klopp turned down Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson approached him in 2013 and has since gone on to restore former glories at rivals Liverpool

Ferguson, who appeared with Klopp for an Alzheimer's Society fundraiser on Friday, still speaks to the Liverpool manager by text

'I never thought how it would have been at Manchester, not for one second because I am completely fine here. I am in the right place,' said Klopp.

'Even the weather is better in Liverpool than Manchester!

'Alex and I have contact, He texts to say "This is my new number" and I take it as a big honour. We have a really good relationship.

'We were friends from my point of view working together for something good and on Sunday, he wants Manchester United to win, and I want Liverpool to win. That is possible (and still be friends).

Ferguson retired in 2013 after delivering one final Premier League title to Old Trafford

Klopp won Liverpool's first league title in three decades last season but they find themselves behind United in the Premier League table ahead of Sunday's Anfield showdown

Ferguson spotted Klopp's talent early and gloomily told friends Liverpool would become a force again under his leadership.

At United, David Moyes, Jose Mourinho and Lous van Gaal failed to mount a title challenge but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes his side to Anfield today as Premier League leaders.

New Delhi, Jan 17 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to late Tamil film icon and Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran or 'MGR' on his 104th birth anniversary.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Bharat Ratna MGR lives in the hearts of several people. Be it the world of films or politics, he was widely respected. During his CM tenures, he initiated numerous efforts towards poverty alleviation and also emphasised on women empowerment. Tributes to MGR on his Jayanti." M.G. Ramachandran or MGR is famously known by two titles, 'Makkal Thilakam' (foremost among the people), and 'Puratchi Thalaivar' (revolutionary leader). While the former name was given due to his onscreen roles in the Tamil film industry, the latter he earned for his political achievements.

The actor-turned-politician first joined politics as a member of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) under the leadership of C.N. Annadurai before he floated his own political party - AIADMK.

MGR was born on January 17 in 1917 in Kandy, Sri Lanka to a Malayali family. His father Maruthur Gopala Menon returned to his ancestral village Vadavannur in Palakkad district after his retirement as the magistrate of Kandy. MGR joined a drama troupe to help his family financially and made his film debut in 1936 film Sathi Leelavathi.

After appearing in supporting roles in a series of movies, he debuted as a hero in 1942 film Tamizhariyum Perumal, which had 22 songs, and he never looked back. He dominated the Tamil film industry for about three decades.

Generally starring in romantic or action movies, MGR directly appealed to the sentiments of Tamilians with films that were easily identifiable by both the rich and poor. MGR was the biggest name in the Tamil film industry right until his death in 1987.

Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a seed fund for startups, as part of which the government will give 1,000 crore to new entrepreneurs. "We are launching a 1,000 crore startup India seed fund to help new startups grow in the country. We are trying to create a startup system which is based on the mantra 'of the youth, by the youth, for the youth," Modi said at Startup Indias international summit, Prarambh, 2021, hosted by the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT), ministry of commerce and industry, government of India.

The Startup India initiative was launched five years back.

Modi said there are over 41,000 startups in the country today and 44% of these ventures are officially recognised. Over 5700 startups in information technology (IT), around 3600 startups in healthcare and over 1700 agriculture-related startups.

These startups are changing the demographic character of business. India today is one of the biggest nations in the start-up ecosystem," he said.

Despite the pandemic-led disruption, 11 startups turned unicorns in 2020, with over 30 startups in India today valued at over $1 billion, Modi said, comparing it to just four unicorns in 2014.

When large companies struggled to survive globally, amid the pandemic, startups powered Indias drive for being self-reliant. Startups stood up to meet different demands during the pandemic. From e-grocery to e-health, education to e-commerce, startups took care of everything and they are not just restricted to metros anymore. Startups powered Indias drive for being self-reliant amid the pandemic when major companies were thinking about survival," Modi said.

Union minister for railways, consumer affairs, commerce and industry Piyush Goyal on Friday, the first day of the two-day event, said that skill development will play an important role to give confidence to young entrepreneurs to surge through failures.

Goyal added that the present young generation has an immense entrepreneurial streak, as they look to be job creators instead of job seekers.

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(Newser)  A Virginia man was arrested at a security checkpoint near the US Capitol on Friday evening after police said they found a pistol and more than 500 rounds of ammunition in his pickup. Seeing stickers on the truck with messages such as "If they come for your guns Give 'Em your bullets first," an officer asked Wesley Allen Beeler, of Front Royal, Virginia, if he had any weapons, WTOP reports. He answered that he had a Glock 9mm in the truck's center console. Police then searched the pickup, reporting that they found the pistol, with an extended magazine in it; another 500 rounds of ammunition for the pistol; and 21 12-gauge shotgun shells.

story continues below

Beeler, a contractor, had presented inauguration credentials at the checkpoint that were genuine but unauthorized for that area, per the New York Times. The arrest was made less than a half-mile from the Capitol grounds. DC police said he's charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possessing an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, per WRC. Security has been greatly increased in Washington in preparation for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday. (Read more Capitol attack stories.)
Saturday has been a fantastic day in the 70s and quite sunny for most. We'll cool off into the low-50s in the valley tonight with mostly clear skies, winds remain light.

A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for the valley and a part of the Sierra mountians (not the foothills) from Sunday night to Tuesday night. In the valley winds will be sustained at 25-35 mph from the north to east with wind gusts as high as 40-50 mph. Sierra mountain regions could see winds sustained 30-45 mph with winds gusting up to 75 mph in some locations. This will cause difficult driving conditions, especially for high profile vehicles. Downed powerlines and trees will also be possible. Keep loose yard objects and trash cans secure.

The strong winds are coming from a dry inside-slider low pressure system which will move south from canada into southern California to our east and south.

This dry, windy weather will not cause huge fire concerns in our region. It will, however, dry out fuels. With our below average rain fall and a dry forecast, fire danger could become a concern if we receive no significant rain by February.

We'll keep mostly sunny to sunny skies through Thursday with highs gradually cooling after Sunday. Sunday we'll see mid-70s for highs. Upper-60s on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is this Monday. Mid-60s for highs by Tuesday. Highs cooler in the mid-50s by Friday.

Showers will be possible Friday though I don't think the chance for significant rain is great.

Full sunshine returns by Saturday.
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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has won all the 44 chairmanship and 484 councillorship seats at Saturdays Kano State local government poll.

Ibrahim Garba-Sheka, head of the state independent electoral commission disclosed this while announcing the results of the election on Sunday in Kano.

Mr Garba-Sheka said candidates of the APC emerged winners of the 44 chairmanship and 484 councillorship positions in the election.

The total votes scored by the candidates is 2,530.577 million. Work is still in progress to ascertain the total votes scored by candidates of other political parties, he said.

Mr Garba-Sheka said the election was generally peaceful in the 11,500 polling units across the 44 Local Government Areas of the state.

While commending Governor Abdullahi Ganduje for his support and non-interference, the chairperson thanked the Civil Society Organisations for their support towards ensuring free, fair and credible election.

Twelve political parties took part in the election.

ALSO READ: Ganduje presents flags to APC LG chairmanship candidates in Kano

While a faction of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party loyal to a former Governor of the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso, opted out of the election, the other faction in the party participated in the election.

According to most political commentators, local council elections are almost a charade since the ruling party in the state is almost certain to win all available seats.
Saturday marked the fifth anniversary of the founding of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Chinese President Xi Jinping has firmly supported the operation and development of the AIIB, the first China-proposed multilateral financial institution, and has spoken of the institution on many occasions.

The following are some highlights of his remarks:

-- To address issues emerging in the course of economic globalization, countries should pursue more inclusive global governance, more effective multilateral institutions, and more robust regional cooperation. In this context, the AIIB may grow into a new platform that promotes development for all its members and facilitates the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

-- With more good friends and partners getting on board for higher-quality cooperation, the AIIB has established itself on the global stage as a new type of professional, efficient and honest multilateral development bank.

-- The AIIB should commit itself to serving the development needs of all its members and providing more high-quality, low-cost and sustainable investment for both traditional and new types of infrastructure.

-- China will continue working with other members to support the AIIB and make it a success, and contribute more to the global response to risks and challenges and the pursuit of shared development.

-- The founding and opening of the AIIB will bring about a better investment environment and more job opportunities and trigger greater medium- to long-term development potential on the part of developing members in Asia. This, in turn, will inject impetus into economic growth in Asia and the wider world.

-- The AIIB and the existing global development financial institutions will complement each other's advantages.

-- The founding of the AIIB proves once again that where there is a will, there is a way.

-- The initiative to establish the AIIB is a constructive move. It will enable China to undertake more international obligations, promote the improvement of the current international economic system, and provide more international public goods. This is a move that will help bring mutual benefits and win-win outcomes to all sides.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With many New Yorkers -- seven million of whom now qualify for the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine -- eagerly awaiting an appointment for a shot, the state launched a COVID-19 vaccine tracker on Saturday.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said the states vaccine supply is determined by the federal government. And this week, New York will receive only 250,000 doses -- significantly fewer shots than the number of state residents who want the vaccine.

To date, New Yorks health care distribution sites have administered 83% of doses received from the federal government. These sites administered an additional 73,336 doses over a 24-hour period, Cuomo said Saturday.

We are in a footrace to get the vaccine into the arms of eligible New Yorkers as quickly and equitably as possible, Cuomo said. However, we now have seven million New Yorkers vying for a fraction of doses made available to use by the federal government. We need Washington to step up and increase New Yorks supply to make sure everyone who wants the vaccine has the opportunity to get it.

NYS COVID VACCINE TRACKER

The states COVID tracker reports the number of first and second dose vaccinations distributed and administered across the state of New York.

The trackers dashboard is updated daily with data as of 11 a.m. the same day, the website said.

Since the supply outweighs the demand for the vaccine, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient, and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment, said Cuomos office in a written statement.

As of Saturday, 71% of first coronavirus vaccine doses received have been administered to New York City residents, according to Cuomos office. And 74% of second doses received have been given to Big Apple residents.

A breakdown of the vaccine data as of Saturday, can be found here. Get more information on New York States vaccine distribution plan.
Highlights President-elect Joe Biden has started a new Twitter account @PresElectBiden which will be given the status of official @POTUS account on January 20th.

The @PresElectBiden account has already garnered 878.2k followers at the time of writing.

President Donald Trump's account had 88 million followers before its permanent suspension.

The new account created by Joe Biden, @PresElectBiden, will transform into the official @POTUS (President of the United States) one on inauguration day on 20 January. However, The Biden campaign is unhappy with the move, which marks a change from the previous transition from Barack Obama.

In its first six hours online the account gained nearly 400,000 followers. Mr. Biden's personal account has 24 million followers.

"Folks this will be the account for my official duties as President. At 12:01 PM on January 20th, it will become @POTUS. Until then, I'll be using @JoeBiden," the new account tweeted.

Twitter plans to hand over the official handles to the Biden administration on January 20, but the current @POTUS and @WhiteHouse accounts will be archived, leaving the new administration to start with zero followers. The social media giant did not do this in 2017 when the Trump administration took over the accounts and the decision has been a source of tension between Twitter and the Biden transition team.

"They are advantaging President Trump's first days of the administration over ours," said Rob Flaherty, digital director of Biden's transition. He will be the White House director of digital strategy after January 20. "If we don't end the day with the 12 million followers that Donald Trump inherited from Barack Obama, then they have given us less than they gave Donald Trump, and that is a failure."

@POTUS and @WhiteHouse have a combined following of around 60 million, with some overlap, and resetting the follower numbers could make it difficult for the incoming administration to have the same reach on Twitter.

The new account aims to allow Biden to build up a following before taking over @POTUS, though there is limited time for him to do so. President Donald Trump's personal account had 88 million followers before its permanent suspension.

Flaherty explained his reasoning further on Twitter on Friday, saying that the presidential Twitter account is "a public good" and that a lot of normal people follow it. "Sure, plenty of rando bots and trolls, but also, plenty of folks who don't engage in politics. Plenty of hate follows. Who knows! It's why Twitter moved the followers over from Obama to Trump! It's not a political account, it's the President's account," he wrote.

"Anyway, the nice thing about Joe Biden is that he truly couldn't care less about Twitter followers. Or Twitter! But he does care about communicating with everyone in the country, whether they agree with him or not," Flaherty said.
WASHINGTON - The commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard on Saturday defended his force's response to the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol and asserted that his relationship with city officials remains solid.

Maj. Gen. William Walker's comments came amid continued criticism of the Guard's response to numerous distress calls after a mob supporting President Donald Trump smashed its way into Congress on Jan. 6. Despite the pleas for help, guardsmen did not arrive on the scene for hours - a function, defense officials have said, of there being no clear expectation or plan for the National Guard to defend the Capitol.

"I have all the faith and trust and confidence in the District of Columbia, from the mayor down to the chief of police, and I believe that they trust me," Walker said in an interview outside the District Armory as personnel prepared for assignments and a line of Humvees sat across the street.

Mayor Muriel Bowser's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

U.S. officials have authorized a force of about 25,000 guardsmen to assist the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies in advance of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday, as authorities respond to continued threats of violence in Washington and state capitals alike.

The robust military plan comes as tensions still simmer following the Trump administration's aggressive show of force in Washington over the summer, when thousands of National Guard members were deployed at the behest of Trump amid racial justice protests, despite concerns from Bowser, a Democrat, that they were exacerbating tensions.

Mindful of that, District officials and the Pentagon scaled back the Guard's role ahead of the Jan. 6 "Stop the Steal" protest in support of Trump's baseless claims that Biden's victory was fraudulent.

While thousands of National Guard members are typically involved in an inauguration - about 8,000 were deployed during Trump's ceremony four years ago - the arrangement this year has left downtown Washington with an unusually heavy military presence, with armored vehicles blocking some streets and guardsmen with rifles manning a fence line that stretches for miles around the Capitol, White House and other federal buildings.

Walker said about 10,000 guardsmen were in the city as of Saturday morning. That number is expected to continue to climb, Walker said, though ultimately it may fall short of 25,000.

"I think we'll have the 25,000," he said. "We'll be between 22,000 and 25,000."

The additional guardsmen were requested by the Secret Service, which is coordinating efforts ahead of the inauguration, to man the outer ring of the city's security bubble, Walker said.

The heavy military presence entails a significant logistical undertaking. The National Guard has "hundreds and hundreds" of buses in use to move guardsmen to assignments, and is using about 70 hotels across the region, Walker said. Outside the armory, scores of charter buses lined a street by the defunct RFK Stadium.

The situation also has created unusual public relations challenges for the military.

After photographs of troops in military uniforms sleeping on the floors of the Capitol were published this week, military officials clarified that those personnel were taking breaks between shifts and had hotel rooms when off duty. Senior U.S. officials nonetheless decided to send cots, which were due to begin arriving Saturday.

The decision, first reported by Politico, came with "guidance" from Gen. James McConville, the chief of staff of the Army, that troops who are resting in the Capitol "are to lay on a cot, and not on the ground," according to a memo reviewed by The Washington Post. A defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity, said McConville directed the Army staff to make sure that the guardsmen had what they needed.

In the interview, Walker for the first time publicly addressed comments from former Capitol Police chief Steven Sund, who resigned after the attack.

Sund, speaking to The Post on Jan. 10, said he called Walker two days before Trump's rally, concerned about intelligence that suggested there could be anti-government violence. Sund said he asked Walker to lean forward if help was needed. But no one ever asked for additional forces to be activated, and the 340 guardsmen who had been activated had a narrow mission approved that included working at traffic-control points and Metro stations.

"We have people in this armory every day," Walker said, acknowledging he took Sund's call. "But we never got an official request that has to go up the chain of command. We didn't get that until the day of, and the Capitol already was under duress."

Guardsmen arrived at the Capitol about 5:40 p.m. after police had expelled rioters from inside, according to the Pentagon's timeline of events. The situation remained tense, Walker said, but no guardsmen were injured as they helped police establish a security perimeter around the building.

Walker predicted it will take several days after the inauguration for the number of National Guard members in the city to recede, and said that his force will be ready if any additional requests from the Secret Service or other agencies follow.

"We are there when we are called upon," he said. "There is a process to have the National Guard support."
Masdar has said maintained a positive trajectory over the course of 2020. Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, through the year Masdar expanded its global footprint, increased the generation capacity of its portfolio, and added new tenants for Masdar City.

Masdar entered a number of key strategic markets through the year, with the company now being active in more than 30 countries across the globe. Having pledged at the beginning of 2019 to double its then 4-gigawatt energy portfolio within five years, Masdar will close 2020 with a total generation capacity of almost 11 GW.

While 2020 has proven to be a year like no other, I am proud to say that Masdar will begin 2021 in a stronger position than ever before, said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer, Masdar.

Our success in exceeding our own targets both reflects the commitment of our dedicated employees around the world in this extraordinary time, and demonstrates that the pace of the energy transition is accelerating, as visionary nations like the UAE continue to drive sustainable development. We look forward to extending our global footprint further in 2021 and helping to support a sustainable recovery post-Covid-19.

Key milestones reached in 2020 include:

 Entry into the Southeast Asia market, with the formation of a joint venture in Indonesia to drive the development of the Cirata Floating Photovoltaic Power Plant  Indonesias first floating PV project and the largest in the region.

 Masdars first investment in Australia, where the company successfully entered the countrys nascent waste-to-energy market with the development of a 40 per cent stake in the East Rockingham Waste to Energy project alongside Tribe Infrastructure Group. The two companies have also established a joint venture to pursue similar projects.

 Masdars second strategic investment in the US, in a deal with EDF Renewables North America to acquire a 50 per cent stake in a 1.6 GW clean-energy portfolio, including wind, solar, and battery storage assets.

 Securing a stake in Abu Dhabis 2 GW Al Dhafra Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Independent Power Producer (IPP) project  the largest single-site solar power plant in the world. Once operational, the plant will generate enough electricity for approximately 160,000 homes across the UAE, supporting the countrys clean energy objectives.

 Achieving financial close on the 100-MW Nur Navoi Solar Project  Uzbekistans first independent power producer (IPP) solar project. Masdar is also developing a 500 MW utility-scale wind farm project in the country, strengthening its leadership position in the strategic Central Asia market.

 Masdar City Free Zone added more than 270 registered companies in 2020, more than double the amount in 2019.

 Masdar Citys ecosystem was also boosted through the establishment of the Alpha Wave Incubation Fund by holding company ADQ, designed to help early-stage business set up operations in the City.

 Launched a sustainable real estate investment trust  the UAEs first green REIT, which will give third-party investors the opportunity to invest in Masdar City commercial assets.

 Completing Phase 1 of Central Park, Masdar Citys premier outdoor recreation and family area, and a showcase for sustainability expertise.

 Masdar Citys Eco Residences 2 project being named the Middle East and North Africa Green Building Project of the Year at the MENA Green Building Awards 2020. The project was also awarded Platinum certification, the highest ranking under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system.

 Masdar will also begin 2021 with another notable first, as the company prepares to host the first virtual Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW). The global platform for accelerating sustainable development has been reimagined as a virtual event, to help set the global sustainability agenda for the year ahead  a year when sustainability will be at the center of the post Covid-19 discussion.

 As the first global event in the year of the UAEs Golden Jubilee, ADSW will help galvanise further collaboration among government, business and community stakeholders to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and deliver sustainable recovery.

The ADSW Summit, to be held on January 19, will, over three two-hour sessions, focus on the pillars of Live & Move, Care & Engage, and Work & Invest, with each pillar exploring social, economic and technological opportunities to achieve a green recovery post Covid-19.

Alongside the ADSW Summit, ADSW will feature a series of high-level virtual events, including the IRENA Assembly, Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum, Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum, and the World Future Energy Summit Forums.

Masdar will also host the Youth Dialogue Week, which will bring young people from around the world together virtually to discuss how they can play a more active role in the implementation of both the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the UAEs 50 Year Development Plan. Tradearabia News Service
A worker cleans the defaced statue of Winston Churchill, which was spray painted with the words was a racist, in London, on June 8, 2020. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

UK to Protect Statues From Woke Militants, Minister Says

The UK government will enact new laws to protect statues in England from attacks by woke militants who want to censor the nations past, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said on Sunday.

We cannotand should nottry to edit or censor our past, he wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. Any decisions to remove these heritage assets will require planning permission and councils will need to do so in accordance with their constitution, after consultation with the local community.

Local people should have the chance to be consulted whether a monument should stand or not, he said. What has stood for generations should be considered thoughtfully, not removed on a whim or at the behest of a baying mob.

Jenrick said that details of the new legislation will be set out in Parliament on Monday.

File photo shows the statue of 17th century merchant, Edward Colston, as it falls into the water during a Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol, England, on June 7, 2020. (Keir Gravil via Reuters)

The issue of how Britain should deal with the legacies of its past, especially its role in slavery and colonialism, has been the subject of heated debate since the statue of Edward Colston, a 17th-century merchant, was toppled by Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters in Bristol in June 2020.

During protests last summer sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, rioters in the UK also defaced a statue of Winston Churchill in Londons Parliament Square, taping a Black Lives Matter sign to it and spraying it with graffiti.

Britains Housing, Communities, and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick arrives at 10 Downing Street in central London, UK, on March 17, 2020, (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)

It is absurd and shameful that the statue of Winston Churchill should be questioned, said Jenrick.

To tear down historical monuments is to needlessly denigrate and distort our past, rather than to educate, inform and unite people, he wrote.

It is a path we see our American cousins are well travelled upon. And we can, I hope, agree that we dont want to follow.

In September 2020, the British government wrote to several museums and cultural institutions warning that their public funding could be called into question should they remove statues or other historical objects that have become the focus of protests or complaints.

The government holds that such monuments are almost always best explained and contextualised, not taken and hidden away, Jenrick said.

It is our privilege in this country to have inherited a deep, rich, fascinating and yes, often complex, past, he wrote. We are mature enough as a society to understand that and to seek to pass it on, warts and all. To do otherwise would leave our history and future diminished.

Reuters, Mary Clark, and Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) -- The Bureau of Immigration on Sunday said it has arrested in Angeles City, Pampanga a South Korean national suspected of hiring hitmen to murder a fellow Korean.

The bureau announced that 47-year-old Lee Hoonhee was caught in Brgy. Pampang, Angeles City on Thursday by its fugitive search unit. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said he ordered Lee's arrest after the South Korean embassy informed them of the suspect's arrest warrant, which was issued by the Incheon district court last Dec. 23.

Lee reportedly hired two killers to murder another Korean to whom he owes a large sum of money. The motorcycle-riding hitmen allegedly attempted to shoot the victim last Dec. 18 but misfired and missed their target.

"He will be deported and subsequently placed on our blacklist of undesirable aliens, thus he will be banned from re-entering the Philippines," Morente said.

The suspect is currently detained at the BI detention facility in Bicutan, Taguig City pending his deportation to South Korea.
Two of Indias richest men have landed in an unlikely controversy over farming laws , becoming targets of protesters who allege the tycoons have benefited from their close links to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

For weeks, tens of thousands of farmers have camped outside the nations capital, demanding the withdrawal of recently passed legislation they say, without evidence, was designed to allow billionaires such as Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani to enter farming. The tycoons say they have no such interest. More than 1,500 phone towers of Ambanis wireless carrier were vandalized last month and some farmers called for a boycott of their businesses.

The fight between the government and the farmers has revived the debate on what Modis critics call cozy nexus between the magnates and the popular leader -- accusations they all have denied. The protests, one of Modis toughest political challenges yet, follow an eventful 2020 when the combined fortunes of Ambani and Adani swelled by almost $41 billion, even as millions of Indians lost their jobs to the pandemic that pummeled the $2.9 trillion economy.

Everyone loves to hate the rich in times of economic stress," said Sanjiv Bhasin, a director at investment management firm IIFL Securities Ltd. in Mumbai. People are venting out their anger at social disparity. It is indeed a new business risk to these large conglomerates. But all the noise will settle when the economy starts growing."

Highlighting the disparity, an Oxfam report in January 2020 said Indias richest 1% hold over four times the wealth of 953 million people who make up the poorest 70% of the countrys population. The wealth of the nations top nine billionaires is equivalent to the wealth of the bottom 50% of the population, according to the non-profit body that works against inequality.

Suit-boot

The new farm legislation, passed in September, will allow private companies to buy produce directly from farmers, moving from the decades-old system of state-run wholesale buyers and markets that guaranteed a minimum support price.

Farmers, mostly from the northern state of Punjab, fear that the removal of state support will make them vulnerable to market-driven price fluctuations despite government assurances that a safety net of minimum support prices will continue. About 800 million of the countrys over 1.3 billion people depend directly or indirectly on agriculture, giving the group political clout.

Modi, who won a second consecutive five-year term in 2019 with an even bigger majority, has tweeted several times to allay concerns, saying the new laws will cut out middlemen, make farmers more prosperous and India self-reliant.

Still, Modi risks letting this political headache snowball into a serious threat. After calling his administration years back as a suit-boot ki sarkar" -- meaning a government that favors the business elite over the poor -- opposition parties are seizing the opportunity to hit out at him.

Responding to the accusations, Ambanis $174 billion conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd. issued a statement earlier this month saying it has never done any contract farming or acquired farm land for that purpose, and has no plans to do so. It also vowed to ensure its suppliers will pay government-mandated minimum prices to farmers. The Adani Group clarified in a statement last month that it does not buy food grains from farmers or influence prices.

Spokespersons for the Reliance and Adani groups did not respond to emails seeking comment on protesters allegations or on Indias wealth disparity. Representatives for the Modi administration and the Prime Ministers Office in New Delhi didnt respond to emails seeking comment.

Both Adani and Ambani hail from Gujarat, just like Modi, who served as the states chief for over a decade. Both the tycoons have repeatedly aligned their business strategies to Modis nation-building initiatives.

About two decades ago, Adani cemented his ties to Modi by publicly backing him when a crisis threatened to end the rising politicians career. Modi was under attack by rivals and businessmen who accused him of failing to prevent bloody sectarian riots in his home state in 2002. Adani created a rival regional industry lobby and helped kick off a biannual global investment summit in Gujarat in 2003 that boosted Modis pro-business credentials.

Like South Koreas famed chaebol, Indian conglomerates have been at the forefront of Indias economic growth, especially since a currency crisis forced the government in 1991 to review decades of Soviet-style planning. The modest reforms kicked off three decades ago started allowing private investment in sectors that were mostly controlled by the government. With strained state finances, the capital-starved economy has looked more and more to these tycoons for investments and jobs.

Gilded age

Ambani spent most of 2020 raising $27 billion in equity investments -- a record for India -- for his technology and retail businesses from investors including Google and Facebook Inc. He has spelled out an ambitious plan to build these units into a powerful local e-commerce rival to Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc. The Adani group, which started off as a commodities trader in 1988, has grown rapidly to become Indias top private-sector port operator and power generator.

Indias position is similar to Americas Gilded Age, with Ambani and Adani like the modern day Rockefellers and Vanderbilts in the second half of the 19th century," said James Crabtree, author of The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through Indias New Gilded Age.

During the so-called Gilded Age, the US saw rapid growth and industrialization, helmed mostly by a clutch of powerful business families. But this also led to worsening inequality that sparked labour unrest and railroad strikes. The US government eventually stepped in.

Right model?

To be fair, many East Asian nations have followed this developmental path of relying on their favorite tycoons for nation-building," Crabtree said, but they were mostly autocratic regimes. The questions for India are: is this the right model, and can India even pull it off?"

The farmers who are protesting are worried by the scale of the ambitions the two tycoons have. They are pressing for the laws to be withdrawn and demanding a guaranteed minimum support price for their produce.

Farmers think these two big corporate houses have links with the power center of India and they have become symbols of crony capitalism," said Darshan Pal, a senior leader of the Krantikari Kisan Union from Punjab.

Separately, Adanis bid for an airport lease is facing opposition after the local government in the southern state of Kerala challenged it legally. A state minister said last year that Adani winning the bid was an act of brazen cronyism."

In an Indian court, the Adani group rejected the allegations and said it won the bid through a competitive process. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Keralas appeal Monday, after a lower court ruled in Adanis favor.

As a result of the protests, many retail stores of Reliance have remained shut for months in Punjab, causing millions of dollars in losses. Appealing to the Punjab government last month, Reliance sought protection for its infrastructure and workers, according to a letter seen by Bloomberg News, the contents of which were confirmed by a company spokesman. The conglomerate has also approached a court for remedy.

As long as the gap in income and opportunity is not significantly narrowed via state policy, we can expect those at the top of the pyramid inviting the ire of the growing base of unfair and unequal India," said Nikita Sud, who teaches international development at the University of Oxford.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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ohn Talbot, born in 1373 at Blechmore in Shropshire, was the second son of Richard, Lord Talbot. In 1414, he was sent to Ireland to suppress a rebelion and given the title of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He then fought in France as part of the Hundred Years War where he was renowned as a great leader even by the French themselves. He was present at the siege of Orleans in 1429 until Joan of Arc rescued the city forcing the English to retreat. At the Battle of Patay a few months later, the English were defeated and Lord Talbot was captured. As was usual in medieval times, the more important prisoners were held captive in the hope of exchanging them for a ransom fee. In John's case he was exchanged for an important French hostage that the English had taken. After his release he once again commanded the English in France and attacked Paris. After his successes in France he returned to England and was given the title Earl of Shrewsbury by King Henry VI. Returning again to France he secured peace with the French at the Treaty of Tours. Even in his old age, Lord Talbot was directing his troops in France, until at the Battle of Castillon in 1453 he fell and was killed. This defeat is regarded as the last event in the Hundred Years War.
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The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime.
Economy Minister Diane Dodds has announced a new Assured Skills Academy for welding at North West Regional College.

The academy will see 12 successful applicants receive industry-standard welding training during a five-week course at the colleges Springtown campus, followed by two-weeks of consolidation training at one of four engineering companies in the north west area.

Participants who complete the academy are guaranteed an interview for a welding positon at one of the companies.

The Minister said: I am very pleased to announce this Assured Skills Academy in welding is open for applications.

People with welding skills are in high demand in our local engineering and manufacturing sector. This Assured Skills Academy will equip participants with these skills, through an industry-recognised qualification, and position them very strongly to kick-start a new career in welding.

The Minister added: Participants will receive 150 per week training allowance, travel expenses and, where eligible, assistance with childcare costs. I urge anyone who is interested to apply.

Participants on the Academy will receive a level 2 City & Guilds introductory welding skills qualification award on completion of the course. No experience in welding is required to apply.

Paul McGarrigle, Curriculum Manager at North West Regional College, said: This is a fantastic opportunity for new fresh talent to progress in the industry by addressing the skills shortage. This will have a positive impact on the North West City Regions local economy by feeding into local business anchors. We are committed to providing a skills guarantee for a post-Covid economy and future labour market.

Training will be delivered March 1 to April 2.

Two weeks consolidation training in a working environment will take place from April 12 to April 23.

Training will be full-time, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

More information on the North West Regional College Assured Skills Welding Academy, and details of how to apply, is available at http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/ assured-skills

Applications close at noon on February 12.
London:

A man with a knife was arrested on Friday by Scotland Yards armed officers near the gates of the UK Parliament amid heightened security fears in the capital following the horrific terror attack earlier this month.



The Metropolitan Police said the manin his 30swas arrested for possession of a knife and there were no reports of any injuries.



Man arrested near Palace of Westminster repossession of a knife. No reported injuries, the Met Police said in a statement on Twitter.

Read | Worried after terror attacks, Britons rush to self-defence classes



Witnesses reported hearing knife, knife, knife as armed officers swooped on the suspect, who looked in his 30s.



The man, wearing a grey hooded top, ran towards the St Stephens entrance of the Houses of Parliament, which is the main visitors entrance to the building.

Read | London Bridge attackers tried to hire 7.5-tonne truck to inflict more damage: Police



It is feared it may have been an attempted copy-cat terror attack from March, when Khalid Masood rammed a car into the side of the Palace of Westminster, which houses the UK Parliament, killing four people and got out to stab to death a police officer on guard at the House of Commons gates.



In April, Mohammed Khalid Omar Ali, a 27-year-old foreign-born British national was arrested on suspicion of carrying knives in a very public operation near Parliament Square as part of an intelligence-led operation.



London has been on higher alert since the recent terrorist attack on London Bridge and Borough Market on June 3, which claimed eight lives, and the concert bombing in Manchester in which 22 people were killed.

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Charleston, SC (29403)

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Clear to partly cloudy. Low 73F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

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Covaxin, Bharat Biotech

India's COVID-19 vaccine rollout has got off to a good start. There were no cases of any serious adverse events, but the glitches in the CoWin platform and vaccine hesitancy was seen in some places.

Moneycontrol spoke to couple of doctors who received Covid-19 vaccine shot. All of them expressed satisfaction on the way things went.

"I was told in the morning, that the vaccination will start at 11 am, and I should reach the hospital. I got an SMS and a call from the hospital. After the PM speech the vaccination started at Medcity, Kochi, Kerala. I have produced my identity proof, and my details such as name, address and phone number were taken. I got my vaccine shot. I was asked to wait for half an hour, the vaccination was absolutely uneventful, I straight away went to attend patients," said Dr Jeeson C Unni, Senior Consultant, Centre of Excellence in Child and Adolescent Health at Aster Medcity, Kochi of Kerala who got the vaccine on the first day.

Nine doctors of Aster have received COVID-19 vaccine. Jeeson said he received Covishield vaccine.

Dr. Rajalingam Vairagyam, senior ophthalmologist and Superindent of government's Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital in Hyderabad said he has received Covid-19 vaccine, along with 29 of his colleagues, and there wasn't any reactions.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Vairagyam, said he got Covishield vaccine shot, and has been busy all the day seeing patients.

Around 1,65,714 healthcare workers have been vaccinated on January 16 the day of the launch. While Covishield vaccine was supplied to all States and Union Territories. Covaxin vaccine was supplied to 12 states.

Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), became one of the first Indians to get vaccinated against Covid-19 on Saturday morning.

Guleria received Bharat Biotech's Covaxin shot on live television soon after sanitation worker Manish Kumar became the first to be administered the vaccine in the country at AIIMS in Delhi, in the presence of Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.

Teething troubles

The vaccine rollout will be in a phased manner. In the initial phase, the government said it would inoculate about one crore healthcare workers. This will be followed by two crore frontline workers, police, armed forces, municipal workers, revenue staff and others. In the third phase, 27 crore people above 50 years of age and those with co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension, and organ transplant patients will get the vaccine.

Please read here to know more about the vaccine rollout.

The government said they were some issues in delay in uploading of beneficiary list at some session sites and in some cases healthcare workers were vaccinated though not scheduled for the session.

For instance Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) was able to vaccines only half of the targeted 4000 healthcare workers on the first day. The slow rollout was attributed to glitches in CoWin platform.

In the Sri Venkateswara Ramnarayan Ruia Government General Hospital in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh - the Superintendent Dr T Bharati had make appeals hospital staffers to take the shot, as there was hesitancy to receive the vaccine.

To be sure, at the moment there is no choice There are two COVID-19 vaccines available, Serum Institute of India's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. At the moment there is no choice, one will have to take whatever COVID-19 vaccine is available at the determined health facility.

The Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital's (RMLH's) Resident Doctor Association (RDA) has sent a letter to the hospital administration, saying doctors of the hospital are apprehensive about Bharat Biotech's Covaxin due to "lack of complete trial", they instead asked for Covishield vaccine.

For Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin which was granted restricted emergency use approval under clinical trial mode, one needs to sign a three-page informed consent form before taking the vaccine shot. The person will also be monitored for any serious side effects. The compensation for serious adverse event will be paid by sponsor Bharat Biotech if the SAE is proven to be causally related to the vaccine.

Please read here about about informed consent form of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.

India has reported 10.5 million COVID-19 cases and 1,52,274 deaths. The active cases were about 2 lakh. India is reporting about 15,000 new cases per day, in contrast to about 90,000 in September. The steep drop in cases, and low mortality rate has leading to vaccine hesitancy among some people.
Hawley is a former Missouri attorney general and has a law degree from Yale University. One of the first classes law students take is a course in evidence. They are taught that they cant go into court and simply shout and scream on behalf of a client. Witnesses must testify to what they saw or didnt see. They cant relate what they heard someone else say he saw or didnt see. Hearsay is a no-no.
Scientists at the Wuhan lab admitted being bitten while collecting samples in a cave which is home to coronavirus-infected bats.

One researcher said one animals fangs went through his rubber gloves like a needle.

Staff inside the top-secret facility were also shown handling bats without gloves and working on live viruses without masks in apparent breach of strict World Health Organisation safety rules on PPE, according to footage captured by a Chinese TV crew and broadcast in 2017.

Evidence: Researchers in thin coveralls and rubber gloves handle bats while gathering samples in a clip filmed by a Chinese television crew

The revelations will raise further questions for the WHO team which is investigating the origins of Covid-19 following months of wrangling with Beijing over access to the Wuhan site.
Mumbai, Jan 17 : Superstar Salman Khan has mourned the death of Bigg Boss talent manager Pista Dhakad.

Salman, who has been hosting the reality show for over a decade now, posted a picture with Dhakad on Twitter on Sunday.

"Rest in peace Pistaa" Salman tweeted.

Dhakad has died in a road accident.

Pista, 24, who was an employee of the reality show's production company Endemol Shine India, had left the set of the ongoing season 14 on Friday after the wrap on an Activa scooter with one of the assistants and their vehicle was hit by a vanity van. She died on the spot.

Several past contestants of the show such as Yuvika Chaudhary, Prince Narula, Kishwer Merchantt, Shehnaaz Gill, Himanshi Khurana and Kamya Punjabi took to social media on Saturday to express grief.
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Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

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My name is Spike Lee, and Im the director of Da 5 Bloods. This is the voice of Vietnam. That character you see is Hanoi Hannah, and thats a real life character. She was the voice of Radio Hanoi during the Vietnam War, and like Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose in World War II, their job was to play music that the American soldiers wanted to listen to. And in between the music, they would start with propaganda. And so this scene is when our five bloods are told over the radio two days after the fact that Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. And this scene is skillfully intercut with archival footage of many of those over 122 cities that were aflame black folks enraged. We also deal with how the armed forces, the National Guard were sent out to quell the uprising Im not going to use the word riot. I use the word uprising. Negroes are only 11% of the US populations, but among troops here in Vietnam, you are 32%. I remember that day when Dr. King was assassinated. I was 11 years old, and also the Vietnam War was the first war that was televised into American homes. A little known story is that, when the bloods, the black soldiers in Vietnam heard that Dr. King had been assassinated, when they heard their brothers and sisters were burning down over 122 cities, they were very, you might say, hot. Be safe. There almost was a civil war in Vietnam, where black soldiers were getting ready to take up arms, and they would not be shooting at the Viet Cong. We need to kill some crackers. I had four screenings of this film for black and Puerto Rican Vietnam vets that they were there. Each one of them confirmed this happened. Thank god it didnt. Im as mad as everybody. All us bloods got a right to be, but we bloods dont let nobody use our rage against us. We control our rage. But it was about to to be the jump off for those black soldiers. Stand down! Thats an order! Knowing theyre fighting an immoral war, knowing they have nothing against the Viet Cong. Youre gonna have to kill me. But also knowing their brothers and sisters are fighting for their justice, and thats what this film is about how we, as descendants of slaves, have fought for this country from day one. The first person that died for this country in a war the American Revolutionary War was a black man, Crispus Attucks at the Boston Massacre. So you can make the case that weve been more patriotic than anybody. And even today, were still being shot down, choked to death, and people are marching all over the world, seeing the gruesome 8 plus minutes of our king, king Floyds life. And Black Lives do matter. Black Lives have to matter. Thats what this scene is about.
MSU to Host Virtual MLK Day Celebration Today

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MURRAY - Murray State University will be hosting a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration virtually this morning.The event, which is being presented by Murray State University's Office of Multicultural Initiatives, Student Leadership & Inclusive Excellence, will kick off at 10:30 a.m.This year's theme is titled, Living the Dream: Committing to a Better Community and World. The event will feature Dr. Kevin D. Woodgett, Senior Chair for the Health Coalition of Delaware County and Senior Pastor of the Church of the Living God of Muncie, Indiana.Murray State's Black Student Council and the Dr. Marvin D. Mills Sr. Emerging Scholars Institute, will host the event. The Office of Multicultural Initiatives, Student Leadership & Inclusive Excellence, President's Office, Office of the Provost, Division of Student Affairs, the City of Murray Human Rights Commission and the United Way of Murray-Calloway County will be co-sponsoring the event.Visit the link below for more information, or call 270-809-6836.On the Net:
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Hundreds of protesters braved a cold night in Jerusalem on Saturday to continue their calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down over corruption charges against him.

Demonstrators gathered at a Jerusalem square near Netanyahu's official residence.

The protests have been taking place for months.

Netanyahu is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three cases involving billionaire associates and media moguls, charges that he denies.

The protesters insist Netanyahu cannot properly lead the country while under indictment for corruption.

Evidentiary hearings in his trial are set to begin next month.

Israel will hold its fourth national elections in two years in March, in what will likely be another referendum against Netanyahu as he faces a challenge from defectors within his Likud party.

The protesters also say Netanyahu and his government have bungled the coronavirus response.

The country has seen its economy hit hard by virus restrictions throughout the year and is again under a nationwide if partial lockdown amid surging infection rates.

Netanyahu and his allies have used Israel's vaccination drive, in which more than a tenth of its population has been immunised, to try to belittle the protesters and their cause, saying the prime minister is working to end the outbreak while they hold demonstrations.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
D. Clark Teel has been certified as the president-elect of the Accessibility Professionals Association (APA).

The APA is a national organization of accessibility professionals that provides education and is instrumental in influencing legislative policy on accessibility in commercial building design at the state and national levels.

Teel has served on the board of directors of the APA for a cumulative term of 11 years. With a degree from the School of Architecture at Texas A&M University, Teel has more than 40 years of experience in design and construction with the last 20 years specializing in building accessibility issues. His offices are located in Beaumont.

Laura Sullivan Ethridge has been named the new chief marketing officer of Hancock Whitney Bank.

Ethridge will be the executive vice president responsible for leading the companys marketing strategy and execution across a Gulf South region that includes Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Ethridge, who has more than 20 years of experience launching marketing campaigns and client experience initiatives, has managed strategy and development for numerous Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits and focused most of her career in financial services.

Before joining Hancock Whitney, Ethridge was with Wells Fargo in San Francisco, serving in two senior vice president roles. She has also served as a marketing strategy consultant for companies such as Proctor and Gamble, Disney, Costco, Schiff Nutrition and Fitbit.

Ethridge holds a bachelors degree from Georgetown University. She earned a Master of Business Administration from Cornell Universitys Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Research by Yumi Shin and Kaye Shelton, coordinator of reference and access services with Lamar State College Port Arthur and professor of educational leadership at Lamar University, has been published by the American Library Association.

Shin and Sheltons research considered the need for preparing library leadership to keep pace with the rapid and unpredictable changes affecting library services.

The study, The Perceptions of Librarians in Regional Universities in Texas Regarding Leadership Development Experiences, was published in Library Leadership & Management, a journal of the American Library Association.
US continues to face very serious problems in trade and economic relations with China

Armenia 1st President: There is a risk of civil war

Scenes of apprehension of Azerbaijani who attacked Armenian in Moscow disseminated on the Internet

Germany, France, Netherlands urge tech giants to test start-up purchases

Armenia 1st President: There has never been such rough dialogue between Armenian and Azeri leaders as there is now

California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development opening office in Yerevan

US Department of State issues statement on detention of Armenian soldiers by Azerbaijani forces

Armenia 1st President says Aliyev is certain that Pashinyan won't win elections and is trying to get all that he can

UN calls for $ 95 million in aid to Palestinians

Twitter is concerned about safety of its employees in India

Artsakh hero: Impotent and perhaps also treacherous authorities of Armenia need to be removed from power immediately

France MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to show maximum restraint

Azerbaijani attacks Russia citizen of Armenian descent in Moscow

Armenia acting MOD provides President with information about capture of Armenian servicemen

Lithuania MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to go to de-escalation of situation and pull out troops

Russian Deputy FM, EU Special Representative discuss situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia acting FM resigns

Acting Deputy FM: Armenia reserves itself the right to take necessary steps to protect its territorial integrity

China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan


Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 22:57:16|Editor: huaxia

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Citizens enjoy rock climbing during the Open Day in cerebration of the 40th anniversary of the University of Macau in Macao, south China, Jan. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)

MACAO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The University of Macao (UM) kicked off celebrations for its 40th anniversary on Sunday, with government officials, education professionals and university staff, students and alumni invited to the event.

Ranked among the top in Asia, the university now places equal emphasis on teaching and research, with a number of national key laboratories and strong research capabilities in areas such as chip, traditional Chinese medicine, and Internet of Things (IoT) for smart cities.

In recent years, UM has made breakthroughs in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as unmanned vessels, drones, and autonomous buses.

UM Rector Song Yonghua said at the ceremony that the university would continue fulfilling its social responsibility and aligning with the special administrative regional government's policies and directions in higher education and technological innovation, through quality education, technology transfer, and service to the society, to promote the diversification and sustainable development of Macao's industries.

UM also held an Open Day as part of the celebrations, aiming to allow the public to experience UM's development in teaching and research as well as its campus life through exhibitions and activities.

This year, the university will hold a series of celebratory activities with different themes, including academic research, cultural exchanges, and alumni development. Enditem
Clashes broke out for a third consecutive evening Sunday in several Tunisian cities, pitting stone-throwing youths against security forces despite a tight lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.

In the working-class neighbourhood of Ettadhamen on the edge of the capital Tunis, young men hurled rocks at riot police who responded with volleys of tear gas.

Authorities said they had arrested dozens of young people during consecutive nights of disturbances in the capital and other cities, amid a nationwide anti-coronavirus lockdown imposed since Thursday -- a decade to the day since dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled from power.

But in Ettadhamen, there were no political slogans to be heard.

"These aren't protests, it's young people who are coming from nearby neighbourhoods to rob and entertain themselves," said 26-year-old resident Oussama.

"A protest would be during the day, faces visible."

Abdelmoneim, a waiter at a nearby cafe, said those in the street were "bored adolescents", but blamed the violence on the country's post-revolution political class.

"These delinquents are the result of their failure," the 28-year-old said.

- Economic crisis -

From nightfall, young people gathered again on the roofs of houses to lob stones and fireworks at police and national guard officers.

Sirens wailed as a police officer with a megaphone shouted "go home!"

Nearby, a young man filling his pockets with rocks told AFP: "These are for our enemies."

Interior ministry spokesman Khaled Hayouni said earlier Sunday that dozens of young people, mostly aged between 14 and 17, had been arrested after they took to the streets during previous evenings, to loot and vandalise shopfronts and cars.

Videos circulating on social media showed young people burning tyres, insulting the police and looting shops.

Sousse, usually a magnet for foreign holidaymakers but hit hard by the pandemic, also saw rioting.

Story continues

Tunisia had been under a night-time curfew even before the recent lockdown, a four-day measure meant to expire on Sunday at midnight.

A decade on from the revolution, many Tunisians are increasingly angered by poor public services and a political class that has repeatedly proved unable to govern coherently.

GDP shrank by nine percent last year, consumer prices have spiralled and one third of young people are unemployed.

The key tourism sector, already on its knees after a string of deadly jihadist attacks in 2015, has been dealt a devastating blow by the pandemic.

Tunisia has registered over 177,000 coronavirus cases, including over 5,600 deaths from the disease.

The health crisis and ensuing economic misery have pushed growing numbers of Tunisians to seek to leave the country.

In Ettadhamen on Sunday evening, waiter Abdelmoneim nervously dragged on a cigarette as youths fought police nearby.

"I don't see any future here," he said.

He said he was determined to take a boat across the Mediterranean to Europe "as soon as possible, and never come back to this miserable place".

kl/par/pjm
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If youre a car enthusiast, its impossible not to feel for Audi in India. Not so long ago (where has all that time flown?), it was the market leader in the luxury segment, with a slew of great models.

Before it could quite figure out what happened, however, it found itself on the downslope, with a curtailed range of cars and a less than impressive sales chart. In the meantime, its German competitors turned up the heat and shot past it.

Last year, Audi took a step towards making a proper comeback  it released five new models, and has several more lined up for this year, other than the car Im writing about, the face lifted A4. It has its task cut out for it, what with cars like the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the long wheelbase BMW 3 Series, the Volvo S60 and the Jaguar XE vying for the loaded wallets of its target consumers.

This is a major facelift, and not just some sticker-and-badge job  the engine is new, as are most of the body panels. The new LED headlights are striking, and between them, the grille looks flatter and wider, which gives it a certain presence.

The car is also wider and longer  by 5mm and 24mm respectively  which adds to its stance, although it still has the same wheelbase. The rear has also been updated, with LED tail-lights, and overall, the A4 now looks more distinguished and sharper (although the alloy wheels could have been more snazzy, if you ask me). That ticks the design box, then.

Lets talk about new elements

The cabin has a variety of new elements in it, with the most prominent one being a new 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system  the Audi staple of a rotary controller dial with the MMI unit is gone. Thankfully, you get actual switches for climate control and most other functions, with the virtual cockpit digital gauges acting as another screen for things like maps and media; this means you dont have to take a hand off the steering wheel to control those.

Other features include a 3-zone climate control system, auto parking assist, a wireless phone charger, powered front seats and ambient lighting. Safety-wise, theres a full complement of features  8 airbags, stability control, ABS and so on. Overall fit and finish are absolutely top drawer, and the cabin is spacious enough to seat four adults in the kind of comfort you would expect.

Lets talk performance

As its beating heart, the A4 comes with just one engine  a 2-litre TFSI petrol with 190 bhp and 32.63 kgm of torque. With it, the A4 is a pleasure to drive  power delivery is ultra-refined and linear, and the car is quick, too, with 100 kph coming up from standstill in 7.2 seconds. The gearbox  a 7-speed, dual-clutch unit with paddle shifters  plays along in delightful fashion, with smooth shifts; if youre really looking to get a move on, the paddles work best.

The feel from the steering wheel as youre on the move is nice and meaty, especially if you put the car in Dynamic mode, and although you will feel a certain amount of body roll, the A4 is still a spirited cornering partner  and it has absolutely fantastic ride quality too, smoothening out rough patches in a consummate manner.

In the end, the A4 is what youd call an all-rounder. It looks distinguished, has a brilliant engine, a wonderfully constructed cabin and high levels of comfort, all for a price between Rs 42.34 - 46.67 lakh, ex-showroom. If youre looking for a luxury sedan that doesnt break the bank, youd do well to consider it.
LEMOORE, Kings County  Ten days after a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol, Vice President Mike Pence boasted during a speech at a naval base in California that America started no wars during President Trumps administration.

Im proud to say, with just a few days left in this administration, this this is the first administration in decades not to get America into a new war, Pence said as he spoke to sailors at Naval Air Station Lemoore, about 38 miles south of Fresno.

Pence made no mention of the insurrection in Washington, which resulted in five deaths, as he spoke about national security and military funding on the tarmac for about 20 minutes.

Pences visit was the Trump White Houses last scheduled trip to California, and comes as he travels to several military bases across the country to tout the outgoing administrations historic foreign policy achievements.

The vice president, who wore a Navy green fighter pilot jacket, told the crowd of about 80 sailors that Trump fought for the largest increases in defense spending since the days of Ronald Reagan.

Weve restored the arsenal of democracy, Pence said. Our military is now more equipped than ever before.

Trump and Pence leave office in four days, when President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are inaugurated. Trump faces an impeachment trial in the Senate over his role in inciting the mob that attacked the Capitol.

Pence was presiding over a joint session of Congress, to certify Bidens victory, as the mob laid siege to the Capitol. Secret Service evacuated Pence moments before the mob stormed the chamber.

Gary Kazanjian / Associated Press

On Saturday, Pence did not speak about domestic threats to national security. He instead touted what he views as the Trump administrations successes in foreign policy, including moving the embassy in Israel to Jesusalem, killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and pushing back against China.

On China, Pence urged Biden to continue the Trump administrations policies to prevent Beijing from gaining influence in the Indo-Pacific region through its military provocations and debt diplomacy.

I urge the incoming administration to stay the course, do what weve done: stand up to Chinese aggression and trade abuses, Pence said. Stand strong for a free and open Indo-Pacific and put America and our freedom-loving allies first.

Pence was greeted on the tarmac by Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford (Kings County), the lone California Republican to support impeaching Trump in the House.

His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent, and absolutely an impeachable offense. Its time to put country over politics, Valadao tweeted Wednesday, though he said he would have preferred to first have an investigation into Trumps actions.

Pence ended his speech by mingling with sailors on the tarmac for about 15 minutes. He was expected to stay the night in California  his office did not say where  and depart for Fort Drum in New York on Sunday morning.

Give America your best every day, he said shortly before leaving the stage. Allow me to thank you for the privilege of serving you as your vice president these past four years. Its been the greatest honor of my life.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
Ukrainian positions came under fire of grenade launchers and machine guns.

Over the past day, January 16, Russia-controlled armed groups four times violated the ceasefire in Donbas.

At the same time, no combat losses were reported among Ukrainian troops, says an update by the Joint Forces Operation Headquarters.

In the area of Talakivka, Russian occupation troops fired small arms, the report says.

Read alsoUkrainian intel warned leadership of Russian threat in Crimea from 2008  SBU Major GeneralNear the village of Luhanske, the enemy opened fire, using grenade launchers of various types and a large-caliber machine gun.

Also, not far from Pivdenne, the invaders employed an underbarrel grenade launcher and a large-caliber machine gun.

Outside Zaitseve, Russian-led forces engaged Ukrainian positions using small arms and a large-caliber machine gun.

OSCE monitors were properly informed of the ceasefire breach incidents through the Ukrainian side to the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center.

Since day-start on Sunday, January 17, no truce violations have been recorded along the entire line of contact.

Reporting by UNIAN
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Caitlyn Jenner has long possessed star power, from the track to reality television.

And the retired Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete is also ready to dip her toes back into acting.

She's in talks to appear in the highly-anticipated Sex and the City reboot on HBO Max, amid efforts to make the new installment more inclusive... and with Kim Cattrall leaving a vacancy in the cast.

The 71-year-old is reportedly at the top of the list of potential cameos for the reboot, according to The Mirror.

Inclusive cameo: Caitlyn Jenner is in talks to appear in the highly-anticipated Sex and the City reboot on HBO Max, amid efforts to make the new installment more inclusive (pictured in February, 2019)

Jenner, who's appeared in the 1980 film Can't Stop the Music and the classic cop show CHiPs, has recently gotten back into acting with the upcoming indie sitcom Duke of the Valley, based on Dick Van Patten's memoirs.

A source said: 'Caitlyn has been a media fixture in one way or another for going on 50 years. She's really perfect for an appearance. They want new faces for the show, but they want people viewers actually know and care about too.'

It comes after an insider told The Mail On Sunday: 'Samantha isn't coming back but we are introducing two new characters, strong and feisty women of color, who will help introduce the show to a new generation of viewers and more accurately reflect the world we live in.'

First choice: The 71-year-old is reportedly at the top of the list of potential cameos for the reboot, with Kim Cattrall leaving a vacancy in the cast

Return to acting: Jenner, who's appeared in the 1980 film Can't Stop the Music and the classic cop show CHiPs, has recently gotten back into acting with the upcoming indie sitcom Duke of the Valley, based on Dick Van Patten's memoirs (pictured in November, 2019)

Household name: A source said: 'Caitlyn has been a media fixture in one way or another for going on 50 years. She's really perfect for an appearance. They want new faces for the show, but they want people viewers actually know and care about too' (pictured in January, 2020)

Although the iconic HBO series and its subsequent spinoffs have been beloved by fans for decades, some of its material hasn't aged well.

Star Sarah Jessica Parker, 55, addressed the show's mostly white cast to The Hollywood Reporter in September of 2018: 'You couldn't make it today because of the lack of diversity on screen. I personally think it would feel bizarre.'

She said of a potential reboot with a new cast: 'It wouldn't be a reboot as I understand it. If you came back and did six episodes, you'd have to acknowledge the city is not hospitable to those same ideas.

'You'd look like you were generationally removed from reality, but it would be certainly interesting to see four diverse women experiencing NYC their way It would be interesting and very worthwhile exploring, but it couldn't be the same.'

She recently clarified that there will not be a fourth main character replacing Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones, after the British actress refused to return to the franchise.

Lack of diversity: Although the iconic HBO series and its subsequent spinoffs have been beloved by fans for decades, some of its material hasn't aged well, as Sarah Jessica Parker, 55, said in September of 2018: 'You couldn't make it today because of the lack of diversity on screen'

Not returning: Cattrall, 64, frequently stole the show as sex symbol and publicist to the stars Samantha Jones, and her absence in the new series comes after a years-long feud with her costars

Secret feud: After years of the cast playing coy about rumors of a hostile set, Cattrall said of Parker in October of 2017: 'I think she could've been nicer. I really think she could've been nicer. I don't know what her issue is'

In perfect Carrie Bradshaw fashion, she told YouTuber Adam Glyn: 'We're not looking to create a fourth character, we have New York City as a fourth character and it will be an interesting new character that we are excited about.'

Candace Bushnell, 62, who wrote the 1996 book on which the show is based, said the new installment work without Samantha, recently telling Page Six: 'You know what, I think it's fine. Kim is a grown woman. She is 64 and she's made a decision that I'm sure she has 10 very good reasons for and I respect her for that.'

She added: 'Kim should be happy  and I think she is happy. I think that her character Samantha is always going to be an inspiration to them. So somehow, I imagine she'll be there in spirit and as an inspiration that gives them a chance of exploring sexuality with different characters.'

Parker starred in the original series and two movies as sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw, alongside Cynthia Nixon, 54, as career-driven attorney Miranda Hobbes, and Kristin Davis, 55, as marriage and family-oriented gallery director Charlotte York.

Cattrall, 64, frequently stole the show as sex symbol and publicist to the stars Samantha Jones, and her absence in the new series comes after a years-long feud with her costars.

Where are they now? Parker took to Instagram last weekend with a teaser for the new series, writing: 'I couldnt help but wonder... where are they now? X, SJ'

Famous city: The short clip shared by Parker and her co-stars includes sights and sounds of the city, cut with shots of a computer screen as leading lady Carrie Bradshaw types away

The story continues: 'And just like that...' she writes, referencing a frequent preface used by Carrie in the show's narration, before typing: 'The story continues...'

DailyMail.com reported in September of 2017 that a third movie was axed, after Cattrall demanded that Warner Bros produce other movies she had in development, and they refused.

After years of the cast playing coy about rumors of a hostile set, she told Piers Morgan that October that she and her co-stars had 'never been friends.'

She added: 'This is really where I take to task the people from Sex and the City, and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker. I think she could've been nicer. I really think she could've been nicer. I don't know what her issue is.'

Although a subsequent New York Post article detailed some 'mean girl' behavior toward Cattrall from the other three, Parker maintained that she was 'heartbroken' by the falling out, telling pal Andy Cohen: 'I found it very upsetting because that's not the way I recall our experience.'

Parker took to Instagram last weekend with a teaser for the new series, writing: 'I couldnt help but wonder... where are they now? X, SJ'

The short clip shared by Parker and her co-stars includes sights and sounds of the city, cut with shots of a computer screen as leading lady Carrie Bradshaw types away.

Coming soon: Michael Patrick King joins Parker, Nixon and Davis as executive producers on the 10-episode limited series, which is titled And Just Like That, kicking off production in late spring in New York City

New chapter: The half-hour series sees the familiar faces navigating life, love and friendship in their 50s, which proves to be even more complicated than it was in their 30s

Familiar faces: Parker starred in the original series as sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw, alongside Nixon, 54, as career-driven attorney Miranda Hobbes, and Davis, 55, as marriage and family-oriented gallery director Charlotte York

'And just like that...' she writes, referencing a frequent preface used by Carrie in the show's narration, before typing: 'The story continues...'

Michael Patrick King joins Parker, Nixon and Davis as executive producers on the 10-episode limited series, which is titled And Just Like That, kicking off production in late spring in New York City.

The half-hour series sees the familiar faces navigating life, love and friendship in their 50s, which proves to be even more complicated than it was in their 30s.

Parker, Nixon, Davis and Cattrall starred in the HBO series, which ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2004, before returning for two theatrical-released films in 2008 and 2010.

AnnaSophia Robb starred as Carrie and Lindsey Gort played Samantha in CW's The Carrie Diaries, which ran for two seasons from 2013 to 2014, based on Bushnell's prequel book.

Squad goals: The HBO series ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2004, before the cast returned for two theatrical-released films in 2008 and 2010
The United States (US) law enforcement officials battened down statehouses across the country on Sunday in anticipation of potentially violent protests by Trump supporters who believe the baseless claim that electoral fraud robbed the president of a second term.

More than a dozen states have activated National Guard troops to help secure their capitol buildings following an FBI warning of armed protests, with right-wing extremists emboldened by the deadly attack on the US Capitol in Washington on January 6.

Security officials have eyed Sunday as the first major flashpoint, as that is when the anti-government "boogaloo" movement made plans weeks ago to hold rallies in all 50 states.

Capitals in battleground states, where Trump has directed his accusations of voter fraud, were on especially high alert.

But by midday, only a few demonstrators had taken to the streets alongside hundreds of law enforcement officers and media personnel.

Four protesters with long rifles stood outside Michigan`s capitol in Lansing on Sunday, one wearing fatigue pants, a brown tactical vest and a blue Hawaiian shirt and another wearing a Trump t-shirt and fatigue pants as he held a Dont tread on me flag.

One of them was Duncan Lemp, a cook from Michigan who is involved with the boogaloo boys movement and was wearing an American flag face mask. He said he believed the election was fraudulent, but he had not come on Sunday to start a fight. Instead, he said he wanted to encourage a peaceful, unified anti-government stance and to stand up for his right to bear arms.

"The goal is unification of left and right, both sides, no reason to fight," Lemp said. "Why cant the people, left and right, get along and stop the government from overreaching, oppressing us?

Nearby, crews had blocked off streets and office buildings in Lansing had boarded up their windows in anticipation of potential violence.

In Atlanta, several hundred law enforcement officers and National Guard troops milled around Georgia`s state house early Sunday. Chain-link fences and cement barriers protected the Capitol grounds and multiple armored vehicles were stationed nearby.

In addition to increasing police presence, some states, including Pennsylvania, Texas and Kentucky, have taken the further step of closing their capitol grounds to the public.

It is just days until Wednesday`s Inauguration Day, when Democrat Joe Biden will be sworn in as president amid extraordinary security efforts in Washington, D.C.

The nationwide security scramble followed the attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington by a mix of extremists and Trump supporters, some of whom called for the death of Vice President Mike Pence as he presided over the certification of Biden`s election victory.

POTENTIAL VIOLENCE

The FBI and other federal agencies have warned of the potential for future violence leading up to the inauguration, as white supremacists and other extremists look to exploit frustration among Trump supporters who have bought into falsehoods about electoral fraud.

It was not clear whether the FBI warning and ramped up security presence around the country might lead some protesters to stay at home.

Following the Jan. 6 violence in Washington, some militia members said they would not attend a long-planned pro-gun demonstration in Virginia on Monday, where authorities were worried about the risk of violence as multiple groups converged on the state capital, Richmond.

Some militias and extremist groups have told followers to stay home this weekend, citing the increased security or the risk that the planned events were law enforcement traps.

Bob Gardner, leader of the Pennsylvania Lightfoot Militia, said his group had no plans to be in Harrisburg this weekend, where the Capitol has been fortified with barricades and will be protected by hundreds of members of its National Guard.

"We`ve got our own communities to worry about," Gardner said earlier this week. "We dont get involved in politics."

Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP

Jamie Raskin, the House Democrat leading the impeachment of Donald Trump, remembered his son Tommy on Sunday and said: Im not going to lose my son at the end of 2020 and lose my country and my republic in 2021. Its not going to happen.

Related: Joe Biden executive orders will reverse Trump on climate, Iran, Covid and more

Tommy Raskin, a Harvard law student who struggled with depression, died on New Years Eve. He was 25.

His father, a constitutional law professor and representative from Maryland, was this week named as lead impeachment manager for Trumps second Senate trial. The president was impeached for the second time for inciting the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January, in which five people died, to further his baseless claim that the election was stolen.

Trumps trial could start immediately after Joe Biden takes power on Wednesday. Raskin discussed the impeachment on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday. He was also asked about his son.

Tommy was a remarkable person, he said. He had overwhelming love for humanity and for our country, in his heart, and really for all the people of the world. We lost him on the very last day of that God-awful year, 2020, and he left us a note, which said Please forgive me, my illness won today, look after each other, the animals and the global poor for me, all my love Tommy.

And that was the last act in a life that dazzled.

People were asking, he said, why he agreed to take on such a senior role in the impeachment trial at such a difficult time.

First of all, he said, with a laugh, I dont know if youve ever tried to say no to Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi about anything. Shes actually been very sensitive and thoughtful but she wanted me to do it because she knows that Ive devoted my life to the constitution and to the republic. Im a professor of constitutional law, but I did it really with my son in my heart, and helping lead the way. I feel him in my chest.

When we went to count the electoral college votes and [the Capitol] came under that ludicrous attack, I felt my son with me and I was most concerned with our youngest daughter and my son-in-law, who is married to our other daughter, who were with me that day and who got caught in a room off of the House floor.

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In between them and me was a rampaging armed mob, that could have killed them easily and was banging on the doors where they were hiding under a desk with my chief of staff, Julie Tagen.

These events are personal to me. There was an attack on our country, there was an attack on our people.

Asked how he could deal with such trauma on top of trauma, Raskin said: Im not going to lose my son at the end of 2020 and lose my country and my republic in 2021. Its not going to happen.

And the vast majority of American people, Democrats, Republicans and independents, reject armed insurrection and violence as a new way of doing business in America. Were not going to do that.

This was the most terrible crime ever by a president of the United States against our country. And I want everybody to feel the gravity and the solemnity of those events at the same time of course that all of us are deeply invested in President-elect Biden, and Vice-President-elect [Kamala] Harris, moving the country forward.

Related: Kamalas Way review: Harris as symbol of hope  and hard politics

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four Americans under the age of 25 have considered suicide since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Raskin was asked if he had a message for people dealing with depression either personally or in family members.

We dont want to lose anybody else, he said. Weve been hearing from thousands and thousands of people across the country and if any of them are out there, thank you for your kindness to our family.

He added that the family had set up the Tommy Raskin Memorial Fund for People and Animals, which now has more than $400,000 in it, his classmates at Harvard Law School raised $5,000 or $6,000 so that the causes he believed in would keep going.

But we dont have to wait for people to die for people to listen to them. We can listen to you right now.
ALBANY  An undercover State Police investigator was nearby, watching as supporters of President Donald J. Trump began gathering in East Capitol Park on the morning of Jan. 6.

Many in the small group, which would swell in size over the next few hours to about 35 people, were holding flags and wearing Trump paraphernalia. They were there as part of a coordinated "Stop the Steal" rally timed to coincide with the massive gathering in Washington, D.C., that would subsequently turn violent as thousands of protesters forced their way into the U.S. Capitol  leaving five people dead.

The protest in Albany would also turn violent, though it paled in comparison to the siege in Washington. It wasn't the first time in recent months that a demonstration in Albany had turned ugly  two otherwise peaceful protests in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd last spring devolved into clashes with police, property destruction and episodes of looting.

But the melee that unfolded as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was giving a coronavirus briefing in a room overlooking the park was something different: a brawl between individuals who are increasingly likely to recognize each other, and show up armed with weapons.

Interviews with multiple law enforcement officials, and a review of court and police records, indicate that at least some of the violence is linked to people who are familiar to police in the Capital Region.

"These are people that are showing up at ... different rallies, in different bubbles  but they are monitoring each other" on social media platforms, said a law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation of the Capitol incident. "If youre going to the Capitol to rally, why would you be arming yourself with a knife? Youre supposed to be arming yourself with ideas, and the Capitol  the theater of ideas  has become the theater of war."

'I knew who he was'

The undercover investigator, who is assigned to a Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit, arrived in the East Capitol Park that morning at about 10 a.m. and reported to Edward Baskerville, a State Police senior investigator overseeing Capitol security, that she recognized three of the counter-protesters who were present.

As the crowd of Trump supporters grew over next 90 minutes, the undercover investigator, who was circling the park on foot, also noted that two or three men, "possibly members of the Proud Boys, were present," according to an affidavit she later filed documenting what unfolded.

The protesters were gathered at the base of the Capitol steps around a bronze equestrian statue of Gen. Philip Sheridan. People in the crowd known by the undercover investigator also were familiar with one another.

In addition to members of the Proud Boys, which the FBI has described as a right-wing extremist group, there was at least one self-described member of Antifa, an unstructured web of anti-fascist groups and individuals that have been described by the FBI as violent anarchists.

A 35-year-old Rotterdam man, who told police he has been a founding member of the Proud Boys' Troy chapter for about three years, was sitting on a bench watching as some of the counter-protesters and Trump supporters argued. He told police that some of the Trump supporters and counter-protesters came close to scuffling as they argued, but it was initially broken up.

Minutes later, over his left shoulder, he observed 37-year-old Alexander S. Contompasis of Albany, crouched on the frozen grass, clutching a cup of coffee and wearing a hooded sweatshirt and aviator sunglasses.

"The man with the aviator glasses said that he knew who I was and I knew who he was," the Rotterdam man told police later in a statement. "I said that I did know him. I recognized him but I don't remember where from. I don't remember ever having a confrontation with him in (the) past."

Contompasis, according to his Facebook posts and his brother, Samson, who is a local artist, has also attended protests outside of New York, including the infamous August 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., and Trump's inauguration earlier that year in Washington, D.C.

Contompasis has described himself as a security person for Black Lives Matter events and, on his Facebook page, embraces Antifa. He also has posted articles reporting Proud Boys being stabbed at events in the nation's Capitol, adding an emoji of a knife to some of those posts.

"Ten years ago if you told me I was going to be part of an underground Anarchist network of masked avengers called Antifa, work with Skinheads to fight white supremacists, (and) have the honor of providing security for events organized by the Black Liberation Movement ... I would have absolutely no idea what the (expletive) you were talking about," Contompasis wrote in a Facebook post on Dec. 2.

Knife, Taser, batons

According to police, Contompasis was armed with a knife in East Capitol Park.

Security video shows the melee began when a Trump supporter appeared to throw a punch at Brandon J. Brown, a 21-year-old Schenectady man who police said was cursing at the pro-Trump protesters. Brown and Contompasis had been sitting together about 35 minutes before the violence erupted.

During the ensuing fight that broke out between Trump supporters  several of them Proud Boys  and the counter-protesters, police allege Contompasis pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed two men, including the 35-year-old Rotterdam man. The Times Union is not identifying that man because he could not be reached for comment, he has not been charged with a crime and he told police that a counter-protester, after he was stabbed, threatened to find and harm him.

The second man who was stabbed, a 40-year-old military member who returned from overseas duty recently, suffered an eviscerated bowel and underwent emergency surgery at Albany Medical Center Hospital. He was hospitalized for more than five days. His stabbing, however, took place outside the view of a security video that was released last weekend by the Albany County district attorney's office.

"Im hoping to get additional videos," said Melissa Carpinello, an attorney for Contompasis who said her client was acting in self-defense. "Im hoping to see all of the videos, and hopefully that (stabbing) is on camera."

Although police have not confirmed it, witnesses  including the undercover investigator  said that someone discharged a Taser during the fight.

"I heard a sound that is known to me as a Taser discharging and ... someone shouting, 'He has a knife,'" the investigator wrote in her affidavit.

In addition, at least two counter-protesters were armed with collapsible batons  called Asps  and one of them, 28-year-old Nicholas Waunsch of Troy, allegedly swung his at Trump supporters during the melee, according to police. Waunsch was charged with misdemeanor counts of weapons possession and menacing.

The second man armed with a baton, according to police, was 33-year-old Alexis Figuereo, who returned to the Capitol last week to take part in a follow-up protest about what he alleged was police abuse during his arrest. He claims a trooper put a knee on his neck after knocking him to the ground when he tried to walk through what was then a taped-off crime scene.

Law enforcement officials who reviewed video footage of that arrest, which happened after the fight, said it showed a trooper appearing to kneel on Figuereo's torso as he allegedly resisted arrest, but not on his neck. They said the trooper cautioned Figuereo several times not to walk through the crime scene but he ignored his order.

Figuereo, who characterized the Trump supporters as "Nazis" and the State Police as their sympathizers, accused police of aligning themselves with the Trump supporters because only one of them  an Albany man who allegedly struck a woman in the face with a flag pole  was charged with harassment, a violation. Figuereo was charged with resisting arrest, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal trespass, assault and disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors.

"When the Proud Boys started to be attacked back, that is when it started to be a problem, Figuereo said. "(Police) were there to protect the Proud Boys, apparently  not to protect us."

'I'm not going to stand back'

Samson Contompasis, 41, who also has served as a volunteer "security guard" at protest events, said his brother acted in self-defense and had been knocked to the ground by a Trump supporter before stabbing the man in self-defense.

"The reason that my brother is off-camera is that when he went to separate the fight, one of the Proud Boys came up and cleared him. Hes on the ground and this guy gets on top of him and repeatedly starts punching him in the face and head," Contompasis said. "When the video pans up, my brother gets up off of the ground and he sees two people attacking one of his friends, who is on the ground. One of the guys ... is kicking the Black man in the head."

Contompasis said his brother has attended dozens of protests on the East Coast as a journalist. He said his brother had a "public access show" called "Albany Banana Corps" and also uses Facebook and YouTube to post videos of protests he captures on video. There are also social media posts, many from right-wing supporters, of Alexander Contompasis engaged in violence at the protests.

In a 2017 interview with CNN, Alexander Contompasis said he and other Antifa members videotape footage of "Nazis" at demonstrations to expose them to the public, their friends and co-workers.

"The only other option is allowing them to attack the community," he told CNN, explaining why he and other Antifa members attend pro-Trump and white supremacist demonstrations. "I'm not going to stand back and do that. If people aren't going to stand up to them, then they're going to grow. The same thing happened pre-World War II and the next thing you know, 6 million dead Jews. Is it worth it? Yeah, to prevent another Holocaust, absolutely. ... Is there another Civil War coming if we don't stop it?"

His brother, Samson, disputed that his brother and others went to the Albany pro-Trump rally to counter-protest.

"It wasnt a counter-protest. The two Black men that were there, they were just sitting on the bench," he said. "They werent yelling; they werent doing anything.  This white nationalist group goes up on the statue and starts flashing white power symbols at them."

That account is contradicted by the undercover police investigator, who was reporting in real time to a senior investigator that the counter-protesters were antagonizing the Trump supporters.

Contompasis said it was just a coincidence that his brother went to the Capitol protest carrying a knife.

"We're artists. ... He didn't bring a weapon to fight with; it was just incidental he had it on him," he said. "Alex didnt come with a weapon, he just happened to have his knife on him."

When a Proud Boy allegedly used a Taser on one of the Black men, "that's when the rules of combat change," Contompasis said. "Then you know that there's six enemy combatants there  not one of them has a weapon? You have to assume that all of them have a weapon."

The 35-year-old Proud Boy member told the State Police that Alexander Contompasis had pulled the knife out of his pocket before any punches were thrown as Brown, who was also arrested, and a Trump supporter squared off.

"I saw a pinkish-red colored handle and realized that he was reaching for a knife," the man told police. "I grabbed his left arm and said, 'Don't stab anybody.' He said: 'I will stab someone.'"

Samson Contompasis also criticized the police response, contending "they should have been there once (the pro-Trump protesters) started surrounding a Black man."

State Police were monitoring the protest through Capitol surveillance cameras and had uniformed troopers staged inside the building. They ran in and helped break up the protest just after two Albany police officers, who had been nearby, ran into the park first.

Alexander Contompasis quickly left the scene and went to his vehicle, which was parked nearby. He was pulled over by State Police a few blocks away and troopers recovered a knife, with blood on it, in the vehicle.

When asked why his brother would go to a protest, like the one at the Capitol, rather than leaving it to police to handle any unruliness, Samson Contompasis said they are Jewish and Greek and have been fighting anti-Semitism and racism their entire lives.

They view their presence as security at these events as a form of civic duty.

"This is the same day that our nations Capitol was sacked by the exact same group," Samson Contompasis said. "They dont just wave their flags. These people are there to incite violence, theyre there to incite terror on Black communities around this  country. ... By doing security, by being there, were preventing outside forces from intervening on the message that is meant to be told."

Amanda Fries contributed reporting for this story.
In December 2019, before anyone had heard the term novel coronavirus, and certainly before any of us anticipated entering a monthslong shelter-in-place order, Rasiga Gowrisankar attended an Etsy craft fair in San Francisco and purchased some embroidery kits containing designs and supplies for crafting embroidered works of art.

Gowrisankar, who posts everything from work in clay to calligraphy on Instagram, had learned sewing in arts and crafts classes in middle school in India. She had taken a class in needlepoint since, but the kits from the craft fair sat largely untouched until March 2020, when the Bay Area entered a shelter-in-place order amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Usually we spend the weekends either going out to the movies or doing a little bit of volunteering at different events, Gowrisankar says, but since all of that was impossible, we had to stay home.

While some people turned to bread baking and others to puzzles, Gowrisankar joined the ranks of shelter-at-home stitchers, learning or returning to embroidery in lockdown.

Courtesy of Rasiga Gowrisankar

Jennie Lennick, owner of San Francisco clothing and DIY boutique Jenny Lemons, says shes seen a spike in interest with the implementation of shelter-in-place orders.

With the rise of people watching Netflix, I think needlecrafts are going along with that, says Lennick, who finds embroidery is a particularly good hobby to keep ones hands busy while watching TV.

Jenny Lemons, which offered DIY workshops prior to the pandemic, quickly pivoted to online classes, turning its former workshop space into a shipping and fulfillment center, sending out craft kits and streaming workshops via Zoom.

Originally, Lennick bought a document camera and led workshops on her own. Over time, though, she says the store has been able to bring on more artists, both locally and nationally, to lead different classes, covering embroidery, macrame, watercolor and more. Participants could order kits for the workshops from Jenny Lemons directly, or receive a list of supplies that they could obtain themselves. Embroidery is an ideal craft for beginners, according to Lennick, because of how low-cost it is to start.

If you want to learn to sew you have to buy a sewing machine, Lennick says. ... With embroidery, you need a hoop, and it costs like $1.

Courtesy of Jennie Lennick

Its harder for Lennick to tell whos attending workshops now that theyre digital, but she has noticed embroidery tends to appeal to young women, especially on the coasts. Not many Midwesterners sign up for the online classes, she says, but she has seen how taking courses online can allow people on both the East and West Coast to attend.

It feels old-fashioned, but the younger generation wants to pick it up and make it alive, Lennick says. Make it our own.

On a personal level, Lennick was right in the middle of a 365-day embroidery project when the pandemic hit. She lost her father in 2018, and was sewing a small, 3-inch hoop every day for a year to process her grief and document each day. Suddenly, everything was closed and California was sheltering at home.

Shifting into the pandemic, each day kind of feels the same, Lennick says, but the small embroidery canvases required her to find the nuance in the sameness, feeling the way each day is different.

Courtesy of Jennie Lennick

Embroidery is really connected to time for me, like a stitch of time is like a second, Lennick says. ... I look at the project, I also think about how long it took me. Its nice to mark time in a tactile way.

Gowrisankar, too, marked time through her quarantine embroidery, documenting her projects on Instagram as part of a 100-day artistic challenge. The challenge asks people to pick one art form to practice for 100 days in a row, so Gowrisankar decided to dive into fiber arts, from macrame to mending clothes and, of course, needlepoint. She began with a colorful map of California, covered from edge to edge with bright yellow lemons. From there, she stitched landscapes and lettering, and floral sampler after floral sampler.

Courtesy of Rasiga Gowrisankar

It definitely is time consuming, Gowrisankar says, but I think that is the best part of it, its so repetitive and almost therapeutic in nature.

San Francisco artist Greg Climer does quilting not embroidery, but spoke with SFGATE to discuss fiber arts in general. He agrees that working with fabric and thread can be therapeutic.

I find it very different than shutting off your brain watching a dumb reality TV or something, Climer says. Its a different kind of shutting off your brain. Its shutting down the part of my brain thats worrying, thats overanalyzing, but its very meditative at the same time. As opposed to pushing pause, its meditating.

Climer, who teaches fashion design at the California College of the Arts and has shown work at the de Young Museum in San Francisco and the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art in New York, among others, says the pandemic shifted his relationship with his work. Where in the past he might pause and look over his creations as hes working on them to make adjustments, in 2020 he spent a lot of time just sewing, without stepping back to look at the work until it was finished.

Between working at home and then not working for a little while, he says, Ive found [sewing is] very meditative for me. I was spending a lot of time just sewing for the sake of sewing, as opposed to sewing because I had a project I was working on or sewing because I had a deadline. It was just peaceful.

Part of the meditativeness for those who embroider comes from the slow progress of their projects. For Lennick, it was seeing her small one-day works spanning an entire year. For Gowrisankar, it was putting each design together like a jigsaw puzzle. For East Bay artist Rosie Sachtschale (@electricrosestudios on Instagram), its watching a work of art come to life from scratch.

When you start out, it doesnt look anything, says Sachtschale. Slowly youll see it kind of take shape.

Courtesy of Rosie Sachtschale

While she had some familiarity with cross stitch in the past, Sachtschale embraced embroidery during sheltering in place and even launched her own studio, Electric Rose Studios, with the aim of creating custom-embroidered clothing for people, art pieces that she likens to tattoos on cloth.

Sachtschale says she dove head first into a thread collage project in 2020, creating a large hybrid embroidery and cross stitch piece that combined the cover of Kid Cudis Man on the Moon album and art from the 2020 film The King of Staten Island. She used 36 colors of thread and spent most of the summer on it.

I just kind of put on my headphones and turn on some music and just kind of get lost in what Im doing, she says. I can do that for hours, just kind of listening to music and stitching, and I do, because theres nowhere else to go.

Courtesy of Rosie Sachtschale

In a time of isolation, in a solitary activity, stitchers have found that embroidery helps them make connections and foster relationships as well. Sachtschale says she would never tattoo a partners name on her skin (bad luck) but she has embroidered her girlfriends initials onto a jean jacket shes decorating with her work. On Instagram, she follows artists who use embroidery for activism, like Emma McKee (@thestitchgawd) and Nneka Jones (@artyouhungry), and shes pondering ways she can use her art to contribute to social causes. I want to make sure that Im saying something real with it, Sachtschale says.

Gowrisankar, too, says the craft brought with it new connections at a time when many people were suddenly cut off from their friends and extended family. By posting her work to Instagram and participating in hashtags, she was able to connect with other people doing embroidery from the safety of their own homes.

So I found that sense of community, just like supporting each other or sending tips and tricks or sending out, Hey, I love this pattern.
GARDAI are investigating after a woman was found dead in a Cork house.

The woman - a retired Garda in her early 60s - was discovered in a property in Bishopstown on Sunday evening after friends had become concerned following their inability to contact her over the previous 48 hours.

She was discovered lying unresponsive in the property and gardai and paramedics were notified.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is understood she may have been dead for several hours.

One theory being considered is that the woman may have died after suffering a serious fall.

An apparent cut to her head may be indicative of a fall-related injury.

However, Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster will examine the scene and conduct a full post mortem examination at Cork

University Hospital (CUH) on Monday.

One Garda source said the nature of their investigation will now be determined by the findings of the post mortem.

Gardai are keeping an open mind about what is currently being treated as an unexplained death.

The woman lost her husband over a decade ago in tragic circumstances.

His anniversary was just a fortnight ago.
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Belagavi, Jan 17 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said with Narendra Modi as Prime Minister and B.S. Yediyurappa as Chief Minister, Karnataka has a double engine government to drive growth in the state.

"With Modi at the Centre and Yediyurappa in the state, Karnataka has a double engine driving its growth and development on all the fronts. With political stability, the state is set for progress in the coming years," said Shah in Hindi at a public rally in Karnataka's Belagavi, 500km northwest of Bengaluru.

Addressing a mammoth gathering of over 1 lakh people in the district ground at the valedictory of the ruling BJP's Janasevak Samavesha, Shah said Karnataka had strengthened the hands of Modi and Yediyurappa by voting the party to power in the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections since 2014.

"By ensuring victory of the BJP in 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats from the state in the May 2019 general elections, the people have ensured absolute majority for the BJP at the Centre, which enabled Modi to scrap Articles 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir and free Muslim women from Triple Talaq," recalled Shah.

Thanking the people for the ruling party's win in 14 of the 17 state assembly by-elections held in December 2019 and November 2020, Shah said even in the recent Gram Panchayat elections, 55 per cent of the candidates supported by the party had won.

"I appeal to the people to ensure the party wins 75 per cent seats in the ensuing taluk and zilla parishad elections for all-round development of the state," exhorted Shah.

Shah also lauded the Yediyurappa government for controlling the coronavirus pandemic in the state and reducing positive cases and fatality rate over the last 10 months, Shah urged the people to get vaccinated without fear.

"Do not get misguided by the Congress leaders on the safety and efficacy of the two vaccines, which are made in India. They are safe to take," said Shah.

"We know you (Congress leaders) cannot do anything other than protest. but at least don't stop the ones making efforts. Both vaccinations developed in India are completely safe," reiterated Shah.

Shah, who was on a 2-day visit to the southern state since Saturday, visited the residence of late Union Minister of Railways and 4-time Belagavi Lok Sabha member Suresh Angadi in the city and paid floral tributes to him.

Angadi died of Covid at the state-run AIIMS hospital in New Delhi on September 23 at the age of 65.

"Angadi was a dedicated karyakarta (cadre) and politician who served the nation and party with utmost devotion," Shah told the bereaved family members.

Shah also unveiled the advanced simulation centre at KLE Hospital in the city.



Copies of Bill Duncans book are still available from his wife, Ada Duncan, at 541-673-1073 as well as at While Away Books in Roseburg.
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Nigeria on Saturday recorded 1,598 new coronavirus infections and seven deaths, according to an update by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The seven new deaths raised the number of deaths across the country to 1,420 in total.

With 1,598 new cases, the total tally of coronavirus infections increased to 108,943.

Cases have been on the rise as the fast-spreading second wave of the coronavirus continues to make its presence felt.

One in every six persons (16 per cent) tested for COVID-19 in Nigeria in the past two weeks, tested positive.

On Friday, barely a day after Nigeria announced its worst day of the pandemic with 23 lives lost, a total of 1, 867 new infections were found in 23 states across the country  the highest daily infection toll ever.

With the recent surge in coronavirus cases feeding through into fatalities, Nigeria has been having a consistent spike in deaths from the disease.

In the past 27 days, there have been over 200 fatalities as a result of COVID-19 complications in Nigeria.

Active cases in the country rose sharply from about 3,000 about two months ago to over 20, 000 due to a rise in new infections.

Of the over 108,000 cases so far, 85, 376 patients have been discharged from hospitals after treatment.

Specifics

The 1,598 new cases were reported from 24 states:

Lagos-461 FCT-206 Plateau-197 Rivers-168 Kaduna-116 Anambra-53 Ogun-49 Ebonyi-47 Edo-42 Sokoto-32 Imo-31 Katsina-31 Oyo-30 Akwa Ibom-27 Delta-16 Kano-16 Abia-15 Niger-15 Ondo-11 Bayelsa-10 Borno-9 Kebbi-8 Ekiti-7 Jigawa-1.

Lagos, again, led with 461 new cases on Saturday. The commercial city is Nigerias coronavirus epicentre with a total of over 37, 000 confirmed cases and over 260 deaths.

The Minister of State for Health, Mr Mamora, warned Nigerians against complacency in containing the COVID-19 pandemic as the much-awaited vaccines may not arrive the country as soon as expected.

The government said it is expecting to start receiving vaccines for the disease by the end of the month but many medical experts told PREMIUM TIMES that that is almost likely impossible.

So far, Nigeria has conducted over a million COVID-19 tests.


Home Secretary Priti Patel is preparing to risk uproar by giving police new stop and search powers  despite claims by campaigners that they target the black community unfairly.

New legislation intended to tackle spiralling knife crime will give police the automatic right to search individuals who have previously been convicted of knife offences without, as at present, having reasonable grounds to suspect they are carrying a weapon.

Ms Patel, whose move comes seven years after Theresa May introduced changes to the powers when she was at the Home Office to make it less biased, told The Mail on Sunday that she was acting because mothers of stabbed children insist stop and search is a vital tool to tackle knife crime.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing And Courts Bill, which will go before MPs within weeks, includes Serious Violence Reduction Orders giving police the automatic right to search those who pose the greatest risk, allowing known criminals to be stopped at any time.

Home Secretary Priti Patel is preparing to risk uproar by giving police new stop and search powers  despite claims by campaigners that they target the black community unfairly

In 2014, Mrs May said stop and search was unfair, especially to young black men. Studies have shown that black Britons are up to nine times more likely to be stopped than white people.

Ms Patel said: The police tell me stop and search is a vital tool to tackle knife crime. Mothers of children who have been stabbed on our streets tell me that stop and search is a vital tool to tackle knife crime.

I have spent time with the mums, dads, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles of young boys who have died on our streets. They all say to me, Priti, why wasnt my son searched? Why wasnt his attacker searched? If they had been, my son could have been alive today. That hammers home the reality of this devastating situation.

Currently, police may not use someones physical appearance, past convictions or a protected characteristic such as age, disability or sexual orientation when making stop and search decisions.

Currently, police may not use someones physical appearance, past convictions or a protected characteristic such as age, disability or sexual orientation when making stop and search decisions (file image)

Ms Patel added: A minority will say these measures are disproportionate and will affect minority communities or claim that this is racism. That is simply not true.

People will say these measures are controversial. But to me, when people are dying, that doesnt matter. The Governments number one job is to keep our people safe.

She said that in the past year, stop and search powers had led to almost 65,000 criminal acts being discovered and 34,000 arrests, including 4,418 for possessing weapons.

The Bill will also contain a Serious Violence Duty requiring arms of the state to work together to analyse violent crime issues in their area and create a response strategy.

Last night, the Home Secretary thanked engineers working throughout the weekend to restore data lost from the Police National Database, which is thought to have affected more than 400,000 crime records.
In the past few months, Amazon has made moves to open two fulfillment centers and one delivery station in metro Baton Rouge and Lafayette that will double its area operations, but doesn't appear to be done building out its south Louisiana distribution network.

Based on the combined populations of metro New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette, as many as six more local delivery stations could be added to three stations already operating in the area, along with the development of a regional sortation center, said Marc Wulfraat, a logistics expert who tracks Amazon.

Delivery stations and regional sortation centers generally have a few hundred employees each, but hire additional workers during busy periods, so the additional construction could mean thousands of new jobs on top of more than 1,000 combined expected at the two planned fulfillment centers.

When the dust settles, you may end up with nine or 10 delivery stations, said Wulfraat, president and founder of MWPVL, a supply chain, distribution and logistics consulting firm based in Montreal. MWPVL has worked with a variety of businesses, including Fortune 100 firms.

+3 Amazon closes deal on 900,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Carencro Amazon has closed on the deal to buy land at the former Evangeline Downs racetrack site for a 900,000-square-foot fulfillment center, a source

Ty Gose, a commercial sales and leasing agent with NAI/Latter & Blum, who has worked with Amazon and its developers in acquiring land for its delivery and fulfillment centers in Baton Rouge and Carencro, said the companys expansion plans call for more of a presence in south Louisiana.

Having worked with them this past year, there is definitely more in the works, he said.

Amazon currently has two delivery stations in New Orleans, both in the Elmwood area, and one in Baton Rouge, recently built off Rieger Road. Those handle last mile delivery for Amazon, with drivers taking packages directly to homes, businesses and apartments. Some stations are set up to handle small packages, while others handle large bulky items, such as appliances, which may have to be brought inside a house and installed.

The network of delivery stations is set up so drivers dont have to go more than 20 to 25 miles before dropping off their first package, Wulfraat said. So they deliver within a 45- to 50-mile radius. Between 700 to 900 vans operate out of the stations, with drivers pulling up in platoons to get the items they need to take on their delivery route.

The delivery stations are fed by a regional sortation center. Thats where items gathered from Amazon fulfillment centers are shipped to. Employees at the sortation center determine if it would be best to send an item through the U.S. Postal Service or if Amazons own distribution network should handle delivery.

Currently, Wulfraat said, the south Louisiana market is being served by a sortation center in Humble, Texas, near Houston. There will be some sort of an announcement about a sortation center in your area down the road, he said. Generally, the sortation centers are about 250,000 to 300,000 square feet and they operate in a 200-mile radius.

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A developer that works with Amazon recently purchased a 63-acre site off La. 415 in Port Allen and its use has not yet been announced as to whether it might be a delivery station or potentially a sortation center.

+2 Amazon center in Carencro is 'a major investment;' here's what you should know The $100 million Amazon fulfillment center in Carencro will employ 500 and should be open by this time next year, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced.

The main feeders for Amazon are its fulfillment centers. One is under construction in Carencro, at the old Evangeline Downs site. It is designed to pick, pack and ship bulky items, such as rugs, patio furniture and outdoor equipment. That facility is set to open in about a year and will employ 500 people.

A fulfillment center, which the company with ties to Amazon has requested to build on the site of Baton Rouge's vacated Cortana Mall, would handle small, sortable products, based on the size of the facility, Wulfraat said. Documents filed with the city-parish said the center would be 2.9 million square feet, spread across five levels, and built after demolition of the mall. The center would handle small, lightweight items less than 18 inches in size. The city-parish Planning Commission is set to vote on the site plan for the facility in February; the plans call for 1,251 parking spots.

Fulfillment centers are typically 1 million-square-foot or more warehouses with hundreds of employees; some have robotic assistance for workers to fulfill online orders. The fulfillment centers need extra space because they carry inventory from small businesses that sell goods through Amazon.

Every major city Amazon goes into, they have one of each fulfillment center. One for products that are small and sortable and one for large non-sortable items, Wulfraat said.

Plans filed for potential Amazon distribution center at Cortana Mall A company with ties to Amazon has filed a request to turn Cortana Mall into a 2.9-million-square foot distribution center.

During the Carencro fulfillment center announcement, officials noted the online retailer already employs over 1,500 full- and part-time workers in Louisiana. It has seven Whole Foods Market locations in Louisiana, in addition to the delivery stations in Baton Rouge and New Orleans and an Amazon Air logistics gateway at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Mark Marzano, Amazons director of fulfillment, told participants in the announcement that the company is striving to offer faster, more efficient deliveries to customers across the state.

In 2020, Amazon ranked Louisiana fifth for the fastest annual growth among its digital entrepreneur partners making sales through the company, state officials said. More than 14,500 small and medium-sized businesses in the state participate in Amazons fulfillment network, and Louisiana entrepreneurs recorded 49% growth in year-over-year sales between June 2019 and May 2020.
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Two local men were arrested following a drug investigation that began nine months ago, police say.

The Hazleton police narcotics unit and patrol, working as members of the Luzerne County Drug Task Force and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, executed a search warrant Thursday at 2:35 p.m., seizing a large amount of cocaine, suspected fentanyl, cash and packaging materials, according to police.

Randi Torres-Irizarry, 44, of Hazleton, and Luis Lucas-Castillo, 39, of Hazle Twp., were taken into custody.

Torres-Irizarry was charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine, tampering with evidence and several counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Joseph Halesey, Wilkes-Barre, who set bail at $150,000. Torres-Irizarry has a U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement detainer for being a previously deported felon, police said. He was taken to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in Wilkes-Barre.

Lucas-Castillo will face charges of possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released from police custody.

The search warrant was served at 235 E. Chestnut St., second floor apartment. The apartment is just east of Poplar Street and two blocks south of East Broad Street. Police said they seized 6.1 ounces (173 grams) of cocaine, 2.3 ounces (66 grams) of suspected heroin/fentanyl, more than $17,500, more than 20 cellphones, digital scales, small plastic bags and other packaging material and documentation. Upon locating Torres-Irizarry, police said he attempted to flush a large amount of cocaine down the toilet.

Lucas-Castillo was in possession of a small amount of cocaine, more than $5,000 and three cellphones, according to officers.

The drug investigation involving cocaine sales began in April 2020 and involved surveillance and controlled purchases of cocaine between November 2020 and Wednesday, investigators said. Surveillance showed that Torres-Irizarry was consistently distributing cocaine from his home and in the immediate area, police reported.

A traffic stop was conducted this week in which Torres-Irizarry identified himself by the name of another man, police said.

The investigation involved interagency cooperation, a key element to providing safety and security to the people of Hazleton, investigators said. The actions of Hazleton police and DEA agents demonstrates the effectiveness of coordinated efforts in drug enforcement, they continued.
Blessing of the Animals will not take place at the Vatican this year.

Italy celebrates the feast day of St Anthony Abbot, the patron saint and protector of animals, on Sunday 17 January 2021.

This year however, due to the coronavirus crisis, the annual Blessing of the Animals ceremony at the Vatican will not take place.

The tradition normally involves an open air stable set up in front of St Peters Square with horses, cows, sheep, pigs, goats and hens, as well as dogs and cats.

The traditional Mass for farmers and their families will be celebrated St Peter's tomorrow, 18 January, but without any animals present outside, reports Vatican News.

However a parish in Rieti, north-east of Rome, is offering a symbolic blessing of all creatures great and small, with people sending photos of their pets and farm animals to Monsignor Benedetto Falcetti at the church of S. Michele Arcangelo.

Who was S. Antonio Abate?

In addition to animals and farmers, St Anthony Abbot is the patron saint of basket weavers and grave diggers, and is believed to protect against skin diseases, especially shingles.

The saint, who died in Egypt in 356, has always enjoyed a widespread following among Italys agricultural communities.

According to an ancient legend from the Veneto in northern Italy, on the night of 17 January animals acquired the ability to speak.

On this night each year, it is said that people were kept away from stables because to hear the animals talk was considered a bad omen.
WASHINGTON  President-elect Joe Biden, inheriting a collection of crises unlike any in generations, plans to open his administration with dozens of executive directives on top of expansive legislative proposals in a 10-day blitz meant to signal a turning point for a nation reeling from disease, economic turmoil, racial strife and now the aftermath of the assault on the Capitol.

Bidens team has developed a raft of decrees that he can issue on his own authority after the inauguration Wednesday to begin reversing some of President Donald Trumps most hotly disputed policies. Advisers hope the flurry of action, without waiting for Congress, will establish a sense of momentum for the new president even as the Senate puts his predecessor on trial.

On his first day in office alone, Biden intends a flurry of executive orders that will be partly substantive and partly symbolic. They include rescinding the travel ban on several predominantly Muslim countries, rejoining the Paris climate change accord, extending pandemic-related limits on evictions and student loan payments, issuing a mask mandate for federal property and interstate travel and ordering agencies to figure out how to reunite children separated from families after crossing the border, according to a memo circulated on Saturday by Ron Klain, his incoming White House chief of staff, and obtained by The New York Times.

The blueprint of executive action comes after Biden announced that he will push Congress to pass a $1.9 trillion package of economic stimulus and pandemic relief, signaling a willingness to be aggressive on policy issues and confronting Republicans from the start to take their lead from him.

He also plans to send sweeping immigration legislation on his first day in office providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million people in the country illegally. Along with his promise to vaccinate 100 million Americans for the coronavirus in his first 100 days, it is an expansive set of priorities for a new president that could be a defining test of his deal-making abilities and command of the federal government.

For Biden, an energetic debut could be critical to moving the country beyond the endless dramas surrounding Trump. In the 75 days since his election, Biden has provided hints of what kind of president he hopes to be  focused on the big issues, resistant to the louder voices in his own party and uninterested in engaging in the Twitter-driven, minute-by-minute political combat that characterized the last four years and helped lead to the deadly mob assault on the Capitol.

But in a city that has become an armed camp since the Jan. 6 attack, with inaugural festivities curtailed because of both the coronavirus and the threat of domestic terrorism, Biden cannot count on much of a honeymoon.

While privately many Republicans will be relieved at his ascension after the combustible Trump, the troubles awaiting Biden are so daunting that even a veteran of a half-century in politics may struggle to get a grip on the ship of state. And even if the partisan enmities of the Trump era ebb somewhat, there remain deep ideological divisions on the substance of Bidens policies  on taxation, government spending, immigration, health care and other issues  that will challenge much of his agenda on Capitol Hill.

You have a public health crisis, an economic challenge of huge proportions, racial, ethnic strife and political polarization on steroids, said Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor who served as a top adviser to Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. These challenges require big, broad strokes. The challenge is whether theres a partner on the other side to deal with them.

Bidens transition has been unlike that of any other new president, and so will the early days of his administration. The usual spirit of change and optimism that surrounds a newly elected president has been overshadowed by a defeated president who has refused to concede either the election or the spotlight.

Biden spent much of this interregnum trying not to be distracted as he assembled a Cabinet and White House staff of government veterans that look remarkably like the Obama administration that left office four years ago. He put together a team with expansive diversity in race and gender, but without many of the partys more outspoken progressive figures, to the disappointment of the left.

Hes obviously prioritized competence and longevity of experience in a lot of his appointments, said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a national co-chairman of Sen. Bernie Sanders primary campaign.

But he said Bidens team had reached out to progressives like him. I do hope well continue to see progressives who tend to be younger and newer to the party fill a lot of the undersecretary and assistant secretary positions even if theyre not at the very top, Khanna said.

At the very top will be one of the most familiar figures in modern American politics but one who has appeared to evolve in recent weeks. After a lifetime in Washington, the restless, gabby man of consuming ambition who always had something to say and something to prove seems to have given way to a more self-assured 78-year-old who finally achieved his lifes dream.

He did not feel the need to chase the cameras over the past 10 weeks  indeed, his staff has gone out of its way to protect him from unscripted exposure for fear of any stumbles, a goal that will be harder once in office.

He is much calmer, said Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. and a close ally. The anxiety of running and the pressure of a campaign, all thats behind him now. Even after the campaign was over, the election was over, all the foolishness coming from the Trump camp, you dont know how all this stuff is going to play out. You may know how its going to end, but youre anxious about how it plays out. So all thats behind him now.

Throughout his career, Biden has been a divining rod for the middle of his party, more moderate in the 1990s when that was in vogue and more liberal during the Obama era when the center of gravity shifted.

He is driven less by ideology than by the mechanics of how to put together a bill that will satisfy various power centers. A fingertip politician, as he likes to put it, Biden is described by aides and friends as more intuitive about other politicians and their needs than was Obama, but less of a novel thinker.

While he is famous for foot-in-mouth gaffes, he can be slow to make decisions, with one meeting rolling into the next as he seeks out more opinions. Each morning, he receives a fat briefing book with dozens of tabs in a black binder and reads through it, but he prefers to interact with others. During the transition, he has conducted many of his briefings using Zoom at his desk in the library of his home in Wilmington, Delaware, or at the Queen, the nearby theater where a large screen has been set up.

He relishes freewheeling discussion, interrupting aides and chiding them for what he deems overly academic or elitist language. Pick up your phone, call your mother, read her what you just told me, he likes to say, according to aides. If she understands, we can keep talking. Aides made a point of editing out all abbreviations other than U.N. and NATO.

As one former aide put it, Biden was the guy in college who was always leading study groups in the dorm, using notecards with his friends, constantly interacting, while Obama was the monastic, scholarly student with oil lamps sitting in a room alone poring through books.

Like Obama  and notably unlike Trump  Biden watches little television news other than perhaps catching Morning Joe on MSNBC while on the treadmill or the Sunday talk shows. Aides recall few times he came to them with something he picked up from television.

Biden will be the first true creature of Capitol Hill to occupy the White House since President Gerald Ford in the 1970s. More than recent predecessors, he understands how other politicians think and what drives them. But his confidence that he can make deals with Republicans is born of an era when bipartisan cooperation was valued rather than scorned and he may find that todays Washington has become so tribal that the old ways no longer apply.

Joe Biden is somebody who understands how politicians work and how important political sensitivities are on each side, which is drastically different than President Obama, said former Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, who as the House Republican leader negotiated with Biden and came to like him.

I would think there may be a time when Washington could get something done, said Cantor, who lost a Republican primary in 2014 in part because he was seen as too willing to work with Biden. At this point, I dont know, the extreme elements on both sides are so strong right now, its going to be difficult.

Bidens determination to ask Congress for a broad overhaul of the nations immigration laws underscores the difficulties. In his proposed legislation, which he plans to unveil on Wednesday, he will call for a path to citizenship for about 11 million undocumented immigrants already living in the United States, including those with temporary status and the so-called Dreamers, who have lived in the country since they were young children.

The bill will include increased foreign aid to ravaged Central American economies, provide safe opportunities for immigration for those fleeing violence, and increase prosecutions of those trafficking drugs and human smugglers.

But unlike previous presidents, Biden will not try to win support from Republicans by acknowledging the need for extensive new investments in border security in exchange for his proposals, according to a person familiar with the legislation. That could make his plan far harder to pass in Congress, where Democrats will control both houses, but by a slim margin.

All of which explains why Biden and his team have resolved to use executive power as much as possible at the onset of the administration even as he tests the waters of a new Congress.

In his memo to Bidens senior staff on Saturday, Klain underscored the urgency of the overlapping crises and the need for the new president to act quickly to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration.

While other presidents issued executive actions right after taking office, Biden plans to enact a dozen on Inauguration Day alone, including the travel ban reversal, the mask mandate and the return to the Paris accord.

As with many of Trumps own executive actions, some of them may sound more meaningful than they really are. By imposing a mask mandate on interstate planes, trains and buses, for instance, Biden is essentially codifying existing practice while encouraging rather than trying to require broader use of masks.

On the other side, Biden risks being criticized for doing what Democrats accused Trump of doing in terms of abusing the power of his office through an expansive interpretation of his executive power. Sensitive to that argument, Klain argued in his memo that Biden will remain within the bounds of law.

While the policy objectives in these executive actions are bold, I want to be clear: The legal theory behind them is well-founded and represents a restoration of an appropriate, constitutional role for the president, Klain wrote to his staff.

On Bidens second day in office, he will sign executive actions related to the coronavirus pandemic aimed at helping schools and businesses to reopen safely, expand testing, protect workers and clarify public health standards.

On his third day, he will direct his Cabinet agencies to take immediate action to deliver economic relief to working families, Klain wrote in the memo.

The subsequent seven days will include more executive actions and directives to his Cabinet to expand Buy America provisions, support communities of color and other underserved communities, address climate change and start an effort to reunite families separated at the border.

Klain did not provide details about the executive actions, leaving unclear whether they will be merely statements of intent, like many of Trumps executive actions. And he conceded that much of the agenda developed by Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would require action by Congress.

Congress has been largely gridlocked for years, and even with Democrats controlling both the House and the Senate, Biden faces an uphill climb after this initial burst of executive actions. Tom Daschle of South Dakota, a former Senate Democratic leader who worked with Biden for years, said the incoming president had an acute sense of the challenges he faced and the trade-offs required.

As leader, Daschle recalled that when things went wrong for him and he would complain, Biden would joke, I hope thats worth the car, referring to the chauffeured ride provided the Senate leader. Now, Daschle said as Biden prepares to move into the Executive Mansion, Im almost inclined to say, well, whatever hes facing now, I hope thats worth the house.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Dozens of people gathered in front of Steinbachs city hall Saturday afternoon to protest code-red restrictions. The group known as Hugs Over Masks set up loudspeakers on the steps and had signs with messages that included Faith is Essential, The Media is the Virus and Lockdown is About Control.

Dozens of people gathered in front of Steinbachs city hall Saturday afternoon to protest code-red restrictions. The group known as Hugs Over Masks set up loudspeakers on the steps and had signs with messages that included "Faith is Essential," "The Media is the Virus" and "Lockdown is About Control."

RCMP vehicles set up blockades on Reimer Avenue, and officers stood near the barricades watching the event unfold.

RCMP issue a ticket to a man who spoke at the protest. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

The largely maskless crowd of more than 70 people listened and cheered from the sidewalk or from across the street. They held up signs calling for an end to the lockdown or the opening of small businesses. One woman yelled at reporters to "write the truth," and the crowd often huddled around reporters doing interviews but were generally non-threatening.

Church of God Restoration minister Tobias Tissen, who has been ticketed multiple times for breaking restrictions at anti-mask rallies, stood in front of the crowd in his tidy black coat and delivered a religious sermon to the crowd.

Outspoken anti-mask activist Gerry Bohemier speaks to the protesters outside city hall in Steinbach. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

He decried the shutdown of churches and said the right response to COVID-19 would have been to call for "fervent prayer" from all churches.

Tissen aimed some of his criticism at Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister. He also called out Michael Forian, press secretary to Alberta Education Minister Adriana LaGrange, for having travelled outside the country during the pandemic.

A former member of his congregation recently accused Tissen of using these anti-mask demonstrations as means of increasing his flock. Tissen refused to speak directly to the Free Press.

The largely maskless crowd of more than 70 people listened and cheered from the sidewalk or from across the street. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

At one point during Tissens speech, a masked man yelled out twice, "How many people have to die?"

Tissen briefly stopped his speech and said to the man, "Im sorry, but youre not a Christian."

The man, James Loewen, soon after ended up in a heated exchange with a man wearing a Hugs Over Masks shirt and a Stars and Stripes "Make America Great Again" hat. Two RCMP officers moved nearby to monitor the conflict.

"This is so embarrassing for this town," said Loewen, after the argument. "And I get so riled up, I wanted to come in here and try to have a little bit of a conversation and just see where theyre coming from."

RCMP issue a ticket to a Hugs Over Masks organizer who would only identify herself as Shannon. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

Loewen said he was particularly agitated because of his experience with COVID-19. "The apartment building Im going to, three people have died from coronavirus. Three or four have been hospitalized because of it."

One organizer, who would only identify herself as Shannon, said despite the name, "Hugs Over Masks is not an anti-mask group." She said the group aims to protest restrictions it believes infringes on personal rights and causes unnecessary harm to mental health. At one point, she did ask protesters to try to stay six feet apart from each other, but this advice was to mostly ignored.

RCMP issue a ticket to anti-mask activist Patrick Allard who spoke at the protest. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

Another protester, Patrick Allard, also railed against the restrictions. "We need to get the government off our back with these regulations. We need to get back to normal."

Allard said hes been ticketed five times at $1,296 each, totalling $6,480.

Hes already begun fighting his first tickets, he said, and will continue to fight them as they come. "It doesnt matter if its one dollar or a million dollars," he said. "For me to stop  even arresting me wont stop (me). Theyd have to kill me."

A protester (left) and counter protester (right) debate. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

RCMP ticketed Allard again Saturday, along with at least three others.

Across the street from the rally, two women wearing masks stood outside an apartment building watching the rally.

"I think its terribly disrespectful to our elders, and to everyone," said Jennifer Cook, who lives in the building. "Were trying to make sure that we keep it so people can eventually come out. And I think its just ridiculous."

An anti-mask protester is seen wearing a mask that reads worn by force not by choice. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

The other woman, Monica Barber, also lives in the building across from the protest.

"I just think its not right that the churches are promoting this," she said. "Well, a certain church."

RCMP did not respond to requests for the exact number of tickets issued by the time of publication.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
One of the first British patients to be given a breakthrough drug for deadly ovarian cancer has defied the odds, after the pill kept her cancer at bay for several years.

Val Simcock, 56, ran out of options in 2017 when a second bout of chemotherapy failed to halt the growth of her tumour. But the daily pill quickly stopped the cancer in its tracks.

Now up to 3,000 women with the disease are set to benefit from the drug, called niraparib, after the NHS spending watchdog NICE last week sanctioned its general use in England.

Val says: I take three tablets every night just before bed and scans have since shown the drug isnt just stopping the tumour from growing, it seems to be shrinking it slightly. That really fills me with hope for the future.

Beating odds: Niraparib pioneer Val Simcock, 56, whose tumour shrank. Now up to 3,000 women with ovarian cancer are set to benefit from the drug

Weird science: Why energy drink guzzler suffered a heart attack Downing too many energy drinks could put your life at risk, it seems. A 26-year-old American suffered a massive heart attack which doctors claimed was triggered by his ten-cans-a-day habit. He had gone to a Texas A&E complaining of chest and arm pain, nausea and vomiting, according to Case Reports In Emergency Medicine. Scans revealed a blocked artery from his heart. The man admitted he drank up to ten cans of energy drinks daily  the equivalent of eight strong espressos. The excessive caffeine may have reduced blood flow in his heart, causing a blood clot leading to a heart attack. Advertisement

Cancer experts say it is a major leap forward in treatment.

This is really exciting news, said Dr Rebecca Bowen, an oncologist at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust.

Drugs such as niraparib are having the biggest impact on treatment of ovarian cancer that we have seen in decades.

Ovarian cancer strikes about 7,500 women a year in the UK  killing more than 4,000 annually.

Britain has some of the highest rates of the disease in Europe, while survival figures are among the lowest.

Tumours often go unnoticed because, in the early stages, the symptoms can be vague  a bloated tummy, feeling full-up quickly when eating, or urinating more than usual.

As a result, its estimated that in nearly 60 per cent of cases the cancer has already spread beyond the ovaries  and is potentially incurable  by the time women get a diagnosis.

But in recent years, a new class of drugs, known as PARP inhibitors, have been transforming patients prospects.

The drugs, such as niraparib (also known by the brand name Zejula), work by blocking a protein called poly-ADP ribose polymerase, or PARP, which cancer cells rely on to repair themselves and keep on growing.

Until now, the drugs, which cost about 4,000 a month, were only given to women with ovarian cancer caused by a mutation in the BRCA genes, which account for about one in five cases.

Ovarian cancer strikes about 7,500 women a year in the UK  killing more than 4,000 annually. Britain has some of the highest rates of the disease in Europe (file photo)

Your amazing body Most people will have bashed their funny bone and felt that strange, tingling numbness radiate through the whole arm. But the funny bone isnt a bone at all  its the ulnar nerve, which runs from the neck to the hand. For most of its length its buried in muscles and ligaments, but at the elbow it runs through a channel called the cubital tunnel and comes close to the skin, making it vulnerable to knocks. So when you hit it, youre compressing the ulnar nerve against the underlying bone, resulting in that unique sensation that can be felt right down to the little finger. Advertisement

But now there is good evidence that they work for patients without this gene fault, so theyve been approved.

The NICE ruling means that many more women with advanced tumours not caused by the gene mutations can also get the drug  and sooner.

Until now, these women would probably just have had chemotherapy and maybe surgery to treat their cancer, says Dr Bowen. In the vast majority of cases, they would relapse within 18 months  many much sooner  and then they would face yet more chemotherapy.

Victoria Clare, chief executive of the ovarian cancer charity Ovacome, said: Women with this disease must be given every opportunity to live as full a life as possible, for as long as possible. Thats what this new medication offers.

Val was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015, after mentioning to a doctor that her mother had recently developed it. The GP ordered a blood test which showed Val had very high levels of CA125, a protein linked with ovarian tumours. Further checks confirmed she was stage 3, which meant she had advanced cancer.

I had no idea I was ill, says Val, a part-time supermarket employee from Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, who is married to David, 61. It was a tremendous shock. I didnt have any symptoms.

DNA tests confirmed Val had a BRCA2 mutation, which caused the cancer, and she underwent three sessions of chemotherapy, which initially seemed to clear it.

But 18 months later, the cancer came back. More chemotherapy bought her another six months before the cancer showed up for a third time. I felt dreadful from the chemotherapy and was so disappointed, says Val.

But I had read about these new drugs called PARP inhibitors and asked the doctors at Worcestershire Royal Hospital if I could go on them.

They applied to the Cancer Drugs Fund, which controls use of the drug on the NHS, and managed to get her the treatment because of her genetic mutation.

Ive spoken to a patient who is alive and well after nine years on a PARP inhibitor, says Val. Its amazing to think Im in this position, given just three years ago it looked like I had run out of options.
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At least five people have been injured after gunfire broke out in San Francisco on Saturday night.

The shooting unfolded just before 9.30pm near Eddy and Taylor streets in the city's Tenderloin District, police say.

All five victims are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

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Five people were injured after gunfire broke out in San Francisco's Tenderloin District on Saturday night, police said

Footage showed a heavy police presence at the scene with multiple fire engines and medics on hand. All five victims are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries

Police released an updated statement confirming 'firearms have been recovered'

No information on the suspect was released, but police have confirmed 'firearms have been recovered.'

According to social media reports, an armed suspect was 'on the run' after opening fire outside a grocery store downtown.

Witnesses reported seeing 'four to five' people being struck in the gunfire.

Footage showed a heavy police presence at the scene with multiple SFFD engines and medics standing by. Multiple intersections were cordoned off by authorities.

'No suspect information is available at this time,' SFPD said in a statement. 'This an active and ongoing investigation in the early states.'

Police later released an update saying: 'This investigation is active and we have 5 shooting victims. Preliminary information is all victims suffered non- life threatening injuries.

'Firearms have been recovered and SFPD Night Investigations Unit (NIU) has assumed the lead role in the investigation.'

Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD tip line at (415) 575-4444.
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I am overwhelmed right now. I know I am not alone. I hear it in the voices of my friends, family, colleagues, patients. We are all feeling it.

I am overwhelmed by this virus. There is so much to learn, so much to teach. Every day the information changes. Who is credible? Who is just shouting the loudest? It can be hard to sort, but it must be done. As I figure it out, I need to pass on the information in the most compassionate but clearest way possible, despite the naysayers.

I am overwhelmed by our numbers. In my small county of about 40,000, we had two cases on March 22, ten on April 1, seventeen on May 1. We seemed to be doing ok. Then we climbed from 76 on June 1 to 196 on July 1. And as of July 8, we are up to 346. Thats 150 in a week. That more in one week than we had in 3 months. And it is not just from testing more. Our hospital, COVID-free for weeks, is now seeing more and more COVID-19 patients not only in the ER but needing admission and serious treatment. The numbers are heart-stopping.

Diana R. Twiggs is a family physician and can be reached at her self-titled site, Diana Twiggs, MD.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, I am overwhelmed right now. I know I am not alone.

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The judge hearing the murder case of the late Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa North, Mr J.B. Danquah-Adu, has expressed worry about the unwillingness of counsels from the Legal Aid Department to represent the accused person, Daniel Asiedu.



A High Court Judge, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, said yesterday that despite writing to the Legal Aid Department asking for counsel for the accused, the court had not received any response; hence, a lawyer had not been assigned to represent the accused person, a situation which is stalling the progress of the case.



Previous lawyer



In November last year, the Lawyer for the accused person, Mr Augustine Obour, who had been defending him for close to five years on pro-bono basis, decided to withdraw his services after a video which went viral showed Asiedu confessing to killing Mr Danquah-Adu.



According to Mr Obour, he found it very difficult defending the accused person when he (Asiedu) had confessed to the whole world, including the jurors who will decide his fate, about his murderous deed.



Legal Aid



Subsequently, the court, in December 2020, wrote to the Legal Aid Department requesting a defence lawyer to be appointed for the accused person together with his accomplice, but nothing has been heard as yet.



Justice Marfo, who raised the issue with a lawyer from the Legal Aid Department who had come to represent an accused person in a separate murder case, said, I dont know why nobody wants to touch this case. It is nothing extraordinary just come and do it to the best of your ability.



She, therefore, encouraged the Legal Aid lawyer to consider representing Asiedu in the case.



The case has been adjourned to Thursday, February 11.



Not guilty



Asiedu and one Vincent Bosso have been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.



Meanwhile, Asiedu has also been charged separately with murder.



The two have pleaded not guilty to the offences.



Murder



Mr Danquah-Adu was murdered at his residence at Shiashie in Accra on February 9, 2016.



It is the case of the prosecution that Asiedu and Bosso planned to go on a robbery spree but Bosso changed his mind and went home.



The prosecution said Asiedu went to Shiashie and picked the MPs house to rob.



According to the prosecution, in the course of searching for items to steal, Asiedu made some noise which woke up the MP.



The prosecution said a struggle ensued between the two, leading to Asiedu stabbing the MP in the neck and chest and killing him in the process.

Source: Daily Graphic









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Editor: I believe you will not find one U.S. citizen who would condone the obscene assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Given the circumstances and President Trumps whipping the crowd into a lather, which precipitated the assault, he should have resigned immediately. But, Trump is not known for being a man of character or integrity.

That said, what troubles me equally, if not more, was the reaction of Twitter and other social media outlets in banning Trump from their platforms. An argument can be made that the president can hold news conferences but for four years, Twitter has enjoyed the largesse of the president as its most celebrated user.

Twitters hypocritical and subjective decision should give pause to all. The subsequent diminution of Parler, another social network exerting far less control of contributor content, smacks of censorship on a large scale. For the record, I do not contribute to either platform.

Words have power. But, unless those words can be read and understood by a reader, theyre just words. When large corporations selectively stifle commentary, opinion and thought-made-word, the slippery slope of censorship just greased the skids of all would-be Flexible Flyers. After all, if they will ban a sitting president, what would they do to John Q. Public?

FRANCIS X. KRANICK JR.

DUNMORE

Editor: Kudos to Denise Williams (No court rigging, Dec. 27) for bringing an important matter to the publics attention, especially the rushed, haphazard approach taken by politicians in Harrisburg.

First, she is correct that the judiciary never was intended to be a representative body, as a proposed state constitutional amendment intends to do. That is the function of the legislative branch.

Second, Pennsylvania has a unified judicial system, with the three appellate courts, together with the magisterial district judges, all that fall under the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Third, Williams is on target by interjecting the gerrymandering issue. The Legislature has a sorry and sordid record on this matter. Its most-recent apportionment of Pennsylvania congressional districts was thrown out by the state Supreme Court.

Fourth, if this absurd amendment would be adopted  heaven help us  consider the feeding frenzy of politicians eyeing patronage possibilities of judicial districts being moved at the pleasure of the Legislature.

Fifth, the election of the appellate judiciary in Pennsylvania is itself a farce. Statewide election campaigns require huge amounts of money. The source of cash for the most part is the state trial bar. See the potential and real conflicts of interest?

I write this as someone with standing. I was an elected delegate to the 1967-68 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention, representing the 10th Senate District. I was the only nonattorney appointed to the judiciary committee, serving on the selection of judges subcommittee, so my vantage point is pertinent.

I hope that the Legislature will not rush the second reading of the amendment to facilitate its placement on the primary election ballot this spring. I implore legislators to conduct statewide hearings so that the voting public will be informed as to the ramifications of this measure.

LEWIS B. LEE

THOMPSON,

SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY

Editor: Another impact of Donald Trumps presidency is being overshadowed by the current unrest.

When Trump installed campaign donor Louis DeJoy as postmaster general in June, his stated goal was to slow or impact the mail to jeopardize or prevent delivery of mail-in ballots for the November presidential election.

In August, DeJoy testified before the Senate that ballots would be delivered on time and claimed his changes were to save money and streamline the service. Judges ordered removed postal sorting machines returned and service restored. Ballots were delivered and counted and overwhelmingly favored President-elect Joe Biden. Trumps ploy through DeJoy failed.

But now we citizens pay the price. In late November, I mailed a friend a happy retirement card to Archbald, six miles away from where I live. It was delivered six weeks later. My car insurance company mailed documents from Quakertown on Dec. 22; they have yet to arrive.

Several credit card bills are two weeks late in arriving. I made other arrangements to pay them and hope to avoid late or nonpayment charges.

Folks at my local post office say the bottleneck is in Allentown. Mail from Carbondale goes first to Allentown, then is rerouted for delivery. Stories abound of carts of undelivered mail sitting in process centers.

DeJoy and Trump may have failed to foil the election, but their efforts continue to impact millions, in a bad way.

JOE MIEGOC

CARBONDALE

The United Kingdoms Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab recently said that all adults in Britain should have been offered the COVID-19 vaccination by September. While speaking to BBC, Raab announced a clear timescale for the first time of the vaccination programme and said that the government is focusing on four priority groups at the moment, including over-80s, care home residents and ministers. The foreign secretary said that he is increasingly confident that the mid-February deadline for completing the first phase will be met.

Raab said that the plan is to get the first 15 million most vulnerable people vaccinated with the first dose by the middle of February. He added that the government will then want to get, by early spring, another 17 million. Further, Raab noted by spring the country will have 99 per cent of those most at risk of dying of coronavirus administered with the first jab, after which the entire adult population will be offered the first jab by September. The UK officials said that the government also hopes to ease the lockdown restrictions in England in March. But he also added that the measures will be based in transition, possibly back through the tiered approach that was being followed earlier.

READ: UK Invites PM Modi To Attend G7 Summit 2021, Event To Be Held In June

READ: UK: Vaccinations For COVID-19 At Salisbury Cathedral

UK shuts all travel corridors

Meanwhile, on Saturday, UK PM Boris Johnson said that Britain will shut down all travel corridors from 4:00 GMT January 18 to protect the nation against the risk of as yet unidentified new strains. Any individual travelling into the UK from other nations will have to carry the proof of a negative COVID-19 test before setting off. The blanket ban on travel came after the UK banned travellers from South America and Portugal that came into force on January 15 amid fears of new variant discovered in Brazil.

Johnson, in his address from the Downing Street, informed that the new COVID-19 restrictions will stay in place until February 15. British PMs announcement on January 16 came after UK recorded 1,280 more deaths less than 30 days of being COVID-19 positive taking the total casualties to 87,291. Further, the UK government figures showed that at least 55,761 new cases had been reported. Boris Johnson said that the new restrictions were vital and to take extra measures now "when day by day we are making such strides in protecting the population.

Its precisely because we have the hope of that vaccine and the risk of new strains coming from overseas that we must take additional steps now to stop those strains from entering the country, he added.

READ: UK FM On Prosecution Of HK Activists; Uighurs

READ: 10 New Mass Vaccination Centres To Open Up Across UK

READ: UK Chooses Cornish Village As Site For G-7 Summit In June
Opponents of Queensland's ultra-cautious approach to containing coronavirus have called for the Chief Health Officer's powers to be scaled back.

Special powers given to Dr Jeannette Young during the pandemic are being formally scrutinised by a parliamentary committee for the first time since they were granted on March 18, 2020.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (right) and Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young. Credit:Jono Searle/Getty

The emergency laws that enable Dr Young to slam state borders shut, force entire cities into lockdown, and do anything she "considers necessary to protect public health", are due to expire at the end of March, but the government is planning to extend them until the end of September.

More than 100 submissions have been lodged to the committee reviewing the six-month extension.
Hi Neighbor,I

Politics, politics, politics. Thats all we talk about. Politics.

Well, at least these days, thats all some of us talk about.

Jerry from The Tides down in Charleston offered me some advice last week.

The liberal Democrats on SI hate the Republican conservatives and vice versa, Jerry says. We cannot give them any more to fight about.

Jerry thinks Ive been fanning the flames.

I get his point. But still, its critical we shine the brightest light on these issues. If we dont, they fester. Just as they had for umpteen years before one Donald J. Trump unleashed them and made it OK to do things like mock anyone, including the disabled, undermine the electoral process, influence foreign governments, lie about a virus killing tens of thousands, attack the Capitol of the United States of America. Things like that.

Maybe next week you can talk about fishing, Jerry suggested. Everybody loves fishing.

I guess if you live in a community called The Tides, you probably love fishing.

Me? Not so much these days. But still, Jerry, my plan was to talk fishing this week. I did a lot of it as an East Shore kid. Then I got a text from a reader Tuesday night. It had a Facebook video attached. The face on the video looked familiar.

Leticia Remaur in a Facebook Live video where she referenced Hitler.

This woman is a former chair of Community Board 1, the Staten Island Republican Party and a candidate for Borough President, the text read.

And yes, she is shouting Heil Hitler on Hylan Boulevard in front of hundreds of sheriffs.

In a word, I thought: What?!

I know this woman.

Indeed. It was Leticia Remauro.

My anonymous texter also advised that I check Nicole Malliotakis financial disclosure. Leticia Remuro (sic) was her top paid political consultant. Not only that, I discovered. She was the congresswomans campaign manager when Ms. Malliotakis ran for mayor.

And then the texters shocker:

She is the chair of the Hebrew charter school.

How can we possibly discuss fishing today, Jerry? I didnt start this fire!

After the Macs Public House debacle, youd think we saw everything. Turns out, Ms. Remauros outburst was part of the Macs debacle. It took a couple of weeks for the video to surface.

In the video, Leticia stood in front of uniformed deputy sheriffs outside Macs during the December rally.

We have to come together with the small business community, with Staten Island to stand up for our right  the right to pay taxes  so that we can pay the salaries of these good men and women, who, yes, are only doing their jobs, she shouted. If you know Leticia Remauro, you know when I say shouting, I really mean SHOUTING!

But, not for nothing, she went on, sometimes you got to say, Heil Hitler. Not a good idea to send me here. Were not going to do it, just like those sheriffs said to Cuomo that they werent going to burst down doors and get people out of their houses.

Not for nothing, but what the heck is she talking about?

What is clear, though, is her Heil Hitler declaration.

Ms. Remauro explained to reporter Joe Ostapiuk that emotions were running very high due to her frustration at restrictions stymying small businesses that she said were arbitrarily made by the governor.

I apologize for it, but Ill never apologize for standing up for the small business community of Staten Island, said Ms. Remauro.

Before Staten Islands Free Speech Police go into attack mode, of course as Americans we believe in free speech. Leticia Remauro wont be arrested for what she said.

But shell be criticized.

Lo and behold, even Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis has weighed in. The same Nicole Malliotakis who seems to take no issue with her presidents gross remarks over the past four years, or him sending armed, crazed thugs to the Capitol of the United States with plastic zip ties to overtake the American government.

The Republican Party Committee joined the chorus, too. The party that has enabled a delusional president for an entire term.

The words used by Leticia Remauro . . . are shocking and wrong; I strongly condemn them, the congresswoman tweeted. At a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise across our city and especially on Staten Island, there is no excuse for such words being uttered. People of faith and good will must work together as one to ensure that words of hate are removed from our vocabulary and our hearts, she added.

The GOP was equally outraged.

We are shocked to learn of the grotesque, divisive, and hurtful words uttered by Leticia Remauro. This conduct has no place in our political discourse, a GOP statement said.

Wow. Theyre shocked! Finally.

A lot of things come to mind after reading all this.

Hypocritical is one.

Donald J. Trump has made his presidency a litany of words of hate, grotesque, divisive, and hurtful words. I dont think any of us need examples. Why no Republican statements of outrage in 2016? 2017? 2018? 2019? 2020? What exactly is the difference?

Oh, right. Donald Trump has a base of about 75 million people who hang on his every word. For Republican politicians, if they managed to get themselves elected, its a base theyre petrified of infuriating.

Ms. Remauros base?

She was quick to point out, by the way, that her grandson is the great-grandchild of two Holocaust survivors who lost their families in Germany.

Ms. Remauro was indeed chair of the board when the Hebrew Public Charter School was founded. That doesnt lessen the impact of her actions, but she did the right thing by resigning from the schools board of directors after the video surfaced.

So far, no word if shell abandon her BP plans. She might be hoping the old axiom is true: A week is a long time in politics. Maybe people will forget. Maybe not. Given the viciousness of the Malliotakis-Rose race, Ill guess not.

Then again, this IS Staten Island. Also known as Trump Nation.

Meanwhile, Jerry from Charleston, I hope next week I can post a Gone Fishing sign and talk about the old days surf casting off Midland Beach.

But I wouldnt bet on it.

Brian

Oh by the way: Ms. Remauro also paid a visit to Washington, D.C., last week  the same day Donald Trump unleashed his mob on the Capitol Building. But not to break in, she insists. The guy who led the Macs debacle  Scott LoBaido  painted another of his scathing works of art and Ms. Remauro marched it from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. We got out as protesters were coming in, she told the New York Post. She maintains she was in her hotel while armed thugs took over the building, and had nothing to do with it.

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A team of neuroscientists and engineers at McMaster University has created a nasal spray to deliver antipsychotic medication directly to the brain instead of having it pass through the body.

The leap in efficiency means patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other conditions could see their doses of powerful antipsychotic medications cut by as much as three quarters, which is expected to spare them from sometimes-debilitating side effects while also significantly reducing the frequency of required treatment.

The new method delivers medication in a spray that reaches the brain directly through the nose, offering patients greater ease of use and the promise of improved quality of life, including more reliable, effective treatment.

Ram Mishra, a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences and Co-Director of McMaster's School of Biomedical Engineering, and Todd Hoare, a Canada Research Chair and Professor of Chemical Engineering, describe their research in a newly published article in the Journal of Controlled Release.

They and their co-authors Michael Majcher, Ali Babar, Andrew Lofts, and Fahed Abuhijleh have proven the concept of their new delivery mechanism in rats, using PAOPA, a drug commonly prescribed to treat schizophrenia.

A problem for patients using antipsychotic medications, Mishra explains, is that taking them orally or by injection means the drugs must pass through the body before they reach the brain through the blood. To be sure enough oral or injected medication reaches the brain, a patient must take much more than the brain will ultimately receive, leading to sometimes serious adverse side effects, including weight gain, diabetes, drug-induced movement disorders and organ damage over the long term.

When delivered through the nose, the spray medication can enter the brain directly via the olfactory nerve.

The trick here is to administer the drug through the back door to the brain, since the front door is sealed so tightly. This way we can bypass the blood-brain barrier. By delivering the drug directly to the target, we can avoid side effects below the brain." Ram Mishra, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences and Co-Director of McMaster's School of Biomedical Engineering

Mishra and collaborator Rodney Johnson of the University of Minnesota had previously created a water-soluble form of the medication, which was used in the current research. The new form they created was easier to manipulate, but they still lacked an effective vehicle for getting it to the brain. A particular issue was that drugs delivered via the nose are typically cleared from the body quickly, requiring frequent re-administration.

Hoare, in the meantime, had been working with an industrial partner to develop the use microscopic nanoparticles of corn starch for agricultural applications.

The two scientists, who work across campus from one another, came together after researchers in their labs met at an internal McMaster conference. Two of the researchers, Babar and Lofts, worked on the project in both labs.

The engineering team was able to bind the drug to the corn starch nanoparticles that, when sprayed together with a natural polymer derived from crabs, could penetrate deep into the nasal cavity and form a thin gel in the mucus lining, slowly releasing a controlled dose of the drug, which remains effective for treating schizophrenia symptoms over three days.

"The cornstarch nanoparticles we were using for an industrial application were the perfect vehicle," Hoare says. "They are naturally derived, they break down over time into simple sugars, and we need to do very little chemistry on them to make this technology work, so they are great candidates for biological uses like this."

The gradual release means patients would only need to take their medication every few days instead of every day or, in some cases, every few hours.

The research work was funded by a Collaborative Health Research Partnership Grant (from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research) and McMaster University's Interdisciplinary Research Fund.

The researchers are seeking a corporate partner to move the technology into the marketplace.
Senior Supreme Court lawyer Harish Salve has said courts must be open to public scrutiny and criticism as "institutions of governance". Addressing a lecture organized in Ahmedabad through video-conference on Saturday, Salve said criticism of judges, judicial overreach, and the manner of functioning is not scandalizing courts, and the language in which such criticism is addressed should be treated with a grin.

"We today have accepted that judges, or rather courts, and especially constitutional courts, have become institutions of governance. As an institution of governance it must be open to public scrutiny and public criticism," he said. "We have always accepted that the decisions of courts can be criticized, including in language which may be impolite. So the decisions can be criticized. Can we criticize the decision-making process? Why not?" Salve said.

He was addressing the 16th Justice P D Desai Memorial Lecture on criticism of judiciary, contempt jurisdiction, and its use in the age of social media. "Governance has to be under the sharp blaze of sunlightin fact, I think a time may come when the Supreme Court may seriously consider a very large number of provisions of the Official Secrets Act, how far do they square with democracy," he said.

Most of them have fallen into disuse, said Salve, who was last year appointed the Queens Counsel for the courts of England and Wales. To say an institution has lost its independence, to say that an institution is acting at the behest of someone, to allege corruptionthat, if it is established to be untrue, is clearly undermining public faith, Salve added.

"This residue of power to deal with those who are capable of influencing public opinionyou may be in public life, influencer. "Those are cases where courts must retain with itself this slender jurisdiction of addressing any rupture in public faith which may be caused," he said.

Salve further said, "if we do need the principles of contempt, where do we draw the lines?" The lines must be drawn in a way that the overall system of governancethe institutions and the criticism of the institutionshelps everybody march forward in this march of democracy. "There is one area where I think judges need to be protected. And that area is casting aspersions on an institution inconsistent with its character as an independent institution," the former solicitor general of India said.

He said courts need not pay heed to tweets by those who have nothing better to do but to sit with a mobile phone in their hands and pass judgments, especially on things that they do not understand. At the same time, criticism by a politician or those who can influence public opinion raises a different issue, he said.

These are the cases "where the courts must retain with itself this slender jurisdiction of addressing any rupture in public faith which may be caused," he said. He also said the Bar must act against judges and courts being criticized and must deal with ill-informed criticism as a part of the system.

.
China Building Ground-Effect Vehicles to Defend South China Sea Claims: Leaked Documents

The Chinese regime is building a base to design, test, and manufacture ground-effect vehicles (GEV) for the purpose of defending its territorial claims in the South China Sea, according to internal documents The Epoch Times obtained from a trusted source.

A GEV is a type of aircraft-ship hybrid that can skim over the surface of water (ocean or lake), ice, or flat earth.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea as its own, even after a 2016 international tribunal ruled that such claims were unlawful; the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have competing claims. Home to rich fishing grounds and potentially valuable natural resources, the waterway is also one of the worlds major shipping routes.

The regime has in recent years sought to bolster its claims in the strategic waterway by building military outposts on artificial islands and reefs.

Construction on the GEV base, located in the southern island province of Hainan, began in December 2017 and is slated to be completed in December 2020, according to reports sent by Yingge, the private company contracted to build it, to government authorities.

Along with changes in the international situation, the issue of the South China Sea is becoming increasingly prominent. The [GEV base] project can play an important role in ensuring the safety of the water boundaries between China and other countries, Yingge reported to Chinas State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) on Oct. 27, 2017.

Yingge reported to Chinas State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs that the GEV base is part of Belt and Road Initiative, on Oct. 27, 2017. (Screenshot of the documents)

Base

Yingge, based in Haikou city, Hainan, designs and manufactures GEVs. It makes commercialized GEV products, such as the CYG-11, which has been sold to police departments in Chinese cities and countries to patrol waterfront areas.

In documents sent to the SAFEA and the Haikou city government by Yingge, the company said the base would host the research, design, and manufacture of the vehicles, the design and testing of applications, and training of pilots and maintenance engineers.

The internal documents dont offer specifics on the GEV base plan. But the Haikou city commerce bureau reported on its website in May 2015 that Yingge had plans to mass-produce GEVs, with the goal of an annual output of 50 GEVs.

Chinese state-run media have claimed that GEVs are undetectable by radar and sonar, giving the vehicles the capability to stealthily take out aircraft carriers and other powerful warships.

But military expert Rick Fisher doubts the claim.

A small, flat GEV carrying an anti-ship weapon might escape distant radar detection, but Close In Weapon Systems (CIWS) used by the U.S. Navy that are designed to find and defeat faster and maneuverable anti-ship missiles would likely also detect GEVs, said Fisher, senior fellow at the Virginia-based International Assessment and Strategy Center.

In 2013, an article in state-run newspaper Global Times cited Yingge Deputy Chairman Liu Guoguang as saying the company had plans to develop a bigger GEVthe CYG-40 (with a capacity for 40 passengers)and would design the CYG-100 (for 100 people), CYG-150, and CYG-200.

Fisher suspects that large GEVs could transport troops at high speeds, allowing Chinas Peoples Liberation Army to surprise or overwhelm shore defenses on Taiwan in the event of a conflict with the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

If the United States or Japan were to come to Taiwans defense, Chinese troops could also be transported to Japans Sakashima islands or Okinawa, or the Philippines, where theres a U.S. naval base, he said.

In the South China Sea, a large troop-carrying GEV would also be ideal for mounting surprise raids against the smaller South China Sea islands occupied by Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia, Fisher added.

Yingge reported to Chinas State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs that its GEV base project was approved by Chinese experts on Oct. 27, 2017. (Screenshot of the documents)

GEV Development in China

Officially, China developed its first GEV, named the DF-100, in November 1998. It was designed and developed by two state-run companies, China Technology Kaifayuan and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., the latter being Chinas main contractor for its space program.

The DXF-100 was planned for military use, according to a report on the China air force website, which has since been deleted.

Over the past two decades, China has developed more GEVs, including a GEV drone developed by a division of China Aerospace that can fly for an hour and a half and carry a one-ton torpedo.

Yingge was established in early 2013 in Haikou. It unveiled the CYG-11 that year, which can carry more than a ton of cargo and fly three to 13 feet above the surface of water at a maximum speed of 130 mph.

While its a private company, Yingge has received significant amounts of financial and logistical support from the Chinese regime.

The Hainan branch of the Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs wrote in a January 2018 article in its magazine that the government sent a team to Yingge, supported and guided the company to apply for funding from the central government, and helped arrange visas and residence permits for Russian researchers to assist in GEV development.

Yingge reported to Chinas State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs about the funding they need from SAFEA to pay the Russian experts on Oct. 27, 2017. (Screenshot of the documents)

Russian Background

In the internal documents, Yingge reported to the central government that a team of Russian researchers who worked on Russian GEVs lent their expertise to the Chinese firm.

In the companys 2016 report, Yingge listed 17 Russian experts, along with their personal information and the subsidies given to them. The central government granted them 2.67 million yuan (about $400,000) in subsidies and allowances. The company didnt detail how much they were paid in salary.

In 2017, 19 Russian experts were granted 1.254 million yuan ($190,000) in subsidies and allowances.
The U.S. military says its troop withdrawal from Somalia is complete, in one of the last actions of President Donald Trump's presidency.

Some experts have warned that the withdrawal of an estimated 700 U.S. military personnel comes at the worst possible time for Somalia, as the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group improves its bomb-making skills and continues to attack military and civilian targets even in the capital, Mogadishu. The withdrawal comes less than a month before Somalia is set to hold a national election.

The U.S. personnel trained and supported Somali forces, including its elite special forces, in counter-terror operations. They are being moved to other African countries such as neighboring Kenya and Djibouti, home of the only permanent U.S. military base in Africa, but U.S. Africa Command spokesman Col. Chris Karns would not say how many are going where.

Asked whether the administration of President-elect Joe Biden will reverse the withdrawal, Karns replied in an email: ``It would be inappropriate for us to speculate or engage in hypotheticals.''

Karns said the operation enters its ``next phase of periodic engagement with Somali security forces.'' He would not go into details.

The withdrawal was announced late last year, with a Jan. 15 deadline. The U.S. military, which has carried out a growing number of airstrikes against al-Shabab and a small band of fighters linked to the Islamic State group during Trump's administration, says it will continue to pressure al-Shabab. The extremist group has an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 fighters.

Those Somali forces, even U.S. assessments have said, are not ready to take over responsibility for the country's security, especially as a 19,000-strong multinational African Union force is also set to withdraw by the end of this year.

The U.S. Africa Command commander, Gen. Stephen Townsend, noted ``no serious injuries or significant loss of equipment, despite significant efforts to target us by al-Shabab'' during the ``intense'' operation to remove the U.S. personnel.

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Confident: Peter Hargreaves believes European firms will move to London

It takes a large food delivery from his local supermarket to stop Peter Hargreaves in his tracks.

The billionaire tycoon is lamenting the state of Brexit  and showing no sign of letting up  when the door bell rings.

'Are we nearly finished because I've just got a big Waitrose delivery?' he announces suddenly.

The 74-year-old Lancashire-born investor, who co-founded investment supermarket Hargreaves Lansdown in 1981, has made no secret that he voted to leave the EU.

But unlike most other high-profile Brexiteer grandees, he is not happy with the deal struck by Boris Johnson at the 11th hour over Christmas.

'I know it's not a full deal because of all the small print, there's pages and pages and pages of it!' he says. 'It's bureaucracy gone mad. So we'd have been far better off with No Deal.'

Britain should have given 'two fingers to the EU' instead, he says.

'Had we come out of the EU fully and completely, first of all, the pound would have dropped. And that would have made us incredibly competitive and made the European exporters incredibly uncompetitive at selling to the UK.

'The Germans, the Italians, the French  they would have screamed for a free trade deal with us. And we'd have got it, without all the bloody rules and regulations. The only time you worry about the pound going down is when you're down in Costa del Sol. That's only a couple of weeks a year.'

Hargreaves is a strong believer that the UK is able to 'rise to the occasion'. He reckons more European financial firms will move to London to gain access to the City's markets, as one of the main financial hubs globally.

'They talked about Frankfurt  come on! London Transport executes ten million journeys a day. The population of Frankfurt is 700,000.

'And who wants to work in bloody Paris, with high taxes...and overcharging restaurants. The top 50 restaurants in London are better than any restaurant in Paris.'

Brexit is not the only topic Hargreaves is impassioned about. Fund managers have had a rough ride following the downfall of Neil Woodford and face stiff competition from cheap robot funds.

Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) came under fire for promoting Woodford even as his performance nose-dived and his funds haemorrhaged cash.

The company founder will not be drawn on Woodford, although he points out that other fund managers supported HL's approach at the time.

'Many fund managers were applauding the [HL] stance in sticking with it, because they did believe that many people are too short term,' he recalls. Has Woodford's fate blighted the fund management profession? 'There will always be a need and there will always be a successful range of fund managers. Fund management is not dead.

'And it's a young man's game to get it right. You know, we always used to say it was 95 per cent perspiration and 5 per cent inspiration. And I sometimes wonder if it's 100 per cent perspiration.'

He confesses to buying a few cheap robot funds last year after selling 550million of shares in Hargreaves Lansdown.

'I just wanted to get in the market quickly,' he explains.

He is still the largest shareholder in the FTSE100 company with a 24 per cent stake. Hargreaves has a fortune of 2.4billion, according to The Sunday Times Rich List.

His roots are more modest, growing up as the son of a baker in Clitheroe. Hargreaves Lansdown had similarly unpretentious beginnings, assembled in 1981 from his spare bedroom in Bristol with Stephen Lansdown.

Speaking from his home in a village outside Bristol, it's hard to skirt around the nationwide lockdown. At one point he stops to check a flashing light. 'It's a bulb on the blink,' he says. 'It couldn't possibly be a fire.'

He expects companies hard-hit by the pandemic that manage to weather the storm will come back in full force.

'The one thing I'm 100 per cent sure of is that when the pandemic's over, the hospitality industry, the travel industry, the restaurant industry and the airline industry will go absolutely bananas, it will be the biggest bonanza ever.

'If you wanted a real punt, you should look at Ryanair shares. But they're not cheap. They haven't gone down much.

'You can rest assured when it comes back, Ryanair's share price will double and they'll fill every damn seat. And they will make a fortune. But when to buy those shares is another matter.'

Hargreaves also heaps praise on Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary.

'What's he called? I love him. I think he's fantastic. Absolutely brilliant. And he's always pessimistic. That's what I love about him. I always say this in business: optimists fail, pessimists prevail.

'I think he's one of the greatest businessmen around. He's a smart cookie. Ryanair will just go bananas ...all the hotels on the Med, you won't be able to get in there with doubling the price of rooms. They'll all get it back.

'The businesses that have really suffered are the old economy, retail shops that are no longer relevant to today's living.'

A focus on fast-growing businesses that are often tech-savvy is the mantra that underpins his Blue Whale Growth fund, which Hargreaves set up with fund manager Stephen Yiu in 2017.

The fund manages 670million and invests in companies that Yiu believes have growth potential which is underestimated by the market.

The pair met when Yiu joined Hargreaves Lansdown nearly two decades ago.

'I always felt he talked more sense than anyone else. And there was absolutely no doubt he worked harder than anyone else in the firm, including me.' The pair kept in touch over the years before deciding to set up their new fund firm.

'We realised that the world was changing. And the most remarkable thing is that the pandemic has just accelerated that change; people have suddenly worked out you don't need to make some journeys, you can Zoom; you don't need to go to the office, you can work from home.

'For the last nine months, I've said I want that, so I go on Amazon, find it, press the buy button, [it arrives] the following day.'

The fund's top holdings include Facebook, PayPal, Mastercard and Visa. It is up 80 per cent since launch.

'Visa is a massive beneficiary of the new economy,' says Hargreaves. 'All governments would like to see the end of cash. It more or less would put an end to the black economy on which they collect no tax.'
Martin Luther Kings Birthday, a federal holiday observed on the third Monday in January, is a time to reflect on the legacy of the influential civil rights leader. It is also a federal holiday dedicated to a day of service, when Americans are encouraged to heed Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s words: Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.

This year, the holiday falls on Jan. 18. While coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns disrupted plans for many in-person celebrations and volunteering efforts, there are plenty of safe activities you can take part in. The website of AmeriCorps, the federal public-service organization, has a directory where you can search for volunteer opportunities, while President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.s inaugural committee suggests creating cards for Covid-19 patients, knitting blankets for the homeless or hosting an online fund-raiser for a nonprofit organization.

Here are other resources for ways to commemorate Dr. King this week, whether youre looking to do some good or engage in thoughtful conversation.
New Delhi: India on Saturday successfully conducted the first day of the first phase of nationwide COVID-19 vaccine drive, which is being called as the worlds largest vaccination drive so far.

As many as 1,91,181 healthcare and frontline workers received the first dose. The vaccination drive was carried out by 16,755 personnel held across the country during 3,352 sessions. Apart from healthcare and frontline workers, an additional 3,429 people from defence institutions of the Indian Army and the Indian Navy, were also immunised.

#LargestVaccineDrive In the world's largest #COVID19 vaccination program, 191,181 beneficiaries were vaccinated across the country today. pic.twitter.com/elw6s32fja  Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) January 16, 2021

The Centre said that Serum Institute of India's Covishield was supplied to all states and UTs while Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech was used by 12 states.

READ | As COVID-19 vaccine drive starts, here's full list of documents needed for registration

Adverse effects reported by Delhi

Fifty-one healthcare workers reported minor adverse events after vaccination in New Delhi. Delhi's South and southwest districts accounted for 11 cases each while West Delhi and East Delhi reported six cases of adverse events each followed by the southeast district and New Delhi with five such cases each. North West Delhi reported four adverse cases, Central Delhi two and North Delhi one case. Out of these, only one case reported from South Delhi has been classified as severe.

Adverse effects reported by Rajasthan

The Rajasthan government's health department reported at least 21 cases of Adverse event following immunization (AEFI) in nine districts. From five such cases in Alwar followed by Barmer with four and Jaipur three.

READ | Gradually heading towards victory against COVID-19, says Health Minister; warns against rumours

Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the vaccination drive, hailing it as a major achievement. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also held a video conference with the health ministers of all states and UTs, complementing them on the successful rollout of the vaccines.

Live TV
Does our president bear responsibility? the lawyer, Al Watkins, told The New York Times. Hell, yes, he does.

The nationwide dragnet for those accused of breaking into the Capitol is only in its early stages, and it is likely to take weeks until the full scope and contours of the investigation are known. But with dozens of people now in custody and starting to appear in court, the accounts they give about Mr. Trump could end up not only as fodder in criminal proceedings but also at an impeachment trial to bolster charges that the president incited the assault.

On Wednesday, Mr. Trump was impeached for a second time after the House voted to approve a single charge, citing his part in whipping up the mob that descended on the Capitol on Jan. 6 after attending a rally where Mr. Trump and his allies repeated his baseless assertions that the election was rigged against him. He now faces a trial in the Senate that could disqualify him from future office.

While it would be unusual if any of the defendants charged in the Capitol attack were called as witnesses in the impeachment drama, it is possible that Democrats could cite statements about Mr. Trump that those defendants have made in public or to investigators.

At the very least, the emergence of a Trump-made-me-do-it defense could serve to undercut the baseless narrative by some of the presidents congressional allies and his personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, who have sought to push the story that outside agitators or disloyal servants were responsible for the Capitol attack.
She is social media royalty.

And Kim Kardashian solidified her Instagram icon status as she obtained a massive 200 million followers on the platform.

The reality star, 40, celebrated the feat in true Kim style - with a series of stylish selfies.

'200 MIL': Kim Kardashian solidified her Instagram icon status as she obtained a massive 200 million followers on the platform

'200 MIL,' Kim began in the caption of the slideshow. 'thank you so much for the love.'

Kim oozed glamour as she posed for the camera in a low-cut tank top that put her cleavage on display.

Her long, brunette tresses cascaded beside her perfectly done-up complexion in loose waves.

She dusted on a dash of pink blush to enhance her defined cheekbones, whereas long lashes accentuated her deep brown eyes.

Good vibes only! Kardashian puckered her lips and flashed a peace sign as she commemorated the occasion

Hello gorgeous! The 40-year-old brought the va va voom in her various snaps

What a dish! Kim was back working on her latest SKIMS project inside a makeshift diner

The milestone accomplishment wasn't the only thing Kim focused on Sunday.

The reality star was back working on her popular SKIMS collection earlier that day.

Working a SKIMS bra top, large shades, crimped hair, and a pile of waffles sitting beside her, Kim explained she was busy working on a new shoot for her Waffle Sleep collection.

'I'm on set and we are doing the Waffle Sleep collection,' Kim told her 200M followers.

If you've got it! Working a SKIMS bra top, large shades, crimped hair, and a pile of waffles sitting beside her, Kim explained she was busy working on a new shoot for her Waffle Sleep collection

Yum! The star poured a healthy dose of syrup over a pile of buttered-top waffles

'The waffle sleep is like waffle print... Waffle knit. That's why we have waffled hair, crimped hair, and why I'm sitting in a diner that we made in my garage with all waffles.'

In subsequent posts, Kim pours a healthy serving of syrup over the delicious piles of waffles.

Meanwhile, Kim has been at the center of speculation she is on the brink of divorcing Kanye West.

We got the shot! The superstar looked fab in her beige bra top and head full of crimped hair

Separate lives: Meanwhile, Kim has been at the center of speculation she is on the brink of divorcing Kanye West

Kim shares daughters North, seven, Chicago, three, sons Saint, five, and Psalm, one, with husband Kanye, 43, whom she married in Florence, Italy back in May of 2014.

A source recently told Us Weekly of their divorce: 'Kim and Kanye had no option but to live apart in the end because the communication between them had gotten so downright toxic.

'They went into the latter part of 2020 with the very best of intentions and wanted to find a way to get along when they spent time together. But it reached the point where the bickering turned to nasty blowups and confrontations, and since neither of them wanted the kids exposed to that type of hostility, they [stayed] apart.'

Multiple outlets have reported that Kim is working with divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, who handled her divorce with Kris Humphries, 35, in 2011, after 72 days of marriage.

Kicking back: Kim shared snaps of her Waffle collection to her SKIMS Instagram account
A real estate broker who took a private jet to Washington to join the Capitol Riots is begging Donald Trump for a pardon after her home was raided by the FBI.

Jenna Ryan, documented her journey from Texas to the Capitol building on Facebook, said as she was arrested today: We all deserve a pardon.

Im facing a prison sentence, she told CBS11. I think I do not deserve that.

Looking straight into the camera, she said: I would ask the president of the United States to give me a pardon.

Thousands of supporters of US president Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on January 6 as congress was meeting to vote to affirm president-elect Joe Bidens election win. Five people died in the ensuing mayhem.

Law enforcement officials across America have been working to locate and arrest suspects who committed federal crimes, and so far have brought nearly 100 cases in federal court and the District of Columbia Superior Court.

Ms Ryan claimed she had been displaying my patriotism, adding: I listen to my president who told me to go to the Capitol.

Unfortunately, Ms Ryan left a lot of evidence of her day in Washington on social media, that authorities submitted into court.

Were gonna go down and storm the Capitol, Ms Ryan said in a video posted to Facebook. Theyre down there right now and thats why we came and so thats what we are going to do. So wish me luck.

During a live Facebook video at the scene of the incursion, Ryan stated: We are going to f***ing go in here. Life or death, it doesnt matter. Here we go.

She climbed the steps of the Capitol, then promoted her real estate business to camera: Yall know who to hire for your realtor. Jenna Ryan for your realtor.

Ryan posted on Twitter: We just stormed the Capital [sic]. It was one of the best days of my life.

Donald Trump: I'm not responsible for Capitol riots

Far-right media personality Tim Gionet, who calls himself Baked Alaska, was also arrested by the FBI for his involvement in the riot at the US Capitol.

Gionet posted video that showed Trump supporters in Make America Great Again and God Bless Trump hats milling around and taking selfies with officers in the Capitol, who calmly asked them to leave the premises.

The Trump supporters talked among themselves, laughed, and told the officers and each other: This is only the beginning.

Later, it emerged that a Missouri woman has been charged with taking a splintered name plate belonging to US house speaker Nancy Pelosi during the riot.

Emily Hernandez, of Sullivan, was charged with with five counts, including disorderly conduct that impedes the conduct of government business and the stealing or disposing of government property.

She had not been arrested as of early Saturday afternoon, according to court documents.
BOSTON - Kemba Walker will be in uniform and available to make his 2020-21 season debut for the Celtics, Sunday at 1 p.m. against the New York Knicks.

The Celtics updated their injury report Sunday just before 11 a.m. and Walker was listed as available. Center Daniel Theis, who like Waker was listed as questionable Saturday, has been upgraded to available. Tacko Fall remains questionable.

Walker has been out since the postseason bubble last year. The former Charlotte Hornet is in his second season with Boston after signing as a free agent. Hes been on a strengthening program for his left knee designed to make him durable enough for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs when he returns.

Walker averaged 20.4 points and 4.8 assists in 2019-20.

Walker will likely be on a minutes restriction. Still, any play from Walker would be a surprise as the Celtics havent had a full-squad practice since hes been cleared to practice. Boston was off Saturday. As a non-participant, Walker wasnt allowed to be at Fridays game because of NBAs tightened COVID-19 restrictions so if nothing else hell be able to be back with the team.

Were looking at 20ish, Brad Stevens said when asked about Walkers minutes limit. Were excited to have him out there.

Jayson Tatum, Robert Williams and Carsen Edwards all remain out due to the NBAs health and safety protocols, the leagues designation for anything COVID-19 related. The league and the Celtics are prohibited from further elaboration. Theres no specific timetable for their individual returns. Boston steamrolled the Orlando Magic without them Friday.

Tacko Fall, who showed off his off-the-dribble skills in the final minute may have injured himself in the process as he landed awkwardly after his dunk.

Related content:

Celtics vs. Knicks: Live stream, start time, TV channel, how to watch Boston and New York renew rivalry (Sun., Jan. 17)

Tacko Fall has guard skills: 5 things we learned from Boston Celtics blowout win over Magic

COVID-19 in NBA: Boston Celtics assistants Jay Larranaga, Jerome Allen miss game due to protocols

MASON CITY, Iowa  A Minnesota man arrested for a knife-point burglary in Mason City is found not competent to stand trial.

Frank Harmon, 59 of Waseca, MN, was charged with 1st degree burglary after being arrested October 18, 2020. Mason City police say entered a home in the 600 block of S. 56th Street and pulled a knife on the occupants. Investigators say a young child was present when it happened.

The victims locked themselves in a different part of the home and officers say Harmon was sitting in a chair and charging his phone when they arrived.

After a psychiatric evaluation, a Cerro Gordo County District Court judge has ruled Harmon is not competent to stand trial but is a danger to the public. He has been committed to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center for treatment to restore his mental health.
Please, people of Trinidad and Tobago, I beg you to take Covid-19 very seriously. I dont want anyone of you to feel the pain I feel.

The weight of that tearful plea from Indian restaurateur Gautam Khanna ripped the heartstrings from the body in one forceful pull, on a quiet Wednesday morning in Arima.
In an effort to pressure the North Korean regime into abandoning its nuclear and missile programs, the United Nations Security Council adopted a number of resolutions aimed at preventing North Korea from selling its natural resources to fund its weapons of mass destruction programs. Most UN Member States, including the United States, support and implement these resolutions and impose their own sanctions on entities and individuals who choose to circumvent the UN Security Council resolutions.

In mid-December, the United States Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, took sanctions action against six companies and four vessels related to the transport of North Korean coal.UN Security Council resolution 2371 bans the export North Korean coal, iron, lead, and seafood.

OFAC designated the ship Asian Bridge and its operators, the Chinese company Weihai Huijiang [Hway-dzh-young] Trade Ltd and UK-registered Always Smooth Ltd and Good Siblings Ltd, and also identified two ships, the Lucky Star and the Asia Bridge, as blocked property related to these companies. Both vessels loaded coal in North Korean ports and transported it throughout the region.

Hong Kong-based Silver Bridge Shipping company and the Thinh Cuong [Tin cue-ong] company of Vietnam were also designated by OFAC, which also identified as blocked property two related vessels, the Calm Bridge, and the Star 18. Both ships loaded coal in North Korean ports and transported it throughout the region.

Finally, OFAC designated the Korea Daizin [Dai-zin] Trading company, which operates in North Korea and Vietnam. Over the past four years or more, Daizin Trading has exported large quantities of North Korean coal.

The designations prohibit U.S. companies and individuals from dealing with the sanctioned companies and vessels. Foreign companies and financial institutions that do business with designated entities may themselves be subject to sanctions.

The DPRK [North Korea] continues to circumvent the UN prohibition on the exportation of coal, a key revenue generator that helps fund its weapons of mass destruction programs, said U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The North Korean regime often uses forced labor from prison camps in its mining industries, including coal, exploiting its own people to advance its illicit weapons programs.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (R) meets with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manila, the Philippines, Jan. 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

MANILA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met here Saturday with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on enhancing bilateral cooperation.

During the meeting, Wang Yi said China highly appreciates the political resolve and strategic visions that the Philippine president has shown in shepherding the turnaround and continuous development of the relations between China and the Philippines.

Promising that China will do its utmost to help the Philippines fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Wang said solidarity is the most powerful weapon against the epidemic, and that the friendship between the two peoples has been strengthened through supporting and helping each other in the joint fight against COVID-19.

China understands that vaccines are badly needed in the Philippines and has decided to donate a batch of doses to the Philippines, he said.

At the same time, China will give guidance to Chinese companies to carry out vaccine purchasing cooperation with the Philippine side as soon as possible, Wang added.

The Philippines is China's good friend and good brother. China is ready to do its best to help the Philippines fight the pandemic, Wang said.

Wang also said that China strongly supports the Philippines' efforts to achieve economic recovery as soon as possible, adding that China will contribute to its "Build, Build, Build" infrastructure program by actively promoting the cooperation on big projects.

China is willing to strengthen the cooperation between the two sides in the post-COVID-19 era, Wang said.

Wang also assured Duterte that China firmly supports the Philippines in safeguarding its sovereignty and national dignity. China is willing to cooperate with the Philippines to firmly defend their respective legitimate rights and interests, protect the common interests of the developing countries and to safeguard international fairness and justice.

Under the strategic guidance of the heads of state of the two countries, the relations between China and the Philippines will surely move forward steadily and healthily, Wang noted.

For his part, Duterte said the sustained and close high-level exchanges between the Philippines and China provide strategic guidance for developing bilateral ties steadily.

The Philippine side will firmly implement the important consensus reached by the two countries on enhancing the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two sides, he added.

Duterte also expressed sincere gratitude to China for the great assistance in helping the Philippines combat the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the timely donation of COVID-19 vaccines.

Duterte said he is looking forward to strengthening the two countries' cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines.

China plays an important role in promoting regional economic recovery, he said, adding that the Philippines is grateful for China's significant contribution to its infrastructure construction, and is ready to work with China to achieve an early economic recovery so as to benefit the Philippine people.

Believing that China will act as it says, Duterte said the Philippines is determined to maintain the friendly relations between the two countries.

He said he has full confidence in China as well as in the development of bilateral ties.
A little over 50 years ago, the Sunday Independent's Brenda Maguire wrote a column advocating adoption as a practical solution for unmarried mothers and their babies. The article, and the response of an articulate young single mother, illustrates the culture of a time and an issue that Ireland is still grappling with today.

"Unmarried mothers give birth to babies, children whose birth is more an embarrassment than a joy," she wrote on page 11 of the February 9, 1969 edition. "Once the baby is born and has been given up for adoption, the mother can pass into anonymity."

In response, the paper published letters some weeks later from two unmarried mothers, one Catholic, one Protestant. The Catholic mother not only dissented from the view of Brenda Maguire, but set out the harrowing realities of life for unmarried mothers in what many of us regarded as the modern era but now seems like the dark ages.

"These letters appear to be the first occasion when the unmediated voices of single mothers are reported in an Irish national newspaper," say the authors in chapter 12 of last week's report.

It is astonishing to think that the Irish State was founded in 1922, but it was 1969 before unmarried mothers found a voice through the pages of the Sunday Independent for the 58,000 women and girls we now know fitted this description. That, too, says a lot about the society which rejected and banished them behind the high stone walls of religious institutions and dreary county homes.

While the 'science graduate' Brenda Maguire clearly advocated adoption as a solution to society's problem with children born out of wedlock in her article, she did so with a humanity that was rare enough, while also displaying the religious prejudice of the time.

"The child born of an illegitimate pregnancy has done no wrong," she wrote. "Yet we treat him as a second-class citizen. Why innocent babies should suffer the stigma of 'illegitimacy' because of the sins of their parents is a question that merits deep and serious thinking. Surely there are no 'illegitimate' children, only 'illegitimate' parents?"

She then quotes Ann, who couldn't have children of her own and had adopted two babies. Ann told her the cruel realities of the adoption agencies towards unmarried mothers and their "nameless" children.

"The old identity [of the child] is so thoroughly wiped out that it would be impossible either for the adoptive parents to trace the child's background or for the mother to learn who had adopted it," she says, matter-of-factly.

Such a view seemed perfectly acceptable, even advocated in Ireland on the cusp of the 1970s. It was part of the culture of secrecy enshrined in the 1952 Adoption Act, parts of which still hold sway today.

Two replies, from "a spate of letters" provoked by the original column, were published on March 16. They came from two very different perspectives, but told some of the harsh truths of the lives of young mothers, while summing up the prevailing attitudes of the time.

"Practically every mother (married or unmarried) experiences great joy in the hours and days after the birth of her baby," wrote 'Catholic Unmarried Mother'.

"Society or the authorities in the institution cannot rob the unmarried mother of that short-lived but most perfect joy that binds her to the suffering of pregnancy and actual birth and to the abyss of gnawing loneliness and emptiness that will probably be her future...

"Is your idea of a tolerant society a society that forces the unmarried mother to seek 'Rescue and Protection' in an institution? As a social scientist are you happy with the system in institutions for unmarried mothers?"

She then reveals how unmarried mothers become "anonymous" on entering such institutions, called from their beds at 6.45am (6.30am on a Sunday and 5.45am after they have their child) to get on their knees for morning prayers. Taking breakfast in silence after mass, they were then dispatched to their "allotted work in the laundry, kitchen, nursery or convent".

She writes that she paid 8 a week for "this treatment".

"The only therapy the girls get is the recitation of the aspiration 'O Mary by thy pure and immaculate conception obtain for me purity of body and sanctity of soul' innumerable times each day. You say: 'Once a baby is born and has been adopted the mother can pass into anonymity.'

"Adoption! Anonymity! What inexpressible and indescribable human pain you social scientists can so glibly dismiss in one sentence. Why don't you call the institutions for unmarried mothers baby factories or baby markets?

"Most of the girls I knew in the institutions were paid for by the Adoption Board of their counties. In return, the board hope they would produce a healthy normal baby for a respectably married couple.

"Of course the social workers are content to let the mother pass into the anonymity of her appalling loneliness and pain of empty loss. They accept adoption as a solution.

"It is easier not to think of the girls as human beings. Dismiss the unmarried mothers as promiscuous, factory workers, waitresses, kitchen maids or potential whores. Too bad if they fall a second or third time." Yet this cry from the heart went unanswered for most of the next decade.

The other letter began: "I am a Protestant with a 14-year-old child, whom I reared on my own. (I am unmarried.) I would like you to give a little publicity to the scandal that exists. After bringing the father to court and proving my case I got an affiliation (maintenance) order of 12/6 rising to not more than 1."

Fifty-two years later, the Mother and Baby Homes report acknowledges the significance of this correspondence. When Brenda Maguire raised the issue in her column, it was not that she lacked compassion or feelings. She just believed, like most people in the Ireland of that time, in the orthodoxy of adoption as a solution to the 'problem' of children born out of wedlock.

Hers was a not malicious or intolerant view; it simply advocated a practical solution to a social issue that nobody at the time wanted to discuss, while at the same time trying to put a human face of discarded babies.

"We all have something to learn from these letters," she concluded. "Because whether or not we face up to it we are all involved. Girls become unmarried mothers through weakness, some lack in their upbringing, immaturity, ignorance or sheer misfortune.

"The climate of opinion might with profit change so that unmarried mothers and their children are not asked to pay for what is only one of the many mistakes we all make."

At the end of her first article she also posed the rhetorical question: "Don't we all thrive on love?"

Sadly, for tens of thousands of women, that was exactly the ingredient missing from their lives before and after they had their babies.
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Twitter has faced intense scrutiny over its decision to permanently ban President Trump from its platform. Ironically, the criticism comes from both those who think the company went too far, as well as those who believe the company did far too little, for far too long.

Since the ban went into place, there have been many conversations about the role that social media in general, and Twitter in particular, played in amplifying misleading and incendiary content. There have also been legitimate concerns over just how much power we give Big Tech to decide what constitutes acceptable speech.

There are also some who have tried to portray the company's decision as some form of censorship, even equating it to China. Make no mistake, a technology company closing the account of a political leader is the exact opposite of what would happen in China.

The New York Times describes the behind-the-scenes debate within the company around how to handle misinformation shared by the president of the United States. That reporting says that Dorsey had previously "declined to take down world leaders' posts because he considered them newsworthy."

The company had taken the step of adding labels to false or misleading posts about election results. When that failed to address the problem, Dorsey finally agreed that Trump had crossed a line drawn when Twitter temporarily suspended his account with a warning that further violations would result in a permanent ban.

On Wednesday, Jack Dorsey, Twitter's CEO, responded with an explanation of why Twitter finally decided to pull the plug on Trump's account. In it, one line stood out:

"I feel a ban is a failure of ours ultimately to promote healthy conversation."

You could certainly argue that Twitter had no choice but to ban Trump after the violent events that took place on January 6 in and around the U.S. Capitol Building. While that may be true, with those 14 words, Dorsey provides a powerful lesson in accountability.

Twitter may not be liable for what happens on its platform, but it most certainly accountable for it. Every good leader understands that. Still, his acknowledgment stands in stark contrast to what we've come to expect from far too many leaders.

Take, for comparison's sake, the difference in President Trump's response whenever he has been asked if he felt responsible for something that happened on his watch. The response has almost always been some version of "I take no responsibility at all."

Those were the exact words he used last March when asked if he was responsible for the delays in testing that plagued the country's early pandemic response. They were also pretty much the response when asked last week if he felt like his public statements contributed in any way to what happened.

"So, if you read my speech and many people have done it," the President began. "It's been analyzed and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate."

"I take no responsibility at all" has sort of become the motto of the Trump presidency. In contrast, Dorsey was acknowledging that his company is responsible, if not as a direct cause of the violence, then for the breakdown in its ability to "promote healthy conversation."

Social media platforms aren't neutral. That's by design. They are literally built to provide people with the ability to create and share content, which the platform then amplifies in various ways. That amplification is designed to feed people with an almost unending stream of content that reinforces their beliefs, desires, passions, or values.

As a result, platforms have enormous influence over the types of conversation that happen. Even more important, Twitter and other social media companies have massive power to move their users' collective thoughts and belief systems, for good or bad. All of the things that keep people engaged, and make them want to keep using a platform, are the very things that run the risk of promoting unhealthy conversation.

When the platform breaks, it's easy to place fault with users. That would miss an important point. That's what I find most powerful about Dorsey's statement. Instead of placing the blame elsewhere, he owns the responsibility Twitter has to do what it can to promote healthy conversations. It would be easy for Twitter to simply wash its hands of users who have abused the platform, but that isn't what Dorsey did.

Danny Jin, a Report for America corps member, is The Eagle's Statehouse news reporter. He can be reached at djin@berkshireeagle.com, @djinreports on Twitter and 413-496-6221.
Hyundai Motor Group has signed an investment contract with the government of Guangdong Province in China to establish an offshore fuel cell system production facility in Guangzhou.

The investment advances the groups global hydrogen leadership and supports its push into Chinas rapidly developing hydrogen industry.

Attendees at the signing ceremony included Kwang Guk Lee, President and Head of China Operations at the Group; Hyuk Joon Lee, Senior Vice President and Chief Government Affairs Officer of Hyundai Motor Group China; Lin Keqing, Executive Vice Governor of Guangdong Province; Hu Hong, Vice Mayor of Guangzhou Municipal Government; and Chen Yong, District Chief of Huangpu District Guangzhou Municipal Government.

Construction is scheduled to begin next month and will be completed by the second half of 2022. The plant will be the groups first fuel cell production base outside of Korea, with the initial capacity to produce 6,500 units of fuel cell systems per year. The group will gradually increase the capacity in line with market demand.

Chinas growing fuel cell industry

The Guangzhou plant will leverage the groups extensive expertise in fuel cell system production to secure a technological leadership position in Chinas rapidly developing hydrogen industry. At the new plant, the group will manufacture the same proven fuel cell systems that are used for Hyundai Motors NEXO fuel cell SUV.

Moreover, the group will work with Chinese companies to participate in the Guangdong governments hydrogen-related pilot project and initiatives, which will help Hyundai secure a competitive advantage in Chinas hydrogen industry. Global companies from Japan, Germany, the UK and other countries have also been working with the Chinese partners to develop technology related to fuel cell vehicles and to advance the local hydrogen industry.

In October 2020, the China Society of Automotive Engineers released a technology roadmap, under the guidance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The roadmap reflects Chinas ambition to foster a hydrogen economy, adding that the country aims to have 1 million FCEVs on its roads by 2035 centering on commercial vehicles.

The groups hydrogen strategy

In December 2018, Hyundai Motor Group announced its own long-term roadmap, Fuel Cell Vision 2030, to reaffirm its commitment to accelerate the development of a hydrogen society by leveraging its global leadership in fuel cell technologies. As part of this plan, the group aims to produce 700,000 fuel cells annually to meet demand from various industry sectors.

The group has decades of experience in fuel cell system development, having introduced the worlds first mass-produced fuel cell electric vehicle, the ix35, in 2013, followed by the second-generation NEXO, in 2018. The group also successfully delivered the first seven units of its XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks, the worlds first mass-produced fuel cell electric heavy-duty truck, to customers in Switzerland in late 2020.

As part of the groups effort to foster zero-emission society, Hyundai recently launched HTWO, a new brand to represent its world-leading hydrogen fuel cell system. It has also strengthened its research and development capabilities and partnerships across a multitude of industries to lead development of the hydrogen economy. - TradeArabia News Service
"When this occurs, the support of regional governments will be important to efficiently distribute and implement them," the high-ranking official expressed.

Esta manana, la ministra Pilar Mazzetti y el gobernador regional de Piura, Servando Garcia, suscribieron un convenio de colaboracion interinstitucional para la ejecucion del Hospital de Alta Complejidad de esta region. pic.twitter.com/kqgehHQFxT


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Loews Hotels said Saturday that it would not host a fundraiser with Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, the latest indication that many companies are distancing themselves from Republicans who voted to overturn the election results.

Fighting for Missouri, a political action committee affiliated with Hawley, had planned to host a fun-filled, family-friendly Orlando weekend event with the senator at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando, Florida, from Feb. 12 to Feb. 15, according to an invitation for the event. Tickets were being sold for $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the size of the group.

But Loews said that the fundraiser had been called off after the deadly riot on the Capitol, which many Democrats and Republicans have blamed in part on Hawley and other members of his party who supported President Donald Trumps efforts to stop the certification of Joe Bidens victory.

We are horrified and opposed to the events at the Capitol and all who supported and incited the actions, the company said on Twitter. In light of those events and for the safety of our guests and team members, we have informed the host of the Feb. fundraiser that it will no longer be held at Loews Hotels.

Hawley sharply criticized the decision by Loews, which was established in 1960 and owns or operates 26 properties in the United States and Canada.

If these corporations dont want conservatives to speak, they should just be honest about it, he said in a statement. But to equate leading a debate on the floor of the Senate with inciting violence is a lie, and its dangerous. I will not be deterred from representing my constituents, and I will not bow to left-wing corporate pressure.

Hawley persisted in his challenge to the election results even after the mob was cleared out of the Capitol last week, forcing the House and Senate into two hours of debate over Pennsylvanias electoral votes even though he never made a specific charge of wrongdoing.

The rejection by Loews came after Simon & Schuster said that it would cancel the publication of an upcoming book by Hawley, The Tyranny of Big Tech, which had been scheduled to be published in June.

Simon & Schuster said that it had made the decision because we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens, and cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat.

Hawley had said the cancellation could not be more Orwellian and added, Well see you in court.

In recent days, a flurry of companies have suspended donations to some of the Republicans who voted to block the certification of the Electoral College results.

Morgan Stanley said it was suspending all PAC contributions to members of Congress who did not vote to certify the results. Marriott said it would pause donations from its PAC to those who voted against certification of the election. And chemicals giant Dow said it was suspending all PAC contributions to any member of Congress who voted to object to the certification of the presidential election.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Corporate hype promises "inclusive" branding that only makes the search for our faves all the more fun. Accordingly, it's unclear if hottie Candice is supposed to be coming home or going out in this bit of pop culture panty promo but either way she inspires our evening glimpse at top headlines.

More Deets On Kansas City COVID Vaxx Life Lessons

Truman Med Center hopes to vaccinate 1,000 teachers each day against COVID-19 KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - - The opportunity for school staff to get vaccinated for COVID-19 is drawing closer, and Truman Medical Center is working with seven area school districts to provide the shots in large numbers. It was almost a month ago to the day that Truman Medical Center gave its first COVID-19 shot to a staff nurse.

Old School Dox Discovered

KCPD locate 1942 Army documents amid property crimes investigation KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City, Missouri, police requested help from the public to locate a man whose military documents were found Saturday during a property crimes investigation. Central Patrol division officers were on scene at a vacant motel when they discovered the paperwork for Sgt. Carl A.

Golden Ghetto Burnout

Family with children displaced after escaping from Overland Park house fire OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) -- A family of two adults and two children are safe after escaping an early morning house fire Saturday in Overland Park. Firefighters responded around 6 a.m. to West 162nd Street and Juniper Street in response to the house fire call.

Celebrate Panty Diversity

Victoria's Secret sees pandemic rebound with improved sales, more inclusivity Amid the pandemic and mall shutdowns, Victoria's Secret is bouncing back stronger with a more inclusive outlook.

Prez Biden Plans Quick Start

Biden to sign executive orders rejoining Paris climate accord and rescinding Muslim ban on first day President-elect Joe Biden plans to sign roughly a dozen executive orders, including rejoining the Paris climate accord and ending the travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries, on his first day in office, according to a memo from incoming chief of staff Ron Klain.

Rudy Previews Defense

Giuliani says he's working on Trump's impeachment defense, would argue voter fraud claims President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani tells ABC News he's working as part of the president's defense team in his upcoming second impeachment trial -- and that he's prepared to argue that the president's claims of widespread voter fraud did not constitute incitement to violence because the widely-debunked claims are true.

Latina Justice To Anoint Veep

Kamala Harris to be sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, according to an official with the President-elect Joe Biden's transition team - making Wednesday's inauguration that much more historic. Harris will be the first woman, the first Black American and the first South Asian American vice president.

Turnabout Is Fair Play: Flex Cuffs On Momma, Now?!?!

Capitol 'zip ties' suspect's mother arrested in Tennessee, charged with conspiracy The mother of a man who is accused of carrying zip ties in the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 was arrested Saturday in Tennessee, charged with entering the Capitol building. Lisa Eisenhart, 56, was charged with conspiracy, entering a restricted building, and violent entry or disorderly conduct.

Selfies Spark Capture

Many charged with Capitol riots already documented their trips online They posted that they were storming the Capitol to Facebook. They livestreamed it on YouTube and made Instagram stories of their fellow rioters as they broke in. As the FBI continues to round up rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan.

Local Sport Startup Winning

Pickleball pickup: Why KC's top small business is launching JustPaddles amid sports slowdown Pro Athlete's secret to success: going against the grain, Andrew Dowis said. "We're known to do things that aren't the norm," said Dowis, who serves as the CEO of Pro Athlete . "I think that's why we pursued JustPaddles [during the COVID-19 pandemic]. We said, 'Let's look at this [pandemic] from another angle.

Kansas City Television News History Signs Off

Harold Grove, one of KCTV5's first anchors, dies at 96 KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- Harold McGregor Grove, who was known professionally as Harold Mack, passed away at the age of 96 this week. Grove was one of the first anchors in the history of KCTV5, which was then known as KCMO. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in journalism in 1948.

Game Day Forecast

Snowfall winds down Friday evening in Kansas City Winter Weather Advisory is in effect through 6 p.m. today Snowfall comes to an end later tonight, around 10pm. Breezy but dry conditions this weekend with partly to mostly cloudy skies. KANSAS CITY'S MOST ACCURATE FORECAST Tonight: Snow showers, flurries and blowing snow end by 10 PM.Wind: NW 20-40 to 10-20 mph.

And this is the OPEN THREAD for tonight.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

VILNIUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th January, 2021) Lithuania will establish a government commission with the task of blocking electricity supplies from third countries in line with the regional plan to synchronize with the European electricity grid, Lithuanian news portal Elta reported on Wednesday, citing the government.

According to the report, the Lithuanian government approved at a meeting on Wednesday the proposal of the Ministry of Energy to form a government commission to coordinate issues concerning the implementation of the power synchronization project and work out protective measures against the threats emanating from unsafe nuclear power plants in third countries.

Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys was quoted as saying that "the launch of the Belarusian nuclear power plant made it necessary to effectively prevent the feeding in of electricity from third countries and ensure unhindered operations of the [domestic] energy system."

According to Kreivys, as cited in the report, the commission will be led by Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and include officials dealing with energy, environment, finance, foreign affairs and agriculture, as well as representatives of the State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate and the National Energy Regulatory Council. The commission will also reportedly include the heads of state-owned power companies EPSO-G, Ignitis and Litgrid.

The energy systems of the Baltic countries  Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia  have historically been synchronized with those of Belarus and Russia, primarily due to the geographic proximity and common past within the Soviet Union. In 2007, the Baltics, together with Poland, launched an initiative to synchronize their electricity grid with the European Union instead. The plan is to achieve it by 2025.

Lithuania has been opposed to the Belarusian nuclear power plant (NPP) since the time it was still a project on paper. The Lithuanian parliament even legislated that the plant threatened the country's national security. The plant has passed all standard and additional checks of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The plant is located in Astravets, a town in Belarus' northwestern part in the close vicinity of Lithuania's border.

The Belarusian NPP is a joint Russian-Belarusian project, with the construction under the supervision of a subsidiary of Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear agency. The plant has two reactors with a combined capacity of 2,400 Megawatt. The first unit is expected to become fully operational by March of this year, and the second one in 2022.
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has sought reasons as to why Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had issued two different look out circulars against Vijay Mallya in October and November 2015. The CIC has asked the central probe agency to cite the rules under which two circulars were issued against the fugitive businessman, wanted in a loan fraud worth Rs 9,000 crore.

The CBI had issued a fresh look out circular (LOC) against Mallya in the last week of November 2015 asking airport authorities across the country to "inform" it about Mallya's movements. This replaced its previous circular from October 2015 which had sought detention of the businessman if he attempted to leave the country.

Mallya left India in March 2016; he is currently in the United Kingdom where he is legally contesting his extradition to India ordered by the British Government.

Acting on a petition by Pune-based RTI activist Vihar Durve, the panel directed the central agency to cite him regulations under which look out circulars (LOCs) were issued in October and November, 2015.

The probe agency had earlier cited Section 8(1)(h) of the RTI Act to deny information to Durve. The section exempts an information from disclosure if it would impede the process of investigation or apprehension or prosecution of offenders.

The CBI had issued the first LOC against Mallya on October 12, 2015, when he was already abroad, calling for his detention if he intends to leave the country or arrive here from abroad.

Upon his return, the agency was asked by the Bureau of Immigration if Mallya should be detained as sought in the LOC, to which the CBI said there was no need to arrest or detain him as he was a sitting MP and there was no warrant against him, according to sources. They said the agency only wanted information on his movements.

Besides, the probe was in an initial stage and the CBI was collecting documents from the IDBI in the Rs 900 crore loan default case. Later another case was filed against him, sources said.

Durve had sought from the agency rules under which both the look out circulars were issued. He also had sought other details such as a copy of these circulars, all of which were denied by the CBI.

In her order, Information Commissioner Saroj Punhani directed the agency to provide regulations under which both the LoCs were issued by the agency. She also directed it to provide a revised reply giving cogent reasons as to how Section 8(1)(h) is applicable in the case.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ: SBI-led bank consortium pursues UK bankruptcy order against Vijay Mallya

ALOS READ: Mallya seeks access to funds held by UK court from sales of French asset
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Gunmen killed two female judges from Afghanistans Supreme Court on Sunday morning, police said.

The killings add to a wave of assassinations in Kabul and other cities while government and Taliban representatives have been holding peace talks in Qatar.

The two judges, who have not yet been named, were killed and their driver wounded, in an attack at around 8:30 a.m., police said, adding the case was being investigated by security forces.

A spokesman for the Taliban said its fighters were not involved.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement condemning attacks on civilians by the Taliban and other militant groups.

Mr Ghani said terror, horror and crime was not a solution to Afghanistans problem and beseeched the Taliban to accept a permanent ceasefire.

Government officials, journalists, and activists have been targeted in recent months, stoking fear particularly in the capital Kabul.

The Taliban has denied involvement in some of the attacks, but has said its fighters would continue to eliminate important government figures, though not journalists or civil society members.

Rising violence has complicated U.S.-brokered peace talks taking place in Doha as Washington withdraws troops.

Sources on both sides say negotiations are only likely to make substantive progress once U.S. President-elect Joe Biden takes office and makes his Afghan policy known.

The number of U.S troops in Afghanistan has been reduced to 2,500, the lowest level of American forces there since 2001, according to the Pentagon on Friday.

(Reuters/NAN)
New Delhi, Jan 17 : After being closed for nearly 10 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, schools in Delhi are set to reopen from Monday for students of Classes 10 and 12. However, parents are still in a quandary whether to allow their wards to attend.

The Delhi government has decided to reopen schools, shut since the first 21 day nationwide lockdown was imposed in March, 2020, in the view of the upcoming CBSE board exams.

Schools that reopen will have to follow the standard operating procedures (SOP) issued in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, including social distancing, compulsory mask wearing and sanitisation and others.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in a tweet on Sunday, said: "Had a review meeting with senior Education Dept officials. Everyone is excited and a little nervous at having Class 10& 12 students back in schools from tmrw for practical/counselling. All preparations-sanitizers, masks, social distancing measures- are in place. Good luck to all!" The Directorate of Education has made it clear that students can come to school only if their parents allow it, and the school administration cannot compel physical attendance of their students.

However, parents spoke to IANS were not sure if they would send their children to schools from Monday onwards.

"It's not only me but most parents have made a unanimous consent not to send their children to school in this situation. As we all are aware that Covid-19 is still with us and our children can get affected. I can't say all parents have the same thought but, yes, all are concerned about safety of their children," said the mother of a Class 12 student in the Andhra Education Society School, ITO.

Sources told IANS that the schools administrations in Delhi have sought parents' consent through an 'NOC for offline classes'.

A letter issued by Preet Public School in Preet Vihar read: "As per the order of Delhi government, the school may start the offline classes for practical, doubt session, assignment activities related to CBSE examination 2021. The school will follow the SOP guidelines in respect of Covid-19 issued by MHA, Govt. of India." In the letter, parents have been asked to submit their consent in writing. Parents have to ensure that their children will wear face masks, carry hand sanitiser and maintain social distancing. Parents also have to ensure that there is no history of Covid-19 infection in their families.

"It has been over a week since we (parents) have been debating whether to send our children to school or not. See, practical classes are very important in view of exams preparation. If I talk about my own daughter, who is in Class 10, she has completed almost all the syllabus but practical classes are also important. I know, it is about the future of my daughter but, I would wait at least one week to see if school is fully safe from Covid-19," said a mother of a Preet Public School student.

The Directorate of Education had earlier made it clear that physical attendance is not compulsory and students will attend schools only with the consent of parents. It had also said that only schools outside the containment zones will be allowed to reopen and teachers and school staff living in such areas will not be allowed to attend schools.

Schools have also been directed not to hold assemblies and physical outdoor activities.
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Quotes of the day

We are in uncharted waters, a Great Lakes distributor said. There was a lot of denial in the market about the validity of the move higher, so people have gone short, short, short. Now they are stuck.



The mills are throwing out numbers based on what they think they can get - and are getting it, a West Coast distributor said. With limited to no spot, they can do this.



Fastmarkets daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $56.92 per cwt ($1,138.40 per ton) on January 15, down by 1.86% from a record high of $58 per cwt the previous day but up by 9.23% from $52.11 per cwt on January 8.Inputs were received in a range of $50.50-60.00 per cwt across all three sub-indices - including producers, distributors and consumers - representing assessments of current spot pricing levels, mill offers and confirmed purchasing activity. Three inputs were discarded because they were outside of the geographic footprint of the index. The assessor carried over one transactional input each in the producer and consumer categories due to significant day-to-day volatility there.Despite the index slipping day on day, sources predicted that hot band prices would reach new peaks in the first quarter of 2021 because demand continues to outpace supply.Some market participants expect prices to drop in either the second quarter or the second half of the year, once new production - such as from Big River Steels Phase 2 expansion and Steel Dynamics Incs new flat-rolled electric-arc furnace mill in Sinton, Texas - comes online.US hot-rolled coil imports from South Korea and Turkey, as well as other exporters, also are expected to increase during the first half of the year.
HARTFORD  Hundreds of law enforcement officers with tactical weapons and armored vehicles closed-down the citys streets on Sunday, effectively discouraging more than a handful of demonstrators at the State Capitol on a day when the nation was on-edge for a possible backlash against President Donald Trumps reelection defeat.

News reporters and photographers outnumbered members of the public, a few of whom stayed well behind the metal barriers ringing the Capitol in what was initially feared would be a day of confrontation before the inauguration on Wednesday, even as more rioters who invaded the nations Capitol on Jan. 6 were arrested around the country.

Instead, at noon, when the #StoptheSteal moment was supposed to flame up, Joanne Iovino, an anti-fascist from Hartford, and a teenaged a gun-rights advocate from Norwich who is not old enough to vote, shared the Capitols sloping east lawn, as the anticipated protest failed to materialize.

Waving a copy of a Revolutionary War flag, a 17-year-old home-schooler who said his name was Duncan Lemp, journeyed with his grandfather Don, a retired long-haul trucker, to the Capitol to make his voice known on guns, COVID restrictions and police brutality.

Im here to protest three main points, but the whole system, from top to bottom, said Lemp, who supported Trump in 2016 but changed his mind after the president opposed so-called bump stocks, a simple mechanism to make rifles fire faster.

I think we have to open this economy up, Iovino said near the metal fencing set up around the perimeter of the 143-year-old Capitol, which was patrolled by State Capitol Police. Local Hartford police were set up around every nearby intersection and in the adjacent Bushnell Park, rerouting traffic away from the Capitol.

Tactical vehicles in desert camouflage were parked a couple blocks away, between the Legislative Office Building and the Gov. William A. ONeill Armory. Hundreds of State Police who reported for duty between 8 and 9 a.m. were kept in reserve in the Legislative Office Building, which is separated from the Capitol by an exist ramp off Interstate 84. The Connecticut National Guard was also on alert, after 300 members were dispatched to Washington in advance of Wednesdays inauguration.

Joe Biden definitely won, Lemp said near the east entrance of the circular Capitol driveway, closed in recent days by more metal barriers. I think there was fraud. A lot of fraud, but I think he still won. Trumps legal team failed in dozens of challenges to the election around the country, but little to no actual fraud was found in Bidens victory.

Iovino, 47 and disabled, said she and several friends were also at the Capitol on Saturday, when only a few cars in a Trump flag-waving Make America Great Again procession drove by.

I guess maybe they heard I was coming, Iovino quipped when asked about the lack of a response to a call on social media to protest Bidens victory. We are out here because we really thought there was something saying that there might be 2,000 Trump supporters out here, and we are out here to make a very clear statement against fascism.

Carrying a homemade anti-MAGA sign, Iovino said that without opposition, a Trump rally might shift the nations political discourse to the right, which is not beneficial for anybody except for the top 1 percent of the wealthiest people. So we are out here as anti-fascists. If someone had stood up against Hitler in the beginning, things might not have happened the way they happened. We dont want this country being pushed further and further and further to the right, or well end up with another Confederacy and another Nazi Germany.

The State Capitol is itself a monument to the Civil War. On top of a massive stone plinth at the Capitol Avenue entrance to the 1878 building, is a artillery piece that was used to bombard the city of Petersburg, Va., in 1864 and 1865. The battle was the site of action by Connecticuts Black troops in late June 1864.

At about 12:30 p.m., when it became clear that the crowds were not coming, Brian Foley, assistant to the commissioner of the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, told reporters that the high-profile security procedures had helped.

Certainly part of the planning was transparency, Foley said during an impromptu news conference on top of the garage of the Legislative Office Building. I dont believe that you can over-prepare for this type situation. Id much rather be here next Friday telling you guys that we over-prepared, as opposed to saying that we under-prepared.

The bans of Trump and his supporters on social media also helped, he said. Certainly law enforcement lost an arm of their intelligence gathering, Foley said. Just an arm, a big one, but they have other ways of doing it. There is a whole other side of the web to look at and a lot of other things going on.

Connecticut law enforcement received many tips, as well, he said.

We didnt want to antagonize and we dont want to fight and we didnt want to pick a fight with anybody, Foley said. And we dont want to arrest anybody. So if the day ends and the week ends peacefully, bravo again for the state of Connecticut in the way they have handled everything. Hopefully, Connecticut will be a leader in peacefulness.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
London-based Deliveroo works with 140,000 restaurants in 800 cities to deliver meals to customers' homes, and has seen demand soar in line with other home-delivery companies as much of the world has been subject to lockdowns to tackle the pandemic

British meals delivery company Deliveroo, boosted by demand during the coronavirus pandemic, said Sunday it was targeting a stock market listing after a fundraising round valued the company at more than $7.0 billion.

Deliveroo said in a statement that it had raised more than $180 million from its existing investors, "valuing the business at over $7 billion".

"This investment comes ahead of a potential initial public offering and reflects strong demand... given the significant growth potential in the online food delivery sector in which consumer adoption is accelerating," it said.

No date was set for the IPO, but Bloomberg News said it was expected in or around April.

London-based Deliveroo works with 140,000 restaurants in 800 cities to deliver meals to customers' homes, and has seen demand soar in line with other home-delivery companies as much of the world has been subject to lockdowns to tackle the pandemic.

But its business has come under scrutiny, including in France and Spain, as its freelance delivery riders complain of exploitative practices.

 2021 AFP
Paper applications will no longer be accepted as of January 26.

Quebec Experience Program applications can now be submitted online Paper applications will no longer be accepted as of January 26.

Quebec Experience Program applications can now be submitted online Paper applications will no longer be accepted as of January 26.

Quebec Experience Program applications can now be submitted online Paper applications will no longer be accepted as of January 26. Mohanad Moetaz Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

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Applications for the Programme de lexperience quebecoise (PEQ or Quebec Experience Program) can be submitted online as of January 12 through the Arrima platform.



PEQ Applicants can therefore submit their application, pay the required fees and download the required documents through the platform.

Quebec has previously informed applicants that paper-based submissions may be used until January 25, 2021. After that date, it will be mandatory to submit all PEQ applications through an online process and the Quebec Ministry of Immigration will no longer accept any paper applications.

Find out if youre eligible for Canadian immigration

This is not the only program that will undergo this change.

While applicants to the Quebec Foreign Student Program have now been able to submit their applications through the platform since the spring of 2020, they will also be subject to the same mandatory online submission process as of January 26, 2021.

The Ministere de lImmigration, de la Francisation et de lIntegration (MIFI) has also indicated that the submission of required documents under three new permanent immigration pilot projects, once launched, will have to be done electronically.

In the coming weeks, the province is expected to introduce three new permanent immigration pilot programs for workers in the health, computer and food processing sectors.

What is Arrima?

Arrima is an online platform used by the MIFI. Originally, Quebec introduced Arrima to collect expressions of interests from foreign nationals who wish to immigrate to Quebec through the Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP).

Based on the information provided on the Arrima portal by the foreign national, MIFI assesses the submitted profiles according to factors such as education, language skills and work experience. Eligible individuals are invited to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate (Certificat de selection du Quebec, or CSQ).

The new platform was launched in 2019 to speed up the processing of immigration applications and better align immigration with labour market needs. Prior to this change, Quebecs immigration system was based on a first-come, first-served basis with delays of up to 36 months to obtain a CSQ.

Over the past two years, the province of Quebec has expanded this platform to include other programs and added new functionalities.

The Arrima portal is now not only available for QSWP applicants, but also to foreigners seeking to settle in Quebec permanently or temporarily through the Quebec International Student Program as well as the PEQ.

Immigration levels in Quebec

Quebec expects to welcome up to 47,500 newcomers in 2021. The provinces new targets are slightly higher than they were for 2020 when Quebec expected to welcome up to 44,500 newcomers. However, Quebec fell short of this target.

The francophone province, therefore, plans to make up the shortfall of between 13,000 and 18,000 immigrants for 2020 caused by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on immigration levels to the province.

Most of the immigrants that Quebec is looking to admit in 2021 will come through the provinces economic immigration programs.

Find out if youre eligible for Canadian immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Days after booking its four personnel for allegedly receiving bribe to compromise on investigation against companies accused of bank fraud, the CBI has suspended two of them  Inspector Kapil Dhankad and Stenographer Samir Kumar Singh  and recommended administrative action against the other two. Officials said on Saturday that the agency has recommended to the Department of Personnel and Training to initiate administrative action against deputy superintendents of police R K Rishi and R K Sangwan.

The Department of Personnel and Training is the nodal ministry for the CBI, they said. According to the charges levelled in the eight-page FIR, made public on Friday after the completion of a search operation by the agency, Inspector Dhankad received bribe money from Sangwan and Rishi, who were soliciting favours for Shree Shyam Pulp and Board Mills, accused in a Rs 700-crore bank fraud case, and Frost International, accused in a Rs 3,600-crore bank fraud case.

The CBI has booked its four personnel, besides two advocates, Additional Director of Shree Shyam Pulp and Board Mills Mandeep Kaur Dhillon and Directors of Frost International Sujay Desai and Uday Desai. "The CBI has a zero tolerance policy towards corruption, be it other departments or within the organisation. The case is a result of strict vigil and action on any input which indicates involvement of our officials in corrupt practice," an official said.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Across America, 2020 was a year of disruption. In a matter of days, how we live and work completely changed.

This pandemic also started what is perhaps the greatest relocation of talent since World War II, with Americans leaving large coastal hubs in search of a better work-life balance.

According to one survey of Silicon Valley workers by the workplace app Blind, 15% of Bay Area tech pros have left the region since COVID-19.

So where are they going? Many are choosing Ohio.

Recent data from LinkedIn, originally reported last month by Alex Kantrowitz for the newsletter Big Technology, show Cleveland was the nations second biggest net gainer of tech workers from April to October last year, compared with the prior year.

And just two weeks ago, U-Haul released its 2020 rankings of all 50 states based on migration growth. Ohio was ranked fourth. California was dead last at No. 50.

Why does attracting technology companies and tech professionals matter? High pay is one reason. In Texas, according to The Wall Street Journal, the Austin Chamber analyzed salary data from the Texas Workforce Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics over the past decade. The average annual salary in 2019 for a high-tech job in their region was about $125,000. For all industries, it was about $65,000.

While numbers and data are great, the real story is told by the people.

Chris Berry is president of OhioX, a nonprofit technology and innovation partnership dedicated to helping make Ohio a leading tech hub.

In 2020, Ohio welcomed Oskar Bruening as one of our newest residents. Bruening is the co-founder and chief technology officer of California-headquartered Peek, a travel technology company that helps people discover their next adventure. Bruening moved from the Bay area to Cleveland, where he now leads his global team. Peek has the backing of investors like former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Jack Dorsey of Twitter and Square.

The story is also told by the co-founders of Clevelands MedPilot, a medical technology company which moved here from New York City in 2018. Two of the companys founders, Matt Buder Shapiro and Nathan Spoden, grew up in Northeast Ohio.

If youre building a health tech company, what better place to do it than in Cleveland? Their move has created a playbook for executives considering their own move.

Another boomerang is Carrie Murphy. For her first job after college, Murphy moved to New York City, where she spent years working at startups, recruiting for startups, and even spent some time at Goldman Sachs. About five years ago, Murphy moved back to Northeast Ohio so she could be closer to family. Murphy is now the vice president of community partnerships at Venture For America, a fellowship program for recent college graduates who want to become startup leaders and entrepreneurs. The organization places top graduates from universities across the country into startups in cities like Cleveland, Detroit, and Pittsburgh.

These three stories are not unique. Over the past year, Ive met and spoken with dozens of Ohioans who at one point lived and worked in places like New York City, Seattle, and San Francisco. Many are originally from Ohio, but not all. Some now work remotely for out-of-state companies and some moved here to join a local business. The one thing nearly all have in common is they work in technology or technology-focused careers.

As we move forward in a post-pandemic world, the cities and states that can keep, develop, and attract top talent will find themselves positioned for success. And while technology is great, its the people who make it all happen. Luckily for Ohio, we have the success stories that show the way.

Chris Berry is the president of OhioX, a statewide nonprofit technology and innovation partnership dedicated to helping make Ohio a leading tech hub. Its membership includes Fortune 500 companies, leading research institutions, technology-focused businesses, startups, and more. For more information, visit ohiox.org.

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* Email general questions, comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
Artist Robert Vargas is working towards painting a massive portrait of the late legend, Eddie Van Halen.

Located just outside the Guitar Center in Hollywood, the mural will be officially unveiled on Eddie's birthday on 26th January.

"We're really excited about doing that on that day and really giving it to the world," Vargas explained in an interview with KXFM 104.7. "This will be the premiere Eddie Van Halen mural in the States, really, but especially here in Hollywood where they made their bones."

Vargas also noted that part of the music video for the classic hit song, 'Panama' was shot in front of the store.

You can watch the artist's interview below.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday expressed happiness over the beginning of COVID-19 vaccination drive across the nation and said it is a matter of joy for all Indians that "we have been able to take this battle to its last stage".

Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of Rapid Action Force centre at Bhadravathi in Karnataka, Shah said India has fought a successful battle against the disease.

"The world has been fighting a battle against COVID19 for over a year. Several people have died due to the virus. It has been the toughest battle in mankind's history. But I'm happy to say that India fought the most successful battle against COVID, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership," the minister further added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive. Two COVID-19 vaccines manufactured in India - Covishield and Covaxin - have got emergency use approval. (ANI)

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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 01/17/2021



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[ Spoiler Warning: This report includes spoilers about if Andrew and Amira are still together or if the couple has split.]

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Did Amira and Andrew tie the knot and stay together or has the couple split?

Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

couple Andrew Kenton can't locate Amira Lollysa after she was detained in Mexico City on Season 8 of , so what do spoilers reveal about if Andrew and Amira are still together now?Andrew, a 32-year-old daycare owner and operator from Roseville, CA, and Amira, a 28-year-old from France, are hoping to get married, live in America and find a happily-ever-after ending on 's eighth season.Andrew runs a daycare with his mother and said he works 12-13 hours a day taking care of other people's children. But due to his work commitments, Andrew said he spends a lot of time by himself and without friends.Andrew said that while he had dated many wonderful women before Amira, none of those relationships ever amounted to a serious romance.Andrew hoped to start a family of his own soon and settle down with the woman of his dreams. Since he didn't have much luck on a local dating app, Andrew decided to give an international dating website a shot.That's when Andrew first saw Amira, a 28-year-old from Saumur, which is a small city in France surrounded by vineyards.Amira said she enjoys makeup and hanging out with friends and she's always dreamed about finding love and a perfect relationship. The half-French, half-Egyptian woman felt she didn't fit into the French lifestyle and so that's why she signed up for an international dating website.The pair began talking every day and then Andrew planned a trip to Las Vegas so they could meet. Andrew gushed about how Amira looked like a supermodel and they had an immediate connection and an "ease" with each other.After just three days, Andrew proposed marriage on their hotel balcony. Amira said Andrew was a very romantic and caring partner who made her feel like a princess and "would move heaven and earth" for her.Amira finally received her K-1 visa after more than one year of waiting. But once Amira received it, she couldn't travel to America due to the coronavirus pandemic. Her visa was also only good for five months, and she was running out of time."The same day I received my visa, President Trump set up a travel ban for anyone from a country that are in the European Union, like France," Amira explained in a confessional."So even though I could find a flight to the U.S., I would arrive in the American airport and they would not accept me."Andrew feared Amira wouldn't be able to use the K-1 visa, so he decided they should both travel to Mexico as a loophole, where they could quarantine for 14 days and then try to enter the United States together.Neither Andrew or Amira was thrilled about flying during a pandemic, and even Amira admitted their plan was "crazy," but both individuals were willing to take the risk for love.Andrew's sister Connie, however, thought Amira was "superficial" and didn't think the French beauty and her brother had much in common.And Andrew apparently had his own concerns. He said it seemed like Amira no longer wanted to have kids, and Andrew acknowledged it would be "very difficult" for him to give up the idea of having a family of his own."I think it's a conversation that reasonably needs to be had," Andrew said, adding that he hoped he could find common ground with Amira.Connie told Andrew that it's important to be on the same page with Amira about the future and he shouldn't be afraid to walk away from the relationship if they learned they're on different pages.Meanwhile, Amira visited with her father to say goodbye before her trip to Mexico.Amira confessed she wanted to stay patient until the U.S. opened its borders again but she was feeling pressure from Andrew to travel to Mexico, which appeared to bother her father."He said if I don't do the trip, he's going to resent me forever," Amira revealed."This is not love," Amira's father Hamdi replied.Amira said Andrew financially supported her and so she needed to do things for him to prove her love and commitment."He make you cry. I don't like him at all," Hamdi told his daughter.Hamdi said Andrew made his daughter sad all the time and Andrew clearly didn't have a big heart, which is what Amira and Hamdi had initially thought about Andrew.Hamdi wanted "a real man" for her daughter, but Amira said she was willing to fight for Andrew.Amira's K-1 visa was going to expire in August 2020, and she said she only had 42 days left until then.Amira was sad about having to leave her family, friends, culture and country behind, and she admitted she was scared but excited at the same time to turn a new page in life.Andrew just hoped Amira didn't harbor any negative emotions or feelings towards him about their trip to Mexico since there was a risk of contracting coronavirus.After Andrew landed in Mexico, Andrew apparently received a message from Amira's father that Amira had been detained in Mexico City. Andrew said he was "absolutely devastated at the news" he had just received.Andrew had no idea what was going on, and he said he had done a lot of research on this "loophole" that should have allowed Amira and himself to be together in Mexico before traveling to the United States together.Andrew didn't know how to figure out where Amira was, and he felt helpless. Andrew hoped to find out some information at his hotel, and he worried about Amira being held in a detention center with horrible conditions.In June 2020, there were only 42 days left until Amira's K-1 visa expired.Andrew found the beautiful view at his hotel "depressing" because he was alone and Amira had been detained in the Mexico City airport. Andrew said while he was originally optimistic and hopeful about his plan, he was incredibly concerned that Amira could be in danger.Andrew thought, worse case scenario, if Amira was rejected at the Mexico City airport, she'd be able to just board a plane and head back to her native country of France.Andrew didn't know who to call or how to find Amira, and he predicted Amira might be a little mad at him once they finally reunited."I feel helpless and powerless to do anything about this current situation. The one thing I hope for tomorrow is that it is the complete opposite of today," Andrew lamented in a confessional.Andrew was later shown researching and tracking down immigration centers. He could only follow leads that came up in attempt to find Amira's whereabouts.When Andrew reached one person, he actually hung up on Andrew. It was difficult for Andrew to navigate this situation, especially due to the language barrier.Andrew felt he was letting Amira down and every minute that went by allowed love to fade.Andrew recognized Amira's family would probably blame him for her detainment, and he said he wouldn't blame her parents for thinking that. Andrew was stressed out and so was Amira's father Hamdi.It's not 100 percent clear whether Andrew and Amira are still together, but Andrew dropped a hint in November 2020 that they may still be in a relationship and have been traveling together.On November 26, Andrew posted a slideshow of photos of himself posing in front of a beautiful green landscape and river.And one of the photos featured a table with a bottle of champagne on it -- as well as TWO glasses filled with champagne."Traversing the beautiful hills and forests of this gorgeous country. Where do you think I am? #travel #hiking #woodcabin #forest #livingmybestlife," Andrew captioned his post, which clearly indicated he wasn't alone.One of Andrew's Instagram followers commented, "You're with your wife, so I'd say yall are on your honeymoon somewhere in South America.""You were the first to recognize Brazil! Great job!" Andrew responded."But no honeymoon here. You'll love this season and it's many unexpected surprises."Another Instagram user then wrote in the comments section, "Well that didn't spoil anything for the new season... we now know Andrew gets married."Andrew replied, "Haha maybe, maybe not, but this trip is not what you think, no spoiler here, you are going [to] love the trainwrecks this season!"Brazil would seem like an unlikely honeymoon spot considering Amira is from France and doesn't speak Portuguese. She also attempted to enter the United States by stopping in Mexico first, and Brazil is a far trip from both Mexico and America.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
Two Afghan women judges have been assassinated in the country's capital in an attack that has been blamed on the Taliban.

Gunmen shot dead the two unnamed judges, who worked for the Supreme Court, on Sunday in Kabul, where a new trend of targeted killings of high-profile figures have sown fear in the restive city.

Afghanistan's Supreme Court was a target in February 2017 when a suicide bomb ripped through a crowd of court employees, killing at least 20 and wounding 41.

Sunday's attack happened as the judges drove to their office in a court vehicle, Ahmad Fahim Qaweem, a spokesman for the Supreme Court said.

'Unfortunately, we have lost two women judges in today's attack. Their driver is wounded,' Qaweem told AFP news agency, adding that more than 200 female judges work for the country's top court.

Kabul police confirmed the attack, which no group has claimed so far.

Two Afghan women judges have been assassinated in the country's capital in an attack that has been blamed on the Taliban. Pictured: Residents wash blood from the street at the scene of the attack in Kabul

Gunmen shot dead the two unnamed judges, who worked for the Supreme Court, on Sunday in Kabul, where a new trend of targeted killings of high-profile figures have sown fear in the restive city

Sunday's attack happened as the judges drove to their office in a court vehicle, Ahmad Fahim Qaweem, a spokesman for the Supreme Court said. Pictured: People gather at the spot where the two women were killed

US Charge D'Affaires Ross Wilson blamed the attack on the Taliban. It comes just two days after the Pentagon announced it had cut troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500, the lowest number in nearly two decades.

'The Taliban should understand that such actions for which it bears responsibility outrage the world and must cease if peace is to come to Afghanistan,' Wilson wrote on Twitter.

Relatives attended the funeral for one of the slain judges on Sunday.

The shooting came just hours after a high-level meeting between the Taliban negotiation team and US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, along with the head of US forces in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller, according to tweets by a Taliban spokesman.

During the sit-down, spokesman Mohammad Naeem said the armed group had called again for the release of its remaining jailed fighters, along with the removal of the Taliban from a UN blacklist.

The Afghan government has already released almost 5,000 Taliban inmates despite widespread concern that the fighters would be used to reinforce the insurgents' ranks.

Violence has surged in Afghanistan in recent months despite ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and the government.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has accused the Taliban of launching an 'illegitimate war and hostility'.

'The government once again reiterates its call on the Taliban that violence, terror, brutality and crimes... will only prolong the war in the country,' he said in a statement issued by the presidential palace.

Violence has surged in Afghanistan in recent months despite ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and the government. Pictured: People carry the coffin of an Afghan women judge killed in Afghanistan on Sunday

The shooting came just hours after a high-level meeting between the Taliban negotiation team and US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, along with the head of US forces in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller, according to tweets by a Taliban spokesman. Pictured: Mourners gather at the funeral of one of the female judges killed by gunmen in Kabul on Sunday

In recent months, several prominent Afghans - including politicians, journalists, activists, doctors and prosecutors - have been assassinated in often brazen daytime attacks in Kabul and other cities. Pictured: A relative of one of the slain judges cries at her funeral on Sunday

The targeted killings have surged despite the Taliban and Afghan government engaging in peace talks in the Qatari capital of Doha. Pictured: Relatives carry the body of one of the women killed in an ambush on Sunday

The head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission also condemned the recent spate of murders, calling the ongoing killings a 'systematic massacre'.

'Afghanistan is losing one of its most important gains, its educated & professional cadre, in what seems to be a systematic massacre & the world seems to be just watching. This must stop,' tweeted Shaharzad Akbar.

The killing also spurred a rare statement from the Chinese embassy in Kabul, offering condolences to the victims' families.

In recent months, several prominent Afghans - including politicians, journalists, activists, doctors and prosecutors - have been assassinated in often brazen daytime attacks in Kabul and other cities.

Many journalists and activists have left the country, worried they might be the next targets.

Afghan officials have steadfastly blamed the Taliban for the assassinations, a charge the group has denied.

Some of these killings have been claimed by the rival jihadist Islamic State group.

Earlier this month the US military for the first time directly accused the Taliban of orchestrating these attacks.

'The Taliban's campaign of unclaimed attacks and targeted killings of government officials, civil society leaders & journalists must... cease for peace to succeed,' Colonel Sonny Leggett, spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said on Twitter.

The targeted killings have surged despite the Taliban and Afghan government engaging in peace talks in the Qatari capital of Doha.

Afghan government negotiators engaged in peace talks with their Taliban counterparts are pushing for a permanent ceasefire as part of the agenda for the talks, but the insurgents so far have dismissed the calls for any type of truce.

The Taliban carried out more than 18,000 attacks in 2020, Afghanistan's spy chief Ahmad Zia Siraj told lawmakers earlier this month.

Egypts Public Prosecutor Hamada El-Sawi ordered the referral of three defendants to the state security emergency court on multiple charges, including joining a terrorist group in Libya, which aimed to execute attacks in Egypt.

According to a statement by the public prosecution on Sunday, the three defendants  two fugitives and a detained citizen  are accused of assuming leadership positions in a terrorist group dubbed Murabitoon and joining Al-Qaeda in Libya.

The statement noted that the terrorist group was led by Hesham Ashmawy, a former Egyptian army officer who was convicted of terrorism and executed by Egyptian authorities early in 2020 after being extradited from Libya.

The Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated the detained defendant, the statement said, adding that he admitted funding the terrorist group and receiving military training, and also joining Al-Qaeda in Libya.

He also admitted, according to the interrogation, that he joined a terrorist group in Egypt after he had escaped from prison in the wake of the 25 January Revolution in 2011, the statement read.

He travelled to Libya, as per his groups orders, in order to be trained so that he may return to Egypt to execute terrorist attacks, he admitted.

In Libya, he and many others, including the two fugitives in the case, met with Ashmawy. The now-detained citizen practiced organisational activities in this group until the Libyan armed forces detained him and Ashmawy and later extradited them to Egypt.

Ashmawy was apprehended in Libya in October 2018 and was handed over to Egypt by the forces of Libyan Army Commander Khalifa Haftar in May 2019.

He was convicted of 14 crimes, including a prominent 2014 ambush that killed 22 Egyptian military border guards near the border of Libya, and a failed assassination attempt on a former interior minister in 2013.

A salute and my appreciation to Egypts brave men who have always acted as hawks against all those who thought that they can terrorise Egyptians, El-Sisi said, following the extradition.

On 4 March last year, Military Spokesman Tamer El-Refae announced the execution of Ashmawy as per a military court ruling.

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She never puts a foot wrong with fashion.

And Zoe Hardman cut a stylish figure in a charcoal jumpsuit and cream shacket on Sunday as she made her grand entrance at Global Radio studios in London.

The presenter, 37, looked sensational as she sauntered through Leicester Square and entered the building to complete her hosting duties.

Trendy yet elegant: Zoe Hardman cut a stylish figure in a charcoal jumpsuit and cream shacket on Sunday as she made her grand entrance at Global Radio studios in London

She boosted her height with chic black heels and she kept her ears warm in a grey beanie hat.

The Heart Radio host proved she has expensive taste as she draped a quilted Yves Saint Laurent clutch bag across her torso while clutching a coffee cup.

She styled her caramel tresses in glamorous loose waves, and she enhanced her visage with a slick of make-up beneath Ray-Ban shades.

Last year Zoe spoke candidly about her eating disorder and revealed the turning point was when a doctor told her she was 'going into sort of kidney failure'.

Plenty to smile about: The presenter, 37, looked sensational as she sauntered through Leicester Square and entered the building to complete her hosting duties

The presenter explained that suffering with anorexia made her 'dead for a really long time' and 'a shell of a person' throughout her 20s.

Speaking to Frankie Bridge on her Open Mind podcast, Zoe said she went to the doctor for pain in her lower back, thinking she was doing something wrong in the gym and had pulled a muscle.

The presenter said: 'When I went to see the doctor, she basically told me that I was going into sort of kidney failure. It was my kidneys because I was just lacking in everything.'

Zoe also revealed that she hadn't had a period for five years, but at the time didn't realise it was because she was starving.

Foot candy: She boosted her height with chic black heels and she kept her ears warm in a grey beanie hat

She said that her menstrual cycle stopped, her bones ached and her hair was falling out.

The mother-of-two added that the doctor told her she was 'only heading in one direction' and that, if she wanted to have children, she had to stop restricting food.

The Playing It Straight presenter said her eating disorder started as a way to control areas of her life where everything else was out of control.

Zoe said: 'I think coming off the back of Playing It Straight, which did really well, I then got an agent and I was sort of thrust slightly into people recognising me and I was just a bit of a naive girl.

'I think what happened was that part of my life I could control so I was going to the gym twice a day and writing down everything I was eating.

'It became apparent over the following years that's what it was but obviously in the midst of it you're in denial and you're denying it to everybody else.'

The TV personality admitted she made the mistake of reading what people were saying about her on Playing It Straight, with a host of comments calling her 'plump' or saying the show had 'picked a size 10'.

The radio host also said that she has lost out on job opportunities for not being 'a real mum', which she attributes to her weight and being a size 8.

The mother-of-two said she is careful of what she says around her step-daughter Isla, seven, and daughter Luna, four, and keeps conversations surrounding food happy and positive.

For help and support with eating disorders contact SEED on (01482) 718130 or visit www.seedeatingdisorders.org.uk
New Delhi, Jan 17 : Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday again appealed to the farmers unions to suggest ways to resolve the deadlock over the agrarian reforms implemented by the Modi government.

Prior to the next round of talks scheduled on January 19 with the farmer unions leading the protests against the farm laws passed by parliament last year, he said that if the farmer unions could suggest any alternative solution, apart from the repeal of the three Central farm laws, the government would certainly consider it.

On the other hand, as the ongoing farmer agitation at the borders of the national Capital has entered the 53rd day, the farmer unions have clearly said they would continue with all their programmes announced earlier to intensify the protest.

The Agriculture Minister in a statement to IANS said in the next round of talks, the farmers unions should discuss the three farm laws point-wise and express their reservations, and the Central government would consider these. Apart from repeal of the three laws, the government would seriously consider whatever alternatives the farmers suggest, he added.

With a view to improving agriculture and allied sectors, the Central government implemented the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020. Though the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of these laws and set up am expert committee to resolve the issue, the Central government has kept open the path for dialogue with the farmer unions.

Tomar, who is leading the negotiations on behalf of the government, has repeatedly reiterated that whatever provisions would be appropriate in the interests of the farmers of the country, the Modi government would consider including them in the new farm laws.

But the leaders of farmer unions are adamant on that the three laws be repealed. The Central government has said it is ready to present its case before the committee set up by the Supreme Court to find solutions to the problems of the farmers, but the protesting farmer unions are not ready to appear before it.

The protesting farmers are adamant on repealing the three Union farm laws and demanding a legal guarantee for procurement of crops at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) while the Union government has already accepted two other core demands related to power subsidy and stubble burning.

Union Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal had, on October 14, first held talks with the farmer leaders to resolve the misgivings of the farmers regarding the new farm laws. The ministerial-level talks began after this, but the nine rounds of talks till now have been inconclusive on the main demand. Apart from Tomar, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Som Prakash, were leading the government side in the talks.
Brace yourself: there will be no "Taken 4."

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Liam Neeson, the star of the aforementioned extremely successful franchise that gave rise to an equally popular meme, stated that he plans to refrain from accepting film roles in the action category.

Although many fans (this writer included) will readily argue that the Irish Adonis, er, actor, ages like a fine wine, Neeson cited his advancement in years as one reason for quitting action flicks: Im 68 and a half. 69 this year, Neeson told ET's Lauren Zima. Theres a couple more Im going to do this year  hopefully, COVID allowing us  theres a couple in the pipeline and, then I think that will probably be it.

Two of these films to which he is referring is the much-anticipated winter thriller The Ice Road, and Memory, in which Neeson plays an assassin-for-hire.

Neeson has garnered critical acclaim for his dramatic work, earning the Best Actor Oscar for his titular role in 1993s "Schindlers List," but in recent years the actor has focused heavily on portraying bellicose characters adept at fending off multiple bad guys in protracted fight sequences. In addition to the "Taken" movies (2008, 2012, 2014), Neeson also starred in "Star Wars: Episode 1  The Phantom Menace" (1999) and alongside Christian Bale in "Batman Begins" (2005).

This is not to say Neesons binge on action blockbusters has soured him on the genre: I love doing them, he averred to ET. I love beating up guys half my age.

And we love watching you, Liam. Lets hope that your retirement, like that of so many others, isnt permanent.

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Several Midwest states have reported dramatic decreases in new COVID-19 infections while cases spike in places like Washington, DC, as Dr Anthony Fauci on Sunday backed President-elect Joe Biden's plan to vaccinate 100 million in 100 days.

While the US is reporting more than 23.7 million infections and nearly 400,000 deaths in total, some states have seen a decrease in active cases. But others are still grappling with an increase in hospitalizations, cases and deaths.

On Saturday there were 202,758 new cases of the virus reported in the US and 3,352 deaths.

On Sunday, incoming CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told CBS' 'Face the Nation' that 100,000 deaths can be expected in the month.

'By the middle of February, we expect half a million deaths in this country,' she said.

A coronavirus projection from the University of Washington estimates more than 566,000 deaths by May 1 in the US, a figure that could be lowered by thousands with a nationwide mask mandate.

States like North Dakota, which has been under a mask mandate since November, reported significant decreases in COVID-19 cases. Medical professionals have credited the state's mask mandate for the drastic reduction of infections.

North Dakota Gov Doug Burgum on Friday said mid-November active cases dropped more than 80 per cent, from 10,224 to 1,675; hospitalizations due to COVID have decreased by nearly 74 per cent, to 88 on Friday.

'Our case numbers and hospital capacity have improved dramatically in North Dakota over the past two months, and with three new tools we didn't have last fall -- vaccines, rapid tests and effective therapeutics -- we can see the light at the end of the tunnel,' Burgum said.

Due to the decline in cases, the Republican governor said he will drop a statewide mask requirement as well as limits on the number of people who gather in restaurants, bars and event venues. The executive order expires on Monday as scheduled.

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While the US is reporting more than 23.7 million infections and nearly 400,000 deaths, some states have seen a decrease in active cases while others are grappling with an increase in hospitalizations, cases and deaths

Over the last week, North Dakota health officials reported that more cases have dropped more than 80 per cent (active cases depicted). Medical professionals have credited the state's mask mandate for the drastic reduction of infections

On average, there had been 751 cases reported daily over the last week in Nebraska, which is a 25 per cent decrease from two weeks earlier. Nebraska has reported 180,910 cases and 1,892 deaths

Burgum issued the executive order on November 13 and extended it once. The mandate requires people to wear face coverings in indoor businesses and indoor public settings, as well as outdoor public settings where physical distancing isn't possible.

Earlier this month, Burgum eased restrictions on food service establishments, allowing them to operate at 65 per cent capacity, up from 50 per cent. Banquet, ballroom and event venues, which had been limited to 25 per cent capacity, were able to operate at 50 per cent.

Since the order has taken effect, North Dakota has dropped from first to 49th in the country for new cases per capita, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.

Health officials on Friday recorded 233 new coronavirus infections. That raises the statewide total since the pandemic reached North Dakota in mid-March to 95,736. At least 1,403 deaths have been reported.

While the US is reporting more than 23.7 million infections and nearly 400,000 deaths, some states have seen a decrease in active cases. But others are still grappling with an increase in hospitalizations, cases and deaths

Occupancy restrictions on restaurants, bars and event venues will become optional guidelines on Monday.

That means the establishments can resume full service if they choose to ignore the state's recommendation to limit occupancy to 65 per cent of normal levels.

'However, this fight isn't over, and we need all North Dakotans to continue to exercise personal responsibility, follow protocols and keep wearing masks where physical distancing isn't possible,' Burgum added.

'The day will come when we can take off our masks and discard them with confidence, but only if we do what's needed now to keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe.'

Burgum said more than 76,000 people in North Dakota have been vaccinated, though Molly Howell, the state immunization program manager, said there is an 'extremely limited' supply of vaccine on hand.

She said the state is only allocated 10,000 doses of the vaccine weekly and didn't know when the number would increase.

Burgum said North Dakota ranks No. 2 in the percentage of received vaccine doses administered, at 62 per cent, and No. 4 in first doses administered per capita.

'We're racing to get as many of those in arms as possible,' Burgum said.

The spread of COVID-19 has also slowed enough to ease restrictions in three Illinois regions but in other areas, including Chicago, tougher restrictions will remain in place, Gov J.B. Pritzker announced Friday.

Pritzker also announced some encouraging news for bars and restaurants, saying during a news conference that they can resume limited indoor service sooner than the original rules allowed if the COVID-19 metrics continue to improve.

Under the new rules, restaurants will be allowed to resume indoor dining at 25 per cent capacity or a maximum 25 customers if the region hits certain benchmarks, including a seven-day average positivity rate below 8 per cent for three straight days.

Health officials have reported more than 23.7 million cases in the US and nearly 400,000 deaths

Pritzker said stricter Tier 3 rules have been lifted in favor of Tier 2 rules in the central Illinois region that includes Peoria and Bloomington, counties at the southern tip of the state, and counties in northwest Illinois.

That means activities such as group fitness classes and gatherings of up to 10 people will be allowed, retail businesses will be able to increase capacity limits and museums and other cultural institutions can reopen.

'Of our remaining regions, the data shows that most are on track to leave Tier 3 in the coming days if current trends hold,' Pritzker said.

But on the day when the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 6,642 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and another 123 COVID-19 deaths in the state in the past 24 hours, state and Chicago public health officials announced that Illinois has recorded its first case of the new variant of the virus from the United Kingdom.

The arrival of the variant was not a surprise, given that it has spread to about a dozen states in recent weeks. The state's public health director, Dr Ngozi Ezike, said that while the variant spreads more easily than the one already in the United States, there is no evidence that it is more severe or causes more deaths.

Still, she warned: 'If we do not continue to wear our masks, watch our distance and avoid gathering, this new variant could sweep across the state as it swept across the UK.'

Other Midwest states have also seen a steady decline in infections.

On Saturday, the state's Department of Health reported that active cases have dipped to 4,837. Just last month, the state had a total of 10,987 active cases.

In Nebraska, health officials reported zero new cases on Saturday.

On average, there had been 751 cases reported daily over the last week, which is a 25 per cent decrease from two weeks earlier. Nebraska has reported 180,910 cases and 1,892 deaths.

Nebraska was one of very few states that appeared to have avoided a post-holiday season spike in coronavirus cases, Gov Pete Ricketts said Monday.

It may be because people followed virus safety guidelines warning against attending holiday gatherings, Ricketts said during a news conference.

'I think a lot of Nebraskans made modifications to their holiday get togethers,' he said. 'Id also say, theres also a lot of we dont know about this virus.'

The Republican governor said the decision not to impose a statewide lockdown may also have played a role because it helped avoid pandemic fatigue that leads some people to break the recommendations.

Nebraska has imposed restrictions on crowd sizes and public spaces, but has never imposed a stay-at-home order or a statewide mask mandate.

The state saw a sharp increase in virus hospitalizations in mid-November, raising concerns about bed space and burnout among hospital workers.

The numbers have since declined, although public health officials say its important for residents to continue following social distancing safety guidelines.

Meanwhile, states like California, Texas, Florida and New York are seeing a rise in new cases and deaths. Health officials in Washington, DC, have also reported an increase in cases.

In DC, 397 new cases were recorded on Saturday along with five new deaths.

On average, 297 cases per day have been reported in DC over the last week.

It marks a 16 per cent increase from the average two weeks earlier. The increase in cases was reported more than a week after hundreds gathered for the Save America rally on January 6. Dozens ended the day by storming the US Capitol.

The new DC numbers brings the total of cases to about 33,537 with at least 847 deaths.

California reported 669 COVID-19 deaths  the second-highest daily death count  on Saturday.

California reported 669 COVID-19 deaths  the second-highest daily death count  on Saturday. Health care workers are seen treating a COVID patient at Providence St Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, California on January 11

The Los Angeles County healthcare system is still severely strained with more than 7,500 people currently hospitalized, according to Barbara Ferrer, director of the county's Department of Public Health. A nurse is seen preparing for a shift in Los Angeles

In Los Angeles County, public health authorities confirmed its first case of the variant of COVID-19 first detected in the United Kingdom.

It was identified in a man who recently spent time in the county. The man has traveled to Oregon, where he is isolating.

Although his is the first confirmed case of the variant, health officials believe it is already spreading in a county that surpassed 1 million coronavirus cases on Saturday.

'The presence of the UK variant in Los Angeles County is troubling, as our healthcare system is already severely strained with more than 7,500 people currently hospitalized,' said Barbara Ferrer, director of the county's Department of Public Health.

The state has been seeing more than 500 deaths and 40,000 new cases daily for the past two weeks, and many regions, especially in the south, have seen their hospitals and especially intensive care units overwhelmed.

Lawmakers and public health officials have said mass vaccinations are the key to flattening the surge, but they're increasingly concerned about the rocky rollout of the vaccine.

A center that can handle as many as 12,000 shots a day opened Friday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles but Gov Gavin Newsom and others said they had no idea when, if or how many doses will arrive from the federal government.

Newsom said that he and other governors were told earlier this week that a reserve supply of 50 million doses would be distributed.

California has received more than 3.5 million doses of the vaccine and has administered over 1 million doses, while anticipating hundreds of thousands more.

Michael Pratt, a spokesman for the US Department of Health and Human Services, said there has been no reduction in doses shipped to states.

But around the state, counties said they were struggling to make vaccination plans and said mass inoculations of people 65 and older, who represent most COVID-19 deaths, will have to wait, despite Newsom this week adding them to the eligibility list.

Instead, they are focusing on those at the head of the eligibility line: health care workers and the most vulnerable seniors in nursing homes. In addition, it takes two separate doses spaced weeks apart to ensure the most complete virus protection, health experts say.

Without a steady and predictable supply, long-range planning for vaccine distribution is challenging, said Dr Paul Simon, chief science officer of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The county the nation's most populous with 10 million residents  is struggling to vaccinate its 800,000 health workers and doesn't anticipate being able to provide large-scale inoculations of its 1.3 million people 65 and older until February, Simon said.

'We don't need the full supply to begin vaccinating,' Simon said. 'But there will be a heck of a lot of frustration if we open it up for that many people and there's a very little supply of vaccine to serve them.'

The city of San Francisco announced it's ready to handle 10,000 people a day at mass vaccination sites but can't put the plans in motion because it's unclear how many doses will be available.

Meanwhile, demand is soaring despite the confusion.

Kaiser Permanente said requests for vaccination appointments had overloaded its phone and online appointment systems. The health care giant said it received more than 90,000 calls to its vaccine hotline on Thursday.

'But the problem is we do not have enough vaccine supply on hand to meet even a fraction of this demand,' it said.

In New York, Gov Andrew Cuomo said Friday morning that the state's supply of coronavirus vaccines is running low and that a majority of available doses are in arms.

In New York, Gov Andrew Cuomo said Friday morning that the state's supply of coronavirus vaccines is running low and that a majority of available doses are in arms. Cuomo revealed 74 per cent of more than 1.1 million shots have been administered

Cuomo revealed 74 per cent of more than 1.1 million shots have been administered.

He said he expected more doses of the vaccine from the federal government after officials said it would release doses in reserve.

Instead, the state got 50,000 fewer doses, with its allocation dropping from 300,000 doses per week to 250,000 per week.

This means there may not be enough doses to vaccinate all 7.1 million eligible people in the state after the CDC expanded federal guidelines to include anyone 65 years old or older in the first phase.

At the news conference, Cuomo lamented that the Trump administration increased vaccine eligibility but did not boost the supply.

Last week, federal officials recommended that all people aged 65 and older be eligible to get the shot, which New York agreed to.

Cuomo said this increased the number of people eligible to be vaccinated in New York state from 2.1 million to seven million people.

'All of this volume and it has to go through the point of a needle, literally and figuratively,' he said.

'That's the situation that the federal government created. Our constraint is the federal supply. That is creating a scheduling backlog and it's creating pressure on what was supposed to be the prioritization process.'

The governor said that he expected with increasing eligibility, the Trump administration would increase the number of doses sent to the state.

New York's positivity rate is currently less than 6 per cent. As of Friday it stood at 5.77 per cent. The last time the rate was below 6 per cent was on December 26, when it was 5.9 per cent.

Despite having one of the lowest positivity rates in the US, New York remains on some of the tightest restrictions.

For example, indoor dining is banned altogether in New York City.

However, in other parts of New York, residents can enjoy indoor dining in orange cluster zones after a state Supreme Court decision ruled in favor of some Erie County restaurants that had sued over the restriction.

In areas considered orange zones, schools have moved to remote learning only and high-risk nonessential businesses remain closed. Gatherings are capped at 10 people max.

Governors accuse Trump administration of deceiving states about the amount of COVID-19 vaccine they can expect to receive

Several governors bitterly accused the Trump administration Friday of deceiving the states about the amount of COVID-19 vaccine they can expect to receive as they ramp up vaccinations for senior citizens and others. But the government attributed the anger to confusion and misguided expectations on the part of the states.

Things with the vaccine and the virus may be about to heat up as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that the new, more infectious variant first seen in Britain will probably become the dominant version in the US by March.

The CDC said the variant is about 50 per cent more contagious than the virus that is causing the bulk of cases in this country.

'We want to sound the alarm,' said Dr Jay Butler, CDC deputy director for infectious diseases.

The clash over the pace of the government's COVID-19 vaccine allotments threatens to escalate tensions between the Trump administration and some states over who is responsible for the relatively slow start to the vaccination drive against the scourge that has killed over 390,000 Americans.

Several governors have accused the Trump administration Friday of deceiving the states about the amount of COVID-19 vaccine they can expect to receive as they ramp up vaccinations for senior citizens and others. Nursing home residents wait for a vaccine in Harlem

Oregon had announced earlier this week that it would expand vaccine eligibility to roughly 760,000 residents 65 and older, as well as teachers and child care providers, because of what it said were promises that the state's vaccine allotment would be increased.

But Democratic Gov Kate Brown said those plans are now in disarray because of 'deception on a national scale' by the administration.

Via Twitter, Brown said she was told by Gen Gustave F. Perna, who leads Operation Warp Speed, that states will not be receiving increased shipments of vaccine from the national stockpile next week 'because there is no federal reserve of doses.'

As a result of what she called 'a cruel joke,' Brown said the state will now postpone vaccination of senior citizens to February 8, instead of January 23, and initially limit it to people 80 and older.

Minnesota Gov Tim Walz, a Democrat, said he was among several governors deceived by federal officials about availability of a strategic supply of doses.

'This one is so far beyond the pale to be almost unimaginable,' he said. 'Who's going to be prosecuted for this? What are the states to do when they've been lied to and made all their plans around this?'

Alena Yarmosky, a spokeswoman for Virginia Gov Ralph Northam, said governors were 'told explicitly' on Tuesday that they would be provided additional doses. Northam, a Democrat and a doctor, had moved quickly as a result to announce that the state would expand vaccine eligibility.

Now, Northam's administration is trying to determine whether those additional supplies don't exist, Yarmosky said.

'What we're seeing is fully in line with the dysfunction that has characterized the Trump administration's entire response to COVID-19. President-elect (Joe) Biden cannot be sworn in fast enough,' she said.

Pratt said that states may have been confused in their expectations but that there has been no reduction in doses shipped to them.

Biden alluded to the tensions Friday and pledged to communicate better with states so they know how much vaccine will arrive and when.

'Right now we're hearing that they can't plan because they don't know,' he said. 'That stops when we're in office.'

As of Friday, the government had distributed over 31 million doses to states, U.S. territories and major cities. About 12.3 million doses had been administered, according to online tracking by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There is no evidence that the new variant causes more severe illness or is transmitted differently, and mask wearing and other precautions still work, the CDC said. Scientists have also expressed confidence that the vaccines are still effective against it.

For weeks, Operation Warp Speed had been holding large amounts of vaccine in reserve to ensure that those who got their first dose received their second one on time. A man receives the COVID vaccine in Los Angeles County on Friday

According to CDC, the variant has been detected in 12 states and diagnosed in only 76 reported cases. But it is probably more widespread in the US than the numbers suggest, CDC scientists said.

The two COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the US - made by Pfizer and Moderna  are designed to be given in two doses, three or four weeks apart.

For weeks, Operation Warp Speed had been holding large amounts of vaccine in reserve to ensure that those who got their first dose received their second one on time.

The practice was a hedge against possible manufacturing delays. When HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced on Tuesday that he was ending the practice, it was interpreted as essentially doubling the expected supply.

But there was another huge change: He also urged states to open vaccinations to everyone over 65 and younger people with certain health problems, even though most hadn't yet finished dispensing shots to all the health workers first in line.

The result was a scramble by state and local health authorities to figure out exactly how much vaccine they would receive in the coming weeks and how to ramp up shots for a public with higher expectations.

Pratt said doses that were being held in reserve to provide second shots were released last week.

It's unclear, however, if they all shipped prior to the Trump administration's announcement early this week that states should open up vaccination to more people. He said states are getting the required second doses they need and the number of first doses is stable.

Pfizer said it is working around the clock to produce millions of doses a day and that officials 'foresee no issues in delivering on the commitments we have made' to supply Operation Warp Speed.

Moderna didn't immediately respond to questions about its supplies.

President-elect Joe Biden plans to inject 100 million doses of vaccine in his first 100 days in office

Incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain says the coronavirus pandemic will get worse before it gets better, projecting another 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the first five weeks of President-elect Joe Biden's administration.

Speaking to CNN's State of the Union, Klain said Biden was inheriting a dire situation, saying even with vaccines: 'It's going to take a while to turn this around.'

Biden has set a goal of injecting 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine in his first 100 days in office, a goal Klain said they were on pace to meet.

Klain added he believed there was enough supply of the pair of vaccines currently granted emergency approval to ensure that those who have received their first shot will get the required second.

President-elect Joe Biden has doubled down on his promise to get 100 million Americans vaccinated in his first 100 days but warned that 'things will get worse before they get better'

Biden first unveiled the ambitious goal Thursday as part of his $1.9trillion 'American Rescue Plan' which includes about $400billion to tackle COVID-19.

Speaking from Wilmington, Delaware, Friday, the Democrat insisted 'we can get it done' as he vowed to 'manage the hell out of this operation'.

'Some wonder if we are reaching too far. Let me be clear, I'm convinced we can get it done.'

He added: 'You have my word: We will manage the hell out of this operation.'

The target is a huge uplift from the current rate of rollout which Biden on Thursday slammed as a 'dismal failure' by the Trump administration.

So far, the US has administered just 13 million shots of the vaccine 34 days on from the day the first American was given the first dose on December 14.

'This is the time to set big goals and to pursue them with courage and conviction because the health of the nation is at stake,' said Biden.

Biden maintained that his administration can accomplish the goal through a five-step plan that includes: getting more people vaccinated, increasing vaccination sites, increasing supply, mobilizing the personnel to administer it, and ensure Americans have confidence in the vaccine.

By using the Defense Production Act, Biden said he can boost supplies of the vital vaccine

He said he will also work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to set up 100 vaccination centers across the country by the end of his first month in office.

And local pharmacies will also be mobilized to get more shots in arms and will 'increase vaccine supply and get it out the door as soon as possible.'

Biden instructed states to start giving COVID-19 vaccines to all essential workers and Americans over 65 immediately, to stop doses from lingering on shelves.

'The process of establishing priority groups was driven by science, but the problem - the implementation has been too rigid and confusing,' Biden said.

That has caused 'tens of millions of doses of vaccines sitting unused in a freezer,' he said.

However, Biden warned Americans that the nation is not out of the woods yet.

'Almost a year later [from the start of the pandemic], we're still far from back to normal. The honest truth is this: Things will get worse before they get better,' he said.

'We remain in a very dark winter,' he added.

Dr Anthony Fauci says 100 million vaccinations in 100 days is 'absolutely a doable thing'

Biden's goal of delivering 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine within the first 100 days of his presidency 'is absolutely a doable thing,' Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Sunday.

Fauci, speaking on NBC's Meet The Press, said two new vaccines under development by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson could 'very soon' be presented to US regulators for approval, which would increase the pace of vaccinations.

'We're weeks away, not months away, for sure,' he said.

Biden's goal of delivering 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine within the first 100 days of his presidency 'is absolutely a doable thing,' Anthony Fauci (pictured), director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Sunday

He said more vaccinations - coupled with mask-wearing and avoiding crowds - would be the best way for the US to tackle a new, more infectious strain of the coronavirus.

'If we can get the overwhelming majority of the population vaccinated, we'd be in very good shape and could beat even the mutant,' he said.

Fauci's remarks came amid criticism of the pace at which the United States is administering vaccines.

About 10.6 million Americans have so far been vaccinated, about half as many as President Donald Trump's administration hoped would have received injections by the end of 2020.

Biden has said ramping up the pace of vaccinations will be one of his top priorities when he takes office on Wednesday.

'One thing that's clear is that the issue of getting 100 million doses in the first 100 days is absolutely a doable thing,' Fauci said. 'The feasibility of his goal is absolutely clear. There's no doubt about that, that that can be done.'

During the segment, Fauci also warned of 'more ominous' strains of COVID-19, which have emerged out of South Africa and Brazil.

'People need to realize there's more than one mutant strain,' Fauci said.

'Theres one from the UK thats essentially dominated Theres another more ominous one thats in South Africa and Brazil,' he said.

Fauci said US health officials are taking the new strains 'very seriously' and he doesnt want 'people to panic'.
The logo of Ant Group at its headquarters in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang Province, China, on Oct. 29, 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Ant Groups Scuttled IPO Leaves Foreign Investors in the Dark

Early Chinese investors less likely to lose money

News Analysis

Early investors in Chinas fintech giant Ant Group thought they were in line for a massive paydaythat is, until Ants highly anticipated initial public offering last year was suddenly scuttled by Chinese regulators.

Venture capital and private equity firms such as Silver Lake and Carlyle Group believed they had a winner in the bag. After all, they were early investors in a massively valuable startup, and the IPO process was a familiar playbook almost guaranteed to make money for early investors. The success of Ants $35 billion blockbuster IPO was a foregone conclusion.

Until suddenly, it wasnt.

By now, Ants failed IPO and founder Jack Mas rhetoric leading up to it have all been well documented. Institutional and retail investors who were slated to purchase shares in the IPO were stuck with little more than disappointment or perhaps, in hindsight, relief. Their initial deposits have been refunded by underwriting banks.

In the weeks that have followed, Ants prospects have grown increasingly dim. Initially, it was believed that Ant could return to public markets within months, after some superficial restructuring. But its becoming more evident that the cuts demanded by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regulators are more than skin deep.

Ant has a sprawling business encompassing asset management, insurance, lending, and mobile payments. Its most famous product is Alipay, the popular online payments platform.

While regulators have stopped short of directly demanding a breakup of Ant, deep overhauls are necessary. It may need to set up a separate holding company to house its lending and credit businesses, ensure it has sufficient capital, adhere to banking regulations, and build up its compliance and governance functions. Ant is reportedly coming up with a plan and timetable for its restructuring process, according to a recent Bloomberg report.

All of this could make Antwhatever its final forma far less valuable company. What valuation Ant will ultimately generate is too early to determine. But in the most severe scenarios, it could be a fraction of its pre-IPO valuation, purportedly eclipsing $300 billion.

That staggering valuation hinged upon Ants nimble fintech growth potential. And it had attracted billions of venture capital funding from some of the worlds leading investors, including Warburg Pincus, Silver Lake, Sequoia Capital, Carlyle Group, and several sovereign wealth funds.

Today, these investors investments in Ant look troubling.

A number of foreign investors contributed more than $10 billion into a Ma-controlled offshore subsidiary of Ant called Ant International, in a pre-IPO fundraising round in 2018, according to a recent Financial Times report.

The investors who contributed into the Ant International financing are high profile. They include U.S. private equity firms Carlyle Group and Warburg Pincus, venture capital firm Silver Lake, U.S. asset managers T. Rowe Price and BlackRock, Swiss investment bank Credit Suisse, as well as sovereign funds Temasek and GIC of Singapore, and Malaysias state fund Khazanah Nasional Berhad.

Since the IPO was called off in November 2020, those Ant International investors have received very little clarity on next steps, the report said, citing people close to the investors. No information regarding Ants IPO likelihood, potential form of restructuring, or an estimated timing have been provided to these investors.

In addition, these investors appear to have very little recourse. The offshore entity the foreign investors invested in holds no voting rights nor any claim to Ants commercial assets.

Ant Group has held three equity financing rounds, with the most recent one (Series C, raising $14 billion) in 2018 headlined by major international investment firms including the above-mentioned Ant International financing, according to data from Crunchbase. The Series C round was raised with pre-money valuation of approximately $136 billion.

The companys first two financing rounds (Series A and B) were seeded by domestic Chinese investment firms including Chinese Investment Corp. and the National Council for Social Security Fund. Those rounds were raised at much lower valuations. For example, the April 2016 Series B round led by Chinas Primavera Capital and China Investment Corp. was raised with pre-money valuation of $55.5 billion, according to Crunchbase estimates. These earlier Chinese investors have a much smaller chance of losing money on their investments.

As for Ant, the company has provided no public update on how it plans to address Beijings concerns. And if the Chinese Communist Partys ultimate goal is to cut Ma down to size, more government obstacles could appear in front of Ant, Alibaba, or Ma himself.
Berger said when he read the findings of the first probe, "it was pretty clear to me we needed to do a follow-on...
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Republican senator Ben Sasse launched a broadside at his own party Sunday, warning its embrace of QAnon conspiracy theorists risks it becoming 'the part of Alex Jones.'

In an essay in The Atlantic, he denounced freshman congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a follower of the claims, as 'cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs' and warned that the presence of so many Q fanatics in the MAGA mob who stormed the Capitol were the result of a 'rotten seed' inside the Republican Party.

He highlighted how the FBI revealed the determination of one follower to be at the head of the mob was so 'Q would get the credit' - which Sasse warned was emblematic of the problems Republicans face of embracing those who follow the bizarre creed.

'It is the blossoming of a rotten seed that took root in the Republican Party some time ago and has been nourished by treachery, poor political judgment, and cowardice,' he wrote.

'Until last week, many party leaders and consultants thought they could preach the Constitution while winking at QAnon.'

Sasse, the junior Nebraska senator, has become an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, but widened his criticism in the essay to warn other party leaders that the QAnon cult is an existential threat to their party.

Doug Jensen was arrested, having led the mob against Goodman. He appeared in the federal courthouse in Des Moines via Zoom from Polk County Jail Tuesday where he was indicted on six federal charges. The FBI says he told them he wanted 'Q to get the credit' for the riot so put himself at the head of the mob

Jacob Chansley, 33, was seen in the Capitol wearing face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns and carrying a US flag attached to a spear. Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli, calls himself the 'QAnon Shaman'

At one point, Angeli, who has since been arrested and charged for his role in the riot, is seen asking someone to take his photo. Angeli is then seen writing a note on the desk as an officer asks him to leave. 'It's only a matter of time. Justice is coming!' the note reads

Part of the GOP scene: The Trump rally at the Ellipse and then the riot at the Capitol featured Q flags and clothes. Sasse said his party had let the followers in and allowed them to 'fester'

'When Trump leaves office, my party faces a choice: We can dedicate ourselves to defending the Constitution and perpetuating our best American institutions and traditions, or we can be a party of conspiracy theories, cable-news fantasies, and the ruin that comes with them,' he wrote.

'We can be the party of Eisenhower, or the party of the conspiracist Alex Jones.'

Jones has been a steady presence at rallies in the wake of Trump's election defeat, and turned up at the Capitol amid the riot, although he does not appear to have entered it.

Before the riot, as the MAGA mob marched to the Capitol, PBS reported that Jones was seen on tape telling them: 'We need to understand we're under attack, and we need to understand this is 21st-century warfare and get on a war-footing.'

Sasse said that evidence of the dangers of the QAnon claims were crystallized by footage of Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, hailed a hero for single-handedly diverting the mob - who chanted 'hang Mike Pence' from the Senate chamber while the vice president was in it.

The senator said that Douglas Jensen, the man at the head of the mob of rioters who Goodman managed to tempt away from the chamber, exemplified how the Q claims had forced out rational discourse.

Jensen's social media was full of the claims of the theory, which makes a hero of Mike Flynn, the first Trump national security advisor who was fired for lying to Pence, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, then got a pardon from Trump after reversing his guilty plea when he was represented by Sidney Powell, the 'Kraken' attorney whp pushed outlandish voter fraud claims.

'It is very possible that the QAnon devotee Douglas Jensen believed the junk he'd been sold - that he was a valued foot soldier in Trump's war against shadowy forces of darkness,' Sasse wrote.

Sasse said that the Republican party risked its own future by accommodating the irrationality of people like Jensen instead of taking a clear stand against the Q claims.

And he laced into Taylor Greene, the Georgia congresswoman who has embraced QAnon claims and who was also on record as a 9/11 truther.

Taylor Greene has promised to introduced articles of impeachment against Joe Biden as soon as he is sworn in.

Sasse assailed her mental state but also slammed Kevin McCarthy, the House Minority Leader, for failing to come out against her when she was running for the House last year, accusing him of a failure of leadership.

'She'll keep making fools out of herself, her constituents, and the Republican Party,' Sasse wrote.

Sasse acknowledged that he had himself been named as part of the cabal of international child traffickers which QAnon followers believe will be caught and arrested or summarily executed by Donald Trump.

A feature of the metastizing conspiracy claims is that anyone who criticizes them is likely to be accused by followers of being part of the network of Satan-worshipping pedophiles QAnon claims to have uncovered.

'Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.' Ben Sasse said Marjorie Taylor Greene's presence in the House GOP caucus was the result of failed leadership by Kevin McCarthy, the House Minority Leader, when she ran for the Georgia district she represents

His party or Eisenhower's? Alex Jones, the InfoWars conspiracy theorist, was at the Capitol on January 6 although is not known to have entered it

Another one: Cleveland Meredith Jr. boasted about wanting ti kill Nancy Pelosi and turned up in D.C. on the day of the rally with a truck and trailer packed with ammunition. He was a fanatical QAnon follower

Cleveland Meredith Jr. became radicalized by QAnon theories in 2017, going so far to post billboards for the group around Atlanta the following year - which also displayed the name of his car wash company Car Nutz

With the window closing for their claims of a 'storm' or 'great awakening' to come true, and the disappearance from message boards of any new information from 'Q' since the election, followers appear to have become more frenzied.

The FBI has warned they are a major domestic terror threat. The first time Trump was directly confronted about them he claimed: 'I dont know much about the movement, other than I understand they like me very much.'

Before being banned from Twitter, Trump h ad repeatedly tweeted claims from QAnon followers.

His official legal team challenging the 2020 election results briefly included 'Kraken' attorney Sidney Powell, who has repeatedly amplified QAnon claims.

Jensen was not the only of the more than 100 MAGA rioters so far arrested by the FBI to express devotion for the bizarre conspiracy claims.

Others included Cleveland Meredith Jr., who texted that he wanted to put a bullet in 'Nancy Pelosi's noggin' and who previously funded billboards with the theory's slogan WWG1WGA - where we go one, we go all - in Georgia.

And the most prominent rioter to be arrested so far was Jacob Chansley, the 'Q Shaman' who sat in Mike Pence's chair in the Senate and left a note saying: 'It's only a matter of time - justice is coming.'

He is being held in federal custody after a judge said: 'I do believe he was an active participant in a violent insurrection that attempted to overthrow the US government on January 6 2021.'

Chansley - who is being fed with organic food in prison on the basis of his 'religious beliefs' as a shaman - told federal authorities he was planning a return to the Capitol for Joe Biden's inauguration, and 'glad' of his actions because he believes the Vice President 'is a child-trafficking traitor.'
(Natural News) Monsanto must pay $10.2 million in fines as part of a guilty plea for spraying a banned pesticide on research crops growing in Hawaii as the lawsuits continue to pile up against the company over its dangerous practices.

The pesticide in question, Penncap-M, was stored by Monsanto at sites in Maui and Molokai, according to a press release by the Department of Justice. It was also used at Valley Farm in Maui. It is considered an acute hazardous waste and the company boldly continued to use it in 2014 despite being aware that its use was prohibited after 2013.

In addition, Monsanto told employees to re-enter the area where it had been sprayed across 2 acres of farmland just seven days after the spraying, even though 31 days is the required waiting time.

United States Attorney Nick Hanna said: The illegal conduct in this case posed a threat to the environment, surrounding communities and Monsanto workers.

In a statement, Monsantos parent company, Bayer, apologized, saying that they failed to live up to their standards and the law. Vice President of Communications for North America Darren Wallis said that the company accepted responsibility for its actions and was deeply sorry.

The Department of Justice has said that it will dismiss the felony charges against Monsanto in Hawaii in two years if the company pays its fines and sticks to the terms of the agreement. Under the agreement, the company must develop an environmental compliance program and undergo environmental audits at its Hawaii locations every six months. Site visits will also be carried out by a probation officer.

The fines include a criminal fine of $6 million as well as $4 million for community service payments that will be split among five Hawaiian government agencies. These include the states health and agriculture departments as well as its environmental management division, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission. They must also pay $200,000 for the spraying offense.

The lawsuits are part of a multi-faceted inquiry being carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency into pesticide misuse by several major companies, including Monsanto.

Lawsuits piling up against Monsanto as they continue to deny wrongdoing

The guilty plea came as the company continues to battle thousands of lawsuits involving a different pesticide, Roundup. Juries across the nation have been awarding billions of dollars in damages to people whose cancer was caused by exposure to the chemical.

In one case, Monsanto was ordered to pay $80 million after a federal jury found that Roundup caused a mans cancer. Additional suits are constantly being filed over similar claims.

In November, a Honolulu law firm filed a trio of civil lawsuits on behalf of three Big Island men against Monsanto in Hilo Circuit Court. The men involved in the suits are claiming that exposure to roundup and PCBs manufactured by Monsanto caused their non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The men had used the herbicides in non-commercial settings for personal use.

Their attorney, Ilana Waxman, told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald that Monsanto continues to deny that their product has been recognized as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as well as other agencies around the world. She pointed out that it has been banned in many countries, but not the United States.

A group of farm workers and conservationists represented by the Center for Food Safety are currently challenging the EPAs re-approval of toxic glyphosate in court and are seeking the removal of the pesticide from use or sale, citing health risks. Unfortunately, the chemical remains highly profitable for Monsanto, so they will continue using their substantial resources to fight these suits while their products keep killing people and destroying the environment.

Sources for this article include:

CivilBeat.org

Edition.CNN.com

HawaiiTribune-Herald.com
The Treasury has said it has 'no plans' to lower VAT on energy bills, despite promises to scrap the tax after Brexit.

Boris Johnson and Michael Gove pledged to scrap the duty during the EU referendum campaign. They said the Government was barred from lowering the tax because of EU rules.

Writing in The Sun in 2016, Johnson said: 'Fuel bills will be lower for everyone. As long as we are in the EU, we are not allowed to cut this tax.

Promises: Boris Johnson and Michael Gove pledged to scrap the duty during the EU referendum campaign

'When we vote Leave, we will be able to scrap this unfair and damaging tax. It isn't right that unelected bureaucrats in Brussels impose taxes on the poorest and elected British politicians can do nothing.'

But the Treasury has pushed back on more recent calls to cut the duty.

MPs have suggested cutting VAT on a raft of items after Rishi Sunak cut the 'tampon tax' on sanitary products on January 1. Domestic energy bills have been subject to 5 per cent VAT since 1993.

Conservative MP Stephen McPartland said: 'VAT is a tax on products that people choose to buy, rather than things they require, like household energy. It makes sense for domestic energy to be VAT-free, and it will help with the cost of living now that so many people are working from home.'

Jesse Norman, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said: 'Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no plans to change the current VAT treatment of domestic energy.'
FILE PHOTO: General view of the cabinets' hallway where medical workers receive the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at Santa Maria hospital in Lisbon

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's fragile health system is under growing pressure due to a worrying rise in coronavirus infections, with the country reporting 10,947 new cases and 166 deaths on Saturday, the worst surge since the pandemic started last year.

The cases, which come a day after a new lockdown was put in place, bring the total number of cases in a country of just over 10 million people to 539,416, with the death toll increasing to 8,709.

The number of infections per 100,000 people measured over the past 14 days is 901, nearly double that in hard-hit neighbouring Spain, data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control showed.

The health system, which prior to the pandemic had the lowest number of critical care beds per 100,000 inhabitants in Europe, can accommodate a maximum of 672 COVID-19 patients in ICUs, according to Health Ministry data.

There are currently 638 people in ICUs and the Portuguese Association of Hospital Administrators said the number of coronavirus patients needing hospitalisation was likely to dramatically increase over the next week.

A group of three major hospitals in Lisbon only had three intensive care beds left for coronavirus patients on Saturday morning, according to the Observador newspaper.

Media images of ambulances with coronavirus patients queuing outside hospitals in Lisbon and elsewhere as they waited for beds to vacate have raised fears the health system is close to reach its limit.

"I have received information of a patient who died inside an ambulance," Jaime Soares, the head of the Portuguese Firefighters League, told Lusa news agency, adding hospitals are also running out of emergency stretchers.

In Porto, the country's second biggest city, the Sao Joao hospital is already receiving "various" patients from Lisbon as hospitals in the capital struggle to cope, a spokesman said.

(Reporting by Catarina Demony, editing by Louise Heavens)

President Donald Trump's campaign spokesman has refuted Rudy Giuliani's claim that he is working on his impeachment legal defense team.

Hours after Giuliani gave an interview to ABC News claiming that he was spearheading Trump's impeachment defense, spokesman J. Hogan Gidley tweeted a pointed statement contradicting him.

'President Trump has not yet made a determination as to which lawyer or law firm will represent him for the disgraceful attack on our Constitution and democracy, known as the "impeachment hoax." We will keep you informed,' said the statement early on Sunday.

Gidley's Twitter feed is one of the few remaining social medial outlets Trump can use to get his message out - though Gidley must be careful not to share a message worded directly from the president, or his account would likely be shut down for aiding 'ban evasion'.

Giuliani, who is Trump's personal attorney, was spotted visiting the White House on Saturday, after the ABC interview. His status in Trump's eyes remains unclear after the president reportedly refused to pay Giuliani's $20,000-a-day legal fees in displeasure at his failed efforts to challenge the election results.

It comes as confusion surrounds who will represent Trump at impeachment, with many of the lawyers who defended him in his first Senate trial declining to participate in the second.

Giuliani was spotted visiting the White House on Saturday, after he had claimed to be on the president's impeachment legal team, which the Trump campaign later denied

Trump, seen on January 12, reportedly refused to pay Giuliani's $20,000-a-day legal fees in displeasure at his failed efforts to challenge the election results

Rudy Giuliani arrives at the White House on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/9O8583SMt2  The Hill (@thehill) January 16, 2021

In the interview on Saturday, Giuliani had claimed of the impeachment defense: 'I'm involved right now that's what I'm working on.'

Giuliani said there are 'different opinions' regarding how the president should approach his second impeachment, but said he planned to show that Trump's claims of election fraud were not incitement by proving in the Senate trial that the fraud claims themselves are true.

'They basically claimed that anytime [Trump] says voter fraud, voter fraud - or I do, or anybody else - we're inciting to violence; that those words are fighting words because it's totally untrue,' he said.

'Well, if you can prove that it's true, or at least true enough so it's a legitimate viewpoint, then they are no longer fighting words,' he added.

Giuliani's dozens of lawsuits alleging election fraud were all rejected in court, and Trump himself has not yet indicated whether he hopes to turn the Senate impeachment trial into a final public showdown on his unproven election fraud claims.

The trial will take place after Trump leaves office on Wednesday, and many of the lawyers who might be likely candidates to defend Trump have indicated they are not interested.

Constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who joined Trump's team last year and appeared in the Senate chamber, told DailyMail.com: 'I will be defending the First Amendment in the court of public opinion, not in the Senate.' He didn't say whether Trump had asked him to serve in his defense.

Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, seen at Trump's first impeachment, said he won't defend Trump at a second impeachment trial, but will defend the First Amendment in public

John Eastman (left), who joined Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on stage at the January 6 rally, is being considered for a role on Trump's defense team, sources said

White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who helped lead the defense effort during the impeachment over Ukraine, is also not expected to participate in the latest effort, according to one person familiar with the matter. Cipollone will leave his post on January 20, when Joe Biden becomes president.

Jay Sekulow, another personal lawyer for Trump who played a role during the first impeachment, also is not expected to be involved.

Now, Trump is considering hiring a law professor who spoke at his January 6 rally, according to two people familiar with the matter.

John Eastman, who joined Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on stage at the rally, is being considered for a role on Trump's defense team, the people said.

Eastman, 60, who made unsubstantiated claims of election fraud at the rally, would neither confirm nor deny whether he will represent Trump, citing attorney-client privilege.

Asked whether he would be willing, Eastman said: 'If the President of the United States asked me to consider helping him, I would certainly give it consideration.'

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Eastman and has declined to comment on Giuliani.

Last week, Trump expressed disappointment with some of Giuliani's legal moves in challenging the election results, and ordered aids not to pay his fees of $20,000 a day in the failed push, two officials told the Washington Post.

The officials said the president is also demanding to personally approve all expenses incurred by Giuliani in his multi-state legal campaign to prove election fraud, which quickly fizzled in court.

In his election challenge push, Giuliani held a notorious press conference in the parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping outside Philadelphia in November, leading to speculation that the location had been booked in the belief it was the posh Four Seasons hotel

In Michigan, Giuliani's star witness Mellissa Carone (above) drew mockery from Saturday Night Live over her disjointed claims of massive election fraud

It was a sign Trump's relationship with Giuliani may be fracturing - although the president's lawyer is one of the few who have vigorously defended him in public, insisting that Trump's actions were not incitement.

Giuliani has been a key legal advisor to Trump in his election challenge, after leading a leading a personal crusade to unearth potential dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter in Ukraine.

The former New York City mayor's legal charge challenging the election took bizarre turns at times, such as the notorious press conference held in the parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping outside Philadelphia.

It led to speculation that the location had been mistakenly booked in the belief that it was the upscale Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia in Center City, although the incident was never fully explained.

At another press conference, at the Republican National Committee in Washington DC, an agitated and sweaty Giuliani appeared to be melting on live TV, with some kind of hair dye dripping down the side of his face.

Trump, who is known to fixate on the image of his aides, insisting they project a polished veneer, was likely unhappy with those debacles and the mockery they drew.

As well, Giuliani now faces his own potential legal exposure for telling supporters to engage in 'trial by combat' in his remarks at a January 6 rally, following which Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Giuliani now faces his own potential legal exposure for advocating 'trial by combat' in his remarks at a January 6 rally, following which Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol

Giuliani has said that he was quoting from the HBO series Game Of Thrones, which he inexplicably described as a 'famous documentary about fictitious medieval England.' In 'Game of Thrones' the trial resulted in Bronn (left) slitting the throat of Ser Vardis Egen (right)

Defending his rally remarks, Giuliani has said that he was quoting from the HBO series Game Of Thrones, which he inexplicably described as a 'famous documentary about fictitious medieval England.'

'I was referencing the kind of trial that took place for Tyrion,' Giuliani told The Hill, referring to a character from the series.

'When Tyrion, who is a very small man, is accused of murder. He didn't commit murder, he can't defend himself, and he hires a champion to defend him,' he added.

Giuliani's rally comments appear in evidence for impeachment, after a House Judiciary Committee report cited them before the House voted to impeach Trump Wednesday on a single count of 'incitement to insurrection.'

Giuliani is also facing possible expulsion from the New York State Bar Association over the incendiary remarks.

Removal from the bar association, a voluntary membership organization dating to 1876, is not the same as being disbarred and banned from practicing law. That can only be done by the courts.

It's unclear whether Giuliani's rally remarks would raise concerns for Trump about including him on his impeachment legal team.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Theres a Japanese proverb that goes Better than a banquet somewhere is a bowl of rice at home. At Anthonys Grill and Santa Fe Build-A-Bowl, two new fusion take-out restaurants courageous enough to open  and thrive  in the midst of COVID-19, rice is just the beginning.

Both ventures are founded on the hibachi meal concept of building a complex and flavorful stir-fry with your choice of proteins, vegetables, starch and sauces. Santa Fe Build-A-Bowl sprung from the minds of chef Martin Rios of Restaurant Martin and his business partner Corey Fidler during the second restaurant lockdown last fall. A bowl-based pop-up restaurant, Restaurant Martin co-owner and general manager Jennifer Rios explains, was an idea born of food and beverage professionals who cant sit still. The Rios family  which includes their 23-year-old daughter, Build-A-Bowls social media maven, and her boyfriend, who designed the pop-ups logo  are expecting the new concept to cover Restaurant Martins rent, gas and electric bills through the pandemic.

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Thursdays through Sundays, customers can order The Bowl online ($13-$16). They click through a list, negotiating their choice of proteins (ahi tuna, grilled chicken or steak, crispy tofu or Scottish salmon), bases (jasmine, brown or cilantro-lime rice, yam-scallion cakes, quinoa, ramen noodles or chopped greens), and a diverse cast of 17 different veggies and toppings: sauteed mushrooms, steamed broccoli, black beans, zucchini noodles, crispy tortilla or wonton strips, Asian slaw, mango, avocado and much more. Seven inventive sauces include smoked chile-lemon, adobo, teriyaki, Korean red dragon, coconut curry, spicy cilantro-ranch and chile-lime vinaigrette. Jennifer Rios says one repeat customer raved, I love that I can order from you every night youre open and never eat the same thing twice.

Pick-ups are scheduled in 15-minute increments, and it all goes down in the small Restaurant Martin parking lot on Galisteo Street. Last Saturday, we got creative with two bowls. One starred ruby-centered chunks of lightly seared tuna, zingy cilantro-lime rice, black beans, broccoli, pickled red onions and slaw sprinkled with sesame seeds ($16). Paired with the fiery red dragon sauce and a more mellow coconut-curry concoction, it was a delight to enjoy two differently sauced portions.

Another bowl ($15) featured strips of steak al pastor over thick ramen and ribbon-like zucchini noodles, along with mushrooms, avocado, pico de gallo and scallions, sided with chile-lemon and adobo sauces. The sauce-on-side rule (or SOS, for any former servers out there) also keeps any bowl from becoming soggy by the time you get it home, while the individually cooked ingredients make each element sing in their own right.

Jennifer Rios says that, while prices may seem on the higher end for a bowl-based dining concept, its because unlike, say, Chipotle, every one of the bowls is made to order, using the same quality sourced (and rotating, depending on whats in season) ingredients as Restaurant Martin. When youre ordering a piece of tuna, it was raw before he started preparing your order, not sitting in a metal bin under a heat lamp.

Over at the St. Michaels Village West shopping center, the Asian fusion takeout at Anthonys Grill has been enjoying a bustling word-of-mouth business since chef-owner Anthony Moore opened the place last August. Moore is a 13-year veteran of Asian restaurants, having most recently cooked at Hayashi Japanese Steakhouse in Albuquerque. Of opening a restaurant in the midst of a pandemic, he says casually, If you take the chance and offer up good comfort food, you can be pretty successful.

Moores well-priced comfort food includes cornmeal-crusted and fried catfish and hush puppies, both recipes derived from his Oklahoma upbringing. The main events are his build-your-own stir-fries, but a vast menu includes chicken wings and tempura shrimp, along with American-Chinese staples such as fried rice, egg and spring rolls; orange, sesame and General Tsos chicken; hot-and-sour, wonton and egg drop soup; pot stickers and crab Rangoon. Each stir-fry platter offers a choice of protein (beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, tofu) and one or more of 17 different loosely defined veggies (snap peas, water chestnuts, egg, cabbage, cilantro, pineapple, celery). Starch selections include steamed, fried or brown rice, lo mein or rice noodles. Anything can be made vegetarian or vegan.

One sizeable order was a veritable (moveable) feast. An expertly packed bag of goodies filled the kitchen with mouthwatering scents before we unpacked a small platter ($12.95) of glossy stir-fried steak strips, broccoli, red peppers, carrots and brown rice. Another small platter ($12.95) was laden with shrimp, yellow squash, spinach, mushrooms, bean sprouts and fresh ginger. General Tsos chicken ($9.50), fried rice ($3), and hot-and-sour soup ($3) are piquant, homespun, delicious takes on the classics, and every ingredient was fresh and tasty, never cooked past its prime. The plates were blessedly free of grease; Anthonys Grills website also boasts of its commitment to made-from-scratch low-sodium sauces and no MSG.

If these platters are small, the large portions ($15.95) must be enormous  each plate contained enough food for two sittings. Like Build-A-Bowl, Anthonys offers a bevy of side sauces, including teriyaki, soy, Mongolian, sweet and sour, and Thai coconut, along with green and red chile. We loved the freshly made sweet and sour and the hot Mongolian.

But the real stars of Anthonys show are the perfectly crusted fried catfish and delectable, bready and savory hush puppies ($7.75 for three pieces each), served with well-balanced house-made tartar and cocktail sauces. If ever Moore expands his Southern food repertoire, Ill be there in a flash with my wallet out; in the meantime, Im so glad to have found a new source for impeccable catfish and herb-flecked fried dough balls.

I just wanted to keep it simple, says Moore. But, with the menu that we have, you can create so many options. Thats the real takeaway here  at either Anthonys Grill or Build-A-Bowl, its next to impossible to pack a home kitchen with such a plethora of options and sauces.

Rice is great if youre really hungry and want to eat two thousand of something, said the late comedian Mitch Hedberg. These intrepid newcomers offer that and much more.
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A tradie is still feeling the effects of being bitten by a red bellied black snake three years ago.

Patrick Quinn, 30, from the New South Wales Riverina region in the state's south was bitten twice on the hand while retrieving the venomous reptile from a dog kennel on his mum's property in 2018.

Since then, he has lost his sense of smell and taste, where the sour bitterness of a lemon now just tastes like cardboard.

While some of his sense of taste has returned, he can no longer stand the taste of Coca-Cola, which used to be his favourite drink.

Patrick Quinn (pictured) still feels the affects of being bitten by a venomous snake in 2018

'I used to drink it a fair bit, but now it just tastes weird so I don't drink it at all,' Mr Quinn told Daily Mail Australia.

'The only thing I drink now is juice.

Many of his other favourite foods such as burgers no longer taste the same.

'I didn't release I had lost my sense of taste and smell until two weeks after I was bitten,' he said.

'I didn't have any sense of smell or taste for the first two year. Some of my sense of taste has returned but it's not the same.

'You think you known what something tastes but then when you bit into it, it's nothing like you remember.'

Mr Quinn recalled not feeling any soreness immediately after he was bitten as he carried the snake to a nearby river to release it.

It wasn't until his father drove to the nearest hospital 110 kilometres away in Griffith that his hand began to swell up.

Patrick Quinn was bitten twice on the hand by the snake (pictured) while retrieving it from a dog kennel on his mum's property

Mr Quinn didn't feel any soreness in his hand (pictured) from the snake bite until it started swelling up hours later

He recalled felling like he'd been 'hit by a truck' for the next three days.

He was forced to give up his apprenticeship as a plant operator mechanic three months after he was bitten when he injured his back.

Mr Quinn still lives in excruciating pain three years on and will have undergo his fourth operation on his back later this year.

While he doesn't regret his decision to catch and relocate the snake, he urges others to learn from his lesson and to contact a reptile catcher rather than try to move the snake themselves.

'I don't regret it as it was one of those split decisions,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Mr Quinn recently shared his story and a photo of his bitten hand on the Australian Native Animals Facebook group to warn others of the effects.

'Three years ago, I removed a red belly out from the dog kennel and he gave me a kiss to thank me,' he wrote.

'Let it go down the river away from the houses. Only just starting to get my smell and taste buds back.'

While some of his sense of taste has returned, many foods don't taste the same for Mr Quinn

Red-bellied black snakes are one of the most frequently encountered snakes on the east coast of Australia.

When threatened, the red bellied black snake will raise its body and strike out several times.

While venomous, very few human deaths have resulted from their poisonous bite, which must receive medical treatment immediately.

A loss in taste and smell is a common occurrence after a bite from an Australian black snake, according to University of Queensland venom researcher Dr Bryan Fry

He has a quarter of his sense of smell left after being bitten twice by a black snake.

While the venom from a red-bellied black snake (stock image) is poisonous, it has caused few human deaths

'I put chilli on everything. About the only think I don't put it on is oats in the morning,' Dr Fry told Yahoo News Australia.

He also warned a bite from a black snake can cause significant damage to muscles throughout the body.

'In the case of the black snakes, we know that kidney damage is a permanent characteristic as well.

'There may be other aspects of permanent damage that just aren't as noticeable.'

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Vietnam emerges as attractive Asian destination for investors (Photo: VNA)



The Southeast Asian nation has become a new hub for low-cost manufacturing in Asian supply chains, the website eurasiantimes.com on January 14 quoted the report.

The report suggests that factors that make Vietnam better than its peers are the incentives for international firms for setting up units to manufacture hi-tech products, the pool of low-cost workers, and the proliferation of free trade agreements.

It also cited Ruchir Sharma, an emerging markets strategist at Morgan Stanley, as saying that Vietnams FDI has averaged more than 6 percent of GDP, which is the highest ratio in any emerging country.

In addition, the ever-changing policies as per the market demand, the vigorous changes in the business and investment climate, socio-political stability and population structure are also factors that made the country attractive for FDI, the report said.

It added that the recent free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Union has benefitted the country as the EU lifted 85 percent of its tariffs on Vietnamese goods in 2020 and the FTAs biggest gains were witnessed by footwear manufacturers in Hanoi.

Around 40 percent of exports to the EU in footwear manufacturing faced 30 percent tariffs, which were completely withdrawn from August 2020.

Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in the period from January to September 2020, the country attracted 21.20 billion USD in FDI or 81.1 percent compared to the same period last year, it said, quoting data of the Vietnam Briefing./.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the Centre's application seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor rally or any other kind of protest, which sought to disrupt the gathering and celebrations of the Republic Day on 26 January.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde will hear the application on 18 January along with pleas raising the issue of farmers protesting at the national capital borders.

The Central Government, in an application filed through Delhi Police, has said that any proposed rally or protest, which seeks to disrupt and disturb the Republic Day celebrations will cause an "embarrassment to the nation".

On 12 January, the apex court agreed to hear the application of the government and posted it for hearing on 18 January. The SC bench had issued a notice on the application and said that it be served upon the farmers' unions, which are protesting against the newly-enacted farm laws.

The government has said that the right to protest can never include "maligning the nation globally". It urged the SC to restrain anyone from conducting any protest march either in the form of tractor march, trolley march, vehicle march or any other mode by entering into the National Capital Region Territory of Delhi.

As per reports, farmer leaders have clarified that the tractor rally on 26 January will only take place at the Haryana-Delhi borders and the farmers are not planning to reach the Red Fort to disrupt the Republic Day parade as is being claimed by few.

The top court on 12 January had stayed the implementation of the contentious new farm laws till further orders and constituted a four-member committee to make recommendations to resolve the impasse over them between the Centre and farmers' unions protesting at Delhi borders.

Days after the SC's order, Bhupinder Singh Mann, National President, Bhartiya Kisan Union and All India Kisan Coordination Committee, part of the apex-court formed Committee, recused from the expert panel.

Meanwhile, farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa and Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu have been summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for questioning on 17 January in a case related to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

NIA has summoned around 40 people for examination as witnesses in a case related to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) under Section 160 CRPC (Code of Criminal Procedure).

With agency inputs

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Covid-19 hospitalisations are continuing to rise with 1,923 people now in hospital with the virus. with 195 patients in intensive care.

108 people have been admitted to hospital in the last 24 hours and 41 people have left.

There were 19 admissions to intensive care units (ICU) and eight discharges.

11 hospitals are without any critical care beds and there are currently 24 critical care beds available for adults and 14 for children.

GP Advisor to the HSE, Dr Ray Walley, said close contacts are down but improvements in numbers are not happening fast enough in order to halt the rising hospitalisations.

"We need to consider that we all have Covid-19 to stay away from each other and to ensure that we do not infect each other.

"But yes the contact numbers have gone down from the end of December from close contacts of six down to 2.3 but that is still too high," said Dr Walley.

The HSE Advisor said while the case numbers are coming down, we still have a long way to go as the Covid situation has deteriorated so much.

Dr Walley said: "We are still the country in Europe that has the worst figures. When we say things are improving, they are improving from an astronomical high.

"The mood music behind the scenes is, unfortunately, our hospitals and surge capacity; we are still in very difficult times with a projection of 600 to 1,000 deaths in January.

"People need to listen to that because people need to stay away from each other."

UK Variant dominating

The Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory meanwhile has said the UK variant of Covid-19 will become the dominant variant in Ireland.

Dr Cillian De Gascun said the new variant is better at moving from person to person, and has urged the public to reduce its opportunities to spread by cutting out socialising.

"Simply put, it is better at moving from person to person when we come into contact. So what we must do is reduce its opportunities to spread by cutting out socialising. Stay home," he said.

Close contacts of confirmed cases are not being tested. Picture: Collins

Dr De Gascun urged the public to "remember the simple and effective measures from springtime" and to follow public health guidelines.

The warning comes as 60 more people with Covid-19 have died and 3,231 new cases of the virus were confirmed yesterday.

Contact tracing

Meanwhile, Dublin City University (DCU) Professor of Public Health, Anthony Staines has said the country's contact tracing system is still not good enough and is a crucial missing piece in Ireland's Covid-19 strategy.

"I think the piece we are still missing, nearly 10 months now into the pandemic, is we don't have an adequate contact tracing system working nationally.

"We are not finding cases fast enough, we are not finding their contacts fast enough, we are not isolating contacts, supporting contacts to be isolated.

"At the moment we have stopped testing contacts and I think that needs to change as fast as possible," said Professor Staines.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 20:16:39|Editor: huaxia

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ROME -- Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza on Saturday signed an order banning direct flights to Italy from Brazil after a new variant of the coronavirus was identified in four passengers arriving from that country.

"I signed an order blocking flights departing from Brazil, and forbidding entry into Italy to anyone who has traveled through Brazil over the past 14 days," Speranza wrote in a statement.

- - - -

HONG KONG -- Paul Chan, financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said here on Sunday that the jobless rate in Hong Kong will climb further as businesses and workers are still struggling amid the COVID-19 epidemic.

Chan said in an online article that the unemployment rate during the October-December period will continue to spike and even surpass the 16-year high, a level reached recently.

- - - -

MANILA -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin vowed here Saturday to strengthen bilateral cooperation on anti-pandemic efforts and economic recovery.

While meeting with Locsin, Wang said under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the bilateral relations have withstood various tests, and the friendship between the two peoples have been strengthened in jointly combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

LUSAKA -- China has continuously provided support to Africa aimed at fighting COVID-19 at a time when the continent needed it the most, Zambian experts have said.

"When we started off, the capacity of the country was very low in terms of COVID-19 testing. But with contributions from China, the capacity obviously increased and we were able to carry out a lot of tests," said Onesmus Munyati, Dean of the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Zambia.

- - - -

CAIRO -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday that his country's rejection of foreign military interference in Libya and its designation of Libya's Sirte and Jufra as red lines helped preserve the political path of the Libyan crisis.

Sisi's remarks came during his meeting with Adel Abdul-Rahman al-Asoumi, speaker of the Cairo-based Arab Parliament affiliated with the Arab League, said the Egyptian presidency. Enditem
Police are urging people in the Ballyarnett area of Derry who come across, or notice any suspicious objects, in the Cornshell Fields/Racecourse Road area not to touch them after reports to police this week that devices had been left in the area.

Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Darrin Jones said: I am appealing to the public to stay vigilant and, if anyone comes across anything suspicious, call police immediately on 999.
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Former president Mary McAleese and husband Martin with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at the Aras in 2011, the first state visit of a British monarch since 1911

'He's always been a dictator in the making; a man of absolutely no moral conscience whatsoever. And now he heads a domestic terrorism group, which he created." It is the day after a mob stormed Capitol Hill in Washington, and former president Mary McAleese is reflecting on the soon-to-be-former President Trump.

The events were, she adds, an inevitability. "It's what he was always about."

We had been talking about Northern Ireland, and the dehumanisation of two groups; existing alongside each other, but entrenched in their opposing beliefs. What we're seeing in America feels similar, I suggest.

"It's exactly that," Mary replies. "You get a stirrer upper, like Trump, someone who is able to manipulate, for example, the Christian gospel. We had that in [Dr Ian] Paisley. Someone who talks the gospel, but is actually a spewer, a contaminator of the world with hatred. And then you get what you got yesterday. I still can't believe that the people of the United States would have preferred him to Hillary Clinton." She shakes her head.

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Whatsapp Former president Mary McAleese and husband Martin with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at the Aras in 2011, the first state visit of a British monarch since 1911

She knows President Elect Joe Biden, says he is a wonderful man. She did her bit for his campaign. "Because I just think that Trump is evil. And he's not going away anytime soon, regretfully. But I think the team that will take him on is team Biden and team Kamala."

The second series of her RTE programme All Walks of Life began last Friday, but for now Mary, who since leaving the presidency has spent her time in academia, is at home in Roscommon with her husband Martin. Last March, she was teaching at the University of Glasgow, where she is professor of children, law and religion. "I got really worried that not enough was happening in the United Kingdom, in terms of responding to the virus." She moved the course online and returned home.

"I'm not going to complain because there are other people who have had far greater inroads made into their lives," she says of lockdown. "Martin and I get on so well, we've a good laugh together. We miss our kids; we miss the grandkids.

"I'm not really a misery guts, and I'm not really comfortable around people who are misery guts," she adds. Since the 1980s, she has meditated every day. "Every so often you do feel a dip. A kind of a slithering, self-pity creeping in. Over the years, I've learnt to bat that away and just keep going."

Recently she and Martin lost two very dear friends to Covid, Martin's cousin Michael McAleese and their old friend Ciaran Taaffe. "It really hit then, our vulnerability. I mean, I've lived with the vulnerability of death. If you live in a conflict zone like Northern Ireland, you're waking up every morning and the possibility of death is always there. You either swat it away, and don't deal with it, or you adapt to that reality. I think that over the years, I thought that I had adapted to that reality, reasonably, you know. And I don't expect to live forever." Still, attending the funeral of her friend shook her.

Processing trauma in a world that feels fundamentally unsafe is challenging, whether the situation is the grief of losing a loved one during a pandemic, or the daily experience of living in a conflict zone. Growing up in Ardoyne in North Belfast, a largely Catholic, working-class area, Mary and her family experienced the Troubles directly; her family home was machine-gunned by loyalist paramilitaries who lived near the family. Where does the trauma go?

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"I think people adapt very differently. I do know that somehow we muddled through and didn't carry it like a dead weight. It might just be part of the DNA. I was very lucky. I had a very strong mother and father, and maternal grandmother. I think a good strong structure around you can help. That's not to say there weren't really dark times."

Now 69, Mary McAleese has talked in the past about the idea of love as a discipline. "Growing up, confronted on a daily basis with the misery of hatred, you have to ask yourself, as I did many a time, how do you bring love to this situation?"

She recalls how from her teenage years she trained herself not to respond in anger.

"My parents never ever uttered a sectarian word in the house. They insisted that we would find ways beyond violence to resolve these issues, and if they weren't resolved, and if there was never any justice, then we would just have to learn to live with that. Because the alternative, of taking justice into our own hands, was unthinkable."

She grew up in a hard-working house, she recalls. Being the eldest of nine brought significant responsibilities. "You have to get up every morning and get a bunch of kids out to school. That was down to me and my sister Nora."

And she had to deal with the politics. "The whole sectarian stuff. The dangers of all that. The madness of that. You had to just woman up and get on with it."

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"I don't know if I can resent any of that, and think, 'oh God, what a terrible childhood'. Quite the opposite, in fact. I look back and think I had a very good education. Also working in the pub, working in my aunt's salon."

Belfast writer Anna Burns also grew up in the neighbourhood, just three streets away. For McAleese, her Man Booker winner, Milkman, is the best book by an Irish writer "in forever".

She articulated their "almost barbarous" world brilliantly, Mary reflects. "That clammy, clamped silo that is living under the thumb of paramilitaries, or living all of us under the thumb of a ridiculously bigoted government, where nothing works for one side of the community. The police are all on one side, the laws are all on one side. The government in England doesn't give a toss. The sense of anomie; you've this sense of being so isolated. And then the people around you who dare to take control, allegedly in order to create a fairer society, not only have they no time for women, but they have no time for women who don't conform to their lunatic view of how you should behave."

She didn't live in the Catholic ghetto, she adds. Her parents, "probably through ignorance more than anything," bought a house on the Protestant side of the street (the other side was Catholic).

"Best thing they ever did. It meant that I grew up with Protestant friends. We were breaking some of the rubric. You weren't supposed to go to their churches, to be their bridesmaid, go to their weddings when they married Scottish soldiers," she laughs. "We were doing all those things."

Devout Catholics as her parents were, there was also, she says with a smile, a strain of anti-clericalism that would rear its head every so often, in the form of encouraging their children to have their own views, to speak up. Famously, when the family priest tried to quash her 15-year-old ambitions to go to university to study law, her mother instructed her daughter to ignore him. The word "steely" is often used to describe McAleese. Not a quality it would be felt necessary to mention in a male leader, I suggest.

"People do use words about women who don't conform to the mild, meek, second class, behind-the-screen, role that women were meant to occupy. I think very often women were meant to be like children; seen and not heard. We were supposed to perform the role of providers of tea and cake, all smiles and soothing noises. And not contrarians or contradictory people or challenging people. That's a nonsense. It is so contrary to the notion of individual human freedom."

In her professional life, she never thought she had to behave in a certain way because she was a woman, she adds. "But I was conscious, very often in certain settings, that the fact that I was a woman was either an irritant, or, because you're in a position where they didn't expect you to be, sometimes seen as threatening in some way. You threaten an order."

There was still time for recreation in her childhood. She played camogie and badminton, both terribly, she admits. And there was the debating society, through which she first met her husband Martin, when she was just 17.

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"My first sight of Martin was in the study hall of my own school. I think I trounced him in a debate," she smiles, before clarifying; "at least the team I was part of trounced his team.

"In a convent in the 1960s, the opportunities for meeting persons of the opposite sex were relatively limited," she says. "This was also a way for engaging with young men. I wasn't a big one for going to dances and things like that, the live music. I preferred just the chance to chat."

When she began her first of two terms as president in 1997, Martin, who had gone back to college aged 30 to study dentistry, gave up the partnership he held in two practices. "I was very lucky that Martin always believed in me," she says of the working dynamic between them. "He saw things in me that actually sometimes I didn't see in myself. And he was prepared to sacrifice aspects of his life in order that I could do the things that he felt that I was capable of doing, and that needed to be done."

Her husband's support was invaluable in terms of her self-belief. Once she was in the Aras, working on the project that was the theme of her presidency, Building Bridges, it became something even more tangible. "I knew immediately that my right hand was someone who had this really strong faith in my ability to deliver the vision that we both had for the presidency. But then when I went into the Aras, the kind of people that we needed to engage with were people that were hard to engage with. Martin always called them the hard-to-reach communities."

Long-term investment, hard work behind the scenes, real personal contact, were what was needed.

"Martin and I both grew up in areas where those 'very hard to reach people' were our neighbours, in some instances, friends, and some instances, tormentors. We had to build the trust. He was up for that, which was great."

As well as the professional goals Mary had in mind when she first became president, there was also, she explains, a personal agenda; to keep her children, Emma, 15, and twins Justin and Sarah, then 13, shielded from the spotlight. She recalls "keeping an eye on that, while trying to get a handle on the presidency. That was very important, that our children didn't become haunted essentially by the spectre of being in some kind of a spotlight."

She is very close to the children, in touch every day. "I keep an eye on them, they keep an eye on me. They were fortunate that they grew up inside a really happy relationship. That shows, I think, in them. There's a solid steadiness, a sure footedness."

When her son Justin came out to his parents, she recalls her gratitude that he had grown up in what she describes as a gay-friendly home. One of the founders of the campaign for homosexual law reform, Mary had been involved in working for gay rights since the 1970s.

But she already knew he was gay. "I did of course. But I was going to leave the door open for him to talk to us. And surround him with love, and the complete assertion that whatever his orientation, this was how he was created. This was who he was meant to be. And he wasn't meant to try and fit himself into someone else's mould."

What was the aftermath of leaving the Aras like - was it in part nice, part strange? "It was just all nice," she says, roaring with laughter.

She went to Rome to study canon law. "It was wonderful. I was so excited about going to Rome. The chance to go live there, be a student, get out of high heels, dear God, get out of skirts. Fantastic."

She is, of course, a lifelong Catholic, but also famously a critic of aspects of the Church to which she belongs. She voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment, campaigned for a Yes vote in the marriage equality referendum. How does she manage what she herself c alls "the dichotomy", between some of her personal beliefs, and her membership of the Catholic Church.

"It's easier now, to live with that," she reflects, explaining the "explosion of thinking she has undergone".

Baptism takes place when one is a baby, she points out. "You have to submit in obedience to teachings which you may disagree with. But you're not allowed to disagree with them. For a long time that really did bother me."

After years of study, it came to her in "one of those blinding flash moments", there is no legitimacy to an obligation placed on a person who is a few days old.

Now, she considers that canon law has not caught up with the reality of our modern understanding of human rights.

"It's still operating out of an old, imperial model, where the boss tells the conscripts what to believe and how to act." As examples, she lists the church's hierarchical structure, its exclusion of women, its "appalling teachings on sexuality".

"I'm much more comfortable now in my thinking than I was. And in particular, very comfortable with the idea that the canon law is a man-made law, that flatters the bishops and the church structure. The magisterium has made so many mistakes, has taught so many egregiously awful, evil things. Now instead of getting agitated and saying I'll walk away, I say, I actually don't have to believe this stuff. The obligation to obedience is illegitimate. It's a nonsense."

I catch-up with her just as the Mother and Baby Homes report is published. She has not yet had time to digest it, but says: "The relentless work of Catherine Corless in opening up to public scrutiny the grim hidden world of mother and baby homes will give us all pause for thought about the damage wrought by rigid social and religious controls. With their toxic misogyny and prudishness, they visited decades of cruelty on women and children which it is our duty to address and redress."

Never one to walk away from conflict, nor afraid to call out oppressive hierarchies, Mary McAleese is a woman entirely comfortable in herself.

Former president Mary McAleese returns with a second series of 'All Walks of Life', in which she hikes to Irish pilgrim places with companions as diverse as Leo Varadkar and Roz Purcell, Fridays, 8.30pm on RTE One
[Heres how you can get the coronavirus vaccine in NYC.]

The jab took seconds. The planning took weeks.

The approval of Pfizers novel coronavirus vaccine in December brought hope to the residents and staff members at Staten Islands Clove Lakes Health Care and Rehabilitation Center. The facility was hit hard: It lost more than 40 residents to the virus last year and struggled financially as the number of new residents plummeted, along with their income.

The employees and residents had counted on the vaccine to help them return to some semblance of their old routine  including family visits  and were determined not to waste any time. Weeks before a single person got the vaccine staff had been preparing for the rollout, contacting residents and families by mail, email, robocalls and social service workers to reassure everyone about its safety and effectiveness.

On Monday, a team from Walgreens spent the day at the nursing home, administering first and second doses (some had their first dose administered on Dec. 21) of the vaccine to dozens of employees and residents. Lorri Senk, the administrator for Clove Lakes, has been pleased with the result.


Revelss backers argued that he was in fact a lifelong citizen of the United States, because he was born to free Black parents.

After more objections and heated debate, the efforts to block Revelss admission were voted down by the antislavery Republicans who dominated the Senate. When the Vice-President uttered the words, The Senator elect will now advance and take the oath, a pin might have been heard drop, The Times wrote. Mr. Revels showed no embarrassment whatever, and his demeanor was as dignified as could be expected under the circumstances. The abuse which had been poured upon him and on his race during the last two days might well have shaken the nerves of any one.

Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts spoke up in Mr. Revelss defense. All men are created equal, says the great Declaration, he said, but the Declaration was only half established by Independence. The greatest duty remained behind. In assuring the equal rights of all we complete the work.

The rioters incited by President Trump and Republicans to storm the seat of the federal government on Jan. 6 did not have Mr. Warnocks name on their lips. They didnt have to. In their eagerness to destroy American democracy rather than share it, they showed themselves to be the inheritors of a long tradition of rebellion against a new world order: a genuine, multiracial democracy.

Reconstruction was the first attempt to make that world order a reality, and it succeeded remarkably for a few years, as evidenced by the election of leaders like Hiram Revels. But it soon collapsed as the federal government gave up and pulled troops out of the South, leaving Black people at the mercy of vengeful state governments intent on re-establishing white supremacy.

In the Jim Crow era that followed, millions of Black Americans were erased from American political life. They may have technically counted as five-fifths of a person, rather than three-fifths as the Constitution had originally set out, but they were no more able to participate in their own governance than their enslaved forebears had been. Those who tried to take part faced everything from poll taxes and literacy tests to campaigns of terrorism and state-sanctioned murder. By the first decades of the 20th century, Black voter registration had fallen into the low single digits across much of the South.

That racist, anti-democratic regime was brought down only by the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century, led at its apex by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Historians often refer to this time as a second Reconstruction, because it wasnt until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that the United States could claim to be anything resembling a true representative democracy. But this second Reconstruction, like the first, faced reactionary backlash from the start. That backlash has found expression primarily in the Republican Party, which had by then abandoned its abolitionist roots  from Richard Nixons Southern strategy to Ronald Reagans race-baiting dog whistles to the openly racist campaign and presidency of Donald Trump.
Won't call off tractor rally on Republic Day: Protesting Farmers

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Jan 17: Farmer unions protesting against the Centre''s agri laws said on Sunday that they will go ahead with their proposed tractor parade in Delhi on Republic Day.

Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border protest site, union leader Yogendra Yadav said, "We will carry out a tractor parade on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi on Republic Day. The parade will be very peaceful. There will be no disruption of the Republic Day parade. The farmers will put up the national flag on their tractors."

The authorities had moved the Supreme Court seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor march or any other kind of protest by farmers which seeks to disrupt the gathering and celebrations of Republic Day on January 26. The matter is pending in court.

Another farmer union leader, Darshan Pal Singh, alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is filing cases against those who are part of the protest or supporting it.

"All farmer unions condemn this," Pal said, referring to the NIA summons reportedly issued to a farmer union leader in a case related to the banned Sikhs For Justice outfit.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at various border points of Delhi for over a month now demanding repeal of the three laws -- the Farmers'' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act.

Enacted in September 2020, the central government has presented these laws as major farm reforms aimed at increasing farmers'' income, but the protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislations would weaken the minimum support price (MSP) and "mandi" (wholesale market) systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.

The government has maintained that these apprehensions are misplaced and has ruled out a repeal of the laws.

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Every 10 years  in years ending with one  New Mexico must draw new district maps for our congressional, legislative and Public Education Commission districts based on census data.

Populations shift, and as many of our elected representatives districts are determined by population size, its important that we make this adjustment. Underserved communities and people need to be protected as district boundaries change. The goal is to try to make sure that every voter has a fair chance  and equal opportunity  to elect the candidate of their choice.

New Mexico does not have a statute that creates laws and procedures for redistricting. In many years, this results in maps that reflect the desires of lawmakers rather than the people who elect them. And when the Legislature cannot agree on maps, courts must draw the maps at huge taxpayer expense; in 2011 the courts drew the maps resulting in over $6 million in attorney fees and other costs.

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................................................................

Our democracy deserves better. If redistricting is to best serve our democracy, we should make sure that public input is taken seriously by:

 Having several public meetings in compliance with the Open Meetings Act,

 Documenting public input, including public submission of maps,

 Making sure that legislators are all made aware of the public input,

 Making every proposed redistricting map available to the public for comment,

 Documenting the justification for not having every district equal in population, and

 Requiring public votes by those with the authority to recommend or adopt redistricting maps.

Last fall, the nonprofit New Mexico First, with funding from the Thornburg Foundation, established a 25-member Redistricting Task Force to bring justice, fairness and transparency to the redistricting process beginning in 2021.

As a retired New Mexico Supreme Court chief justice and a retired New Mexico Court of Appeals chief judge, we were asked to co-chair the Task Force; we accepted enthusiastically.

Task Force members were selected from over 140 nominees by a cross-partisan selection committee and included people from different political parties or affiliations. The Task Force is racially, ethnically and geographically diverse, including members from sovereign pueblos and tribes.

The Redistricting Task Force worked for 12 weeks to study state and federal redistricting requirements, best practices from other states and concerns from specific communities and groups in New Mexico to develop a set of recommendations to be considered by the state Legislature in the 2021 session for the 2021 redistricting process. The Task Force developed 18 recommendations published in a public report available at NMFirst.org that focus primarily on:

Equitable representation by population; full compliance with the Voting Rights Act; Indigenous governances; communities of interest; integrity of governmental subdivisions; preserving the cores of existing districts; contiguity and compactness; and geographic barriers and features.

The overarching recommendation of the Task Force is for the state Legislature during the 2021 regular session to establish a seven-member cross-partisan redistricting commission. The commission will have two members each from each of the two major political parties, and two members who do not belong to any major party. A retired state Supreme Court justice or Court of Appeals judge will chair the commission.

This commission will be required to have its inaugural meeting in April and by October is to present three to five maps for U.S. Congress, the New Mexico Senate, the New Mexico House of Representatives and the Public Education Commission for the Legislature to review and vote upon.

The commission will also be required to hold a minimum of 12 public hearings in different areas of the state for citizen input, which will inform the adoption of redistricting maps. The commission will keep track of public input, will provide a report to the Legislature outlining the public input and the justification for each map it proposes for the Legislatures consideration.

The commission needs your support! Please contact your legislator and tell them you support the establishment of the commission. And please get involved in the public process this year and make your voice heard. One person, one vote must finally become the vision and reality for New Mexico.
Chief Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny returns to Russia from Germany on Sunday, facing imminent arrest after authorities warned they would detain him.

The 44-year-old opposition leader is flying back to Moscow after spending several months in Germany recovering from a poisoning attack that he said was carried out on the orders of President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny fell violently ill on a flight over Siberia in August and was flown out to Berlin by medical aircraft in an induced coma.

Western experts concluded he was poisoned with a Soviet-designed nerve toxin Novichok.

The Kremlin denied involvement and Russian investigators said there were no grounds to launch a probe into the attack.

Berlin said Saturday it had responded to requests for legal assistance from Moscow and handed over transcripts of an interview conducted by German police with Navalny.

On the eve of his departure Navalny thanked the people in Germany, including doctors, police and politicians, whom he met during his five-month stay.

"Thank you, friends!" he wrote in German in a post on Instagram.

Warning against airport crowds

Russia's prison service (FSIN) is now saying Navalny may face jail time on arrival to Moscow for violating the terms of a 2014 suspended sentence he was handed on fraud charges.

FSIN said it would be "obliged" to detain Navalny.

The anti-graft campaigner may also face criminal charges under a probe launched by Russian investigators late last year who say he misappropriated over $4 million worth of donations.

Navalny and his allies view these moves as attempts to prevent his return and encouraged supporters to come meet the opposition leader on Sunday evening when he lands in Moscow's Vnukovo airport.

More than 2,000 people said they are planning to go in a Facebook event despite temperatures in Moscow hovering around -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit).

Several activists in Russia's second city Saint Petersburg, who were travelling to Moscow to greet Navalny, said they were stopped by police at the city's train station and airport.

Groups opposed to Navalny are also planning to show up with a nationalist movement promising to welcome him with "zelyonka", a bright green antiseptic solution that is commonly found in Russia.

Navalny had previously been attacked with the green dye that can take days to wash off.

For around a decade, Navalny has been the symbol of Russia's protest movement, after rising to prominence as an anti-corruption blogger and leading anti-government street rallies.

Navalny's team publishes YouTube investigations into the wealth of Russia's political elites, some of which garner millions of views, making them a target of lawsuits, police raids and jail stints.

Moscow prosecutors on Friday warned against participating in the "public event" organised in Vnukovo airport, saying it has not been authorised.

Videos shared on social media showed riot police already parked outside the airport.

The airport told journalists that it will not allow media to work inside citing coronavirus concerns.

Neither statements directly mention Navalny -- a common practice for Russian authorities and pro-Kremlin media which instead refer to him as the "Berlin patient" among other euphemisms.

Negative state media coverage

Navalny is ignored or given negative coverage by state-controlled TV, the primary source of news for many Russians, which makes it unclear how much support Navalny enjoys among ordinary citizens.

According to a poll published by the independent Levada Centre last year, only 20 percent of respondents said they approved of Navalny's actions, while 50 percent disapproved.

Navalny has never held elected office. He came second in a 2013 vote for mayor of Moscow but was barred from standing against Putin in the 2018 presidential elections.

His allies are also frequently prevented from running for election.

In 2019, several Navalny allies were barred from running for the Moscow city council, sparking mass rallies in the capital that lasted several weeks.

With elections to the country's lower house State Duma coming up in September, protest sentiments among Russia's opposition would be unfavourable to the ruling United Russia party.

Observers say the Kremlin is faced with a choice on Sunday: let Navalny roam free and risk looking weak, or arrest him in front of hundreds of people and cameras, sparking an outcry from the opposition.

"I have a feeling the Kremlin has grown tired of these games," analyst Tatyana Stanovaya told AFP. "The confrontation with Navalny has been going on for

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the COVID-19 vaccination drive in India.

AFP

The launch took place via video conferencing and over 3000 sites across all States and Union territories connected during the launch. Read more

Sanitation Worker Becomes The 1st Person To Receive India's COVID Vaccine

Manish Kumar, a sanitation worker at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)Delhi becomes the first person to receive a COVID-19 vaccine jab as India began the world's largest immunization drive against the pandemic.

AFP

Kumar was administered the vaccine at AIIMS in the presence of Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, moments after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the drive. Read more

What Covaxin Consent Form Says And What's Wrong With It

A massive controversy erupted today as India's vaccination drive began with Covid shots to health workers. Those receiving Bharat Biotech's Covaxin were asked to sign consent forms that assured compensation if any adverse effect was found linked to the vaccine.

AFP

The consent form for Covaxin vaccine states that only phase 1 and 2 trials have been completed, and that phase 3 is still on. This comes as both Covishield and Covaxin are being administered to healthcare workers. Read more



Farmer Leader Baldev Singh Sirsa Is Summoned By NIA And Protesters Are Crying Foul

NIA has issued a summons to Baldev Singh Sirsa, the president of Lok Bhalai Insaf Welfare Society (LBIWS) which is one of the unions that is involved in the protests.



Baldev Singh Sirsa/ Facebook

According to reports, Sirsa has been summoned for questioning on January 17 as a "witness" in a case related to terror funding. Read more



16 Days On, Comedian Munawar Faruqui In Jail For Jokes He Didn't Crack

The hearing on the bail petition of Munawar Faruqui, arrested on allegations of making objectionable comments on Hindu gods and goddesses during a comedy show in Indore was extended on Friday, January 15, as the Tukojiganj police failed to present the case diary in the court.



Facebook

The Indore bench of the Madhya High Court deferred the bail hearing of Munawar Faruqui and the other accused to next week on January 25. Read more



Gang Including Chinese Nationals Duped Thousands In Delhi Using Malware Apps

In a major cybercrime bust, the Cyber Cell of Delhi Police arrested 12 people including two Chinese women and a Tibetan for defrauding thousands in the pretext of online marketing campaigns.

Reuters

According to the police, the gang was cheating unsuspecting people with offers of lucrative returns on an online multi-level marketing campaign. Read more
Vietnamese authorities have improved the legal framework, stepped up communication measures and promoted international co-operation to ensure labourers enjoy better rights when working abroad under contracts, a conference has heard.

Delegates discuss problems and solutions to ensure better rights for Vietnamese guest workers abroad at a conference held on January 15 (Photo: VNA)





The conference on ensuring the rights of Vietnamese guest workers was held by the Standing Office on Human Rights on January 15 in the northern city of Hai Phong.

Over the last few years, the country has sent an increasing number of Vietnamese labourers abroad.

Ensuring rights for the labourers in general and guest workers abroad in specific has been among the important policies of the government, Major General Nguyen Van Ky, deputy chief of the human rights office, said at the conference.

Vietnam has made adjustments to its laws and regulations to ensure they are compatible with the reality, to create favourable conditions for businesses offering guest worker services as well as to better protect the rights and interests of workers abroad, he said.

Human trafficking crimes via labour migration is still a pressing issue in Vietnam. According to Colonel Cao Quoc Viet from the Criminal Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security, the victims, mostly from vulnerable groups in the rural and mountainous areas, are trafficked for sex, labour and their body parts, among other reasons.

There are difficulties in tackling human trafficking as the crime is often conducted in host countries, making it difficult to investigate and rescue the victims, he said, adding that the victims often travel abroad legally, either on travel or work visas and are trafficked only after they enter the host countries.

Deputy head of the Department of Social Vices Prevention and Combat under the Ministry of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs Nguyen Thuy Duong highlighted the psychological and shelter support that trafficking victims require.

It is necessary to work on a standard procedure to support victims, continue to improve the support services, offer training to enhance the quality of social workers as well as ensure localities have a cooperation mechanism among different agencies to support the victims, she said.

VNA
Bagalkot, Jan 17 : Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Sunday equated Union Home Minister Amit Shah with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, country's first Deputy Prime Minister after India achieved independence and formed its own government at the Centre.

"Shah is the only leader who has grown in stature of Sardar Patel. Like Patel, Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are ushering in revolution and taking the country to greater heights," said Yediyurappa in Kannada at a public rally in Karnataka's Bagalkot town, about 475km northwest of Bengaluru.

Patel (1875-1950) was also the country's first Union Home Minister and like Shah and Modi, hailed from Gujarat.

"Under Modi and Shah, the ruling BJP will win over 150 seats in the state's next assembly elections in 2023, as our government is doing its best to ensure all-round development, especially of farmers despite the Covid pandemic," asserted Yediyurappa at the party's Jansevak Samavesh (public gathering).

Lauding Yediyurappa's leadership at an official event in Bengaluru on Saturday, Shah said the BJP government would complete its term and return to power with absolute majority in the next assembly elections.

Though Yediyurappa formed the government on May 17, 2018, he resigned three days later on May 19, as the BJP fell 9 seats short of simple majority (113) in the 225-member House, as it won only 104 seats in the last assembly elections.

Putting rest to speculation over Yediyurappa's continuation in the Chief Minister's post due to allegations against him by 'dissidents' in the party, Shah said the state government had done well in managing the Covid pandemic.

"I want to tell all those, including opposition Congress leaders that our government would complete its term under Yediyurappa's leadership and come back to power for another 5 years with an absolute majority," said Shah in Hindi.

The Home Minister advised Yediurappa's detractors and critics in the party to work for the people, as the BJP is a party that works for the people's welfare.

"As the nodal agency in our fight against Covid across the country, my ministry gets all the data on Covid management from all state governments. I have no hesitation in saying that Karnataka under Yediyurappa's leadership, has done a great work in controlling the pandemic," asserted Shah.
MAUREEN: HARBINGER OF DEATH



Reginald Theatre, January 15

Not only is the character a natural raconteur, but so is the playwright who created her (who's also the actor playing her), and so you find yourself caught like a fly in a web of story-telling that grows stickier and denser as the play unfolds. And if that's not enough to keep you ensnared, actor/writer Jonny Hawkins also layers in a depth and warmth of humanity to make you think that, despite the despots and toadies, perhaps we arent such a wretched species after all.

Jonny Hawkins in Maureen: Harbinger of Death. Credit:Yaya Stempler

Magnificently flouting many of the "rules" of drama and narrative, this episodic one-hander was co-conceived and directed by Nell Ranney. On the basis of this effort she and Hawkins are a formidable double-act  one the major theatre companies should be begging to do anything that seems a good idea at the time.

"I am Kings Cross," declares Maureen, and she has a point. Before the Nimby invasion, she and her ilk were the soul of the Cross, when eccentricity and tolerance strolled Macleay Street arm in arm. Now in her 80s, Maureen has memories enough not just to fill a 70-minute play, but to people a suburb. Although she alone inhabits the stage, the rest teem in our minds, as real as death.
The world is entering the new year facing a host of problems  from needing to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic to tackling new digital challenges. Against this background, it seems that Ukraine cannot count on any special support on the part of its partners in confrontation with Russia.

Back when many countries began to shut their borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, analysts predicted that the authorities were highly likely set to focus on the internal problems of their respective countries. In fact, that's exactly what happened. Therefore, it's a big question, whether helping Ukraine will remain on the priority agenda of the country's partners.

Unsuccessful Normandy Four meetings

For Ukraine, the year began, among other things, with a regular meeting of advisers to the leaders of Normandy Four. As at the previous meeting in September 2020, the advisers agreed ... to negotiate further.

"Russia did not intend to meet at all if Ukraine wasn't ready to implement the capitulatory Minsk deal in the Kremlin's interpretation. 'The greatest and immortal' Vladimir Putin at his 'brilliant' press conferences said that Russia unambiguously insisted on its own interpretation of 'Minsk'. No compromises But Russia had to do the meeting because France, and especially Germany, wanted so. And the position of Germany is extremely important for Russia, since Germany retains what's left of chances to launch Nord Stream 2," political analyst Oleksandr Kochetkov said.

But one cannot expect that a full-fledged Normandy Four team  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Russian President Vladimir Putin  will convene for a summit anytime soon. Moreover, it may happen that by the time of such a meeting there will be changes in the list of key actors.

The fact is that in 2021 Angela Merkel is leaving her post. One of these days, her party (the Christian Democratic Union  CDU) is set to decide on their new leader and, as a result, the candidate for the chancellor's post in this fall's elections. The nominees for the post are Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Lasche, corporate lawyer Friedrich Merz, and foreign affairs expert Norbert Rottgen. And although it is difficult to blame any of them for being pro-Russian, the situation with the impending stepdown of Angela Merkel seems quite alarming from Ukraine.

With a high degree of probability, domestic political issues will dominate for Macron in 2021. Although he is expected to visit Kyiv in the next six months, it is important to understand that next spring France will hold presidential elections, which means that this year the candidates of all stripes will devote to making themselves heard and seen as much as possible. And the problems of distant Ukraine are unlikely to be more important for Macron than the struggle for presidency.

"This is a situation where our partners will have no time for the Normandy format," says Maria Kucherenko, project manager at the Center for Civil Society Studies. "Therefore, Ukraine should draft strategic proposals regarding the work of existing ones, and think over the concept of additional formats."

According to the analyst, it is worth offering these concepts to the German and French partners without looking back at the internal political shifts in these countries: "After all, it is the one who formulates a full-fledged proposal on the dialogue format who will be able to seize the initiative."

If Ukraine continues to act within the framework of tactics we're seeing today  systematic concessions to Russia, the transfer of the political track to the TCG, negotiations in the Normandy format for the sake of simply holding such talks  then Russia has every chance to impose its vision of future settlement and take advantage of the situation when France and Germany will be immersed in domestic political issues, Maria Kucherenko emphasizes .

Today the Kremlin is perfectly okay with the "no war, no peace" situation and the dragging of talks on their merits. Russia has been consistently promoting the ideas of handing Donbas back to Ukraine on terms that are unacceptable to the government in Kyiv. For example, in a phone conversation with Macron in early 2021, Putin once again referred to Russia's aggression in Donbas as an "Ukraine's internal conflict".

At the same time, Russia continues to put pressure on Alexander Lukashenko over Belarus (another point of instability on Ukraine's border, as NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov put it late last year). Also, Russia supports the already ex-president of Moldova Igor Dodon as leader of the pro-Russian party dominating in the Moldovan parliament, in order to put spokes in the wheels of the newly elected Maia Sandu (since year-start, the hottest topic in Moldova is the so-called "debts" for Russian gas, which the Kremlin has been supplying for free to a rogue Transnistria region)...

Old and new partners

In this situation, Ukraine needs another ally precisely in the negotiation process, and the United States would be the best actor suited for this role, Maria Kucherenko believes. "[We should] practically declare the need to involve the United States in work on settlement through an appeal to the letter of Minsk-2 agreements: after all, the entire political track, as per the deal, should have been implemented back in 2015. It is important for Ukraine to declare that we are not withdrawing from the existing formats, but proposing to create another platform for consultations," she says.

Kyiv should come up with well-grounded and well-worked-ou proposals, says Oleh Belokolos, head of the board at the Maidan of Foreign Affairs Foundation: "And also take into account the fact that Moscow is already actively working in the United States, drawing Washington into negotiations, ranging from issues of strategic stability to climate change."

The foreign affairs expert recalled that the Trump Administration at one time tried to assist Ukraine in the Donbas issue in a separate negotiating format  between U.S. State Department Special Representative Kurt Volcker and Russian President's Aide Vladislav Surkov (at least four meetings were held). Over time, however, this format saw a dead end.

"At the same time, given the steady course of U.S. support for Ukraine (multiple support votes in the UN Security Council, the Crimea Declaration of July 25, 2018, which notes that the United States 'rejects Russia's attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraine's territorial integrity is restored', providing Ukraine with weapons, other assistance, etc.), with a high degree of probability, support from Washington, D.C., will prevail. In what form? Obviously, we should look at the relevant statements by the new Administration," notes Oleh Belokolos.

However, he adds, this is not all about allies: "In the international legal sense, Ukraine has no allies, there are partner states that comprehensively help us repel Russian aggression, in particular the United States, UK, and Canada. There is a group of states that have imposed sanctions and various restrictions against Moscow, in particular the EU member states, Australia, Japan, etc. There is also a group of countries that support us within the UN framework."

Indeed, last year the United Nations platform was really successful for Ukraine. For example, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba noted late last year, the UN General Assembly adopted an updated resolution on Crimea, in which it "clearly stated new facts of massive violations of human rights on the temporarily occupied peninsula": "This is the fifth consecutive resolution of the General Assembly on human rights issues in the occupied Crimea and already the ninth one in the context of the international response to the attempt to annex the Ukrainian peninsula by Russia."

More practical things also happened on this platform. For example, at the end of 2020, Ukraine together with its partners managed to thwart Russia's attempt to legitimize the ORDLO (temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions) in the UN Security Council. On December 2, ORDLO representatives Natalia Nikonorova and Vladislav Deynego intended to speak at the UNSC Arria meeting. And although such meetings are rather informal, aimed to ensure a frank exchange of views in private (which allows the UN Security Council members to invite such figures as "DPR" and "LPR" militants), Ukraine managed to convince partners in the UNSC to not only boycott the event but also to ban its broadcast on UN media resources.

"This is a clear response to Russia's attempts to manipulate international platforms and formats to circulate their propaganda," Dmytro Kuleba told the Ukrainian media.

According to the top diplomat, the meeting was boycotted by the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Estonia and Belgium  that is, the OSCE participants that are members of the Security Council. All but Russia

But will it be possible to maintain the "balance of power" in 2021? After all, the UN Security Council consists of five permanent members  the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and the Russian Federation (the latter two are unlikely to vote in Ukraine's favor), and ten non-permanent actors. Moreover, five of them undergo annual rotation.

In 2021, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, and Norway will replace Belgium, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia, and the Republic of South Africa. Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, and Vietnam will continue to participate in the UN Security Council for another year. It may not be worthwhile to judge prematurely which of them is set to play along with Russia, but it should be recalled though that during the vote for the UN General Assembly resolution on the territorial integrity of Ukraine back in 2014, India, Kenya, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Vietnam abstained...

The OSCE is worth a separate mention. The work of its Special Monitoring Mission in Donbas has repeatedly raised questions, in particular, over the fact that representatives of Russia, the aggressor state that has occupied parts of the Ukrainian territory, are also part of the monitoring effort to verify ceasefire observance.

In 2021, the OSCE is chaired by Sweden. This country's top diplomat Ann Linde, as the OSCE Chair-in-Office, intends to visit Ukraine for the first time next week, in order to assess the situation and support efforts towards a sustainable settlement of the conflict. On the eve of the visit, she noted that among the priorities of her work in the current capacity she sees the resolution to the Belarus and Ukraine's Donbas issues. She emphasized that the OSCE SMM in Ukraine must have full access throughout its territory (as is known, OSCE monitors face hindered access to the occupied areas since neither Russia nor its puppets in the occupied territories are interested in this).

In fact, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry believes that the visit of the OSCE chair-in-office to Ukraine will allow her to independently assess the consequences of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. And besides this, Ukrainian diplomats hope to engage the OSCE in the work of the Crimean Platform. Whether these hopes come true we will find out really soon.

What Ukraine may well hope for succeeding in this year is further rapprochement with NATO. Last summer, the North Atlantic Council granted Ukraine an Enhanced Partner status, bringing the country are one step closer to joining the Alliance.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran has already announced that 2021 has been declared the year of Euro-Atlantic transformation in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Apart from words, however, it is important to continue reform at the legislative level. So if the Verkhovna Rada votes on all the required bills, NATO might as well send a positive signal at the next summit scheduled for the second half of the year as regards Ukraine getting the MAP.

Even despite the fact that most countries are now focused on addressing their internal issues, the year start heralds no bad news for Ukraine on the diplomatic front. Ukrainian diplomats remain optimistic. A number of projects which depend, among other things, on the moves of Ukrainian authorities, may actually be implemented. Also, no rollback should be expected from the already existing international restrictions imposed on Russia. But to hope for new steps in this direction would be somewhat naive. One way or another, today our partners have other problems but Ukraine to address.

Tetiana Urbanska

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(Natural News) On Wednesday, ANP discussed the need for an entire conservative internet networking chain, as social media and big tech companies drop the hammer on all conservative users. From media to social media, chat forums to hosting services, an entire portion of the internet needs to turn red.

(Article by Susan Duclos republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

Perhaps it is not only the internet that needs to be divided into red/blue.

Through the years we have seen half-hearted rhetoric about dividing the country into two, red states and blue states, not just because of how they voted in any particular election, but because of the beliefs they live by.

For example, liberals want unisex bathrooms, lockers rooms and changing rooms, meaning that a grown man could be in a bathroom, or changing room with a female child, or vice versa where grown women could be in a bathroom or changing room with little boys.

Liberals support children indoctrinated to socialism and Marxism in public schools, sex education for kindergarteners, massively high taxes, big government, illegal immigration, sanctuary cities, etcetcetc.

Conservatives favor lower taxes, smaller government, protecting our children from indoctrination into socialism, and from being told that there are more than two genders, etcetcetc

There is no doubt that liberals and conservatives are completely different, not just in small segments of ideology, but from one end of the ideological spectrum to the other.

The differences between the two segments of society continues to widen every day.

A new poll shows the highest level of support for splitting America up into red and blue countries, separating the two segments of society, with each portion sovereign and in control of their own nation.

25% now want the U.S. divided up into red and blue countries, according to new poll. Granted a significantly higher percentage opposes such a move, but the 25% is the highest level of support we have seen for such a measure and the pattern shows the support continues to increase.

DANGEROUS PROPOSALS BY LIBERALS AGAINST CONSERVATIVES

Not only are liberals across the board celebrating the online censorship of conservatives, but we are seeing some very disturbing proposals by radical liberals to de-program, conservatives, to force the liberation to southern states because they generally favor Republicans, cutting off conservatives from banks, and other offline services, and mush more.

Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, otherwise known by me as the bimbo from New York, thinks that Southern states should be liberated because she claims they are suppressed states.

Thats what we got to do. We got to organize. And I think what we saw in Georgia is a really good example with black women leading the way, with multiracial and multicultural organizations leading the way, um, they proved that southern states are not red states, she claimed. They are suppressed states. Which means the only way that our country is going to heal is through the actual liberation of southern states, the actual liberation of the poor, the actual liberation of working peoplefrom economic, social, and racial oppression. Thats the only way. Thats the only way.

Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
The triumphant team of Nepali climbers who made history when they became the first to summit Pakistan's K2 in winter arrived safely back at base camp on Sunday, officials said.

The 10 climbers reached the top of the worlds second-highest mountain on Saturday, the last peak above 8,000 metres (26,000 feet) to be conquered in wintertime.

"All the 10 Nepali climbers arrived in the base camp this afternoon. They are in good health and relaxing," Faizullah Firaq, a spokesperson for the Gilgit Baltistan government, told AFP.

One of the successful climbers, Nirmal Purja, who is also known as Nimsdai, posted on social media: "The full team are now back... All safe and sound... It has been an overwhelming journey."

Thaneshwor Guragain from Seven Summit Treks, a leading mountaineering company behind one of the expeditions, said more climbers are still hoping to reach the top.

Unlike Mount Everest, which has been topped by thousands of climbers young and old, K2 is a much lonelier place. But this winter, dozens of adventurers converged on the mountain hoping to take the record.

K2 is known as the "Savage Mountain" because of its punishing conditions: winds can blow at more than 200 kilometres per hour (125 miles per hour), and temperatures can drop to minus 60 degrees Celsius (minus 76 Fahrenheit).

The descent can be just as dangerous as going up.

Saturday's successful summit was overshadowed by the death of a Spanish climber from another team, Sergi Mingote, lower down the perilous peak.

His body was evacuated from base camp on Sunday to nearby Skardu city by an army helicopter, the Alpine Club of Pakistan's Karrar Haidri told AFP.

Mingote was at an intermediate camp and fell on his way down to the base camp, injuring his leg, according to his team.

Purja said his team were "deeply saddened to hear that we have lost a friend" and added, "Rest in peace my brother!"

The 10 Nepali climbers had been spread across different expeditions at the start, but formed a new group in order to claim the summit in Nepal's name, singing the national anthem as they reached the top.

Despite being famed for their climbing expertise, there has never before been a Nepali climber on the first winter ascent of a peak higher than 8,000 metres.

sjd-pm/ecl/reb/to
One of the largest obstacles facing ghost kitchens, Havens Whittaker and Koenig think, is unfamiliarity. Consumers on app-based delivery platforms are likely to lean toward restaurants and community brands that they know, the pair said, and so even though Haven Wings is entirely separate from Heritage Eats, theyve used Heritages social media to promote Havens products in an effort to alert consumers in Napa. So far the response has been encouraging, Koenig added.

Sauter, reflecting on the two true ghost kitchens that have popped up in the last few months, said she hoped the business model would encourage some diversification of the culinary landscape in Napa. The restaurant industry here is a crowded one, she said, and the lessened overhead involved with the ghost kitchen model could make room for chefs and restaurants that would never have otherwise been able to set down roots in Napa.

The restaurant model is a very tight margin, and a very tough business to be in (even normally), Sauter said, adding she believes more such ghost kitchens could very well emerge over coming months and years.

With this, though, people (could) flood in a little bit better, and maybe see they can diversify their offerings without turning away tourists. The lower overhead, the lower risk and creativity is going to be attractive to a lot of people, she added.
An 11-year-old boy was saved and rescued from his abusive parents after a waitress saw bruises on the child's arms and face.

Florida Waitress Helps Saves a Boy's Life

Flavaine Carvalho, the waitress from a restaurant in Orlando, Florida, planned on how to help the 11-year-old boy after she observed that he has bruises on his arms and face.

The waitress knew that something was wrong when the family dined in the restaurant. Carvalho further looked for more sings to help the child.

The Florida waitress then held up on a piece of paper and wrote, "Do you need help?" from a place in the Mrs. Potato restaurant, where the boy's parents could not see.

The waitress told the police that it took her three times before the boy signaled "Yes", according to a report in The Blaze.

After the confirmation, Carvalho immediately called the police to rescue the child from an abusive family. According to ABC11, she said that she was not supposed to be there in the restaurant working when she saw the child, but one employee called out.

The Florida waitress also said that the family was sitting at the only table in the restaurant where Carvalho would have been able to hold the sign up to the boy without the rest of his family seeing. Carvalho added that the family was at the last table that night and gave her a chance to pay more attention to the boy.

Read also: Hispanic Man Caught on Cam Killing Ex-Girlfriend in Front of Her 3-Year-Old Daughter

Detectives Interview the Victim's Stepfather

Detectives interrogated 34-year-old Timothy Wilson II, stepfather of the child, and they found out that the boy was physically abused. The detectives said that the boy told them his stepfather hit him with his fists, a wooden broom, and a back scratcher.

The 11-year-old boy also added he was hung upside down from a door frame by his ankles and, in another instance, strapped to a furniture dolly. The worst of these, he also shared to the police that he regularly was not allowed to eat as a punishment. Detectives said that the child was only 20 pounds and underweight.

Detective Erin Lawler said, "To be honest what this child had gone through was torture. There was no justification for it in any realm of the world. I'm a mother and seeing what that 11-year-old had to go through, it shocks your soul."

After the detectives and police learned more details of the abuse, they arrested Timothy Wilson II and charged him n multiple counts of aggravated child abuse and child neglect.

Police also learned that the biological mother of the child knew and was aware of the physical abuse but did not do anything to protect her child. Kristen Swann, the child's mother, was also arrested and charged with two counts of child neglect.

Read also: Teacher Arrested for Spraying Disinfectant to 4 Students Who Refused to Wear Masks Properly

Florida Waitress Credited for Saving the Child

Rafaela Cabede, the owner of the restaurant, said she credits and recognizes the action of her waitress for helping the child from an abusive family. Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon told ABC affiliate WFTV also said it could have been a homicide situation if the Florida waitress did not intervene.


The International Labour Organization (ILO), a Geneva-based UN agency, said on Friday that child labour has decreased by 38 percent in the last decade but warned that the COVID-19 pandemic has considerably worsened the situation with 152 million children still affected.



In a press release, the ILO wrote that the COVID-19 crisis has brought additional poverty to these already vulnerable populations and may reverse years of progress in the fight against child labour. "School closures have aggravated the situation and many millions of children are working to contribute to the family income.



The pandemic has also made women, men and children more vulnerable to exploitation," the organization said. ILO data showed that progress across regions is uneven. Almost half of child labour happens in Africa (72 million children), followed by Asia and the Pacific (62 million).



Meanwhile, 70 percent of children in child labour work in agriculture, mainly in subsistence and commercial farming and livestock herding, the report said. Almost half of all these children work in occupations or situations considered hazardous for their health and lives.



The ILO said that "joint and decisive action could reverse this trend." Together with other partners, ILO launched the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour in 2021 in a bid to encourage legislative and practical actions to eradicate child labour worldwide.

"There is no place for child labour in society.



It robs children of their future and keeps families in poverty," ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said in the statement. "This International Year is an opportunity for governments to step up and achieve Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals by taking concrete actions to eliminate child labour for good. With COVID-19 threatening to reverse years of progress, we need to deliver on promises now more than ever," he added.



The International Year was unanimously adopted in a UN General Assembly resolution in 2019. The ILO said that the main aim of the year is to urge governments to do what is necessary to achieve Target 8.7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).



Target 8.7 asks members states to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 to end child labour in all its forms.



The ILO said that a number of events will be held throughout the year to raise awareness of the problem that affects one in 10 children.

Source: GNA









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Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Sunday asserted that the two Covid-19 vaccines were safe and there were no side effects among those who took the first shot since Saturday.

"No side effects have been reported so far from healthcare warriors who took the Covishield and Covaxin injections on Saturday and Sunday. They are safe," he said in a statement.

Covishield, manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India is being used in 24 of the state's 30 districts and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin in the remaining six.

"Of the 27,753 registered beneficiaries on the first 2 days of the vaccination drive across the state, 17,308 took the shot till Sunday, accounting for 62 per cent of the target" said Sudhakar, who is a medical doctor by profession.

According to the state Health Department, of the 6,327 registered healthcare workers on Sunday, 3,699 took the vaccine, accounting for 58 per cent of the target.

On Saturday, of the 21,426 registered warriors, 6,327 were injected, accounting for 63 per cent of the target.

Urging the people to have faith in the two vaccines, Sudhakar said Manipal Hospital chairman Sudharshan Ballal, who took the jab on Saturday was doing well with no side effect.

The Drug Controller General of India had on January 3 approved Covishield and Covaxin for emergency use by state-run and private hospitals across the country under the Union Health Ministry's protocols.

"All the vaccinated warriors should follow the safety guidelines. They will develop resistance to the virus 10 days after the second dose, which will be administered 28 days after the first dose," said Sudhakar.

He said those who miss vaccination on a given date for any reason can get the shot on any other day.

In the state capital, vaccination was conducted in 6 private hospitals - St John's, East Point Medical College, St Philomena, Baptist and Cox Town Maternity Home.

"Vaccination will resume in the state-run hospitals as well on Monday and continued till all the registered healthcare warriors are injected," he added.

The state government has identified 7.43 lakh frontline warriors, including healthcare workers, civic staff, police and revenue personnel for vaccination, as the state received 8 lakh doses of both vaccines till date.

Admitting that the dedicated Co-Win portal's glitches were causing delays, the minister said the health staff could adopt a backup method to register recipients and upload their data later.
Parachute, Ireland's first CBD drinks company, has secured a listing with supermarket group Musgrave as it enters talks to supply Europe and the US.

The company, co-founded by school friends Daniel Gleeson, Harrison Altman, Justin Kilduff and Alan Shubotham, already has agreements to sell the product in Fresh, Spar, Sprout & Co, Press Up Group and multiple independent health food stores across Ireland and London.

Parachute's deal with Musgraves will lead to the drink being distributed nationwide, with its total store count in excess of 150.

Shubotham, who is the sales director in the UK, said Parachute, which hopes to brand itself as a relaxation drink, was delighted with the progress it had made since launching in February of last year.

"We are feeling honoured and quite surprised that people are buying so many of them in the shops we are listed in," he said. "Ultimately that's what it comes down to.

"We are really happy and delighted. We never thought we'd achieve a listing with a multiple like Musgraves in the first year."

Shubotham added Parachute had entered talks with distributors in both Europe and the US, which would be a big move for the brand.
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A service dog at the center of an Old Town Spring attack is now in the pound, authorities said.

The pup allegedly attacked a 3-year-old girl inside the Loose Caboose restaurant over the past weekend, according to Channel 2's Aaron Barker. The girl and her family had just walked in when the dog lunged at her and bit her face, the family told the TV station.
Paris: Iran is in the process of building up its nuclear weapons capacity and it is urgent that Tehran and Washington return to a 2015 nuclear agreement, France's foreign minister has said.

Iran has been accelerating its breaches of the nuclear deal and earlier this month started pressing ahead with plans to enrich uranium to 20 per cent fissile strength at its underground Fordow nuclear plant. That is the level Tehran achieved before striking the deal with world powers to contain its disputed nuclear ambitions.

Missiles are launched by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard forces during a drill last week. Credit:AP

The Islamic Republic's breaches of the nuclear agreement since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from it in 2018 and subsequently imposed sanctions on Tehran may complicate efforts by President-elect Joe Biden, who takes office on January 20, to rejoin the pact.

"The Trump administration chose what it called the maximum pressure campaign on Iran. The result was that this strategy only increased the risk and the threat," Le Drian told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper on Saturday.

Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley speaks at the Australian Open Welcome to Country and trophy arrival ceremony on day one of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 20, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

Australian Open to Stick to Schedule Despite Hard Quarantine

Craig Tiley has ruled out delaying the Australian Open despite increasing pressure from international players furious about being put into hard quarantine.

After positive COVID-19 tests stemming from their charter flights to Melbourne, almost 50 players are confined to their hotel rooms for the next 14 days with their Open preparations in disarray.

Some players are calling for the February 8 start date to be pushed back to ensure they have adequate time to prepare.

Swiss player Belinda Bencic said she and the other 46 players in lockdown were at a disadvantage.

We are not complaining (about being) in quarantine. We are complaining because of unequal practice/playing conditions before quite important tournaments, she tweeted.

But Australian Open boss Tiley ruled out talk of another date change for the event.

We are planning on February the eighth  and our intention is to continue with those dates, Tiley told Nine Networks Today Show.

He said they would consider adjusting the schedule for the lead-in ATP and WTA tournaments which are due to start in Melbourne on January 31 and February 1.

Players have been critical of organisers, with a number saying they were told that only those in close contact on the plane with a positive case would have to go into hard quarantine, and not all on the flight.

Romanian world No.71 Sorana Cirstea said she would have skipped the Open.

If they would have told us this rule before, I would not play in Australia. I would have stayed home, she tweeted.

They told us we would fly at 20 percent capacity, in sections, and we would be a close contact only if my team or cohort tests positive.

Tiley said players were warned it was one scenario but that the tournament was at the mercy of the Victorian government, who decided they were all a risk to the community.

The determination of who was and who wasnt a close contact was going to be entirely up to the health department, and theyre doing what they see necessary in order to keep our community safe, he said.

The Chief Health Officer determined that those individuals that were on the plane  everyone on their plane was a close contact.

We never knew what the situation or decision would be coming in and now we have to manage an environment over the next 14 days for those players who, unfortunately, are not going to have the same conditions of those who are able to get out to practice.

Tiley said the recent threat of the UK strain of the virus had changed the situation but insisted players knew there was a risk of isolation.

The next 14 days is set to be a public relations nightmare for the Open, with players already slamming the hotel food while Kazakhstans Yulia Putintseva saying shes repeatedly asked to change rooms with a mouse in hers.

Cirstea said she wants to go home but isnt allowed.

But the players are getting little sympathy from many Australians, with thousands of compatriots unable to travel home while many Victorians are currently locked out of the state.

The players will pocket $100,000 as first-round losers.

Melissa Woods in Melbourne
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A delegation from the High Command of Naval Zone 2 set sail on January 12 from Vung Tau city in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau to visit officers and soldiers on duty on DK1 Platforms

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and ships as well as agencies and units stationed on the provinces Con Dao island district. A large number of gifts and goods are being sent to soldiers and people stationed in the island district.

Carrying gifts such as peach trees, kumquat trees, square sticky rice cakes, and dong leaves, the trips represent the sentiment of people on the mainland towards officers and soldiers on duty at sea.

This is the first time Captain Tran Trung Hieu has been dispatched to the platform, taking on an assignment as Deputy Political Commissar at the DK1.2 Platform. Leaving his pregnant wife at home, Hieu knows he will not be with her when their child is born.

Twenty-year-old Ngo Xuan Tai has departed to DK1.1 Platform just as Tet approaches. He is excited about the new journey and foresees the challenges ahead. He is proud to contribute to protecting the sacred skies and seas of the motherland.

The supplies are a great encouragement to soldiers and islanders to overcome the difficulties and safeguard the national territory./.VNA
A cargo ship sank off Turkeys Black Sea coast near the northern province of Bartin on Sunday, leaving at least three people dead, according to Turkish state media.

Emergency workers have rescued at least six of the 12 crew members from the ship, the Arvin, according to Sinan Guner, the governor of Bartin, who was quoted by the state-owned Anadolu Agency. Helicopters were dispatched to help with the efforts, Mr. Guner said.

Civilian ships had been asked to help with rescue efforts near the Inkumu district, Mr. Guner said, but the operation was complicated by bad weather. The Defense Ministry also said that it had dispatched a vessel to help evacuation efforts, local media reported.

There is information that another three crew members were seen motionless in the rocks. We are trying to reach them via land, Mr. Guner said.

Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy with showers likely late, and possibly a thunderstorm. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy with showers likely late, and possibly a thunderstorm. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
A recent caller to the Glenn Beck radio show started by saying, I do not believe in numbers, so Im not optimistic about converting many of the 77% of Donald Trump voters who have told pollsters they think the election was stolen, but here are some simple numbers for them to consider.

Of the five heavily contested swing states, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania all have Democratic governors, while Georgia and Arizona both have Republican governors. Wisconsin, Arizona, and Georgia have elected two Democratic senators while Michigan and Pennsylvania have one Democratic senator and one Republican senator.

So in these five swing states, recent statewide popular votes for governor and senators went 11 to 4 Democrat over Republican. That all five of these states voted for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden should therefore not be surprising. What is surprising is that, after more than 60 lost court cases, anyone could rationally maintain that the election was stolen from Donald Trump.

David Fretthold,

Westlake

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 01/17/2021



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[ Spoiler Warning: This report includes spoilers about if Hazel and Tarik are still together or if the couple split up.]

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So are Tarik and Hazel still together now, or has the couple called it quits?

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Hazel Cagalitan was shown bonding with Tarik Myers ' daughter on Season 8 of , so what do spoilers reveal about if Hazel and Tarik got married and the couple is still together now?Tarik was a 43-year-old realtor and single father from Virginia Beach, VA, when he first saw Hazel, a single mother from Quezon City, Philippines who is now 28-years-old, on an Asian dating website.After three months of dating virtually and over the phone, Tarik traveled over 9,000 miles and 36 hours to meet Hazel in-person in the Philippines on : Before the 90 Days' second season.Tarik took a lot of heat from family and friends, especially his brother Dean, for pursuing a woman overseas. Tarik's family and friends worried he was being scammed and Hazel was just after a Green Card.And Hazel wasn't exactly warm to Tarik when they met. She was shy and not affectionate, and Tarik discovered she and her family lived in the poorest and most shocking of conditions.But it didn't take long for Tarik to become completely smitten with the girl, and so he decided to propose marriage to her anyway before he traveled back to the United States.Tarik and Hazel were still engaged six months after : Before the 90 Days' second-season finale aired on TLC in October 2018.Tarik later returned to the Philippines several more times to visit Hazel, and in the meantime, he was waiting for Hazel's K-1 visa to be approved.Hazel even agreed to sign a prenuptial agreement for Tarik to prove that she was with him for love."She is beautiful on the inside and outside. She's like an Asian version of Angelina Jolie and I love her," Tarik said in a confessional on 's eighth season.At the time 's eighth season filmed, Tarik and Hazel had been together for two years and Hazel finally got approved for a K-1 visa.Hazel was going to meet Tarik's seven-year-old daughter Auri for the first time. Tarik apparently has majority custody of Auri, who stays with her father five out of seven days a week and lives with her mother on the weekends.Tarik shared how Auri has high-functioning autism and everything in his life revolves around her. Tarik hoped Hazel would love Auri and that they'd get along wonderfully.Hazel also has an eight-year-old son Harrey, and Hazel was having a tough time leaving him behind. Tarik and Hazel therefore planned to bring Harrey to the United States "eventually" in order to give the boy more opportunities in life.Tarik admitted he was "surprised" when he learned Hazel is bisexual, and he told her that Virginia Beach is "full of smoking hot women."Hazel apparently wanted to have a girlfriend on the side, and Tarik therefore wondered how that was going to work and whether Hazel was really in their relationship for him or just permanent residency in the United States."I feel cautiously optimistic about it, but we're not even married yet -- and what you're thinking about is the girlfriend we need to find?" Tarik explained in a confessional."We've had some trust and jealousy issues in the past, so it does make me nervous. But she wants to go full steam ahead on this thing, so I hope we're really ready for it."Tarik revealed he had questioned Hazel's character one time but ended up being wrong.Tarik had been engaged for almost a year when he and Hazel had a big misunderstanding. Tarik recalled how they thought Hazel was pregnant at the time and so Hazel took one positive pregnancy, followed by two negative tests about a week later."So I'm thinking that she terminated the pregnancy, so I flipped out. I thought, 'I can't be with nobody who is going to do sh-t like this,'" Tarik explained."A woman can do whatever she wants with her body, but I think my feelings went all over the place because it's a trust thing. I thought she did it without talking to me, and I was like, 'This is over.'"Three weeks after their breakup, Tarik apparently started talking to a new woman named Minty from Thailand. Tarik said he had been "falling in like" -- not love -- with the girl, but he wanted to clean things up with Hazel before pursuing a new relationship.Hazel insisted to Tarik that a doctor had told her that she was never pregnant and her menstrual cycle had just been late. Hazel therefore forgave Tarik, who then came clean about his interactions with Minty.Hazel was upset at first but then suggested she wanted to talk to the "beautiful" Minty.Tarik had yet to tell close friends and family that Hazel is bisexual because he knew people would have preconceived notions, and Hazel having a girlfriend was simply going to be a part of their married life.Tarik revealed to Kia that he, Minty and Hazel all met in the Philippines about a year-and-a-half prior.Tarik suggested the girls had hooked up and everything was "beautiful" for two-and-a-half days."But Day 3, Hazel just put an end to it. Hazel felt like Minty was more into me than she was into Hazel," Tarik shared."Hazel could see I was just fascinated by Minty. It was refreshing to me to be able to speak in Thai and talk about all the stuff I experienced in Thailand, but there was this jealousy that came over Hazel immediately and it ended right there. Hazel told me to never contact Minty ever again."However, Tarik confessed he had texted Minty again a couple of weeks back. Tarik said he just wanted to check on Minty and make sure she was okay due to the coronavirus pandemic, and he insisted that he was going to tell Hazel.Tarik acknowledged Hazel isn't a pushover, so he was afraid to break the news that he had reached out to Minty.Tarik then picked Hazel up at the airport with flowers, and it had been four or five months since they last saw each other. He wore a powder blue suit for their reunion, and it was an emotional moment for Tarik.Hazel said she was "overwhelmed" with happiness and Tarik looked "so handsome" in her favorite color.Hazel said she really missed her son and hated saying goodbye, but the pair planned to have Hazel's son join them in America someday for a better life."This is the turning point in my life. It's like everything before her and then everything after her," Tarik said.On the drive to Tarik's home, Hazel was shocked by all of the big houses in America and how clean everything looked. Tarik's home was huge compared to Hazel's place in the Philippines considering Hazel lived in poverty.Hazel noted the house was big but messy, and Tarik told the cameras he and his fiancee have two different definitions of "clean."Hazel said coming to the United States was "a dream" but Tarik's house was big and overwhelming. She hoped she could eventually feel at home in Tarik's place.The next day, Tarik took Hazel out for an American breakfast, which she thought was salty, greasy and very sweet. She joked about how she'd probably get chubby living in the United States because she was used to eating rice every morning in the Philippines.Tarik was ready to pick a venue for their wedding, but Hazel wanted their pace to slow down since she had a lot to adjust to, including being away from her home, son and family in the Philippines.Hazel hoped she could become a loving mother to Auri, but she feared it might be difficult to take care of a child with special needs. Hazel anticipated loving Auri just like she loves her son Harrey back home.Hazel said her parents wanted her to get married in their church, but Tarik explained that he didn't want to marry in the normal, typical way and Hazel's church essentially freaked him out a little bit.Hazel said religion is important to her and she wanted to make her parents happy, but Tarik tried to talk her into marrying at Edgar Cayce's A.R.E., a cultural and spiritual center that apparently means a lot to him.The center was named after a famous psychic, but Hazel thought the place was weird and said she didn't want to get married there. Hazel, however, told her fiance that she'd think about it and they could compromise and make a decision together about their future.During Hazel's second day in America, she was shown unpacking her belongings and feeling a little bit overwhelmed.Tarik told Hazel that his daughter Auri always slept with him because she was scared of being alone in her room. Auri had been sleeping with him for seven years, and he said Hazel would have to be okay with that because the arrangement wasn't going to change.Hazel, however, worried Auri's constant presence would ruin their romance and intimacy, and she knew they'd need privacy as a couple. Knowing how close Tarik and Auri were, Hazel feared she wouldn't fit into their relationship.Auri recognized Hazel right away but was a little shy. Hazel picked Auri up and hugged her, and it was an incredibly sweet moment. Tarik said he was "overwhelmed" that Hazel and Auri were embracing each other, and Auri even put her head on Hazel's shoulders."I couldn't ask for anything more," Tarik said.Hazel thought Auri is very cute and sweet, but the interaction just made her miss her son even more.Tarik knew it would take patience for Hazel to establish a new relationship with a child with special needs, especially since she'd be away from her beloved son the entire time.Tarik later hosted a party for Hazel and he hoped all of his friends would love her. Hazel hoped it wouldn't be difficult to fit in and she was admittedly a little nervous about the gathering.One of Tarik's friends Angela gave Hazel a gift, a beautiful scarf in her favorite color, and Hazel was so happy and grateful.Tarik and Hazel hoped to bring Hazel's son over to the United States in about a year or so. She was used to seeing her son once a week given the boy lives with his father and stepmother.Tarik was well aware Hazel had given up everything to be with him and he wanted to be her rock, and so he determined he must be honest and upfront with her about how he had texted their ex, Minty."I'm worried that if I tell her while she's still getting used to being away from her son, it might be too much for her," Tarik noted.Tarik and Hazel are still a couple and their relationship appears to be better than ever.On January 12, 2021, Tarik uploaded a photo of Hazel and his daughter flashing peace signs, showing they're still together as a family.Tarik also apparently rang in the New Year of 2021 with Hazel by his side.Tarik posted several photos of Hazel standing in front of a sunset, including two pictures of Hazel standing out of the sunroof of a car."Ok. So the house may have been a LITTLE messy," Tarik captioned the slideshow, referring to Hazel's first impression of his home in America."I'll make it up to you with a beautiful sunset. 2020 GO THE F AWAY ALREADY! BYE FELICIA! Everyone have a SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2021 #Tarzel #90dayfiance ##90daybaresall #90dayfiancepillowtalk #beforethe90days."On December 18, Tarik posted two selfies with Hazel in which she looked stunning in a burgundy dress and matching lip. In one of the pictures, she was kissing Tarik on the cheek."Hawt Sauws. Hella Hawt Sauws. #Tarzel Watch #90dayfiance Sunday at 8pm EST on @tlc #90daybaresall #90dayfiancepillowtalk #90dayfiancebeforethe90days," Tarik wrote alongside the images.One day earlier, Hazel posted a similar photo and captioned it, "Haters don't hate hate, haters hate LOVE.' #Tarzel #90dayfiance."Tarik reposted Hazel's quote on his own page saying he agreed with her, and then Hazel commented with multiple kiss-blowing emoticons.Tarik also posted a video of Hazel on October 25, 2020.In the video, Hazel told her fans, "I'm here to send good tidings and well wishes to your family and friends... I'm here for y'all! Have a good one!"Tarik captioned the Instagram post, "My beautiful Hazel is on Cameo now. Book her for all occasions. She is Hazel Cagalitan on Cameo. Thanks. #beforethe90days #90dayfiance."On August 28, 2020, Tarik posted a selfie of the couple, revealing they had watched Black Panther three times in one week together because Hazel loved it so much. He said it was "the first move we ever watched together."Tarik posted a photo of Hazel and her father on June 21 and gushed about how he raised 14 children in poor conditions."I thought I knew the difficulties of fatherhood until I met this man. He raised 14 children in conditions most of us only see on TV. Never once shirked his responsibility. The definition of a real man. Salamat Pa. Happy Father's Day," Tarik wrote.Tarik also wished Hazel a happy Mother's Day in May."When life dealt you crap, you turned it into fertilizer. I was proud of you before the cameras rolled. And I'll be proud of you... Well anyway. I'm your defense mechanism against anyone. And I mean anyone. Happy Mother's Day Zellybean," Tarik wrote alongside a photo of Hazel and her son.Back in October 2019, Tarik gushed about Hazel on Instagram."I had so many rules that you became the exception to. So many standards that you exceeded. Also, I'm forever grateful to you for pulling those knives out of my back that a smiling faced Judas shoved in. You are goals. #TarZel #90dayfiance #90dayfiancepillowtalk," he wrote.And in August, 2019, Tarik called his girl "an implausible, irreplaceable gift from God."In Summer 2019, Hazel gushed about Tarik and wrote, "Sometimes I still pinch myself to make sure Im not dreaming. Sometimes I still cant believe that youre real and that ur mine.""I never thought that some1 as amazing as u would fall in love with someone as silly as me," she continued."But Im so glad that u did because my life has been nothing but wonderful. Thank u 4 coming into my life and for letting me show u how much u mean to me. #TarZel #ILoveYouHoney."Tarik and Hazel's posts about one another date all the way back to Fall 2018.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
Julio Cortez/Associated Press

The attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 by an insurrectionist mob was an attack on all Americans, and those who participated each bear individual responsibility for their actions. This was an attack not on a building, but on the American people, and all participants should be found, arrested and prosecuted. The rioters were not robots but adults, and they inflicted a wound on our system of self-government passed to us from generations of patriots who paid the ultimate price to guarantee it.

However this dreadful event did not emerge ex nihilo, a spontaneous eruption of violence and madness on the banks of the Potomac. No, this outrage was the result of a months-long effort by political leaders to cast doubt on the results of Novembers election, and overturn with demagoguery and innuendo a result they did not like. There is a degree of mischievousness in every national election  with a country as large and chaotic as ours, you can always find examples of almost anything you want to find. But there was no widespread fraud on the scale necessary to steal an election. Indeed, numerous legal challenges (many decided by Republican-appointed judges) confirmed this throughout the country. But instead of trusting their supporters to understand this hard truth, congressmen and their allies (bosses?) in the worst fever swamps of the rightwing infotainment media doubled-down with a stunt to object to the results  not out of any principle, for they knew better, but instead to protect their political right flanks. Politicians take the easy road every day, but the result this time was to attack a principle at the core of democracy: when your side loses, you peacefully transfer power and try again next time.
Law enforcement across the county is on high alert after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an effort to prevent the counting of the Electoral College votes in favor of Biden. Law enforcement agencies report that extremist groups are planning additional protests nationwide over the next week.

Authorities obtained a warrant to search Rogers business and home after receiving a tip that he was in possession of illegal weapons, the sheriffs office said.

Officers brought multiple objects out of the business over several hours on Friday and detonated them in a bunker created from old tires.

The bomb squad blocked the driveway to British Auto Repair and closed off a section of the Napa Valley Vine Trail, which runs behind the business, with crime scene tape until the last detonation occurred.

While the business was searched and small detonations were set off, traffic was allowed to pass normally on the two closest streets, Action Avenue and Vallejo Street.

At the Napa Valley Register, which backs up against the Vine Trail, opposite British Auto Repair, employees were told to stay on the newspaper property. A small group gathered on a stairway facing Vallejo Street to watch a silver robot moving back and forth.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 21:19:20|Editor: huaxia

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A police car is seen during a night patrol mission in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Jan. 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)

CHANGCHUN, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A total of 102 COVID-19 infections in northeast China's Jilin Province were transmitted by an asymptomatic case imported from the neighboring Heilongjiang Province, announced a local press conference on Sunday.

The case, surnamed Lin, carried out four marketing activities for middle-aged people and the elderly in Gongzhuling and Tonghua in the province from Jan. 6 to Jan. 11. Lin's close contacts' average age is 63 years old, and the oldest is 87 years old.

Jilin on Saturday reported 10 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 63 asymptomatic infections, the provincial health commission said on Sunday.

As of Saturday, there were 148 confirmed locally transmitted cases and 100 asymptomatic infections in the province. 
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US continues to face very serious problems in trade and economic relations with China

Armenia 1st President: There is a risk of civil war

Scenes of apprehension of Azerbaijani who attacked Armenian in Moscow disseminated on the Internet

Germany, France, Netherlands urge tech giants to test start-up purchases

Armenia 1st President: There has never been such rough dialogue between Armenian and Azeri leaders as there is now

California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development opening office in Yerevan

US Department of State issues statement on detention of Armenian soldiers by Azerbaijani forces

Armenia 1st President says Aliyev is certain that Pashinyan won't win elections and is trying to get all that he can

UN calls for $ 95 million in aid to Palestinians

Twitter is concerned about safety of its employees in India

Artsakh hero: Impotent and perhaps also treacherous authorities of Armenia need to be removed from power immediately

France MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to show maximum restraint

Azerbaijani attacks Russia citizen of Armenian descent in Moscow

Armenia acting MOD provides President with information about capture of Armenian servicemen

Lithuania MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to go to de-escalation of situation and pull out troops

Russian Deputy FM, EU Special Representative discuss situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia acting FM resigns

Acting Deputy FM: Armenia reserves itself the right to take necessary steps to protect its territorial integrity

China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

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The federal government already sent stimulus money as much-needed relief to millions of Americans struggling from the coronavirus pandemic's effects. However, payments seemed not to target those who are truly in need.

Many people who say they are financially stable have chosen to use their stimulus money to help those in need, as per CNN Business. Here are some good samaritans that, regardless of their own financial battle, had chosen to help others, according to KCRA:

New Jersey man bought masks for homeless

A New Jersey resident who lives on a low fixed income and is unemployed due to the pandemic bought masks for the homeless.

Jeff Suchon of Highland Park had the chance to use his stimulus money to live with greater ease for a short while, but he decided to buy masks for the indigent and homeless. Suchon says he purchased over 30,000 masks through his stimulus payments and some from his income.

The soup kitchen Elijah's Promise, homeless shelters, food pantries, and churches helped him distribute all the masks he bought for those in need. Jeff said he lives on fumes after he buys masks. However, he still feels good about what he did. He explained that providing one person with a mask is not just helping him stay healthy but also those with whom they come in contact.

Read also: Stimulus Bill Includes $25 Billion in Rental Assistance. Are You Qualified? Here's How to Apply

A man helped low-income people in the LGBTQ community

Seldon Joseph is a credit union worker in the Seattle area. Joseph took the chance of his employer's three-for-one match when he used his stimulus checks to the Lavender Rights Project and a local food bank. The Lavender Rights Project provides legal and other services for low-income people in the LGBTQ community.

Joseph says he became too aware that many people don't have enough emergency savings as he is working at a credit union. Due to being financially stable, Joseph felt his stimulus money should be used for a good purpose. He added that donating is his responsibility and getting out into the community to those who need the money.

Pet owners received help from a Chicago woman

A Fetch! The pandemic had badly hit pet Care franchise owner Carolyn Alonzo from Chicago, and two of her dogs died. To recover from grief, Alonzo decided to build a nonprofit, Obi's Pet Pantry, to help those financially struggling amid the pandemic who also struggle in providing for their pets. Alonzo keeps stocking food, collars, shampoos, blankets, and other pet supplies through her stimulus money and the donation that the pantry receives.

A teacher bought food for underprivileged kids

Matthew Pierce is a teacher at the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, Pennsylvania, who grew up in a low-income household and has experienced not having enough money even for basic needs.

Pierce works at a school that provides free education and on-campus housing for low-income kids. Therefore, he is eager to help his students when he can. That is why Pierce used his stimulus payments to buy UberEats gift cards for students and their families.

The teacher explained that doing these things is personal to him as he experienced being in need and knows what would solve one day's worth of struggles. As a good teacher, Pierce values the importance of setting good examples for the kids. And as every good teacher knows, it's essential to set a good example for kids.

"We have to model good civics. It's not something we're born with. We need to give back in times of need," he said.

Read also: Third Stimulus Check: If These Chances Happen, You May Receive up To $2,000

How to use your $600 stimulus check?

Many people have received their $600 stimulus checks through debit card, check, or direct deposit. Being in need and receiving this amount would be great if you use it for a greater purpose. According to The Motley Fool, the $600 stimulus check may not be huge in amount, but it can still provide some financial help. It would only depend on how you use it. Below are some of the ideas where to wisely spend your stimulus money:

Put it towards your bills

Boost your emergency fund

Pay down credit card debt

Contribute more to a retirement plan

Donate it

Read also: Third Stimulus Check Plans Along with Impeachment Chaos. How Much Exactly Could It Bring You?

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
For the past few years, Laredo Colleges Associate Degree in Nursing Program has garnered a myriad of national and statewide recognitions, namely it has been ranked as the top program in Texas for a fourth consecutive year. As we start off 2021, this accolade has been taken a substantial step further, with our ADN Program also being selected by RNCareers.org as the No. 1 ADN program in the United States. Laredo College shares this ranking with nine institutions nationwide. Additionally, NursingProcess.org ranked the ADN program as the #1 program not only in the state but also in the entire Southwest region of the United States.

RNCareers.org has been independently published by nurse educators, practitioners, RNs and LPNs for the past 10 years with the mission of helping to educate the best nurses in the country by providing accurate and meaningful information about pursuing a nursing degree.

NursingProcess.org is an online ranking website that brings access to nursing education and career information that is based on data in each state. According to the site, to compile the list of best ADN programs in the Southwest, they looked into 268 nursing schools in the region and ranked them based on four important factors - NCLEX-RN pass rates, academic quality, the nursing schools reputation and affordability. The states comprising the region are Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Dean of Health Sciences/Nursing Programs Director Dr. Dianna Miller, who has worked in different capacities within the health sciences division and instruction at Laredo College for close to 30 years, is one of the pillars behind the programs extraordinary success.

I am extremely humbled by the recognition which we have received for our ADN Program and for our college, in particular, she said. But also, I am extremely proud of the ADN faculty and staff. Their goal has always been to promote student excellence and they accomplish this through their dedication and relationships to students.

Dr. Miller indicated that the key to upholding this level of academic excellence for so many years is cohesive team work, which results from the collective culture of Laredo College and the personal goals of every faculty member for our community.

Program admission is very competitive, with approximately 350 applications per year for only 40 available positions. Program graduates in the past five years have had an impressive 100% passing rate in their national licensure examinations.

In discussing the future of the program, the dean notes that she plans on increasing the number of faculty members for the fall 2021 to allow an increase in student enrollment. Faculty members will also be participating in workshops and seminars that focus on newer concepts and technology with simulations as well as continuing to develop the hybrid and online courses.

Additionally, the program has six full-time faculty members and one part-time faculty member. Faculty are continually reviewing and revising curriculum in response to state and national nursing requirements to assist students in becoming quality nurses for our community.

Two of these dedicated instructors are Dr. Manuel Gonzalez and Melissa Guidry. Between the two of them, they have over 55 years of nursing experience and have a combined 29 years as nursing instructors.

Guidry has been an ADN instructor for nine years and attributes its award-winning success to several factors, one of them being the progressive and supportive administration at Laredo College and the great leadership under Dr. Miller. She notes that the ADN facultys experience and specialties offer students a well-rounded nursing education. Instructors are never satisfied and constantly look for ways to improve and keep abreast of the latest evidence-based nursing research and technology.

Moreover, Gonzalez is passionate about teaching students for two decades to provide the best care to patients and their families. He has been able to witness the ADN Program evolve over the years due to the commitment and drive of the nursing faculty and staff to integrate innovative strategies and advanced technology to prepare future nurses in the workforce. He mentioned that this is his way of giving back to the community and the goal is to continue promoting education experiences for students by maintaining strong partnerships and meeting the needs of the community.

Congressman Henry Cuellar, an advocate for higher education and a longtime supporter of Laredo College, also had high praise for our institution and our nursing programs continuous achievements.

Laredo College continues to set itself above other institutions in the United States and in the Southwest region, Rep. Cuellar said. This recognition is a testament to Dr. Ricardo Solis and his extraordinary leadership in encouraging his faculty and staff to expand and strengthen their fields of study. Congratulations to all those involved in the health sciences division. Id also like to thank the Laredo College District Board of Trustees for their work as well as the students who have gone through this degree path and helped shaped it to what it is today.

This stellar designation is also in great part thanks to the great working relationships the college has with local, state and national healthcare partners including Laredo Medical Center, Doctors Hospital and Laredo Specialty Hospital. One of our longest and most supportive partners has been Gateway Community Health Center and Gateway CEO Elmo Lopez.

Gateway Community Health Center LC South Clinic congratulates Laredo College on this first class designation and takes deep pride in our partnership, Lopez said. The South Campus Gateway Clinic serves as a teaching facility for these future Healthcare Heroes and we can attest to their number one rank.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread in our community and all around the globe, the need for qualified healthcare professionals has been exacerbated. Laredo College is proud to have been recognized as the top institution in our nation doing the important work of training and preparing our nations future healthcare professionals.
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have shared an upbeat Inauguration playlist ahead of the swearing-in ceremony this week, featuring artists like Whitney Houston, Kendrick Lamar and Stevie Wonder.

Beyonce's 'Find Your Way Back', Bill Withers' 'Lovely Day' and Dua Lipa's 'Levitating' are just a few of the tracks on the diverse list designed for at-home Inauguration watching parties and for those who want to bust a move in celebration.

The playlist features 46 songs to celebrate the 46th President of the United States taking the oath of office and was curated by DJ D-Nice and Raedio, actress Issa Raes record label.

The playlist is part of the Presidential Inaugural Committee's push to have Americans participate from home as traditional events like the parade have been canceled due to the pandemic.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have released an upbeat Inauguration playlist for at-home watching parties ahead of the swearing-in ceremony this week

The playlist features 46 songs to celebrate the 46th President of the United States taking the oath of office

It includes their campaign theme song 'Higher Love' by Kygo and Whitney Houston

The playlist includes 'Fool in the Rain' by Led Zeppelin

Stevie Wonder's 'Uptight (Everything's Alright) and SZA's 'Good Days' are also on the mix

'During a tumultuous year that has kept so many loved ones apart, music has been a consistent vehicle that has kept us connected. Whether you are a country soul, a jazz enthusiast, a hip hop head, a classical sort, or just love that old-time rock and roll, music clarifies, inspires, unites, and heals,' Presidential Inaugural Committee CEO Tony Allen said.

The playlist is available on streaming services Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music.

The playlist includes a wide range of genres from electric music by Major Lazer to rock by Led Zeppelin, throwback hits by The Doobie Brothers and rap singles by Kendrick Lamar.

Kendrick Lamar's hit Now or Never is also on the track

Bruce Springsteen's We Take Care of Our Own is also on the upbeat playlist

The Biden-Harris campaign's celebratory theme song is 'Higher Love' by Kygo and Whitney Houston, which is also included in the music line-up.

'These songs and artists reflect the relentless spirit and rich diversity of America. They are the score to a new chapter and will help bring people together as the Biden-Harris Administration begins its important work to unite our country,' Allen said.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee is also creating a prime-time television special to air the night of inauguration.

The 'Celebrating America' special will be hosted by Tom Hanks and will air live on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and MSNBC from 8.30pm to 10pm EST on January 20.

Itll feature performances by artists Jon Bon Jovi, who was seen on the campaign trail with Biden in Pennsylvania, Demi Lovato and Justin Timberlake and Ant Clemons.

Last week the Inaugural Committee announced America United will be the theme of this weeks event, sending a message of peace and unity following the January 6 Capitol riot.

In the spirit of a united front past presidents from across the political aisle will attend the ceremony including Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton along with all their wives.

President Donald Trump has announced he will not attend the ceremony.
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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 01/17/2021



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[ Spoilers Warning: This report contains spoilers revealing if Rebecca and Zied are still together or if the couple has split up.]

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Did Zied and Rebecca call it quits on their relationship or is the couple still together?

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Zied Hakimi just arrived in America on Season 8 of the series, so did he and Rebecca Parrott get married and stay together or has the couple broken up? What do spoilers reveal about if Rebecca and Zied wed and are still together now?Rebecca was a 47-year-old private investigator when she fell hard and fast for Zied, a then-26 year old whom she had met online.Rebecca, who has three kids, first starred on Season 3 of : Before the 90 Days with Zied.Rebecca confessed her first two marriages were with "average, run-of-the-mill American men" and her third marriage turned out to be a disaster because the Moroccan man -- whom she had brought to America on a spousal visa -- became too jealous and controlling once he arrived in the United States.Rebecca was certain, however, her romance with Zied would be different and last forever.Rebecca therefore traveled over 15 hours to Tunisia with the goal of winning over Zied's family and hopefully leaving his country as an engaged woman.However, Rebecca's third divorce had yet to be finalized by the time of her trip because she had yet to file the paperwork (although both she and her ex had signed the papers).Rebecca and Zied's time together was great, but there were definitely some problems. Zied, for instance, asked Rebecca to pay for a car rental and loan him $200, and Rebecca figured out that Zied was a pretty jealous guy.A part of Rebecca wondered if her loved ones were correct in saying Zied was using her for a Green Card and would change once he got to the United States.However, Rebecca later learned Zied had borrowed the money just to buy her an engagement ring that he couldn't afford on his own.But Rebecca also shocked Zied by informing him that she was still technically a married woman and once had a same-sex relationship that Zied's family would never approve of.Despite being a little disappointed in Rebecca keeping secrets from him, Zied promised to love Rebecca always, and so he proposed marriage to Rebecca during a romantic picnic in the Sahara Desert.Rebecca thought the marriage proposal was "perfect," and then she returned to America and filed for the K-1 visa.Rebecca pointed out there were no red flags with Zied, who also insisted he wanted to work in the United States and was already making his own money.On the premiere of 's eighth season, Rebecca was working hard to make and save money by managing a local fast-food restaurant, but she was still waiting for the K-1 visa to be approved.Zied had to prove in his final interview that he was in his relationship with Rebecca for the right reasons."It was a very difficult decision for me to take the risk and do this again, and if it turns out that I'm wrong about Zied, I don't know if I'll ever trust my judgment again or be able to be in a relationship again," Rebecca shared.It then became time for Zied's K-1 visa interview, but first, Rebecca went shopping for a game system so Zied could play video games while she's at work in America.After Zied's K-1 visa interview, Zied FaceTimed with Rebecca and revealed his passport had been taken away and no one told him whether he had been approved for the visa. Zied said he was asked many questions and told to return for his passport about a week later.Rebecca was in shock and didn't know what this meant. Rebecca said she hated the idea of having to wait another week, and Zied admitted he was "nervous" but "okay" at the same time.Five days after Zied's final K-1 visa interview, Rebecca finally learned Zied's K-1 visa had been approved."I need to call Zied. Oh my God, I'm shaking! He's going to be in America now! I am so happy! I don't remember the last time I was this happy," Rebecca gushed in a confessional.Rebecca then shared with Zied on the phone how his K-1 visa had been approved, and Zied exclaimed, "That is amazing! I am so happy!... Thank you for the news, baby!"This moment was the culmination of two years of paperwork and phone calls and being patient. Rebecca said it finally felt real that she and Zied were going to become a family and would be able to see each other every single day.Rebecca wondered how Zied would mesh with her family and friends, but the next step was moving into a new place so Zied would have a home once he arrived in the United States.Zied was then shown buying Rebecca a nice bracelet. He had saved money that would apparently last him in America for a few months and wanted to show Rebecca how much he loved her.Zied's parents hoped for a better life for Zied, but they were upset Rebecca is not Arabic and doesn't share their religious views.Zied's father asked Zied to stay connected with him and try his best to succeed and be happy, but the whole family was sad about being split up.Rebecca was then shown moving into a new apartment -- with seemingly only a bed and some dishes -- and she worried Zied wouldn't be happy once he found out she had previously lived in the same apartment building with her Moroccan ex-husband.Rebecca said she couldn't wait to cook for Zied and make him happy.Rebecca feared how Zied would feel leaving his family because he loved them so much, and so she just hoped Zied wouldn't change his mind about moving.Zied had a tough time saying goodbye to his family at the airport because he said they mean the world to him, and he admitted he was "so nervous" about starting a new life in America -- although it would probably be a better life.It had been a little over a year since Rebecca was able to kiss or touch Zied, and she was shown getting ready to pick Zied up at the airport in the United States.Tiffany had never met Zied in person, so she wanted to take the same car as Rebecca and Zied to and from the airport, which rubbed Rebecca the wrong way because she was getting the feeling Tiffany and Micah wanted to act as chaperones.Tiffany and Micah said they wanted to get to know Zied better and try to find out his true intentions. But this isn't the type of energy Rebecca wanted in the car since she had been waiting for this day to see Zied for 13 months.Rebecca wanted her reunion with Zied to go perfectly, and when Zied finally arrived, the couple hugged tight and she said he smelled and looked so good. Zied told Rebecca that he missed her so much and was so happy to be with her again.Zied took videos of everything as he drove to Rebecca's place in Georgia, and he said he was so excited to see "America like the movies."The ride was a little awkward given Tiffany and Micah were protective of Rebecca since she's been hurt in the past, and Rebecca decided not to kiss Zied until they were alone.The group then arrived in Canton and grabbed a bite to eat at a local pub or bar. Tiffany said it was obvious Rebecca completely adored Zied, but he was a bit quiet."We've been through this before, where she's met foreign men who are half her age pretty much, and it just always goes bad," Tiffany complained. "It's like she's a love-sick teenager. But we still don't know his intentions."Tiffany and Micah then asked Zied what he planned to do for work in the United States, which rubbed Rebecca the wrong way since it was only Zied's first day in America.Zied said he couldn't work for six months after getting married but he definitely planned to get a job. Rebecca said Zied is certified in plumbing repair but would be open to pretty much anything, and Rebecca asked her daughter to just trust her.Zied didn't like being compared to Rebecca's Moroccan ex, but Rebecca's family just didn't want to see her get hurt again.In the trailer for what's to come on Season 8 of , Rebecca is shown checking out Zied's new tattoos and telling her man, "Welcome to America!"But then Zied tells Rebecca he's not going to stay with her if she doesn't agree to marry him in the United States before Ramadan."Zied seems dead set about getting married as quickly as possible," Rebecca tells the camera, "and it's making me question his motives."In March 2020, TLC released a short-form Season 4 episode of : What Now?, the spinoff available on the network's TLC GO streaming service, that updated viewers on Rebecca and Zied's relationship.During the : What Now? episode, Rebecca announced her divorce from her third husband had been finalized and Zied's K-1 visa had been approved.Rebecca and her ex-husband finalized their divorce on July 9, 2019, according to divorce documents obtained by In Touch Weekly.According to Rebecca, Zied's visa was approved less than four months after they applied for it, which was a short period of time considering they both anticipated it could take anywhere from six months to a year.One scene in the What Now? episode also showed Rebecca house hunting so she and Zied could live together once he arrived.Around the time the couple's : What Now? episode was released, Rebecca denied split rumors on social media and confirmed she and Zied were still "happily in love."Rebecca explained she was simply too busy with work and moving to a new house to constantly post about their relationship on social media.Rebecca told Us Weekly in a late December interview the K-1 visa process "wasn't too bad" after all."We were very fortunate at that time... He got here and within two days, COVID hit and everything was locked down. So we just [got him to America] under the wire," Rebecca said.Rebecca and Zied reportedly obtained their marriage license on April 14, 2020.Rebecca and Zied exchanged vows and got married in Lumpkin County, GA, on April 19, according to a representative from the Probate Court in Cherokee County, In Touch reported.Zied is therefore now a married man seemingly living with Rebecca in Canton, GA.Zied gushed about Rebecca on May 29 writing on Instagram, "I love your sexy eyes and your face babyy @tlc_90day_rebecca."Rebecca later showed their relationship was still in a good place when she posted a picture of her man on Instagram and captioned it, "I'm so in love. Those eyes. #ilovehim #beautfuleyes #rebeccaandzied #90dayfiance."Zied hinted about his reality TV return with Rebecca in early June."Hello, everyone. I hope everyone is okay and stay home and stay safe with this coronavirus. I'm sorry about George Floyd, I know that's a big problem in America now. I'm sorry my friends, Zied said in an Instagram video at the time."I just want to say I can't answer the question if I am in America or [not]. Just wait until next season of and you will understand everything, my friends! Bye!"Instagrammer John Yates re-posted the video on his own Instagram account and captioned it, "So looks like Rebecca and Zied will be back on the show in some capacity. #90DayFiance #90DayFianceBeforeThe90Days."Although Zied wouldn't confirm whether he was in the United States this past summer, it was apparent he and Rebecca were still going strong in June.On June 10, Rebecca posted a photo of Zied on Instagram and added the following hashtags to her post: "sexy" and "mine."And on July 16, Rebecca shared a picture of Zied lying in bed on a pink pillow."#sexyaf #mine #rebeccaandzied #90dayfiance @tlc_90day_zied I love you more than all the sand in the Sahara," Rebecca wrote with many heart and kissing emojis.Rebecca later gushed about Zied in mid-August by posting a photo of the couple on Instagram with "I love you forever" written across the image."I love you so much @tlc_90day_zied. Thank you for making every day of my life since April 24, 2018, happy and so full of hope for the future," Rebecca captioned her post."I'm so thankful I found you. You are the extraordinary, crazy kind of love that only happens once in a lifetime. I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy. Wallah #90dayfiance #rebeccaandzied #mylove."Zied also spilled a spoiler on October 15 that he and Rebecca were still happy and in love.Zied posted a photo of Rebecca kissing him on the cheek when they were both wearing winter hats."I love you so much my love @tlc_90day_rebecca #tlc #90dayfiance #rebeccaandzied," he wrote alongside the picture with numerous heart-eyes emoticons.Rebecca then replied in the comments section, "Babyyy I love you more. Mahboulla bik habibii."Zied and Rebecca's main Instagram photos also feature one another.But Rebecca admitted Zied didn't adjust well to life in America at first."He's never been married before. He's never been in a long-term relationship before. He's never been to another country before... He basically said, 'This is not what I thought it was going to be,' and he was very unhappy," Rebecca shared with Us in her December interview."He missed his family and it was really hard. It was a struggle."Rebecca also said "a rather large argument" made matters worse when Zied and Rebecca were trying to adjust to life together in America shortly after Zied's arrival."I know if I were going to Tunisia and I was going to live there, I would have something in my head of what [to expect]," Rebecca said."I don't know what it would be, but I guarantee you sitting in quarantine wouldn't have crossed my mind. That's not something that's in your toolbox to consider."Rebecca noted Zied just sat around and couldn't drive or go anywhere, and she admitted life didn't get any easier in subsequent months after Zied's big move."If I were in any -- literally almost any -- other field of work, this would have been a blessing in disguise," Rebecca told Us, referencing how she manages a fast-food restaurant."Can you imagine [if] I would have gotten the stimulus checks and probably gotten unemployment to stay home? We would have thought it was written just for us. We would have gotten to stay together, like, 'This is amazing!' Or we would have killed each other, I don't know."Rebecca continued, "But you know, because of my job, it was just the worst possible scenario. So it wasn't the best... It was really bad."Rebecca had been hoping to travel with Zied -- including stops in Miami and New York -- before the coronavirus pandemic, and so she said life recently has been "a bit of a letdown."More recently, Zied dropped a huge hint he is still living in the United States, presumably with Rebecca, in an early January 2021 Instagram post.Zied posted a slideshow of images with his family at the airport and captioned them, "I want to say to my mother, father, sister, family and friends @ssen10 @khalilaymen3 and the other goodbye. I promise to come back to see you soon .. I love you all very much .. #90dayfiance #rebeccaandzied #tlc."Saying he'll "come back" to see his family in Tunisia "soon" indicates he still resides in America.On January 13, 2021, Rebecca also wished Zied a happy birthday on Instagram by posting a photo of the two of them."Happy Birthday @tlc_90day_zied I hope you have a wonderful day full of all the blessings you deserve," Rebecca wrote, along with a heart. "#rebeccaandzied #90dayfiance #happybirthday #tlc."Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
Chinese President Xi Jinping recently called for ensuring a good start for fully building a modern socialist country, sending a positive signal to revitalize the confidence of the world.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks when addressing the opening of a study session at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee attended by provincial and ministerial-level officials.

What Xi said showed the world China's grand vision of embarking on a new journey to fully build a modern socialist country.

It is generally believed by the international community that as China further implements its new vision of innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development, the country will surely make steady progress in building a new development paradigm and usher in broader prospects for win-win cooperation with the rest of the world.

The global economy is still in a complicated and severe situation, whose recovery is unstable and unbalanced.

As the COVID-19 pandemic keeps spreading across the world, the global economy will still be gloomy in the first half of 2021, and is expected to expand 4 percent for the whole year, according to the latest World Bank Global Economic Prospects.

China, the only major economy that secured positive growth in 2020, can inject strong impetus to world economic recovery and development, as it embarks on a new journey to fully build a modern socialist country and promotes constant economic recovery and high-quality development.

The fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee approved the CPC Central Committees proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, which won worldwide attention.

What the world sees in the proposals are Chinas resolution and confidence to keep strategic composure and concentrate efforts on its own affairs.

Against markedly increasing instability and uncertainty in the international context, the fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee fully demonstrated the foresight of the CPC, said Lydia Samarbakhsh, a member of the executive committee with the French Communist Party.

Raquel Leon de la Rosa, a Mexican expert on China-related issues, believes that as a major engine for world economic growth, China will continue contributing to the recovery of global economy.

Whether a country has adopted a suitable development philosophy fundamentally determines its development, and even its fate.

The international society believes that by pushing forward the vision of innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development, China has achieved higher-quality growth and strengthened its capacity for sustainable development.

It was estimated that the pandemic may drag as many as 100 million people back into extreme poverty, and the international community is worried that unbalanced economic recovery will further widen the gap between the rich and poor in some countries.

Against the backdrop, what development visions shall be adopted and how to achieve stable and balanced economic recovery is a common concern of the world.

China commits to a people-centered philosophy of development, as well as a principle of development for the people, development by the people and development achievements shared by the people.

It has continuously enhanced peoples sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security, and strived to achieve common prosperity, which is quite inspiring for the inclusive and sustainable development of the global economy.

Fostering a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other, is a major strategic task concerning Chinas overall development introduced in the proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan as well as a heated topic among the international community.

To build the new development paradigm requires establishing a high-level socialist market economy system, implementing high-level opening-up, and enhancing the interaction between reform and opening-up. It signifies the dialectical unity of achieving high-level self-reliance and high-level opening-up.

China has signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with relevant countries, completed investment agreement negotiations with the European Union (EU) as scheduled, announced that it would actively consider joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and promoted high-quality construction of the Belt and Roadall examples of Chinas efforts to unswervingly implement high-level opening-up and promote international cooperation and win-win results.

China has entered a new stage of development. Embarking on the new journey of fully building a modern socialist country, China will surely continue to draw strength for progressing, and make new achievements and new contributions to world economic recovery and global development.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel approved on Sunday plans to build hundreds of new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, projects it is advancing in the final days of the pro-settlement Trump administration.

The planned construction, on land captured by Israel in the 1967 war that Palestinians seek as part of a future state, was announced on Monday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu ordered the plans advanced and on Sunday, a government committee gave final ratification for 365 homes and preliminary approval for another 415, said the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now, which monitored the session.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the construction as illegal, accusing Israel of making a "pre-emptive attempt ... to undermine any effort by (incoming) U.S. President Joe Biden to relaunch the stalled peace process".

In a statement, the European Union said Israel's latest decision to advance the plans "is contrary to international law and further undermines the prospects of a viable two-state solution".

The government committee's website was not immediately updated with details of Sunday's moves, which were also reported by Israel's main media outlets.

Settler leaders have voiced concern that once he takes office as president on Wednesday, Biden, a Democrat who has been critical of Israeli settlement activity in the past, will try to slow housing construction.

Peace Now said approval of the new settler housing "needlessly sets Israel on a collision course with the incoming Biden administration".

Most countries view Israeli settlements as violating international law. Israel disputes this, citing historical, political and biblical links to the West Bank, where more than 440,000 Israeli settlers now live among 3 million Palestinians.

President Donald Trump has effectively backed Israel's right to build West Bank settlements by abandoning a long-held U.S. position that they break international law.

He also has won Israeli praise and drawn Palestinian anger by recognising contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moving the U.S. Embassy there. U.S.-backed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2014.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Frances Kerry)
By Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) - For years, legal troubles have cast a cloud over Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee as he stood on the cusp of stepping out of his father's shadow and making a name for himself as the leader of the global tech giant. On Monday, he faces sentencing on a bribery charge that could sideline him from the world's largest smartphone and memory chip maker just as it looks to overtake rivals in areas such as chip contract manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI). "Samsung is at a crossroads," said Park Ju-gun, head of ...
Axios

While Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) was out of state at a conference, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R) issued an executive order Thursday banning mask mandates in school and public buildings, AP reports.Why it matters: Little never issued a statewide mask mandate, but there have been some in counties, cities and schools. McGeachin announced last week she was running for governor, challenging Little who has only served one term, and her order could appeal to far-right voters in the state.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Little's office told AP that McGeachin did not tell the governor about the order in advance. Throughout the pandemic, Gov. Little has been committed to protecting the health and safety of the people of Idaho and has emphasized the importance of Idahoans choosing to protect our neighbors and loved ones and keeping our economy and schools open, Little spokesperson Marissa Morrison saidBackground: In March, McGeachin participated in an anti-mask protest, the Washington Post reported, and she suggested last year that the pandemic may or may not be occurring."According to AP, Idaho has recorded more than 190,000 cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and roughly 2,000 deaths.What she's saying: Ive been listening to people all across the state with the concern about, especially, why are little kids being forced to wear masks in school, McGeachin told AP.My oath to the Constitution is to protect those rights and freedoms of the individual, and Ive never supported any type of a mandate on the individual, especially when it comes to health care choices.McGeachin said she had contracted the virus in 2019 and now has a "natural immunity," per AP.Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin issued an executive order banning mask mandates, not face masks. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
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Michigan law enforcement agencies stood guard in downtown Lansing on a snowy Sunday morning in anticipation of armed demonstrations held by right-wing groups.

An FBI bulletin warned militant anti-government groups were organizing rallies at state capitals across the country on Jan. 17, raising concerns after a pro-Trump mob sieged the U.S. Capitol in violent riots earlier this month. The Michigan National Guard was activated to help the Michigan State Police secure state buildings in the lead-up to President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration on Jan. 20.

National Guard members were geared with riot shields inside the state Capitol around 8:30 a.m. and uniformed MSP troopers walked bomb-sniffing dogs around blocks of downtown Lansing. Multiple helicopters patrolled the skies, circling the Capitol and surrounding areas.

Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw said the heightened police presence is accompanied by other unseen measures around downtown Lansing.

Were prepared from two protesters to 2,000 protesters just like we would be for any type of mobilization, Shaw said. Our hope is that people who come out, if they are protesting or demonstrating, then as long as they are remaining on the legal side of that and following their first amendment rights, therell be no issues at all.

A six-foot fence was erected around the Capitol and Lansing City Hall. The Romney Building, which contains the governors office and other state offices, and downtown buildings were boarded up Friday.

Officials closed streets surrounding the Capitol on Sunday, which may remain closed throughout the week, according to the city of Lansing.

Traffic Advisory: There will be a number of road closures throughout downtown Lansing tomorrow due to expected demonstrations at and around the Capitol Building. pic.twitter.com/H0awbJgSFt  City of Lansing, MI (@lansingmichigan) January 17, 2021

Aside from the heavy police presence, downtown was eerily quiet with a handful of observers walking around the capitol, and who drove out to witness what some called history. Rick Woods, 54, strolled around the Capitol Sunday morning to observe the situation. Woods said he doesnt want to see any violence but understands why people are angry with the government.

Woods said hes not a Trumplican and described himself as a moderate conservative. He said elected officials havent convinced Republicans that the presidential election was fair and expressed concern about small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They should have some fear of the people, Woods said. Do I agree with the violence? Not so much, but there needs to be appreciable respect that when they walk into that house they work for us.

Wayne Koper, 66, came to Lansing wearing a Michigan Nerf Militia T-Shirt. Koper said most anti-government protesters are fools playing Army, but hes concerned about the potential for political violence after the riots in D.C.

The potential is always there, Koper said. Not everyone who went to Washington was organized, but some of them had to have been.

Koper said hes seen a big uptick in anti-government sentiment among his community in Caro. He reported a hotheaded acquaintance who attended protests in Washington D.C. to the FBI as the agency seeks information about people who broke the law.

I think this is going to be a huge turning point for our nation, Koper said. I have great hope.

Michigans Capitol is closed to the public Sunday. The state Legislature will not meet this week due to credible threats regarding events scheduled to take place at and around the state Capitol.

Shaw declined to say how many officers were dispatched to downtown Lansing on Sunday, or elaborate on how police will interact with the crowd. Heightened security measures will remain in place throughout the week, he said.

Police did not share any details about specific groups that could be involved or what their motivations are. However, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said volunteer militias, the Proud Boys and anti-government extremists in the boogaloo movement were among groups planning to protest at the Capitol Sunday.

Users on conservative social media pages asked others to stay home on Sunday, warning the events could give President Donald Trumps supporters a bad name. Michigan conservative groups speculated the events are a set up.

Trump was impeached last week by the U.S. House after supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C. to overturn his election loss. Members of Congress evacuated the Capitol as the mob scaled walls and broke through barriers to enter the building.

Several of Michigans representatives said they feared for their lives during the riots. U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids, is purchasing body armor in the wake of the attack.

The Michigan Capitol Commission voted to ban the open carry of firearms inside the building last week, reversing a controversial decision to allow weapons after armed protesters shouted down lawmakers inside the legislature last year.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she was hoping for a Sunday snowstorm to deter people from protesting at the Capitol. Nessel said Friday that police coordinated an enormous presence that could hamper down peoples interest in attending.

I believe that law enforcement will be prepared if there turned out to be a large contingency of people belonging to extremist groups that congregate at the Capitol on Sunday, Nessel said.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Whitmer authorizes deployment of Michigan National Guard for Bidens inauguration

Lansing mayor says Proud Boys, boogaloo groups planning armed protests at Michigan Capitol

Extreme rhetoric thrives on alternative social media sites growing after Facebook, Twitter crackdown
High-speed inflight broadband may be the key enabler for new ancillary revenue streams, but the cost of deployment is significant and airlines are getting inventive with their business models. With next-generation technology only recently available, its too early to determine which retail strategy will be most effective, but current passenger offers give many options for airlines to tailor their brand positions.



Free Wi-Fi

Free inflight Wi-Fi can be a key differentiator for some and one that aligns neatly with market positioning. Although not directly an ancillary stream, Wi-Fi free of charge can drive share and preference, and serve as a platform for other connectivity-dependent revenues. Free Wi-Fi not only helps create a sense of frictionless service where passengers have little else to worry about while on board, but also creates a more positive perception of the airline.

In practice, this often means not charging passengers in business class and above, which is just how Aer Lingus, Icelandair and SAS handle it (though SAS also includes premium economy passengers). Icelandair and SAS also offer free broadband in return for loyalty programme points recognising that frequent flyers are most likely to be travelling for business, though not always in business class  and will value being able to work on board more than any other loyalty reward.

Free broadband is also being used to drive share and loyalty by budget carriers. Norwegian and JetBlue enjoy a halo effect from their free service for all passengers, with high customer satisfaction and many industry awards  not to mention strong revenue and profits in 2016.
For young Christians growing up, it is undoubted that challenges of secularism abound. But even within once evangelical families, the shifts in recent decades of the meanings of faith and belief are one that draws into question our modern church approaches to youth ministry.

Increasingly commonplace views in the post-Christendom world are that the primacy of life is one of ensuring universal happiness and liberation of the oppressed. The role of God in life is of minimal importance and, to a growing extent, offensive to the functioning of modern society.

Even many leaders in youth ministry have resolved that all that one needs, is to believe in the death of Jesus for our sins which was the greatest act of love to the world, hence we ought to be loving one another in the wider community no matter of their background, religion, sexuality, social status and so forth. The only exception to this new Gospel teaching would be traditional evangelicals and those holding alternative hermeneutical points of view.

The God is love FULL STOP attitude

As churches continue to grapple with the balancing act being both a hospital for the sick and a school for sinners, the undergrowth of a God is love FULL STOP attitude has arisen to the surface and often become mainstream in the younger and more progressive generations of Christians. The lacking in the ability to articulate basic teachings beyond the slogans of evangelistic tracts has created an underclass of believers that more traditional evangelicals may (perhaps unfairly or not) deem as Christians in name only.

The growth of unchallenged relativism with claims of Biblical silence as the dismissal of questions of theological and doctrinal significance, could arguably be fostering a new religion that premises the expiation of sin through demonstrative virtue. Whereas the true Gospel preaches a message of repentance from sin, such new cultural Christianity placates itself as being an improved successor to traditional evangelical doctrine.

Even among what was once a nominally Christian society, many norms that upheld Gods sovereignty have inevitably been superseded by practices of individualism that exclude sin as something to be wrestled with. The pursuit of self-actualisation through the God is love FULL STOP teachings, exclude core doctrines which bear great weight on the wrath and just nature of God.

Post-Christendom society has not yet seen the full undergrounding of the Christian faith by secular society, nor does it appear that the non-believing world will necessarily be the ones to yield the shovels. It is sadly the practices of many Christians by name, that are digging the grave of faithful evangelical churches.

Once commonly held beliefs within the church, that only Christians who faithfully believe in Jesus Christ will go to heaven, are slowly but increasingly seen as perpetuating divisive points of view. The grave societal pressure to downplay the uniqueness of Christianity in the pursuit of tolerance, is seen with denials of the faiths absolute claims to truth by many claiming to be believers.

The casualisation of Christian fellowship

Another shift in the upholding of evangelical Christian values is the decline in the centrality of the church in our society as a meeting point beyond the Sunday service. With the casualisation of Christian fellowship across most denominations, the cultural value of Christianity and religion have also been ceded to the mainstream secular environment.

In speaking of the next generation, churches must not shy away from the topic of children, in particular, the birthing of offspring. Christmas should not be the only time of year where teachings of children being born and maturing into adulthood are espoused. From Luke chapter 2 verse 41 to 52, we read the story of Jesus in the Temple as a child to see the utmost importance of the solid evangelical study of Gods word.

The nuclear family and the wider church family play fundamental roles in the upbringing of children to set them up on a path to receive faith. Youth ministries in modern churches today often focus on spiritual growth for teenagers and young adults but overlook the pristine time in preparation for starting a family with children. Discussions in youth group about sex and dating have failed to convey the sacredness of marriage, and the goodness of family, especially regarding childbearing (if such forms part of Gods plan for you) being a societal good.

Concerning

Long time faithful Christians may have started to notice the implications of the liberalisation of the next generation and its links with growing secularisation in the post-Christendom cultural context. However, the issue at hand moves beyond just declining church attendance figures or shifting public perceptions of Christianity in the public square. Rather it is the uptake of a new doctrine with radically different theological underpinnings masquerading as Christianity that should be of most concern.

When churches preach the same calls to action and virtue signal likewise to that the secular society, it would be inevitable that the distinct taste of faithful evangelical Christianity is lost. The absence of salt and light in our churches leaves only empty shell buildings without fruitful substance.

It is only through the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that encourages us to first repent, and subsequently live in light of the Cross, that we can bridge the widening gulf of faith and belief in our society.

Families need to play a starting role in prioritising church and Christian fellowship as of the utmost importance throughout the week. Such is needed to be met by faith Christian ministers to promote trusting and welcoming relationships for the next generation. The next generation needs true Godly exposure to the Christian community from a young age beyond just regular Sunday service attendance.

The next generation of Godly faithful Christians can only come about from a culture of where families strive together in the endeavour to fragrance their household and beyond with the Word. Ensuring healthy spiritual lives of young people is quintessential to enabling the next generation to become evangelically grounded in the truths of the Christian faith against an increasingly hostile climate.
Pope Francis comments on Jesus' meeting with the first disciples before the Angelus prayer. Their hearts grow warmer and warmer as the Master speaks. They sense the beauty of words that respond to their greatest hope. The light that only God can give explodes in them  this light overflows from their hearts like a raging river. The Day for the deepening of dialogue between Catholics and Jews. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "God calls to life, He calls to faith, and He calls to a particular state in life": this is how Pope Francis summarized "the encounter with Christ who calls the first disciples to be with him", recounted in today's Sunday Gospel on the second of Sunday of ordinary time (B, John 1: 35-42).

The pontiff made his reflections before reciting the midday Angelus prayer. After the Marian prayer, he invited people to say a prayer for the Indonesian nation hit by an earthquake and a plane disaster.

At the invitation of Jesus ("Come and see", v. 39)". The two follow Him and remained that afternoon with Him. It is not difficult to imagine them seated asking Him questions and above all listening to Him, feeling their hearts enflamed ever more while the Master spoke. They sense the beauty of the words that respond to their greatest hope. And all of a sudden they discover that, even though it is evening, that light that only God can give was exploding within them."

Moving from his scripted text, the Pope added: "One thing that attracts attention: one of them, 60 years later, remembers the time of the meeting. The true encounter with Jesus is emblazoned in their memory, because it changed their life ". When they leave and return to their brothers, that joy, that light overflows from their hearts like a raging river. One of the two, Andrew, says to his brother, Simon  whom Jesus will call Peter  We have found the Messiah" (v. 41) .

. God calls to life, He calls to faith, and He calls to a particular state in life. Gods first call is to life, through which He makes us persons; it is an individual call because God does not make things in series. Then God calls us to faith and to become part of His family as children of God. Lastly, God calls us to a particular state in life: to give of ourselves on the path of matrimony, or that of the priesthood or the consecrated life. They are different ways of realizing the design that God has for each one of us that is always a design of love. And the greatest joy for every believer is to respond to that call, offering ones entire being to the service of God and the brothers and sisters.

Before the Lords call, which reaches us in a thousand ways  through others, happy or sad events  our attitude at times might be rejection because it seems to be in contrast to our aspirations; another is fear because we believe it is too demanding and uncomfortable. But Gods call is love and it should be responded to only with love. At the beginning there is an encounter, or rather, there is the encounter with Jesus who speaks to us of His Father, He makes His love known to us. And then the spontaneous desire will arise even in us to communicate it to the people that we love: I met Love, I found the meaning of my life. In a word: I found God."

After the Angelus prayer, the pontiff expressed his closeness to the people of the island of Sulawesi (Indonesia) hit by a "strong earthquake", praying for the victims, the wounded and the survivors. He added: May the Lord comfort and console and support the efforts of those who are bringing relief". Then recalling the plane crash that also took place in Indonesia a few days earlier, he invited people to recite a Hail Mary.

He then highlighted two important events: today's observance of the Day for the deepening of dialogue between Catholics and Jews, which has lasted for 30 years and for which he wishes "abundant fruits of fraternity and collaboration"; and one that begins tomorrow, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which this year has as its theme "Abide in my love". The Pope recalled that on January 25, as a tradition, he will celebrate vespers in the basilica of St. Paul outside the walls together with the various representatives of the Christian denominations of Rome.
A Mount Pleasant company is making real estate investments, focused on the market of the physical places where an ever-increasing volume of data is stored.

The firm, called EdgePWR, is purchasing data centers outside of the country's largest metropolitan areas. The company's success in its first two years speaks to a growing need for data, and not only within traditional business centers.

Matthew Chapdelaine, a managing partner at the firm, said EdgePWR is growing faster than he expected when he co-founded it with colleague Jim La Marche in 2018.

Though the phrase "edge data center, where the company gets its name, is far outside the average person's lexicon, the problems these hubs work to solve affect anyone connected to the internet.

A data center is a place where data is stored on servers. The centralization provides better security for data, and its operators take on the responsibility of keeping the technology cool and other maintenance. Google has a data center it values at $2.4 billion in Berkeley County; the company says it employs 400 people there.

As individuals and businesses of all sizes amass huge amounts of data, the need for an infrastructure to store all of those bits of information has grown. In fact, analysts at Cisco predict the volume of data globally will be quadruple the capacity that our data centers can manage. More infrastructure is needed.

If that infrastructure is closer to the person or the business, retrieving it is faster. A market has sprung up for "edge" data centers in more outlying parts of the country, therefore.

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This de-centralization of where data is stored is a $5.5 billion market globally, and is projected to reach a $20 billion value by 2026, according to Global Market Insights.

EdgePWR isn't a data center operator, however. Instead, it is buying the real estate where these scattered data centers are housed and leasing it back to operators, mainly offering long leases. Most of its leadership team comes from a background in real estate investment or finance.

Chapdelaine founded another startup in Chicago that sought to analyze "an ocean of real estate data," as he puts it on his LinkedIn page. It was around the time he moved to Charleston that he began to notice the need for data storage in smaller towns.

"The vast majority of data center capacity is in a handful of markets. There's this need for computing at the edge," he said. "Companies want their data to be closer to them."

The company made the local news in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when it purchased a business center and former mall that had been up for bid there for more than a year, according to The Advocate newspaper.

The pandemic has only sped along the market and EdgePWR's growth, Chapledaine said, as people connect more devices to the internet and work disperses throughout the country. It was one of multiple deals that closed for the company in 2020, and Chapledaine said more acquisitions and closings are expected in 2021.
In a Connecticut hospital room, a woman less than 48 hours from death posted on Facebook: "It is now just a matter of trying to keep me comfortable till I pass."

A few days before Christmas, less than a week before he died at home, a California man texted his daughter: "Vaccines on the way. Gettin kinda close."

Four hundred thousand Americans have now died of covid-19. It took 12 weeks for the death toll to rise from 200,000 to 300,000. The death toll has leaped from 300,000 to 400,000 in less than five weeks.

The numbers are huge and the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically changed daily life, from work to play to the most basic of human relationships. Yet these are, by and large, invisible deaths: Coronavirus victims who die in the hospital often spend their final days cut off from family and friends, their only human contact coming from medical personnel hidden behind layers of protective gear. Even those who die at home often decline in quarantine, keeping a lonely vigil over their body's fight.

Beyond death, covid's casualties suffer further indignities: Storage in refrigerator trucks parked outside overwhelmed funeral homes, funerals that must be closed to mourners, lonely burials, cremations delayed by weeks or months because of the backlog.

The pace of death has never been faster, despite all efforts by scientists, public health officials and politicians. The historically swift development of effective vaccines, improved treatment of the most severe cases and a stronger consensus around mask-wearing have failed so far against the shortcomings of an overwhelmed health-care system, a painfully slow start to the vaccination campaign, and a continuing political divide over how serious the virus is and how hard to try to contain it.

Just three months ago, Anthony Fauci, the nation's infectious-disease chief, imagined that "if we don't do what we need to in the fall and winter, we could have 300,000 to 400,000 covid-19 deaths."

Now, with more than 1 of every 1,000 Americans dead from the virus, a University of Washington model that predicted the current totals forecasts 567,000 U.S. deaths by April 1, a number that could jump above 700,000 if mask mandates are eased in the interim.

In the middle of a grim winter marked by mass death, seemingly uncontrolled illness and the most unnerving threat to U.S. democracy in more than 160 years, amid the rapid acceleration of coronavirus cases and deaths, an increasing portion of Americans are ready to take the vaccine - 60 percent, according to an Axios-Ipsos survey this month, up from 48 percent a month earlier. In addition, a majority remain worried about catching the virus (77 percent in a Quinnipiac poll last month.)

Each death from covid-19 is at once a number and a unique tragedy, and each is a strangely distant demise - so many invisible deaths in lonely places.

- - -

"Dear friends, I've been in the hospital for over a week with Covid," Earla Dawn Dimitriadis wrote on Facebook on Dec. 1. She explained that paramedics had found her at home, "lethargic and barely hanging on ... Unfortunately they are unable to keep my levels up. There was damage done to my lungs and pneumonia set in. I'm unable to talk on the phone, due to lack of oxygen. But now that I have my phone I can post some. Please pray "

Her friends replied with 205 prayers, hugs and crosses.

They were friends from the after-school program in Stamford, Conn., where Dimitriadis, 66, had spent more than 25 years, teaching art and running operations. They were customers of the business she'd created to sell jewelry she made at home. They knew her as a woman who posted online not about politics but about the beauty of a blue moon, the importance of finding one's true path and the sweetness of her cat, Chatty Cathy.

Later that day, from the ICU at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, she posted again: "When I was a little girl, I would grab the Sears catalogue and circle my 'wishes.' I usually never received any of the items, but it always would make me feel good inside. ... So during my time here in the hospital, (I'm) putting together a wish list of things I love, and make me smile. It helps to get me through these days in isolation ICU and focus on beauty instead of all these machines and monitors."

Beneath that message, she posted photos of bejeweled dragonflies, their wings spread wide, their direction strong and clear.

Dimitriadis grew up in New York's Hudson Valley and didn't get past junior high school. But as an adult in Connecticut, she had three children, went back to school, earned a bachelor's degree and a master's in psychology, wrote plays, developed her art and launched her business.

On Dec. 3, she posted: "I'm losing the battle with Covid ... I'm ready to go and not be in pain anymore. I love you all ... This will probably be my last post. Be kind to each other. I love you "

The comments poured in: "Keep fighting!" many said. People prayed for her. A woman apologized "that I was not so open to your help."

"I can't lose you," a grandson wrote.

On the phone, Dimitriadis told her two daughters to be strong, that this loss would make them stronger, recalled Jennifer Ritz Sullivan, 36, the younger daughter.

"She was fine with everything in life," Sullivan said. "She told us she would always be with us."

Dimitriadis, who declined to be put on a ventilator, was struggling to breathe through an oxygen tube. She couldn't talk after that last call, but she posted on Facebook a few songs that comforted her, songs of faith by Josh Groban and Alan Jackson, and Gerry and the Pacemakers' version of "You'll Never Walk Alone:"

"At the end of the storm, there's a golden sky, and the sweet silver song of a lark ..."

On Dec. 4, Sullivan received a brief text from her mother: "They'll be moving me into hospice soon."

A nurse told Sullivan they would turn down Dimitriadis's oxygen "and it was just a matter of time." Sullivan stayed up all night, waiting.

At 10 a.m. on Dec. 5, Sullivan sent her mother one last text:

"Mom, I don't want to bother you. I know you can't read this but I want you to know. I'm sitting outside and it is snowing. I am talking to you out loud hoping that you can hear me. I'm thinking about all the good times that we had. Thinking about the way your hands were always the softest, your skin was always warm and soft, and smelt like tea rose ..."

"I am so proud to be your daughter," Sullivan texted. "I love you to the moon and back. I look forward to seeing you again."

There would be no reply.

A few hours later, while her daughters were on the phone with each other sharing stories and photos, they got the call.

Dimitriadis had posted the details of her decline even though "she'd tried to shield people from pain all her life," Sullivan said. "But in her final days, dying by herself, she wanted to share with folks that this is possible for anyone to get. She told her story for a reason."

- - -

When the coronavirus first hit South Florida, Steven Neher, a nurse practitioner, and his longtime partner, Christian Riddell, who works in customer service for Air Canada, decided they needed to be strict about following the guidelines.

Neher worked at the Hillsborough County Falkenburg Road Jail in Tampa, a place, like any enclosed community, where viruses spread easily. But for months, the facility seemed clear of the coronavirus.

"For the longest time, we never knew anybody who got it," Riddell said. "We hardly went anywhere, and we'd wear masks if we did."

Neher, 49, and Riddell, 48, figured that as relatively young men with no health problems, "even if we did end up getting it, it might be like a bad flu and we'd just get over it," Riddell said.

Then, the week before Thanksgiving, a worker at the jail tested positive. Two days later, Neher felt fatigued.

"In the 10 years I've known him, he's never gotten sick to the point where he spent the day in bed, or even a half-day," Riddell said. They'd met on the dating site Match.com and six months later, "he knew I was his forever."

The couple ran a home-based business called Tipsy Candles, and their candle-making studio, filled with five-pound jugs of each fragrance, produced a powerful aroma when they cooked.

Suddenly, Neher couldn't smell a thing. He lost his sense of taste. He went to a clinic for a coronavirus test. Positive.

He "asked for what he called the Trump cocktail, all the medications he thought he needed," Riddell said. He got vitamins, antibiotics, steroids and an inhaler.

Neher "was like, 'I have this, and I'm going to get rid of it,'" Riddell recalled.

The couple had a small Thanksgiving at home, and Neher started feeling better. But in early December, he started having trouble breathing.

On Dec. 4, he got a portable oxygen unit. They stacked pillows in their bed to prop Neher up as he slept. Riddell tucked their two dachshunds - Reese and Truffles - into Neher's arms, and Riddell slept on the floor next to the oxygen machine.

The next day, Neher knew he had to be hospitalized. He couldn't make it to his front door and needed an ambulance.

"It was hard for him to move, it was hard for him to breathe," said Denise Bruscino, a critical-care nurse and longtime friend who texted with Neher throughout the days. "He was very anxious because he felt like he couldn't breathe. He wanted anxiety medication so he could sleep, but they needed to keep him awake and upright to help his breathing."

Neher's friends wanted to decorate his room with poster-size photos of his family, friends and dachshunds, but the hospital wouldn't allow it.

"Covid patients are very alone," Bruscino said. "The only contact they have is with the staff, who are dressed head to toe in gear with face shields and masks and gowns and gloves and booties. You just barely see our eyes. It's a very scary time for them."

Neher was put on a ventilator, and could no longer call.

After a week in the hospital, things were looking up, Riddell said. They texted often.

But on Dec. 27, Riddell texted and nothing came back.

Neher spent his days mostly unconscious, sedated because of the tube in his throat. He'd be awakened only for doctors to check his neurological functions - a squeeze of a nurse's hand, a blink. Then he'd be put back to sleep, Bruscino said.

"He knew what was going on the whole time, right up to the end," Riddell said. "When doctors said they were going to intubate him, he gave the thumbs-up. They kept telling us, sometimes it takes 30 days, or 60 or 80, for people to get better. They kept saying that, even the night before he passed away."

On Dec. 29, Neher's heart stopped. Doctors restarted it. It didn't work.

"It all happened so quickly," Riddell said. When he went to pick up his partner's backpack, a nurse told Riddell that Neher had "told her that he was scared. And I couldn't be there with him."

- - -

Yee Se Choa Ong, 76, worked long hours as a cardiologist in Muskogee, Okla., where he had settled with his wife, Ann, after medical school.

Growing up in the Philippines, Ong knew about the medical needs of rural areas, and Oklahoma, which ranks near the top in the United States for rates of heart and lung disease, seemed a place where he could help.

For more than four decades, Ong and his wife - a Kentucky native with a master's in child mental health - devoted themselves to their clinic, their children hanging out in a play area as Ong finished his rounds.

As the coronavirus hit the area hard - Muskogee County has lost 58 residents - and the town's small hospital was overwhelmed, Ong's hours got longer.

"He had patients in the hospital who were dying their last breath on this earth and they said, 'This can't be covid, you must be mistaken, covid is a hoax to make Trump look bad,'" said Ong's daughter, Jasmine Ong, 43, a veterinary student in Colorado.

On a Thanksgiving Zoom call, Ong told Jasmine that the hospital was full. A couple of days later, around midnight on Nov. 28, Ong collapsed - probably from exhaustion - at the hospital while taking care of covid patients. He hit his head and suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Hospitalized in Tulsa, he seemed to be recovering, and kept asking nurses to let him have his cellphone and clothes so he could get back to work. He even tried to recruit one of his nurses to come work for him in Muskogee.

On their video chats, Ong told his daughter he wanted to take a long road trip to see her in Colorado, then drive to see her brother Emil in the Bay Area. Ong also wanted to go back to his home city of Cabanatuan in the Philippines, which he had not visited since 1972, to see his siblings again and help poor patients there. Jasmine could be his medical assistant, he said.

"He kept making plans for the future," Jasmine said.

But on Dec. 16, he began to have trouble breathing. Both he and Ann - who had been at his bedside the whole time - tested positive for the coronavirus. His conditioned worsened rapidly, he was quickly put on a ventilator, and he died Dec. 21, with Ann holding his hand.

Earlier that night, she had held the phone to his ear so Jasmine and her brother could say their goodbyes.

"I just said all the things you say to your father when you know he's going to die," Jasmine said, "that you love him and you're very proud of him and thanks for being my dad and doing everything you've done for me."

Jasmine blames the loss - to her family and to Muskogee - on Oklahoma's leaders, chief among them Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican and Trump acolyte who has resisted a mask mandate as the virus has ravaged the state.

"You have blood on your hands - make no mistake," she wrote on Facebook. "You have deprived an entire community of one of its greatest champions and hardest workers."

- - -

On his last day, Jim Matzorkis told his daughter he was feeling a little better - but he didn't want to jinx it. There was too much good stuff just ahead. It was five days until Christmas, a week and a half before he would retire as executive director of the Port of Richmond in Northern California's East Bay. Matzorkis had plans.

His covid case had been relatively mild, at least in comparison with stories he'd heard. Matzorkis, 68, awoke on Thanksgiving morning feeling like he had a cold, or perhaps the flu. He tested positive for the coronavirus a couple of days later but never developed respiratory problems. Then again, he told his family, he never felt "quite right" after that.

He never saw a doctor in person.

"They didn't want him to come in, because he wasn't experiencing any of the major symptoms that people are being hospitalized for," said Ileana Matzorkis, 32, the younger of two daughters born to Jim and his wife, Beverly, his high school sweetheart. "They just did a few e-visits."

Jim ensconced himself downstairs in their bluff-side home in Montclair, a wooded neighborhood along the Oakland Hills in the Bay Area, quarantining for 10 days while his wife stayed upstairs. Then his doctor told him he was no longer contagious and could resume activities. Matzorkis had plenty of them in mind.

Born to a Greek family, a man of outsized enthusiasm, Matzorkis and his wife had moved to San Francisco for college and taken jobs with Bill Graham Presents, the legendary concert promoter. The job led to an unfortunate brush with fame: In 1977, at the Oakland Coliseum, he was savagely beaten by members of Led Zeppelin's management and road crew. Matzorkis sued for $2 million and won.

He left the music business and immersed himself in family and his Greek roots, taking his daughters, Melanie and Ileana, to Crete several times - a tradition he asked them to continue even if he were not around.

As Christmas 2020 neared, Matzorkis kept telling his daughters he didn't feel fully himself. He got fatigued, lacked appetite. Friends checked on him constantly.

He was a person of meticulous routines, and on the night of Dec. 20 he was performing one of them, checking every lock in the house before going to bed. About 11 p.m., "he was coming back from locking an upstairs door, and he yelled out for my mom, and he collapsed in the hallway," Ileana said. "He knocked down the railing on the stairs when he fell. His heart just stopped."

Beverly called 911 and tried to perform CPR. Paramedics arrived and did the same, but Matzorkis was gone before his daughters arrived from their nearby homes.

In the wake of his death, and absent an autopsy, his family traced the possibilities. Matzorkis had been on medication for high blood pressure, and several years earlier he had dealt with blood clots.

He'd been in fine health recently, but his past clots made him an almost textbook example of a person vulnerable to covid's ravages.

"I'm not blaming anyone, but I wish he could have seen a doctor in person," Ileana said. "Maybe, with his history, someone would have thought about the effects of covid on his heart."

Matzorkis had been especially keen to resume travel - to Greece, of course, but also to Mexico, where he planned to add to his massive collection of top-shelf tequilas. Instead, his daughters cleaned out his desk at the port, arranged for burial in his family's plot in Cleveland and helped their mother adjust.

They'll have a memorial service when conditions allow. "But when will that be - and what will have happened between now and then?" Ileana said. "That's the scary part."

- - -

The Washington Post's Emily Guskin and Julie Tate contributed to this report.
Housing advocates have seized on plans to build offices and more than 600 residences in towers above and around the future Waterloo metro station to demand more social and affordable homes in Sydney's inner south.

The NSW government's updated plans for the $900 million project, released in November, included high-rise accommodation for almost 500 students and a new office building, as the metro rail line being built under the central city triggers more intensive development throughout Redfern and Waterloo.

The NSW government has released designs for the over-station development at Waterloo, which includes work spaces, private apartments, social and student housing.

Shelter NSW said plans for fewer than 100 social and affordable homes would do little to ease housing stress, as the waiting list for social housing in NSW passes 51,000, including more than 4000 people on a "priority" list.

The government, with developers Mirvac and John Holland, is pushing ahead with plans to develop the Metro Quarter precinct with residential and commercial buildings of 25, 24, 17 and nine storeys above the rail station.
A painting bought for $1 at a clearance sale in 1973 is likely the work of the great Australian artist Tom Roberts (pictured)

A dirty old canvas bought for $1 at a clearance sale in 1973 is likely the work of the great Australian artist Tom Roberts and could be worth $50,000.

The painting, known as Portrait of a Woman, sat abandoned in a shed in the New South Wales Hunter Valley for perhaps 45 years and until recently its sitter remained a mystery.

Now a retired lawyer from Newcastle believes she has identified the woman in the portrait, as well as dispelling any doubts it was Roberts who painted her in the 1890s.

Roberts is regarded as one of Australia's foremost artists, famed for his landscapes and responsible for iconic works including Bailed Up, Shearing the Rams and The Golden Fleece.

He was also a noted portraitist and was commissioned to recreate the 1901 opening of the first Federal Parliament in a huge painting known as The Big Picture.

Margaret McMahon hopes Portrait of a Woman can be added to the Roberts canon after undertaking 12 months of intensive research.

'Everybody who has looked at it has been quite confident it is a Tom Roberts,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'The real problem has been the provenance.'

When Patti Graham bought Portrait of a Woman at Raworth, near Morpeth in the NSW Hunter Valley, 46 years ago it was the unframed, dirty and torn. She is pictured holding the painting with daughter Vanessa Howe

Portrait of a Woman sat abandoned in this shed for decades after the death of Gertrude Atkins, who author Margaret McMahon believes was painted by Tom Roberts in 1899

Tom Roberts is regarded as one of Australia's foremost artists, famed for his landscapes and responsible for iconic works including Bailed Up, Shearing the Rams and The Golden Fleece. Bailed Up, painted while Roberts was visiting friends near Inverell in northern NSW is pictured

Ms McMahon is convinced the sitter was Gertrude May Atkins and she got to know Roberts while working behind the counter of her family's post office and general store at Hinton, near Maitland.

Gertrude's face would have been unknown to Sydney and Melbourne audiences used to Roberts portraits of sophisticated, fashionable and famous young women.

Ms McMahon suspects the vastly different backgrounds and lifestyles of Roberts and Gertrude were part of the reason no one had looked to find the sitter for Portrait of a Woman on the banks of the Hunter River.

She further believes a portrait known as Adagio, which is recognised as having been painted by Roberts and exhibited in August 1899 was also of Gertrude.

The background of Adagio, which is unsigned and undated, features a winding river which could have been painted around Hinton.

While experts who viewed Portrait of a Woman over the years believed it was likely the work of Roberts, history had not recorded his presence in the Maitland region.

Roberts was known to regularly frequent northern NSW where he painted Bailed Up (1895) and The Golden Fleece (1894) while staying at his friend Duncan Anderson's property Newstead near Inverell.

Margaret McMahon is convinced the sitter for Portrait of a Woman was Gertrude Atkins, who got to know Roberts while working behind the counter of her family's store at Hinton, near Maitland. Gertrude's face would have been unknown to Sydney and Melbourne audiences

Margaret McMahon believes a portrait known as Adagio (pictured) and recognised as having been painted by Tom Roberts was also of Gertrude Atkins. The background of Adagio, which is unsigned and undated, features a winding river which could have been painted around Hinton

The artist stayed with the Anderson family at Newstead Station for at least four Christmases and Gertrude Atkins had uncles who lived and worked in the area.

Ms McMahon has shown the only convenient way for Roberts to have travelled to Inverell from Sydney was by steamer to the Hunter River ports of Morpeth or Hinton, then by rail north from Maitland for most of the journey.

The most suitable hotel for whisky drinker and raconteur Roberts to stay was the popular Victoria Inn at Hinton, where the Hunter River is joined by the Paterson.

McMahon believes Roberts was probably a regular customer at the hotel, built in 1840 and still standing, and would inevitably have met Gertrude, watching her grow from a teenager into a young woman.

The Atkins shop, just a block from the pub in Paterson Street, would have been an obvious place for Roberts to buy provisions before embarking on his more northerly journeys.

Ms McMahon thinks Roberts would have encountered Gertrude, the eldest of ten children, at Hinton by the time of his first trip to Inverell about 1893 when she would have been 14 or 15.

The most suitable hotel for whisky drinker and raconteur Roberts to stay was the popular Victoria Inn (pictured) at Hinton, where the Hunter River is joined by the Paterson

Margaret McMahon believes Roberts was probably a regular customer at the Victoria (pictured in December) and would inevitably have met Gertrude Atkins at her family's nearby shop

It is probable Gertrude's father James Atkins, who was about the same age as Roberts, drank at the Victoria and could have struck up a friendship with the pipe-smoking city visitor.

Ms McMahon believes Gertrude might have been flattered by the interest of an older man of Roberts' stature, and her family would have welcomed their association, at least initially.

Roberts has sometimes been described as a 'bounder'. He was 22 years older than Gertrude and particularly attracted to dark-haired women under 25 with exotic appearances.

Gertrude Atkins's mother Louisa (pictured) inherited some of her slave ancestor's features

Gertrude's great-grandmother had been a slave stolen from Madagascar and later transported from Mauritius to Sydney as a convict.

While there is no known photograph of Gertrude, a picture of her mother Louisa shows she inherited her slave ancestor's frizzy dark hair, which is also evident in Portrait of a Woman.

The pose of the portrait's sitter suggests a familiarity with the painter and possibly some flirtation, or a hint of disappointment.

Ms McMahon believes the painting 'indicates that they might have had a relationship of some sort but not the one that Gertrude was imagining or hoping for.'

'It seems more like a young girl's crush on a charming older man,' she writes in a self-published book, Tom Roberts and the Girl Behind the Canvas.

Dr Julie Cotter, the author of Tom Roberts and the Art of Portraiture, examined Portrait of a Woman and prepared a report on it in April 2019.

'There are many aspects of the work that suggest that the work is by Tom Roberts,' she wrote.

The green background, cream dress, and soft pink cheeks were typical of Roberts and Portrait of a Woman displayed an intimacy with the sitter.

'The main problem is locating Roberts in the Maitland region,' Dr Cotter concluded.

Tom Roberts (1856-1931) was born in England and sailed to Victoria with his family when he was about 13. He was a key member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism. Roberts is pictured

There can now be no doubt Roberts spent time in the lower Hunter Valley, which was then still the gateway to the Northern Tablelands, Western Slopes and New England districts.

Ms McMahon has firmly located Roberts at Singleton, 45km north-west of Maitland, to judge fine art and needlework at the 1899 Northern Agricultural Association show.

Who was Tom Roberts? Tom Roberts (1856-1931) was born in England and sailed to Victoria with his family when he was about 13. He was a key member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism. After attending art schools in Melbourne he travelled to Europe in 1881 to further his training and returned home in 1885. He worked alongside Arthur Streeton, Frederick McCubbin and Charles Condor, capturing Australia's distinctive light, heat, space and distance. In 1896 he married 36-year-old Elizabeth (Lillie) Williamson and they had one son, Caleb. A leading proponent of painting en plein air, Roberts is best known for his 'national narratives', including Shearing the Rams, A break away!, Bailed Up and The Golden Fleece. Roberts earned most of his living as a portraitist and in 1903 finished The Big Picture, portraying the opening of the first federal parliament. Advertisement

The appearance of the 'well-known Sydney artist' was reported in the Maitland Mercury and Muswellbrook Chronicle on August 16 and 19 respectively.

Ms McMahon believes Portrait of a Woman could have been painted at the Atkins home during Roberts' trip to the Singleton show.

The back of the house would have been relatively private, with a good view of the river and surrounding hills.

Gertrude would have been about 21, while Roberts was married with a toddler son.

The portrait could have been a birthday gift or a parting memento before a voyage Roberts had planned to England before he was commissioned to paint The Big Picture.

Jane Messenger is one of Australia's leading art valuers and director of Messenger Art Advisory, which has offices in Melbourne and Sydney.

'If we accept the portrait to be by Tom Roberts, one could expect an average market valuation of $50,000,' she said.

'In many respects, the greater value would be located in the historical significance of the painting, providing richer insights into the artist's movements during the late 1890s, his working method and relationship with Gertrude Atkins.'

Ms McMahon's interest in Portrait of a Woman began when she met 84-year-old Patti Graham at an exercise class in Newcastle in 2019.

The next week over coffee Ms Graham showed Ms McMahon a photograph of an unsigned and undated portrait she had bought 46 years earlier.

Experts had told Ms Graham it was probably by Tom Roberts but she would have to prove its authenticity by establishing a chain of evidence from the artist's hand to her taking possession.

Unfortunately it did not appear on lists of Roberts' output, in inventories of collectors or auction catalogues, and no contemporary descriptions of the work existed.

Patti Graham bought a pair of rose glass lamps and a cedar Victorian dressing table from Nancy Hardes in this shed (near fence line) before spotting a filthy torn canvas she liked

The Muswellbrook Chronicle recorded Tom Roberts judging fine art and needlework at the Northern Agricultural Association Show at Singleton in its August 19, 1899 edition (pictured)

Ms McMahon would have to start her detective work from events in 1973.

That year a woman had come into Ms Graham's antiques shop at Islington in Newcastle and asked if she wanted to view the contents of a shed at Raworth, near Morpeth.

The pair met at the dirt-floored shed and Ms Graham bought a pair of rose glass lamps and a cedar Victorian dressing table before spotting a filthy torn canvas she liked.

'The woman, whose name wasn't given, said she wanted to get rid of all the old stuff that had belonged to her granny and sold it to me for a dollar,' Ms Graham told Ms McMahon.

The woman, aged in her 50s, said the furniture and other bric-a-brac had been in the shed since 'Granny's' death but did not state when that had been.

A couple of days later Ms Graham took the unframed canvas to the Art Gallery of NSW where she was told it appeared to be an unfinished Tom Roberts.

Ms Graham had the canvas cleaned and repaired and hung it on her wall where it stayed for almost four decades.

Tom Roberts painted The Golden Fleece in 1894 while staying at his friend Duncan Anderson's property Newstead near Inverell. Roberts made regular trips to the property in the 1890s

Roberts worked alongside Arthur Street, Frederick McCubbin and Charles Condor, capturing Australia's distinctive light, heat, space and distance. A break away! (pictured) is one of his best-known works

She gave it to her daughter Vanessa Howe when she was downsizing in 2011.

Ms Howe had the painting further restored in 2018. It was originally 35cm by 45cm and is now 41cm x 32cm.

Over the years various experts have told Ms Graham and Ms Howe the painting looked to be by Tom Roberts but its provenance could not be established.

Ms Howe had already amassed a large bundle of reports, photographs and emails when Ms McMahon took on the job of establishing the painting's origins.

Ms McMahon searched family trees, examined legal documents, pored over local history records and interviewed Hinton and Morpeth identities.

In 2019 Ms Graham could no longer identify exactly where the shed had stood but Ms McMahon used property records to reveal it had once belonged to dairy farmer Thomas Hardes.

Hardes had moved to the property in 1928 with his wife Gertrude, after living with her at nearby Nelsons Plains for 20 years.

The couple had one child, Bertha, who died in 1966, without having her own children. Gertrude had died in 1939 and Thomas in 1971.

The woman who sold the painting to Ms Graham has been identified as Nancy Hardes, one of Thomas Hardes' nieces, who had referred to Gertrude as 'Granny'.

'The part that Gertrude would have played in Tom Roberts' life would have been fleeting and inconsequential,' Margaret McMahon has written. 'But for this young girl from Hinton, it would have been an unforgettable occasion.' The Victoria Hotel at Hinton is pictured

The Hardes home had been demolished in the 1970s but the shed was moved and still stood.

Ms McMahon thinks Gertrude took Portrait of a Woman from her childhood home at Hinton to Nelsons Plains when she married, then Raworth, where it sat in the shed for almost half a century.

She speculates Thomas may not have known of the painting's existence or its significance to his wife, or it could have caused some tension between the pair.

The fact it was unframed suggested it had never been hung.

Ms McMahon feels she has come to know Gertrude Atkins, more than 120 years after the shop girl encountered the great artist.

'The part that Gertrude would have played in Tom Roberts' life would have been fleeting and inconsequential,' she wrote. 'But for this young girl from Hinton, it would have been an unforgettable occasion.

'Gertrude was at a very vulnerable stage in her life and had probably fallen heavily for Roberts.'



In 2013 an Australian couple paid 7500 ($12,000) for this painting, purportedly signed by Roberts, but doubts emerged about its authenticity. In 2017 experts from the BBC TV program Fake or Fortune determined it was real

Ms Howe has sent Ms McMahon's findings back to the Roberts experts to see if Portrait of a Woman is accepted as his work.

In 2013 an Australian couple paid 7500 ($12,000) in an online auction for a painting purportedly signed by Roberts but doubts emerged about its authenticity.

Joe Natoli, a former mayor of Maroochy Shire on the Queensland Sunshine Coast, and his Channel Seven presenter wife Rosanna Natoli did not give up easily.

The couple took the small oil on canvas work, called Rejected and painted about 1883, to the BBC TV program Fake or Fortune where it was determined to be real.

Rejected was later submitted for sale with a price tag of $650,000.
A San Francisco freelance web developer who calls himself a Proud Boy and has an extensive history of COVID denialism has been charged for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The FBI charged Daniel Goodwyn with knowingly entering a restricted building and "intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of government business" in a complaint filed Friday. According to the complaint, Goodwyn identified himself by his first and last name on a livestream posted by Baked Alaska, the stage name of popular right-wing agitator Anthime Gionet. Gionet was arrested Friday in Houston.

"While in the building the defendant was called out as 'sfthoughtcriminal,' by Anthime Gionet aka 'Baked Alaska,'" the complaint reads. "Goodwyn, who was wearing dark sunglasses, a MAGA hat, and a tan and black jacket approached Gionet. Goodwyn then told Gionet to stop 'doxing' him and stated that his name was Daniel Goodwyn."

According to the FBI, Capitol Police then ordered Goodwyn to leave. As he exited, the complaint says he called the officer an "oathbreaker," a derogatory term used by the far right against law enforcement they deem unsympathetic to their cause.

Goodwyn has a large digital footprint. According to his personal website, he attended City College of San Francisco and works as a freelance web and app developer. He lists Jews for Jesus as one of his clients and, strangely, posts links to everything from his Gab, Parler, Venmo and Pandora accounts to his dating app profiles. His social media claims he drove from San Francisco to D.C. for the Stop the Steal rally that, as the afternoon wore on, turned into an all-out assault on the U.S. Capitol building.

On his Twitter account Goodwyn claimed in September he was "arrested and cited" for not wearing a mask on Muni. Afterward, he posted video of himself on YouTube, maskless, reading a statement in front of the Hall of Justice. In it, he repeats a number of lies about the coronavirus pandemic, including denying it outright and falsely claiming COVID vaccines will contain "a microchip."

He used the citation to fundraise for himself on a Christian crowd-funding site used by other far-right extremists like Stop the Steal founder Ali Alexander. Goodwyn raised $1,689 of his $5,000 goal.

FBI/Handout

In addition to his alleged appearance on Baked Alaska's stream, the FBI complaint alleges Goodwyn posted about the riot on his own social media. Screenshots in the complaint show a livestream posted on Goodwyn's Instagram, accompanied by the caption, "I didnt break or take anything but I went inside for a couple of minutes." The FBI says an associate of Goodwyn's who saw the posts alerted the agency to Goodwyn's possible involvement.

The complaint also notes that Goodwyn is a "self-proclaimed member of the Proud Boys." The Proud Boys are an anti-immigrant, far-right group who self-describe as "western chauvinists." The Southern Poverty Law Center designates them as a hate group.

You can read the full complaint here.
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The Upper West Regional Referral Hospital in Wa has been operating at suboptimal capacity following a number of challenges facing the facility, including inadequate capital to purchase consumables.



There is also lack of medical professionals such as doctors and nurses, including vehicles, accommodation and the inability of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to reimburse the facility.



The Medical Director of the hospital,Dr Robert Amesiya, was speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Wa last Wednesday.



The hospital began functioning on January 9,2020.



The $52-million hospital with state-of-the-art facilities was inaugurated onAugust18,2019 by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and later handed over to the Ghana Health Service after testing and commissioning of equipment.



Challenges



Dr Amesiya said the hospital had not been provided with any seed capitalto serve as a revolving fund, as such management was finding it difficult to procure basic and essential consumables such as gloves,especially during emergencies.



"Right from the word go we had to begin with struggles which was a bit frustrating.This is a facility where you cannot operate without the requisite investments. We are now operating at our wits end since no assistance is coming from anywhere," he said.



Dr Amesiya also said the hospital had only one rickety vehicle for administrative purposes and said there was also inadequate staff bungalows for critical staff such as medical officers, nurses and other paramedics.



The situation got worse when the hospital was selected as a regional centre for the treatment of COVID-19 cases, he added.



The director also said forthe past eight months the NHIS had not reimbursed the hospital for its claims, thus bringing its IGF under stress.



He said the hospital had only 20 bungalows even though it needed at least 50 medical officers, 350 nurses, junior staff and other staff for its 17 units to be able to operate efficiently.



Electricity



Dr Amesiya further said electricity was another major challenge confronting the facility.



At the moment, he said the hospital was connected to the Nadowli-Hamile power grid which was congested and frequently went off, compelling them to spend at least GH3,000 fuel to power their generator.



Attempts to get the facility hooked onto the national electrification grid at Sawla was proving difficult because the hospital cannot afford the GH1 million being demanded by the Northern Electricity Development Company (NEDCo), Dr Amesiya said.



He, therefore, called for the immediate intervention of the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to help address the challenges to facilitate efficient healthcare delivery in the region.



Response



When contacted, the Upper West Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Damien Punguyire, said he was collaborating with the NHIA to settle the claims.



On the provision of seed capital, he said the Ghana Health Service was working towards addressing some of the challenges faced by the hospital.



He said the biggest challenge of his outfit was the failure of critical staff to accept postings to the region due to limited opportunities such as educational facilities for their children and accommodation, among others.



Dr Punguyire said some of the measures they were considering included the rollout of attractive incentive packages to motivate and attract staff to the area.



He expressed gratitude to the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) for its support, which included the allocation of bungalows to the health directorate to meet its staffing needs.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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China is aggressively promoting flimsy theories that Covid-19 originated outside the country as World Health Organisation experts begin their investigation in Wuhan into the pandemics source.

The countrys state-run media last week leapt on a report that a woman with symptoms of the virus has been traced to Milan in November 2019 as proof that the pandemic started abroad.

A leading Chinese scientist declared in the nationalistic Global Times: Other countries potentially had Covid outbreaks before Wuhan and investigations should be carried out there as soon as possible.

World Health Organisation experts begin their investigation in Wuhan into the pandemics source. Pictured: The Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China

The news from Italy made headlines in many Chinese newspapers, drawing online comments such as the world owes China an apology.

Beijing leaders have made repeated attempts to divert blame for the pandemic by claiming it was introduced to China by foreigners.

In March last year, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian tweeted suggestions that the US Army might have brought in the virus when its troops competed in the Military World Games in Wuhan in October 2019.

In March last year, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian tweeted suggestions that the US Army might have brought in the virus when its troops competed in the Military World Games in Wuhan in October 2019

Last November, Chinese scientists argued the virus may have originated in India in the summer of 2019 when a heatwave forced animals and humans to share the same water sources.

A month later, a state-run newspaper claimed the virus might have been introduced to China in frozen meat imported from Australia, following earlier claims that people may have been infected by imported fish.

More recently, newspapers and TV stations have played up reports questioning the efficacy of Western Covid-19 vaccines as China struggles to gain international acceptance for its own home-grown versions.
HSBC made a laughable U-turn: Ted Hui

Ted Hui posted a picture of the email from Noel Quinn on his Facebook page.

The exiled former lawmaker, Ted Hui, said he's received a personal email from HSBC's Chief Executive explaining why it froze credit cards and accounts belonging to him and his family.



Hui posted a picture of the email from Noel Quinn on his Facebook on Sunday, and quoted him as saying that the bank had no choice but to freeze accounts belonging to the Hui family at the instruction of the Hong Kong police.



The former Democratic Party lawmaker added that the HSBC chief had told him that bank staff were wrong to say that the cancellation of the credit cards was a "commercial decision" because in fact, HSBC had only frozen the cards.



Hui skipped bail to move to the UK via Denmark last month while awaiting trial on protest-related charges.



He said he was unable to accept HSBC's latest explanation, adding the fact that the bank took more than a month to reply was irresponsible.



I can hardly accept the nearly laughable U-turn explanation given by the HSBC regarding my credit cards, from a commercial decision to cancel to frozen only after enormous public criticism... the international bank has put its customer service on the pillar of shame in its political toadyism, he wrote.



The activist stressed there was simply no legal basis for HSBC to freeze the accounts, and questioned why his family was collectively punished".



Would it be due to the ridiculous conclusion that every member of my family and every single credit cards and accounts of theirs were involved with suspicious transactions? Or bluntly that this is a political retaliation targeting the whole family?, he asked.



The exiled former lawmaker called on British and overseas parliamentarians to question HSBC on the matter, and urged governments around the world to consider imposing sanctions on the bank.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, known for his famed candy desk of sweets in the Senate, now is sharing his supply with those protecting the Capitol building.

Toomeys staff put together more than 150 care packages filled with candy and hand-delivered them this past Friday to members of the National Guard. The troops were deployed to Washington, D.C. following the deadly Capitol riot on Jan. 6.

Toomey, R-PA, in 2015 began stocking the candy desk in the back row of the Republican side of the chamber for those in need of a sugary treat while debating key legislation proposals, said Steve Kelly, Toomeys communications director. Pennsylvanias numerous candy makers, including The Hershey Company, Bethlehem-based Just Born Confections, and West Reading-based R.M. Palmer Company, have sent down products to be featured over the years.

The senator wanted to express his gratitude to members of the National Guard, including members from Pennsylvania, with the care packages, Kelly told lehighvalleylive.com Sunday.

The storming of the United States Capitol on Jan. 6 were riots against the United States Congress carried out by a mob of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump in an attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. In the end, the riot led to the evacuation and lockdown of the Capitol, as well as five deaths.

A week after the rally, Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives, becoming the first U.S. president ever to be impeached twice.

Things were quiet at the state Capitol through mid-afternoon Sunday, PennLive reports, as state capitals around the United States heightened security The FBI previously warned there are calls for armed protests at state capitals and in Washington, D.C. ahead of President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration Wednesday as the 46th president of the United States.

Security reportedly remains extremely tight in Washington, D.C. with parking restrictions, several road closures and numerous barriers. Federal and local officials are discouraging people from traveling to the nations capital the inauguration or for any other nonessential business, according to The Washington Post.

The number of National Guard troops coming to Washington to assist with security has so far grown to about 21,000, Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at a briefing this past Thursday. Officials have said the number could grow as law enforcement agencies review the ongoing threats.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
GREENWICH  The town of Greenwich and Greenwich Hospital are preparing to make COVID-19 vaccines available to eligible residents as Phase 1B of the states vaccination plan goes into effect Monday.

The town is entering into a partnership with Greenwich Hospital and Family Centers Inc. to open vaccination clinics in the eastern, central and western parts of town, First Selectman Fred Camillo said Friday.

The exact locations were not announced, but that information will be released early next week, Camillo said. The state Department of Public Health must inspect and approve the locations before they can open.

I ask that you be patient in trying to obtain information and to schedule vaccination appointments, Camillo said in his weekly e-blast to residents. My office, the (town) Health Department and the Commission on Aging have been inundated with calls and emails. It may take us a bit longer than usual to respond.

Under Phase 1B, priority for vaccines goes to residents 75 and older. Greenwich Hospital said it will begin vaccinating eligible residents on Wednesday, Jan. 20. Appointments, which are required, can be made online immediately at www.ynhhs.org/patient-care/covid-19/vaccine/get-your-covid-vaccine.aspx.

Greenwich Hospital, as part of the Yale New Haven Health System, will administer vaccines at its offices at 500 W. Putnam Ave. The health system will also offer vaccines in Trumbull, New London, North Haven and Old Saybrook.

About 1.3 million state residents are eligible for the vaccine under Phase 1B  and about 11,000 Greenwich residents  and only so much vaccine to go around, Town Health Director Caroline Baisley said.

The other subgroups in Phase 1B will be asked to register for vaccinations later.

Residents who are 75 and older can also register at https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/covid-19%20vaccinations, the Vaccine Administration Management System. Once registered, VAMS will email an eligible resident and guide them through the appointment process for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Phase 1B is expected to expand over the coming weeks to include seniors over the age of 65, front-line essential workers, residents who work in staff or congregate settings and residents between the ages of 16 and 64 who have comorbidities that place them at higher risk.

COVID statistics

As of Friday, Greenwich Hospital was treating 34 patients diagnosed with the coronavirus, an increase of seven from Wednesday. Of those 34, four patients were in the intensive care unit and one was on a ventilator.

Camillo said the town has 185 active cases of the virus, which is down from 235 last week.

Phase 1A of the vaccine distribution covered front line medical staff at Greenwich Hospital as well as first responders in the Greenwich Police Department and Greenwich Emergency Medical Service. Additionally, vaccinations were administered to residents and staff at the town-owned Nathaniel Witherell skilled nursing facility as well as the privately owned skilled nursing facilities in town.

As of Friday, Greenwich Hospital has administered 2,279 vaccinations since last month, said Magaly Olivero, Greenwich Hospitals coordinator of public relations.

The hospital depends for its supply of vaccine on the state, which is in turn dependent on what the federal government gives Connecticut. On Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont said that an additional 50,000 doses of vaccine are heading to Connecticut from the federal government because of the states high rate of vaccinations.

There was no immediate update on Greenwich Hospitals supply levels as the state enters Phase 1B and when more vaccines would be delivered.

We will vaccinate people as quickly as we receive the vaccine, Olivero said.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Another Pennsylvania man has been arrested for taking part in the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, federal authorities said Sunday.

Andrew Wrigley, 50, of Jim Thorpe, posted pictures and videos of himself inside and outside the Capitol during the insurrection inspired by President Donald Trump, officials said. He was arrested Friday by U.S. Marshals after authorities traced his movements through his social media accounts.

Wrigley was charged with knowingly entering restricted grounds, violent entry, and disorderly conduct.

Federal officials tracked him down after he posted photos of himself at the Capitol on Facebook, standing with a group of others. At the protest in DC at the capitol building #stopthesteal, read one post, which he later deleted.

The U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington, which is under the Justice Department, filed the charges. However, Wrigley was arrested by U.S. Marshals; officials couldnt say where he was arrested.

At the protest in D.C., I went inside the capitol building and got teargassed, read another of his posts. He also took a selfie of himself outside the Capitol, wearing a mask and a knit cap and carrying a flag.

Efforts to reach Wrigley were unsuccessful. It was unclear whether he had retained a lawyer.

In a statement Sunday, the FBIs Special Agent in Charge in Philadelphia, Michael Driscoll, said federal authorities continued to work to identify people who had taken part in the Capitol siege. FBI Philadelphia is working closely with all of our local, state, and federal partners to prepare for Inauguration Day, he said. We are maintaining a heightened posture to monitor for any emerging threats here in the run-up to January 20. As part of that, the FBI has stood up a command post to gather intelligence and coordinate with our partners on any possible risks to the city and region, including the state capitol in Harrisburg.

The FBI asked anyone with information to call at 215-418-4000 or go to tips.fbi.gov to submit tips about potential violence at any upcoming protest, event, or location.
I heard that on antifa websites, people were invited to go to the rally and dress up like Trump supporters, but Im not sure what to believe anymore, she said. There were people there only to wreak havoc. All I know is that there was a whole gamut of people there, but the rioters were not us. Maybe they were antifa. Maybe they were BLM. Maybe they were extreme right militants.
Axios

While Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) was out of state at a conference, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R) issued an executive order Thursday banning mask mandates in school and public buildings, AP reports.Why it matters: Little never issued a statewide mask mandate, but there have been some in counties, cities and schools. McGeachin announced last week she was running for governor, challenging Little who has only served one term, and her order could appeal to far-right voters in the state.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Little's office told AP that McGeachin did not tell the governor about the order in advance. Throughout the pandemic, Gov. Little has been committed to protecting the health and safety of the people of Idaho and has emphasized the importance of Idahoans choosing to protect our neighbors and loved ones and keeping our economy and schools open, Little spokesperson Marissa Morrison saidBackground: In March, McGeachin participated in an anti-mask protest, the Washington Post reported, and she suggested last year that the pandemic may or may not be occurring."According to AP, Idaho has recorded more than 190,000 cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and roughly 2,000 deaths.What she's saying: Ive been listening to people all across the state with the concern about, especially, why are little kids being forced to wear masks in school, McGeachin told AP.My oath to the Constitution is to protect those rights and freedoms of the individual, and Ive never supported any type of a mandate on the individual, especially when it comes to health care choices.McGeachin said she had contracted the virus in 2019 and now has a "natural immunity," per AP.Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin issued an executive order banning mask mandates, not face masks. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
Adam Schiff said Sunday that Donald Trump should no longer receive intelligence briefing whether before or after his term ends as he cites national security concerns.

'There's no circumstance in which this president should get another intelligence briefing, not now, not in the future,' the House Intelligence Committee chairman told CBS' 'Face the Nation' on Sunday morning.

'I don't think he can be trusted with it now and in the future, he certainly can't be trusted,' Schiff continued. 'Indeed, there were, I think, any number of intelligence partners of ours around the world who probably started withholding information from us because they didn't trust the president would safeguard that information and protect their sources and methods. And that makes us less safe.'

Although there are only three days left of Trump's presidency, former FBI director James Comey said that former presidents are sometimes given intelligence briefings about the state of the world and potential threats.

'My understanding is,' Comey said during an interview with ABC's 'The View' on Friday, 'former presidents are, not all the time but on a regular basis, given general intelligence briefings about the state of the world and threats to the country.'

Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Sunday that Donald Trump should be stripped from receiving post-presidency intelligence briefings because he is a threat to national security

The House voted Wednesday to impeach Trump for 'inciting an insurrection' by riling up a crowd before they stormed the Capitol. They now claim he should be convicted and no longer receive any post-presidency benefits, like pension, Secret Service detail or briefings

Comey revealed that the intelligence community wants to give former presidents 'a picture of what's going on in the world.'

'They're also given specific information if there's a threat to them,' he added.

Other than risking releasing future information, there are concerns from Democrats and from within the intelligence community that Trump could divulge sensitive information he learned as president to people who aren't authorized to receive it.

Some have even raised the potential of him selling information to foreign adversaries.

'We've seen this president politicize intelligence, and that's another risk to the country,' Schiff told CBS' Margaret Brennen.

Schiff wants Joe Biden's administration to 'absolutely' bar Trump from receiving any post-presidency briefings, claiming he is a security threat.

Post-presidential briefings, Comey said, are usually controlled by the director of national intelligence.

He said whoever fills that fole should 'take a very hard look at whether Donald Trump should be given information, including any information that might be sensitive to the security of the United States.'

'The guy's a lying demagogue who you can't trust,' Comey said. 'You want to be very, very careful about what you give him.'

Former FBI Director James Comey described Friday that past presidency do receive some briefings on the state of the world and, especially, if there are any direct threats to them

'I'm hoping that he will have been stripped of the perks of a former president by being convicted by the U.S. Senate and barred from further participation in public office,' he said. 'Maybe that will be a reason for them to cut him off entirely.'

The House impeached Trump on Wednesday for 'incitement of insurrection' after he riled up a crowd before they marched over to the Capitol and breached the building. Trump is now the only president to be impeached twice.

It is not clear if the Senate will vote to convict but all Democrats and 17 Republicans would need to vote in favor of the measure. If this were to happen, Trump would be stripped of his post-presidency benefits, like his pension and Secret Service detail, and would be barred from running for office again in the future.

Schiff served as lead manager for the first impeachment trial where the Senate did not vote to convict Trump on either of the two articles sent to the upper chamber from the House.
More than 220,000 commuters cross the international and federal state borders within the greater region Saar-Lor-Lux-Rhineland-Palatinate-Wallonia every working day in normal times without a corona pandemic.

It is well known that Luxembourg in particular benefits from the cross-border labor market: from Rheinland-Pflaz alone, 31,000 people commute to the Grand Duchy every day, according to the State Statistical Office in Bad Ems.

Of course, due to the current corona pandemic, these figures are greatly reduced, largely due restrictions in place and the trend towards working from home offices.

"The five sub-regions generate a gross domestic product of almost 370 billion euros, the economic output is thus comparable to that of Austria," added the state office with a view to the total economic significance of the greater region.

Pfalz makes a significant contribution to this with 36 percent.

According to statisticians, more than eleven million people live in the Greater Region, formed by RLP, Saarland, the French region of Lorraine, the Belgian region of Wallonia and Luxembourg.
Hyderabad, Jan 17 : The Hyderabad police have arrested 15 more people in connection with sensational kidnap of three businessmen brothers in the city earlier this month.

Those arrested included an event manager who provided 20 men for execution of the crime. Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar announced the arrests at a news conference on Sunday.

The arrested include two men who wore khaki uniform to pose as cops and threatened Praveen Kumar, Sunil Kumar and Naveen Kumar while kidnapping them from their residence in Bowenpalli on January 5.

The Police Commissioner said the arrests were made on the basis of information obtained from prime accused and conspirator Bhuma Akhila Priya, a former minister of Andhra Pradesh. "Based on her confession, the entire sequence of events was unearthed along with the details of the accomplices and the roles they played," he said.

With this the number of people arrested in the case rose to 19. Akhila Priya was arrested hours after the kidnappers let off the victims on the outskirts of Hyderabad in the early hours of January 6.

The young TDP leader is currently under judicial custody. Police last week took her into custody for three days and gathered vital information about the crime.

Akhila Priya's husband Bhargav Ram, brother Jagat Vikhyat Reddy and Guntur Srinu, Kiranmayi and Chandrahas are still at large. Police teams are on the lookout for these accused.

The police last week arrested three more accused including personal assistants of Akhila Priya and her husband.

Police already claimed to have gathered technical evidence of Akhila Priya's telephonic conversation with kidnappers, who posed as income tax officials to enter Praveen Kumar's house and kidnap him and his two brothers.

According to police, the accused assembled at a school in Yousufguda and from there went to the victims' house in four cars. After kidnapping them in three different cars, the brothers were taken to a guest house belonging to Bhargav Ram.

At the guest house, the accused threatened the victims and forcibly made them sign property documents. On knowing that the police teams were searching for them, they let the victims go.

The kidnapping is linked to a dispute over 25 acres of land at Hafeezpet in Hyderabad.

Praveen Rao had reportedly purchased the land in 2016 from Subba Reddy, a close aide of Bhuma Nagi Reddy, a former MP. After Nagi Reddy's death in 2017, his daughter Akhila Priya approached Praveen for a share and when the latter refused she along with her husband Bhargava Ram and others allegedly planned the kidnap.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Zone) S. Kalmeshwar said Akhila Priya, Bhargav Ram, Jagat Vikhtat Reddy and their follower Guntur Srinu planned the kidnapping January 2 at an apartment in Kukatpally. More planning was done in a school owned by Bhargav Ram in Banjara Hills.

Guntur Srinu contacted Madala Siddharth to arrange 20 people for execution of the kidnapping and paid Rs 5 lakh. The 20 men were hired for Rs 25,000 each.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Sunday that the Central government is ready to hold open-minded dialogue with farmers organisations on all issues, except for the repeal of the farm laws that the farmers have been protesting against.

ANI quoted Tomar as saying, "Most of the farmers and experts are in favour of farm laws. After Supreme Court's order, the laws can't be implemented. Now we expect that farmers discuss the laws clause-wise on January 19 and tell government what they want other than the repeal of the laws. There is no question of being stubborn."

The news agency reported the minister saying, "We had sent a proposal to farmer unions in which we agreed to address their apprehensions regarding mandis, traders' registration and other issues. The government also agreed to discuss laws on stubble burning and electricity, but unions only want repeal of the laws."

A stalemate between the government and farmers unions continued as a ninth round of talks on Friday failed to reach a consensus.

The minister said in a statement that the government was hopeful that the farmers organisations would discuss each and every clause on January 19. "If the objections of the unions seem justified in the provision-wise discussion, the government can move forward on considering and amending the matter," Tomar said.

Tomar's remarks come even as he was seen eating langar along with people of the Sikh community while on a train from New Delhi to his home constituency of Morena in Madhya Pradesh.

The government on Friday asked protesting farmers to form an informal group to prepare a concrete proposal about their objections and suggestions on the three farm laws for further discussion on January 19. The unions, however, have remained steadfast on their main demand of a complete repeal of the three laws.

Tomar had told farmer leaders at the meeting on Friday that the government was flexible in its approach and urged the same from them. Incidentally, the tenth round of talks has been scheduled for a day when a Supreme Court-appointed committee to resolve the impasse is also likely to hold its first meeting.

Meanwhile, on Monday the apex court is likely to hear a petition against a tractor rally call given by the protesting farmers for the Republic Day on January 26.
The Texas real estate broker who bragged about taking a private jet to storm the US Capitol earlier this month is now demanding President Donald Trump pardon her from charges.

Jennifer 'Jenna' Ryan, 50, of Frisco, turned herself into authorities on Friday for her role in the January 6 Capitol seige that left five people dead.

She was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

The FBI searched her Carrollton home Friday and hours after her arrest she was released.

'I would like a pardon from the President of the United States. I think that we all deserve a pardon. Im facing a prison sentence. I think that I do not deserve that,' Ryan said to CBS11 after returning home.

'From what I understand everyone is going to be arrested that was there, so I think everyone deserves a pardon. I would ask the President ask the United States to give me a pardon,' added.

Texas real estate broker Jenna Ryan, 50, who bragged about taking a private jet to storm the US Capitol during the January 6 siege and was arrested Friday is now demanding President Donald Trump pardon her from charges

Jenna Ryan pictured wearing a Trump hat storming the US Capitol during the January 6 siege. She later tweeted, 'We just stormed the Capital. It was one of the best days of my life'

She insisted she and the other Trump supporters who flocked to DC and stormed the Capitol building in a bid to stop the Congress joint session to certify the election were simply obeying Trump's orders.

'Personally, I do not feel a sense of shame or guilt for my heart for what I was doing. I thought I was following my president, I thought I was following what we were called to do,' she said.

'He asked us to fly there, he asked us to be there. So I was doing what he asked us to do. So as far as in my heart of hearts, do I feel like a criminal? No. I am not the villain a lot of people make me out to be or think I am because Im a Trump supporter,' she added.

She echoed the argument of the lawyer for 'QAnon shaman' Jacob Chansley, 33, who stormed the Capitol wearing a fur headdress with horns.

Attorney Albert Watkins spoke on Cuomo Prime Time Thursday evening saying Chansley deserves a pardon, explaining his client genuinely felt he was obeying the Presidents demands in the raid.

'He listened to him. He felt like he was answering the call of our President,' Watkins said.

The lawyer for QAnon shaman Jacob Chansley, 33, who stormed the Capitol wearing a fur headdress with horns, has also asked President Trump to pardon him, saying: 'He listened to him. He felt like he was answering the call of our President'

Ryan took a private plane to Washington DC on the day of the riots and shared posts on social media from the riot.

She arrived in DC for Trump's rally on a 'small private aircraft.' Her Facebook page shows she checked into The Westin Washington the night before the rampage that left a Capitol police officer dead.

The following day, while thousands of people fired up by Trump marched towards the US Capitol in an avowed bid to 'Save America' as members of Congress were certifying Joe Biden's presidential election victory, Ryan videotaped herself outside the Capitol saying, 'We're going to be breaking those windows.'

According to an FBI complaint, Ryan shared a video on social media saying: 'Were gonna go down and storm the Capitol' and livestreamed a 21-minute video of her and a group walking there.

'We are going to [expletive] go in here,' she said as she approached the top of the stairs on the west side of the Capitol building. 'Life or death, it doesn't matter. Here we go.'

Ryan took a private plane to Washington DC on the day of the riots and shared posts on social media from the riot. Pictured above posing in front of jet

The group, including Ryan (left), posed for a picture in front of the private jet they hired to take them from Denton, Texas, to the capital to join the rally

She then turned the camera to expose her face, the complaint noted, and said, 'Yall know who to hire for your Realtor, Jenna Ryan for your Realtor,' according to the complaint.

She also posted a photo of herself outside a building with a broken window with the caption: 'Window at the capital (sic). And if the news doesnt stop lying about us were going to come after their studios next.'

She later tweeted, 'We just stormed the Capital. It was one of the best days of my life.'

Now she fears that her career is ruined in the wake of the arrest.

Jenna Ryan on Friday was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds

Ryan, pictured above posing in front of smashed windows at the US Capitol, hosted live streams on Facebook as she walked through the streets towards the Capitol

Days later, amid complaints to the Texas Real Estate Commission demanding it revoke her license, Ryan issued a statement saying she was 'truly heartbroken' over the lives lost during the assault.

'Unfortunately, what I believed to be a peaceful political march turned into a violent protest,' she stated on Twitter.

She also tweeted that she lost a publishing deal for a book related to her work.

'This has taken my company. This has taken my business,' she tweeted.

Since the rally she said she has received thousands of death threats and people attacking her business. Despite this, she said she would do it all over again and has no regrets.

Approximately 100 participants in the Capitol seige have been arrested.
(Newser)  A Virginia man arrested at a checkpoint near the US Capitol said he was late getting to work and forgot a gun was in his pickup. "It was an honest mistake," Wesley Allen Beeler said, per the Washington Post. He was late for his job as a security contractor, he said. "I pulled up to a checkpoint after getting lost in DC because Im a country boy," Beeler said. Court documents said Beeler volunteered that he had a weapon in his trucka Glockwhen officers asked. "It was just me forgetting to take it out of my truck before I left for work," Beeler said. "I don't know what the DC laws are. It still comes back on me, but I'm not a criminal." He's allowed to carry the weapon legally in Virginia, he said, per the Hill.

story continues below

Court documents say officers found more than 500 rounds of ammunition in the truck, which Beeler did not tell them about. They also said he produced credentials from his employer that didn't allow him into the area. "I showed them the inauguration badge that was given to me," he told the Post. Beeler said he'd been working downtown for about a week. The company he said he's working for, MVP Protective Services, did not comment on Beeler's arrest. He was released after his arrest and was ordered to not come back to Washington except for a court appearance or a meeting with his lawyer. (Read more Capitol attack stories.)
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said it is "deeply disappointed" by Mexico's decision to close its investigation of ex-Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos, after the Mexican attorney general decided not to press charges.

The decision, which Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador publicly backed on Friday, and a document dump by Mexico's government of US evidence against Cienfuegos, threatens to strain strategic US-Mexico security ties.

On Friday, on Lopez Obrador's instructions, the foreign ministry tweeted the link to a 751-page document that included detailed logs of alleged Blackberry communications.

A DOJ spokesperson late Friday called the decision to publicize information shared with Mexico in confidence deeply disappointing.

"Publicizing such information violates the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance between Mexico and the United States, and calls into question whether the United States can continue to share information to support Mexico's own criminal investigations," the DOJ said.

Mexico's foreign ministry declined to comment on the DOJ's statement.

Lopez Obrador said he ordered the whole archive of documents released to the public because he wanted "complete transparency."

Late on Saturday, Mexico released another massive cache of documents online relating to the case. The files comprised thousands of pages, though many of them were heavily redacted.

Friday's released document includes text messages, often misspelled, between "Thor", "Superman", "Spartacus", "Samantha", and "Iron Man," suspects being tracked by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in 2015 and 2016 whose chatter apparently identified Cienfuegos as an ally of drug cartels during the previous government.

It was not immediately clear what evidence was in the communications to show wrongdoing by Cienfuegos, however.

"Those conversations are not a smoking gun against Cienfuegos. But are they completely exculpatory? I don't think so either," said Mexican security analyst Alejandro Hope.

Hope said there was likely more evidence that was not included in the data dump.

John Ackerman, a doctor in constitutional law at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and vocal supporter of Lopez Obrador, was more critical.

"I will never defend Cienfuegos. The army committed all kinds of atrocities during the administration of Enrique Pena Nieto, but the DEA's 'evidence' is frankly a joke," Ackerman said on Twitter, suggesting the Blackberry messages were "written by a third- or fourth-rate narco or soldier."

The situation could put other probes and court cases in which Mexico needs US collaboration at risk.

"Now they have created a major, major source of friction with the US, and that could really hobble not only this investigation but other investigations that President (Lopez Obrador) is really keen on," said Hope.

Cienfuegos, who was minister from 2012 to 2018 during the government of former President Pena Nieto, was arrested in October at Los Angeles airport on charges he worked with a powerful drug cartel.

U.S. prosecutors later dropped the case and returned him to Mexico to be prosecuted, with Lopez Obrador's administration vowing a thorough investigation of the case.

On Thursday, less than two months after Cienfuegos' return from the United States, Mexico's attorney general office concluded that he had no contact with members of the criminal organization and said it will not pursue criminal charges.

The DOJ spokesperson said the department "fully stands by its investigation and charges in this matter," that the documents show the case against Cienfuegos was not fabricated, and the information was lawfully gathered in the United States through a proper US court order, in full respect of Mexico's sovereignty.

"A US federal grand jury analyzed that material and other evidence and concluded that criminal charges against Cienfuegos were supported by the evidence."

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Disturbance Call Leads to Arrest in Marshall Co.

By West Kentucky Star Staff





GILBERTSVILLE - Marshall County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched Thursday to Gilbertsville for a disturbance call.Upon arrival deputies found that a man, identified as Dillon Nicholas, had allegedly entered a home and assaulted several people inside, and had damaged property while doing so.They spoke with Nicholas, who was still at the scene, and he was placed under arrest.Nicholas was charged with first degree strangulation, first degree burglary, first degree assault, first degree criminal mischief, third degree terroristic threatening, and fourth degree assault.
Google Maps is an incredibly useful tool that not only helps users navigate the twists and turns of a new city that they might visit but it also enables them to avoid traffic as they get to their workplaces and vice versa. Now, Googles navigation app is getting an update that will give users a more detailed and accurate view of a city.

Google, last August, announced that it would soon be rolling out a more detailed map of select cities around the world. The company had said that soon users will be able to see highly detailed street information that shows the accurate shape and width of a road to scale. The company had also said that users would also see exactly where sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian islands were located.

Now, nearly five months later, the company has finally started to roll out the update to Google Maps.

This feature is a part of the server-side update, which means that you will get it regardless of the version of the status of the Google Maps app that you are using. That said, it is possible that you dont notice the changes when you are logged in one account. Android Police, which noticed the changes first, recommends switching the accounts to see the update.

When you get the update, you will be able to see the accurately scaled road widths, pathways and stairs in parks, sidewalks, crosswalks, and medians and pedestrian islands. Google says that some map areas with street-level details might have uneven borders.

But theres a catch. This detailed map is available only for four cities across the globe, which includes London, UK (Central London), New York City, USA, San Francisco, USA, and Tokyo, Japan (Central Tokyo). If you are living in any other city, you will have to wait for the company to bring this feature to your city to be able to use it.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has successfully fought against the coronavirus in the world.

Amit Shah was addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone for the 97th Battalion of Rapid Action Force (RAF) at Bullapura village here on Saturday.

The Home Minister said that with the beginning of the vaccination drive, the country has taken the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic to a final stage.

He asserted that India's vaccination drive represents the determination of a self-reliant India and is a milestone in the battle against this "invisible enemy".

"The entire world has been fighting against the pandemic for one year and even as many lives were also lost. This is perhaps one of the toughest battles humanity has ever fought. But our country has fought this battle using knowledge, innovations and mutual cooperation," Shah said.

Heaping praise on scientists, as the natiowide vaccination drive kicked off on Saturday, he said that India is one of the few countries which has achieved success to end the biggest crisis facing the humanity.

"The world's largest vaccination drive shows the immense potential of India's scientists and the power of our leadership," the Home Minister said.

Noting that during the initial days of the outbreak, some experts had flagged concern about the ill-equipped heath infrastructure, Shah observed that there was only one lab in the country at that point of time that could undertake testing for the infection but today it has more than 2,000 labs.

"The only difference was that India fought against the virus with unity," he said, adding that India has lesser fatality and higher recovery rates.

Shah said that the "New India" is a country that transforms disasters and challenges into opportunities and achievements.

"The 'Made in India' vaccine represents the determination of the self-reliant India. On this historic day, I bow to all our Corona warriors," he added.

Shah also thanked Chief Minister Yediyurappa for taking the initiative and giving the land for a new battalion campus of RAF that is coming up at a cost of Rs 230 crore.

He also assured the people of Bhadravathi that the central school and the stadiums to come up soon, will have all the facilities accessible to them.

China will donate 500,000 (5 lakh) vaccine doses to the Philippines as relations between the two improve as they cooperate to fight the coronavirus.

The pledge was made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday in Manila, where he met with his Filipino counterpart Teodoro Locsin, according to a statement from the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department. There were no details provided on the vaccines that will be given.

Mutual support and growing trust characterize our ties more than ever," Locsin said. The fight against Covid-19 and the universal acceptance of the new inescapable normal is entering a turning point, with the beginning of vaccinations."

Wang, who arrived in Manila on Friday, is on a week-long Southeast Asia trip that includes stops in Indonesia and Myanmar. This is the second meeting in several months between Wang and Locsin, who visited China in October.

China agreed on a 500 million yuan ($77 million) grant to finance Philippine livelihood, infrastructure and other projects, according to the Philippine foreign affairs department. Officials are also expected to witness the ceremonial launch of Bank of Chinas yuan clearing facility.

Wangs visit comes amid lingering tensions in the South China Sea and ahead of next weeks leadership change in the U.S.

With our two nations abiding interest in regional stability and the security of our maritime commons, it behooves us to show our ability to rise to the challenge of managing differences peacefully and in accordance with law," Locsin said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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D octors and police forces have issued a joint warning about fraudsters trying to sell fake Covid-19 jabs, saying: The vaccine will also be free on the NHS.

Reports to Action Fraud have been rising in the last two months, particularly around scam text messages, as con artists seek to gain from the pandemic.

Suspicious text messages reported by members of the public urge people to click a link to a bogus booking site which mimics an NHS page, asking for personal details such as bank account numbers.

Con artists have also been known to use telephone calls to extract payments.

Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic, said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

It is vital that we do not let a small number of unscrupulous fraudsters undermine the huge team effort under way across the country to protect millions of people from this terrible disease.

On Friday a man accused of swindling a 92-year-old woman out of 160 by administering a fake Covid-19 vaccine appeared in court to deny the charges.

It comes as the latest figures showed that 3.23 million people across the UK have received the first dose of a coronavirus jab.

Englands top GP joined the head of Action Fraud, the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre in issuing advice to combat vaccine scams.

A number of people are already serving prison sentences for Covid-19 related cons over the last year, NHS England said.

AFP via Getty Images

Over a thousand NHS teams across the country are working hard to deliver vaccines quickly to those who would benefit most and are doing an amazing job, with over two million people already getting their first dose, said GP Nikki Kanani, the medical director for primary care for NHS England.

We know how excited people are to get the vaccine when its their turn to do so, but sadly were seeing that excitement is also bringing out the cheats, crooks and con people looking to make money from this life-saving programme.

Remember, the vaccine will always be free on the NHS. Our staff will never ask for, or accept, cash for vaccines, never ask for your banking details or identity documents, and will never come around to your house unannounced.

As of January 10, Action Fraud had received 65 reports in relation to coronavirus vaccines.

During the vaccine rollout, the NHS says it will never ask for bank account or card details, a banking PIN or password, and never ask individuals to prove their identity by sending copies of personal documents such as a passport, driving licence, bills or payslips.

Thankfully, the number of reports into Action Fraud are relatively low but we have seen an increase in the last two months, particularly around scam text messages, said Pauline Smith, head of Action Fraud.

Anyone asking for payment for the vaccine is committing fraud.

If you have received a text message, email or phone call where someone has tried to charge you for the vaccine please report this to Action Fraud, even if you havent given them any money.

Your report can help us protect others.
Before November, most people didnt know the names Cole and Ella Emhoff. Cole, 26, was working at a production company in Los Angeles, living with his girlfriend. Ella, 21, was an art student in New York, living in Bushwick, and posting pictures of her knitting designs on Instagram.

But on the night that Joe Biden and his vice-presidential running mate, Kamala Harris, delivered their acceptance speeches, with their families gathered onstage, watching fireworks, Cole began receiving astonished texts from friends and colleagues. Theyre like, Wait, how did you not tell me this? he said, speaking by Zoom with his sister from their mothers home in Los Angeles. He was wearing a gray T-shirt with an image of Ms. Harriss face on it  he swore it was the only clean one he had in the house.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

The past few months must have been pretty surreal for the two of you. Whats it been like?

Cole Emhoff: Its weird to turn on CNN and see my dad. Im like, Wait, you dont belong there! But I guess you do? It feels completely unprecedented for us because we havent really been around politics our entire life. Were still kind of getting used to it.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a public rally at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC) ground in Bagalkot district of Karnataka during the second day of his two-day visit to the state on Sunday. Shah will inaugurate the ethanol project of Kedarnath Sugar and Agro Products Limited at 11am in Karakalmatti Village of Bagalkot district.

The Home Minister will inaugurate KLE Hospitals advanced simulation centre in the district at 12.45 pm. Later, at 2.30pm the minister is scheduled to attend a public rally at JNMC ground in Belagavi.

On day one of his trip on Saturday, the Union Minister laid the foundation stone of the Bhadravathi Rapid Action Force Centre in Shivamogga, Karnataka. In his address, the Home Minister lauded the contribution of RAF in the maintenance of peace and order across the country and remarked that RAF personnel have earned trust and credibility owing to expertise and excellence which became the reason for invitation from United Nations in their peacekeeping missions in 2006.

Dr AP Maheswari, Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) expressed gratitude to the government for allocating land to CRPF and to the people for giving the force a place in their hearts. Rapid Action Force is the specialised force of CRPF to deal with riots and situations relating to public order.

Earlier on Saturday, Amit Shah said the BJP government in Karnataka will not only complete its five year term but also return to power with absolute majority in the state. According to him, lot of development works have been taking place in the state under the leadership of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

Shah advised the opposition leaders to work for the well-being of people instead of finding fault with the BJP.

"I have been reading the statements of Congress leaders that this will happen and that will happen in Karnataka but I want to tell everyone that the BJP government will not only complete the five year term but also return to power for five years with absolute majority," Shah said.
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Meth Trafficking Charges For Paducah Man

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A Paducah man was arrested Saturday on charges of methamphetamine trafficking.The McCracken County Sheriffs Office said detectives received information alleging that 59-year-old Larry Hughes was selling crystal methamphetamine.Detectives contacted Hughes via cell phone and he agreed to deliver methamphetamine to a Paducah hotel.When Hughes arrived at the hotel, detectives located and seized methamphetamine that Hughes had concealed between the seats of the vehicle.Hughes was arrested and taken to the McCracken County Regional Jail.Hughes has numerous prior felony drug convictions, and a warrant check revealed he was also wanted for failure to appear in court for a previous drug arrest.
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP)  A day after Uganda's longtime leader was declared winner of the country's presidential election, the opposition party dismissed the results as fraud and called for the release of their leader, Bobi Wine, who has been under house arrest for several days.

President Yoweri Museveni won a sixth five-year term, extending his rule to four decades, according to official results announced Saturday.

Top opposition challenger Wine dismissed Museveni's victory as cooked-up, fraudulent results while his party urged the government to release the challenger.

We ask Ugandans to reject this fraud," the opposition party, the National Unity Platform, said in a statement Sunday. This is a revolution and not an event. A revolution of this nature cannot be stopped by a fraudulent election."

The opposition party said that its quest for a free Uganda is on despite the current attack on free speech and association, referring the days-long shutdown of the internet by the government. The party urged its followers to use every constitutionally available avenue to pursue political change.

Wine tweeted Sunday that military units are not allowing him and his wife, Barbie, from leaving their house, not even to harvest food from their garden.

Its now four days since the military surrounded our home and placed my wife and I under house arrest, said Wine's tweet. We have run out of food supplies and when my wife tried to pick food from the garden yesterday, she was blocked and assaulted by the soldiers staged in our compound.

The electoral commission said that Museveni received 58% of the vote to Wine's 34%, with a voter turnout of 52%.

Although Museveni stays in power, at least nine of his Cabinet ministers, including the vice president, were defeated in the parliamentary elections, many losing to candidates from Wines party, local media reported.

Officials struggled to explain how polling results were compiled amid an internet blackout.

Story continues

In a generational clash watched across the African continent with a booming young population and a host of aging leaders, the 38-year-old singer-turned-lawmaker Wine posed arguably the greatest challenge yet to Museveni, 76, since he came to power in 1986.

Calling himself the ghetto president, Wine had strong support in Uganda's cities, urban where frustration with unemployment and corruption is high.

Museveni dismissed the claims of vote-rigging.

I think this may turn out to be the most cheating-free election since 1962, when Uganda won independence from Britain, said Museveni in a national address on Saturday.

The electoral commission deflected questions about how countrywide voting results were transmitted during the internet blackout by saying we designed our own system.

We did not receive any orders from above during this election, commission chair Simon Byabakama told reporters, adding his team was neither intimidated nor threatened.

Tracking the vote was further complicated by the arrests of independent monitors and the denial of accreditation to most members of the U.S. observer mission, leading the U.S. to cancel its monitoring of the vote.

Ugandas electoral process has been fundamentally flawed, the top U.S. diplomat for Africa, Tibor Nagy, tweeted, warning that the U.S. response hinges on what the Ugandan government does now.

The U.S. State Department urged independent, credible, impartial, and thorough investigations into reports of irregularities. It condemned the continuing attacks on political candidates and called for the immediate restoration of the internet and social media.

We reiterate our intention to pursue action against those responsible for the undermining of democracy and human rights in Uganda, it said.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 18:49:23|Editor: huaxia

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Wu Ming (L), general manager of the Higer Bus Zambia Limited hands over a donation to Zambia's first lady Esther Lungu in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, Oct. 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Mu Zhi)



China has continuously provided support to Africa aimed at fighting COVID-19 at a time when the continent needed it the most, Zambian experts have said.



LUSAKA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- China has continuously provided support to Africa aimed at fighting COVID-19 at a time when the continent needed it the most, Zambian experts have said.



The experts noted that for Zambia, much of the support, which according to them was both timely and relevant, has come in the form of medical equipment that has been used to supplement government efforts aimed at fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When we started off, the capacity of the country was very low in terms of COVID-19 testing. But with contributions from China, the capacity obviously increased and we were able to carry out a lot of tests," said Onesmus Munyati, Dean of the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Zambia.

Li Jie (R), Chinese Ambassador to Zambia hands over medical materials to Davies Mwila, secretary-general of Zambia's governing party, during a donation ceremony in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, June 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Martin Mbangweta)



Munyati said that China also provided protective gear for frontline workers along with other medical supplies that Zambia is not able to manufacture.

"Going forward we need collaborations in order to do state of the art research. We would want to strengthen our ability to provide local solutions to combating COVID-19," he said.

James Nyirenda, a biochemist said China is providing support to Africa at a critical time to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

"China has really helped. We are yet to see test kits or even vaccines from the West and other big countries," said Nyirenda who is also a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Zambia. 
Duane and Breanna Murphy were devastated last winter when their first round of fertility treatment at Oregon Health & Science University did not result in a pregnancy. The Vancouver couple took solace in a new puppy and the knowledge that they had a second chance.

They had paid $22,000 upfront for two rounds of basic in vitro fertilization.

But the Murphys are among at least 30 other OHSU patients and thousands more nationwide whose money, dreams of parenthood -- and in some cases even their eggs and sperm  were caught up in the collapse of a program intended to help finance fertility treatments.

A company, IntegraMed Holdings, that operated the finance program called Attain IVF, filed bankruptcy last May. IntegraMed went bust owing $19.5 million to thousands of individual fertility patients across the country, claimed lawyers representing some of the patients. Whats more, the lawyers alleged that IntegraMed improperly spent another $20 million in customer deposits in the months and weeks leading up to the bankruptcy filing.

In a year dominated by the pandemic, the plight of the individual fertility patients and their misappropriated millions received virtually no outside attention, from consumer advocates, journalists or anyone else. The matter might never had come to light but for a handful of fertility clinics that emerged as important patient advocates in the IntegraMed bankruptcy.

OHSU was not one of them. Though OHSU itself was owed money by IntegraMed and 30 of its patients had a financial interest in the outcome, OHSU didnt even hire a lawyer to monitor the case.

Internal OHSU records obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive through a public records request indicate that the institution didnt have ready answers for its patients, either.

People are calling me and freaking out, Andrea Reyes, a financial counselor for the OHSU clinic, told her colleagues and managers in a June 3 email. Im still sticking to the script and using COVID as a reason, but do we know whats going on?

The Murphys, who were prepared to begin their second round of IVF, say OHSU didnt inform them of the IntegraMed bankruptcy for four months, when they received a To whom it may concern form letter.

After spending six years in the U.S. Army and 24 months on combat deployments in Afghanistan, Duane Murphy said he never thought he and his wife would have to fight another battle over fertility treatment.

We knew this was not going to be the yellow brick road, he said. But we didnt think we would encounter this. Its been really stressful.

OHSU ultimately decided to provide the services its patients paid for, even if it has to eat the costs. But according to the Murphys, OHSU balked at the notion of also paying a partial refund promised under the Attain program to the couple were they unsuccessful in having a baby.

Fertility experts warn that the lasting impact of IntegraMeds collapse is likely more personal than financial. Fertility treatment is physically and emotionally taxing. For many, the treatment represents their last and best hope to start a family.

The last thing a fertility patient needs is more stress, delay and uncertainty, said Dr. Brandon Bankowski, a partner and physician at ORM Fertility, a Portland clinic.

The real toll here is the time and opportunity lost, Bankowski said. Fertility patients have a short window of opportunity.

If you dont get pregnant in eight to 10 months, he said, the odds of it happening go way down. So you have to get it right.

A trusting relationship

In vitro fertilization felt like science fiction in the 1970s, when scientists created the first babies by surgically extracting a womans eggs, fertilizing them with a mans sperm outside the body and then implanting the embryos back into the womans uterus. Today, its a $5 billion-a-year industry.

IntegraMed was one of the few national players in the field with two major businesses: It hired itself out to manage the business side of a number of fertility clinics. It did the accounting, it paid the bills, it managed HR. In this role, IntegraMed had access to the clinics money.

IntegraMed also ran the Attain IVF financing program. OHSUs connection to IntegraMed was limited to the Attain program, which it had offered to its patients as an alternative payment plan for 10 years.

The hallmark of the Attain sales pitch was a money-back guarantee. The Murphys paid $22,000 up-front to Attain on the promise that Attain would reimburse OHSU for the medical services it performed and would partially refund their money if the treatment didnt result in the couple having a healthy baby.

That prospective refund was an attractive sweetener for the Murphys and thousands of other couples. Many insurance plans dont cover IVF, so couples risk their financial nest egg on their dreams of starting a family.

Its a largely unregulated field, and customers are hugely motivated.

You take an industry with a lack of oversight and you add couples who are desperate to become parents, who will go to almost any length thats not a good mix, said Joyce Schwensen, a Seattle surrogacy and adoption lawyer. People are vulnerable. They want to believe.

At OHSU, 107 patients used the Attain IVF payment option over the last two years. Thats a tiny fraction of the 9,337 total patients treated at the clinic in that time. But it also shows OHSUs Attain problem could grow.

At this point, OHSU knows that 30 of its patients have been impacted negatively due to their decision to go with Attain. OHSU doesnt have a clear handle on how many more Attain patients will surface in the future, said Elaine King, administrator of OHSUs women and childrens operation, which includes the fertility clinic.

OHSU officials said they never had reason to question IntegraMeds financial strength. If theyd done some basic due diligence they would have learned that IntegraMed had suffered some significant setbacks.

IntegraMed was owned by Sagard Capital, a Montreal private equity fund, which was in turn owned by a publicly traded operation called Power Corp., also in Montreal.

Power Corp.s financial filings from 2017-2019 show repeated references to IntegraMeds plunging value and accounting charges that reflected its decline.

The fertility business, like virtually all elective medical procedures, took a huge dive after the arrival of the coronavirus. But even before that, Sagard officials said, the companys financial performance was challenged by several unsuccessful acquisitions and the costs of required reinvestment in the company.

By last year, Sagard had decided to jettison its fertility subsidiary. An attempted sale fell through and on May 20, IntegraMed filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Thats the route businesses take when they plan to shut down and liquidate instead of attempting to reorganize.

While King and her OHSU colleagues wondered how to proceed, a co-worker urged them to come up with a plan and quick. They had 87 new cases set to begin treatment in June.

There are many patients wanting an Attain package, said Reyes, who is an OHSU financial counselor.

When IntegraMed went bankrupt, the promised refunds to patients were off the table. The clinics would also take a hit. The reimbursement OHSU was expecting for its work on the Attain patients went down the drain with IntegraMed. King, the OHSU administrator, said that will cost the clinic at least $200,000.

When the OHSU management team learned of the bankruptcy  from their own patients -- their emails reflect stunned surprise.

I just found out that the whole office has been fired and they have filed for Chapter 7 Bank(ruptcy), King said in a June 3 email. We have received several calls from very upset patients and I am not sure how we should proceed... What in the world are we going to do to get paid?

National repercussions

OHSU wasnt alone. The failure of IntegraMed reverberated from Seattle to South Florida.

Explaining to new customers that Attain was no longer available was relatively straightforward. The real problem was what to do about patients who had completed their treatment or were in the middle of it. They had paid thousands of dollars to IntegraMed, fully expecting the company to honor its end of the deal.

That was precisely the position the Murphys were in. They are halfway through the fertility treatment they paid for.

For Krysta and John Glass, of Tampa, Fla., it was another setback in what has been a difficult process.

Their first clinic suspected John had a brain tumor and insisted that he go through a series of brain scans before they would begin treatment.

The couple decided to start over at a different clinic. They paid $25,000 to IntegraMed last January for two cycles of in vitro fertilization at Reproductive Medicine Group in Tampa.

Then COVID hit and shut down the economy.

And then came news of IntegraMeds bankruptcy.

The best way I can describe it is a roller coaster, Krysta Glass said. Yeah, her husband interjected, the Disney Tower of Terror.

Krysta started up a Facebook page to try to find other fertility patients in the same boat. She called the page The UnATTAINables. More than 50 other IntegraMed patients joined up to share their stories.

Crystal Lasnier of Hansville, Wash., admits she freaked a bit in July when she heard about IntegraMeds bankruptcy. Just months before, she and her husband had handed over $40,000 to the company.

I wanted to create a sibling for my daughter, said Lasnier, who gave birth to her first child in 2016 with the help of fertility treatment Seattle Reproductive Medicine.

In South Carolina, Jamison and Samantha Cary said they knew nothing of IntegraMeds fatal plunge until November, six months after its bankruptcy. They had paid $28,000 to IntegraMed.

We dont know what were supposed to do, Jamison Cary said in November. Should we be filing some sort of claim in the bankruptcy? We literally have no idea.

Fear and loathing in Wilmington

Bankruptcy can be a dry affair. IntegraMeds was high drama.

Between the nature of IntegraMeds business and the bad blood between it and several regional clinics it managed, this was a Chapter 7 like few others. It all played out in a bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Del., the state where many companies incorporate to take advantage of business-friendly regulations and practices.

In September, the court-appointed trustee rushed to the judge for an emergency ruling on what to do with 7,600 frozen embryos and sperm that were in a cryogenic freezer in Connecticut. There were fears power could be cut off the building, ruining all that precious genetic material.

Ive been practicing in bankruptcy law for over 30 years and this is one of the most challenging cases Ive ever been involved in, said Mark Felger, the attorney for the trustee.

The trustee wanted to sell the IntegraMed assets to a new company backed by Amulet Capital, a Connecticut private equity firm. Seven regional fertility practices objected.

These clinics had handed over sweeping management authority of their operations to IntegraMed, putting it in charge of virtually everything other than the medical side. Under the deal favored by the trustee, these management agreements would remain in force with the new owner.

The fertility practices wanted to regain their independence. They pointed out that their exposure to IntegraMed was so enormous, its failure also threatened their survival. And if the clinics also collapsed, that could lead to a long list of disasters including the interruption of a patients last attempt to conceive and to potential damage or loss of a patients irreplaceable genetic material stored by the medical practices.

The clinics went looking for anything that could blow up the straightforward sale of assets envisioned by the trustee. It didnt take long before they hit pay dirt.

In late June, they filed hundreds of pages of new documents claiming that IntegraMed entered bankruptcy owing $19.5 million to Attain patients in the form of refunds.

Whats more, IntegraMed improperly spent another $22 million in customer deposits, they claimed, much of it swept from the fertility practices own bank accounts.

IntegraMed never disclosed any of this in its own submissions to the court, it never listed a single individual patient as a creditor and never notified any of the individual patients of the bankruptcy. This amounted to giant violation of the patients constitutional right to due process, the clinics argued.

Felger, the lawyer for the trustee, backed up the claims by the medical practices.

We asked them (IntegraMed) why they didnt disclose it in its schedule of liabilities, Felger said. It just seemed inappropriate.

Validation and happy endings?

For some of the patients, the courtroom allegations against IntegraMed felt like validation.

But they also wondered why they didnt get an opportunity to participate in the process. It was their money, after all, that IntegraMed allegedly misappropriated.

The regional fertility practices won the day. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Laurie Silverstein allowed the practices to buy themselves back from IntegraMed. A condition of the deal was that the clinics follow through on the promises IntegraMed had made to its patients.

Other IntegraMed assets were purchased by a company called U.S. Fertility. Felger said it, too, has promised to make good on the deals promised to patients.

Many patients are still figuring out what the aftermath will mean for them, and their hopes for a baby.

Crystal Lasnier said the bankruptcys resolution is great news for her. The Seattle Reproductive Clinic told her it will honor her agreement with IntegraMed.

The bankruptcy case did nothing for Krysta and John Glass. Their Florida clinic informed them this fall that it will not provide the treatment they paid for, nor the refund.

We are out the money-back guarantee, we are out the $25,000 we paid Attain and, of course, we may not have a chance at a baby, Krysta Glass said.

The clinic told the couple that their options were to come up with the additional funds to continue treatment, do nothing and abandon our embryos, or move to another clinic.

To me it feels like everyone had someone to fight for them except the patients, John Glass said.

As for the Murphys, they were thrilled to hear that OHSU will provide the treatment they paid for. Last fall, following questions from The Oregonian/OregonLive, OHSU also changed its tune on the refund.

King, the OHSU administrator overseeing the fertility clinic, said it is committed to providing all of the fertility treatment and refunds and anything else its patients were due under their agreements with IntegraMed/Attain.

We got caught a little blindsided by the bankruptcy, King admitted. But were going to honor those agreements. Our number-one priority has always been the patients.

Jeff Manning

jmanning@oregonian.com

971-263-5164
Three recent pieces by avant-garde filmmaker Ernie Gehrs Lower East Side Trilogy is screening online at MoMA.

Autumn (completed 2017), Aproposessexstreetmarket (2018), and Circling Essex Crossing (2018). MoMA describes the trilogy as a sequel to Gehrs Essex Street Quartet, currently screening in an installation on the Museums fourth floor. They write:

Trilogy is comprised of Autumn, shot in the style of a classical city film, which observes the interplay of humanity and the fragmented landscape of the streets; Aproposessexstreetmarket, which documents the everyday poetry of the retail experience in the soon-to-be-demolished old Essex Street Market building; and Circling Essex Crossing, a preview of the ghostly intrusion of a large-scale retail hub currently under construction.

Gehr, who is self-taught, has been making experimental films since the 70s.

In an interview with Filmmaker Magazine, he explained, The Essex Street Quartet was recorded in the early 1970s and then sat on a shelf for 25 years. I had decided to throw it out because I needed shelf space. But I looked at it, and found out that I actually liked the footage. Without my previous ideas about what I wanted to do with the material, I was able to recompose that footageLet me give you some background. When I came to New York in the 1960s, I lived on the Lower East Side. I was attracted to its diversity, and its cultural and economic opportunities. In 1988 I took a teaching position in San Francisco. My wife and I moved there for 18 years. When I stopped teaching and came back to New York, I began to explore the city again. I was struck by the changes taking place on the Lower East Side. Developers were buying up places and the neighborhood was rapidly changing. There wasnt a block without construction.

Lower East Side Trilogy is screening online at MoMA through Thursday, Jan. 21, 2020.
Four days into her coronavirusvaccine hunt, Ramona Cohen struck out again.

The Safeway in her Washington, D.C., neighborhood had no doses left after its last Thursday appointment. She still had four pharmacies left to try to a tip from her mail carrier that a grocery store a few miles away was giving away leftover vaccine.

It was another frustrating day in a quest that started Monday, when the city opened registration to those 65 and older. Cohen spent 12 hours that day making futile attempts to book appointments by phone and online, only to be foiled by messages saying no appointments were available or interminable waits on hold. When a health department employee who eventually did pick up suggested she call back the next day, Cohen jokingly vented that she doesn't even buy green bananas.

"You don't know what tomorrow brings. We don't have much time left," Cohen, 75, said. "I consider myself old as it is, and I want to keep going."

Millions of American seniors are engaged in similarly frantic hunts for the coronavirus vaccine they qualify to receive - but only if they can get their hands on it.

The expanded availability of the two authorized coronavirus vaccines has unleashed a free-for-all among pandemic-weary Americans clamoring for lifesaving protection and a return to some type of normalcy.

Those searching for a shot face a decentralized system of vaccine distribution operated by cash-strapped public health departments and a disparate network of clinics and medical providers, all crushed by unprecedented demand for a shield against the virus decimating American life.

While many Americans have had no problem getting shots, others like Cohen have spent hours trying to get vaccinated, to no avail. The challenges in vaccinating people mirror the botched rollout of coronavirus testing as a mix of government and private providers navigate unfamiliar terrain while communicating with the public in different ways.

Some vaccine appointment websites crashed almost as soon as they launched. Older Americans are enlisting their kids and grandchildren to stay on the phone and keep refreshing websites until they land an appointment. Tiny intelligence networks are forming around the country to scour for morsels of information on how to get a leg up on the vaccine search.

Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, said these struggles are unavoidable as the federal government defers distribution to localities without the resources to create a centralized sign-up for vaccines or to hold mass inoculation drives.

"In any way you slice it, the supply is just so limited right now and the number of seniors is so large that there's no perfect way to do it," Hannan said in an interview. "It's going to take time for everyone to get vaccinated, and it's impossible to schedule everybody at once."

At least 11 million people have received a dose of a coronavirus vaccine so far, according to Washington Post data. The Trump administration has urged states to start vaccinating everyone 65 and older as the pace of injections lag far behind targets. But some experts and health authorities warn the attempt to speed up distribution could lead to false hope and an even more overburdened public health system.

"Ultimately, what we're concerned about is there's just not that strong of a supply of vaccine right now," said Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. "People have been led to believe there's vaccine out there, and we're going to open up the priority scheme. As a result, you now have a lot of people who have been led to believe that the vaccine is available, who are going out and getting in all these lines."

Some have uncovered creative paths to success in their quests for vaccination.

A 72-year-old Atlanta woman secured coveted vaccinations for herself, her husband and her sister after refreshing her iPhone, iPad and laptop simultaneously until the online appointment page finally loaded.

A 69-year-old retired special education teacher expecting to wait for months lucked out when a central California coast hospital offered extra doses to former volunteers and their loved ones.

A healthy Arkansas man in his mid-30s cut ahead of senior citizens thanks to a family friend who was a pharmacist running a clinic with more doses than patients.

"Personal contacts are unfortunately filling the information void. That has helped me rationalize jumping ahead because I don't really want to wait for my state to figure out how to be efficient with administering the vaccines," said the man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid social repercussions. "I am a wealthy White man, so I do feel guilt that my privilege is definitely giving me another advantage in this world, but at the end of the day, I'm making a decision that I think will keep my family safe."

The start of vaccinations for senior citizens and some essential workers was an early stress-test of mass inoculation drives for the general public. They were quickly overwhelmed.

Maricopa County, the largest in Arizona, upgraded its servers before launching an online portal that promptly crashed. Some Florida counties turned to Eventbrite, a website usually used to find bar crawls and book clubs, to organize vaccination drives. Macomb County in Michigan reported 100,000 hits in the first five minutes of its online system, which was set up to schedule 4,200 appointments.

"Unfortunately, there is not a system in the world that could accommodate that type of volume," county executive Mark A. Hackel wrote in an email to residents.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to encourage people to use VaccineFinder as a national resource for finding shots, but a public search function has not launched while supplies are still limited.

In the meantime, some jurisdictions allow people to leave their name on a waiting list, allowing them to avoid the nonstop flurry of calls and emails dominating vaccine searches elsewhere. But others are banking on being able to break through the logjam with persistence.

Bryce Covert, a New York City writer, has been waking up at dawn daily to help her 67-year-old mother on Long Island secure an appointment since Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced senior citizens would be eligible for vaccines.

But the task is not as simple as booking a flight. The state website directed her to several small medical facilities offering the vaccines, but their online appointment system had error messages and their listed phone numbers led to recordings saying they were out of supply. Covert has spent hours waiting on hold on a state hotline but has yet to speak to a person. By Friday, the small sites were no longer listed and the website for a newly added university hospital hasn't functioned all morning.

"It feels like I'm trying to get a Beyonce ticket," Covert said. "It feels like I'm fighting bots on TicketMaster."

The stakes are higher for Covert's mother than watching a concert. She wants to reunite with her 95-year-old mother who lives in Colorado and has a rapidly deteriorating memory. They called off their last visit in March when the first wave of coronavirus shutdowns started.

After six hours of intermittent refreshing Friday afternoon, Covert secured her mother a Feb. 3 vaccination slot. Covert is hoping for an easier time booking the second shot, allowing her mother to celebrate her grandmother's 96th birthday in late March.

Those who prevailed in their online appointment hunts said an early start was key to success.

Courtney McAlexander, 35, was working from home in Clarksdale, Miss., on Tuesday afternoon when she picked up a call from her mother. Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves had just announced that senior citizens and those with underlying medical conditions, like McAlexander, who has Type 1 diabetes, now qualify for the vaccine.

That launched a seven-hour blitz for McAlexander and her husband, Kevin Lewellyn, 37, to claim the precious appointments.

"Our millennial skills kicked in and the years of when we were younger trying to get concert tickets from Ticketmaster," said Alexander. "The website would go down, the website would come back up, and we were just essentially clicking anything we could click to try to get appointments, and we slowly but surely got appointments for myself, my mother and both of his parents."

They were the lucky ones. The next day, Mississippi announced it had run out of vaccines and could no longer book appointments. The state signed up 52,000 people for shots over the next two weeks.

Reeves told The Post that the high volume was a good sign of widespread interest in the vaccine.

"Even though we certainly had short term challenges, people were willing to do everything they could to either get an appointment online or get through to the call center," said Reeves, who ordered National Guard staffed drive-through vaccination sites to speed up distribution. "When you flood any system, it's going to lead to challenges, challenges that we recognize and are now fixing."

Instead of enduring crashing websites and hold music, other vaccine hunters opted to get offline and take their hunt into the real world.

Glee Noble of Bloomington, Ind., who turns 79 this month, figured she had no chance of getting a shot since the state is prioritizing those older than 80. She would periodically check the state website hoping they would lower the age threshold.

But her 72-year-old asthmatic boyfriend decided to stop waiting and walked two blocks to a county vaccination site at a medical office. He came back vaccinated and urged her to try, too. She lucked out as one of six to receive leftover doses at the end of the day.

"I'm a - knock on wood - fairly healthy almost 79-year-old, and there were people there who were with walkers and wheelchairs and I thought, 'Oh, I'm a healthy person. I shouldn't be getting this. People who are frail should be getting this,' " Noble recalled.

But she feels less guilty when she remembers hearing nurses fret they wouldn't vaccinate enough people and would have to keep caring for a crush of covid-19 patients.

Hannan, of the immunization managers group, said the stories of leftover doses suggests broad vaccine networks are hampering, rather than helping, distribution.

"We are seeing the more we spread out the doses to different private sector providers, the less opportunity we have to have large scale vaccination and make sure every dose is used," Hannan said.

Joel Alpert, a Michigan attorney, tried getting his vaccine appointment by checking daily on a government website. His eyes lit up when he finally saw an available slot at 9:20 a.m. Except the facility was 20 miles away, and his clock read 9:14 a.m.

He turned to a network of friends, relatives and fellow Jewish senior citizens in the Detroit suburbs who would text and email each other tips. Acting on one, Alpert drove 35 minutes to a hospital he heard was processing in-person applications and found an employee holding hundreds of forms. He got a callback offering a Sunday appointment the next day.

"I don't think that getting a vaccination should be based upon luck or ploys or schemes," Alpert, 68, said. "I assumed our federal government had some sort of plan, a plan that had been in existence all along. I figured it would be like a military war game that they would be ready for this eventuality."

In the District, Cohen was determined to find a vaccine - somewhere, anywhere. She has a cousin who has cancer, and she would like to visit her. She has a family function in Arizona in April, but she doesn't want to get on a plane until she's been vaccinated.

She misses going to her synagogue. She misses hugs. So Cohen, who works at a law firm, continued to plot new strategies.

On Friday afternoon, she hit a downtown Giant supermarket, where an employee told her they had tossed three unused vials the night before. Cohen took her spot behind one person also hoping for leftovers, and soon the queue grew to about 20.

After the last appointment, the pharmacy had two doses left - and finally, on day five of her quest, Cohen got her shot.

"I'm so relieved. It overcame any of the despair and the frustration," she said shortly after. "But I feel bad for everybody else who can't get it."
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On the third Monday in January, we honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. A Baptist minister from the southern state of Alabama, Dr. King was a leader in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement who advocated for social change through non-violent means.

Dr. Kings greatest achievements came with the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act which outlawed employment discrimination and segregation in public places, and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. These two victories had a major impact not only on the United States, but around the world.

Dr. Kings struggle against racial injustice did not extend to promoting racial equality through international law. Nonetheless, his words and actions served as inspiration for dozens of men and women around the world who struggled against colonialism, apartheid, and racial injustice.

The post-World War Two era was distinguished by decolonization around the world. New countries arose from old colonies and between 1945 and the early 1960s membership in the United Nations more than doubled to 115. Nearly 75 percent of the new members were developing countries whose populations had too often suffered under discriminatory laws and unjust practices.

Many of the representatives of these new states were inspired by Dr. Kings campaign of peaceful resistance and its direct effect on the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Little wonder then that their priorities were vastly different from those of the industrialized world, and that they took their struggle to the United Nations, the preeminent forum for peaceful resolution of conflict. Their delegates had the numbers and therefore they set the debates, and they were united in their drive to combat racial injustice.

The result was the adoption in 1965 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The following year, the UN adopted the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights, considered to be the two most important human rights treaties since the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

All over the world, like a fever, the freedom movement is spreading in the widest liberation in history. The great masses of people are determined to end the exploitation of their races and land, said Dr. King in his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, one of the few times he addressed the global struggle for racial equality.

What we are seeing now is a freedom explosion.
New Delhi, Jan 17 : A US-based doctor has asserted that the coronavirus pandemic has affected people psychologically a lot, especially those who tested positive and remained in isolation for a long period.

Speaking at a webinar with various renowned medical expertises, Dr Sunita Jain, Consultant Physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Baptist Hospital, Mephis, she also emphasised on the post-Covid rehabilitation aspect of the pandemic.

"In India, the vaccination drive has begun. But it will be a challenge for the medical experts to help stabilise a large number of people who have been affected psychologically. In the beginning, the Union government and health centres faced tough times to provide infrastructures to fight the battle due to large number of patients. And now, if a large number of people faced brain-related disorders, it won't be too easy for countries like India. It is certainly going to be a big task for the government." Sharing her experiences of treating such patients during the pandemic, Dr Sunita said: "I have seen many patients who have faced adverse brain disorders. Many who lost their loved ones and remained isolated for a long period had lost hope. And therefore, we need to focus on another challenge -- bringing such patients back to normal." She also said that those affected by COVID-19 and other respiratory problems may face weakness for a long period.

Dr Sunita also said that rehabilitation and therapy infrastructures would be needed in large numbers after the vaccination is done.

"I am saying it because it is a fact that one round of vaccination is not enough to break the chain globally. This coronavirus is going to exist in our lives for a long time." A doctor of internal medicine posted at a private hospital in Medcity said that uncertainty about the symptoms of coronavirus infection and lack of accurate information on the disease led to panic among the people about the virus.

"In absence of accurate information about COVID-19 symptoms, communication channels could not spread the right message to the common people, which resulted in panic among them," Dr Shushila Kataria, Director and Head of Internal Medicine Department at Medanta, said at the webinar on Saturday.

Talking about the treatment process, she said; "As every recipe follows a particular protocol, similarly the treatment for COVID-19 required a particular protocol to follow and then keep adding more to it step by step." "For COVID-19 treatment, the protocol starts with finding its symptoms at the initial stage. Diagnosing the symptoms of COVID-19 is a main process of treatment because the more quickly we find them, the more quickly we can proceed further. But the problem is that in most cases, symptoms are found at least after one or two weeks. And that is why common people have this tendency that they can escape COVID-19 if they remain away from other people and isolate themselves." Kataria said that the second aspect of treatment was to find if the symptoms were serious or not. "Once the coronavirus symptoms are determined, a doctor finds it easy to decide whether a particular patient requires home isolation or hospitalisation," Dr Kataria added.

She lauded the central government for taking quick decisions on directions for home isolation and thereby allowing patients to remain confined in their homes. "Doing this not only reduced the burden on health centres, but also helped doctors carry out treatment on patients as per beds available in their hospitals. It also helped health institutions to augment the required facilities for the next course of treatment process."

DUBLIN: France is considering requiring rapid COVID-19 tests from Irish truck drivers operating on a logistics route that has become key since Britains exit from the European Union, Irelands transport minister said on Sunday.

Large numbers of Irish trucks have begun transporting goods via ferries to France in recent weeks to avoid delays in the more traditional route to continental Europe via Britain, which withdrew from EU trading rules on Jan. 1.

The new measures would be targeted at a more infectious variant of the coronavirus first discovered in England but that has become widespread in Ireland.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan told RTE that France was considering demanding a PCR COVID-19 test, which can take several days, from most Irish travellers. Ireland is demanding similar tests from all arriving passengers.

France is also considering demanding a much quicker antigen test, which can give results in minutes, from Irish truck drivers.

If the French government comes back with that requirement, we would have to manage that and make sure we can do it in a way that doesnt disrupt supply chains," Ryan told RTE radio. That would be demanding but I am confident we will be able to do it."

A demand from France for COVID-19 tests from British drivers caused significant delays and trade disruption in December.

France on Friday announced that people travelling from non-EU countries to France would be required to present negative PCR COVID-19 test, but that an antigen test would be sufficient from British truck drivers.

Ireland is a member of the European Union, but not of the Schengen free travel area.

Frances European Affairs minister Clement Beaune said on Sunday that Paris would be holding consultations this week to strengthen control measures within the European area."

But he warned it may be difficult to accept rapid antigen tests from Irish drivers.

Between France and Ireland, PCR tests work because we have the same ones; antigenic tests do not work because Ireland does not yet recognise them," he said.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
KYODO NEWS - Jan 17, 2021 - 00:03 | World, All

The death toll from Friday's 6.2-magnitude earthquake on Indonesia's Sulawesi Island has risen to 56 with more than800 others injured, Indonesian authorities said Saturday, as search and rescue efforts continued under challenging conditions.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Raditya Jati said 47 bodies had been recovered in Mamuju, the capital of West Sulawesi Province, while nine others were found in the nearby district of Majene.

The quake occurred 36 kilometers south of Mamuju at 2:28 a.m. local time at a depth of 18.4 km, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The agency said roughly 15,000 people had been evacuated and more than 400 homes had collapsed.

The search for people trapped under buildings and rubble continues, and relief supplies, such as tents, ready-to-eat food packages, blankets and generators, are being distributed. However, the agency said there is a shortage of face masks, raising concerns about infections with the coronavirus.

Rescuers got some relief after the main road connecting Majene and Mamuju districts was cleared after being paralyzed due to landslides triggered by Friday's quake, but some areas continue to be hampered by power outages, the agency said.

Rescuers and residents are also dealing with aftershocks, including a 4.9-magnitude quake that shook the same area earlier in the day. Meteorological officials are warning coastal residents that a major tsunami-causing earthquake could occur.

Indonesia sits in one of the most active seismic regions in the world, the Pacific Ring of Fire, where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

Related coverage:

M6.2 quake in central Indonesia kills at least 42, injures hundreds

The United Kingdom has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 summit to be held in the country's Cornwall region in June.

The G7, which includes the world's seven leading democratic economies -- UK, Germany, Canada, France, Japan, Italy, the USA -- and the European Union, will discuss issues such as the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, technological changes, scientific discoveries and open trade.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had cancelled his India visit for this year's Republic Day event due to the detection of mutant virus strain in his country, is likely to visit the country "ahead of the G7", a press statement read.

Besides India, Australia and South Korea have also been invited as guest countries to the summit.

"UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the first in-person G7 summit in almost two years to ask leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to seize the opportunity to build back better from coronavirus, uniting to make the future fairer, greener and more prosperous," the press statement said.

The invitation to India, Australia and South Korea is also testament to the UKs commitment to ensuring multilateral institutions better reflect todays world, it said.

In the statement, Johnson said that the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face.

From cancelling developing world debt to our universal condemnation of Russias annexation of Crimea, the world has looked to the G7 to apply our shared values and diplomatic might to create a more open and prosperous planet, he said.

Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced. It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future, he added.

Johnson had accepted Modis invitation to be the chief guest at Indias Republic Day parade but later cancelled his visit after announcing a country-wide shutdown over the mutant virus.
A surge in donations at the last federal election has taken the resource industrys political payments to $136.8 million over two decades and a new analysis has named the sector as the biggest donor in Australian politics.

Mining and gas companies ramped up their spending on political parties in recent years to outstrip property developers and other big donors, led by a funding blitz from coal and iron ore magnate Clive Palmer.

Mining and gas companies ramped up their spending on political parties in recent years, led by a funding blitz from Clive Palmer. Credit:Attila Csaszar

The analysis, compiled by the Centre for Public Integrity from public data, shows the Liberal and Nationals parties collected $15.2 million over the period, more than three times the $4.9 million paid to Labor.

This shows the lion's share of the funding was paid by Mr Palmer and his companies to his own political parties.
The story of Navalben Dalsangbhai Chaudhary, a 62-year-old woman from Gujarat recently went viral and proved to be inspiring for many.

Navalben, who hails from the village of Nagana in the district of Banaskantha, defied all odds, to cause a mini-revolution in her district. She made a record by selling milk worth Rs 1.10 crore in 2020, earning a profit of Rs 3.50 lakh per month. In 2019, she sold Rs 87.95 lakh worth of milk.

Twitter

The 62-year-old says she has four sons but they earn much less than her. I have four sons who are studying and working in cities. I run a dairy of 80 buffaloes and 45 cows. In 2019, I sold milk worth Rs 87.95 lakh and was the first in the Banaskantha district in this case. I am also number one by selling milk worth Rs 1 crore 10 lakh in 2020, she said.

Navalben, who milks her cows every morning, now has fifteen employees working at the dairy for her.

Her story brings focus to the women entrepreneurs from small or rural towns who are making a very solid impact. Here we will talk about a few such women who have been defying odds by working against the stereotypes of society by working towards their own business empires.

Women Who Became Millionaires By Selling Milk

Last year, RS Sodhi, chairman of Amul Dairy, released a list of 10 millionaire rural women entrepreneurs who received lakhs of rupees in the 2019-20 financial year by selling milk to Amul. All of these women are active in the milk and animal husbandry industry. These women entrepreneurs sold milk worth millions of rupees. Of these, the famous Navalben Dalsangbhai Chaudhary sold the most milk and earned Rs 87,95,900.67 by selling 2,21,595.6 kg milk in 2019-20.

At the second position was Malvi Kanuben Rawatbhai, who earned Rs 73,56,615.03 through 250745.4 kg milk. Third position was Chavda Hansaba Himmat Singh, who collected 2,68,767 kg milk and earned an income of Rs 72,19,405.52.

Meet our 10 millionaire rural women entrepreneurs of @banasdairy1969 ofGujarat who involved in business of dairy & AH .They poured milk worth lacs of rs during fin yr 19-20. There are lacs of such empowered women in gujarat @Amul_Coop @girirajsinghbjp @ChaudhryShankar pic.twitter.com/WY2Ng4rGcB  R S Sodhi (@Rssamul) August 19, 2020

At number four was Loh Gangaben Ganeshbhai, who has acquired Rs 64,46,475.59 from 1,99,306 kg of milk and number five was Rawabdi Devikaben, who has earned Rs 62,20,212.56 from 179632 kg milk.

Lilaben Rajput, Bismillaben Umatia, Sajiben Chaudhary, Nafisaben Aglodia, and Lilaben Dhulia, were on subsequent positions.

Gunavathy Chandrasekaran

41-year-old Gunavathy Chandrasekaran, from Tamil Nadu, a resident of Sivakasi, discovered her passion for quilling early in life and worked with enthusiasm towards her goal. Gunavathy survived a polio attack when she was only two years old. She was married off at 16.

Gunavathy, taught herself how to turn paper scraps into beautiful pieces of art, determined to be independent financially and to find success. She steadily gained pace. Today, she entrepreneur sells quilled artwork such as wall art, greeting cards, miniature figurines, jewellery, and much more under the brand name Guna's Quilling.

She Is Key

In 2015, she was invited by the British Council to address a gathering about growing as a successful entrepreneur. She is also part of the Quilling Guild, a UK-based group for quilling experts, according to a report.

Also Read: Sonal Sharma, A Milkman's Daughter, Is Set To Become Judge In Her First Attempt In Rajasthan



Pabiben

Pabiben runs an enterprise belonging to the Rabari community of Gujarat that empowers women artisans - Pabiben.com. Packs, dhurries, files, quilts, cushion coverings, and more are made by the all-women company. It uses a special craft type invented by Pabiben - Hari Jari -which is a machine application of ready-made elements.

Living in the village of Bhadroi, Pabiben began working as a young girl to support her widowed mother. Due to financial constraints, she couldn't complete her formal education, so she remained at home learning traditional embroidery from her mother.

Through her business, she has created employment opportunities in her village for more than 60 women, allowing them to become strong, educated, and independent. For her outstanding contributions to entrepreneurship in small towns, Pabiben was awarded the IMC Ladies' Wing 24th Jankidevi Bajaj Puraskar in 2016.

Anita Devi

Anita Devi, better known now as the Mushroom lady of Bihar, started growing mushrooms in 2010 to earn for her family. Today, she runs Madhopur Farmers Producers Company.

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Fighting the ridicule she initially faced by her villagers, she has now helped many other women earn their livelihood through mushroom cultivation. She works with many NGOs and SHGs to help the women across the state of Bihar.

This woman entrepreneur has not only changed the fortune of her family but also helped many women in her village and surrounding towns.

Sobita Tamuli

35-year-old Sobita Tamuli hails from the Telana village in Assam and runs Seuji, an all-women self-help group that manufactures and sells organic manure

, and makes and sells traditional Assamese japis.





Sobita has made sure to leave the middlemen out of her business, and do everything from ideating to manufacturing and selling from scratch.





Many of these women enterpreneurs have not only towards establishing work for their own families but have also managed to provide livelihood to other women.

Also Read: Instead Of Wasting Milk Offered By Devotees, Temple Feeds It To Stray Dogs & Wins Hearts






Loews Hotels said on Saturday it has canceled a planned fundraiser at its Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando for Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, who led the objections to President-elect Bidens Electoral College win.

We are horrified and opposed to the events at the Capitol and all who supported and incited the actions, Loews Hotels said in statement. In light of those events and for the safety of our guests and team members, we have informed the host of the Feb. fundraiser that it will no longer be held at Loews Hotels.

The event was listed as being by a Hawley-affiliated political committee, Fighting for Missouri, which raised more than $272,000 for Hawley in the 2020 election cycle according to public records. The event was to cost $5,000 in contributions for a family, $3,000 for a couple and $1,000 for an individual, according to event flier which was posted on social media on Saturday.

Hawley has publicly defended himself since the brutal attack on Jan. 6 when a mob of President Donald Trumps supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol following the president's rally.

Hawley, facing waning support from longtime backers and donors in the wake of the attack at the U.S. Capitol last week, defended himself in a newspaper column Wednesday, accusing the media and Washington establishment of deceiving Americans into calling him an insurrectionist.

Five people died, including a Capitol police officer, and lawmakers had to scramble for safety and hide as rioters rampaged through the building, delaying by hours the tally of Electoral College votes that was the last step in finalizing Democrat Bidens victory over Trump.

The health care IT firm Cerner Corp. based in Kansas City, Missouri, said Wednesday that it will suspend contributions to any candidate or official who took part in or incited violence last week in Washington, D.C.

Spokeswoman Misti Preston said the company isnt naming specific names, but Cerners political action committee has donated $10,000 to a Hawley-sponsored PAC over the past two years.

Late Tuesday, two St. Louis-based companies, the utility Ameren Corp. and the financial firm Edward Jones, said they were suspending campaign contributions. The law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner also announced a halt, at least temporarily, to political contributions. The firm is among the largest in St. Louis.

Ameren, Edward Jones and the law firm have contributed to Hawley.

Walmart said Tuesday that its PAC is indefinitely suspending contributions to those members of Congress who voted against the lawful certification of state electoral college votes. Walmart gave nearly $1.2 million to federal candidates in the 2017-18 election cycle but none to Hawley, according the opensecrets.org website operated by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Hallmark Cards, based in Kansas City, earlier this week asked Hawley and Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas to return employee campaign donations. The company said its employees donated $7,000 to Hawley and $5,000 to Marshall during the last two years through its PAC.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Jammu, Jan 17 : Sixty-five-year-old Pyare Lal Raina's wish is to return to Kashmir, the land where he was born and spent the best years of his life.

Raina's family is among more than 4,000 families that moved into a township for Kashmiri Pandits at Jagti, 25 kms from Jammu after the exodus of Pandits following outbreak of militancy in 1989.

Life has been tough for the Rainas in Jammu. The family had to move houses and in rented accommodations several times before settling down in Jagti township eight years ago.

At Jagti they were allotted two-room sets which were meant to make their lives a little more comfortable. But the colony of Kashmiri Pandits presents a picture of neglect. The houses are dilapidated, the walls damp with water seeping from blocked pipes.

"Some apartments for Kashmiri Pandits at Jagti are in a bad shape with water leaking," Raina said. "We don't get clean water. Nothing is being done to change our lot." Around three lakh Kashmiri Pandits left the valley in the early 1990s after militancy erupted. Most of them settled in cramped transit camps for Pandits in Jammu.

But it is not just the accommodation issues alone that have been worrying Raina. He stopped working three years ago after his wife fell ill. His two daughters holding masters degrees are unemployed.

"We are tired now, the government is doing nothing for us. I have lost hope, one of my daughters is an MBA and the second daughter has done MCA, but both are jobless." Raina says he is looking for a day when the Pandits can return to Kashmir but for that the government has to be serious and come up with a road map for their return.

"The situation has not changed much for us since we came to Jammu, there is no progress," Raina said. "We have been hearing about our return for 30 years. We are ready to go back to Kashmir but the government has done nothing about it." A little away from Raina's house, Pintoojee, another Kashmiri Pandit at the Jagti township, says the government has failed to fulfil the expectations of Pandits since they left the valley and the community members must be involved to draw up plans for their return.

"The government is not serious about the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits," he said. "For making a concrete policy for return of Pandits, it is important to include inputs of the representatives of Kashmiri Pandits." Kashmiri Pandits settled outside Kashmir are now hoping their problems would eventually come to an end even as the sentiment for returning to the valley remains strong.
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Two teenagers were critically wounded in separate shooting incidents that occurred within three hours of each other Saturday afternoon, Philadelphia police said.

Shortly after 4 p.m., a 15-year-old boy was shot in the face at 40th and Cambridge Streets and was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, police said.

Earlier, around 1:20 p.m., a 17-year-old was taken to Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia after he was shot three times in the 1300 block of East Price Street, in East Germantown.

Police Saturday night said that both were in critical condition.

Also wounded in the Price Street shooting was an 18-year-old male, who was in stable condition at Tower Health Chestnut Hill Hospital according to police.

At least two other shooting incidents were reported Saturday night, one in the 2000 block of North 11th Street, in North Philadelphia, in which two men were wounded and taken to Temple University Hospital, where they were in stable condition, police said.

In the other, an 18-year-old was shot in the leg in the 700 block of North 38th Street and entered Penn Presbyterian Medical Center on his own power, police said.

Police said that no arrests had been made, nor had any weapons been recovered. The shootings remained under investigation.
Postal collection boxes around the State Capitol Complex in Trenton are out of service ahead of possible protests in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration on Wednesday.

The U.S. Postal Service called it a temporary security measure and said the blue collection boxes will return to use Jan. 25, according to a news release from the agency.

Its part of our normal procedures to keep our employees and customers safe during times of protest or when large crowds are gathered near postal facilities, on postal routes, or by mailboxes, said USPS spokeswoman Susan Wright.

Law enforcement agencies across the country are preparing for possible riots ahead of Inauguration Day after pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, leaving five people dead.

New Jerseys top Homeland Security official has warned of a possible armed march in Trenton and other capitals, but officials have stressed there are no specific or credible threats.

Gov. Phil Murphy ordered all state offices closed on Inauguration Day as a precautionary measure, with state employees working remotely.

Information about USPS collection box locations and collection times can be found online at usps.com.

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Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo.
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As preparations for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden take place, states around the country are preparing for potential protests and riot outbreaks throughout the week leading up to Inauguration Day on Wednesday.

On Friday, FBI Director Christopher Wray explained that the agency would be bringing aggressive operational capabilities and deep investigative and intelligence expertise to the inauguration.

Were monitoring all incoming leads, whether theyre calls for armed protest, potential threats that grow out of the January 6 breach of the Capitol, or other kinds of potential threats leading up to inaugural events and in various other targets, he explained. It all adds up to an inauguration unlike any other, with no crowds in DC and security to the maximum across the country.

The potential for threats at the inauguration and in states across the U.S. have been sourced through online chatter, Wray said.

Due to security concerns, the National Mall will be closed to the general public on Wednesday, the National Park Service announced Friday.

The closure, which began Friday morning, will extend through Thursday. Protests must be in designated locations and permits will be required.

While Washington, D.C. remains under strict safety restrictions, 14 states have called upon the National Guard to protect their capitols in anticipation of protests, CNN reported.

Many capitols are already closed due to coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, but most states are taking precautions regardless.

According to CNN, states that allow people to openly carry firearms and where President Trump has claimed election fraud are being particularly meticulous about preparations.

A number of states have added extra protective measures to their capitol buildings, including heavy fencing and extra security.

In New York, state police have taken steps to harden security in and around the State Capitol in Albany ahead of Bidens inauguration, CNN reported.

Several states have taken things a step further, including Kentucky and Texas, which have temporarily closed capitol buildings.

In Virginia, New Mexico, Maryland, and Utah, governors have declared a state of emergency, CNN reported.

Capitol workers in Florida, Oklahoma, and New Jersey have been instructed to work from home throughout the period leading up to and during the inauguration.

The American people may not hear about every disruption in the media and may not see the FBIs hand in everything we do, but they should be confident that theres an awful lot of work all across the country going on behind the scenes, out of the spotlight, where were feeding relevant information to all of our partners so that they can harden targets as appropriate, said Wray.
Citco, a global group of companies providing asset servicing solutions to the global alternative investment industry, has opened an office in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), an international finance centre in the UAE.



The move comes after Citco increased its assets under administration (AUA) in the region last year by 400% to approximately $125 billion.



Citcos decision to establish a base in ADGM follows a marked rise in calls for asset servicing, administration, banking and governance services from sovereign wealth funds and managers in the Mena region last year.



Citco will partner with ADGM to create a sustainable, fully-integrated ecosystem for the investment management industry, and provide a platform for the local population to further develop the financial services industry in the UAE.



To support ADGMs goal of increasing local employment in the UAEs financial sector, Citco will:



 Source talent for roles in its asset servicing, administration, custody and governance services business lines with local Emiratis;



 Promote training and employment through internships, seminars and educational programs in conjunction with local institutions and providers; and



 Commit to the employment of women in finance and accounting.



Roald Smeets, President and COO of The Citco Group, said: Citco has been dedicated to serving the global investment industry for over 50 years, becoming the worlds largest organically-grown asset servicer in alternative investments. We accomplished this feat with long-term sustainability in mind, a trait mirrored in ADGMs commitment to further establishing Abu Dhabi as an international financial centre through region-wide education and employment programs.



Given the significant increase in demand for our solutions in Mena, we felt that there was one clear solution to our need for a regional headquarters  ADGM. We look forward to sustainably and significantly growing our operations in Abu Dhabi in the years to come.



Juma Al Hameli, Senior Executive Director of Strategy and Business Development at ADGM, said: Our partnership with Citco further demonstrates the strategic importance of ADGM as a leading international financial centre and reinforces our robust commitment to attract the worlds leading corporations to Abu Dhabis expansive portfolio of institutions. As we continue to grow, this symbiotic relationship will enable us to leverage Citcos global reputation and reach within the alternative investments sector, while providing the financial infrastructure and recruitment opportunities necessary to build a long-term, sustainable hub in the Mena region.



With its rapid expansion across the Mena region, Citco, with over $1 trillion in global AUA and 7,000 staff deployed across 40 countries, is leading the way in providing asset servicing solutions to the global alternative investment industry.



Offering a full suite of middle office and back office services including treasury and loan handling, daily NAV calculations and investor services, corporate services, regulatory and risk reporting, banking solutions, and tax and financial reporting services, Citco is dedicated to supporting the needs of investors in the region.  TradeArabia News Service
Representative image: A food delivery worker wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus prepares to deliver foods for his customers outside a restaurant in Beijing on January 14, 2021. (Image: AP Photo/Andy Wong)

E-commerce workers who kept China fed during the coronavirus pandemic, making their billionaire bosses even richer, are so unhappy with their pay and treatment that one just set himself on fire in protest.

Chinas internet industries already were known for long, demanding days. With millions of families confined at home, demand surged and employees delivered tons of vegetables, rice, meat, diapers and other supplies, often aboard scooters that exposed them to sub-freezing winter cold.

For white-collar workers in the technology industry, pay is better than in some industries but employees are often expected to work 12 hours a day or more.

The human cost caught public attention after the deaths of two employees from e-commerce platform Pinduoduo, known for selling fresh produce at low prices. Their deaths prompted suggestions they were overworked. In an indication of high-level concern, the official Xinhua News Agency called for shorter work hours, describing long hours of overtime at the expense of employees health as an illegal operation.

Renewed concerns over dire working conditions for delivery drivers also came to the forefront when a video circulated on Chinese social media showing what it said was a driver for Ele.me, part of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, setting himself on fire to protest unpaid wages.

The controversy is a blow to the image of internet industries that are transforming Chinas economy and generating new jobs. They have made some of the founders among the worlds wealthiest entrepreneurs. During the heights of the pandemic, the fortunes of the biggest, including Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Pinduoduo founder Colin Huang, swelled as online consumer spending boomed.

In a video widely circulated on Chinese social media, 45-year-old delivery driver Liu Jin poured gasoline and set himself on fire outside a distribution station for Eleme in the eastern city of Taizhou, shouting that he wanted his money. Others snuffed the flames and rushed him to a hospital, where he is being treated for third-degree burns on his body.

Details of Liu's complaint could not be verified and Eleme did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Separately, a 43-year-old delivery driver collapsed on the job and died last week while delivering food for Eleme.

The company said in a statement that it will give 600,000 yuan ($92,700) to the drivers family and raised its insurance coverage for drivers to that level. Its statement said Eleme had not done enough in terms of accidental death insurance, and needs to do more.

The issue was highlighted again after a Pinduoduo employee surnamed Tan committed suicide after taking leave from the firm to return to his hometown, less than two weeks after a 22-year-old employee surnamed Zhang in Urumqi collapsed while walking home from work with colleagues, and later passed away.

Pinduoduo, China's third-largest e-commerce firm, released statements saying it was providing assistance and support to the families of the two employees who died. Shanghai authorities also are reviewing working hours, contracts and other conditions at the company.

The deaths raised an outcry on social media, with many people suspecting that they were a result of overwork. Chinese social media users blasted the country's technology sector, criticizing not just Pinduoduo for a culture of long hours but pointing out that this was an industry-wide problem, with similar company cultures seen at most of China's large technology companies.

They also revived a national debate over the tech sector's so-called 996 working culture, in which employees often work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week. Companies sometimes pay huge bonuses to some employees, enticing them to work more overtime.

We must strive to succeed in pursuit of dreams, but the legitimate rights and interests of workers cannot be ignored or even violated, said state-owned Xinhua News Agency in a post on microblogging site Weibo.

The issue has also cast a spotlight on the working conditions of delivery drivers, who are under heavy pressure to get orders to customers quickly and at times make less than 10 yuan ($1.55) per delivery. If they fail to meet deadlines, fines imposed can range from as little as 1 yuan ($0.15) to as much as 500 yuan ($77.30) if a customer lodges a complaint.

As part of the gig economy, such delivery workers often do not get the benefits provided to full-time employees, such as social or medical insurance.

Since there are many people willing to work under those conditions, it is hard for employees to negotiate better pay and conditions.

Last August, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU)  the only trade union allowed to legally exist in communist-ruled China  said that 6.5 million delivery workers had joined it since 2018. However, the worker rights group China Labor Bulletin, which tracks labor relations in China, says little has been done to improve workers' ability to win better treatment from companies. The union provides only skills training, legal assistance and some medical benefits.

Labor unions need to become more effective, otherwise labor laws cannot be enforced, said Li Qiang, founder of China Labor Watch, another organization that monitors labor rights.

Under China's labor laws, workers and laborers should work no longer than eight hours a day, or more than 44 hours a week on average. Total amount of overtime should not exceed more than 36 hours in a month, and should only be done after consultation with the trade union and laborers.

However, even though the labor laws exist, they are rarely enforced as employees become mired in a culture of overwork while striving for bonuses or in cases of delivery drivers, to eke out a living.

Delivery workers are part of a corporate culture where even white-collar employees in the technology sector work excessively long hours, Li noted.

Employees who do not work overtime cannot survive in technology or white-collar jobs. Everyone is working overtime. If they do not work overtime, they will be terminated, Li said.

Putting workers at an even bigger disadvantage, indemnity clauses are at times written into workers contracts in some industries, absolving a company from responsibility for death on the job and other such events, said Li of China Labor Watch. Although such clauses may violate China's labor laws, the legal system in China is opaque and laws can be difficult to enforce.

In Western countries, if an employee dies because of working overtime, then the legal and economic costs will be greater, and they are generally more restrained as the countrys laws will intervene, said Li. But in China, there is no bottom line when it comes to working overtime, and companies are generally not held liable in the event of death.
Senior Congress leader and former UP legislator Pradeep Mathur on Sunday said it would have been better had Prime Minister Narendra Modi taken the coronavirus vaccine shot on the first day of the inoculation drive, thereby injecting confidence among people.

"It would have been better had Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented an example like that of Joe Biden, the president-elect of the US, by getting himself vaccinated. COVID-19 vaccine shot, he would have injected confidence among people of the country. People are still feeling hesitant in getting themselves vaccinated," Mathur said here on Sunday.

Sharpening his attack on the Centre over the farmers' protest, Mathur said, "Even Lord Ram will not be able to save them. They have incurred the curse of farmers. He said the Modi government will have to bear the consequences of insensitivity towards farmers. They have been speaking about doubling the income of farmers but now it seems they are acting at the behest of the capitalists," Mathur said.

Seeing the over 50-day-long protests by farmers, the heart of even the angriest person would melt. The BJP has shown its harshest face. In the coming days, the farmers will dethrone them from power, provided they do not tamper with the EVMs," he asserted.
All at once, the coronavirus seemed to change.

For months, Dr. Steven Kemp, an infectious disease expert, had been scanning a global library of coronavirus genomes. He was studying how the virus had mutated in the lungs of a patient struggling to shake a raging infection in a nearby Cambridge hospital, and he wanted to know if those changes would turn up in other people.

Then, in late November, Kemp made a startling match: Some of the same mutations detected in the patient, along with other changes, were appearing again and again in newly infected people, mostly in Britain.

Worse, the changes were concentrated in the spike protein the virus uses to latch onto human cells, suggesting that a virus already wreaking havoc around the world was evolving in a way that could make it even more contagious.

Theres a load of mutations that occur together at the same frequency, he wrote on December 2 to Dr. Ravindra Gupta, a Cambridge virologist. Listing the most troubling changes, he added, ALL of these sequences have the following spike mutants.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

The two researchers did not yet know it, but they had found a new, highly contagious coronavirus variant that has since stampeded across Britain, shaken scientists understanding of the virus and threatened to set back the global recovery from the pandemic.

Word raced through a consortium of British disease scientists, longtime torchbearers in genomics who had helped track the Ebola and Zika epidemics. They gathered on Slack and video calls, comparing notes as they chased down clues  among them, a tip from scientists in South Africa about yet another new variant there. Still others have since emerged in Brazil.

For nearly a year, scientists had observed only incremental changes in the coronavirus and expected more of the same. The new variants forced them to change their thinking, portending a new phase in the pandemic in which the virus could evolve enough in time to undermine vaccines effectiveness.

British lawmakers announced the news December 14, warning that the variant was spreading faster than previous ones.

But the road to its discovery was laid down to little acclaim in March, when Britain decided to begin sequencing coronavirus samples en masse. The country produces half the worlds inventory of coronavirus genomes, providing an unparalleled view of how the virus changes and how people brought it into Britain last year and are now carrying the variant out.

For Britain, the discovery came too late to prevent a punishing new wave of COVID-19 that has put its hospitals on the brink of having to deny lifesaving care. The variant was already spreading fast, abetted by the governments lax restrictions during the fall and early winter.

But Britain sounded an alarm for the world, allowing countries to close their borders and start frantically searching for a variant they otherwise might not have noticed for months. British scientists quickly published studies that convinced skeptics of its potency.

The UKs got many things wrong about this pandemic  mainly, not learning lessons about the importance of reacting early, said Neil Ferguson, a public health researcher and government adviser. But the UK has a fairly unparalleled surveillance system for COVID. We can monitor very small changes in the virus.

Labs around Britain, after testing swabs for the virus, send the leftover material in refrigerated vans to the Wellcome Sanger Institute, a genomics lab, where they are stored in cavernous freezers.

There, robots separate out the positive samples and deposit them into the wells of tiny, muffin-tinlike plates. Machines then map their genomes, said Jeffrey Barrett, who directs the sequencing project, producing 30,000 letter-long genetic codes that are uploaded to an internet library. The task of making sense of mutations falls to biologists like Andrew Rambaut, a professor in Edinburgh, who determine where they fit on the evolutionary tree.

The effort has generated more than 165,000 sequences in Britain. The United States, with five times as many people, has sequenced about 74,000 genomes. Germany has sequenced about 3,400, less than half of what Britain uploaded to the global database Thursday alone.

It has totally revolutionized how were dealing with the virus, said Judith Breuer, a virologist at University College London.

The campaign took shape March 4, before 100 coronavirus infections had been found in Britain, when a Cambridge microbiologist, Sharon Peacock, sent a flurry of emails to British genomicists, asking each, Can you call me, please?

Within two weeks, their newly formed consortium had secured 20 million British pounds, about $27 million, in government funding.

Its a close community here, and in March it effectively put aside any rivalries, any egos, and just said, We can play a critical role in managing the pandemic, said Thomas Connor, a scientist in Wales who built a platform for collating and analyzing genomes.

Among the samples sequenced last summer were those of a man in his 70s with lymphoma, admitted in May to a Cambridge hospital for treatment of COVID-19. Gupta, a part-time clinician, began treating the patient, whose anti-cancer drugs had depleted his immune response. Sequestered in an isolation room, the patient struggled to breathe. Even after several rounds of treatment, including plasma with antibodies from recovered patients, the virus did not disappear.

Instead, it mutated. Britains sequencing efforts opened a window into those changes: Over 101 days in the hospital, the viral particles coursing through the mans lungs were sequenced 23 times, a treasure trove of clues.

The patient died in August, seemingly without having infected anyone else. But the mutations in his virus eventually supplied scientists with a leading theory for how the British variant originated: by eluding the immune defenses of someone like the Cambridge patient who had a weakened immune system and a long-lasting infection.

We call this the gold-standard patient for assessing different viral populations in a host, Kemp said.

One mutation the patient had, labeled 69-70del, changes the shape of the spike protein. Another, N501Y, can help the protein bind more tightly to human cells.

Kemp searched for those changes every few days in the global database, finding scarce reason to worry. Then, in late November, abruptly, he noticed many genomes, mostly from Britain, that had those mutations and a host of others that could change how the virus entered human cells. He summoned Gupta to his computer for a look.

Eventually, British scientists detected 23 mutations that distinguished these genomes from the earliest known version in Wuhan, China  enough to be a considered a new variant, since labeled B117. On an evolutionary tree that Kemp made, it stood apart like a lone, spindly branch.

I was not expecting anything like this, Gupta said. Back at the end of November, it was all about vaccine hope, and there was no whiff of new variants coming along.

The number of mutations on the spike protein particularly rattled him, he said, calling it a Wow moment.

At the same time, Englands public health experts were puzzling over an unexplained outbreak of coronavirus cases. A lockdown had tempered the virus across England, but not in Kent, a county of London commuters and fruit orchards in the southeast. Cases were emerging in schools. One in 328 residents was infected.

Only on Dec. 8, at their regular meeting with genomicists, did the public health officials conclude that the cause was likely a new variant. Looking back through their databases, scientists discovered that it had first been collected in September and had spread as people returned to offices and patronized restaurants and pubs at the governments urging.

Researchers eventually became persuaded that the variant was, in fact, more transmissible  roughly 30% to 50% more  but only after they had assembled a patchwork of less conclusive clues.

Theres no one totally unambiguous line of evidence; science only generates that kind of surety over longer time periods, said Oliver Pybus, an Oxford evolutionary biologist. It was more a case of different, independent lines of evidence coming together.

After scientists presented their conclusion December 11 to a government advisory body, Ferguson, the public health researcher, became concerned that it would almost certainly require us to go into another lockdown. He texted Prime Minister Boris Johnsons chief scientific adviser, warning about the variant.

By December 22, government scientists said that strict measures, including school closures, were needed to suppress the variant. But Johnson allowed people in parts of England to gather on Christmas and did not impose an England-wide lockdown until January 4.

The variant is now estimated to account for more than 80% of positive cases in London and at least one-quarter of infections elsewhere in England and has turned up in more than 50 countries. US health officials warned Friday that the British variant could be the dominant source of infection in the United States by March.

In recent days, Gupta and Kemp have begun using blood serum from vaccinated people to determine if the variant may weaken the potency of the vaccines.

The world was being told for a long time that mutations dont really matter from the coronavirus, Gupta said. But we found that mutations did come, and they did have an impact on the viruss fitness.

By Benjamin Mueller

c.2021 The New York Times Company

Rain Financial Inc., which operates a crypto-asset platform used mainly in the Middle East and North Africa, raised $6 million, securing backing from Coinbase Inc., the biggest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S.

The Series A funding round was led by venture-capital firm Middle East Venture Partners, Rain Financial said in a statement. Rain Financial declined to disclose its valuation.

Other investors include:

Saudi Arabian private-equity investor Vision Ventures

Abdul Latif Jameel Fintech Ventures

Chicago-based CMT Digital Venture LLC

Dubai-based DIFC Fintech Fund

The four-year-old startups Rain Management business was the first licensed crypto-asset platform in the Middle East when it secured approval from the Central Bank of Bahrain to operate in 2019, according to the statement.

Crypto-platforms have been given a boost by a quadrupling in the price of Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, in late 2020, which has been accompanied by roller-coaster volatility.

Does Bitcoin Boom Mean Better Gold or Bigger Bubble? QuickTake

Last year saw tremendous growth in the number of users and the transaction volume on Rain," co-founder Yehia Badawy said in an interview. Weve seen increased adoption across the board from retail clients, high-net-worth individuals, and institutional clients."

Rain Financial plans to use the funds for a regional expansion and to grow its engineering team, Badawy said. Its also in talks with regulators in the Middle East to widen its reach, he said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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George Calombaris slipped from the spotlight when he departed MasterChef Australia in 2019.

But the chef is back in a new public cooking competition - albeit one that won't be televised.

The 42-year-old is taking part in a barbecue challenge at Ocean Eight winery on the Mornington Peninsula on January 24, The Herald Sun reported on Sunday.

New gig: George Calombaris (pictured) slipped from the spotlight when he departed MasterChef Australia in 2019. But the chef is back in a new public cooking competition - albeit one that won't be televised

He will cook off against chef Jerry Mai, who is the owner of restaurants Annam, Bia Hoi and Pho Nom in a 'Greece vs Vietnam' battle.

Last year, George made headlines after he was found to have underpaid his restaurant staff by nearly $8 million.

The former TV star was fined $200,000 for underplaying 515 staff between 2011 and 2017 and will have his business audited for the next three years.

Just eat it: The 42-year-old is taking part in a barbecue challenge at Ocean Eight winery on the Mornington Peninsula on January 24, The Daily Telegraph reported on Sunday

He was also axed alongside veteran MasterChef co-judges Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston amid a pay dispute.

'Despite months of negotiations, Ten has not been able to reach a commercial agreement that was satisfactory to Matt, Gary and George,' Ten's CEO Paul Anderson said in a statement in July 2019.

New judges Melissa Leong, Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo took over the spots, leading to a blockbuster 2020 for the series.

Back then: George was also axed from MasterChef in 2019 alongside veteran MasterChef co-judges Gary Mehigan (left) and Matt Preston (right) amid a pay dispute

The Channel Ten cooking show was voted the most popular reality series in the world by the Global TV Demand Awards earlier this month.

The result comes from global demand data collected from January 1 to December 31, 2020, according to the website.

MasterChef Australia also won the AACTA Award Best Reality Program back in November.
Alexa Cave, sister of Dustin Higgs, talks about the moment she watched her brother being executed at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S. January 16, 2021. REUTERS-Yonhap



The U.S. government put to death Dustin Higgs early Saturday, concluding the Trump administration's effort to revive federal executions.



Prison officials at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind., declared Higgs, 55, dead at 1:23 a.m. He maintained his innocence in his final statement.



"I'd like to say I am an innocent man," he said. "I did not order the murders."



Shawn Nolan, Higgs' attorney, criticized the federal government for carrying out the execution even though his client was recovering from COVID-19.



"The government completed its unprecedented slaughter of 13 human beings tonight by killing Dustin Higgs, a Black man who never killed anyone, on Martin Luther King's birthday," Nolan said.



"There was no reason to kill him, particularly during the pandemic and when he, himself, was sick with COVID that he contracted because of these irresponsible, super-spreader executions. Rest in peace Dustin. Shame on all of those involved and all of those who have looked the other way."



Higgs was sentenced to death for the 1996 murders of three women in Maryland  Tanji Jackson, Tamika Black and Mishann Chinn.





Yusuf Nur, the spiritual advisor for Dustin Higgs, talks about his experiences with Higgs, outside the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S. January 15, 2021. Picture taken January 15, 2021. REUTERS-Yonhap



Prosecutors said Higgs had invited the three women over to his Maryland apartment with accomplice Willis Haynes and a third man. Prosecutors said that after Jackson rebuffed an advance by Higgs, he offered to drive the three women back to Washington, D.C.



Instead, prosecutors said he drove the women to a secluded area in Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge in St. George's County, Md., and told Haynes to shoot them. All three women died of gunshot wounds.



Haynes, who defense attorneys said pulled the trigger, was sentenced to life in prison.



Higgs' execution came after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a lower court's stay of execution. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the stay Wednesday after his attorneys argued that the U.S. government violated the Federal Death Penalty Act when it issued notice of his execution.



The FDPA requires that death sentences be implemented according to the state where the inmate was convicted  in this case, Maryland, which has abolished the death penalty since Higgs' sentencing.



The Justice Department appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, saying the FDPA requirement is faulty because the federal government wouldn't be able to carry out death sentences for inmates where the death penalty is later abolished.





Anti death penalty activist Ashley Kincaid holds a sign along Prairieton Road across from the Federal Death Chamber, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021 in Terre Haute, Ind. AP
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NEW DELHI : The Indian economy is not recovering as fast as the government claims and the country's economy may contract 25% in the current financial year, noted economist Arun Kumar said on Sunday.

Kumar further said that due to a big decline in the GDP during the current financial year, the budget estimates have gone completely out of gear and, therefore, there is a need to correct the Budget.

"India's economic growth is not recovering as fast as the government is showing because the unorganised sector has not started recovering and some major components of the services sector have not recovered.

"My analysis shows that the rate of growth will be (-)25% in the current financial year because during lockdown (during April-May), only essential production was taking place and even in agriculture, there was no growth," he told PTI in an interview.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has projected the Indian economy to contract 7.5% in the current financial year, while the National Statistical Office (NSO) estimates a contraction of 7.7%.

Also, according to the NSO, the Indian economy contracted by 23.9% during the April-June 2020 quarter and recovered faster than expected in the July-September 2020 quarter as a pick-up in manufacturing helped GDP clock a lower contraction of 7.5%.

Kumar, a former professor of economics at JNU, said the government's own document that provided April-June and July-September quarters GDP (gross domestic product) figures said there will be a revision in the data later on.

He predicted that India's fiscal deficit will be higher than it was last year and the state's fiscal deficit will also be much higher.

"Disinvestment revenue will also be short. Tax and non-tax revenues will be short," Kumar said.

He said India's economic recovery will depend on several factors including how quickly vaccination can be done, how quickly people can go back to their work.

"We are not going back to the 2019 level of output in 2021. Maybe in 2022, after the vaccination is done, we will recover back to the 2019 level of output in 2022," Kumar said.

He added that the growth rate in the coming years will be good because of low base effect, but the output will be less than 2019.

Asked whether the government should relax the fiscal deficit target in the upcoming Budget, Kumar said, "It has been argued since July that the government should allow the fiscal deficit to rise and spend more and give money to the unorganised sector and in rural areas."

On India recently imposing fresh restrictions on foreign direct investment (FDI) from countries that share land border with India, he said, "It is a knee-jerk reaction". If you look at the past three-four years, all the start-ups had big investments from China, Kumar added.

Stressing that like China, India should also invest more on research and development, Kumar said, "We are now in a bad situation where we have to do knee-jerk reactions like raising tariffs, withdrawing from the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), and having new FDI rules, to stop investment from China."

He pointed out that when investments in India are lacking, restricting investments from outside is going to put us in further trouble.

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Zero community cases were reported in Queensland on Sunday, bringing hope that restrictions would return to pre-Christmas levels by next weekend.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk tweeted the update on Sunday morning, revealing two new cases had been detected in hotel quarantine.

Most people in Brisbane have complied with the requirement to wear masks. Credit:Matt Dennien

Sunday marked 10 days since the last infectious case was out and about in the Greater Brisbane community  the partner of a hotel quarantine cleaner.

There has been no evidence that the highly contagious UK strain has spread through the community since then.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 11:17:45|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

by Yosley Carrero

HAVANA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Cuba confirmed 405 new cases of the novel coronavirus, down from 547 a day earlier, the island's Ministry of Public Health reported Saturday.

The nationwide COVID-19 tally now stands at 17,501 after the new confirmed cases hit the 500 mark in three consecutive days.

Of all the new cases, 171 were logged in Havana, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic on the island, followed by the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Matanzas, Guantanamo and Villa Clara.

Meanwhile, the island reported four new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the national death toll to 166 as the country strives to control its largest wave of infections since the pandemic began.

New data released by the health ministry shows that January 2021 has been the worst month in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba, with 5,445 infections registered so far.

At present, 4,123 active cases in Cuba are hospitalized at COVID-19 wards with 46 patients in intensive care units.

Francisco Duran, national director of epidemiology at the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, urged people to follow physical distancing rules and safety measures to bring the virus under control.

"The epidemiological situation is complex, but we are working hard to contain the spread of the pandemic. People's participation is fundamental," he said during a COVID-19 daily press briefing.

Duran's statement came after lockdown restrictions were imposed nationwide, and school classes in Havana and other hardest-hit municipalities were suspended.

On Saturday, 55 children under 18 tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total to 1,865.

"Having the kids at home 24/7 demands a lot more of my time, but it is necessary at the moment," said a 40-year-old father Antonio Echarte. "Aside from remote work, I will cope with televised lessons and homeschooling as of Monday."

In addition, 61.3 percent of the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Caribbean nation have reported no symptoms, according to data released by the island nation's health authorities.

Cuban Minister of Public Health Jose Angel Portal said that asymptomatic carriers are increasing the transmissibility of the virus while asking people to reinforce COVID-19 protocols at public areas and home.

"Cuba must keep on betting on the development of the local vaccine, which continues to make progress," he said, adding that national scientists are working hard to immunize the population against the virus.

The first confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Cuba were reported in March 2020 after three Italian tourists visiting the central town of Trinidad tested positive for COVID-19. Enditem
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The Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Residences in Amman has appointed Tareq Derbas, an industry veteran with over 25 years of experience, as its general manager. The property has been developed by Jordanian group Al Eqbal Real Estate Development and Hotels.

Strategically located at the heart of capital Amman, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Residences will feature 228 guest rooms - the smallest of which are 60 sqm - and include 34 luxurious suites.

It will also boast two upscale restaurants, one of which will be situated on the rooftop, as well as an elegantly-designed 1,000-sq m grand ballroom. As for The Ritz-Carlton Residences, the property will encompass 90 private residences for purchase, each of which will consist exclusively of master bedrooms.

Ranging in size from one to four bedrooms and featuring two exclusive penthouses, The Residences will offer full access to countless exceptional amenities and recreational facilities, such as an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, Owners Lounge and a boardroom, said the statement.

The Jordanian developer pointed out that the Derbas' appointment was among the final directives of its late chairman Tawfiq Fakhouri.

With over 25 years in the hospitality industry - specifically in hotel management and guest experience - Derbas will be responsible for overseeing the operations of The Ritz-Carlton project in Amman and extending the brands top class services to guests in the heart of the Jordanian capital.

Throughout his career, Derbas occupied senior roles in award-winning hotels such as The St. Regis, Four Seasons and the iconic Burj Al Arab, said the statement from the Jordanian developer.

Most recently, he held the position of general manager at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre, cementing its status as a premium hotel for both leisure and business guests.

Hailed for his business acumen, people-oriented management style and attention to detail, Derbas holds a remarkable track record of successfully opening and transforming many luxury hotels in Jordan, Oman, Qatar and the UAE, it stated.

In 2010, he led the launch of The St. Regis Doha, which thrived during his tenure to earn an esteemed rank as one of the top 100 hotels in the world in 2016.

On his new role, Derbas said: "I am delighted at the opportunity to spearhead the opening of this landmark property that will surely elevate the local luxury travel industry to the next level."

"Giving attention to the finer details, meaningful gestures of care and anticipation of guests needs have the power to turn a mere house into a home and an ordinary hotel stay into a memorable experience. Guided by these principles, The Ritz-Carlton in Amman promises to deliver curated and highly-bespoke services to every guest, every time," he added.-TradeArabia News Service

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Nepal's foreign minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has said that his country is capable of dealing with internal problems and will not accept any external interference in domestic politics. In Nepal, it has been spoken in the midst of China's attempts to interfere amid political turmoil after the dissolution of Parliament. Talking to reporters on Saturday, he said that we have never accepted external interference in domestic politics. We are able to solve our problems. Being a close neighbour may have some concerns but no interference is acceptable. According to information received, China had sent a high-level delegation led by Deputy Minister of the Communist Party's International Ministry of International Yau Yezhou to Kathmandu after a sudden dissolution of Parliament by PM KP Sharma Oli in Nepal.

The Chinese delegation interacted with almost all the top leaders of Nepal, but it had to return empty-handed. This attempt of China to interfere in Nepali politics was strongly condemned. He said that Nepal's relations with both India and China are good and cannot compare relations with each other. When asked about the ongoing political crisis in the country and the role of party leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, he refused to make a direct remark and said that as the foreign Minister of the country, he is representing every person in Nepal.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has spoken that India-Nepal relations have unlimited potential. He took to Twitter and wrote, "The meeting with Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali was very good. Nepal's relations with India are not confined to the governments of the two countries but are governed by the people of both countries. It may be mentioned that he is currently on a three-day visit to India in New Delhi." On Friday, he had a detailed discussion on bilateral relations with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

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Illegal coronavirus vaccines plotting the country's black market have prompted the senate to call for an inquiry.

Members of the security detail of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte issued Covid-19 vaccines in September and October. But no shots were approved for use in the country, either then or now.

Late on Monday night, Duterte instructed the soldiers of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) "not obey the summons" and that they "stay put in the barracks," saying that he would not allow them to be "brutalized for all their good intentions" before a Senate investigation.

As the revelation that Filipino soldiers protecting him had already inoculated. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed illegal coronavirus vaccines that were allegedly brought from China.

Following the president's comment, on Tuesday morning, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which has authority over the PSG, declared that it was halting its inquiry into the criminal liability of the soldiers concerned.

The president's most recent comment came amid additional revelations that at least 100,000 Chinese operating in online gaming operations in the capital, Manila, had already received the illegal coronavirus vaccines from China as early as November, aside from the Philippine military.

Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana said members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) had received and administered the illegal coronavirus vaccines without government permission and knowledge.

"Yes it's smuggled, because they were not authorized, only the government can authorize it," he told reporters when asked if the vaccine is brought illegally in the country.

On Tuesday, Brigadier General Jesus Durante, head of PSG, told the ANC news channel that a handful of union members had "in good faith" received a coronavirus vaccine. The president, after the vaccination, was only then notified.

The unit could no longer afford to wait for approval, Durante said. He did not mention how the vaccine in the black market had been acquired or which one had been used.

Any manufacture, distribution, and selling of a COVID-19 vaccine in the black market has been declared by the FDA to be at present illegal and warned of possible dangers from the use of vaccines that it has not authorized.

It said that it was working with the Customs Bureau to decide how the illegal coronavirus vaccines were brought into the country.

Some senators are demanding answers and want the head of Duterte's guard to appear before an inquiry on the government's vaccination plan set for next week.

READ MORE: Man With Unauthorized Inauguration Credentials and Loaded Handgun Arrested by US Capitol Police

Meanwhile, Presidential Spokeperson Harry Roque brushed aside claims that at least 100,000 Chinese citizens working in the Philippines were also injected with China's illegal coronavirus vaccines.

"I don't have any informations. But if it is true, then it's good, as there will be 100,000 fewer possible carriers of COVID-19" in the country, Roque said.

Teresita Ang-See, the Filipino-Chinese group chief, said on Monday that the vaccine used on the Chinese workers was actually the same as that used on the Filipino soldiers and that it came through an "official channel."

However, Ang-See failed to recognize that the Philippine Food and Drug Administration has not approved any coronavirus vaccine.

According to Philippine labor statistics, approximately 140,000 Chinese nationals have been allowed to work in 2019. In the middle of last year, Beijing said it had launched a program to inoculate people working overseas.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 03:39:24|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin in Manila, the Philippines, Jan. 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

MANILA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin vowed here Saturday to strengthen bilateral cooperation on anti-pandemic efforts and economic recovery.

While meeting with Locsin, Wang said under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the bilateral relations have withstood various tests, and the friendship between the two peoples have been strengthened in jointly combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the year of 2021, the two sides should plan the year-round exchanges and cooperation as soon as possible with the focus on anti-pandemic efforts and economic recovery, said Wang.

The two countries should further increase common interests while dissolving differences, strengthen cooperation, unswervingly follow the course charted by the leaders of the two countries, so that the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two sides will bear more fruits to benefit the two countries and the two peoples, he said.

Wang said that China and the Philippines are friendly neighbors, and enjoy a long tradition of helping each other. China has decided to donate a batch of COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines and encourage Chinese companies to seek vaccine cooperation with the Philippine side, he said.

Wang said fruitful results have been achieved in major cooperation projects in recent years, noting that the two countries have completed 11 projects while 12 others are in progress or in the pipeline, and 12 more are under negotiation.

He said China is ready to further synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and the Philippines' "Build, Build, Build" program, accelerate trade liberalization and facilitation, strengthen cooperation on cross-border e-commerce and finance, and share development opportunities and development fruits.

The regional cooperation in East Asia gained momentum last year in spite of difficulties and achieved positive results, Wang said, adding that China appreciates the important role the Philippines, which serves as the country coordinator of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China relations, has played in deepening the China-ASEAN ties.

China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the Philippines to well hold the commemorative activities with ASEAN countries to mark the 30th anniversary of the dialogue relations between China and ASEAN, upgrade Chian-ASEAN ties, forge a blue economy partnership and put into force the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement at an early date, Wang said.

Wang said China is ready to speed up the progress of consultations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea with ASEAN countries to work out the regional rules that are substantive, effective and consistent with international law.

For his part, Locsin said the Philippines-China relationship is a mature one based on equality and mutual benefit between two sovereign countries.

Under the guidance of the heads of state of the two countries, both sides have overcome the challenges posed by the epidemic and constantly advanced the cooperation in the areas including economy, trade and infrastructure, among others, he added.

The Philippines thanks China for providing anti-epidemic supplies including vaccines and sharing anti-coronavirus experiences to support its fight against COVID-19, said the Philippine foreign secretary.

The Philippines is looking forward to further strengthening the cooperation with China on COVID-19 vaccines, he noted.

Locsin called on the two countries to deepen mutual trust, enhance cooperation, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, bringing their ties of comprehensive strategic cooperation to a new height.

The Philippines is pleased to notice that the Chinese economy has swiftly recovered from the pandemic, Locsin said, adding that the global economic recovery needs China.

The Philippines is willing to learn from China's experience in constructing a new, dual-circulation development pattern, promote cooperation and achieve common development, Locsin said.

He also said the Philippines is willing to work with China to advance the consultations on the COC, create synergy between the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and the Belt and Road Initiative, and push for a steady growth of the ASEAN-China relations.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

After the meeting, Wang and Locsin witnessed the signing of cooperation documents and the ceremonial unveiling of a plaque to mark the establishment of Bank of China Manila as the Chinese currency renminbi (RMB) Clearing Bank of the Philippines. Enditem
Islamabad: Many nations have already started vaccination drive against coronavirus. Pakistan on Saturday also granted approval for the emergency use of Oxford-AstraZeneca's corona vaccine.

Talking to Geo News, Dr Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to Pak PM Imran Khan on Health, confirmed that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has authorised the emergency use of the vaccine.

Two days ago, of Oxford-AstraZeneca had sought from Pakistani authorities to get its Covid-19 vaccine registered in the country. A local pharmaceutical company has submitted AstraZeneca's vaccine data to DRAP, they informed.The United Kingdom was the first to approve the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine. The clinical trials of the vaccines showed the dosage to be safe and effective at preventing symptomatic corona, with no severe cases and no hospitalisations more than 14 days after the second dose.

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Key outbreak areas in Yakima County

Small business outbreaks: Most of the outbreaks involve small businesses with a handful of employees. While they dont significantly add to the total count, an outbreak to a small staff could take a business out of operation for several weeks.

Long-term care facilities: COVID-19 hit long-term care facilities the hardest first. Early on, when testing to the general public was limited, staff and residents of long-term care facilities made up 25% of total cases in a given day. Facilities that experienced outbreaks included: Prestige Care and Rehabilitation-Sunnyside; Good Samaritan, Willow Springs Care, Landmark Care, Garden Village, all in Yakima; Prestige Care and Rehabilitation Parkside in Union Gap, Prestige in Toppenish and Emerald Care in Wapato.

In November, Summitview Healthcare, a skilled nursing facility inside the Living Care Retirement Community, had an outbreak of 50 cases among patients and staff. By then, there were specific Yakima Health District staff members focused on responding to outbreaks at long-term care facilities.

Fruit packing houses: Early in the pandemic, several fruit packing houses had outbreaks. Things improved as businesses were able to get masks, namely through the state and agricultural groups, and there was a greater knowledge regarding procedures and practices.

Series of farmworker outbreaks at H-2A housing: Between mid-July to October, several outbreaks were reported at farmworker housing. They included several at Fairbridge Inn, a former hotel in Yakima. Over the period, more than 200 positive cases were reported. Congregate housing settings  any facility where people live in close quarters  have been a common setting for outbreaks.

 Mai Hoang
All arrivals to the UK could face staying in new quarantine hotels under plans to reduce the transmission of new coronavirus variants from abroad - but there are concerns 90 per cent of arrivals could go unchecked by Border Force.

Officials have been told to prepare to use facial-recognition and GPS technology in order to ensure people stay in isolation when they arrive in the country.

Passengers are being asked to complete online passenger locator forms to tell officials where they are staying after arriving in the UK.

But MPs have heard just one in 10 of the forms are checked by Border Force, while police officers told to visit addresses for potential breaches of quarantine simply walk away if no one answers - with no follow up investigation.

Since the start of the pandemic, millions of people have flown in to the UK, but just 247 fines have been handed out to people flouting quarantine rules.

From 4am on Monday all travel corridors will be suspended and anyone coming to the UK must have proof of a negative test in the previous 72 hours.

All arrivals to the UK could face staying in new quarantine hotels under plans to reduce the transmission of new coronavirus variants from abroad. Pictured: Travellers arrive at Heathrow Airport in London on Saturday

MP David Morris told The Sun: 'We are past the stage of being able to trust people to isolate if the system is not being policed.

'We should ramp up the fines or follow Australia's lead and take travellers straight to secure hotels.'

The Department for Transport has said tomorrow's measures will come alongside increased enforcement, both at the border and across the country.

Border Force is expected to increase the number of spot checks carried out on passengers arriving in the country.

Visitors will have to pay for the hotel stays themselves under the proposed plans.

Civil servants were told to study New Zealand's policy of 'directed isolation', reported the Sunday Times.

Arrivals are charged with stay at an airport hotel and forced to remain in isolation for two weeks in the country.

In Australia, travellers are charged between 1,500 and 2,500 for isolation hotel stays of between 14 and 24 days.

Civil servants also discussed Poland's 'enhanced isolation' system, in which people are contacted daily and told to send a picture of themselves where they are isolating.

Officials have been told to prepare to use facial-recognition and GPS technology in order to ensure people stay in isolation when they arrive in the country. Pictured: Passengers at the Covid-19 testing centre in Heathrow Airport, London, on Saturday

The pictures are cross-referenced using GPS data and facial-recognition software and are visited by police within 20 minutes if they fail to comply.

Officials discussed the ideas at a meeting on Thursday and it is understood the technology would be confined to new arrivals, not anyone ordered to self-isolate in the UK.

The current regime announced on Friday in the UK means people arriving will still have to isolate for 10 days even if they have had a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours - or five if they have another negative result during that period.

The ban will be backed by tougher spot checks and will stay in place until at least February 15 as ministers and scientists work out how to manage the threat posed by mutations of the virus.

Yesterday it was revealed that 11 Britons have had one of the variants that have sprung up in Brazil - although it is not yet clear how much of a threat it poses.

Visitors to the UK will have to pay for the hotel stays themselves under the plans being considered. Pictured: Arrivals wearing PPE at Heathrow Airport, London, on Saturday

Travellers from South America, Portugal, some of central America and South Africa are already barred from coming to the country.

Earlier, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps defended the timing of the South America border ban amid complaints ministers have been 'behind the curve' responding to the threat of new Covid variants.

The ban also covers the Central American state of Panama and Portugal  due to its strong travel links with Brazil  and the former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde.

It applies to everyone who has been in the area over the past 10 days - although UK and Irish nationals are exempt - and came into force at 4am.

Two students landed at Manchester Airport with full PPE as they landed from their Dubai flight and are heading to York University

Scientists analysing the Brazilian variant believe the mutations it shares with the new South African strain are associated with a rapid increase in cases in locations where there have already been large outbreaks of the disease.

British and Irish nationals and others with residence rights are exempted from the measures that were backed by the Scottish and Welsh governments, though they must self-isolate for 10 days along with their households on their return.

Mr Shapps described the ban as a 'precautionary' measure to ensure the vaccination programme rolling out across the UK was not disrupted by new variants of the virus.

Asked if the Brazilian strain was currently in the country, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Not as far as we are aware, I think, at this stage.

'There haven't been any flights that I can see from the last week from Brazil, for example.'

The inaugural exhibit at the new Ursa Gallery in Bridgeports Arcade Mall packs a lot into a small space, beginning with its cryptic triptych title, Accordion Time, Unfolding: a Pandemic Archive.

The main event is immersive, an archive more felt than seen, initially at least. It is the gallerys very own wallpaper. Fashioned from 890 printed pages of digital messages and images exchanged by a group of seven area artists, the wallpaper is a record of their lives leading up to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and coping with the lockdown shock that followed.

Alexandra Rutsch Brock, Patricia Fabricant, Ellen Hackl Fagan, Katherine Jackson, Patricia Miranda, Josette Urso and Jo Yarrington are the artists featured in the show.

Were not expecting everybody to read the whole thing, said Brock, a co-curator of the exhibit. Its symbolic. Its a documentation in real time of the pandemic. This is our conversation. Its chronological. There is no editing. It is what it is, 100 percent.

In fact, someone would need a pair of binoculars and several days to read all 890 messages exchanged between the seven women. They run in columns from ceiling to floor and cover all four walls of the gallerys main room. Nevertheless, those at eye-level form a readable, if fractured, chronicle.

Theres a point on the wall where the pandemic hits, said Cris Dam, the Ursa Gallery owner who spent his teens in Shelton and now lives in Westport. You can see the tone of the conversation completely changing.

To demonstrate, Brock, who lives in Stamford and teaches high school art in New Rochelle, N.Y., walked to the section of the wall where the lockdown month of March bleeds into April. She points to a photo of park picnic tables cordoned off by police tape and another of one of the artists consoling herself with a pint of ice cream.

There are exchanges about the stress of teaching on Zoom, about which supermarkets and liquor stores deliver, about recipes and masks and deaths.

It was just a way of communicating and keeping everybody sane, dealing with drama and nervousness and how to wash your groceries, and at the same time talking about art or the movies youre watching or the book youre reading or just helping through meltdowns, Brock said.

The raw data nature of the archive  Brock called it uncurated  is reinforced by its pure origin. Only in hindsight would Brock say it began in October 2019, when the seven women decided to take advantage of low airfares to fly to London for a #MeToo movement exhibit at the Tate Modern.

A few met for the first time just before departing, but all were part of the same art orbit and most had local connections. Brocks co-curator, Miranda, has taught art at the University of New Haven.

Yarrington is a professor of studio art at Fairfield University. Fagan lives in Greenwich and owns the Odetta Gallery there.

Together, they began calling themselves the London Calling Collective and kept in touch using WhatsApp. Then the pandemic hit and communications became more urgent.

It became a real lifeline, Brock said. We never thought to put it on display. This was just honest conversation.

She and Fagan first talked about somehow exhibiting the Collectives exchanges in August, when Fagan had a show in Harlem. The idea was sidelined; instead, the Collective began a project inspired by the USPS Art Project, in which hundreds of artists shared work by mail, beginning last April.

For their own project, each Collective member created an image on the first page of a seven-page fold-out book, then mailed it on to other members to complete.

The seven pandemic books by the seven women came to be displayed as Accordion Time on pedestals in the Ursa Gallery, surrounded by the wallpaper archive.

Meanwhile, Brock had been talking with gallery owner Dam about a completely different inaugural exhibit, one with a political theme to be called Witch Hunt, timed to Novembers Bridgeport Art Trail. The two had known each other for years, since Dam operated a gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

But pandemic chaos and an overdose of election-year politics worked against Witch Hunt. Suddenly there was a race to finish the fold-out books and get the Collectives pandemic messages printed and pasted up.

The 890 pages on the wall end on May 27, 2020. Thats all we could fit, said Brock. But that is just a quarter of the 3,783 pages in the entire archive. It begins on Oct. 3, 2019, and arbitrarily ends on Oct. 13, 2020. It is displayed in a 2-foot-tall stack just inside the gallery entrance.

Dam, an artist himself, said people relate to the dialogue they can read in the archive. It has made me think I really want to have shows about whats happening in the world at the moment. I want this to be contemporary, he said, meaning contemporary in the general sense.

Dam signed the lease for the gallery last January but already had a studio elsewhere in the Arcade. He conceived it in collaboration with Dustin Malstrom, a friend since high school in Shelton.

Both wound up in New York, where Malstrom started an architecture and design business. After Williamsburg, Dam spent several years in Berlin. The two now live minutes apart in Westport.

From Brooklyn to Bridgeport is how the Ursa Gallery introduces itself on its website. Dam said he chose Ursa for a name because star constellations influence his own art and because he sees the gallery as a constellation of talent.

The third component of the pandemic archive exhibit does in fact showcase individual work by each of the seven members of the London Calling Collective.

Altogether there are about 50 pieces on display, a deceptively large number. Many are smaller, mixed-media constructions so cleverly mounted that they look like pop-up components of the wallpaper archive itself.

Miranda, Brocks co-curator, has a series called Pearls Before Swine in which shes copied and dyed pages of Bible verse, then highlighted gendered words with freshwater pearls.

Yarrington has a golden, backlit sculpture partly fashioned from player piano music rolls.

Easier to spot because they are displayed on shelves is a series of oil cans of the spouted type used to lubricate machinery or instruments, except these are translucent and brightly colored.

They are by Jackson, a Brooklyn artist with a Harvard doctorate in English who writes that her cans allude to fragrant oils, light-giving oils or the harm done by the oil industry.

The largest single piece in the exhibit, in the gallerys back room, is an abstract oil painting by the Brooklyn artist Urso.

Brocks contribution is half a dozen paintings in gouache on paper embroidered with stitched thread. One just inside the gallery entrance, where the wallpaper pandemic archive begins, is of a solitary eye weeping raindrop tears. It is titled Looking.

Accordion Time, Unfolding: a Pandemic Archive runs to Feb. 12. The gallery is open to walk-in visitors on Saturdays. On Jan. 27 the artists will conduct a Zoom talk, and on Jan. 30 they will be at the gallery for a meet and greet.

Joel Lang is a freelance writer.
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Afghan authorities said on January 12 they had foiled a plan by the jihadist Islamic State (IS) group to assassinate the top U.S. envoy in Kabul, as a wave of targeted killings continue to rock the country.

Intelligence officers dismantled a four-member IS cell in the eastern province of Nangarhar that had planned to murder Ross Wilson as well as Afghan officials, the National Directorate of Security said.

Wilson, the U.S. charge d'affaires in Kabul, has steadfastly condemned a series of assassinations in the capital and other cities of prominent Afghans including journalists, activists, and politicians in recent months.

"The main assassin and facilitator of the cell, Abdul Wahed, had planned to assassinate the U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan as well as some high-ranking Afghan officials," the NDS said in a statement. "Their plan was foiled with their arrest."

The NDS did not offer further details, and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul did not respond to requests for comment.

In recent months, deadly violence has rocked Afghanistan, including a new trend of targeted killings of prominent Afghans that has sowed fear and chaos despite the Taliban and government engaging in peace talks.

Last week, the U.S. military blamed the terror group for these largely unclaimed targeted killings, although some of them have been claimed by IS.

Over the years, IS has claimed several deadly attacks in Nangarhar, once the bastion of the jihadist group in the country.

In a separate incident on January 12, three Afghan women soldiers were shot dead in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

Two gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying the troops to work, army spokesman Hanif Rezayee said.

Two soldiers died at the scene and one died later in hospital, he said, adding that another military servicewoman and the male driver were wounded in the attack.

No group has so far claimed responsibility.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-18 04:36:17|Editor: huaxia

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RIYADH, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A man and two children were injured on Sunday in a Houthi attack on the Saudi Arabian border city Jazan, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Mohammed bin Hassan Al Samghan, the media spokesperson of Jazan Civil Defense, was quoted as saying that the condition of one of the three victims was critical, adding that the attack also damaged a civilian car.

The attack occurred after the success of the Saudi-led coalition to intercept on Friday three bomb-laden drones launched by Houthis toward the Kingdom.

The Houthi militia has been targeting Saudi Arabia, mainly its border cities, with missiles and bomb-laden drones, since the beginning of the war in Yemen in 2015.

Most of the attacks were foiled by the coalition before reaching their targets.

The coalition will complete its sixth year of war in Yemen against the Houthis in March 2021 to support Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was forced into exile by the Houthi rebels who took over northern Yemen including the capital Sanaa in September 2014. Enditem

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Khartoum, Sudan, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jan, 2021 ) :Over 80 people have been killed in two days of ongoing clashes in Sudan's restive Darfur, doctors said Sunday, just over two weeks since a long-running peacekeeping mission ended operations.

The violence is the most significant fighting reported since the October signing of a peace agreement it was hoped would end years of war which has left the vast western region awash with weapons.

The violence has reportedly pitted Arab against non-Arab tribes in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state.

It was reported to have started as a local dispute before escalating into broader fighting between militias.

"The death toll from the bloody events that occurred in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur State, has risen since Saturday morning ... to 83 dead, and 160 wounded including from the armed forces," the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said.

Sudanese authorities have imposed a state-wide curfew in West Darfur, while the Khartoum government dispatched a "high-profile" delegation to help contain the situation.

Citing the doctors' union, the state-run SUNA news agency said casualties were likely to increase as the fighting continues.

The union's local branch also said health facilities must be secured and transport made available for medics to assist the wounded.

On Sunday, the head of Sudan's ruling body, army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met top security chiefs to discuss the violence.

They decided to send reinforcements to the region to secure civilians and key infrastructure, the cabinet announced on Twitter.

The Sudanese Professionals Association, an umbrella group which spearheaded protests against ousted president Omar al-Bashir, said the violence hit camps for people already displaced by previous violence.

"Parts of Kerindig camp were burned, and sustained significant damages forcing people to leave for safe areas," it said in a statement.

"These events showed that the spread of weapons across Sudan, and especially in Darfur, are the main reasons for the deteriorating situation." - Peacekeeping mission over - On December 31, the hybrid United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) formally ended its 13 years of operations in the region.

It plans a phased withdrawal of its approximately 8,000 armed and civilian personnel within six months.

The Sudanese government "will take over responsibility for the protection of civilians" in Darfur, UNAMID said as its mandate ended.

Fearing deadly violence, Darfur residents held protests in late December against UNAMID's departure.

Also in late December, clashes in South Darfur state left at least 15 people dead and dozens wounded, prompting the government to send troops to the area.

Darfur was the scene of a bitter conflict that erupted in 2003, leaving around 300,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced, the United Nations says.

The fighting erupted when ethnic minority rebels rose up against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, which responded by recruiting and arming a notorious Arab-dominated militia known as the Janjaweed.

The main conflict has subsided over the years but ethnic and tribal clashes still flare periodically, largely pitting nomadic Arab pastoralists against settled farmers from non-Arab ethnic groups.

The violence often centres on land ownership and access to water.

- Root causes 'not addressed' - Sudan is undergoing a rocky political transitional after Bashir's April 2019 ouster.

Bashir, who is currently in custody in Khartoum, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged genocide and war crimes in Darfur perpetrated more than a decade ago.

The transitional government, a power sharing arrangement comprised of generals and civilian figures, signed in October a peace agreement with rebel groups in Sudan's main conflict zones, including Darfur.

But two rebel groups refused to join a recent peace deal, including the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) faction led by Abdelwahid Nour, which is believed to maintain considerable support in Darfur.

The Sudanese Professionals Association said the violence in West Darfur shows the "deficiencies" of the peace deal.

The deal, it added, "strayed away from addressing the roots of the crisis in Darfur, and the issues of people who suffered the scourge of war, and the spread of weapons".
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North Koreans appear to have rallied round leader Kim Jong-un as his Parliament prepares to rubber-stamp a plan to expand the country's nuclear weapons programme, posing a threat to US allies and even the US mainland.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency said deputies led by senior official Choe Ryong Hae, president of the Supreme People's Assembly's presidium, laid flowers at the statues of Kim's grandfather and father, the North's previous rulers, at Pyongyang's Mansu Hill as they prepared for the parliamentary session.

They bowed and pledged to 'fulfil their responsibility and duty' to carry out the decisions made during the eight-day Workers' Party congress that ended on Tuesday, the agency said.

North Koreans appear to have rallied round leader Kim Jong-un as his Parliament prepares to rubber-stamp a plan to expand the country's nuclear weapons programme, posing a threat to US allies and even the US mainland. Pictured: Kim speaks during the Workers' Party Congress on January 9

The North's official Korean Central News Agency said deputies led by senior official Choe Ryong Hae, president of the Supreme People's Assembly's presidium, laid flowers at the statues of Kim's grandfather and father, the North's previous rulers, at Pyongyang's Mansu Hill as they prepared for the parliamentary session. Pictured: A state sponsored rally on Friday in support of the decisions made at the Workers' Party congress

People in the North Korea capital, Pyongyang hold a banner during a rally in support of decisions made at the Workers' Party congress during a state sponsored parade on January 15

Meetings of the Supreme People's Assembly are usually brief, annual affairs that are intended to approve budgets, formalise personnel changes and rubber-stamp policy priorities set by Kim and the ruling party leadership.

State media did not immediately release details from the current session, which could also approve reshuffles within the North's Cabinet and State Affairs Commission, the government's highest decision-making body led by Kim.

During the party congress, Kim called for accelerated efforts to build a military arsenal that could viably target US allies in Asia and as well as the USA itself.

Brightly coloured balloons are released into the sky during a state sponsored rally on January 15 following the end of the eighth Workers' Party congress

Masked crowds march in unison amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic during a state sponsored rally on January 15 in Pyongyang

Crowds father in front of a building in Pyongyang which bears portraits of Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea and his son, the country's second ruler, Kim Jong-il at a state sponsored rally on January 15

He announced an extensive wish-list of new sophisticated assets, including longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-powered submarines, spy satellites and tactical nuclear weapons.

The North showcased some of its most advanced strategic weapons during a nighttime military parade, including what appeared to be a new ballistic missile that is being developed to be fired from submarines.

Analysts say Kim is clearly trying to pressure the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden, who inherits a derailed nuclear diplomacy from President Donald Trump.

Mask-wearing performers wave flags at a rally on January 15 supporting the decisions made at the eighth Workers' party Congress

State media did not immediately release details from the current parliamentary session, which could also approve reshuffles within the North's Cabinet and State Affairs Commission, the government's highest decision-making body led by Kim. Pictured: Crowds clap at a state sponsored rally on January 15

National symbols emblazon a building in Kim Il-sung square in the capital Pyongyang during a state sponsored rally on January 15

His negotiations with Kim collapsed when the two sides failed to agree on how to lift crippling US-led sanctions in exchange for North's disarmament steps.

Kim also used the congress to announce new five-year development plans to salvage the rogue state's broken economy.

Some analysts say the prolonged sanctions combined with pandemic border closures and natural disasters that wiped out crops last summer are possibly setting conditions for a perfect storm that could destabilise markets and trigger public panic and unrest.

The North showcased some of its most advanced strategic weapons during a nighttime military parade, including what appeared to be a new ballistic missile (pictured) that is being developed to be fired from submarines

Missiles on display at a military parade to mark the end of the eighth Workers' Party congress on January 14 in Pyongyang

A military band marches in formation at a nighttime military parade on January 14 to mark the end of the eighth Workers' Party congress in North Korea

The KCNA said that huge crowds of soldiers and civilians gathered at a state-organised rally in Pyongyang where they vowed to extend the 'greatest glory' to Kim and 'thoroughly carry out' the decisions made by the party congress.

Choe, during a speech at the event, called for party members, government officials, civilians and the military to 'thoroughly arm themselves with the main idea and main spirit of the [party congress]

'And bring about substantial success and progress in the socialist construction with redoubled revolutionary enthusiasm', the agency said.

People dance amid fireworks during a parade to celebrate the end of the eighth Workers' Party congress in Pyongyang

Analysts say North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is clearly trying to pressure the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden, who inherits a derailed nuclear diplomacy from President Donald Trump. Pictured: A recent military parade in Pyongyang on January 14
Monica McInerney is a very successful Aussie writer (voted Australia's favourite novelist four times in the last decade), who began her career in 2001 with A Taste for It - about an Australian chef called Maura travelling around Ireland. Her latest novel, The Godmothers, takes her back to our shores once again.

The Godmothers centres on Eliza, a buttoned-down, uptight 30-year-old who, in the space of a week, loses her job and her apartment in Melbourne.

The reasons for Eliza's control-freakery are very apparent. After a childhood with an erratic and unconventional, but loving, single mother, Jeannie, who dragged her from pillar to post, Eliza has played safe and spent her entire working life toiling for narcissistic nightmare Gillian, building up Gillian's business for no thanks and little reward.

Having no father, no siblings, grandparents or any other family, the only constants in Eliza's life have been her two godmothers, her mother's boarding school chums. Maxie is a famous actress who started out in Australian soaps and has become a British television institution.

Olivia is a pragmatic businesswoman whose (older) husband is in a care home with Alzheimer's. She has been left with the responsibility of running her husband's top-notch hotel in Edinburgh while trying to accommodate his two sons, Alex and Rory, and his late wife's mother, the demanding and demented Celine.

Eliza has no idea who her father is. Jeannie always promised she would tell her everything on her 18th birthday but she died shortly beforehand, leaving Eliza emotionally devastated.

After her life suddenly implodes, she decides, despite having developed a phobia of flying since her mother's death, that her godmothers' offer of a holiday in Edinburgh is one she can't refuse.

Making the long journey to Scotland is the first step to finally finding out who her father is. What she hasn't bargained for is that her godmothers, feeling parental towards her, have kept many of Jeannie's secrets and that her late mother wasn't quite the person that Eliza thought she was.

Eliza already knew that Jeannie was a creative storyteller but when some of her lies are exposed, she feels cheated.

"For 13 years. I've done nothing but try to be the best behaved person I can, to try to keep everything bad at bay, stop anything else terrible happening to me. But it was pointless, wasn't it? Because I was in the dark all that time. My life could have been so different."

Eliza is also shocked to discover that the godmothers don't know who her father is. The most likely suspect is an Irish man called Emmet whom her mother met in London and shared a house with in Australia. In between, Jeannie had worked in his family's pub in Ireland, in view of an ancient castle. With so many castles in Ireland, the search seems pointless until they get a clue courtesy of a Mel Gibson film. (The actor is "pocket-sized. It's all done with trick photography," according to gorgon Celine, who gets all the best lines. )

Eliza's physical and emotional journey changes her life. After 13 years of being shut down and cut off, she finally starts to live again. Surrounded by handsome men in Edinburgh, she even finds a bit of romance.

Readers will be delighted to hear that the Irish characters actually speak like real Irish people. McInerney perfectly captures the rhythm of speech and uses Irish-isms properly. The pacing is good throughout, letting readers enjoy the vivid scenery but not getting bogged down with extraneous details.

Being able to travel to Australia, Scotland, London and Ireland virtually, while we are stuck at home makes The Godmothers the perfect antidote to lockdown.
An Indian-American diplomat Uzra Zeya, who had quit the foreign service in 2018 in protest against the policies of US President Donald Trump was nominated on Saturday to a key State Department position by President-elect Joe Biden.

According to key nominations for the Department of State announced by Biden, Uzra Zeya has been nominated to be Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.

Sharing the news on Twitter, Uzra Zeya wrote, "In my 25+years as a diplomat, I learned that Americas greatest strength is the power of our example, diversity & democratic ideals. I will uphold & defend these values, if confirmed, as Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights."

In my 25+years as a diplomat, I learned that Americas greatest strength is the power of our example, diversity & democratic ideals. I will uphold & defend these values, if confirmed, as Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. https://t.co/PIU6EXwGuA  Uzra Zeya (@UzraZeya) January 16, 2021

Wendy R. Sherman has been nominated to be Deputy Secretary of State, Brian McKeon as Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources, Bonnie Jenkins to be Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs and Victoria Nuland to be Under Secretary for Political Affairs.

This diverse and accomplished team, led by Secretary of State-designate Tony Blinken, embodies my core belief that America is strongest when it works with our allies," Biden said.

"Collectively, they have secured some of the most defining national security and diplomatic achievements in recent memory  and I am confident that they will use their diplomatic experience and skill to restore Americas global and moral leadership. America is back," he said.

Uzra Zeya served most recently as CEO and President of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, where she drew on over two decades of diplomatic experience in Near East, South Asian, European, human rights, and multilateral affairs.

As Charge dAffaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Paris from 2014 to 2017, she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Embassy, six constituent posts, and 50 offices and agencies engaged in U.S. government work. She quit against Trumps policies in September 2018.

Up to now, Foggy Bottoms upper echelons are looking whiter, more male and less like America," Zeya wrote in Politico in September 2018 alleging that the State Department under the Trump Administration was facing racial and gender bias.

In my own case, I hit the buzz saw that Team Trump wielded against career professionals after leading the US Embassy in Paris through three major terrorist attacks over three years and after planning President Trumps Bastille Day visit," she wrote.

She said that upon returning to Washington, she was blocked from a series of senior-level jobs with no explanation. "In two separate incidents, however, colleagues told me that a senior State official opposed candidates for leadership positions  myself and an African-American female officer  on the basis that we would not pass the 'Breitbart test'," she wrote in Politico.

From 2012 to 2014, Zeya served as Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour.

She joined the Foreign Service in 1990, serving in New Delhi, Muscat, Damascus, Cairo, and Kingston. From 2011 to 2012, she was Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of State and helped shape the U.S. response to the Arab Spring and worked to deepen U.S. engagement with emerging powers.

Zeya has also served as Deputy Executive Secretary to the Secretary of State, Director of the Executive Secretariat Staff, and as UN General Assembly Coordinator.

She is a recipient of the Legion dhonneur, Frances highest civilian honour, a Presidential Rank Award, and 15 Superior Honour and Senior Performance Awards.

She is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

On the key State Department nominations announced by Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said, This remarkable team of distinguished diplomats and seasoned leaders reflects the very best of our nation".

Secretary of State-designate Tony Blinken said, To meet this moment, we need a Department of State that looks like America, led by diverse women and men who will be unafraid to challenge the status quo.

"That is this team. America at its best still has a greater capacity than any other country on earth to mobilize others to meet the challenges of our time. These passionate, energetic, deeply experienced nominees will help keep our people and our country safe, secure, and prosperous".

With agency inputs

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Five people were arrested in London for breaching Covid restrictions as protestors carrying Black Lives Matter signs demonstrated in Parliament Sqaure following the death of a 24-year-old man.

Mohamud Mohammed Hassan was arrested on Friday evening last week after reports of a disturbance at his home but was released the following morning without charge.

He was found dead at the same property later on Saturday evening, with his family claiming he had been assaulted while in custody.

Five people were arrested in London for breaching Covid restrictions as protestors carrying Black Lives Matter signs demonstrated in Parliament Sqaure

The group, which police described as a 'small gathering', took to the streets in Parliament Square to protest the death of Mohamud Mohammed Hassan

Protesters clashed with police and several people were arrested for breaching Covid rules

Several people were pictured being led away from the scene at Parliament Square by police

Mohamud Mohammed Hassan was arrested on Friday evening last week after reports of a disturbance at his home but released the following morning without charge. He died later the same day

Metropolitan Police confirmed officers dispersed a gathering of people in Parliament Square at around 5pm.

The force said: 'Officers engaged with those present and the majority dispersed. Five people were arrested for breaching Health Protection Regulations.'

Another person was reported by means of a Fixed Penalty Notice for breaching Health Protection Regulations.

The protestors gathered in the street, some holding signs which read 'Justice 4 Mohamud Hassan #BLM' and 'Say his name Mohamud Hassan #BLM'.

One woman was captured on video shouting at a group of masked officers before they begin leading her away to a police van as she shouts: 'no justice, no peace'.

Police described Hassan's death as 'sudden and unexplained' and say there were no indications of misconduct issues or excessive force used by their officers.

One woman, left, was captured shouting at masked police officers before they promptly arrested her

The woman was seen shouting 'no justice, no peace' as she was led away and placed into a van by several officers

The group walked along the street with megaphones and held up signs in support of Black Lives Matter

Metropolitan Police confirmed officers dispersed a gathering of people in Parliament Square at around 5pm

On Tuesday afternoon, a large crowd of protesters gathered outside Cardiff Bay police station.

They chanted 'no justice, no peace' as they made their way to the police station, and held up signs that read 'Black Lives Matter' and 'stop police brutality'.

One protester, Bianca Ali, 29, said she had joined the demonstration because she believed the police had 'murdered a black man'.

She said: 'The police have murdered a black man. We want justice, we want transparency, we want answers, we want the truth.

'We want them to know that we will not stand for this and we're here to make an example of one death that it cannot continue and spiral into more.'

She added: 'It was a young boy, he had a baby on the way, he was married, he was settled down, and he was arrested for a breach of the peace which resulted in his death.'

Hassan was found dead at the same property later on Saturday evening, with his family claiming he had been assaulted while in custody

The protestors gathered in the street, some holding signs which read 'Justice 4 Mohamud Hassan #BLM' and 'Say his name Mohamud Hassan #BLM'

Police described Hassan's death as 'sudden and unexplained' and say there were no indications of misconduct issues or excessive force used by their officers

Police officers stood around speaking to protestors and were heard on a video asking people to 'social distance if you can'

Neil McEvoy, an MS who represents South Wales Central in the Senedd for the Welsh National Party, also attended the protest and said he wanted to see transparency from the police and the officers involved suspended from duty pending an investigation.

He also said South Wales Police had a 'bad history' with black communities, including the wrongful conviction of three Cardiff men for the murder of Lynette White in 1988.

Mr McEvoy said: 'I believe in due process but there has to be due process.

'And the problem in South Wales is when you are quiet about things, due process does not happen. And there's a terrible history in South Wales Police of miscarriages of justice.'

Earlier on Tuesday, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford described reports of Mr Hassan's death as 'deeply concerning'.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price asked Mr Drakeford whether he would commit to helping Mr Hassan's family find answers during Questions to the First Minister at the Senedd.

'Mohamud Hassan was a fit and healthy 24-year-old. On Friday evening, he was arrested at a property in Cardiff where neighbours reportedly spoke of a significant commotion,' Mr Price said.

'Having been taken into custody at Cardiff Bay police station, Mr Hassan was released without charge on Saturday. Later that evening he tragically died.

More than 200 people marched from the city centre to the police station around a mile away to demand 'justice' following the death of 24-year-old man

'Witnesses were reportedly shocked by Mr Hassan's condition following his release, saying that his tracksuit was covered in blood and he had severe injuries and bruising.

'There can be no doubt that this is a deeply harrowing case and every effort should be made to seek the truth of what happened - why was Mohamud Hassan arrested, what happened during his arrest, did he have legal representation, was there any aftercare, why did this young man die?

'Whilst we should not prejudge the outcome of any inquiry, will you commit First Minister to doing everything within your power to help the family find those answers and do you support their call for an independent investigation of this case?'

Mr Drakeford said he had found reports of Mr Hassan's death 'deeply concerning' and said the circumstances 'must be properly investigated'.

He said: 'I understand that the police have already referred, as they would have to, this matter to the independent police investigation service.

'The first step in any inquiry will have to be to allow them to carry out their work. I absolutely expect that to be done rigorously, and with full and visible independence.

'I'm glad that the family have secured legal assistance to them in order to pursue their very understandable concerns.

Police described his death as 'sudden and unexplained' and say there were no indications of misconduct issues or excessive force used by their officers, but his family dispute this

Neil McEvoy, an MS who represents South Wales Central in the Senedd for the Welsh National Party, also attended the protest and said he wanted to see transparency from the police and the officers involved suspended from duty pending an investigation

'And if there are things the Welsh Government can do - then I will make sure that we attend properly to those without prejudging in any way the outcome of the independent investigations that now need to follow.'

His aunt, Zainab Hassan, told BBC Wales she saw Mr Hassan following his release on Saturday with 'lots of wounds on his body and lots of bruises'.

'He didn't have these wounds when he was arrested and when he came out of Cardiff Bay police station - he had them,' she said.

'Nothing we do is going to bring him back but we will not rest for a second until we have justice.'

South Wales Police have urged against speculation, saying their early findings 'indicate no misconduct issues and no excessive force', but referred Mr Hassan's death to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).


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SACRAMENTO  Threats of a violent assault on the state Capitol building by supporters of President Trump were met Sunday by a huge police presence backed by 1,000 California National Guard troops, standing by on the first of four days of tension leading up to Wednesdays presidential inauguration.

Responding to FBI warnings that statehouses nationwide could be the next battleground, authorities surrounded the Capitol grounds with a 6-foot chain-link fence and had enough armed protection to fight off a small army of insurrectionists.

But the insurrectionists never arrived. For much of the day, the only political presence of any kind was supplied by Christian Alvarado, who stood in front of the Capitol with an American flag and a yellow mask scrawled with E Pluribus Unum to show his support for lawmakers, police and the National Guard troops who were protecting the building.

Saddened by the images of the Jan. 6 pro-Trump insurrection in Washington, D.C., Alvarado, 25, a computer science graduate student from Sacramento, said he stood in front of the state Capitol for five hours Saturday and planned to do the same Sunday. He said he would return on inauguration day if his class schedule allowed it.

We are one nation, no matter who you are and what you believe, Alvarado said. We are different people, but we come together as one.

The counterprotest by Alvarez met a total of one sign-carrying Trump supporter, Frank Unger of Sacramento, carrying a sign demanding that President-elect Joe Biden go to jail for crimes he said had to with his son Hunter Bidens laptop.

Unger said he wasnt surprised by the lack of crowds after Trump released a video Wednesday condemning violence. Im here basically to support free speech, Unger said. The mass media may try to censor us, but there are still 75 million people who voted for Trump.

There were at least two of them in Sacramento on Sunday, counting Steven Bourasa, who said he regularly joined weekly Stop the Steal rallies in downtown Sacramento throughout the fall. Bourasa said many of his conservative friends were hesitant to come out Sunday after seeing an anonymous flier that announced an armed protest.

We felt it was kind of a setup, he said. So, as you can see, none of my friends are here today.

Bourasa said he wasnt sure who would be behind a setup, but he similarly thought the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 had been a planned operation that Trump supporters had merely gotten swept into in the moment.

The president did not encourage any kind of rioting or violence, he said.

Bourasa said he planned to return to the state Capitol on inauguration day and expected more Trump supporters would, too.

Bourasa said he was spooked by a Biden presidency and was still hopeful that Trump would take office for a second term. If it took invoking martial law, Bourasa said, then Im supportive. Im hoping for an 11th-hour surprise.

But law enforcement has had enough surprises and has stepped up security nationwide after the FBI warned of the potential for armed protests in Washington and at all 50 state capitol buildings ahead of Bidens inauguration.

On Sunday, tall fences also surrounded the U.S. Capitol. The National Mall was closed to the public, and the mayor of Washington asked people not to visit. Some 25,000 National Guard troops from around the country are expected to arrive in the coming days.

The security measures were intended to safeguard seats of government from the type of violence that broke out at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, when far-right Trump supporters galvanized by his false claims that the election had been stolen stormed the building while Congress was certifying the Electoral College vote.

The attack left a Capitol Police officer and four others dead. More than 125 people have been arrested on charges related to the insurrection.

In the aftermath, more than a third of governors called out the National Guard to help protect their capitols and assist local law enforcement. Several governors declared states of emergency, and others closed their capitols to the public until after Bidens inauguration.

Gov. Gavin Newsom called out the California National Guard last week. On an unseasonably hot Sunday afternoon, dozens of Sacramento police officers rested in vans while groups of Guard troops chatted under shade trees. A sniper watched pedestrians pass the Capitol from the top floor of a parking garage across the street.

Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for the Governors Office of Emergency Services, said it was premature to say whether the Guard would stay on duty at the Capitol. However, we are optimistic that the relative quiet thus far demonstrates that the actions taken by the administration have been effective and that the state remains well positioned to support safety and security surrounding the inauguration, he said.

Officials in a few state capitals elsewhere reported crowds numbering in the dozens, but streets in many other places remained empty. There were no reports of clashes.

At Nevadas Capitol in Carson City, where demonstrators supporting Trump have flocked most weekends in recent months, all was quiet except for a lone protester with a sign.

Trump Lost. Be Adults. Go Home, it read.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Alexei Koseff, Dustin Gardiner and Sam Whiting are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com, dgardiner@sfchronicle.com, swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff, @dustingardiner, @SamWhitingSF


MOSCOW - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested Sunday at a Moscow airport as he tried to enter the country from Germany, where he had spent five months recovering from nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin.

FILE - In this Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020 file photo, Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny takes part in a march in memory of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in Moscow, Russia. Top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny says he will fly home to Russia on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021 despite the Russian prison service's intention to put him behind bars for allegedly breaching the terms of his suspended sentence and probation. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

MOSCOW - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested Sunday at a Moscow airport as he tried to enter the country from Germany, where he had spent five months recovering from nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin.

Navalny's detention at passport control in Moscows Sheremetyevo airport was widely expected because Russias prisons service said he had violated parole terms from a suspended sentence on a 2014 embezzlement conviction.

The prisons service said he would be held in custody until a court rules on his case. No date for a court appearance was immediately announced. The service earlier said that it would seek to have Navalny serve his 3 1/2-year sentence behind bars.

Navalny, 44, who is President Vladimir Putins most prominent and determined foe, brushed off concerns about arrest as he boarded the plane in Berlin.

It's impossible. I'm an innocent man, he said.

Face masks depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, left of Putin, among others displayed for sale at a street souvenir shop in St.Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny says he will fly home to Russia on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, despite the Russian prison service's intention to put him behind bars for allegedly breaching the terms of his suspended sentence and probation. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

The arrest raises tensions in Russia as it approaches national parliament elections this year, in which Navalny's organization is expected to be active in trying to defeat pro-Kremlin candidates. Navalny decided to leave Berlin of his own free will and wasnt under any apparent pressure to leave from Germany.

This is a real act of bravery for Alexei Navalny to return to Russia, given that government agents already tried to kill him once, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth tweeted. But he understandably wants to be part of the pro-democracy movement in Russia, not a dissident in exile.

U.S. President-elect Joe Bidens pick for national security adviser called on Russian authorities to free Navalny. Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable, Jake Sullivan said in a tweet.

Alexei Navalny is surrounded by journalists inside the plane prior to his flight to Moscow in the Airport Berlin Brandenburg (BER) in Schoenefeld, near Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Leading Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny plans to fly home to Russia on Sunday after recovering in Germany from his poisoning in August with a nerve agent. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)

The outgoing U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said the U.S. strongly condemns he decision to arrest Navalny and called his detention the latest in a series of attempts to silence Navalny and other opposition figures and independent voices who are critical of Russian authorities.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, responded to a question about the arrest by saying Was he arrested in Germany? I'm not up to date, according to the online news site Podyom. Peskov, like Putin, is noted for avoiding saying Navalny's name.

Navalny has sizable popularity in Moscow. Many supporters on Sunday went to Vnukovo airport where his flight was scheduled to land, though it was diverted to Sheremetyevo without explanation.

Alexei Navalny and his wife, Yulia sit in the plane prior to their flight to Moscow in the Airport Berlin Brandenburg (BER) in Schoenefeld, near Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Leading Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny plans to fly home to Russia on Sunday after recovering in Germany from his poisoning in August with a nerve agent. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)

The OVD-Info organization that monitors political arrests said at least 53 people were arrested, including Navalny supporters and journalists, at Vnukovo, where where the arrivals hall had been blocked off and prisoner transport vehicles were parked outside. There were at least three detentions at Sheremetyevo, it said.

The independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and opposition social media reported Sunday that several Navalny supporters in St. Petersburg had been removed from Moscow-bound trains or been prevented from boarding flights late Saturday and early Sunday, including the co-ordinator of his staff for the region of Russias second-largest city.

Navalny fell into a coma while aboard a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow on Aug. 20. He was transferred from a hospital in Siberia to a Berlin hospital two days later.

Police officers detain a man at Moscow's Vnukovo airport where Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is expected to arrive, outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Leading Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny flew home to Russia on Sunday after recovering in Germany from his poisoning in August with a nerve agent. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

Labs in Germany, France and Sweden, and tests by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established that he was exposed to a Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.

Russian authorities insisted that the doctors who treated Navalny in Siberia before he was airlifted to Germany found no traces of poison and have challenged German officials to provide proof of his poisoning. Russia refused to open a full-fledged criminal inquiry, citing a lack of evidence that Navalny was poisoned.

Last month, Navalny released the recording of a phone call he said he made to a man he described as an alleged member of a group of officers of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, who purportedly poisoned him in August and then tried to cover it up. The FSB dismissed the recording as fake.

Police officers detain a man at Moscow's Vnukovo airport where Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is expected to arrive, outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Leading Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny flew home to Russia on Sunday after recovering in Germany from his poisoning in August with a nerve agent. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlins side for a decade, unusually durable in an opposition movement often demoralized by repressions.

He has been jailed repeatedly in connection with protests and twice was convicted of financial misdeeds in cases that he said were politically motivated. He suffered significant eye damage when an assailant threw disinfectant into his face and was taken from jail to a hospital in 2019 with an illness that authorities said was an allergic reaction but that many suspected was poisoning.

A lawyer by training, he began his rise to prominence by focusing on corruption in Russias murky mix of politics and business. In 2008, he bought shares in Russian oil and gas companies, so he could push for transparency as an activist shareholder.

Alexei Navalny sits on the plane prior to a flight to Moscow, at the Airport Berlin Brandenburg (BER) in Schoenefeld, near Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Leading Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny flew home to Russia on Sunday after recovering in Germany from his poisoning in August with a nerve agent. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)

Navalnys work to expose corrupt elites had a pocketbook appeal to the Russian peoples widespread sense of being cheated. Russias state-controlled television channels ignored Navalny, but his investigations of dubious contracts and officials luxurious lifestyles got wide attention through the back channels of YouTube videos and social media posts that often showed his sardonic sense of humour.

In 2013, he placed second in the race for Moscow mayor behind the candidate of Putins power-base United Russia party. That established him as a formidable force and a worry to the Kremlin.

He intended to run for president in 2018, but was kept off the ballot because of his previous criminal convictions. His own legal obstacles and the widespread obstruction authorities set before other independent candidates seeking public office led Navalny and his organization to adopt a new strategy for the 2019 Moscow city council elections.

The Smart Vote initiative analyzed which candidate in each district appeared to have the best chance of beating United Russias pick and tried to drum up support for that candidate.

The initiative appeared to be a success, with nearly half of the city council seats going to systemic opposition candidates, although its effectiveness couldn't be quantified. Navalny intends to redeploy the same strategy in this years national parliament elections.

Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
Homicide Investigation Media Release 1-16-2021 UPDATE #2 A person of interest in the homicide investigation has been... Posted by Jasper County Sheriff's Office on Saturday, January 16, 2021

The Jasper County Sheriffs (Missouri) Department said Saturday it has identified a person of interest in the homicide of a woman discovered Wednesday night at a residence in Sarcoxie.

That person, identified as Justin Chase Stevens, 34, of Cullman, arrived in the Sarcoxie area on Jan. 1, authorities said, and on that date he and his sister had crashed their car on Interstate 44 around mile marker 33. They were given a ride to the area of the Sarcoxie Kum & Go, where Stevens reportedly ran off into nearby woods.

The sheriffs department said his whereabouts remain unknown. They also said Stevens has an active warrant for felony theft and should be considered armed and dangerous.

No charges have been filed in Jasper County in relation to the homicide.

Becci D. Sanders, 46, was killed a couple of blocks away from the store in her home at 2755 High St. Her husband found her body and called for emergency medical help shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The sheriffs office said in a news release Friday that an unidentified male believed to have stolen the victims 2015 Subaru Legacy may have been on the parking lot of the Kum & Go convenience store at 2577 High St. in Sarcoxie on Wednesday afternoon.

The sheriffs office says the victims missing car is gray and bears Missouri license plate VB1Y0E.

Deputies set up a checkpoint near the convenience store on Friday and were contacting people passing by to see if any had witnessed a man in the area on Wednesday afternoon.

Investigators have not released any information about how Sanders was killed. The sheriffs office said Thursday that an autopsy was being scheduled for Friday. Capt. Derek Walrod of the sheriffs office declined Friday afternoon to discuss if an autopsy had been performed.

Anyone who has information is asked to contact the Jasper County Sheriffs Office at 417-359-9100.

___

(c)2021 The Joplin Globe (Joplin, Mo.)

Visit The Joplin Globe (Joplin, Mo.) at www.joplinglobe.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Eleven RAF troops have been arrested on suspicion of taking cocaine, The Mail on Sunday has learned.

They were taken into custody after commanders broke up a private party in an accommodation block.

But military police took four days to arrange a drugs test, by which time any illegal substances they may have consumed at RAF Honington, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, would have left their bodies.

The Mail on Sunday understands the troops were celebrating after completing a training course at the base, which is home to the RAF Regiment and specialist units trained to counter threats from chemical, biological and radiological hazards.

Eleven RAF troops have been arrested on suspicion of taking cocaine, MoS has learned. They were taken into custody after commanders broke up a private party in an accommodation block. But military police took four days to arrange a drugs test, by which time any illegal substances they may have consumed at RAF Honington, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, would have left their bodies

A source at RAF Honington said: 'Evidence of drug-taking was found in their rooms and they were arrested that night.

'But they couldn't believe their luck when they were not subjected to a drugs test for four days.

'Traces of cocaine can be picked up two days afterwards, but rarely after four, so the delay could have saved their careers, just months after they began their training.

'It does seem strange RAF Police would wait before testing them. It makes you wonder why.'

The Mail on Sunday understands the troops were celebrating after completing a training course at the base, which is home to the RAF Regiment and specialist units trained to counter threats from chemical, biological and radiological hazards. (File image of RAF Honington)

The troops, who were held in November, are understood to be trainee gunners from the RAF Regiment, which protects air bases and contributes personnel to elite units such as the Special Forces Support Group.

Official figures indicate drug use is rising in the Armed Forces.

In 2019, 660 members were dismissed for failing drug tests, up from 580 in 2017.

The MoD said: 'The RAF is aware of an incident at which some trainees were arrested.

'As this is subject to an investigation, it would be inappropriate to offer further comment.'

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  The Food and Drug Administration hopes reports of deaths among the elderly in Norway after receiving COVID-19 vaccine shots will not worsen Filipinos' vaccine hesitancy, its chief said Sunday.

While concerns were raised after over 20 died in Norway after receiving doses from US-based drugmaker Pfizer, FDA Director General Eric Domingo said he was quite optimistic the news would not further dampen vaccine confidence in the Philippines.

"I hope not," he told CNN Philippines in a text message, when asked if the news could affect Filipinos' trust in the vaccine.

"This shows that the vaccine recipients are being monitored closely and all events are investigated and recommendations are updated regularly," Domingo added.

Of the 2,400 Filipino adults surveyed by Pulse Asia last Nov. 23 to Dec. 2, 47 percent said they were not willing to get vaccinated against the virus due to safety concerns.

According to a Bloomberg report, the deaths among elderly people in Norway were linked to Pfizer's vaccine.

Quoting the Norwegian Medicines Agency, it said they "have experienced the expected side effects of the vaccine, such as nausea and vomiting, fever, local reactions at the injection site, and worsening of their underlying condition."

The government last week gave the go signal for the use of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine, the first one to be granted emergency use authorization in the Philippines. Pfizer boasts that its phase 3 clinical trials showed that the vaccine was 95 percent effective in preventing infections after a person received two shots.

The country has yet to secure vaccine procurement deals with the US pharmaceutical company, but vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the government expects to receive more or less 40 million doses this year.

Domingo said the FDA was still waiting for Pfizer's reports before they decide whether to put an age cap on the recipients.

"We will wait for the report and updates from Pfizer and make any needed age cap before the vaccine is used in the Philippines," he said.
Anna Samson will join the cast of Home and Away this season.

And on Tuesday, the blonde bombshell proved she's certainly set to make plenty of waves when she arrives in Summer Bay.

Anna was spotted enjoying a steamy lip lock alongside co-star Rob Kipa-Williams as they filmed scenes at Sydney's Palm Beach.

SPOILER ALERT! Home and Away's Rob Kipa-Williams and newcomer Anna Samson [both pictured] locked lips on the beach, as they filmed new scenes for the popular drama

Anna, who will portray Mia on the show, was seen passionately kissing Rob, who plays Ari, as they strolled along a secluded stretch of sand.

There certainly looked to be fireworks for the pair with them first holding hands before smooching up a storm on the sand.

Anna showcased her enviable figure in a plunging black top which was paired with a maroon leather skirt.

New couple? Anna, who will portray Mia on the show, was seen passionately kissing Rob, who plays Ari, as they strolled along a secluded stretch of sand

Meanwhile, Rob looked handsome wearing a plain white t-shirt along with a pair of blue cargo shorts.

According to blog Back to The Bay last week, the pair could be set to embark on a relationship together.

The Sunday Telegraph reports that Anna plays Mia, an ex girlfriend of Ari, who is played by Rob.

Love connection: The Sunday Telegraph reports that Anna plays Mia, an ex girlfriend of Ari, who is played by Rob. The on-screen couple put on a tactile display while filming

Tender: Anna tenderly touched Rob's chest while filming. According to the blog, Ari and Mia were in a relationship prior to him being sent to prison more than a decade ago

Mia ends up in Summer Bay with a daughter from a previous relationship, named Chloe.

According to the blog, Ari and Mia were in a relationship prior to him being sent to prison more than a decade ago.

After Ari was sent to a correctional facility, it was Mia who moved away with Chloe severing ties to the bad boy.

The past catching up to the present: After Ari was sent to a correctional facility, it was Mia who moved away with Chloe with her severing ties to the bad boy

Rekindled: The pair looked to have rekindled their love. The blog also reveals that Mia and Ari lost a baby son together with the tragic event the beginnings of his life of crime

Looks familiar: Prior to appearing on Home and Away, Anna was on a number of dramas including Offspring, Halifax: Retribution and Jack Irish

The blog also revealed that Mia and Ari lost a baby son together with the tragic event the beginnings of his life of crime.

Prior to appearing on Home and Away, Anna was on a number of dramas including Offspring, Halifax: Retribution and Jack Irish.

The new season of Home and Away premieres February 1 on Channel Seven

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Driving by 700 N. State St. in Clarks Summit, you would never guess the two-story brick building is a key front in the War on Objective Reality that ignited the domestic terror attack at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

The only trace of a business on the property is an insurance firm shuttered due to the pandemic. But the address is the corporate headquarters of Gab, a right-wing antisocial media platform for white supremacists, QAnon kooks and other very fine people who believe Democrats eat babies, Black and brown folk are born criminals and police are saintly heroes unless they get in the way.

Twitter and Facebooks recent expulsion of President Donald Trump and Amazons effective elimination of Parler as a conservative alternative sent thousands of desperate refugees streaming to Gab. Founder and CEO Andrew Torba is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the crackdowns.

Were the only site on the planet right now that defends free speech on the internet and hasnt been booted, to the point of no return of not being online, Torba told me Thursday.

Along with global exposure in the international press, Gab also drew the targeted attention of U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, incoming chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the Anti-Defamation League. The former directed Gab and 10 other platforms to preserve all records that could implicate subscribers in the Capitol attacks. The latter asked the Justice Department to investigate Torba and Gab for possible criminal complicity in the insurrection.

In an open letter to the DOJ, the ADL said Torbas own Gab posts regarding the insurrection warrant an investigation. The day before the riots, he posted:

If you are heading to DC tomorrow remember to record video footage in landscape mode while filming. Document as much as you can and please know that your content is safe on Gab and Gab TV. Big Tech will undoubtably [sic] be censoring any and all footage to downplay the massive turnout and hide any communist violence that arises. If you are unable to attend, Gab is the one place on the internet where you know you can find the real story of what is happening throughout the day uncensored and fact check free.

On the day of the attack, Torba posted: In a system with rigged elections there are no longer any viable political solutions.

Torba is a 30-year-old Riverside High School and University of Scranton graduate who lives in an undisclosed location. I called him expecting a cynical opportunist shamelessly exploiting rage for profit.

Torba quickly convinced me hes a true believer proudly exploiting rage for profit.

Parler getting shut down was pretty good for you, I said, noting the tens of thousands of new subscribers who fled to Gab.

Torba acknowledged the benefit to his business, but pledged allegiance to Parlers owners and users. He said Big Tech trampled on their First Amendment rights, which should alarm me as much as it does him.

You should be terrified by something like this, he said, pointing to the online muzzling of Trump as a dark harbinger of worse tyranny to come. Its not just Twitter. Its YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitch ... its every provider and its all at once.

If they can do that to the president of the United States, a sitting president. ... Everybody, left, right, center, apolitical, that should really scare us because if they can do it to him, they most certainly can do it to normal, everyday people.

I dont do terrified, but I am troubled by the power wielded by a very few in Silicon Valley. Big Tech, particularly Facebook and Twitter, have done grievous harm to our democracy. Selectively shutting off the spigot of disinformation, hate and sedition they allowed to flow for years earns them no redemption. That said, they are private platforms, not public utilities. The ousters of Trump and Parler are not censorship, but the free market at work.

Torba founded Gab in 2016 and was forced to retool it as a free-standing platform after one of its users took his hate from the screen to a synagogue. In October 2018, Robert Bowers gunned down 11 innocent Americans at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. For years, Bowers posted anti-Semitic bile on Gab. His last post before the massacre was: I cant sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, Im going in.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, PayPal banned Gab. GoDaddy stopped hosting it. Today, the site carries an unambiguous warning from Torba:

Gab has zero tolerance for threats of violence or illegal activity on our platform. We have a very close relationship with law enforcement at the Federal, State, Local, and International levels. We work diligently with these partners as well as with our community of people from around the world to protect public safety.

Gab has plenty of tolerance for disinformation, however, and QAnonsense in particular. I counted four QAnon groups with an average of more than 100,000 members each. Another group called Stop the Steal listed 141,000 members.

A sampling of posts I saw Thursday suggests some Gabbers are still having trouble moving on:

ATTENTION: there are NO CONSERVATIVE GROUPS holding armed rallies at ANY Capitol in ANY state or the U.S. Capitol from Jan. 16th-20th. These are false flags created by the paid actors of those trying to destroy us. DO NOT ATTEND THEM! THIS IS A SETUP!

As #Qs total vindication nears, the fake news have been storing up their most extensive hit piece to date, ready to throw it into the fog of coming events in a futile effort to maintain their illusion that the most sophisticated military intel operation in history is just a silly game started by a dedicated fan of Donald Trump.

We The People Have Done Our Job, We Choose Our President, Donald J Trump. Now Its Up To Trump And The Military To Take Our Country Back. Stay Peaceful, United We Go Forward. WWG1WGA WorldWide

The United States of America is the last stand. If America goes, the world goes. President Trump knows this. If he fails to move, the entire planet will be surrendered to the Globalists. He will not fail. He did not come this far to lose. He did not accomplish so much just to have it reset by Communism. [They] are panicking. They know what is coming. And nothing can stop it.

And as a bonus, this gem from QAnon-crazy Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, who live-tweeted House Speaker Nancy Pelosis location during the Capitol invasion:

The future of the Republican Party is patriots who are unafraid to stand up for whats right. It is standing up for the Constitution, not just in word BUT IN DEED! President Trump gave us the model for how to lead with backbone, lets follow that going forward.

I asked Torba  who lavishly advertises his Christian faith  how he justifies allowing QAnonsense on his platform, especially in light of its clear role in seeding the violence in the Capitol.

I provide a platform, he said. As long as somebody is not breaking the law, I dont care if they talk about Bigfoot on here. Torba said the idea that QAnon contributed to the tragedy is not true at all.

What about Ashli Babbit, the 35-year-old Air Force veteran from California who was fatally shot by a police officer as she tried to climb through a broken window inside the Capitol? The QAnon conspiracy drove her to the Capitol and her death.

Nothing will stop us, she tweeted before boarding a plane to Washington. ... 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!

Torba scoffed at the notion that Babbits QAnon beliefs contributed to her death and went into a rant of whataboutism that included the obligatory overblown images of American cities set ablaze by Black Lives Matter protesters and antifa boogeymen. There was violence at some of the protests, and it was roundly and rightly condemned. None of it approached the apostasy that happened at the Capitol.

The problem that were having is that you and I live in fundamentally different worlds, I said.

Well yeah, Torba said. You live in a world of the CIA Mockingbird media, and you listen to CNN and thats your reality. Okay, thats what your reality turned out to be. Alright. Okay, what I see on the internet is for real people. Were actually in places, were actually experiencing things and not being fed talking points from the global oligarchic elite. Okay, thats the difference between you and me. Youre a puppet of the oligarchic elite. My mind is free.

Free to believe that President-elect Joe Biden is an illegitimate, ill-intentioned puppet of Chinese Communists and assorted shadowy globalist overlords.

Oh yeah, Torba said. Hes completely owned by the (Chinese Communist Party), and theres receipts all over the internet and thats why that (Hunter Biden) story by the New York Post was completely scrubbed across Twitter, across Facebook etc. Because the contents of the laptop dont lie, Chris.

Where are they, I asked. Where are the contents?

Theyre totally scrubbed off the internet, Torba said.

As long as very fine people seek safe havens to spread hate and crazy conspiracies, platforms like Gab will never be scrubbed from the internet. Innovators like Torba are not to be underestimated. He is young, smart and resilient. When he was booted from existing infrastructure, he built his own.

Like the refugees he welcomed to Gab after the domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol, Torba truly believes that American is mortally mired in a war of good vs. evil. He is in it to win it.

And currently, Christian man to Christian man, youre on the side of darkness, he told me. And were up against demons and Satan himself and youre on the side of darkness right now, brother... right now youre on the wrong side of history.

The side that actually happened.

CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, is sick of history.
Lawton, OK (73501)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2021) Norway is disappointed by Russia's decision to launch withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty and plans to discuss how the treaty can be preserved with the other parties to the agreement, Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide told Sputnik.

On Friday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the country was beginning procedures to leave the deal, as no progress had been made in removing obstacles that hinder treaty functioning after Washington's pullout. When the procedures are completed, Moscow will send a notification will to depositories.

"Norway is disappointed by the Russian announcement that it intends to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty. The Open Skies Treaty facilitates unarmed observation flights that promotes military transparency and contributes to build trust between Member States. It has been an important contribution to risk reduction and our common security. We are concerned by the ongoing erosion of arms control regimes," Soreide said.

The Open Skies Treaty has been a fundamental part of the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, serving both NATO and Russia's interests, the minister noted.

"Following the Russian announcement that it intends to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty, we will have to discuss with the other Member States whether and how the Treaty can be preserved," Soreide added.

As Moscow has repeatedly asked the other Open Skies Treaty members to provide legal guarantees of the confidentiality of data received during observation flights, Oslo finds it difficult to see that as a legitimate reason for the pullout, according to the foreign minister.

"Russia has demanded guarantees from other Member States that that aerial survey data from observation flights are not shared with third parties. The Open Skies Treaty explicitly prohibits such sharing of data. Consequently, it is difficult to see this as a legitimate reason to withdraw from the Treaty,' Soreide underlined.

In May 2020, US President Donald Trump said that the US would exit the Open Skies Treaty due to alleged violations by Russia. In response, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that there were no breaches of the treaty by Moscow. The US officially terminated its participation in the treaty on November 22.
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Two years ago I had a scan to investigate pain in my left breast, but the result was clear and eventually the pain went. A few months ago it returned but again, a scan showed no lumps. What could it be?

You should always see a GP about breast pain, which is sometimes called mastalgia, particularly if it doesnt go away.

While its not a typical symptom of breast cancer or other harmful lumps, on some occasions it can be  which is why an examination is so important. Depending on age, either an ultrasound scan or a mammogram X-ray should be done to rule this out.

Pain in both breasts can be entirely normal for some women, particularly in the week or so before their period. It is also a side effect of hormone medication, including the contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

While breast pain is not a typical symptom of breast cancer or other harmful lumps, on some occasions it can be  which is why an examination is so important, says Dr Ellie (file photo)

After the menopause, when menstrual cycles have stopped, breast pain is much more likely to be a worrying symptom of a lump or cancer.

But in much younger women, breast cancer is much less likely, and it is far more likely to be related to hormonal changes or problems with underwired bras.

At any age, breast pain could be related to muscle injuries or sprains of the chest wall muscle, the upper arm or the shoulder. If this is the case, the pain would not change throughout the month, but may worsen with certain movements.

Another possibility is a condition called costochondritis, which is when the joints between the ribs and the breastbone become inflamed. This usually causes pain under the breast, which spreads to within the breast, too.

Anti-inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen, can help reduce the pain.

Doctors used to recommend evening primrose oil for breast pain but there is little scientific data to prove it works.

I have ear wax problems and havent been able to get my ear syringed for a year because of Covid. In recent weeks Ive become very sick with vertigo  are the two things linked? Im 79.

Build-up of ear wax can cause pain, hearing loss and itchiness  as well as tinnitus or even an infection. It can lead patients to feel off-balance, but its unusual for this feeling to be so severe it constitutes vertigo.

A far more likely cause of vertigo is a condition called labyrinthitis. This is when the balance mechanism, which sits inside the inner ear, becomes inflamed  often as a result of a virus. This causes intense vertigo  vomiting and feeling tired and unwell. Severe episodes can also be caused by Menieres disease, which usually involves tinnitus and a change in hearing.

Build-up of ear wax can cause pain, hearing loss and itchiness  as well as tinnitus or even an infection, writes Dr Ellie Cannon (file photo)

Other common causes of vertigo include temporary inflammation in a nerve in the brain, known as neuronitis.

When vertigo is triggered by moving the head in certain ways, this is known as BPPV. Otherwise, vertigo can be a side effect of medications or symptom of a migraine. Any symptom that has lasted a few weeks deserves a chat with the doctor.

Keeping a note of when the episodes occur, and common triggers, can help GPs decide which treatment to try.

Currently, GPs are not offering ear syringing. Instead, patients should use ear drops that soften the wax, available at most pharmacies. There is also the option of paying for syringing privately at a high street store.

Write to Dr Ellie Do you have a question for Dr Ellie Cannon? Email DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk Advertisement

My 87-year-old mother should be having the Covid jab soon but is now worried as the hospital wrote to her asking if shes on blood-thinning medication, which she is. What should I tell her?

Blood thinners, also called anticoagulants, are one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the UK. Theyre used to prevent dangerous blood clots in a whole range of patients, including those with heart rhythm problems.

Other patients are given them to prevent a life-threatening blood clot, such as those who have previously suffered deep-vein thrombosis.

Examples of blood thinners include warfarin, as well as newer types such as rivaroxaban, apixaban and dabigatran.

Taking blood thinners doesnt prevent someone having the Covid vaccine. Doctors are obliged to issue a warning to patients who take them, due to a small risk  not specific to the Covid vaccine, but any injection into the muscle.

Individuals taking blood thinners are more prone to bleeding  whether thats from a minor cut, or an injection which pierces the skin. For this reason, vaccinations always come with a warning for those on blood thinners, as they would be at risk of bleeding more than most.

Vaccination centres and GP hubs will want to be aware of patients on these medications, to discuss the pros and cons of the vaccination first.

The AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 jab is administered at Superdrug in Guildford as in-store pharmacists and nurses administer the vaccine on behalf of the NHS (file photo)

Those administering the vaccine also need to allow more time for observation afterwards, as patients on blood thinners may need to wait to ensure there is no serious bleeding.

It is not a reason not to have the vaccination, merely a cause to be cautious.

If attending a vaccination, bring your NHS number and a list of existing medical conditions, as well as medications, to give the clinicians a full picture of any potential risk.

Don't try to wrangle jab... your shot will come

Everyone's talking about who is  and isnt  getting a Covid jab. My neighbour, in his 80s, is still waiting, while friends just down the road, who are in their 70s ,were vaccinated last week.

The variation between areas is partly explained by some GP surgeries having fewer over-80s, so moving on to the next priority group. The system isnt perfect but were getting through patients at an impressively fast rate. Ive been vaccinating all week, and weekend, and High Street chemists like Superdrug (pictured, above) and supermarkets are up and running.

Regional Nurse Manager Mary Saunders is pictured above holding a vial of the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine at Superdrug in Guildford

No vaccines are going to waste that I know of, despite some media reports. I know people in their 70s have simply turned up at their local vaccine hub and managed to wangle a shot there and then.

But I strongly urge against this. The last thing you want to do is wander around hospitals, where we know Covid can circulate. As I said last week, sit tight. A few weeks may feel like for ever, but your turn will come soon.

Exercise caution - unlike Joe

To be honest, Ive had other things on my mind this January than losing weight or trying to get fit  but hats off to anyone who is.

And also, please do take care. Last week, the nations favourite PE teacher Joe Wicks, came a cropper, tearing a hamstring while attempting to do the splits. While dressed up as Buzz Lightyear.

What did he think was going to happen, you might ask?

Admitting his injury on Instagram afterwards, the 34-year-old father-of-two wrote: NOTE TO SELF: You cant actually do the full splits Joe. Most GPs I know have seen a rise in injuries related to home exercise, which I think could be avoided with a little common sense.

Maybe now is not the time to take up acrobatics... unless you want to become a statistic.
Carbis Bay has 4,000 residents and is served by Tesco and a fish and chip shop

Summit will be first major event hosted by PM and new President Joe Biden, and one of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's last

A tiny Cornish seaside village is to host world leaders in the first in-person meeting of the G7 in almost two years in June.

For Boris Johnson's first major summit in the UK, he has picked Carbis Bay in Britain's most southerly county for the gathering, where he hopes to unite leaders on a message of 'building back better from coronavirus'.

The resort village has a population of just over 3,000, and is served by a Tesco supermarket and a 'popular' fish and chip shop.

It is one of the smallest locations ever to host the G7, and in summer is often overlooked by tourists driving through on their way to nearby St Ives.

Sights such as Air Force One, The Beast and mile-long motorcades are expected for the people of Camborne and Redruth as the US President's entourage pulls into town from Newquay Airport, whose boss said they are 'delighted' to be taking part in logistics.

The choice could however prove a logistical nightmare, with Cornwall seeing its population increase by up to 100,000 people in June, with the A30 main road grinding to a halt in places.

The tiny Cornish seaside village of Carbis Bay is to host world leaders in the first in-person meeting of the G7 in almost two years in June

It is one of the smallest locations ever to host the G7, and in summer is often overlooked by tourists driving through on their way to nearby St Ives

Some of the delegates will have to travel to and from their lodgings at the hilltop Tregenna Castle Resort just over a mile away

Mr Johnson is expected to pull out all the stops for the meeting, expected to be the first international visit by President-elect Joe Biden, and also one of the last by outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Others in attendance are French President Emmanuel Macron, Japan's newly elected Prime minister Yoshihide Suga, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Italy's Giuseppe Conte, and leaders from the European Union.

The group will treated to the charms of the Carbis Bay Hotel, a four-star 300-a-night spa resort overlooking the Celtic Sea, where they will hold meetings and their 'family photo' at the start of the event between 11-13 June.

Virginia Woolf spent three weeks at the hotel in 1914 and, years later, wrote To the Lighthouse, inspired by Godrevy Lighthouse at St Ives Bay.

Who's in, who's out: Japan's Shinzo Abe resigned for health reasons last year, while Donald Tusk's EU Council Presidency also came to an end. Donald Trump won't be attending after he lost the US Presidential election to Joe Biden

The hotel boasts a fine-dining spot, Restaurant 1894, which opened last summer and has an extensive wine cellar that Emmanuel Macron will approve of.

Some of the delegates will have to travel to and from their lodgings at the hilltop Tregenna Castle Resort just over a mile away.

If any of the leaders need to de-stress at the end of the day then both hotels have pools, but Carbis Bay is closer to the beachside spa that offers a barrel sauna, firelit lounge and large treatment menu.

Mr Johnson has also invited Australia, India and South Korea to attend.

The Prime Minister says he wants to use Britain's presidency of the G7 to forge a consensus that the global economy must recover from the pandemic in a pro-free trade and sustainable way.

The Prime Minister says he wants to use Britain's presidency of the G7 to forge a consensus that the global economy must recover from the pandemic in a pro-free trade and sustainable way. Pictured: Mr Johnson with Emmanuel Macron at the G7 in Biarritz in 2019

Newcomers: This will be the first G7 meeting for President-elect Joe Biden and Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga

'Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced," he said in a statement.

'It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future.'

Britain has suffered badly during the COVID-19 crisis, with the highest death toll in Europe of more than 86,000 people.

But, while a third wave of the virus causes more than 1,000 deaths per day, the country is leading the way on vaccinations having been the first in the world to authorise their use, and hopes to have much of the population protected within months.

The G7 have not met in person since the 2019 meeting in Biarritz, France where they faced protests over inaction on climate change as well as Donald Trump's attempts to bring Russia back into the fold, his trade war with China, and leaving several major crises out of conversation.

Mr Johnson said: 'As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face.

The G7 have not met in person since the 2019 meeting in Biarritz, France where they faced protests over inaction on climate change as well as Donald Trump's attempts to bring Russia back into the fold, his trade war with China, and leaving several major crises out of conversation

In 2019, according to a senior Trump administration official, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron had agreed that Russia should be invited to the next G7 Summit to be held in 2020

'From cancelling developing world debt to our universal condemnation of Russias annexation of Crimea, the world has looked to the G7 to apply our shared values and diplomatic might to create a more open and prosperous planet.

'Cornwall is the perfect location for such a crucial summit. Two hundred years ago Cornwalls tin and copper mines were at the heart of the UKs industrial revolution and this summer Cornwall will again be the nucleus of great global change and advancement.

'Im very much looking forward to welcoming world leaders to this great region and country.'

Julian German, leader of Cornwall council, told local press: 'We want a lasting legacy that maximises inward investment, translating our moment on the global stage into trade.'

Vladimir Putin, Russia's President, has once again not been invited to meeting he had previously attended up until 2014, when he sparked controversy for the annexation of Crimea

He cited the county hoped to contribute to sectors such as 'space and satellite, floating offshore wind and other sources of clean energy, and globally significant geo-resources including lithium to power our future'.

Devon and Cornwall Police's Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said the force had been preparing for the summit, which will require a high level of security, for several months, including speaking to colleagues who had managed similar events.

'It provides an opportunity for all my colleagues to demonstrate our operational excellence and world-class policing skills on a global stage," he said.

'We are excited to be playing our part working with and supporting our partners to deliver a safe and secure G7 summit.'

Previously known as the G8, the Group of Seven countries have met without Russia since 2014 following the annexation of Crimea.

However in 2019, according to a senior Trump administration official, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron had agreed that Russia should be invited to the next G7 Summit to be held in 2020. This was cancelled as a result of coronavirus.
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have dropped a playlist to keep your at-home celebration in tune with the upcoming inauguration's "America United" theme.

The 46 songs feature artists from across the music spectrum to honor the 46th President taking the oath of office.

The playlist is part of the Presidential Inaugural Committee's push to provide opportunities for Americans to participate in the inauguration from home after the Covid-19 pandemic forced them to scale back traditional events, like the parade.

"During a tumultuous year that has kept so many loved ones apart, music has been a consistent vehicle that has kept us connected. Whether you are a country soul, a jazz enthusiast, a hip hop head, a classical sort, or just love that old-time rock and roll, music clarifies, inspires, unites, and heals," Presidential Inaugural Committee CEO Tony Allen said.

You can listen to the playlist on streaming services Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music. There's also a special mix of the playlist on SoundCloud.

The inaugural committee teamed with DJ D-Nice and Raedio -- actress, writer, producer Issa Rae's record label -- to curate the collection of songs.

The result is an eclectic mix of artists, from Led Zeppelin and The Doobie Brothers to Kendrick Lamar, Sza and Major Lazer.

The Biden-Harris campaign's celebratory theme song, "Higher Love" by Kygo and Whitney Houston, is also in the mix.

"These songs and artists reflect the relentless spirit and rich diversity of America. They are the score to a new chapter and will help bring people together as the Biden-Harris Administration begins its important work to unite our country," Allen said.

Raedio President Benoni Tagoe said the company was honored to create the playlist. "We know that music has the power to bring people together, and after a year of national challenges and division, we hope this collection serves as an indication of a new beginning, positive change and a reminder that music of all types is a common language."

The Presidential Inaugural Committee is also producing a prime-time television special the night of the inauguration.

The special, hosted by Tom Hanks, is set to air live on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and MSNBC from 8:30 to 10 p.m. EST on January 20. It will feature performances from Jon Bon Jovi, who campaigned with Biden in Pennsylvania, Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake and Ant Clemons.

The 90-minute program, titled, "Celebrating America," will also feature remarks from Biden and Harris and will celebrate "American heroes" like frontline workers, teachers and health care workers.
WASHINGTON  Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will give up her Senate seat Monday, she told The Chronicle, marking the first time in 10 years the Democrat will not hold statewide office in California.

She will leave the Senate two days before her inauguration alongside President-elect Joe Biden, clearing the way for California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to be sworn in to replace her.

But Harris said she wasnt leaving her California constituents behind.

The way I think about it, its not goodbye, its hello in a different form, Harris said. I love representing California, and Im not going to stop doing that. Im just going to do that and represent every state and territory.

Harris has had a long career in California politics, beginning in 2004 as San Francisco district attorney. She became state attorney general in 2011 and won her Senate seat in 2016.

Harris Senate term began just days before Donald Trump was sworn in as president. She became known nationally for grilling Trump officials at Senate hearings, but Harris also pointed to her work responding to disasters such as the coronavirus pandemic and Californias record-setting wildfires as major accomplishments.

Harris said she and Biden will bring California values such as innovation and a belief in science-based decision-making to the White House.

Its kind of bittersweet, Harris said. I will always be a daughter of California and a proud Californian. ... Theres always going to be a part of me that brings a sense of pride and perspective born out of being a Californian.

Harris kept her seat in the Senate even after the Biden tickets victory was declared in the November election and Congress certified the Electoral College results early Jan. 7, after Trump supporters breached the Capitol in a riot to try to stop it.

She has voted a handful of times in the Senate since the election, including to pass a coronavirus stimulus package, override Trumps veto of the National Defense Authorization Act and to certify her Electoral College victory and reject Republican objections to two states results.

There was still work to do, Harris said. Frankly, very important work. ... It was important to me that California not lose one voice in the Senate in that interim period of time.

Padilla was named by Gov. Gavin Newsom to take Harris place for the rest of her term through 2022. He could be sworn in as early as Tuesday, when the Senate reconvenes for its next session.

Senators may be sworn in only by the vice president, which until Wednesday is Mike Pence. Two Democratic senators-elect from Georgia, the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, must also be sworn in soon.

Among their first tasks will be serving as jurors in Trumps second impeachment trial. The proceedings could begin as soon as one hour after Biden and Harris are sworn in.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
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Apple CEO Tim Cook, an Alabama native and Auburn University graduate, appeared on Fox News Sunday and explained why Apple pulled the Parler application from its app store.

Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace asked Cook if by suspending Parler, he was driving these people, these views further underground. Parler was the preferred app of right-wing conservatives who felt Twitter was squashing their free speech, especially after President Donald Trumps Twitter account was shut down in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

Weve only suspended them, Chris, Cook said. So, if they get their moderation together, they would be back on there.

Wallace also asked if Big Tech was restricting free speech.

Big tech is not monolithic, Cook said. Theres several companies. They do different things. For us, were always trying to do the right thing.

Cook noted that he does not consider incitement to violence a matter of free speech.

We looked at the incitement to violence that was on there, Cook said. We dont consider that free speech and incitement to violence has an intersection.

There must be rules for content, Cook said.

We have an app store that has about two million apps in it, and we have terms of service for these apps, Cook said. We obviously dont control whats on the internet, but weve never viewed that our platform should be a simple replication of the internet. We have rules and regulations and we just ask that people abide by those.

The full segment can be viewed here.
BRASILIA: Brazils health regulator is seeking further data on Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine before considering its approval for emergency use.

Documents supporting drugmaker Uniao Quimicas application for emergency use of the vaccine have been returned to the company because they did not meet its minimum criteria, the watchdog said on Saturday.

In a statement on the Health Ministrys website, regulator Anvisa said the request failed to provide adequate assurances on Phase III clinical trials and issues related to the manufacture of the vaccine.

Uniao Quimica is seeking approval for the use of 10 million doses of Sputnik V in Brazil in the first quarter of this year.

Russias RDIF sovereign wealth fund, which is promoting Sputnik globally, on Sunday said that Anvisa had requested additional information that would be provided shortly.

Its statement said that such requests from regulators were standard procedure and do not mean the registration bid has been rejected. It also said that legislation going through the Brazilian Senate, if approved, would allow use of vaccines approved by other countries.

Moscow has approved Sputnik for Russian domestic use, though clinical trials there have not yet been completed.

Anvisa officials had previously said that the Sputnik V vaccine would have to be submitted to Phase III clinical trials in Brazil before its use could be authorised.

Anvisa said on Saturday that any applicant requesting emergency use authorisation must show that the vaccine would deliver long-term safety and effectiveness.

The regulator is expected to make a decision on Sunday about authorising emergency use of vaccines developed by Chinas Sinovac and Britains AstraZeneca.

RDIF said that Sputnik had already been registered in Serbia, Belarus, Argentina, Bolivia, Algeria, Venezuela, Paraguay and by the Palestinian authorities.

Registrations in two more countries are expected next week, it said.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Remembering-Jews-who-Fought-for-Black-Civil-Rights.html

In the 1960s, hundreds of Jews worked tirelessly to advance civil rights. Two of them were murdered.

I am one freedom rider who will never, ever forget the assistance of Jews.

Hank Thomas, a major figure in the American civil rights struggle and one of the first Freedom Riders who travelled throughout the American South in the 1960s to raise awareness of the struggle for Black rights, always remembered the many Jews who helped him.

In the 2011 documentary Freedom Riders, he recalled the key role American Jews played in calling for equal rights for Black Americans. Lets put it this way, Thomas explained, when Germany was defeated in World War II, headlines across the nation read Allies defeat Germany. Well, we had allies, too. Half of the freedom riders were white, and of those whites, a very significant portion of them were Jews. Jews played a very significant part in our human rights struggle.

Start of the Freedom Riders

In 1960, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling in Boynton v. Virginia. The case was brought by Bruce Boynton, a Black student at Harvard Law School. In 1958, he bought a bus ticket from Washington, DC to his home in Montgomery, Alabama. During a 40-minute layover in Richmond, Virginia, he entered a restaurant in the station, sat in the whites only section, and ordered a sandwich and a cup of tea. Arrested for trespassing, he sued the authorities for wrongful arrest in a case that eventually reached the Supreme Court. In its 1960 ruling, the Court barred discrimination in the interstate passenger transportation industry.

At the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, 1965

Though it was illegal to discriminate against Black Americans on busses, bus cafes and waiting rooms, segregation continued to be the law of the land in much of the American South. Beginning in 1960, brave groups of Black and white Americans came together to travel throughout the South on public transportation, daring police to disrupt their activities, and bringing attention to the plight of Black Americans in the region. Known as Freedom Riders, over 400 people participated in these trips, often courting intense danger. Many of them were Jews.

Israel Dresner with Martin Luther King Jr

In the documentary Freedom Riders, Israel Dresner describes the intensity and excitement of that time when Jewish activists collaborated with Black leaders. One night in 1962, Dresner found himself in Georgia, speaking with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr . The Jewish people havent forgotten that they were slaves 32 centuries ago, Dr. King noted, asking, How will Negroes forget we were slaves only a century ago?

Not just 32 centuries ago, Dresner replied to Dr. King. We were slave laborers in the Nazi concentration camps too." Dr. King fell silent contemplating this brutal truth. We need to learn not to be ashamed of our slave ancestors, he replied. Jews are proud of their ancestors.

Orthodox Jews Supporting Civil Rights

Orthodox Jewish leaders were among the most eloquent defenders of the key Jewish tenet that all people are created btzelem Elohim, in the image of God, and possess equal human rights, not matter the color of their skin.

In April 1960, Jewish students travelled to Greensboro, North Carolina, to stand side by side with Black students protesting discrimination. Among the Jews attending the protest was a delegation from Yeshiva University. As Jews we have a moral and religious duty to uphold the rights of our fellow man, they told their school newspaper. As Jews we must be in the vanguard of any movement which seeks to break the bars of discrimination.

In 1962, when Northerners  many of whom were Jewish  took part in anti-discrimination protests in Selma, Alabama, Orthodox Jews were part of the movement, travelling to the South to stand as allies with Black Americans in their struggle for equal rights.

Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik wrote in his famous essay Civil Rights and the Dignity of Man, From the standpoint of the Torah, there can be no distinction between one human being and another on the basis of race or color. Any discrimination shown to a human being on account of the color of his or her skin constitutes loathsome barbarity.

Freedom Summer

In 1964, after years of demonstrations against discrimination in the South, civil rights groups decided to focus on voting rights in Mississippi. Despite being eligible to vote, just 7% of Black Mississippians were registered to vote in the early 1960s. Activists were invited to come to the state and register Black voters: over a thousand people heeded the call and travelled south. Fully half of these volunteers were Jewish college students.

Freedom Summer wouldnt be easy, the volunteers were told. It was likely that activists would be arrested or subject to violence. Volunteers were instructed to read books like Martin Luther Kings memoir Stride Toward Freedom and Killers of the Dream by Lillian smith to prepare.

Nothing could fully prepare the visitors for the level of violence they would endure in Mississippi. One Jewish activist from Cleveland, Arthur Lelyveld, recalled walking with some Black people down the street in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, when they were stopped by two armed white men who beat them up. Lelyveld was punched and kicked, struck on the head with a tire iron, and wound up in the hospital.

The next day, he was surprised to see a group of local Jews visiting him; instead of offering words of comfort, the local Jews begged him to leave. So precarious was the position of Jews in the town that they feared local bigots would target them too: Youre going to get us burned or killed if he stayed, they told him.

On June 14, 1964, two Jewish volunteers from New York arrived in Mississippi, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman. They teamed up with a local Black activist, James Chaney, and prepared to register voters together.

Andrew Goodman was the youngest of the three activists. Just twenty years old, he was a junior at Queens College in New York. He loved acting in plays, and was also deeply committed to the cause of civil rights. Andrew traveled to Mississippi to help fight segregation.

Michael Schwerner was 24 and had studied sociology at Cornell and Columbia. He and his young wife Rita were dedicated to civil rights, and Michael applied for a job with the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE), one of the key groups behind Freedom Summer. I have an emotional need to offer my services for the South, he wrote in his application.

James Chaney, 22, was from Meridian, Mississippi, and volunteered as a CORE organizer. The New York Times later noted that his family was among the few relatively prosperous Negroes in their town.

Local Klu Klux Klan members heard that these three men would be registering Black Americans to vote at a church near Philadelphia, Mississippi, and descended on the building. There was no voter drive in session, so the Klan members beat up the congregations and set fire to the church. On June 21, 1964, Andrew, Michael and James set off to investigate this outrageous crime. On the way back, the car they were driving was stopped for speeding by Cecil Ray Price, the deputy sheriff of Neshoba County  and a dedicated member of the Klu Klux Klan.

Sheriff Price arrested the three Freedom Riders and locked them in the county jail. He then plotted with his fellow Klansmen on how to murder the trio. Late that night, Price released the activists, then raced to intercept their car before it left the county. Price stopped their car once again, and took the three young men to a deserted spot, where Klu Klux Klan members were waiting. They shot Andrew and Michael and beat James to death. Their burned out car was found two days later, and it would be six weeks before the bodies of Andrew, Michael and James were discovered, buried on a local dairy farm.

Mississippi Burning

The murder of two Jewish New Yorkers galvanized the country. Notified of the disappearance, the Department of Justice requested our involvement, the FBIs official website records. (A) few hours later, Attorney General Robert Kennedy asked us to lead the case. By late morning, wed blanketed the area with agents, who began intensive interviews. The FBI dubbed the investigation and subsequent trial Mississippi Burning because of the activists burned out car.

Dr. King holds up an image of Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman at a press conference following their disappearance

The case garnered unprecedented attention. Eventually, the FBI brought charges against 18 defendants who were involved in the murders. Three years later, seven defendants were convicted of crimes, though none for murder. One of the murderers, Edgar Ray Killen, was acquitted after one juror said she couldnt find it in herself to convict a preacher. He was brought to justice 41 years later, when he was convicted of manslaughter in 2005.

Speaking to The New York Times a year after the murder, Andrew Goodmans parents expressed hope that their sons death hadnt been in vain. His murder can be looked on as a catalyst that brought into sharp focus the conflicting attitudes in the South and the sting of conscience in other parts of the country, where prejudice exists in a subtler form.

Legacy of Brotherhood

Later in the tension-filled summer of 1964, some Black Americans rioted in New York City and Rochester. When he heard that some of the stores damaged and looted in the riots were owned by Jews, civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was aghast  and appealed for people to remember Andrew Goodman and Michael Scherner in particular. I am particularly pained to learn that a large percentage of the looted stores were owned by our Jewish friends since, as a group, the Jewish citizens of the United States have always stood for freedom, justice, and an end to bigotry. Our Jewish friends have demonstrated their commitment to the principle of tolerance and brotherhood in tangible ways, often at great personal sacrifices.

(W)ho will ever forget the sacrifice of two Jewish lives, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, in Mississippi this past June, he asked. It would be impossible to record the contribution that the Jewish people have made towards the Negros struggle for freedom  it has been so great.

Today, the legacy of Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and all the other Jews who worked and advocated for civil rights lives on. In these difficult times particularly, they deserve to be remembered and honored by all Americans for their bravery, their commitment to do what was right, and their steadfast determination to stand up and oppose injustice.
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Gorakhpur : , Jan 17 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced to develop Gorakhpur into a garment industry hub that would give impetus to garment industries in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

For the project, the Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority (GIDA) would be providing four-acre land on which the flatted factory would be built.

During his recent two-day visit to Gorakhpur, the Chief Minister met a delegation of the Chamber of Industries and discussed the progress report in this regard.

"You people should work and take the development of garment hub in the interest of Purvanchal and encourage self-employment," he said.

Navneet Sehgal, Additional Chief Secretary, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), also interacted with representatives from the garment industries.

"I have requested them to visit Noida once and see the way of working there. They will decide the expansion plan and let us know how many machines, and how much space is required. Everything will be provided accordingly to the flatted factory," he said.

This initiative by the Uttar Pradesh government of building a flatted factory would not only boost the textile industries (which also comes under the 'One District One Product scheme') but would also generate employment opportunities for the workers who had returned to Uttar Pradesh during the Covid-induced lockdown.

Over time, the textile industries gradually succumbed to a lack of technology and the neglect by previous governments. The people associated with these industries switched their professions and sought another occupation.

The Yogi Adityanath government had done the skill mapping of more than 50 lakh migrants who returned from other states during the lockdown and many of them displayed interest and proficiency in the garment sector.

Viewing them as a resource, the Chief Minister has asked officials to prepare an action plan to develop Agra, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Meerut as the hub of garments.
Betty White turned 99 on Sunday and she revealed her modest plans to celebrate her birthday.

The American sweetheart confessed to Associated Press on Saturday: 'Since I am turning 99, I can stay up as late as I want without asking permission!'

She also said to the publication that she would spend part of the day feeding local ducks that visit her California home.

Ray of sunshine: Betty White turned 99 on Sunday and she revealed her modest plans to celebrate her birthday

For her birthday bite, Betty revealed she would tuck into a hot dog and French fries, brought over by her enduring friend, agent Jeff Witjas, who also gifted her a bouquet of roses.

The Golden Girls icon shared that she was feeling in fine fettle in the run-up to her monumental birthday.

'I am blessed with good health so turning 99 is no different than turning 98,' she told People, noting the importance of 'a sense of humour.'

The actress said wisely: 'Don't take yourself too seriously. You can lie to others - not that I would - but you cannot lie to yourself.'

What a joy: The American sweetheart confessed to Associated Press on Saturday: 'Since I am turning 99, I can stay up as late as I want without asking permission!' (pictured in 1958)

She confirmed she also likes to retain a sunny outlook on life as she added: 'I don't like the other side. The positive side is a lot more fun.'

Betty is eagerly anticipating life after lockdown when 'visiting with close friends and bringing food to my animal friends' will become feasible.

Her tips for longevity and happiness are, 'Again, having a sense of humor. Just looking at the positive side and not dwelling on the downside.'

She pointed out: '[It] Takes up too much energy being negative. Also having a good agent who keeps me busy all the time.'

Last spring a friend of hers dished that Betty will still indulge in a cocktail every once in awhile as she hunkers down at home amid the pandemic.

Sweet: For her birthday bite, Betty decided to tuck into a hot dog and French fries brought over by her enduring friend and agent, Jeff Witjas, who also gifted her a bouquet of roses (pictured in 2015)

The Hot In Cleveland star's tipple of choice is a 'vodka martini' with 'hot dogs and French fries,' a pal of hers told Closer Weekly.

This friend shared: 'Betty loves to joke that vodka keeps her young. She loves the image of her sitting at home in a rocking chair, drinking a martini and watching game shows, but she's not really a big drinker. That's not her. She'll only take a few sips of a cocktail if the occasion calls for it.'

Betty lives in Carmel, California and last year her representative told Today she 'has beautiful backyard with a number of wild animals visiting.'

She 'has helpers who are great' with her and 'wild animals visiting' her backyard, said the rep, dishing: 'The virus is afraid of Betty!

'No one permitted in except those who must,' said the source, but she still has multiple phone calls with her publicist within a week during which they 'always have laughs.'

Betty has spent eight decades working in television and has racked up the longest career in the history of the medium.

Although she has been on a slew of hit programs including The Mary Tyler Moore Show she is most beloved for The Golden Girls.

Betty starred on the show from 1985 to 1992 as Rose Nylund, a kindhearted bottle blonde ditz from St. Olaf, Minnesota.

She was part of the main cast with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, all three of whom were younger than she but have predeceased her.

The Golden Girls ended because Bea did not want to do it anymore, so Betty joined Rue and Estelle in a follow-up sequel series.

Entitled The Golden Palace, the spin-off show lasted only one season in 1993 and saw the three remaining leads start a hotel together.

The Golden Girls is available to stream on Stan in Australia
The PSNI say diversions are in place and motorists are asked to use an alternative route.

Police have urged the public in the Ballyarnett area of Londonderry not to touch any suspicious objects.

Issuing the warning on Sunday, the PSNI told anyone who comes across or notices any suspicious objects in the Cornshell Fields/Racecourse Road area to stay away from them and call police.

It comes after reports to police this week that devices had been left in the area.

Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Darrin Jones, said: I am appealing to the public to stay vigilant and, if anyone comes across anything suspicious, call police immediately on 999.

In August 2019, police and army technical officers narrowly escaped injury after responding to a security alert in the Wattlebridge Road area of Newtownbutler.

There were reports that a device had been left in the area and a hoax device was subsequently inspected before a bomb exploded on the main A3 Cavan Road.

Speaking at the time, then-PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Stephen Martin said dissident republicans were behind the attack.

"I am of the firm belief it was a deliberate attempt to lure police and army bomb disposal colleagues into the area to murder them," he said.
Ian Sylvester of Hudson waves a 6-foot American flag during a rally in support of President Donald Trump while protesting the election results at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver this month

. Hundreds of people gathered to protest the certification of the Electoral College vote.
After six consecutive weeks of increase, Nigerias fresh COVID-19 infections reduced slightly but the same cannot be said of the fatalities as more people lost their lives to the pandemic last week.

According to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the country recorded 50 and 48 deaths in the first and second week of 2021 respectively.

Meanwhile, last week, which is the third week of the year, the country recorded 70 deaths, the weekly highest in the new year.

The rise in mortality shows that the second wave of the pandemic is deadlier than the first as more patients are symptomatic and require breathing support.

Akin Abayomi, the commissioner for health in Lagos state, the epicentre of the pandemic, had said the use of oxygen by COVID-19 patients in isolation centres across the state is on the increase this January.

The Professor of Medicine disclosed that the new strain ravaging the state and country at large is deadlier than the previous variant.

Oxygen usage is on the increase. By 1st week of January 2021 daily rationed usage of oxygen was 200 cylinders. Realistic projection without rationing is about 750 cylinders per day.

There is an increasing number of patients who require oxygen therapy at IDH, Yaba.

The initial projections for oxygen usage in IDH was 70 cylinders per day. Over 71% increases in oxygen usage in IDH. Given the increases in cases, oxygen usage is expected to be high, he said.

While more people are dying from complications, the Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, has warned Nigerians against complacency in containing the COVID-19 pandemic as the much-awaited vaccines may not arrive the country as soon as expected.

The government said it was expecting to start receiving vaccines for the disease by the end of the month but many medical experts told PREMIUM TIMES that that is almost likely impossible.

Insignificant reduction

Last week, the weekly figure of new COVID-19 infections reduced slightly.

The second wave of the pandemic was officially announced after the infections began to rise in the first week of December.

During that week, (November 29- December 3), a total of 1607 cases were reported and within the space of six weeks that followed, the country broke its records of highest weekly infections three times.

In fact, in the previous week (January 3-9), Nigeria recorded 9,900 fresh cases which represents a 39 per cent increase from the preceding week and second highest record of 6,037.

However, last week, (January 10-16), the country reported 9880 fresh cases, which represents 0.2 per cent reduction from the 9,900 reported in the previous week.

The weekly reduction is minimal and not representative of any decrease in the level of spread of the virus. For instance, on Friday, a total of 1,867 new infections were found in 23 states across the country  the highest daily infection toll ever.

Further analysis showed that the slight reduction occurred despite the fact that the public health agency tested 128,578 people in the past week  the highest weekly testing rate so far.

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It is also higher than the countrys record of 100,345 COVID-19 tests carried out in the first two weeks of the year 2021.

This shows the increase in Nigerias testing capacity and efforts of the states in collection of samples. Since the pandemic broke out in February last year, a total 1,154, 138 samples have been collected for testing.

Nevertheless, a total of 5,950 COVID-19 patients recovered from the disease and were discharged in the past week a 28 per cent increase compared to the 4,628 recoveries reported in the previous week.

Nigeria so far

As of the time of reporting, Nigeria has 108,943 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of this figure, 85,367 have been discharged and 1,420 deaths have been recorded in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Also, a total of 22, 156 patients are being managed across various isolation centres in the country.

A breakdown of the confirmed cases shows that Lagos State has so far reported 39,723 cases, followed by FCT  14, 544, Kaduna  6, 121, Plateau  6, 617, Oyo  4, 679, Rivers  4,382 Edo  3, 246, Ogun  2, 831, Kano  2, 577, Delta  2, 102 Ondo  2, 070, Katsina  1, 723, Kwara  1, 566, Enugu  1, 583, Gombe  1, 489, Ebonyi  1, 206, Nasarawa  1, 269, Abia 1, 129 Bauchi  1, 107, Osun  1, 186, Borno  859, Imo  841, Bayelsa  608, Benue  653, Sokoto  677, Akwa Ibom  615, Niger  547, Adamawa  540, Jigawa  425, Anambra  513, Taraba  258, Kebbi  248, Cross River 169, Yobe 207 Zamfara  162 and Kogi  5.

Lagos State remains the epicentre for the disease with the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths in the country.

The other five states with the highest number of confirmed cases are FCT, Kaduna, Plateau, Oyo and Rivers states.

Of the 36 states and the FCT, only Kogi and Cross River states did not record a new case last week nor have an active COVID-19 case.

Timeline last week

On Sunday, 1,024 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country.

As of 11:55 p.m. on January 10, a total of 100, 087, 175 cases had been reported, out of which 80, 030 had recovered and 1, 358 deaths recorded.

On Monday, 1,244 new cases of the pandemic were reported in the country.

On Tuesday, 1,270 new cases were reported.

On Wednesday, 1,398 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country.

On Thursday, 1,479 new cases were reported in Nigeria, hence bringing the tally of confirmed cases to 105, 478.

On Friday, 1,867 new cases of the pandemic were recorded.

On Saturday, 1,598 new cases were reported in Nigeria, hence bringing the tally of confirmed cases to 108, 943 as of 11:55 p.m. on January 16.
Berger said when he read the findings of the first probe, "it was pretty clear to me we needed to do a follow-on...
1. Yes. The public must have assurances that ethical standards are met by everyone.

2. Yes. As long as an independent board hears the grievances, its a worthwhile idea.

3. No. The concept is too broad. It should be limited to the citys elected officials.

4. No. There are plenty of stipulations in place already. An ordinance is a waste of time.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say without seeing how it would be structured and applied.

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New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been summoned farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa and Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu and 38 others for questioning on January 17 in a case related to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

The Central agency has summoned around 40 people for questioning as witnesses in a case related to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) under Section 160 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) - Police officers power to require attendance of witnesses in FIR no 40/2020 under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The notices were sent on January 15 asking them to appear at the NIAs Delhi headquarters from January 18-21.

On Saturday, the NIA has asked Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu to appear before it at its headquarters in New Delhi in connection with a case under Chapter XII of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

"Whereas it appears that you (Deep Sidhu) are acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case noted below, which I am investigating under Chapter XII of the Code of Criminal Procedure, you are hereby required to appear before me on January 17 at 10:00 am at National Investigation Agency, Opposite CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi for the purpose of answering certain question relating to the case," Dhiraj Kumar, Inspector of Police said in a letter.

The actor shared the letter on a social media platform on January 16.

While, Baldev Singh Sirsa is the head of Lok Bhalai Insaf Welfare Society (LBIWS) which is also one of the farmer unions taking part in the stir against the Centre's three farm laws Sidhu caught national attention during the farmers` protests when a video of his conversation with a policeman went viral.

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Indian-American nominated by Biden to key US State department position

International

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Washington, Jan 17: US President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday nominated an Indian-American diplomat, who had quit the foreign service in 2018 in protest against the policies of President Donald Trump, to a key State Department position.

Uzra Zeya has been nominated to be Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, according to key nominations for the Department of State announced by Biden.

Wendy R Sherman has been nominated to be Deputy Secretary of State, Brian McKeon as Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources, Bonnie Jenkins to be Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs and Victoria Nuland to be Under Secretary for Political Affairs.

Biden will sign roughly a dozen actions on day one, says Incoming WH Chief of Staff

"This diverse and accomplished team, led by Secretary of State-designate Tony Blinken, embodies my core belief that America is strongest when it works with our allies," Biden said.

"Collectively, they have secured some of the most defining national security and diplomatic achievements in recent memory - and I am confident that they will use their diplomatic experience and skill to restore America's global and moral leadership. America is back," he said.

Uzra Zeya served most recently as CEO and President of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, where she drew on over two decades of diplomatic experience in Near East, South Asian, European, human rights, and multilateral affairs.

As Charge d'Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Paris from 2014 to 2017, she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Embassy, six constituent posts, and 50 offices and agencies engaged in U.S. government work. She quit against Trump's policies in September 2018.

"Up to now, Foggy Bottom's upper echelons are looking whiter, more male and less like America," Zeya wrote in Politico in September 2018 alleging that the State Department under the Trump Administration was facing racial and gender bias.

"In my own case, I hit the buzz saw that Team Trump wielded against career professionals after leading the US Embassy in Paris through three major terrorist attacks over three years and after planning President Trump's Bastille Day visit," she wrote.

She said that upon returning to Washington, she was blocked from a series of senior-level jobs with no explanation. "In two separate incidents, however, colleagues told me that a senior State official opposed candidates for leadership positions - myself and an African-American female officer - on the basis that we would not pass the ''Breitbart test''," she wrote in Politico.

From 2012 to 2014, Zeya served as Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour.

She joined the Foreign Service in 1990, serving in New Delhi, Muscat, Damascus, Cairo, and Kingston. From 2011 to 2012, she was Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of State and helped shape the US response to the Arab Spring and worked to deepen US engagement with emerging powers.

Zeya has also served as Deputy Executive Secretary to the Secretary of State, Director of the Executive Secretariat Staff, and as UN General Assembly Coordinator. She is a recipient of the Legion d'honneur, France's highest civilian honour, a Presidential Rank Award, and 15 Superior Honour and Senior Performance Awards.

She is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

On the key State Department nominations announced by Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said, "This remarkable team of distinguished diplomats and seasoned leaders reflects the very best of our nation".

Secretary of State-designate Tony Blinken said, "To meet this moment, we need a Department of State that looks like America, led by diverse women and men who will be unafraid to challenge the status quo.

"That is this team. America at its best still has a greater capacity than any other country on earth to mobilize others to meet the challenges of our time. These passionate, energetic, deeply experienced nominees will help keep our people and our country safe, secure, and prosperous".

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Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2021, 9:30 [IST]

Nearly one year into the coronavirus pandemic, Eduardo Hernandez, superintendent of the Edgewood Independent School District, still doesnt quite know what the next school year will look like for his students and staff.

Around Bexar County, he and other school leaders trying to plan for the fall are grappling with countless unknowns, from how much funding they will receive to the community spread of the coronavirus.

But given the alarming trajectory of new virus cases and the dragging pace of the vaccine rollout, one thing is almost certain: schools will need to offer remote learning for the foreseeable future, maybe into 2022.

Online learning is not going to stop, Hernandez said. Although by September we will have a considerable amount of people in the city  and I think that will include teachers  vaccinated, I anticipate the school year will open up much like it is now.

Since last summer, most schools around San Antonio have allowed families to choose the instructional model  in person, online or a hybrid option  that works best for them. But in a pandemic, none of those learning models is perfect, and maintaining two or three of them simultaneously has been exhausting and stressful for many teachers and parents.

On ExpressNews.com: Uncharted territory  San Antonio teachers overwhelmed with pandemic challenges

I anticipated for it to just be back to normal, but the way its looking, its just crazy, said Melissa Lopez, 36, a mother of three elementary school students enrolled at Compass Rose Academy at Brooks AFB. Its very frustrating.

She has put her children in both remote and in-person learning since the start of the pandemic, and keeping up with all the changes has been difficult, she said.

Lisa Krantz /Staff photographer

As superintendents look ahead to the 2021-22 academic year, they are also looking back at what has worked so far and what needs improvement, hoping that the other pieces of the puzzle, like funding and widespread vaccine access, fall into place soon.

What were all grappling with is not having answers to certain questions, said Sean Maika, superintendent of North East ISD, the second-largest school district in Bexar County. Nobody can really look into the future and know when this will end or what its result will be. Thats hard, all the unpredictability.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio ISD chief part of national call for teachers to get early vaccine access

If the vaccine is still not widely administered by the start of the fall semester, NEISD will probably continue to offer remote learning, just for the peace of mind of our parents, so that depending on how they feel comfortable, they have a choice, Maika said.

If vaccine access is widespread by next summer, school administrators are going to have to decide whether it will be worth continuing remote learning in its current form, he said. While safer, remote learning has proven to be less effective than in-person learning, as students studying from home have been absent and failing at greater rates than their in-school counterparts.

One way to encourage more families to sign their children up for in-person instruction has been to offer regular coronavirus testing for students and staff, which most local school districts have done. More recently, schools have been trying to secure vaccines, and school leaders and local officials have advocated for teachers to be added to the priority groups eligible to receive it.

Several districts will begin offering vaccine appointments to teachers who want one as early as this week. On Thursday, Edgewood obtained 100 vaccination appointments with University Health System for teachers in vaccination group 1B  enough to inoculate about 15 percent of the districts teachers.

Pedro Martinez, superintendent of SAISD, said he thinks it unlikely that most students will be vaccinated before 2022. Neither of the coronavirus vaccines now available have been approved for children under 16.

We can vaccinate our staff so that they feel safe, to reduce their anxiety so that they can focus on what is critical, which is academic support  making sure children do not fall through the cracks, Martinez said in a recent panel discussion of superintendents and education officials from across the country.

But until most members of the public can get the shot in their arm, remote learning is likely to continue, he said.

(University Health said it also will provide a limited number of doses to Alamo Heights, East Central, Harlandale, Judson, Northeast ISD, Northside and Southwest ISDs in a first phase of distribution to school staffers, but was unsure when more would be available.)

Some school districts are considering starting virtual academies next year so that families that need or prefer remote learning have an option that caters solely to them. An online-only system would shield teachers from having to divide their attention between students in the classroom and those on the computer screen, and it could allow remote learners to receive more individualized support.

Administrators at Northside ISD, San Antonios largest school district with more than 100,000 students, are planning to offer remote instruction as an option this fall, but are trying to make it work better than it has. In his weekly newsletter Monday, Superintendent Brian Woods said the current model is unsustainable, but could be fixed by opening some kind of virtual academy.

There is a lot of uncertainty in what we will be allowed to do in 2021-22, but (easing the load on teachers) is a top priority for us and it will, along with the imperative to serve our students in the best possible way, guide our work, Woods said in the newsletter.

Hernandez and Maika have also considered the virtual academy option, but both noted that it would take a lot of careful planning to make it work without widening the so-called digital divide among students, the gap in success and performance between those with better and worse access to devices and the internet.

Im just very cautious about trying to begin something that we know doesnt work for most children and it becoming an option and allowing them to fail for a long period of time, Maika said. We cant create a system that fails kids. We have to be very mindful of that.

Furthermore, the Texas Education Agency has not yet said if it will continue past this school year to include remote learners as part of schools average daily attendance, the enrollment figure that determines the amount of state funding the districts receive at a time when many of them are hurting for cash. Education Commissioner Mike Morath said that will be decided during this years regular session of the Legislature, which began Tuesday.

Superintendents say it is difficult to predict what the next couple of years will look like for students and school staff, but learning and safety will continue to be prioritized as much as possible.

Ive got 11,000 children that Im responsible for and their associated families, Hernandez said. Weve got lives in our hands, and I dont take that for granted.

Staff Writer Krista Torralva contributed to this report. andy.picon@hearst.com | Twitter: @andpicon
The United Kingdom has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 summit to be held in the country's Cornwall region in June.

The G7 summit is scheduled to be held in Cornwall from June 11-13, 2021, said a statement by the British High Commission on January 17.

According to an NDTV report, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also likely to visit India ahead of the summit.

Johnson had recently cancelled his visit to India after he was invited as chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations amid the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the new COVID strain.

Besides India, Australia and South Korea have also been invited as guest countries to the summit. The G7 is made up of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union.

The G7 Summit will be held in Carbis Bay, Cornwall on 11-13 June 2021. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the UKs G7 Presidency to unite leading democracies to help the world fight, and then build back better from coronavirus and create a greener, more prosperous future. The UK has invited Australia, India and South Korea as guest countries to this years G7, Johnson's office said in a statement, reported news agency ANI.

According to the statement, Johnson wants to use the meeting to intensify cooperation between the world's democratic and technologically advanced nations.

"As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face," the Prime Minister said, as quoted in the statement.

The UK, which formally left the EU on December 31, 2020, as part of the Brexit process, will assume in February the pro tempore presidency of the UN Security Council and later this year will host the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 and a global education conference aimed at getting children in the developing world into school.
This town is typically very generous and donations from biz and the middle-class power quite a few local non-profit jobs. However, the pandemic has tightened purse strings across the metro and now funding for charitable organizations has declined.



Here's one example out of many . . .


Planet Soar has signed a framework agreement with Absolicon for the acquisition of a production line for the T160 Solar collector in France.

Planet Soar is a renewable energy company based in France that supports several actors in the deployment of renewable energy project infrastructure. The total sales value covered by the agreement is estimated at  4-5 million plus a monthly license fee of 4 per cent and sales of components. The framework agreement prescribes the principles for the separate agreements to be drawn up.

The framework agreement describes the separate agreements to be drawn up in the process. Absolicon's proceeds from the sale can be grouped into three groups: acquisition of the line, license revenue and revenue from material sales.

The production line is of the same model as Absolicon has in Sweden and which the company has already delivered to Sichuan Province. The line with two six-axis robots has the capacity to produce 50 MW solar collectors (100,000 sq m) per year. Together with the hardware, Absolicon provides consulting support for marketing and technical support, development and technical training.

The total value of hardware and activities covered by the agreement is estimated at 4-5 million.

For the right to manufacture T160 under Absolicon's intellectual property protection, take part in future product development and use Absolicon's trademark, a monthly license fee of approximately 4 per cent applies to the sales value.

The production line in full production produces on a shift 50 MW solar collector (100 000 sq m) per year with sales value 20-25 million which with 4 per cent license fee would mean about  800 000 per year in license revenue. Absolicon's estimate, however, is that it takes time for Planet Soar to develop the solar thermal market for industries in the region so that these volumes can be achieved.

France has a wide industrial sector which consumes around 60 per cent of total energy as heat, emitting 40 Mtons of CO2 every year*. By replacing only 10 per cent of fossil fuels used in the industries with Absolicon solar collectors to supply industrial heat demand, the estimate market potential for the T160 solar collector can be up to 8 million sqm (4GW).

Planet Soar is a renewable energy company based in France, that supports several actors in the deployment of renewable energy project infrastructure. Planet Soar provide solution such as financing, development, supply chain and project management. Together with its partners, Planet Soar deploy or supply the most innovative products and solutions to their respected markets.

Planet Soar will now undergo an online training and start marketing deployment. Discussions have just begun on the first pilot installations of the T160 in France. More detailed contract writing is now taking place. Payment is made step by step in the same way as in the previous sale of the production line to the province of Sichuan. Tradearabia News Service
A truly infallible sense of smell that of the police dog on duty at the port of Guayaquil, Ecuador.

During a check, the hound identified a 1.3 ton load of cocaine. This was announced by the country's interior minister, Patricio Pazmino.

According to what is known, the cargo was stowed in a container ready to be loaded on a ship bound for Estonia.

This is yet another record seizure in recent months in Ecuador, a nation bordering Colombia and Peru, the states in the world where the most cocaine is produced.

Last year alone, the South American country's authorities seized a record 128 tons of drugs, or 18 tons more than the previous record of 110 tons in 2016.

(Unioneonline / lf)
When Vice President Mike Pence takes his seat near Joe Biden at the inauguration on Wednesday, he will be symbolically turning his back on President Donald Trump's baseless assertion of a stolen election and creating the powerful image of a peaceful transfer of power - an image his boss has sought to upend.

That comes after Pence last Thursday called Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to congratulate her, offering her Air Force Two to travel to the inauguration, a courtesy Biden extended to Pence four years ago. Most dramatically, Pence on Jan. 6 rejected efforts to disrupt Congress's certification of the election results, making him the target of a violent mob as he formalized Biden's win.

At a time when big factions of each party view the other as contemptible, Biden and Pence are haltingly cooperating to shore up the traditional exchange of power. It's a dynamic helpful to both, as Biden works to enhance his legitimacy with Republicans and Pence seeks to regain credibility after the Trump years.

William Kristol, who was Vice President Dan Quayle's chief of staff, said cooperating with Biden lets Pence shape his post-Trump political brand. "Is there a market for 'civilized Trump acquiescence but not totally crazy' conservatism? Probably," Kristol said. "Playing that middle ground - civilized Trumpism with a civil face - isn't a bad place for him to be, really."

And for Biden, the Pence link lets him argue that he's not naive to embrace bipartisanship. "He wants to say that Trump is an aberration both for the country and for the Republican Party," Kristol said. "From the point of view of his governance, it is good for making that case."

If the dynamic is helpful to both figures for the moment, it is also fraught. Many Democrats still despise Pence for enabling Trump's destructiveness for four years and do not want Biden to help rehabilitate him. Pence, meanwhile, hopes to curry favor among the GOP base and potentially challenge Biden in 2024, so working with him now could carry a cost.

The two leaders have never been personally close. But as Trump refuses to acknowledge his election loss, their relationship has quietly become critical - and may be even more so in the coming months if Trump continues to rile up his followers by declaring that he was cheated.

Despite faithfully backing even Trump's most dubious actions for four years, Pence in recent days has taken on the traditional role, eschewed by Trump, of representing an outgoing administration, for example traveling to California and New York this weekend to bid farewell to military troops.

Four years ago it was Biden who was the outgoing vice president, welcoming Pence as he took office. He offered Pence help settling into the vice-presidential residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory, and he continued calling regularly to check on Pence, aides to both men said, until he ran into trouble with liberals for calling Pence "a decent guy" in early 2019.

They already knew each other by then, having overlapped in Congress for eight years before Biden became vice president. During the Obama administration, Pence joined the GOP House leadership and then became governor of Indiana.

The differences between the two men are evident. They're separated in age by 17 years - Pence is 61, Biden 78. In Congress, they served in different chambers and different parties, battling on everything from the Iraq War to gay rights, putting them in the same newspaper articles but rarely in the same room.

But they shared courtesies over the years, stemming from a mutual respect for institutions, allies of both men said. During the departure of a president determined to shatter norms, that commonality is suddenly crucial.

"Pence is a gentleman, and he takes the office and the decorum seriously," said Olivia Troye, a former aide to Pence who left the Trump administration over concerns about its handling of the pandemic and later appeared in an ad endorsing Biden. "At the inauguration, I have no doubt that he will be respectful. That is just the kind of man Pence is. He is not the kind of man who throws tantrums."

Trump, in contrast, plans to skip the ceremony, making him the first outgoing president to boycott his successor's inauguration since Andrew Johnson declined to attend President Ulysses Grant's swearing-in in 1869. Instead, Trump is expected to fly to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Wednesday morning.

Allies of both men now wonder whether Pence will step into the role traditionally occupied by former presidents, especially if Trump is a pariah in his post-presidency or actively works to undermine the Biden administration. That could mean, for example, joining with former presidents to support Biden in moments of national crises.

"I would love to see him fulfill that role, because I think he's great at it," said one former Pence aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a former boss. "It's something that the country needs."

One person close to Biden, who has not spoken to the president-elect about Pence, said the next few days will further clarify Trump's standing. Any additional violence from pro-Trump agitators, for example, would make it even more attractive to lean on Pence, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.

Jen Psaki, Biden's incoming White House press secretary, said Biden and Pence have not spoken in recent days. Devin O'Malley, a spokesman for Pence, declined to comment for this story.

Many Democrats are loath to give Pence credit after what they consider years of sycophancy to Trump.

"He can't shed four years of intimate Trumpism by 30 seconds of doing some of the right things," said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N. J, who contracted covid-19 after sheltering in the Capitol with Republican lawmakers refusing to wear masks. Citing Trump's policies on race, coronavirus and other issues, she said of Pence, "He earned every bit of our skepticism and reluctance to trust him on any level."

Transportation Secretary-designate Pete Buttigieg memorably summed up Democrats' scorn for Pence when he was running for the Democratic nomination, calling him "a cheerleader for the porn star presidency."

Amy Walter, national editor of the Cook Political Report, said the recent assault on the Capitol changed the landscape for the vice president. "When you have people running through the Capitol saying, 'Hang Mike Pence,' you don't have a lot to lose in saying, 'I'm going to work with the incoming administration,' " Walter said.

In presiding over the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress that certified the 2020 election, Pence reprised a role that Biden himself played four years ago. Biden had also faced a party with raw emotions, though not violent ones. As presiding officer, Biden swatted aside several objections and instructed the sergeant-at-arms to remove protesters from the gallery.

Democrats did not challenge the election results in 2016 as forcefully as many Republicans did this time, but they repeatedly noted that Trump had lost the popular vote and received help from Russia. In that tense atmosphere, Biden met with Pence multiple times, hosting Pence and his wife at a lunch in the Naval Observatory just one week after Hillary Clinton conceded.

Biden's office issued a statement at the time saying the two had discussed their work in Congress and "their friendship dating back many years," according to a newspaper account. (A Biden transition aide said the suggestion of a long friendship seemed overstated, though it had come from Biden's vice-presidential office.)

One Biden aide recalled creating binders and briefing top Pence staffers in a "dutiful" attempt to ease the transition. A former Pence aide agreed, saying, "I do think Biden and his team did what they could to make a smooth transition for us."

After Pence took office in January 2017, Biden regularly reached out, according to two people familiar with their conversations. "Biden did make a habit of staying in touch with Pence until, of course, primary politics made that untenable," said a Pence confidant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal talks.

The break came, according to this person, in early 2019 as Biden, then considering a presidential run, faced criticism from Democratic activists for calling Pence "a decent guy." Biden made the comment during a speech at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he recounted how foreign leaders reacted poorly to a Pence speech because of their dislike for Trump.

Biden described Pence as "a guy who's a decent guy - our vice president - who stood before this group of allies and leaders and said, 'I'm here on behalf of President Trump,' and there was dead silence. Dead silence," Biden said.

Many Democrats were upset that Biden would characterize Pence as "decent," given his hostility to gay rights and abortion. Biden had to soften the comment, saying, "There is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the vice president."

Wednesday's inauguration won't be the first time that Pence has attended a ceremony celebrating Biden's ascent. In 2009, Pence had just been elected to chair the House Republican Conference - making him the third-ranking House Republican - and he dined on seafood, pheasant and duck at a lunch at the Capitol following the swearing-in ceremony for President Barack Obama and Biden.

By the time Pence came to the House in 2001, Biden had already been a senator for nearly three decades. If Biden is gregarious, Pence is courtly; while Biden's political persona is that of a friendly neighbor, Pence projects a courteous schoolteacher.

In late 2008, Pence described himself as leading a "cheerful opposition" to the Obama administration. That played out in budget battles, including a hard-fought showdown in 2011. Biden, negotiating with Congress on behalf of the Obama administration, made a proposal to cut about $33 billion in spending, but Pence opposed it as too small-bore.

"By picking a fight and winning this one small step toward fiscal discipline, the American people will see ... that we can fight and we can win," Pence told a tea party rally outside the Capitol.

Pence also criticized the Obama-Biden stance toward Iraq, which in 2010 included withdrawing troops. "To make their point, Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden even voted to deny necessary funding for our troops," Pence charged in an op-ed in The Washington Times.

But especially by the standards of today's rhetoric, Pence was not nasty or personal. In June 2010, he chastised fellow Republican Rep. Joe Barton of Texas for accusing the Obama administration of a "shakedown" of BP over the Gulf oil spill, saying in a statement with other Republican leaders that Barton's comments were "wrong."

And Pence was gracious in November 2010 when Biden traveled to Indiana. "Obviously, every Hoosier should welcome our president and vice president to the Hoosier state," Pence said. "The more Indiana and our communities and our economy can be in the forefront of the thinking of this administration, we welcome it."

Travellers have started to flown into the UK as they try to beat a new Covid crackdown that begins at 4am tomorrow - with quarantine hotels and facial recognition technology lined up to ensure people isolate.

Arrivals could be seen hugging loved ones as they landed at Heathrow this afternoon, following a busy morning in the departures lounge.

Earlier today passengers were queuing in the departures lounge, as a travel consultant warned there were 'bumpy days ahead,' when new travel rules come into place.

Depatures were expected to be busier as business travellers fly-out on Sundays ahead of the working week.

More arrivals are expected later this evening after thousands flew in to the UK yesterday ahead of Monday's restrictions.

Travellers could be seen waiting for their results after taking tests inside Terminal 5.

Queues at Heathrow today come amid concerns that most UK arrivals are going unchecked for Covid compliance by Border Force.

Arrivals could be seen hugging loved ones after landing at Heathrow Airport today, hours before new Covid restrictions come into place making it harder to travel to the UK

From tomorrow, all passengers flying in to the UK will have to provide a negative Covid-19 test

From tomorrow, passengers will need to provide a negative result from a PCR, LAMP or lateral-flow test in order to travel in to the UK. Arrivals at Heathrow were able to pass through untested today

Australia's quarantine system and how a sex scandal prompted a second wave Entry to Australia is closed except to citizens and those with an exemption - with all travellers required to quarantine for 14 days. The quarantine takes place at a designated facility, such as a hotel. Accommodation is pre-arranged and not up to travellers to book. In some parts of the country, travellers are expected to pay toward the cost of their stay. Testing takes place on day two and 10 of the isolation period, with a negative test allowing people to leave on day 14. While 14 days is the standard amount of time in isolation, people who refuse to comply can be held for up to 24 days. Last summer a second-wave of Covid in Melbourne was revealed to be caused by security guards at one of the designated facilities sleeping with quarantined guests and taking them to nearby shops. Premier of the state of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, told the Herald Sun in July that there had been a 'handful' of breaches by staff at hotels including Stamford Plaza and Rydges on Swanston hotel, also in Melbourne, where isolated travellers were staying. The scandal plunged Melbourne back into lockdown after 31 cases of Covid were linked to the Stamford Plaza. Advertisement

From 4am tomorrow passengers will have to hand over a negative Covid-19 test certificate to check-in staff before flying to the UK.

Guidance on the Government website states it must meet standards on 'specificity and sensitivity' of 90 per cent and 87 per cent respectively.

Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, told MailOnline: 'There's likely to be some very bumpy days ahead where travellers coming in will face some confusion over their tests.

'Airline staff are not medical experts and I expect there will be some confusion over whether the Covid test certificates meet the specifity and sensitivity requirements that the Government has set out.

'I'd advise to anyone arriving in Britain is before they pack their bags, to check the Government website and make sure they get the right test before flying out.'

The Government has pointed out PCR, LAMP and lateral-flow tests are all acceptable methods.

All arrivals to the UK could face staying in new quarantine hotels under plans to reduce the transmission of new coronavirus variants from abroad - but there are concerns 90 per cent of arrivals could go unchecked by Border Force.

Officials have been told to prepare to use facial-recognition and GPS technology in order to ensure people stay in isolation when they arrive in the country.

Passengers are being asked to complete online passenger locator forms to tell officials where they are staying after arriving in the UK.

But MPs have heard just one in 10 of the forms are checked by Border Force, while police officers told to visit addresses for potential breaches of quarantine simply walk away if no one answers - with no follow up investigation.

Since the start of the pandemic, millions of people have flown in to the UK, but just 247 fines have been handed out to people flouting quarantine rules.

Arrivals from Dubai landed at Manchester Airport this afternoon ahead of new Covid-19 restrictions

Border Force is stepping up checks on passengers arriving in the UK from next week, with arrivals expected to quarantine for up to 10 days

Passengers travelling through Heathrow Airport could be seen waiting for the result of their Covid-19 test this morning

Queues stretched far back as people dashed to fly out of the UK before travel corridors close tomorrow. The closure means people will only be able to arrive the UK if they have tested negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours of their flight

As passengers queued at Heathrow's Terminal 5, figures revealed just 247 fines had been handed out to people who broke quarantine rules since the start of the pandemic

Testing is in place for arrivals and departures at Heathrow, but there are concerns rules requiring passengers to provide a negative Covid result could cause confusion at check-in desks abroad

While departures remains busy, there is a quieter flow of arrivals at Heathrow Airport today

MP David Morris told The Sun: 'We are past the stage of being able to trust people to isolate if the system is not being policed.

'We should ramp up the fines or follow Australia's lead and take travellers straight to secure hotels.'

The Department for Transport has said tomorrow's measures will come alongside increased enforcement, both at the border and across the country.

Border Force is expected to increase the number of spot checks carried out on passengers arriving in the country.

Visitors will have to pay for the hotel stays themselves under the proposed plans.

Testing facilities have been set up at Heathrow Airport, offering arrivals the chance to cut the number of quarantine days from 10 to five

With airlines taking short trips to Edinburgh and Newcastle today, some passengers may have been taking connecting flights before tomorrow's travel restrictions come into place

Officials have been told to prepare to use facial-recognition and GPS technology in order to ensure people stay in isolation when they arrive in the country

Civil servants were told to study New Zealand's policy of 'directed isolation', reported the Sunday Times.

Arrivals are charged with stay at an airport hotel and forced to remain in isolation for two weeks in the country.

In Australia, travellers are charged between 1,500 and 2,500 for isolation hotel stays of between 14 and 24 days.

Civil servants also discussed Poland's 'enhanced isolation' system, in which people are contacted daily and told to send a picture of themselves where they are isolating.

The pictures are cross-referenced using GPS data and facial-recognition software and are visited by police within 20 minutes if they fail to comply.

Officials discussed the ideas at a meeting on Thursday and it is understood the technology would be confined to new arrivals, not anyone ordered to self-isolate in the UK.

The current regime announced on Friday in the UK means people arriving will still have to isolate for 10 days even if they have had a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours - or five if they have another negative result during that period.

All passengers are asked to fill out locator forms to ensure they follow lockdown rules, but it new figures reveal Border Force checks just one in 10 of the documents. Pictured: Heathrow's depature lounge this morning

MPs have called for fines to be 'ramped up,' for those who do not follow the UK's quarantine rules

Travellers queued to fly out of London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday as new rules on arrivals begin from 4am tomorrow morning

All arrivals to the UK could face staying in new quarantine hotels under plans to reduce the transmission of new coronavirus variants

The ban will be backed by tougher spot checks and will stay in place until at least February 15 as ministers and scientists work out how to manage the threat posed by mutations of the virus.

Yesterday it was revealed that 11 Britons have had one of the variants that have sprung up in Brazil - although it is not yet clear how much of a threat it poses.

Travellers from South America, Portugal, some of central America and South Africa are already barred from coming to the country.

Earlier, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps defended the timing of the South America border ban amid complaints ministers have been 'behind the curve' responding to the threat of new Covid variants.

The ban also covers the Central American state of Panama and Portugal  due to its strong travel links with Brazil  and the former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde.

It applies to everyone who has been in the area over the past 10 days - although UK and Irish nationals are exempt - and came into force at 4am.

Two students landed at Manchester Airport with full PPE as they landed from their Dubai flight and are heading to York University

Scientists analysing the Brazilian variant believe the mutations it shares with the new South African strain are associated with a rapid increase in cases in locations where there have already been large outbreaks of the disease.

British and Irish nationals and others with residence rights are exempted from the measures that were backed by the Scottish and Welsh governments, though they must self-isolate for 10 days along with their households on their return.

Mr Shapps described the ban as a 'precautionary' measure to ensure the vaccination programme rolling out across the UK was not disrupted by new variants of the virus.

Asked if the Brazilian strain was currently in the country, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Not as far as we are aware, I think, at this stage.

'There haven't been any flights that I can see from the last week from Brazil, for example.'

Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed on Sunday the importance of using the largest possible percentage of local components in the country's efforts to manufacture electric vehicles during a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and other officials on Sunday.

El-Sisi reviewed during the meeting the national project to locally manufacture electric vehicles, urging officials to make sure all factors required for the success of this project are provided, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi said.

He also directed the completion of the various components related to the project, including the charging stations.

Last year, Egypt announced plans to locally produce electric vehicles in cooperation with China.

In press remarks last July, Public Enterprise Minister Hisham Tawfik said the country plans to annually produce 25,000 electric cars, manufactured by Egypts El-Nasr Automotive Manufacturing Co., in cooperation with Chinas state-owned automobile manufacturer Dongfeng.

The meeting, which was attended by Tawfik, discussed various industrial and commercial issues related to the project, including the need to attract foreign investments and choose the most suitable car models fitting the requirements of the Egyptian market.

The president affirmed the need for the project to include partnerships within the private sector, which is experienced in the automobile industry, especially those working with electricity.

Assistant to the President for National and Strategic Projects Sherif Ismail, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker, and Minister of Trade and Industry Niveen Gamea attended the meeting.

Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsy and Chairman of the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation Abdel Moneim El-Terras also took part in the meeting.

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Joe Biden plans to sign and issue dozens of executive orders within the early days of his presidency. Incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain outlined Biden's executive orders within 10 days.

Biden to issue dozens of executive orders

Joe Biden will officially become the President of the United States on Wednesday. As he enters the White House, many are expecting that he will issue executive orders that will help millions of Americans and residents in the country amid the pandemic.

According to POLITICO, Joe Biden is planning to sign and issue dozens of executive orders in the early days of his Presidency. These orders aim to roll back some executive orders that Pres. Trump signed during his four years in office.

Some of the orders that he will execute have something to do with immigration policies, climate change, and to address the economic and health impact of the global pandemic in the country. It can be recounted that these have been part of Biden's campaign.

Read also: Joe Biden Hires Ron Klain as His Chief of Staff

Biden's 10-day plan

Ron Klain, the incoming White House Chief of Staff, outlined the 10-day plan of Joe Biden beginning Wednesday. After being sworn as the President in the country, Biden will issue an executive order that will rescind the travel ban on several majority-Muslim countries.

He also added that the country will rejoin the Paris climate accords, extend limits on student loan payments, issue an order to protect renters against eviction due to the pandemic, and issue a mask mandate on federal properties and for interstate travel.

On Saturday, the incoming White House Chief of Staff outlined the flurry of activity for Biden's first 10 days in office in a memo to senior staff. Klain wrote in the memo that the action and executive orders President-elect Joe Biden plan to issue will change the course of COVID-19 in the country.

Read also: These Are the Issues You Probably Missed While Focusing on US Presidential Election

Klain wrote, "These actions will change the course of COVID-19, combat climate change, promote racial equity and support other underserved communities, and rebuild our economy in ways that strengthen the backbone of this country: the working men and women who built our nation."

He also explained that the policy objectives in the executive orders are bold. Ron Klain also emphasized the legal theory behind the executive orders which are well-founded and represent a restoration of an appropriate, constitutional role for the President.

Joe Biden will sign executive orders focused on addressing the Covid-19 pandemic, including ways to help schools and businesses reopen safely, expand testing, protect workers and establish clearer public health standards on his second day in the office.

On the third day, Biden will direct members of his Cabinet to work on delivering economic relief to families most affected by the crisis. Earlier this week, Joe Biden also introduced a $1.9 trillion relief bill to help millions of struggling Americans and residents in the country.


Like heads of other Philadelphia-based agencies that support and defend immigrants, Cathryn Miller-Wilson has been staggered by the four-year onslaught of nationalist Trump administration directives, policies, and rules.

The incoming Biden administration has pledged to undo as much as it can as fast as it can. But the hardest single thing to change, said Miller-Wilson, director of HIAS Pennsylvania, will be the one thats not written down on any executive order or legislation:

The belief that immigration equates to criminality, that its wrong, a detriment and not a benefit to American society.

Trump took it to a new level, said Miller-Wilson, whose agency supports low-income immigrants in building new lives in America. Us and them. Good immigrants and bad immigrants. Lets just take the gloves off.  Thats going to be really, really hard to undo.

Most Americans support immigration, polls show, but deep fissures emerge along party lines. Gallup found that 60% of Republicans believe immigrants hurt the economy, while 72% of Democrats say they help. More than half of Republicans want to decrease immigration, compared with only 13% of Democrats.

Today, many people believe that a harsh, enforcement-driven approach is the only and best way to run the immigration system. But that method is relatively new. The agencies that became the public face of President Donald Trumps crackdown  mainly Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and Customs and Border Protection  didnt even exist until 2003.

Calls to abolish ICE have become a tenet of activists and more liberal Democratic officials, and been taken up by groups including the American Friends Service Committee. President-elect Joe Biden has not gone that far, saying hell ensure that ICE and CBP are professionally run, and its officers held accountable for inhumane treatment of migrants.

People who fight for immigrant rights demand more.

Biden said, This is not who were are. I think thats harmful, said Erika Guadalupe Nunez, executive director of Juntos, the South-Philadelphia-based Latino-rights organization. Its exactly who America is, and thats the problem. If hes not willing to denounce that and take meaningful measures, like abolishing ICE, and releasing people from detention, its going to be empty words.

The United States that separated families at the border is the same one that separated Black children and parents during slavery, and Native American families during the boarding-school era, she noted. The United States continues to confine many immigrant families with pending asylum cases, even though they could be released to await their court dates. At least 33 people have died in ICE detention between April 2018 and September 2020.

Thats the reckoning everyone has to face  bold and drastic measures to envision a new future, so were not replicating these same oppressive structures, Nunez said. There has to be a clear commitment from the federal level to undo not only years of really stringent immigration laws and xenophobic policies, but to undo Trumps impact.

In many ways the Trump administration will continue to dominate the lives of immigrants even after its gone.

In four years the administration made more than 400 big and small changes to the nations immigration system, spread across the entirety of the federal government. Hundreds of changes in forms, regulations, and fees appear tiny and technical but in combination significantly impact the system.

The Trump presidency will have lasting effects on the U.S. immigration system long after his time in office, the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute in Washington said in its study of the issue, deeming it unlikely that a future administration will have the political will and resources to undo all of these changes at anywhere near a similar pace.

In December, Biden said it would take months to undo some Trump directives, a slower pace than he promised during the campaign. That includes what had been expected to be a fast rollback of the policies that have virtually eliminated asylum.

Theres going to be really strong tension between the impulse to eliminate all forms of immigration enforcement, what the progressives want, and maintaining some level of enforcement, to make sure theres integrity in the system, said Cris Ramon, an independent immigration-policy analyst in Washington.

Biden wont abolish ICE or CBP, Ramon said. But he thinks the new administration could move away from a deterrent, penalty-laden model, which encourages migrants to avoid contact with the system, and toward one thats focused on compliance.

Now, for instance, individuals who overstay their visa to visit the United States can be barred from returning for 10 years  or even life, under some circumstances. But what if the system recognized that people make mistakes? Maybe someone who overstayed could come forward, pay a fine, and go home, with no future bar to entry.

I hope the administration is going to look at this and say, Aha! This is what allows us to thread the needle, to have enforcement that allows us to be proportional, Ramon said.

While Trump has taken rhetoric and actions against immigrants to new heights, the United States has always harbored an anti-immigrant strain. Ben Franklin hated the Germans. In 1844, mobs in Philadelphia attacked Irish homes and Roman Catholic churches. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first and only national legislation to ban immigration by a specific nationality.

By 1921 the government was setting quotas on the number of immigrants, and come the 1990s, new laws eliminated key defenses against deportation and subjected many more immigrants to detention.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service, founded in 1933, for decades governed comings and goings, handling a basket of disparate duties, many of them strictly administrative. It monitored the entry of tourists and business travelers, inspected all who arrived via land, sea, and air, granted asylum, patrolled borders, and removed those who entered illegally.

That changed with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Two years later the INS was disbanded, many of its parts reconfigured into three new agencies under the new Department of Homeland Security:

CBP, which includes the Border Patrol, aims to stop drugs, weapons, and people from illegally entering the country.

ICE, which enforces criminal and civil immigration laws.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which oversees lawful immigration and the naturalization of new American citizens.

Theres something different about our current regime, said immigration historian Carly Goodman, who teaches at La Salle University and is co-editor of Made by History at the Washington Post. Its scale. Its size. Its funding. Its militarization.

Policy shifts, she said, have turned U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from an administrative-services arm into a third enforcement agency.

For instance, USCIS carries out the administrations renewal of the public charge rule, which can be used to block people from getting visas or green cards by deeming them likely to need government benefits. Also, when the agency denies someones visa or benefit application, it may issue a Notice to Appear, the first step in deportation proceedings.

Can things be different? Absolutely yes, Goodman said. Maybe this is one of those moments when we really can choose a different path. We can look back and see it doesnt have to be this way. The response to 9/11 didnt have to be the reorganization of the government accompanied by endless wars.

About a million immigrants a year come to the United States. And, Miller-Wilson noted, thats not going to change. No less than the U.S. Army predicts that climate change alone will create massive instability, driving the migration of millions of people around the globe.

There should not be a connection between immigrants and criminals, Miller-Wilson said. Its really set back the ability to talk about sensible immigration policy.  Usually you start with Heres where we can agree on: Theres lots of displacement, lots of suffering, and the government should help. But lots of people disagree with that. If you cant agree on the sky is blue, how do you have the conversation?
The coronavirus pandemic means commemorations of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy are more muted in the New Orleans area, with major annual marches and events canceled this year. However, a mix of in-person and virtual events, sponsored by cultural and community organizations, are going on throughout the weekend:

Alpha Kappa Alpha: The sorority's New Orleans area chapter will hold a virtual remembrance, including an appearance by former Mayor Marc Morial, now president and CEO of the National Urban League. The event will be streamed live Monday at 10 a.m. on the sorority's Facebook page. The sorority is also holding a children's book drive Monday from noon until 2 p.m. at PJ's Coffee at 5733 Read Blvd.

The sorority's New Orleans area chapter will hold a virtual remembrance, including an appearance by former Mayor Marc Morial, now president and CEO of the National Urban League. The event will be streamed live Monday at 10 a.m. on the sorority's Facebook page. The sorority is also holding a children's book drive Monday from noon until 2 p.m. at PJ's Coffee at 5733 Read Blvd. City Year Day of Service: About 300 volunteers will be participating in cleanup events Monday. "This pandemic has been an incredible challenge for everyone, but this MLK Day of Service is an example of how we can still come together as a community, says Arielle McConduit, executive director and vice president of City Year New Orleans.

About 300 volunteers will be participating in cleanup events Monday. "This pandemic has been an incredible challenge for everyone, but this MLK Day of Service is an example of how we can still come together as a community, says Arielle McConduit, executive director and vice president of City Year New Orleans. Contemporary Arts Center: In-person and virtual expressions to commemorate the struggle for civil rights will make up "Dreaming While Awake," hosted by the Contemporary Arts Center throughout the weekend. They include complimentary admission to the center's exhibits "Make America What America Must Become: An Exhibition of Gulf South Artists" and "SOLOS: Exhibitions and New Work Showcases by CAC Visual Artists-in-Residence Shana M. Griffin, Ana Hernandez and Sarah Hill;" virtual discussions and panels be streamed on the center's Facebook page; an altar dedicated to those who died in the fight for social justice and music by DJ Raj Smoove at the center, 900 Camp St. in New Orleans.

In-person and virtual expressions to commemorate the struggle for civil rights will make up "Dreaming While Awake," hosted by the Contemporary Arts Center throughout the weekend. They include complimentary admission to the center's exhibits "Make America What America Must Become: An Exhibition of Gulf South Artists" and "SOLOS: Exhibitions and New Work Showcases by CAC Visual Artists-in-Residence Shana M. Griffin, Ana Hernandez and Sarah Hill;" virtual discussions and panels be streamed on the center's Facebook page; an altar dedicated to those who died in the fight for social justice and music by DJ Raj Smoove at the center, 900 Camp St. in New Orleans. Covington: City government will host an outdoor observation at Rev. Peter Atkins Park on Monday from noon to 4 p.m. Monday. Were not doing the parade and not having the indoor program, City Councilman Peter Lewis said. Instead, the city is billing the event as a Fun Day that will include a modified outdoor program, an art display, live music, games, light refreshments and a poster and essay contest. Masks and social distancing guidelines will be in place.

City government will host an outdoor observation at Rev. Peter Atkins Park on Monday from noon to 4 p.m. Monday. Were not doing the parade and not having the indoor program, City Councilman Peter Lewis said. Instead, the city is billing the event as a Fun Day that will include a modified outdoor program, an art display, live music, games, light refreshments and a poster and essay contest. Masks and social distancing guidelines will be in place. Kenner: The typical march in south Kenner, a tradition for 36 years, was called off due to the pandemic. Instead, there will be a virtual event on City Hall's Facebook page.

The typical march in south Kenner, a tradition for 36 years, was called off due to the pandemic. Instead, there will be a virtual event on City Hall's Facebook page. New Orleans City Council member Cyndi Nguyen: Cleanups throughout New Orleans East and the Lower 9th Ward are planned.

Cleanups throughout New Orleans East and the Lower 9th Ward are planned. Slidell: Mondays holiday will be observed with a noon wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial to officer Earl Alfred at the Police Department at 2112 Sgt. Alfred Drive. Slidell's first Black police officer, Alfred was killed in the line of duty in 1975. An outdoor gathering will follow at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, 2445 Fourth St. from 1 to 2 p.m.
Ice Cream in China Contaminated With CCP Virus: Chinese Officials

Officials in a Chinese municipality said that three samples of ice cream tested positive for the CCP virus, and thousands of boxes were confiscated, according to state-run media.

Storage of the ice cream, produced by Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Co., was sealed after samples sent by the firm to a local disease control center last week tested positive for the virus.

Officials said that the companys more than 1,662 workers were placed under quarantine due to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virusalso known as the novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease.

Authorities in Tianjin said the company produced more than 4,836 boxes of COVID-contaminated ice cream, according to state media. Hundreds of boxes of ice cream entered the market.

The Tianjin Municipality is located in northeastern China and borders Hebei Province and Beijing.

According to reports in October 2020, CCP authorities had detected and isolated the virus on the outer packaging of frozen cod during efforts to trace the virus in an outbreak in Qingdao.

Officials claims about the virus being found in frozen food could be a tactic to blame other countries for COVID-19 cases in the country. In November, regime authorities said that allegedly COVID-contaminated food was imported from other countries in what some experts said was an attempt to blame those countries for the outbreak.

State media reports over the weekend said the raw material used to produce the ice cream came from Ukraine and New Zealand.

The ice cream development comes as CCP authorities relocated about 20,000 people in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province, to other areas for quarantine several days ago. The outbreak, according to officials, also spread to Qiqiharone of the largest cities in northern China in Heilongjiang Province.

The new wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Shijiazhuang was concentrated in Zengcun township of Gaocheng district, and has spread to other parts of China.

The Epoch Times learned on Jan. 11 that after many residents in Zengcun were sent to quarantine sites, nearly 20,000 people who had remained were urgently notified by local authorities to be transferred to quarantine centers in remote areas.

And leaked government documents obtained by The Epoch Times showed that officials in Hebei are anticipating a surge in CCP virus cases and are making preparations to curb its spread.

Chinese officials in Heilongjiang Province on Jan. 14 told all 38 million residents to self-quarantine at home, although they didnt say for how long.

Alex Wu contributed to this report.
(Natural News) The overall emphasis for todays Situation Update (Jan 17th) is that everything has been put in place for President Trump to take decisive action to stop the illegal coup against America, but he is surrounded by treasonous swamp creatures like Mark Meadows who are isolating him from reality and telling him he cant act.

Theyve built a wall around the President, in other words, in order to keep out any advice from competent people such as Patrick Byrne or Sidney Powell.

The same power hungry Democrats have built a wall around DC, it seems, because they need to isolate treasonous lawmakers from the American people so that their final act of betrayal cannot be protested. This showcases the philosophy of Democrats: Complete the steal behind armed troops or during the dark of night. Censor or threaten the American people while falsely labeling all conservatives terrorists in order to justify government-run terror campaigns against the people.

The very same Democrats now calling for more walls, fences and razor wire at the capitol are universally opposed to walls at the southern border. Walls are bad, they told us for the last four years. But now suddenly walls are awesome when it prevents protesters from maneuvering within earshot of their beloved CCP puppet, Joe Biden.

The ChiComs are on the move, too, with Chinese troops preparing the invade the United States from the north, and cartel-assisted CCP troops from the south. On top of that Chinese rockets are able to hide in shipping containers and be remotely activated via satellite commands to strike US targets such as power grid infrastructure facilities.

Here are two photos from 2016 that reveal Chinas early container-based weapon systems. Now, containers like this are being spotted all across the country in unusual numbers, often in Wal-Mart parking lots (which is really China-mart).

Just in case you were curious about the depth of CCP penetration into the United States, check out the portrait on the wall of this luxury home where former Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford Jr. is speaking with Fox News. These people worship Mao!

Also covered in todays Situation Update podcast:

My commitment to bring you truthful, honest information regardless of whether its good news or bad news.

Discerning the difference between good faith people vs. bad faith actors. There are active CIA agents running disinfo campaigns right now to trick Trump supporters into a state of inaction.

people vs. actors. There are active CIA agents running disinfo campaigns right now to trick Trump supporters into a state of inaction. Sidney Powell warns that Trump is surrounded by deep state swamp creatures who are blocking every possible move to save the republic.

Mike Lindell attempts to meet with Trump, but they largely shut him down, further blocking the President from concerned citizens or business leaders who are offering solutions.

All the tools Trump needs have been put in place, but he is so far failing to pull the trigger. Will that change soon?

Democrats and the left-wing media suddenly support walls when it serves their political agenda.

US govt. non-classified Joint Threat Assessment document reveals insane level of paranoia against Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVE) which the FBI claims possess skills of invisibility. This is why nobody can see all the HVEs, because they are invisible.

Biden as president is utterly illegitimate, and so is Congress, due to the rigged 2020 elections. All laws they pass are null and void from their moment of inception. Americans can borrow a page from SCOTUS and claim Bidens laws have no standing.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology did carry out weaponized, military-linked research to produce the coronavirus.

Chinese troop movements in Canada now traced to areas north of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Is a Chinese invasion imminent?

Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell is back on the Homeland Security committee, despite sleeping with a Chinese spy, and now he says he will focus on, white nationalist extremism. That term means any White person who loves their country and who believes the election was rigged. In other words: NORMAL people.

Hong Kong threatens to pull the web domains of .hk websites which criticize the Chinese government. The domain name purge begins.

Foreign leaders condemn the United States for brutal censorship against conservatives.

Patrick Byrne warns the left-wing authoritarians will come for all the podcasts and apps now being used by conservatives, including Signal and Telegram.

Leftists begin their push for dehumanization of all conservatives so that they can justify their genocidal rampage thats about to be launched, which involves door-to-door mass executions of conservatives.

My warning for all conservatives to leave the Democrat-controlled cities now, before the purge / executions get under way.

If hes sworn in, Biden plans to overtake FEMA and deploy FEMA to administer vaccines to 100 million Americans in 100 days. This is a mass euthanasia program which will help reduce the U.S. population from 330 million to below 100 million over the next few years.

which will help reduce the U.S. population from 330 million to below 100 million over the next few years. Operation Trust revealed as a pacification hoax to deceive Trump supporters into accepting defeat. Remember, Trust Jeff Sessions? That was the battle cry of Q for several years. Sessions turned out to be a traitor.

Operation Trust is described in Soviet defector Anatoliy Golitsyns book, New Lies for Old.

America is about to plunge into complete lawlessness and civil war.

If Trump takes no action, he condemns the nation to a bloody war of attrition for years to come, costing millions of lives and utterly gutting the economy.

More details are found in the full podcast:

Brighteon.com/99381a21-1b8e-49be-9015-55aadf4002ad

Today I also posted a short addendum which explains more details about good faith people vs. bad faith actors, and how to tell the difference:

Brighteon.com/68edcacc-b890-4ecb-9b9f-9a4c93304748

Hear each days new podcast at:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
Facebook will temporarily stop showing ads that promote weapon accessories and protective equipment in the U.S. at least through Jan. 22, two days after Inauguration Day, according to a statement by the company.

The social media platform had been showing ads for military equipment, like body armor and gun holsters, to users who were engaging with content promoting misinformation about the presidential election and news about the Capitol riot, according to an article by Buzzfeed News. Ads for weapon accessories were also being shown to people who followed right-wing extremist pages or groups on Facebook, according to the article, which cited data from the Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit watchdog group.

Facebooks move comes after concerned employees and users of the social network noted an uptick in placement of the ads. Facebook already prohibits ads for weapons and ammunition, the company said, but it is extending that ban to related equipment over the next few days.

Much of the planning for last weeks attack on the Capitol was conducted in the open on social media networks, including on mainstream sites like Facebook and Twitter, and also on lesser-known sites used by the far right such as Parler and Gab.

Uganda's long-time President Yoweri Museveni has been re-elected, electoral officials say, amid accusations of vote-rigging by his main rival Bobi Wine.



Mr Museveni won almost 59% of the vote, with Mr Wine trailing with about 35%, the Electoral Commission said.



Mr Wine, a former pop star, earlier vowed to provide evidence of fraud. The Electoral Commission denies there was vote-rigging in Thursday's poll.



Poll monitors have criticized the government closure of internet access.



They say this undermined confidence. Mr Wine said he would provide evidence of fraud once the internet was restored.



Dozens of people were killed during violence in the run-up to the election. Opposition politicians have also accused the government of harassment.



The result gives President Museveni a sixth term in office.



The 76-year-old - who has been in power since 1986 - says he represents stability in the country.



Meanwhile, Bobi Wine - the stage name for 38-year-old Robert Kyagulanyi - says he has the backing of the youth in one of the world's youngest nations, where the median age is 16.



On Friday, as the results came in, Mr Wine said that Ugandan soldiers had surrounded and breached his home.

But a government spokesman accused him of "dramatizing" the incident "to seek sympathy".

Source: BBC









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GREENWICH  As its massive renovation project nears completion, the Greenwich Library is getting ready to celebrate with a three days of special virtual programs.

The events kick off with an online discussion with bestselling author and renowned presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin on the presidential election and inauguration as well as the impact of the U.S. on world affairs.

Construction began in July 2019 on the Greenwich Librarys $17 million reimagining project, which was years in development. The three-day ReConnect series of events marks the completion of a new auditorium, a new cafe, a new reading room, new learning spaces and a new entrance as well as redeployment of the space on every floor of the main branch on West Putnam Avenue.

Its my pleasure to be with the Greenwich community to celebrate the completion of their librarys renovation project, Goodwin said in a statement. Following on the heels of the presidential inauguration, this time will provide an opportunity to put todays presidential events into greater historical context.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Greenwich Library remains largely closed to the public, and the talk with Goodwin and the other events will be online.

Greenwich Library is excited to bring these esteemed presenters to Greenwich virtually to celebrate the completion of our renovation project, Director Barbara Ormerod-Glynn said. Although we wish we could gather in our beautiful new Berkley Theater, we hope this series will signal to the community the elevated programming they can expect from Greenwich Library in the future when we can gather in person.

The series begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, as Goodwin takes part in a virtual conversation with New York Times journalist Sarah Lyall that focuses on Goodwins recent book, Leadership in Turbulent Times, as well as recent current events.

At 7 p.m. Jan. 29, the library will host a Friends Friday Films panel discussion led by Hearst columnist and WNPR radio host Colin McEnroe on The Booksellers, a documentary about rare booksellers. The movie, which goes inside the small but fascinating world of rare books, can be prescreened via Kanopy, available with your Greenwich Library card through the Digital Library.

At 4 p.m. Jan. 30, the library will feature a Peterson Concert with The Bill Charlap Trio. The jazz concert wi be held at the librarys new Berkly Theater while the audience watches virtually.

All of the events are free. For more information and to register, visit www.greenwichlibrary.org/reconnect.

Planning for the events began a year ago, Ormerod-Glynn said, with Goodwin identified early as the ideal speaker, given the turbulent times around the presidential election.

We hope these events will help the community imagine the kind of elevated programming we hope to bring to our Renewed spaces when it is safe to do so, Ormerod-Glynn said.

The Greenwich Library is still working on the finishing touches for the reimaging project, she said.

Books and other materials must be returned to the library from off-site locations. There is still some work left in the childrens room, which is expected to be completed shortly.

According to the library, the reimagining project was made possible by the generosity of 259 donors and funding from the state, the town and the federal Community Development Block Grant.

Due to the pandemic, services remain limited at the Greenwich Library. Cardholders can reserve materials at www.greenwichlibrary.org for no contact pickup and als also reserve time to use the librarys Innovation Lab, computers, printers, scanners, copiers, Bloomberg Terminal and VHS to DVD converter. Visitors can also make appointments to check out the art displays in the Flinn Gallery.

Patrons cannot browse the library shelves due to COVID-19 health restrictions. The grand unveiling of the Greenwich Librarys full reimagining project is on hold for now, Ormerod-Glynn said.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
In late 2020 someone carried a major hacking attack on Israeli supply and logistics firms. Worse, it wasnt a ransomware attack demanding money but simply to obtain information, and this series of attacks was very successful. The attackers first penetrated Amital Data, an Israeli software developer that supplies specialized software to firms that distribute goods. This includes airline cargo sales agents, customs brokers, freight forwarders and shipping agents. Among the data stolen was a list of Amital customers, including login data. With this the attackers were able to hack 40 or more Amital customers. This may have made it easier to hack into twenty or more non-Amital customer logistics firms. The goal of this campaign, which is still ongoing, was to get an accurate picture of the military supply chain as well as firms that would be key to hit in wartime in order to disrupt the entire civilian economy. No one took credit for these attacks, which indicates it was Iran as they have been planning major attacks on Israel for decades but were never able to carry one out.

By early 2021 the fallout from the Amital attack, which allowed a lot of other key firms to be quickly hacked, was being felt in Israel. Many of these later attacks are ransomware. Several Israeli firms paid the ransom and Israeli intelligence tracked the bitcoin payments back to Iran. This, as suspected, indicates that Iran is responsible but wants to monetize this advantage as much as possible before going into full-gloat mode. Another reason for the delay in claiming credit is the need to judge the degree of anger in Israel and possible extent of any reprisal. Israel has a well-established reputation for taking revenge on those who attack them. For terrorists this revenge are often Mossad (Israeli foreign intel) agents quietly and patiently hunting down those responsible and killing them. Iranian hackers, and foreign hackers working for Iran are aware of this risk.

One thing Iran has publicized is that has been trying to wage Cyber War attacks on Israel but until late 2020 all the Iranians were able to do was confirm that Israel had a formidable Internet defense capability. Iran knew that Israel established a separate CDU (Cyber Defense Unit) within its C4I Corps back in 2016 but was not deterred by that new defensive operation. Now Iran has a better idea. This all began earlier in 2020 when Israeli network security monitors discovered someone trying to hack their way into municipal water supply networks. This soon involved the C41 Corps, which is responsible for protecting the civilian Internet connections that enable the civilian economy to supply what the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) needs to operate, especially in wartime.

CDU spends most of its time assigning its Red Teams to try and hack this infrastructure as well as the purely military networks. CDU has learned a lot about network vulnerabilities and how to fix them. In response to the Amital disaster CDU is working with the victims and, firms that were not hit to improve cyber defenses. This includes using a multi-layer defense and better intrusion alert systems. CDU also assisted in checking the networks of Amital victims to determine if the hackers left anything behind that would make it easier to quickly launch a crippling wartime attack. CDU knows that a major problem in peacetime is motivating commercial firms to invest in better network security. Now everyone is eager to hear what CDU is advising for them and cooperate with a nationwide effort to improve security throughout the Israeli economy. Most of the time CDU concentrates on improving cyber defenses for IDF networks, but even before the Amital attacks commercial firms were warned that they were vulnerable, especially since it was so difficult to get into IDF systems.

That applies to friends as well as foes. CDU was involved when Israel got into a dispute with the U.S. over access to the source code to the extensive software that makes the F-35 stealth fighter so effective. Details were never released but it is known that CDU red teams go over software provided with any foreign military equipment Israel buys. This has always been the case with submarines purchased from Germany and various smart bombs and other gear purchased from American defense firms. The F-35 was a special case because the aircraft was so dependent on its unique software. Apparently, CDU found some interesting vulnerabilities and a solution was quietly worked out.

The new Iranian threat became visible earlier in 2020 when Israeli network security monitors discovered someone trying to hack their way into municipal water supply networks. This soon involved the C41 Corps, which is responsible for protecting the civilian Internet connections that enable the civilian economy to supply what the IDF needs to operate, especially in wartime.

The early 2020 Iranian probe did not do any damage but CDU identified it as the kind of probe that is done in preparation for developing a major attack plan. For that strategy to work these probes are not supposed to be detected. Having your probes detected puts the target on alert and removes any Iranian hope of carrying out a surprise attack. C4I Corps had its offensive team deliver a message to Iran. This response was not announced but was apparently the cause of the subsequent collapse of the network that ran one of Irans major container ship ports. Traffic in and out of that port were stalled for days. Iran denied it happened but commercial satellite photos, and complaints from crews of foreign ships caught in the aftermath, as well as local truck drivers, confirmed the halt in port operations was because of a computer problem.

Once Iran had received their warning, CDU double-checked network security throughout the civilian supply chain the military depends on for timely delivery of supplies in war and peace. Iran was suitably warned to back off but C4I knows they wont. Iran was still seeking revenge for the damage STUXNET did to their nuclear weapons program a decade ago and subsequent, often very similar, Israeli attacks, both known and unknown. If the Amital attack was Iranian it represents a new level of achievement for Iranian hackers. That might also mean that the Amital effort was carried out by one of the various criminal hacking organizations that avoid any publicity and quietly sell what they steal to the highest bidder. Iran has been a customer of these hacking gangs in the past and may have let it be known that they would pay-top dollar for successful attacks on key Israeli targets.

Ever since STUXNET Iran has been desperate for a win in the Cyber War department and has so far been disappointed. The Iranians keep trying and they keep developing new skills and tools, so C41 and CDU have to be even more alert. If Amital was a turning point for Iran, the Iranians were not issuing any of their usual press releases. Then again that is typical of the most devastating attacks, especially those that kill a lot of Israelis. The problem is the Israelis make an effort to find out who was responsible and deliver retribution, often in the form of assassination teams that quietly hunt down and kill those responsible.

Knowing that Iran, and a lot of Moslem majority states, were seeking to penetrate Israeli networks, Israel developed world-class Internet defenses and offensive capabilities over the last two decades, as the Internet became more of a key factor in the global economy and military operations. This was done quietly and details did not become known unless someone attacked Israel.

The C4I Corps, before 2003 the Teleprocessing Branch, is another post-2006 War (with Hezbollah) reform that merged communications and computer operations into one organization that provided both those services throughout the armed forces. The solution was new technology and procedures. Since 2006 Israel has built a new communications system that is faster and able, according to Israeli claims, to hit a lot more targets than the 2006 era forces could manage. Much of the solution had nothing to do with radical new hardware but to simply standardizing the procedures everyone had long used to call for fire or to deliver it. Now commanders at all levels can see the same data and call for and receive fire support quickly in addition to everyone seeing the same information. When a target is identified the bombs, shells or ground attack follow quickly. Everyone was shown how easy and damaging it was to underestimate the enemy. In training exercises, the enemy is controlled by Israeli troops with ordered to be imaginative and try real hard to not get spotted and hit. Its been amazing what these enemy troops come up with, and necessary to keep this secret so that the real enemy does not find out. This made it clear to Iran that hacking Israeli Internet security was a worthy goal. For Israel a successful cyber attack by Iran was seen as more a matter of when, not if. More than most other Moslem nations Iran has a better educated population and an eagerness to develop new tech not found in most Arab states. As with previous conflicts, Israel will take these recent hacks as a defeat to be learned from and eventually respond to.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) -- Three soldiers were killed while another was wounded following an ambush by suspected members of the New Peoples Army in Legazpi City, Albay on Sunday morning, the Philippine Army said.

The victims were members of the 31st Infantry Battalion under the 9th Infantry Division.

Government troops coordinated with PNP (Philippine National Police) for the entry of heavy equipment of Sunwest Corp. which will conduct road opening in Barangay Villahermosa to Barangay Bariis, Legazpi City but were ambushed by CTG (communist terrorist members), read the report.

According to 9th Infantry Division spokesperson Capt. John Paul Belleza, there were more or less ten suspects involved in the ambush.

Belleza said they are currently conducting an investigation into the incident.
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: The Trump administration last week notified some Huawei suppliers that it is revoking their licenses to sell to the Chinese tech giant and intends to reject dozens of other applications to supply the telecommunications equipment maker, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The action against Huawei Technologies - likely the last under Republican President Donald Trump's administration - is the latest in a long-running effort to weaken the world's largest telecommunications equipment company, which it says is a threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.

The notices came amid a flurry of U.S. actions against China in the final days of the Trump administration. Democrat Joe Biden will take the oath of office as president on Wednesday.

A Commerce Department spokesman did not immediately return requests for comment.

In an email seen by Reuters documenting the actions, the Semiconductor Industry Association said on Friday the Commerce Department had issued "intents to deny a significant number of license requests for exports to Huawei and a revocation of at least one previously issued license." Sources familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was more than one revocation.

The email said the actions spanned a "broad range" of products in the semiconductor industry and asked companies whether they had received notices.

The email noted that companies had been waiting "many months" for licensing decisions and with less than a week left in the administration, dealing with it was a challenge.

A spokesman for the semiconductor group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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OTTAWA COUNTY, MI  Two Judes Barbershops and the Bibles for Missions Thrift Store were broken into overnight in Ottawa County.

Deputies believe all three break-ins are related, a news release from the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office states.

Deputies were first dispatched to the Judes Barbershop located at 4814 Lake Michigan Dr. in Allendale Charter Township Sunday, Jan. 17. While investigating the break-in, a deputy discovered the Judes Barbershop at 7495 Cottonwood Dr. in Jenison had also been broken into.

An undisclosed amount of cash and hair products was taken from both locations, the release states.

The Bibles for Missions Thrift Store Another at 7359 Cottonwood Dr., which shares a parking lot with the Jenison barbershop, was also broken into overnight, deputies said.

The cases are still under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriffs Office at 616-738-4000 or Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT.

Also on MLive:

Mother seriously injured, 4-year-old daughter recovering after sledding into tree in Ottawa County

Battle Creek man, 28, dies in crash

Woman, 18, shot at Montcalm County home has died

Kalamazoo SWAT team arrests two after 6-hour standoff
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After losing a space race of sorts to Alabama, officials in three states that failed in their bid to host the U.S. Space Command are calling for an investigation into the selection process.

Several lawmakers said the U.S. Air Force appeared to be playing politics when it chose Redstone Arsenal outside of Huntsville over five other cities including Albuquerque, as the location for Space Command Headquarters.

Officials in New Mexico, Colorado and Nebraska all said there were better reasons to locate the command center at Air Force bases in their respective states.

Its no surprise the outgoing administration would make a politically-motivated decision on their way out the door, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said.

The command center has been at a provisional site at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett met with Trump at the White House earlier this week and informed him that the Air Force had chosen Colorado Springs as its top pick, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported. The paper, citing Pentagon insiders and lawmakers, said that Trump ignored the pick and instead chose Alabama.

Alabamas Biden objections

The mayors of Colorado Springs and Albuquerque were among those who have called the choice to locate the base in Alabama politically motivated.

Seven Alabama lawmakers recently objected to President-elect Joe Bidens Electoral College victory.

You can follow the bread crumbs, said Sherman McCorkle, the founder of the Kirtland Partnership committee, which assisted in the efforts to lure the command headquarters to Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque.

Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D- N.M., said the news reports from Colorado call into question the integrity of the entire selection process.

Congress should immediately initiate an investigation into this decision, and I intend to bring this issue up with the incoming administration, he said in a prepared statement. The Air Force owes the residents of Albuquerque and other finalist cities a full and detailed accounting of how it reached its decision.

In addition to Albuquerque, Bellevue, Nebraska; Cape Canaveral, Florida; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and San Antonio, Texas, were finalists for the Space Command location. The Air Force said this week they all remain reasonable alternatives.

Fierce competition

The Space Command, a unified combatant command that will oversee all military operations in space, will be an economic driver for its community, potentially paving a way for billions of dollars in spending for years to come. The Gazette reported that the command center currently has about 1,400 airmen and 1,000 civilians working at its provisional site.

New Mexicos entire congressional delegation and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham were supportive when Albuquerque entered into the competitive bidding process last spring.

Lujan said New Mexicos strong ties to the space industry, military installations, two national labs, protected airspace and a highly-qualified workforce gave Kirtland a leg up over the other sites.

McCorkle said there was also public money committed to a large-scale infrastructure project to entice the Space Command. He said the city of Albuquerque and state government have committed to $50 million to $55 million along Gibson from Interstate 25 to the base to improve traffic flow.

Mike Puelle, Kellers chief of staff, said there is a large, empty plot of land within the Kirtland Air Force Base perimeter that was selected for the Space Command site. The land is near a large National Nuclear Security Administration facility already under construction, which could provide a qualified construction crew ready to get to work building the command center.

We want a decision based on the merits and the space assets that will make Space Command a success, Puelle said. And if the decision is based on the (merits), itll be Albuquerque.

The competition among potential sites was fierce.

Nebraska had raised $107 million for the Air Force to offset construction costs if it put Space Command at Offutt Air Force Base, which is in Bellevue right outside Omaha. That money included $50 million in commitments from private citizens, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Seeking transparency

Timothy J. Burke, president and CEO of the Omaha Public Power District, who helped lead Nebraskas efforts in lobbying for Space Command, said Nebraska expects a thorough explanation of how Alabama was chosen.

Nebraska is the right choice for U.S. Space Command, and we are eager for full transparency regarding the final review process, he said in a statement after Alabama was announced as the command site. We assert Nebraska exceeded criteria in all categories, and affirm we have the mission synergies and effectiveness to ensure National Security as U.S. Space Command headquarters. Our hard work continues.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the states proud military heritage, unparalleled aerospace ecosystem, and quality of life for service members and their families made Colorado the logical choice to keep the headquarters. He said the provisional headquarters in Colorado Springs had been flawlessly executing its mission.

Colorado lawmakers have called on Biden to reverse the decision.

This misguided decision would cost American taxpayers potentially billions of dollars and would be fiscally irresponsible if it is allowed to stand, Polis said. We pledge to work with our federal delegation to restore integrity to the process as it unfolds.

Rocket City

Huntsville has space history of its own. It is nicknamed Rocket City for developing the rockets used in Apollo missions to put men on the moon, and the town is home to the biggest space museum in the world, according to the citys website.

Local officials there praised the decision.

Our state has long provided exceptional support for our military and their families as well as a rich and storied history when it comes to space exploration, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement.

The Air Force defended the decision, saying that its criteria for evaluating the sites was related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support and costs to the Department of Defense.

The Air Force didnt respond to a request for comment from the Journal on allegations that the decision was politically calculated.

" Huntsville compared favorably across more of these factors than any other community, providing a large, qualified workforce, quality schools, superior infrastructure capacity, and low initial and recurring costs, the Air Force said in a statement. Additionally, Redstone Arsenal offered a facility to support the headquarters, at no cost, while the permanent facility is being constructed.

___

(c)2021 the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.)

Visit the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) at www.abqjournal.com

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File image: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey gives his opening statement remotely during the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing 'Does Section 230's Sweeping Immunity Enable Big Tech Bad Behavior?', on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, United States on October 28, 2020. (Image: Greg Nash/Pool via Reuters)

Jack Dorsey, Twitters chief executive, was working remotely on a private island in French Polynesia frequented by celebrities escaping the paparazzi when a phone call interrupted him Jan. 6.

On the line was Vijaya Gadde, Twitters top lawyer and safety expert, with an update from the real world. She said she and other company executives had decided to lock President Donald Trumps account, temporarily, to prevent him from posting statements that might provoke more violence after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol that day.

Dorsey was concerned about the move, said two people with knowledge of the call. For four years, he had resisted demands by liberals and others that Twitter terminate Trumps account, arguing that the platform was a place where world leaders could speak, even if their views were heinous. But he had delegated moderation decisions to Gadde, 46, and usually deferred to her  and he did so again.

Dorsey, 44, did not make his misgivings public. The next day, he liked and shared several tweets urging caution against a permanent ban of Trump. Then, over the next 36 hours, Twitter veered from lifting Trumps suspension to shutting down his account permanently, cutting off the president from a platform he had used to communicate, unfiltered, with not just his 88 million followers but the world.

The decision was a punctuation mark on the Trump presidency that immediately drew accusations of political bias and fresh scrutiny of the tech industrys power over public discourse. Interviews with a dozen current and former Twitter insiders over the past week opened a window into how it was made  driven by a group of Dorseys lieutenants who overcame their boss reservations, but only after a deadly rampage at the Capitol.

Having lifted the suspension the next day, Twitter monitored the response to Trumps tweets across the internet, and executives briefed Dorsey that Trumps followers had seized on his latest messages to call for more violence. In one post on the alternative social networking site Parler, members of Twitters safety team saw a Trump fan urge militias to stop President-elect Joe Biden from entering the White House and to fight anyone who tried to halt them. The potential for more real-world unrest, they said, was too high.

Twitter was also under pressure from its employees, who had for years agitated to remove Trump from the service, as well as lawmakers, tech investors and others. But while more than 300 employees signed a letter saying Trumps account must be stopped, the decision to bar the president was made before the letter was delivered to executives, two of the people said.

On Wednesday, Dorsey alluded to the tensions inside Twitter. In a string of 13 tweets, he wrote that he did not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban @realDonaldTrump because a ban is a failure of ours ultimately to promote healthy conversation.

But, Dorsey added, this was the right decision for Twitter. We faced an extraordinary and untenable circumstance, forcing us to focus all of our actions on public safety.

Dorsey, Gadde and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Since Trump was barred, many of Dorseys concerns about the move have been realized. Twitter has been embroiled in a furious debate over tech power and the companies lack of accountability.

Lawmakers such as Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., have railed against Twitter, while Silicon Valley venture capitalists, First Amendment scholars and the American Civil Liberties Union have also criticized the company. At the same time, activists around the world have accused Twitter of following a double standard by cutting off Trump but not autocrats elsewhere who use the platform to bully opponents.

This is a phenomenal exercise of power to de-platform the president of the United States, said Evelyn Douek, a lecturer at Harvard Law School who focuses on online speech. It should set off a broader reckoning.

Trump, who joined Twitter in 2009, was a boon and bane for the company. His tweets brought attention to Twitter, which sometimes struggled to attract new users. But his false assertions and threats online also caused critics to say the site enabled him to spread lies and provoke harassment.

Many of Twitters more than 5,400 employees opposed having Trump on the platform. In August 2019, shortly after a gunman killed more than 20 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Twitter called a staff meeting to discuss how the gunman, in an online manifesto, had echoed many of the views that Trump posted on Twitter.

At the meeting, called a Flock Talk, some employees said Twitter was complicit by giving Trump a megaphone to dog whistle to his supporters, two attendees said. The employees implored executives to make changes before more people got hurt.

Over time, Twitter became more proactive on political content. In October 2019, Dorsey ended all political advertising on the site, saying he worried such ads had significant ramifications that todays democratic structure may not be prepared to handle.

But Dorsey, a proponent of free speech, declined to take down world leaders posts because he considered them newsworthy. Since Twitter announced that year that it would give greater leeway to world leaders who broke its rules, the company had removed their tweets only once: Last March, it deleted messages from the presidents of Brazil and Venezuela that promoted false cures for the coronavirus. Dorsey opposed the removals, a person with knowledge of his thinking said.

Dorsey pushed for an in-between solution: appending labels to tweets by world leaders if the posts violated Twitters policies. In May, when Trump tweeted inaccurate information about mail-in voting, Dorsey gave the go-ahead for Twitter to start labeling the presidents messages.

After the Nov. 3 election, Trump tweeted that it had been stolen from him. Within a few days, Twitter had labeled about 34% of his tweets and retweets, according to a New York Times tally.

Then came the Capitol storming.

On Jan. 6, as Congress met to certify the election, Twitter executives celebrated their acquisition of Ueno, a branding and design firm. Dorsey, who has often gone on retreats, had traveled to the South Pacific island, said the people with knowledge of his location.

When Trump used Twitter to lash out at Vice President Mike Pence and question the election result, the company added warnings to his tweets. Then, as violence erupted at the Capitol, people urged Twitter and Facebook to take Trump offline entirely.

That led to virtual discussions among some of Dorseys lieutenants. The group included Gadde, a lawyer who had joined Twitter in 2011; Del Harvey, vice president of trust and safety; and Yoel Roth, head of site integrity. Harvey and Roth had helped build the companys responses to spam, harassment and election interference.

The executives decided to suspend Trump because his comments appeared to incite the mob, said the people with knowledge of the discussions. Gadde then called Dorsey, who was not pleased, they said.

Trump was not barred completely. If he deleted several tweets that had stoked the mob, there would be a 12-hour cooling-off period. Then he could post again.

After Twitter locked Trumps account, Facebook did the same. Snapchat, Twitch and others also placed limits on Trump.

But Dorsey was not sold on a permanent ban of Trump. He emailed employees the next day, saying it was important for the company to remain consistent with its policies, including letting a user return after a suspension.

Many workers, fearing that history would not look kindly upon them, were dissatisfied. Several invoked IBMs collaboration with the Nazis, said current and former Twitter employees, and started a petition to immediately remove Trumps account.

That same day, Facebook barred Trump through at least the end of his term. But he returned to Twitter that evening with a video saying there would be a peaceful transition of power.

By the next morning, though, Trump was back at it. He tweeted that his base would have a GIANT VOICE and that he would not attend the Jan. 20 inauguration.

Twitters safety team immediately saw Trump fans, who had been saying the president abandoned them, post about further unrest, said the people with knowledge of the matter. In a Parler message that the safety team reviewed, one user said anyone who opposed American Patriots like himself should leave Washington or risk physical harm during the inauguration.

The safety team began drafting an analysis of the tweets and whether they constituted grounds for kicking off Trump, the people said.

Around noon in San Francisco that day, Dorsey called in for an employee meeting. Some pressed him on why Trump was not permanently barred.

Dorsey repeated that Twitter should be consistent with its policies. But he said he had drawn a line in the sand that the president could not cross or Trump would lose his account privileges, people with knowledge of the event said.

After the meeting, Dorsey and other executives agreed that Trumps tweets that morning  and the responses they had provoked  had crossed that line, the people said. The employee letter asking for Trumps removal was later delivered, they said.

Within hours, Trumps account was gone, except for an Account suspended label. He tried tweeting from the @POTUS account, which is the official account of the U.S. president, as well as others. But at every turn, Twitter thwarted him by pulling down the messages.

Some Twitter employees, fearing the wrath of Trumps supporters, have now set their Twitter accounts to private and removed mentions of their employer from online biographies, four people said. Several executives were assigned personal security.

Twitter has also broadened its crackdown on accounts promoting violence. Over the weekend, it removed more than 70,000 accounts that pushed the QAnon conspiracy theory, which posits that Trump is fighting a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles.

On Wednesday, employees gathered virtually to discuss the decision to bar Trump, two attendees said. Some were grateful that Twitter had taken action, while others were eager to leave the Trump era behind. Many were emotional; some cried.

That afternoon, Trump returned again to Twitter, this time using the official @WhiteHouse account to share a video saying he condemned violence  but also denouncing what he called restrictions on free speech. Twitter allowed the video to remain online.

An hour later, Dorsey tweeted his discomfort about the removal of Trumps online accounts. It sets a precedent I feel is dangerous: the power an individual or corporation has over a part of the global public conversation, he wrote.

But, he concluded, everything we learn in this moment will better our effort, and push us to be what we are: one humanity working together.

By Kate Conger and Mike Isaac

c.2021 The New York Times Company
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In an important, probing article, David French claimed that, A violent Christian insurrection invaded and occupied the Capitol (his emphasis). Is there truth to this serious charge?

He wrote, Why do I say this was a Christian insurrection? Because so very many of the protesters told us they were Christian, as loudly and clearly as they could.

He notes that there was a giant wooden cross outside the Capitol and adds that Jesus saves signs and other Christian signs were sprinkled through the crowd. I watched a man carry a Christian flag into an evacuated legislative chamber.

One of his colleagues pointed out that Christian music was blaring from the loudspeakers late in the afternoon of the takeover. And dont forget, he wrote, this attack occurred days after the so-called Jericho March, an event explicitly filled with Christian-nationalist rhetoric so unhinged that I warned on December 13 that it embodied a form of fanaticism that can lead to deadly violence.

French also points to some of the lies that helped fuel the fires of the storming of the Capitol, including: America will end if Trump loses; and, The fate of the church is at stake if Joe Biden wins.

Yet, as much as I agree with many of the concerns French raises, the article still paints a misleading picture. The fact that Christian music was playing at the big rally does not mean that the violent attackers were Christians themselves  not, at least, in any true sense of the word.

I believe that this will be confirmed in the days to come, as virtually all of those arrested will be identified as members of white supremacist, white nationalist type groups. Not all, but virtually all.

The reason I say this is precisely because I share many of the concerns raised by French in terms of some very real problems in the evangelical church today, especially in our white evangelical circles.

As my readers know all too well (for some of them, to the point of ad nauseam), I too have raised concerns about Christian looking to Trump as some kind of political messiah. I have raised concerns about an unhealthy Christian nationalism and about confusing America with the kingdom of God. And, in the immediate aftermath of the Jericho March, I drew attention to the dangerous military rhetoric that at least one speaker used in the rally, not to mention the theological errors that colored much of the rally itself.

I also hold President Trump responsible for years of dangerous rhetoric that helped fuel the fires of hatred and mistrust that exploded in our nations Capitol. (For the record, I do not believe he should have been impeached once, let alone twice.)

But as an evangelical leader who is good friends with quite a few prominent, evangelical Trump supporters, and as one who lives in the midst of the evangelical movement, I know for a fact that these leaders and believers were appalled and shocked at what took place that fateful day.

One caller to my radio show told our listeners that he felt led by God to be at the event and to stand in front of the Capitol, starting at 9:00 AM. All that day, in the freezing cold, he held up a flag saying, We need You Lord.

And he said that, for hours, as the handful of people there turned into tens and then hundreds, then thousands, the atmosphere was peaceful and prayerful. It was only when a bus arrived at 12:30 PM with a new group of people that things shifted, as they began to challenge the police and call for an attack.

He was convinced that they were Antifa plants, but lets say that they were actually white nationalist Trump supporters. Either way, the point is they were the ones who provoked the violence, not the thousands who were there to pray. (He was actually positioned at the very point where the fence was breached, so his perspective was invaluable.)

Other friends of mine who were there were beyond mortified by the events of the day. Every Christian leader I know was appalled.

This is not who we are. These are not the values to which we adhere. In that sense, this was not a Christian insurrection.

Do I believe many of these same Christians have become caught up in a partisan political spirit. Absolutely.

Do I believe they should have been grieved at the unwise, if not incendiary, remarks of Rudy Guliani and Donald Trump, Jr. at the rally? Certainly.

Do I believe that, for many, there was an unhealthy mingling of patriotism with the worship of Jesus? Without a doubt.

Do I believe that many of these committed Christians had been misled by lies and exaggerations, including those of QAnon? Yes again.

Do I believe that this should be a time of great soul searching for those evangelical Christians who tethered their hopes to a man? Once more, yes.

Thats why I say that I share many of the concerns French raised and why I encouraged some of my friends and colleagues to read his article. Thats also why, as I mentioned in my most recent article, I have always respected Christian Never Trumpers (who sat out elections rather than voted Republican or Democrat), even if I did not join in their ranks.

But once more, thats where I make the important distinction between the serious, Jesus followers who were in D.C. to pray for a righteous outcome to the election and those who came ready to do battle. (For my relevant Twitter poll, see here. Over 79 percent of those polled did not know a single Christian who approved of the violent attack.)

If you think Im being too naive (which, at times, I certainly can be), take a few minutes to research where the pre-rally, violent chatter came from online. Was it from solid evangelical sites, where the Word of God is honored and Jesus is preached? Or was it from rightwing extremist websites? The latter may profess to be Christian, but they have little to connect them to the Christian faith.

As the Washington Postobserved, The planning for Wednesdays assault on the U.S. Capitol happened largely in plain view, with chatters in far-right forums explicitly discussing how to storm the building, handcuff lawmakers with zip ties and disrupt the certification of Joe Bidens election  in what they portrayed as responding to orders from President Trump.

I agree that this is certainly a time for housecleaning in our evangelical camp. And just as Trump has helped to expose the radicality of the left, the bias of the media, and the tyranny of Big Tech, he has also helped to expose the hypocrisy and compromise of the church.

But thats why we must be circumspect in our diagnosis if we want to help address and correct these problems. Otherwise, if we paint with too broad a brush or speak in too general terms, many will say in response, Sorry, but that does not apply to me.

The fact is that you and I did not storm the Capitol on January 6th and engage in violent acts against the police while threatening the lives of our elected officials. In that regard, this was absolutely not a Christian insurrection.
They were the couple who created Princess Dianas ivory silk wedding dress, but divorced acrimoniously nine years later.

Now David and Elizabeth Emanuel are at war again  and a sketch of the creation that made them darlings of the fashion world is at the centre of the bitter legal dispute.

Miss Emanuel, 67, is being sued by her ex-husband after putting up for auction sketches of several of their designs for Diana, including the gown she wore to marry Prince Charles in 1981.

Mr Emanuel, 68, wants to stop his ex-wife selling the sketches without his consent and is asking for a court order preventing her from infringing his copyright over the drawings in future and for damages.

Pictured: Princess Diana with David and Elizabeth Emanuel, looking through outfit designs for her visit to Saudi Arabia

The designer has even asked for offending copies of the sketches to be destroyed, documents filed at the High Court reveal.

The disputed sketches also include the chiffon blouse with ruff collar and satin Diana wore for the official engagement photograph by Lord Snowdon for Vogue; the sequinned black taffeta evening gown from her first official engagement with Charles in March 1981; a green silk evening gown she wore in 1985; a black and silver dress from the Out Of Africa film premiere in 1986; and a white crepe dress the princess wore on the royal tour of the Gulf states the same year.

Pictured: Elizabeth Emanuel with her husband David in 1989

According to the legal claim submitted by Mr Emanuels lawyers last month, his ex-wife produced copies of their original sketches and put them in an auction called Passion For Fashion.

The writ claims Miss Emanuel at a date or dates unknown created eight drawings which constitute a reproduction of the design drawings they had produced together for the Diana wardrobe.

Mr Emanuels legal suit is also against Kerry Taylor Auctions in London, which still has the drawings pictured on its website.

The writ says some of the drawings were offered for sale at auctions in December 2018 and December 2020 and fetched between 500 and 2,800. The sketch of the black and silver dress did not sell.

He claims the auctions took place without his consent and breaches an agreement between him and his ex-wife in 1990  the year their Mayfair couture partnership ended and when they divorced  that they would not use the name Emanuel on its own for their separate businesses.

The writ argues that this amounts to her passing off her drawings as being jointly created.

Mr Emanuel also says he has complained to his ex-wife many of her unauthorised use of the mark Emanuel on her own work.

Pictured: Elizabeth Emanuel fashion sketch for the 1981 Royal Wedding dress worn by Princess Diana

He claims both Miss Emanuel and the auctioneer must have known their actions were unlawful because he had sought an interim injunction banning them from selling the sketches.

But he says that they tried to defend their activities, putting him to the cost of legal action. As a result, he claims he is entitled to additional damages.

Mr Emanuel is seeking a declaration he and his ex-wife jointly own the copyright to the sketches, an injunction preventing her from infringing it, and the right to inspect documents and obtain a share of any profits.

After their split, the Emanuels communicated only through their children.

Miss Emanuel and the auction house are understood to dispute that they are in breach of copyright. They did not respond to requests for comment.
City worker Carlos Ruiz gives instruction to a COVID-19 patient after delivering a tank of oxygen to her home in the Iztapalapa borough of Mexico City, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. The city offers free oxygen refills for COVID-19 patients. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Mexico posted its second straight day of more than 20,000 coronavirus cases Saturday, suggesting a surge in a country already struggling in many areas with overflowing hospitals.

There were 20,523 newly confirmed cases Saturday, after 21,366 infections were reported Friday. That was about double the daily rate of increase just a week ago. Reporting normally declines on weekends, suggesting next week may bring even higher numbers.

The country also recorded 1,219 more deaths, a near-record.

The country has now seen almost 1.63 million total infections and has registered over 140,000 deaths so far in the pandemic.

The country's extremely low testing rate means that is an undercount, and official estimates suggest the real death toll is closer to 195,000.

Teams vaccinating frontline health care workers administered about 25,000 shots on Saturday, bring the total so far to over 463,000. The numbers are still inadequate for the 750,000 frontline health care workers, each of whom will require two doses.

Mexico has reported severe reactions to the Pfizer vaccine in 24 people, of whom six remain hospitalized.

In Mexico City, the current center of the pandemic in Mexico, 88% percent of hospital beds are full.

City workers wearing full protective gear, Alexis Hernandez, from left, Carlos Ruiz and Guillermo Gomez, walk down a street after delivering oxygen tank to patients with COVID-19, in the Iztapalapa borough of Mexico City, on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. The city is offering free oxygen refills for COVID-19 patients. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Mexico has pinned much of its hopes on cheaper, easier-to-handle vaccines made by China's CanSino. But that vaccine has not yet been approved for use.

The country has also expressed interest in getting the AstraZeneca vaccine and the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
New Delhi:

Broccoli may assist people in controlling blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, according to researchers. To keep you blood sugar levels within limits, it is beneficial to start eating foods that are high in fibre and vitamins. They should also have a low glycaemic index score which means that they won't cause sudden high increases in your blood sugar levels. Broccoli meets all these conditions which naturally makes it a superfood for diabetics, but this latest research has something more to add to it.



The humble broccoli, which is unpopular among many for being boring, is now being flaunted as a superfood vegetable. It is one of the best sources of Vitamin C (more than oranges!), filled with fibre and phytochemicals, low in calories and is also rich in calcium. Broccoli is also advantageous for your heart and is well known for its anti-cancer properties. A new study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, shows that it may have some health benefits for diabetics too.



The study indicates that broccoli has a compound called sulforaphane which may help turn back the disease signature. Trials were conducted on rats and they showed that this compound lessened the glucose production by liver cells that were growing in culture and altered the liver gene expression away from a diseased state in the rats with diabetes.

ALSO READ | Consuming broccoli may act as good preventive against prostate cancer, says study



The team constructed a signature for Type 2 diabetes based on 50 genes and then used publicly available expression data sets to screen 3,852 compounds for drugs that can possibly reverse the disease. Sulforaphane was given as concentrated broccoli sprout extract to 97 obese patients with type 2 diabetes during a 12-week random placebo-controlled experiment. The results showed that it significantly reduced fasting blood glucose and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c).



The researchers, therefore, have conclude that broccoli may act as a surprise and secret weapon against diabetes. Earlier studies have shown that sulforaphane supports production of enzymes that defend the blood vessels which can also help in lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes in diabetics, which are common risks associated with the ailment.

ALSO READ | Eating broccoli may lower heart disease, cancer risk: Study
The second edition of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia ended last Friday with some brand new winners. However, Stephane Peterhansel won for the 14th time. An incredible achievement, but what else stood out?

First of all, the exciting battle with the motorcycles. It was eventually won by Kevin Benavides on his Honda, but it was only during the last days that it became clear that he was one of the three biggest contenders. The entire Rally was the top of the rankings swapping and gradually many big names dropped out due to a crash or technical problems.

Ross Branch

One of them was Ross Branch. Last year he was already one of the trendsetters and now as a factory driver for Yamaha, he went one step further. He always has nice words after the stage and when he tried to repair his bike after a crash, the usually tough Botswana let his tears run free. This made him the undisputed public favourite.

Joan Barreda Bort

Another curious name among the bikes is Joan Barreda Bort. The Spaniard has been driving for the Honda factory team for years, is considered one of the fastest drivers on the field, but the great success always fails to materialise. That is, at the end of the rally.

Barreda did have day success again. He won three stages, bringing his total to 30. With that, he is shared third in the all-time rankings, but he has never been on the podium at the end of the rally. To succeed in this, he will have to learn to navigate better, among other things.

Nasser Al-Attiyah is the fastest driver

With the cars, the field was a lot less competitive. After some major navigation errors by Carlos Sainz, the final battle went between only two men: Nasser Al-Attiyah and Stephane Peterhansel, with the Frenchman taking the longest.

Al-Attiyah thinks the Mini as a buggy has a significant advantage over his Toyota 4x4. It seems like that because Al-Attiyah was the only driver with a 4x4 who could even get close to the Minis. With six victories in the day, he was much the winner of this rally, but due to a mountain of flat tires, that turned out not to be enough.

WRC legends have trouble navigating

As mentioned, Sainz's role for the overall victory was overdue to some major navigational errors. Since this year, the teams have been more dependent on themselves because they receive the roadbook only 15 minutes before the start of a test. Also, navigators get more information to process per page.

Especially Sainz and his former WRC colleague Sebastien Loeb seemed to be affected. In any case, they complained the hardest about this change and were disappointed that as a driver they can now make less of a difference.

Participants remain enthusiastic about Saudi Arabia

When the news came out two years ago that the Dakar Rally would move to Saudi Arabia, many people were disappointed. South America was well-loved by participants and fans alike, and though Saudi Arabia might not have the best international reputation.

When it comes to driving, however, everyone seems to be very satisfied after two years, especially now that the long straights of last year have been removed as much as possible. Motorcyclists in particular still complain about too many stones, but the majority of the reactions show that the varied and especially open landscapes are extremely suitable for a Rally Raid event.

This article was written and originally published by Pelle on the Dutch edition of GPblog.com.
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ComebackTown is published by David Sher for a more prosperous greater Birmingham & Alabama

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Todays guest columnist is Frank McPhillips.

When a deadly pandemic collides with exponential growth, the result is frightening. We have reached that point in Alabama, and we must speed up the distribution of vaccines.

During October, roughly 30,000 Alabamians contracted COVID-19. By November, the number rose to 42,500 in one month. In December, the number of cases more than doubled to 111,000. And, Januarys cases are rising even faster than Decembers.

As of this writing (January 12), more than 400,000 Alabamians have contracted the virus since the first official case on March 12, and the death toll stands at 5,347. Its not easy to comprehend the magnitude of 400,000 cases. That is virtually equivalent to every man, woman and child living in Mobile County, our second most populous county. No other state with our population has witnessed nearly so many cases.

More cases inevitably result in more hospitalizations, and more hospitalizations lead to more deaths, especially when all the ICUs are full. On Jan. 11, Alabama recorded 3,088 hospitalizations, the highest level ever, and twice the number of patients in Alabama hospitals in July, when the State battled its worst outbreak before now.

Intensive care units in Alabama are now averaging 94% occupancy, according to official figures released by the Department of Health & Human Services. In the Birmingham area, the ICU occupancy rates at Medical West, Brookwood, UAB Hospital and St. Vincents are all running at or above 94%, while those in all hospitals serving Mobile, Huntsville and Montgomery top 96%.

Meanwhile, amid great fanfare, Alabama received its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine on December 15, the very day we crossed the 300,000 case threshold. In the intervening 28 days, the State has seen 108,000 new infections but only 87,000 inoculations, according to the State Health Departments vaccine dashboard.

It is clear the states vaccine distribution program so far is abysmal. We have administered 1,775 doses per 100,000 population, the lowest per capita rate in the nation. West Virginia has administered 3.5 times Alabamas doses on a per capita basis. After four weeks, it should be unacceptable that only 1.7% of Alabamas population has been vaccinated. At that rate, it would take over three years to reach 80% herd immunity.

Why is the vaccine roll out so slow? One reason could be a rigid adherence to the CDC-recommended tiered distribution plan. In the first tier are 300,000 front line medical personnel and nursing home residents, followed by seniors over 75 and specified essential workers, then seniors aged 65-74 and additional essential workers, and lastly, the general population.

The tiered system may be more equitable, but what happens when, as in the case of Clay County Hospital, 90 of 200 high-risk medical personnel elect not to take the vaccine (despite the hospital being overrun with COVID patients, oxygen running low, and beds being added to the ICU)? How long must we wait on those in the first tier before moving on to the next tier, and so on?

To speed things up, the State Health Department announced last week that the State will open up vaccinations to 75 year olds and older, while continuing to vaccinate eligible first-tier eligible recipients. Within hours after setting up a statewide appointments hotline, the Health Department shut it down because 1.1 million calls flooded the line. Hospitals around the state were overwhelmed with calls from residents desperate to receive the vaccine.

There are roughly 300,000 healthcare workers in the State and 350,000 people age 75 and older who qualify for the vaccine. At the current pace of vaccination, an essential worker (like a teacher) or a 65-74 year old with preexisting conditions would not be eligible for vaccination until September, at the earliest. Just this morning, Secretary of H.H.S. Alex Azar, reversed his earlier recommendation, urging states to open up vaccinations to seniors aged 65 and older.

A second reason for the slow roll out is that officials have been holding back enough doses to ensure a second booster shot for those who received the first dose. This policy also may be changing, as Secretary Azar, under pressure from the incoming Biden Administration, urged states to release all doses currently sitting in warehouses because of growing confidence that second doses can be provided by ongoing production. It also helps that new vaccines (Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca) are on the horizon.

Alabama is not the only state confronting distribution problems, but it is among the worst. According to data released by the CDC, our State is dead last in the nation in terms of the percentage of vaccines received by the State that have been injected into peoples arms (only 23.4%). The State Health Department, whose dashboard was updated last night to show a 32% distribution rate, would take issue with that ranking, but even ADPH would concede Alabama is in the bottom quartile.

People are justifiably angry that our public officials are so ill-equipped to deliver the vaccines after having months to prepare. I dont pretend to have all the answers, but lets be clear: there are only two ways to immunize the population  by infection or vaccination. At an average of 1 death for every 75 cases in our State (400K cases and 5,334 deaths), unless the State recognizes the urgency and dramatically picks up the pace of vaccination, tens of thousands more Alabamians are likely to die.

Frank McPhillips is a recently retired attorney, devoted husband to Louise and father of three adult sons. Frank graduated with honors from Harvard College and the University of Virginia Law School, and practiced law for over 35 years at Maynard, Cooper & Gale. He currently serves on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations, including Advent Episcopal School, Impact America and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. To receive Franks free daily Alabama COVID Newsletter, sign up at frankmcphillips.substack.com.

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David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. Hes past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).

Click here for updates on this story

NAPA, California (Napa Valley Register) -- The Napa business owner arrested on Friday on various weapons charges had five pipe bombs, more than 50 firearms -- several unregistered or illegal -- 15,000 rounds of ammunition, and several pounds of gunpowder in his possession when authorities raided his office and home, the Napa County Sheriffs Office said late Saturday.

Ian Benjamin Rogers, 44, is in custody facing a variety of charges, including possession of a destructive device, possession of materials to make a destructive device, possession of an assault weapon, possession of an unregistered assault weapon, possession of a machine gun and conversion of a firearm into a machine gun.

Bail was originally set at $100,000, but was raised to $5 million on Friday.

The sheriffs office did not confirm whether the raid at the business, British Auto Repair of the Napa Valley, located on Action Avenue, was connected to planned protests by extremists at state capitols across the country in advance of the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday. The investigation is continuing and both state and federal officials are involved, the sheriffs office said.

"This is a case still under investigation," said Napa Sheriff spokesperson Henry Wofford shortly before 5 p.m. on Friday. "Obviously, when you have a $5 million bond, you have something serious," he said.

Law enforcement across the county is on high alert after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an effort to prevent the counting of the Electoral College votes in favor of Biden. Law enforcement agencies report that extremist groups are planning additional protests nationwide over the next week.

Authorities obtained a warrant to search Rogers business and home after receiving a tip that he was in possession of illegal weapons, the sheriffs office said.

Officers brought multiple objects out of the business over several hours on Friday and detonated them in a bunker created from old tires.

The bomb squad blocked the driveway to British Auto Repair and closed off a section of the Napa Valley Vine Trail, which runs behind the business, with "crime scene" tape until the last detonation occurred.

While the business was searched and small detonations were set off, traffic was allowed to pass normally on the two closest streets, Action Avenue and Vallejo Street.

At the Napa Valley Register, which backs up against the Vine Trail, opposite British Auto Repair, employees were told to stay on the newspaper property. A small group gathered on a stairway facing Vallejo Street to watch a silver robot moving back and forth.

Most of the detonations created small pops, but the last one at 1 p.m. produced a big bang.

Rogers social media accounts suggest that he is an ardent supporter of President Trump, dating back to the Republican primary season in 2015 and 2016. In multiple postings, he expresses disdain for Democrats and liberals. Photos on his Facebook account also feature multiple weapons, including guns and swords, displayed on the walls of his home.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
Nursing and midwifery student placements have been suspended to allow qualified staff to focus on fighting Covid-19.

As the surge in Covid-19 cases hits overstretched hospitals, the HSE has requested that experienced and qualified staff who currently support undergraduate training for students in Years 1-3 are released for redeployment as part of the pandemic response.

All clinical placements for student nurses and midwives in Years 1-3 will be suspended for at least two weeks from January 18.

More than 2,000 student nurses and midwives are set to be impacted by the suspension of placements.

Qualified nurses and midwives are to be released from the supervision and educational support of student nurses and midwives to assist with the Covid-19 response, the Department of Health announced.

The Minister for Health has assured student nurses that all options shall be examined to resume clinical student placements as soon as possible.

"In response to the current surge of Covid-19, and its impact on staffing across the health service, particularly in critical care areas, all options to maximise the workforce are being actioned," a statement from the Department of Health said.

"This is an evolving situation and is under constant review in the context of the current Covid-19 demand trajectory.

"The temporary suspension of these student placements will free up clinical placement co-ordinators, practice co-ordinators, as well as nurses and midwives working in other educational and policy development roles so they can support the HSE at this challenging time.

"Students in Year 4, the final year before qualification, are counted for rostering purposes as 0.5 of a fulltime equivalent nurse/midwife. Student nurse and midwife placements for interns, who are in fourth year, will continue with the appropriate education and support infrastructure in place."

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has called for further clarity on the situation and on final year students, the union has sought clarity and requested that their pay is increased to the healthcare assistant grade, as it was in March.

A statement from the union said that "this would better reflect the workload and risk those final-year interns face".

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD said: I would like to thank all student nurses and midwives for their ongoing commitment to the future of our health services.

"This is an uncertain time for them and I know many will be disappointed by this news. I would like to reassure them that all options will be considered in re-starting these placements as soon as it is possible.

Rachel Kenna, Chief Nursing Officer in the Department of Health, added: I recognise the enormous commitment students have made in participating in the clinical learning environments at a very challenging time.

"The education of student nurses and midwives is a priority for all of us, but this must be done safely, with the appropriate supports and supervision structures in place.

In making this decision, the Chief Nursing Officer is engaging with the HSE, the Higher Education Institutes and the regulator, to ensure that the impact of this decision is minimized for all nursing and midwifery students, the Department of Health said.

The Department of Health is also engaging with the student nurse and midwife representative organisations this evening.

The HSEs Office of the Nursing & Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD), Senior Nurses and Midwives from clinical services, the Chief Nursing Office (CNO) in the Department of Health and the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) support the decision, the Department of Health said.

INMO General Secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, called for clarity, saying it was a "last-minute decision".

She said: Students have been put in incredibly risky situations with no pay and weakened protections.

Those interns who are being asked to continue working need to be valued properly.

"Earlier in the pandemic, their pay was increased to take account of the risks and workload they faced. The Minister should do the right thing and reinstate that policy.
Every member of Mirror Trading International (MTI) who withdrew money from the scheme will have to pay the money back to liquidators, FSCA head of investigations and enforcement Brandon Topham has said.

MTI was a scheme that claimed to offer automated forex and later cryptocurrency trading services.

The company and its leadership claimed that MTI had a magical automated trading program  a bot powered by artificial intelligence  that could yield growth of 0.5% to 1.5% per day.

Many people warned that the promised returns were too good to be true and that MTI was a scheme that will ultimately cost you money.

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) even issued a warning in August last year that people should withdraw their money from the scheme.

In late 2020 the scheme collapsed, as warned, with the MTI leadership blaming the companys CEO, Johann Steynberg, who disappeared in December.

A group of members acted quickly and instituted liquidation proceedings against MTI within days of the announcement that Steynberg had gone missing.

The Cape Town High Court granted a provisional liquidation on 29 December 2020.

Members of the scheme may be in for a shock. Topham has stated that all MTI investors  even if they didnt make a profit from MTI  will be required to hand over any money they took out, including their original deposit.

How exactly these repayments will work and when they will be demanded is up to the liquidators that have been appointed to the case. It is understood that repayments may be limited to funds that were withdrawn within a specific period of the schemes operation.

The provisional liquidators of MTI  AW van Rooyen, H Bester, Jacolien Frieda Barnard, and Deidre Basson  were appointed by the court on 12 January 2021.

The provisional liquidators have now applied to the court to have their powers extended.

Among other things, the liquidators are asking for the ability to subpoena people to answer questions in court where necessary.

The provisional liquidation order will be made permanent on 1 March if it remains unopposed.

Krion fiasco  doomed to repeat history?

The collapse of Mirror Trading International has evoked comparisons to the botched handling of Krion, a saga which played out over the better part of seventeen years.

Krion was declared a Ponzi-type scheme by the High Court of South Africa in 2002. Around 14,000 investors and R1.5 billion were involved in the scheme.

Police arrested the mastermind behind Krion, Marietjie Prinsloo, on 23 July 2002 along with her family who were accused of perpetrating the scheme with her.

While Krion was liquidated on 4 June 2002, it took 11 years before the liquidators filed their first liquidation and distribution account.

The criminal case against Prinsloo and her co-conspirators was only finalised in 2015.

Business Day reported in 2013 that liquidators and other collectors had taken R84 million from the Krion estate over the course of 11 years, while only recovering around R100 million.

After paying the South African Revenue Service and other expenses, less than R10 million remained to repay investors the money they had lost in the scheme.

Citizen reported that liquidators also sued people who had invested in Krion to pay back any money they had received from the scheme, even if they hadnt actually made a profit.

It provided the example of one investor who had deposited R400,000 into Krion and received R220,000 from the scheme in profits. She was sued for the R220,000 even though she had suffered a net loss.

The collapse of Mirror Trading International

Members bought into MTI with a minimum of $100 worth of bitcoin, or a minimum of $200 if they wanted to qualify for bonuses under the companys multilevel marketing system.

In August 2020, the Financial Services Conduct Authority of South Africa (FSCA) said that it was investigating MTI and warned investors that they should withdraw their funds.

Prior to that, the Texas State Securities Board issued an emergency cease-and-desist order against MTI and accused it of perpetrating fraud through an illegal international multilevel marketing programme.

Canadas Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF) also placed MTI on its list of illegal online platforms, issuing a warning that MTI illegally solicits investors.

In September, MyBroadband reported on a group calling itself Anonymous ZA which leaked an anonymised copy of MTIs entire database  including account names, e-mail addresses and bitcoin balances. They called it the MTILeaks.

The MTILeaks showed that as of 14 September 2020, MTI had received 22,984 bitcoin in deposits.

Before the surge in the price of bitcoin towards the end of 2020, this was worth around R6.4 billion. At current exchange rates this amount of bitcoin is worth around R13 billion.

Looking at the information from the MTILeaks and official trading pool data from MTI itself, it stands to reason that the capital taken in by the scheme stood at well over 23,000 bitcoin before deposits were shut down in December.

On 26 October the FSCA raided the offices and homes of MTI leaders, seizing electronic and telephonic records from cell phones, notebooks, and PCs at the three locations.

On 12 November the FSCA filed criminal fraud charges against MTI with the South African Police Service in Stellenbosch.

On 7 December, MTI conducted what would turn out to be its final Q&A with its CEO, Johann Steynberg. During the Zoom call Steynberg stated that he is on vacation. The call also ignited speculation, later backed up by photos of plane tickets, that Steynberg was in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Brandon Topham of the FSCA has since stated that they uncovered evidence suggesting that Steynbergs destination was Panama.

On 18 December the FSCA issued a statement with some of its preliminary findings. This included the revelation that the unregulated broker that MTI claimed to be using for its bot Trade300  was just a website set up by Steynberg.

On 19 December, MTI management informed members that Steynberg went missing while travelling abroad. They also informed members that they received an automated emergency email stating that Steynberg had not logged into the MTI system for 12 hours.

This security protocol email provided critical info for the team to start the process of working without Johann. (Up till that point Johann was the only one with authority to deal with the broker & technical team), the notice to members stated.

On 22 December the MTI leadership and management issued a statement which said that they do not know whether members investments are safe.

They also claimed that they were unable to get members bitcoin from their unregulated broker with which to pay withdrawals.

On 23 December, two applications for the provisional liquidation of MTI were filed in the Western Cape Hight Court. The first application, led by Advocate Vaughn Victor and Vezi & De Beer Inc., was granted on 29 December.

In January 2021 a video call of an emergency meeting between MTI leaders and management was leaked on YouTube.

Based on the content of the call, it was held to discuss the statement that was issued on 22 December. MTIs leadership also discussed a plot to trick Steynbergs wife into selling silver holdings worth between a million and two million rand to pay an extraction team to locate Steynberg in Brazil and bring him back to South Africa.

The many problems with Mirror Trading International

Like many similar cryptocurrency investment scams, there were multiple red flags that should have scared investors away from Mirror Trading International.

If its contrived multilevel marketing bonus structure wasnt enough of a warning, its too-good-to-be-true growth rates should have been.

When something offers the equivalent of over 500% interest per annum, its not only too good to be true, it also violates the Consumer Protection Acts prohibition on multiplication schemes.

Another important thing to understand when doing a basic rationality check on MTIs claims and sustainability is that only 21 million bitcoins will ever be created. To-date, around 18.6 million have been mined.

If MTI continued to grow at the rapid rate it was growing, it would eventually own every bitcoin in existence (or at least every bitcoin in circulation).

Taking the 23,000 bitcoin that was in MTIs trading pool at its height, along with its 0.5% daily growth rate, it is possible to calculate (using the logarithm function) how long it would take for MTI to hit 21 million bitcoin  3.7 years.

Its important to note that this calculation assumes MTI members stopped putting more money into the scheme than would be withdrawn after 23,000 bitcoin.

As more money gets deposited, or the dubious AI trading bot earns more than 0.5% per day, the amount of time it takes to get to 21 million bitcoin decreases. At the rate it claimed to be growing, MTI would have consumed every bitcoin in existence in as little as two years.

Now read: Striking similarities between Mirror Trading International and BTC Global
NASA shared an image of "5 million years young and dazzling star cluster" on its official Instagram account on January 16. The US space agency shared the image with a caption stating that the colour of a star is directly linked to its surface temperature. NASA said that the hotter the star, the shorter the wavelength of light it will emit. "The hottest of stars are blue or blue-white and the cooler ones are red or red-brown," it added.

READ | 'How Old Are Supernovas?': NASA Astronomers Rewind Clock To Estimate Star Explosion Age

'Young and dazzling star cluster'

READ | Can You See Bands Of Colour?: NASA Astronaut Shares Spectacular Images Of Sun From Space

The caption of the image of the cluster of stars shared by NASA read, "How blue-tiful! Near the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy about 200 thousand light-years away, lies this 5 million years young and dazzling star cluster is known as NGC 602. Inside the star cluster, bright, blue, newly formed stars are blowing a cavity in this nebula, sculpting the inner edge of its outer portions, slowly eroding it away and eating into the material beyond."

READ | NASA Shares Stunning Image Of spiral Galaxy With Well-defined Central Bar And Long Arms

NASA shares stunning image of spiral galaxy

Earlier on January 15, NASA shared a spellbinding photograph of the cosmos barred spiral galaxy, known for its central bar-shaped structure which is composed of a myriad of stars. Taking to its official Instagram handle, the space agency wrote, At a distance of 67 million light-years away, NGC 613 is a stunning example of a barred spiral galaxy. Its easy to distinguish the galaxy as such because of its well-defined central bar and long arms, which spiral loosely around the nucleus.

According to NASA, NGC 613 galaxy was first discovered in 1798 by German-English astronomer William Herschel. The galaxy was observed by amateur astronomer Victor Buso while he was testing a new camera on a telescope in 2016. A curious spot of light caught his eye which was originating out of a supernova in the southern constellation of Sculptor 67 million light-years away with two stellar nuclei that were emitted apart by a stream of dust. Later observed by NASA and ESA Hubble Space Telescope, NGC 613 was dubbed as barred galaxy by the astronomers owing to its well-defined central bar and long arms that radiated out of the nucleus.

READ | NASA Shares Breathtaking View Of Fireworks Galaxy Located 25.2 Million Light-years Away
In tandem with the two supervisors' proposal, the county's Public Health Department issued a public health order on January 7 that requires Kaiser, Sutter Health/PAMF, Stanford and the county itself to provide information on an ongoing basis with the public and to submit vaccination plans by February 1.

"As I pointed out, we have lots of physical capacity and not as much vaccine as we need", he said.

Flagler rapidly used all 1,700 Moderna vaccine doses that have so far been made available to the county by the state, then created a callback list that has topped 4,000 names. Officials do not yet know how many doses will be available. The county's public health care system receives its doses from one source while medical providers such as Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health receive their allocations from the state. National pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens, which are administering vaccines to residents in skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, receive their doses from the federal government, as do Veterans Affairs medical facilities. "This is why we're not scheduling out as far as what people want".

"We ask for your patience, we thank you for your patience we definitely will follow up with those individuals on that registry", Moore said. An additional 56,620 doses have been received in the county for the second shots.

"We're going to go from rags to riches", he said.

Residents are strongly encouraged to use the online pre-registration form for COVID vaccinations. That's a huge expansion from the county's current rate, which was 800 a day on Jan. 1 and 3,600 a day as of Jan. 12, with plans to increase to 6,975 a day by Jan. 18 - provided the county receives more vaccine doses from the state. The same is expected with the Moderna vaccine, he added.

The LAFD has resorted to prizes for those who get vaccinated. Calvert County is distributing the vaccine to five different vaccine priority groups.

In fact, while most of the rest of the country has at least resumed some of the activity that was paused by lockdowns even as winter has driven case numbers higher, California instituted a nighttime curfew in late November and Los Angeles instituted a second stay-at-home order on Nov. 27, making it one of the few jurisdictions in America to do so.

Biden's administration also vowed to be "a reliable partner" for states by providing data on vaccine allocation timelines and delivery and to effectively plan and scale distribution so states and local governments will be able to plan for the deliveries.

Newsom said that the coordination is welcome.

Find comprehensive coverage on the Midpeninsula's response to the new coronavirus by Palo Alto Online, the Mountain View Voice and the Almanac here.
A Liverpool man has pleaded no contest to aggravated indecent assault of a child in Perry County, and awaits trial for 36 similar charges in Juniata County.

Thomas E. Strock, 37, pleaded no contest to the felony charge of indecent assault on Nov. 2 in Perry County, according to online court documents. He had been charged with eight crimes including rape by forcible compulsion, rape of a child, unlawful contact with minors, statutory sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, and corruption of minors. The other charges in Perry County were dismissed.

A sentencing hearing in the Perry case is set for Jan. 21 in New Bloomfield in front of Judge Kenneth Mummah.

In the Juniata case, Strock is facing 36 counts of sexual crimes against a child including 28 felonies and eight misdemeanors, according to court dockets.

Those charges are four each of rape by forcible compulsion, rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault of a child, contact and communication with a minor for sex, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault without consent, corruption of minors, and indecent assault without consent.

Court dates for the Juniata case were schedule in November and still pending. Strock is being held in Mifflin County Prison.

The cases filed in 2020 involve the sexual assault of two victims dating back to 2003, 2009 and 2011. The first victim told state police Strock assaulted her several times between December 2009 and 2011 when she was 5 and 6 years old in Perry County. The second victim told police Strock assaulted her between March and May of 2003 when she was 5 years old in Juniata.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 19:25:40|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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TEHRAN -- Iran's health ministry reported 6,016 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, raising the total nationwide infections to 1,330,411.

The pandemic has so far claimed 56,803 lives in Iran, up by 86 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.

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ADDIS ABABA -- COVID-19 cases on the African continent amounted to 3,235,198 as of Sunday, said the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the continental disease control and prevention agency's Africa COVID-19 dashboard, the death toll related to the pandemic stood at 78,313 as of Sunday with 2,649,520 recoveries.

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MOSCOW -- Russia recorded 23,586 more COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, slightly down from 24,092 a day earlier, the country's COVID-19 response center said Sunday.

The national tally has thus increased to 3,568,209 with 65,566 deaths and 2,960,431 recoveries, the center said.

- - - -

PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia on Sunday reported three more imported COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the kingdom to 439 so far, said a Health Ministry statement.

The new cases were detected on Cambodian migrant workers returning from Thailand on Jan. 12, 13 and 15 via land borders, the statement said.

- - - -

JAKARTA -- Number of Indonesians overseas confirmed positive for COVID-19 rose to 2,816, with three new cases registered, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

Of the three new cases, two were reported in Britain and one in Kuwait.

- - - -

MANILA -- The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines on Sunday reported 1,895 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the country to 500,577.

The death toll climbed to 9,895 after 11 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. It added 5,868 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 465,991.

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BEIJING -- Over 100,000 drivers for online platforms under Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing have made reservations for COVID-19 vaccines in Beijing, according to the company.

As of 2 p.m. Saturday, more than 46,000 drivers have been inoculated in the city, the company said.

- - - -

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles became the first county in the United States to surpass 1 million total cases since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, local health officials said Saturday.

The most populous county in the country, home to 10 million residents, on Saturday reported 14,669 new confirmed cases and 253 additional deaths, pushing its cumulative cases up to 1,003,923 with 13,741 related deaths, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Enditem
President Trump urged the American public on Wednesday to refrain from violence ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, again calling for a peaceful transition of power.

Why it matters: The statement was released as the House debated whether to impeach Trump for a second time, after the president was accused of inciting the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol and left five dead last week.

D.C. is currently on high alert ahead of the Biden inauguration, with the National Guard deployed to the nations capital.

What they're saying: In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind," Trump said. "That is not what I stand for and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers wrote to Trump on Wednesday asking him to, "address the nation and unequivocally denounce domestic terrorism, condemn harmful propaganda, urge anyone considering mobilizing to stay home, and affirmatively state that you are no way supportive of violent messages of any kind."
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2021) US Incumbent President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani says he is part of Trump's defense team in the upcoming impeachment trial, ABC news reports.

"I'm involved right now ... that's what I'm working on," Giuliani told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl, adding that there are "different opinions" regarding how the president should approach his second impeachment.

According to ABC News, Giuliani was spotted at the White House on Saturday. He told ABC that he believes Trump should dismiss the trial as illegal outright.

"They basically claimed that anytime [Trump] says voter fraud, voter fraud - or I do, or anybody else - we're inciting to violence; that those words are fighting words because it's totally untrue," he said. "Well, if you can prove that it's true, or at least true enough so it's a legitimate viewpoint, then they are no longer fighting words."

Giuliani pointed out that Trump's second impeachment appears to be the only impeachment ever done in two to three days.

"We would say to the court, 'You are now permitting in the future, basically in two days, the Congress can just impeach on anything they want to,'" Giuliani told ABC.

Prominent lawyer and international law specialist Toby Cadman told Sputnik earlier this week that Trump looks set to become the first US commander-in-chief to be impeached twice but his removal from the post is unlikely before the inauguration of Joe Biden.

With just a few days left in office, Cadman believes the rush to impose retribution on the outgoing president is intended to strip him of post-presidential privileges and the right to run for office again.

On January 6, pro-Trump protesters stormed Capitol Hill in a bid to prevent Congress from certifying the presidential election victory. The US House of Representatives impeached Trump on Wednesday over what it considered incitement of insurrection.
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Los Angeles County has confirmed its first case of the highly contagious coronavirus variant found in the UK, on the same day it became the first in the country to surpass one million total infections.

The LA County Department of Public Health on Saturday announced the troubling news which comes as California's health care system continues to grapple with record high hospitalizations, cases and deaths.

The state is now the epicenter of the pandemic, with LA suffering the worst of the outbreak as intensive care units are over capacity and some hospitals being forced to erect emergency tents outside in order to treat those seeking care.

Adding to the health crisis is the discovery of the B.1.1.7 variant that health officials said has been detected in a male who had recently spent time in LA and later traveled to Oregon, where he is currently isolating.

The virus sample was identified as suspicious by a clinical laboratory, sequenced by University of Washington Virology, and confirmed by LA County.

Los Angeles became the first county in the US to surpass one million total COVID-19 cases on Saturday. Pictured: A healthcare worker tends to a coronavirus patient in the intensive care unit at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

Los Angeles also recorded it first confirmed case of the B.1.1.7 variant found in the UK that has now made its way to 17 states.

Although it is the first confirmed case of the strain in the area, health officials said they believe it is already spreading in the community and are continuing to test samples.

The mutant virus strain had already been detected in other parts of California including San Bernardino County as well as in 16 other states.

The variant, which is said to be 70 per cent more transmissible, is one of three different mutant strains that have recently emerged in countries around the world, including Brazil and South Africa.

While the variant is more infectious, scientist say there is no evidence to suggest that it is more fatal.

'The presence of the UK variant in Los Angeles County is troubling, as our healthcare system is already severely strained with more than 7,500 people currently hospitalized,' Dr Barbara Ferrer, LA County Director of Public Health, said on Saturday.

'Our community is bearing the brunt of the winter surge, experiencing huge numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, five-times what we experienced over the summer.

'This more contagious variant makes it easier for infections to spread at worksites, at stores, and in our homes. We are in the midst of a public health emergency so please do everything you can to protect yourselves and those you love,' she added.

The US reported 215,449 new cases on Saturday, a slight drop from the 243,996 logged on Friday

Hospitalizations remain high across the country, with 7,597 people currently receiving inpatient care for the coronavirus, and 22 per cent of those patients in the ICU. However, weekly average data shows those measures are beginning to decline overall

It comes as Los Angeles also became the first county in the US to hit more than one million total COVID-19 cases after reporting 14,669 new infections on Saturday. The county also recorded 253 new deaths, bringing its death toll to 13,741.

Hospitalizations remain high as well, with 7,597 people currently receiving inpatient care for the coronavirus, and 22 per cent of those patients in the ICU.

But even with the grim prognosis in Los Angeles, the number of cases and hospitalizations are appearing to slow down on a national level, new data shows.

The US reported 215,449 new cases on Saturday, a slight drop from the 243,996 logged on Friday.

There were also 3,695 deaths recorded, meaning the overall death toll is now approaching 400,000.

There are currently 126,139 people currently hospitalized in the United States with 23,524 in intensive care.

The latest case and hospitalization numbers remain at high levels, however both measures have leveled off across the country in the past few days, according to The COVID Tracking Project.

Cases have dropped most significantly in the Midwest, with the region reporting the lowest number of infections in proportion to their population.

Data shows that the west of the country is still reporting the highest number of cases, with an outsize number of those coming from California and, in particular, Los Angeles County.

According to The COVID-19 Tracking Project, the 7-day averages for cases are declining in all four regions

It appears coronavirus hospitalizations are also slowly declining overall, although several areas are still overwhelmed by incoming patients

According to modelling done by the University of Washington, an additional 170,000 Americans are likely to die from the coronavirus by the end of April. This would take the total above 565,000 deaths, according to CNN.

There are also fears for that the highly-contagious UK strain of the coronavirus, dubbed 'Super COVID' is spreading rapidly through America.

While Super COVID is not thought to be more deadly that other variants of the virus, the first American citizen succumbed to the strain in Houston over the weekend.

And on Friday, health officials in Utah revealed that their first case of strain has been confirmed in a man who had not traveled out of the state.

Super COVID has been detected in New York, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, and Michigan.

Michigan health officials on Saturday confirmed a woman from Washtenaw County had tested positive for the B.1.1.7 variant, the first case in the state.

The woman had recently traveled to the UK, where the variant was first detected and is now running rampant.

On Friday, the CDC reported that just 12 million doses have been administered to Americans across the country. However, cities such as Los Angeles are now opening large scale vaccination sites. Pictured: motorists lining up to receive their shot at Dodger Stadium

The growing cases makes the need to distribute the vaccines all the more pressing - but the roll-out continues to lag.

Infection disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday said President-Elect Biden's plan to dole out 100million coronavirus doses in 100 days is 'doable' and the goal is 'quite feasible.'

Biden unveiled the ambitious goal Thursday as part of his $1.9trillion 'American Rescue Plan,' which includes about $400billion to tackle COVID-19.

The 100million dose in 100 days target is a dramatic increase from where the US currently stands in terms of vaccinations.

Despite having more than 31.1million doses of the vaccine available across the country, as of Friday morning, only about 12.2million shots have actually been administered, the CDC said.

Fauci said in an interview with Today that the vaccine rollout has 'not worked as smoothly as possible.'

Dr. Anthony Fauci said that President-Elect Biden's goal of giving out 100million vaccination doses in 100 days is 'quite feasible'

Fauci noted that the CDC widen its guidelines of who is eligible for priority vaccinations will help achieve this goal. A woman is show getting a COVID vaccination on January 10

He noted that distributing the vaccine during the holiday season accounted for some of the difficulty, as did the fact that there was too much rigidity in terms of prioritizing who had been allowed to get the vaccine.

Now, he said, there is flexibility being allowed in the prioritization of who can receive doses, which will enable the doses to be given out when available, rather than being left in the fridge.

President-elect Biden has pledged to accelerate the vaccine roll-out by setting up better communication between state and federal governments.

'Under President-elect Biden's plan, the federal government will provide regular projections of the allocations states and localities will receive,' a statement from Biden's transition team, obtained by CNN, read.

'The federal government will build on the operational plans in place to ensure the effective distribution, storage, and transit of vaccines to states, including support for maintaining or augmenting the vaccine-specific required cold chain.'

Meanwhile, Rick Bright, a member of Biden's COVID-19 advisory board, told the news network: 'We want to open the floodgates on vaccination and make sure everyone who wants to get vaccinated can do so as quickly as possible.

'It's going to take a lot of effort, a lot of hard work, and we're going to do as much as we can as fast as we can.'
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(CNN)  Russia's leading Kremlin critic, Alexey Navalny, was detained by police in Moscow on Sunday, moments after his return to the country and five months after he was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok.

Navalny was taken away by police officers without explanation, his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh tweeted. His lawyer, who had also flown in from Berlin, was not allowed to accompany the opposition leader, she said.

Live footage from Russian broadcaster TV Rain showed him talking with dark-uniformed and masked officers at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, then kissing his wife Yulia before walking away with them.

The couple were returning from a five-month stay in Germany, where he had been recovering from the Novichok poisoning. They landed at Sheremetyevo just after 8 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET), according to flight data information.

"This is the best day in the past five months," Navalny told journalists at the airport just before his arrest.

"Everyone is asking me if I'm scared. I am not afraid," he said. "I feel completely fine walking towards the border control. I know that I will leave and go home because I'm right and all the criminal cases against me are fabricated."

Navalny was placed on the country's federal wanted list last month for violating terms of probation related to a years-old fraud case, which he dismisses as politically motivated. A statement on Sunday from the Federal Penitentiary Service confirmed Navalny had been detained, and said he would remain in custody until a court hearing later this month, according to TASS.

Navalny has been a perennial thorn in Russian President Vladimir Putin's side, raising concerns for his safety in the country.

After his poisoning with military-grade Novichok in August, a joint investigation by CNN and the group Bellingcat implicated the Russian Security Service (FSB) in the poisoning, piecing together how an elite unit at the agency followed Navalny's team throughout a trip to Siberia, where Navalny was poisoned and fell ill on a flight to Moscow.

The investigation also found that this unit, which included chemical weapons experts, had followed Navalny on more than 30 trips to and from Moscow since 2017. Russia denies involvement in Navalny's poisoning. Putin himself said in December that if Russian security services had wanted to kill Navalny, they "would have finished" the job.

Nevertheless, several Western officials and Navalny himself have openly blamed the Kremlin.

Flight diverted to Sheremetyevo

Navalny had originally been scheduled to land at Vnukovo airport on Sunday, where a crowd of hundreds of supporters and journalists waited to greet him. The flight appeared to be diverted at the last minute to Sheremetyevo. CNN has been unable to establish the reason why.

Russian media broadcasts showed police arresting several allies waiting at Vnukovo amid temperatures of around -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees F), including politician and lawyer Lyubov Sobol and Ruslan Shaveddinov, who works for Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation.

Before his flight on Russian carrier Pobeda took off from Berlin on Sunday, Navalny thanked the other passengers. "Thanks to you all, I hope we will get there fine," he said according to a live feed from TV Rain. "And I'm sure everything will be absolutely great."

He also thanked Germany for hosting him in an Instagram post on Saturday, praising its citizens as "nice, sympathetic, friendly people."

Several European leaders reacted quickly to news of Navalny's detention.

"The detainment of Alexey Navalny upon arrival in Moscow is unacceptable. I call on Russian authorities to immediately release him," tweeted Charles Michel, President of the European Council.

The Austrian Ministry of Affairs tweeted that it was "deeply concerned" about Navalny's detention, adding: "A vibrant civil society and political opposition are cornerstones of all democratic societies. Austria calls for his immediate release and a full & independent investigation into the attack on his life."

Lithuanian President Gitnas Nauseda, described the arrest as "another evidence of Kremlin's efforts to systematically abuse human rights and democratic freedoms."

And Latvia's Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins also called for his release, writing that "in a democratic society, political differences are settled in discussions, not by force or repression."

What's next for Navalny?

Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation have been the subjects of a number of legal cases, which he and allies believe are politically motivated.

In 2014, Navalny was found guilty of fraud after he and his brother Oleg were accused of embezzling 30 million rubles ($540,000) from a Russian subsidiary of French cosmetics company Yves Rocher. While Navalny was given a suspended sentence, his brother was jailed.

The FSIN now accuses Navalny of violating the terms of his probation by failing to show up for scheduled inspections while in Germany. It has requested that a court replace his suspended sentence with a real prison term.

A hearing has been scheduled for January 29. If the FSIN request is granted, Navalny will likely be jailed for 3.5 years.

If Navalny is not convicted later in January, he will still face an investigation for a newer fraud case, in which he and his Anti-Corruption Foundation have been accused of misusing donations from supporters.

"The situation with Navalny looks like two trains running towards each other at full speed, bound to collide," said Tatyana Stanovaya, a visiting fellow, also at the Carnegie Moscow Center. "There will be many victims."

Attacks on Navalny's allies have indeed continued. Pavel Zelensky, a cameraman with Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, was arrested Friday and will be detained until the end of February.

According to Agora, a Russian human rights organization, Zelensky was accused of extremism for tweets from September, in which he blamed the government for journalist Irina Slavina's self-immolation. Before taking her own life, Slavina blamed pressure from Russian law enforcement for her decision to self-immolate.

CNN's Claudia Otto and Fred Pleitgen contributed to this report.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Alexey Navalny detained on return to Moscow five months after being poisoned"
Ryan Reynolds has played more than one superhero on the big screen.

And the Golden Globe nominee could also qualify for superhero status in real life, as he continues to use his platform for good.

He recently recorded a heartfelt message for an 11-year-old cancer patient and Deadpool fan Brody Dery, after the boy and his mom got Reynolds' attention with the help of social media.

Giving back: Ryan Reynolds recently recorded a heartfelt message for an 11-year-old cancer patient and Deadpool fan Brody Dery, after the boy and his mom got Reynolds' attention with the help of social media

The 44-year-old said in the clip: 'Brody, it's Ryan Reynolds. I just heard a little bit about your story and I wanted to send you this video and let you know that I'm thinking about you and I'm sending you tons of love and I'm sending you strength, whatever strength I've got.'

He continued: 'Man, you have a ton of people in your life that love you so much. I know you've been going through it, I know it's been a challenge lately but you know something, Brody, you're just the man for the job.

'So I'm sending you lots of love. I hope I get to meet you in person one of these days and hang in there. OK, pal, bye.'

Brody, who's from Reynolds' native Canada, has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for stage 3B Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Biggest fan: Brody, who's from Reynolds' native Canada, has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for stage 3B Hodgkins Lymphoma

Sending strength: The 44-year-old said in the clip: 'Brody, it's Ryan Reynolds. I just heard a little bit about your story and I wanted to send you this video and let you know that I'm thinking about you and I'm sending you tons of love and I'm sending you strength, whatever strength I've got'

His mother Randi told CTV News of his reaction to the video: 'His jaw hit the floor. He keeps saying, "I feel special  I feel like I'm the movie star."'

It comes after they recorded their own video on Facebook earlier this week, before social media helped them get Reynolds' attention.

Randi said in the video: 'When we're having a hard day, we love watching Deadpool. The humor of those movies brings out the best of Brody and it brings out his funny side.

'COVID and cancer are really hard and we don't know what can be done but we wanted to send our favorite actor a message. Brody's the toughest kid that I know. He's tougher than most people and we didn't know who else to talk to. So we thought we'd send you a message.'

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently revealed that the upcoming Deadpool 3 will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making it the massive franchise's first R rating.

Big news: Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently revealed that the upcoming Deadpool 3 will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making it the massive franchise's first R rating

Coming soon: He told Collider it should begin filming in 2022: 'It will be rated R and we are working on a script right now, and Ryan's overseeing a script right now'

He told Collider it should begin filming in 2022: 'It will be rated R and we are working on a script right now, and Ryan's overseeing a script right now It will not be [filming] this year. Ryan is a very busy, very successful actor.

'We've got a number of things we've already announced that we now have to make, but it's exciting for it to have begun. Again, a very different type of character in the MCU, and Ryan is a force of nature, which is just awesome to see him bring that character to life.'

Although the titular assassin has made clever nods to both the MCU and the X-Men franchise, it's the first time he's officially joining either.

Reynolds celebrated the news on Instagram with a clever Disney joke: 'First order of business: Find the guy who killed Bambi's mom.'
A Worcester man is facing charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in federal court after authorities say he used stolen identities to fraudulently purchase MBTA passes.

The U.S. Attorneys Office in Massachusetts said 31-year-old Kokou Kuakumensah was arrested on Jan. 13 and charged with four counts of wire fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft.

Federal records said Kuakumensah used other individuals credit card accounts to fraudulently purchase MBTA commuter rail passes between January 2019 and March 2020.

Kuakumensah then re-sold these passes for less than their face value, including advertising the passes on Craiglist, according to authorities.

Investigators said the aggregate face value of the MBTA commuter rail passes was more than $100,000. Court records did not detail how much money Kuakumensah allegedly made from selling the passes.

Kuakumensah remains in federal custody, records show.



Vumacam has begun installing solar panels on its street camera poles across the country to combat load-shedding and unexpected power outages.

Vumacams security cameras are installed on street poles across Gauteng and rapidly increasing their footprint.

These fibre-connected cameras monitor streets across the province aid significantly in improving security and preventing crime.

However, the increased prevalence of rolling blackouts as part of Eskoms load-shedding practice to reduce strain on the national power grid has required Vumacam to install backup power for these camera installations.

Subsequently, many Johannesburg residents have noticed that the Vumacam poles in their areas now sport solar panels installed on the top.

MyBroadband asked the company about these installations, and it confirmed that it these are installed for their environmental effect as well as to mitigate the effects of load-shedding.

It also confirmed that the poles do have battery backups, which means that even if they do not have a solar panel installed, they can continue to function during power outages.

Backup power and anti-theft mechanisms

Vumacam told MyBroadband that ss grid power is the most reliable form of power, it is its first preference.

However, it is important to always look to alternative energy options where possible, Vumacam said.

Not only as a greener option, but also to mitigate various issues such as power outages, which, in South Africa is a reality, and to assist the growth of our network where grid power may not be feasible.

Solar panels are also useful in areas where obtaining grid power access may prove difficult, making it the most efficient alternative option.

Solar panels do ensure more stability in the case of load shedding, Vumacam said. Poles with a hybrid of both grid and solar power access are obviously the most reliably powered.

As solar and power backup equipment is prone to theft, all our poles are equipped with formidable anti-theft mechanisms and armed response alerts.

Solar panel rollout

Vumacam said solar panel infrastructure was only being installed in certain areas for now, based on necessity.

Poles powered by solar are rolled out based on need and demand, Vumacam said.

As we are dealing with a very high demand for infrastructure and cameras at the moment, efficient rollouts using solar power are critical in meeting crime-prevention demands.

We are currently rolling out our public space network across Gauteng but with a vision to moving out to other metropolitans in other provinces, it said.

Vumacams infrastructure rollout has been greatly accelerated through an expanded partnership with Fidelity, which will see it installing security cameras throughout Gauteng.

This is part of a contracted solution to residential communities and commercial customers  including businesses, smallholdings, estates and shopping malls.

Vumacam solar panels

Images of the new solar infrastructure installed on Vumacam poles are shown below.


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Two female Afghan judges were killed in Kabul on Sunday when unidentified armed men opened fire at the vehicle they were travelling in, marking the latest incident of targeted killings in the war-torn country, a security source said.

The incident took place in Taimani neighbourhood, Police District 4 of the city, the source told Xinhua news agency.

The shooting also left two other government employees injured, he added.

Sunday's incident was the latest in a string of targeted killings in Afghanistan

On January 12, two female army officers died and two female officers and a driver wounded in a similar incident in northern Balkh province.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Agartala, Jan 17 : Tripura's opposition Congress has called a 12 hour shutdown on Monday to protest against the alleged attack on state party President Pijush Biswas by the "BJP goons".

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) condemned the attack but urged Congress to call off its agitation.

Congress' Tripura Vice President Tapas Dey said that BJP workers, accompanied by "notorious goons", attacked Biswas in Bishalgarh in Sepehijala district late Saturday evening. While the state party chief narrowly escaped, several party workers were injured.

"The attack was done by a large number of BJP workers and the goons in presence of police. To protest the BJP attack on the state party chief, we have called a state-wide 12-hour shutdown on Monday," Dey, accompanied by state General Secretaries Harekrishna Bhowmik, Baptu Chakraborty and Tejen Das, told the media.

The Congress leaders said that FIR was lodged on Saturday night immediately after the attack, but police yet to take any step to arrest the attackers.

Biswas, a veteran lawyer, later told the media that the "BJP goons" unleashed the attack to murder him and badly damaged his car with iron rods and lathis.

"The BJP led government in Tripura is not only an undemocratic government, it is also running a barbaric governance. People should go on all out protest against the BJP government," he said.

BJP's state chief spokesman Subrata Chakraborty demanded an impartial inquiry to reveal the truth.

"We urge the police to take appropriate legal action against the attackers. The probe would reveal whether it is an attack or outcome of the Congress' internal feud. The Congress also must withdraw the strike call as it would hinder the peace and progress undertaken by the BJP government," he said.

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January 17, 2021 Pangilinan: Philippines shouldn't settle for 'pwede na' in choice of vaccines vs Covid IN ORDER to convince half of the population who are unwilling to be vaccinated, the Philippines should not settle for "pwede na" or passing efficacy and safety standards, Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said Sunday. "Bukod sa 47 percent na ayaw magpabakuna, meron pang 27 percent na di siguradong magpapabakuna. Kaya kailangan natin ang pinakaligtas at pinakamabisang bakuna para sa ating mga kababayan. Hindi pwedeng 'pwede na'," Pangilinan said. He said scientific evidence should be the only basis for the use of vaccines on Filipinos: "While we appreciate the gesture, the donation of 500,000 Chinese vaccines should not pressure FDA and HTAC to approve its use. Science, data, and the results of clinical trials should be the basis and not "political goodwill'," referring to the Food and Drug Administration and the Health Technology Assessment Council. At the second hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole on the country's vaccination program on Friday (January 15), senators asked the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to detail the vaccine roll-out plan after some government officials released conflicting information to the public. The senator who pushed for the Committee of the Whole hearings on the government's vaccine roll-out plan pointed out the different numbers of vaccines and the different vaccination schedules that have been bandied about. "Wala talagang malinaw na bilang kung ilang bakuna ang made-deliver sa natin at matuturok na by middle of February, kahit na mula sa Covax facility. Merong sinasabing one million sa March, at two million sa April. Pero nang tinanong natin ang IATF tungkol sa vaccine target from February to April, wala raw 'definitive numbers', kahit yung sa Covax," he said. Covax facility is a global risk-sharing mechanism for pooled procurement and equitable distribution of eventual Covid-19 vaccines; the Philippines is part of this facility. Pangilinan wants the Senate to receive a regular report on the vaccine roll-out effort, including the targets and the list of resources to be used for it. He said these should serve as key indicators of success or failure of the vaccine roll-out. On the separate vaccine roll-outs of local governments and the private sector, Pangilinan said best practices must be used as template and basis for giving additional resources to government officials who know the reality on the ground. Pangilinan recalled the slow Covid response over the past 11 months, including delays in the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing kits. He advised Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez to effectively engage with "the energetic and dynamic" local government units (LGUs) and the private sector, which could be his "army", given the dismal government performance on addressing the pandemic and its effects over the last eleven months. "I'd like you to be a general with an army. And I would like to avoid the delays experienced over the past year," Panglinan added. The senator stressed the need for transparency and informing the people of important decisions regarding the vaccination program. "Mahalaga na naipapaalam natin sa ating mga kababayan na the best ang makukuha natin. Di tayo papayag sa second best para sa mga bakuna natin (A major factor is that our people are told, and that they know that we are getting the best. We are not settling for second best vaccines for our citizens given this pandemic)," Pangilinan said. The Senate Committee of the Whole adjourned on Friday after two hearings. Pangilinan supports Senator Panfilo Lacson's call for a third Senate Committee of the Whole hearing on the same topic, given the "loose ends" and "hanging questions" on the government national vaccine roll-out. As of January 16, the Philippines have reported 2,058 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the country's total to 498,691.
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Armed supporters of President Trump descended on state capitals nationwide on Sunday as members of the anti-government Boogaloo Boys brandished semi-automatic weapons near the Michigan State Capitol while Washington, DC, was turned into a fortress.

The nation's capital looks like a military zone with National Guard and local police setting up checkpoints and a huge perimeter outside the US Capitol building just 10 days after it was stormed by MAGA rioters.

Despite the heavy military presence, a 22-year-old Virginia man was arrested for possession of three high capacity magazines, 37 rounds of unregistered ammunition, and a Glock gun near the US Capitol on Sunday while a Connecticut woman was detained for impersonating a police officer as the nation's capital remains on high alert in the days leading up to Wednesday's inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

Meanwhile, Starbucks has shut down all of its New York City locations on Sunday - reportedly for fear of protests - while security was beefed up around State Capitols nationwide.

Mike Dunn, second from left, and other members of the Boogaloo Boys movement, pose for photos with their semi-automatic rifles, days ahead of President-elect Joe Biden inauguration, in Richmond, Virginia on Sunday

Virginia National Guard soldiers are seen standing watch on the National Mall on Sunday, three days before the inauguration

National Guard members receive guns and ammunition outside the United States Capitol building ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday. Police in Washington, DC, arrested a man early on Sunday morning for illegal possession of a firearm. On Saturday, a Connecticut woman was arrested for impersonating a police officer

Members of the armed anti-government 'Boogaloo Bois' militia are seen above outside the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

Police in riot gear monitor activity outside the Pennsylvania Capitol Building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday

A member of the Boogaloo Boys is seen above near the statehouse in Salem, Oregon, on Sunday

Armed protesters are seen above outside the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sunday

Armed members of the Boogaloo movement are seen above talking to people in front of the State Capitol in Concord, New Hampshire, on Sunday

Armed groups supporting President Trump hold a rally in front of a closed Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sunday

In Michigan, armed protesters began gathering outside the State Capitol in Lansing on Sunday. About 20 protesters, among them members of the anti-government Boogaloo movement, were seen outside the statehouse just after noon - with the numbers expected to grow.

At around 3pm, however, many of the protesters began to leave the area. At its peak, there were about 100 armed protesters, though they were outnumbered by police from several departments, the National Guard, and members of the news media, according to the Lansing State Journal.

'It has all stayed peaceful,' Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said.

'That's tremendous ... to make sure that people could exercise their first and second amendment rights without any violence or conflict.'

The small group of demonstrators, some armed, stood near a chain-link fence surrounding the building as state police walked the grounds and National Guard vehicles were parked nearby.

Washington, DC, police said they noticed Guy Berry, 22, of Gordonsville, Virginia, walking on the 200 block of Massachusetts Avenue NE just after midnight on Sunday with a gun 'clearly visible' in a holster.

When he was questioned, police determined that Berry was legally permitted to carry a handgun in the District of Columbia. He was arrested and charged with carrying a pistol without a license, possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, and unregistered ammunition.

A day earlier, Linda Magovern, 63, of Stratford, Connecticut, reportedly approached US Capitol Police officers at an inauguration checkpoint on First and Columbus Circle in Northeast Washington, DC, at around 8:45am.

Trump supporters Robert Marvin (left) and Becky Strohmeier (right) sit outside the Capitol building in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday during a nationwide protest called by anti-government and far-right groups supporting President Trump and his claim of electoral fraud in the November 3 presidential election

A Boogaloo militia member is seen above standing in front of the State Capitol in Concord, New Hampshire, on Sunday

The image above shows heaviy armed officers standing outside the Georgia Capitol building in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday

Conservation Officers with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources walk to the Minnesota Capitol building before a gathering of Trump supporters outside the Capitol building in St. Paul on Sunday

According to police, Magovern showed officers a military police challenge coin while claiming that she was part of law enforcement and a member of the presidential cabinet.

Police then instructed Magovern to put her car in park and turn off the engine, according to WUSA-TV.

When one of the officers asked Magovern to show her driver's license, she allegedly began driving forward.

Officers then repeatedly asked her to stop the vehicle.

Magovern is then alleged to have fled northbound on Columbus Circle. She was eventually stopped in front of 50 Massachusetts Avenue and arrested.

She has been charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer and fleeing from police.

Before she was booked by Capitol Police, Magovern was taken to United Medical Center in Washington, D.C. for evaluation.

Police and National Guard troops stood sentry at newly fortified statehouses Sunday ahead of demonstrations planned for the leadup to Biden's inauguration, as authorities worked to deter a repeat of the recent riot that overran the US Capitol.

Armed demonstrators walk outside of the Michigan state capital building in Lansing on Sunday

The protesters are members of the anti-government militia known as the Boogaloo Boys

The armed demonstrators braved the cold weather to stage a demonstration just after noon on Sunday in Lansing

One of the protesters seen alongside the Boogaloo Boys is wearing a Black Lives Matter sweater in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

Another protester holds an anti-Trump sign outside the State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

According to local media in Lansing, there were about 100 protesters, though they were outnumbered by police and National Guard personnel

Two men with rifles are seen above standing outside the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

Michigan State Police are seen above outside of the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

Michigan State Police are seen above walking into the House Office building ahead of a protest in Lansing on Sunday

Members of the Michigan National Guard are positioned outside of the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

Members of the Michigan State Police are seen above preparing to deploy at the State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

Michigan National Guard vehicles move into position outside the State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

Members of the Michigan National Guard stand guard outside the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

Members of the Michigan National Guard are positioned outside the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

Michigan National Guard members are seen above taking positions outside the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing on Sunday

A pro-Trump demonstrator is pictured above holding a Besty Ross-era American flag that is often brandished by members of far-right, anti-government militia members in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

Pro-Trump demonstrators are seen above staging a protest outside the State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

Michigan State Police stand by as pro-Trump demonstrators wave flags during a protest near the State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday

A few protesters were starting to gather in some cities, but streets in many others remained empty.

About two dozen people, several carrying long guns, protested outside the Ohio Statehouse, observed by several of the dozens of state troopers positioned around the building.

Several dozen people - some carrying American flags - gathered at South Carolina's Statehouse.

Tall fencing also now surrounds the US Capitol, the National Mall is closed to the general public, and the District of Columbia's mayor asked people not to visit.

Some 25,000 National Guard troops from around the country were due in the city in the coming days.

The stepped-up security measures were intended to safeguard seats of government from the type of violence that occurred at the US Capitol on January 6, when a supporters of President Donald Trump swarmed the building while Congress was certifying the Electoral College vote.

The FBI has warned of the potential for armed protests at the nation's Capitol and all 50 state capitol buildings beginning this weekend.

The protests are part of nationwide demonstrations staged by supporters of President Trump

A member of the Boogaloo Boys displays his clip of live rounds as he and others demonstrate outside the statehouse in Concord

New Hampshire State Police are seen above near the State Capitol building in Concord, New Hampshire, on Sunday

There did not appear to be any incidents during the small-scale demonstrations in Concord on Sunday

Some social media messages had targeted Sunday for demonstrations, though it remained unclear how many people might show up.

Authorities in some states said they had no specific indication that demonstrations would occur, much less turn violent.

Yet many state officials vowed to be prepared, just in case.

They said they did not want a repeat of the mob's assault, which left left a Capitol Police officer and four others dead.

In recent days, more than 125 people have been arrested on charges related to the insurrection.

In some locations, a small number of people showed up intending to counter protests, even in places where they had not yet materialized.

One counter-protester came early to greet any demonstrators at the Pennsylvania Capitol, saying he had heard about the possibility of a meet-up of a far-right militant group.

But no one else was there.

'I'm fundamentally against the potential protesters coming here to delegitimize the election, and I don't want to be passive in expressing my disapproval of them coming into this city,' Stephen Rzonca said.

Wisconsin National Guard troops armed with rifles, shields and body armor arrived near the state Capitol on Sunday morning.

A man who drove a vehicle up the steps of the Capitol building was arrested overnight for driving while intoxicated.

More than a third of governors had called out the National Guard to help protect their state capitols and aid local law enforcement officers.

National Guard members patrol outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday

A Trump supporter uses a megaphone during a protest outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday

Local political activist Gene Stilp (right) pulls down a cut-out Trump while staging an anti-Trump demonstration in front of the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg on Sunday

A protester carries a crossbow outside the capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday afternoon

A supporter of President Trump is seen above outside the Pennsylvania Capitol Building in Harrisburg on Sunday

Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard patrol the State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday

A supporter of President Trump is seen right wearing a mask that reads 'Don't tread on me' outside the State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday

Members of the Capitol Police are adorned in riot gear as they stand outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg on Sunday

Pennsylvania Capitol Police on horseback patrol the State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday

National Guard soldiers are seen above standing outside the State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky, on Sunday

A sign notifying the public that the capitol grounds are closed is seen at the Capitol Building in Frankfort, Kentucky, on Sunday

A member of the Boogaloo Boys speaks to the media at the Capitol Building in Frankfort, Kentucky, on Sunday

Several governors issued states of emergency, and others closed their capitols to the public until after Biden's inauguration day.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said in a statement Sunday that law enforcement officers 'will protect the rights of peaceful demonstrators but will also vigorously resist any violence.'

Some state legislatures also canceled sessions or pared back their work for the coming week, citing security precautions.

Even before the violence at the US Capitol, some statehouses had been the target of vandals and angry protesters during the past year.

Last spring, armed protesters entered the Michigan Capitol to object to coronavirus-related lockdowns and were confronted by police.

People angered over the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes, vandalized capitols in several states, including Colorado, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.

Members of the Georgia National Guard take positions outside the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on Sunday

The State Capitol in Atlanta was the site of several 'stop the steal' protests in the days and weeks following the November 3 election

Members of the Devine Deliverance Life Center pray in front of Georgia National Guard troops guarding the State Capitol in Atlanta on Sunday

Two men who identified as being members of the Constitutional Brigade speak to Georgia National Guard troops as they protect the perimeter of the Georgia State Capitol building in Atlanta on Sunday

Protesters gather outside the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sunday

Utah National Guard soldiers are seen above patrolling the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City on Sunday

Utah National Guardsmen walk near the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sunday

The FBI has warned of the potential for armed protests at the nation's Capitol and all 50 state capitol buildings beginning this weekend. A National Guardsman is seen above outside the State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sunday

And just last month, crowds in Oregon forced their way into the state Capitol in Salem to protest its closure to the public during a special legislative session on coronavirus measures.

Anticipating the potential for violence in the coming week, the building's first floor windows were boarded up and the National Guard has been deployed.

The Legislature was scheduled to begin its 2021 session on Tuesday, but much of its initial work has been delayed for at least two days because of warnings about potential violence.

'The state Capitol has become a fortress,' said Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, a Democrat.

'I never thought I'd see that; it breaks my heart.'


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The woman later handed herself into Gardai in Sligo after the alleged assault.

A woman in her 20s was arrested and charged after she allegedly hospitalised a staff member at a premises when she was advised of her failure to wear a face mask.

A female staff member was brought to hospital for non life-threatening injuries after she was assaulted with an implement a number of times during the incident.

The alleged attacker then fled the scene on foot.

The serious assault occurred in Sligo Town at 6:45pm yesterday when the woman entered a premises without a face covering. The woman was advised of her failure to wear a face covering by a staff member and left once again.

She then returned shortly after and allegedly assaulted a female member of staff a number of times with an implement.

The female staff member required hospital treatment for her injuries was taken to Sligo University Hospital.

Her injuries are described as non-life threatening.

The alleged attacker later presented herself voluntarily to Gardai at Sligo Garda station and was arrested and charged at Ballymote Garda Station.

She will appear before Sligo District Court on Thursday, January 21.
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Jon Caldara is president of the Independence Institute in Denver and hosts The Devils Advocate with Jon Caldara on Colorado Public Television Channel 12. His column appears Sundays in Colorado Politics.
BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrapped up his visit to four Southeast Asian countries on Saturday, his second trip to the region since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with both sides expressing a strong will to forge a closer partnership.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the dialogue relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an important milestone in the development of bilateral ties. In retrospect, it has been an extraordinary journey that started with a strategic vision.

Among ASEAN's dialogue partners, China has been number one on many fronts. China was the first to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, the first to forge a strategic partnership with ASEAN, the first to start negotiations on a free trade area with ASEAN, and the first to give unequivocal support for ASEAN centrality in East Asian regional cooperation.

Last year, facing a once-in-a-century global health crisis and ensuing economic challenges, China and ASEAN worked closely in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and reopening the economy, turning East Asia into a stellar exemplar in the global fight against the novel coronavirus and an early bird in achieving economic recovery.

Despite the contracting global trade and economic recession, the two sides became each other's largest trading partners for the first time in 2020. The two sides also jointly pushed for the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which gave birth to the world's most promising free trade area with the largest population and biggest economic aggregate.

The visit to Myanmar, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines was Wang's first trip to neighboring countries in the new year, highlighting the importance of ASEAN in China's foreign policy.

The joint fight against the novel coronavirus is at the top of the agenda for both sides. ASEAN supported China with donations of medical supplies when China was in the throes of its fight against the disease. China returned the favor later by offering medical supplies, dispatching medical teams, sharing prevention and treatment experiences and enhancing vaccine cooperation.

As stressed repeatedly by the Chinese side, as the ravaging pandemic continues to wreak havoc, China keeps in mind the need of ASEAN countries for a COVID-19 vaccine, and has pledged to carry out vaccine cooperation with more ASEAN members.

The economic recovery in the post-pandemic era also tops the agenda of China-ASEAN cooperation. During Wang's visit, the Chinese side and the four countries also agreed to further strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, maritime, fishery, travel, energy, culture, people-to-people exchanges, sustainable development, and grasp new cooperation opportunities brought by the digital economy including 5G and e-commerce.

Across the planet, the global economy is experiencing a deep recession, and resurgent protectionism, unilateralism and hegemonism are posing a grave threat to world peace and development.

Both as staunch supporters of multilateralism and an open world economy, China and ASEAN can become a powerful catalyst of global progress and trade. With the signing of the RCEP and a strong cooperation momentum, the two sides can continue to play a major role in the post-pandemic economic recovery and growth in the region.

Due to the past 30 years of tremendous progress, China and ASEAN have set an example in building a community with a shared future for mankind. Standing at the historical juncture, the two sides should grasp the new opportunities, steer clear of noise and disruptions, and forge a closer community with bright prospects.
New Delhi:

International Court of Justice on Friday asked India to give its final submission on Kulbhushan Jadhav case by September 13, while Pakistan has been given the deadline of December 13 for the same, the Ministry of External Affairs official said.



Earlier, Pakistan claimed that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has rejected Indias request to delay proceedings of Kubhushan Jadhavs case until December.



Pakistan through its consulate in Netherlands came to know that the ICJ ordered India to submit a response by September 13, Dawn newspaper quoted Attorney General (AG) Ashtar Ausaf Ali as saying.



However, the full order has now clarified that Pakistan has been given the deadline of December 13 in the case, giving a potential extension to the case as per Indias request.

Read | ICJ president to discuss further procedure in Kulbhushan Jadhav case with India, Pak



Jadhav, 45, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April.The ICJ has written a letter to Pakistan informing us of their decision, the attorney general said.



India had adopted the stance that the matter was one of life and death, but Pakistan had stated that the ICJ is not a court of appeals.



The ICJ is supposed to conclude whether or not Jadhav can receive consular access, for which a time period of two to three months is more than enough to file a response, he said.

Read | Kulbhushan Jadhav case is fake and fabricated tale conjured to sabotage India: Pakistani political party tells ICJ



Dawn report did not that Pakistan will submit its response to the ICJ in December, while the court proceedings will begin in January 2018.



In a hearing of the case on May 18, a 10-member bench at The Hague-based ICJ restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav.



India moved the ICJ against the death penalty on May 8. The next day, the global court stayed the sentence as a provisional measure.



Pakistan claims its security forces arrested him from its restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that he was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy.



(With Inputs from PTI)

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Kunovice Airport, Uherske Hradiste, Czech Republic [ UHE / LKKU ]

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Uherske Hradiste Airport Info:

Uherske Hradiste Airport IATA Code: UHE Uherske Hradiste Airport ICAO Code: LKKU Latitude : 49.0294 Longitude : 17.4397 City : Uherske Hradiste Country : Czech Republic World Area Code : 418 Airport Type : Medium Uherske Hradiste Airport Address / Contact Details :

Uherske Hradiste Airport (UHE), 687 22 Ostrozska Nova Ves, Czech Republic Airport Type : Public Timezone : Europe/Prague Kunovice Airport Timezone : GMT +02:00 hours Current time and date at Kunovice Airport is 05:14:44 AM (CEST) on Friday, May 28, 2021

Looking for information on Kunovice Airport, Uherske Hradiste, Czech Republic? Know about Kunovice Airport in detail. Find out the location of Kunovice Airport on Czech Republic map and also find out airports near to Uherske Hradiste. This airport locator is a very useful tool for travelers to know where is Kunovice Airport located and also provide information like hotels near Kunovice Airport, airlines operating to Kunovice Airport etc... IATA Code and ICAO Code of all airports in Czech Republic. Scroll down to know more about Kunovice Airport or Uherske Hradiste Airport, Czech Republic.

Kunovice Airport Map - Location of Kunovice Airport Load Map Czech Republic - General Information Country Code CZ Capital Prague Currency Koruna (CZK)

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Clickable Location Map of Kunovice Airport on Google Map.

General information about Czech Republic where Kunovice Airport is located in the city of Uherske Hradiste. General information include capital of Czech Republic, currency and conversion rate of Czech Republic currency, Telephone Country code, exchange rate against US Dollar and Euro in case of major world currencies etc...

UHE - Kunovice Airport IATA Code and LKKU - Kunovice Airport ICAO code
Signal has restored its services a day after the application faced technical difficulties, as it dealt with a flood of new users following rival messaging app WhatsApp announced a controversial change in privacy terms. On early Saturday, Signal users took to social media to report a technical issue that affected the delivery of messages on the platform. The messaging company in a series of tweets had acknowledged the problem and said that it is working hard to restore the service as quickly as possible. Signal continues to see a significant rise in downloads following a change in WhatsApp's privacy terms that requires its users to share their data with both Facebook and Instagram.

The company explains that Android users who are seeing "Bad encrypted message" must tap the menu at the top-right corner and select 'Reset secure session.' On iOS devices, Signal users can select 'Reset Session' button below 'Received message was out of sync.' The company iterates that the technical errors do not affect chat security that promises end-to-end encryption.

Signal further adds, "As an unfortunate side effect of this outage, users might see errors in some of their chats. This does not affect your chat's security, but you may have missed a message from that contact. The next Signal app updates will fix this automatically."

On Android if you see "Bad encrypted message," tap the menu in the top-right & tap "Reset secure session." On iOS tap the "Reset Session" button below "Received message was out of sync." The errors do not affect chat security & will be automatically fixed in the next app update. pic.twitter.com/dgLGLZS3zB  Signal (@signalapp) January 17, 2021

Several users in India had also complained about issues with the Android and iOS apps. Signal co-founder Brian Acton had previously said that the Indian market exceeded all its expectations. The executive in an interview also added that Signal has been topping the iOS App Store in 40 countries and is number one in 18 countries on Google Play. It has managed over ten million downloads, just days after WhatsApp announced a new privacy policy and terms of service for the platform. Meanwhile, Facebook has pushed the rollout date of the new policy to May 15, amid confusion" and "misinformation."
There is a wide variety of entry-level Windows 10 laptops in the South African market priced at less than R5,000.

These computers may not have the powerful hardware, sleek metal bodies, or narrow screen bezels found in the premium segment, but they should be more than capable enough for less demanding use-cases.

Users who need to access programs and applications that perform basic computing tasks  which could include word and spreadsheet processing, reading emails, browsing the web, listening to music, and streaming video  will likely be satisfied with a budget laptop.

Add the advantage of mobility and an all-in-one package and it makes for an even more attractive option.

However, to ensure reliable performance, it is recommended that the laptop meet the minimum requirements for Windows 10 as set out by Microsoft.

These are as follows:

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit

1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS or 20 GB for 64-bit OS

16 GB for 32-bit OS or 20 GB for 64-bit OS Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver Display: 800 x 600

We assembled a list of 10 of the cheapest laptops which ship with Windows 10, meet the above requirements, and can be purchased from online stores in South Africa.

The cheapest model we found was a 14-inch laptop from an obscure company called Connex which was priced at R2,999 at HiFi Corp.

While there were a number of other obscure brands in our compilation, there were also laptops from well-known manufacturers including ASUS, Lenovo, and Mecer.

Most of the machines featured Intels Celeron and Atom processor, although one entry did come with a budget offering from AMD.

We specifically excluded any refurbished models from our list.

Connex Trendbook 14-inch  R2,999

Main Display 14-inch 1,366 x 768 LCD Operating System Windows 10 Home Processor Intel Atom Z3735F RAM 2GB Storage 32GB eMMC GPU Intel HD Graphics Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (unspecified standards) I/O 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0 Battery Unspecified Camera 0.3MP Size 360 x 250 x 80mm mm (2.1kg)

Mobicel Excite  R3,299

Main Display 14-inch 1,366 x 768 LCD Operating System Windows 10 Home Processor Intel Atom Z8350 RAM 4GB Storage 32GB eMMC GPU Intel HD Graphics Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0 I/O 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x mini HDMI, 1 x microSD card reader, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack Battery 29.6Wh Camera 0.3MP Size 333 x 220 13.7mm (unspecified weight)

Connex Slimbook 2  R3,299

Main Display 14-inch 1,366 x 768 LCD Operating System Windows 10 Home Processor Intel Celeron N3350 RAM 3GB Storage 32GB GPU Intel HD Graphics Connectivity 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 I/O 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.0, 1 x mini HDMI, 1 x microSD card reader Battery 25.9Wh Camera 0.3MP Size 329 x 220 x 20mm (1.4kg)

ASUS VivoBook E12  R3,499

Main Display 11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 LCD Operating System Windows 10 Home Processor Intel Celeron N3350 RAM 4GB Storage 64GB eMMC GPU Intel HD Graphics Connectivity 802.11 ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 I/O 2 x USB 3.1, 1 x USB-C, 1 x microSD card reader, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack Battery 38Wh Camera 0.3MP Size 287 x 193 x 18mm (2.2kg)

ASUS E12 E203  R3,689

Main Display 11-inch 1,366 x 768 LCD Operating System Windows 10 Home Processor Intel Celeron N3350 RAM 4GB Storage 64GB eMMC GPU Intel HD Graphics Connectivity 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 I/O 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack 1x HDMI 1x Micro SD

1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C//Micro SD card reader

1x USB3.1-Type C(Gen1)//2x USB 3.0 Battery 38Wh Camera 0.3MP Size 286 x 193 x 17 mm and (1.16kg)

Mecer Xpression Mylife  R3,699

Main Display 14-inch 1,366 x 768 Operating System Windows 10 Home Processor Intel Atom Z8350 RAM 2GB Storage 32GB eMMC GPU Intel HD Graphics Connectivity 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 I/O 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x micro HDMI Port 1 x micro SD card reader Battery 37Wh Camera 2MP Size 333 x 220 x 18mm (1.43kg)

Ilife Zed Air 14-inch  R3,599

Main Display 14-inch 1,920 x 1,080 LCD Operating System Windows 10 Home Processor Intel Celeron N3350 RAM 4GB RAM Storage 128GB SSD GPU Intel HD Graphics Connectivity 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 I/O 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x mini HDMI, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack Battery 18.5Wh Camera 0.3MP Size (1.36kg)

Point of View 14-inch  R3,999

Main Display 14.1-inch 1,920 x 1,080 LCD Operating System Windows 10 Home Processor Intel Celeron N3350 RAM 4GB Storage 64GB GPU Intel HD Graphics Connectivity 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 I/O 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x microSD Card reader, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack Battery 16.6Wh Camera 2MP Size Unavailable

ASUS X543  R3,959

Main Display 15.6-inch 1,366 x 768 Operating System Windows 10 Home Processor Intel Celeron N4000 RAM 4GB Storage 500GB HDD GPU Intel UHD Graphics Connectivity 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 I/O 1x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack Battery 33Wh Camera 0.3MP Size 381mm x 251mm x 27.2mm (1.9kg)

Lenovo Ideapad  R4,599
Mumbai:

The Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday proposed the name of eminent agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan for the highest post if the BJP was not ready for the RSS chiefs candidature.



Sena, the BJPs oldest ally, which has been consistently pushing for Mohan Bhagwat as the next president, changed its stand after the RSS chief recently expressed his disinclination to become constitutional head of the country.



Bhagwat, 66, recently said he is not interested in the presidents post.



The Sena had earlier said the nation needs a person who can seal its fate as a Hindu Rashtra.

Read | RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat good choice for President, will make India a 'Hindu Rashtra': Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut



It had also criticised the BJP over the recent farmers strike in Maharashtra for their demands of a complete loan waiver and remunerative price for their produce and asked the ally to take lessons from it.



Today, not only in Maharashtra, but farmers across the country are in distress. They have, in several parts of the country, hit the streets in protest. If the government accepts Swaminathan Commissions recommendations, farmers will immensely benefit, Sena MP Sanjay Raut told reporters in Mumbai.



The cultivators, who recently went on a strike against Maharashtra government, had demanded implementation of the recommendations of the Swaminathan committee report, along with a blanket loan waiver.



All his recommendations should be accepted and implemented immediately, Raut said.Before the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in-principle agreed to implement all recommendations of the Swaminathan committee report. Even after coming to power, he had assured of fulfilling his promise, he said.



Therefore an eminent person like him is fit to hold the Presidents post. Uddhavji will recommend his name to Amit Shah when he calls on him at Matoshree (Thackerays residence) on Sunday, Raut said.

Read | Presidential poll will act as catalyst to unite parties against BJP: JDU

MS Swaminathan desh ke gaurav hain. Aise vyakti rashtrapati ho toh sambhav hai sarvsammati ho jaaye:DP Tripathi,NCP on #PresidentialElection pic.twitter.com/88dYYptQLt  ANI (@ANI_news) June 16, 2017

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Beijing: China has finished building a 1500-room hospital for COVID-19 patients to fight a surge in infections the government said are harder to contain and that it blamed on infected people or goods from abroad.

The hospital is one of six with a total of 6500 rooms being built in Nangong, south of Beijing in Hebei province, the official Xinhua News Agency said on Saturday.

Workers build a large centralised quarantine facility capable of holding several thousand people in Shijiazhuang in northern China's Hebei Province. China on Saturday finished building a 1500-room hospital for COVID-19 patients in Nangong, south of Beijing in Hebei Province, to fight a surge in infections. Credit:Xinhua via AP

China had largely contained the coronavirus that first was detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019 but has suffered a surge of cases since December.

A total of 645 people are being treated in Nangong and the Hebei provincial capital, Shijiazhuang, Xinhua said. A 3000-room hospital is under construction in Shijiazhuang.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  Filipinos can now again apply for H-2B visas after the US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the lifting of a ban set a year ago.

"For 2021, the acting secretary of homeland security and the secretary of state have agreed to... Add the Philippines to the list of countries eligible to participate in the H-2B program," a statement on the USCIS website. << >>

The ban was imposed in January 2020 over concerns of "severe" overstaying and human trafficking.

According to the USCIS, "The H-2B program allows U.S. employers or U.S. agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary nonagricultural jobs."

However, the country is still not cleared for applications for a H-2A visa, which is meant for temporary agricultural work.

Other types of visas remain available to Filipinos.

The US Department of Homeland Security said it has the authority to modify the list of countries who are eligible for the programs any time.

" Examples of factors that could result in the exclusion of a country or the removal of a country from the list include fraud, abuse, denial rates, overstay rates, human trafficking concerns, and other forms of noncompliance with the terms and conditions of the H-2 visa programs by nationals of that country that are contrary to U.S. interest," it said.
Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza has signed an order banning direct flights to Italy from Brazil after a new variant of the was identified in four passengers arriving from that country.

The ban is effective immediately through January 31, according to the order posted on the website of the Ministry of Health on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I signed an order blocking flights departing from Brazil, and forbidding entry into Italy to anyone who has travelled through Brazil over the past 14 days," Speranza wrote in a statement.

"It is mandatory for anyone already in Italy who came from Brazil to contact health authorities and to get tested (for the virus)," the minister said. "It is essential for our scientists to be able to conduct an in-depth study of the new variant. Meanwhile, we choose the path of maximum caution."

In related news, Speranza on Saturday also signed an order specifying which of Italy's 20 regions will fall into which colour-coded zone, beginning on Sunday.

In a bid to contain the second wave of the pandemic, the government late last year divided the country into three colour-coded areas -- yellow, orange, and red -- with varying restrictions according to the level of transmission of the virus.

Lombardy, Sicily and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano will fall into the red or high-risk zone, where the toughest anti-virus rules apply, including the shutdown of most shops and all bars, restaurants, gyms and museums.

Abruzzo, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Marche, Piedmont, Puglia, Umbria and Valle d'Aosta will join Calabria, Emilia Romagna and Veneto in the orange or medium-risk zone. Restrictions include a ban on travel outside one's municipality, and restaurants can operate so long as they only serve take-away.

Campania, Basilicata, Molise, the Autonomous Province of Trento, Sardinia and Tuscany will be designated yellow, or low-risk, according to the minister's latest order. Yellow zones rules say bars and restaurants can serve take-away until 6 p.m., and shops and museums are open.

The designations are effective through January 31, according the order.

Italy on Saturday reported 16,310 new cases, 16,186 recoveries and 475 deaths.

--IANS

int/

(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.)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 16:58:52|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Sunday reported three more imported COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the kingdom to 439 so far, said a Health Ministry (MoH) statement.

The new cases were detected on Cambodian migrant workers returning from Thailand on Jan. 12, 13, and 15 via land borders, the statement said.

"The results of their samples' tests showed that the three persons above were positive for the COVID-19," MoH secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said in the statement.

Currently, two of them are undergoing treatment at the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Referral Hospital and one at the Oddar Meanchey Provincial Referral Hospital, she said.

The Southeast Asian nation has registered a total of 439 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, with zero deaths and 385 recoveries, Vandine added. Enditem
Donald Trumps former national security adviser HR McMaster would not support the outgoing president if he were to run again in 2024.

While Mr McMaster said he doesnt support anybody in the next presidential cycle  citing his penchant as a national security official to steer clear of politics  he could not bring himself to throw his weight behind Mr Trump because of how polarising he is.

"No, I think it would be terribly divisive," McMaster said in an interview with CNNs Jake Tapper on Sunday.

Mr McMaster would not comment on whether the Senate should vote to convict Mr Trump at his upcoming impeachment trial, a move that would allow senators to bar him from ever holding federally elected office again.

But Mr McMaster did say the presidents impeachment in the House over his role inciting the insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January that resulted in five deaths was proof nobody is above the law.

Mr McMaster joins a chorus of Republican leaders previously allied with Mr Trump who have denounced his actions since losing the 2020 election  culminating in the deadly riots earlier this month as Congress was certifying Joe Bidens electoral victory  and questioned the presidents future role in the party.

Even the typically pro-Trump Republican governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, admitted on Sunday that Mr Trump bears at least some blame for raising the political tensions that snapped on 6 January.

He asked all the people to come to Washington for the rally and then he used very aggressive language in the rally itself and he misled people as to what happened during the election, that it was stolen and that our checks and balances are not working, Mr Hutchinson said in an interview with Chris Wallace of Fox News Sunday.

The presidents persistent challenge to the 2020 was wrong for deluding his supporters into thinking he could actually remain in power, Mr Hutchinson said.

Such gaslighting did not serve our nation well, and it was demonstrated on January 6, the governor said.

Several of Mr Trumps top advisers and Cabinet officials have resigned in the final days of his presidency in protest against his post-election actions.

They include such high-profile names as Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who is married to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Paul Quinn who was murdered at a remote border barn in County Monaghan

Gardai are making a fresh push to catch those behind the brutal murder of south Armagh man Paul Quinn almost 14 years ago.

The 21-year-old, from Cullyhanna, was beaten to death by a gang of around a dozen men in a farm shed across the border near Castleblayney, Co Monaghan in October 2007.

His family blame members of the IRA, but Sinn Fein has long denied republican involvement.

The Irish Sun reports today that those behind the killing are now at the centre of a new garda inquiry.

Around 200 exhibits seized in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan are being re-examined for traces of DNA.

The items being re-examined include clothing from some of the suspects and a vehicle.

A dedicated scientist from Forensic Science Ireland is now working on the case, using the latest DNA technology.

The Sun newspaper also reports that once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, gardai plan to re-interview suspects and those who have made statements about the gruesome murder.

The PSNI is also set to examine items they have seized over the years.

Expand Close Breege and Stephen Quinn hold an image of their murdered son Paul (Liam McBurney/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Breege and Stephen Quinn hold an image of their murdered son Paul (Liam McBurney/PA)

Mr Quinns parents, Breege and Stephen, who held a socially distanced meeting with gardai about the case around a fortnight ago, have welcomed the new quest to uncover DNA.

Mr Quinn said: I see the people who butchered my son every time I leave the house and I hope the advances in DNA can finally see them brought to justice.

They committed such a barbaric act on a defenceless human being and yet they still walk around with their heads held high.

We met with the gardai recently and we know they remain determined to bring those who slaughtered my son to justice.

It will be 14 years this year since those cowards murdered my son and the DNA technology that we have now wasnt available then.

I dont know how those animals sleep at night knowing what they did to a young man who had his whole life in front of him.

Meanwhile Mrs Quinn has again appealed to Sinn Fein Finance Minister Conor Murphy to state categorically that her son wasnt a criminal.

Weeks after the murder, he branded Paul a smuggler and a criminal, and insisted that the IRA wasnt responsible for the brutal killing.

Years later, Mr Murphy denied that he had accused the 21-year-old of being a criminal but he was forced to admit he had done so after the BBC tape of his interview was unearthed last February during the Dail election campaign.

While the Finance Minister apologised to the Quinns, he has refused their request to unambiguously state that Paul wasnt a criminal.

Mrs Quinn added: He needs to say my son was not a criminal in a public forum.
Biden Pentagon FILE - In this March 4, 2020, file photo Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley testifies to Senate Armed Services Committee about the budget on Capitol Hill in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden will inherit Milley as his senior military adviser, and although Biden could replace him, he likely won't. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

WASHINGTON (AP)  In taking charge of a Pentagon battered by leadership churn, the Biden administration will look to one holdover as a source of military continuity: Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

President-elect Joe Biden will inherit Milley as his senior military adviser, and although Biden could replace Milley, he likely won't.

A Princeton-educated history buff with the gift of gab, Milley has been a staunch defender of the militarys apolitical tradition even as President Donald Trump packed the Pentagon with political loyalists. Milley reassured Congress that the military would stay out of the elections and, in no uncertain terms, told troops that the Capitol riot was an act of sedition. Last summer, he put his own job on the line by apologizing for being part of the entourage that accompanied Trump to a photo-op outside a church near the White House after peaceful protesters were forcibly removed from the area.

Military leaders always have critical roles in ensuring stability from one administration to the next. But Milley will be especially important for continuity after a delayed, rocky postelection transition and uncertainty about when the Senate will confirm top Pentagon nominees.

Milley, 62, is early in the second year of a four-year term as the militarys top officer. His predecessor, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, now retired, was a similarly transitional figure, appointed by President Barack Obama and continuing for nearly three years with Trump.

Related: America prepares for Biden inauguration

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs does not command troops but advises a president and a secretary of defense on approaches to major military problems.

Biden will have many problems on his plate from the get-go, including Iran and North Korea. In addition to dealing with potential military crises, Biden would look to Milley, along with his prospective secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, for advice on broader strategic goals, including pursuing arms control with Russia, countering terrorism in the Mideast and competing with China.

Milley already is being singled out as a go-to official at a beleaguered Pentagon.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called him two days after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol to ask what might be done to check Trump's authority to order a nuclear attack in his final days in office. The Joint Chiefs chairman is not in the nuclear chain of command, but Pelosi's call reflected a view that, with no Senate-confirmed secretary of defense in place, stability starts with Milley.

Milley is not shy about taking charge.

He loves to talk, often relying on his deep knowledge of military history, occasionally personalizing his point, never reluctant to assert his view. Milley speaks reverently of his late father, a veteran of combat in the Pacific theater of World War II, and worriedly of America's vulnerability to space-based warfare, which he says could bring on the next Pearl Harbor.

A Massachusetts native, Milley was commissioned as an armor officer in 1980 and rose to become Army chief of staff 35 years later. When Trump announced him as his choice to be Joint Chiefs chairman nearly a year before Dunford's term expired, he called Milley a great gentleman and outstanding soldier.

By June 2020, however, Milley seemed at risk of being fired; he privately opposed Trump's talk of invoking the Insurrection Act to put active-duty troops in the streets of the nation's capital to counter protests sparked by the killing by Minneapolis police of a Black man, George Floyd.

Milley also expressed public regret at being part of a Trump entourage that strolled across Lafayette Square on June 1 to be positioned near a church where Trump held up a Bible for photographers. Critics hit Milley for appearing to be a political pawn. Days later, Milley said he had made a big mistake. Through the months that followed, he seemed at risk of being sacked by Trump.

Michael O'Hanlon, a defense analyst at the Brookings Institution, said Biden should not see Milley as tainted by Trump.

If Biden wants to send some messages about reconciliation and bipartisan cooperation, working closely with Milley  wouldnt be a bad place to start, O'Hanlon said.

It appears unlikely that Austin, Biden's defense secretary nominee, will win Senate confirmation by Inauguration Day, Wednesday. Anticipating that bump, Biden has persuaded a Trump administration official, Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist, to stay on temporarily as acting secretary. That makes Milley's presence even more significant.

Once confirmed, Austin would enter a Pentagon reeling from an extraordinary period of leadership instability. Trump went through the most defense secretaries of any one-term president in history  two who had been confirmed by the Senate and three others who served only in an acting, placeholder capacity.

The Austin nomination adds a further twist in Milley's path, given Austin's background as a recently retired Army general. Questions are being raised in Congress and elsewhere about how having a former career military officer lead the Pentagon will affect relations between civilian and military officials.

Roger Zakheim, Washington director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, says the extra effort required to win a congressional waiver of the prohibition against recently retired military officers serving as defense secretary would appear to give Biden less reason to remove Milley.

You don't want to create more turbulence here beyond what they're already going to have to deal with getting Gen. Austin through the nomination process, Zakheim said.

Biden would look to Milley not just for advice on current problems but also for guidance on future adjustments to military structure and strategy, including changes to the U.S. military footprint abroad. Milley seems amenable to the prospect of Biden seeking to find savings in defense budgets.

We in the Pentagon, civilian and military alike, have got to do a quick reality check on the national budget and what is likely to happen in the not-too-distant future, Milley said recently. I suspect that at best the Pentagons budgets will start flattening out. There is a reasonable prospect that they could actually decline.
Ghana has been one of the bright stars of the oil and gas market in the 2010s, ramping up its crude production from virtually zero to some 215kbpd by the end of the decade. The startup of the Jubilee field in 2010, merely 3 years after its discovery, was Ghanas first genuine claim for a place under the sun. Then came the first offshore non-associated output from Sankofa that has largely helped the domestic industries to ease their dependence on external imports and reasons for further optimism. A string of new events, however, poses a heretofore unsettled question to all those interested in Ghanas offshore. As is often the case with projects that exceed general expectations, the Ghanaian government might be overexerting itself in making the nascent oil industry serve its interests. For quite some time the general political narrative cut through the West African market somewhat noiselessly. In early May 2020 Ghanas Energy and Petroleum Minister John Peter Amewu suggested that the Sankofa oil field (operated by the Italian ENI) and the Afina oil discovery (operated by the Ghanaian Springfield) should be unified into one joint project. According to media reports, the Oil Minister sent a letter to the operator of the formers operator company, calling for a timely settlement of the issue within 120 days. The suggested time interval has long run out, but Ghanas aspiration has seemingly only fortified, coming back at the end of the year with even greater vehemence.

For many industry observers, it would seem absurd that the Energy Minister has the competence to decide which fields should be unified. This, however, is completely legal in Ghana following several recent regulatory changes  in 2016 the Ghanaian government has introduced this clause so as to streamline new projects. Technically, Ghanas Energy Minister can also force reticent sides to acquiesce to its intent with the proviso that the top-down decision can only be done if both plays are appropriately appraised. And it is here that the story gets a unique African flavor as it seems that authorities in Accra are considering the fields to be one, despite all of Sankofas shareholders protesting this view. Perhaps even more importantly, in an ideal world the Afina discovery should be officially confirmed as a commercial one, a step that was still not taken by its operator.

Related: Oil Rises On Crude Draw Despite Product Builds

The Afina-1 discovery well was spudded in September-October 2019 to a total depth of 4085 meters and wielded a light oil play with a gross thickness of 65 meters. Afina was the first-ever well drilled by Springfield Exploration and Production, a Ghanaian company that took a 80% operatorship role in the West Cape Three Points Block 2, with the remaining stake going to Ghanas national oil company GNPC. Upon the discovery, Springfield stated that Afinas oil-in-place reserves are assumed at around 1.5 BBbls, with a further 3 BBbls of undiscovered potential, making it a superb start to the companys drilling history (provided the discovery is commercial though). In contrast to Afina, the 0.5 BBbls Sankofa has already been producing since 2017, eight years after its initial discovery by Vitols Ghanaian upstream branch.

Peculiar as the above might seem, Accras assertive view of how it would prefer its offshore crude production to develop has another deficiency. The Energy Ministry wants ENI to operate the prospective Sankofa-Afina field, however, it should be Springfield that gets the largest stake as Afinas nominal reserves are higher, despite its commercial nature remaining questionable. Mirroring a 54.5-45.5% split between Afina and Sankofa, ENI would receive only 20.2% of the future joint project, Vitol would be left with 16.2% whilst Springfield would get 44.7%. Interestingly, the Ghanaian authorities have set up a May 2022 deadline to finalize the unitization deal so despite the indisposition of ENI and Vitol the outcome is already foreordained for them.

Ghana ought to be very careful in how it treats the Sankofa/Afina issue because it carries enormous reputational risks for future offshore projects. Throughout 2020 there was no exploration activity in Ghanas offshore and the restoration of drilling is dependent on the operator of Sankofa, ENI, going forward with its plans in the Tano Basin. Moreover, Sankofa might be perceived as a pioneering project, being the first non-associated gas field in Ghanas offshore and has been playing an instrumental role in the African nations shedding some of its unnecessary hydrocarbon imports. Using its gas production for electricity generation at an assumed cost of $6.6/mmBtu (with the involvement of the World Bank), Sankofa has doubly benefited Ghana by saving its currency reserves and by supplanting polluting oil products as sources of energy.

Graph 1. Ghana Crude Production vs Exports in 2017-2020 (in 000 barrels per day).



Source: Thomson Reuters, authors data.

Coming back to Ghanas oil ascent, the swift increases of 2017-2018 gave way to stagnation that was rendered even more apparent by the consequences of COVID-19 (see Graph 1). Currently Ghana has two oil producers  Tullow with its Jubilee and TEN fields, and ENI with Sankofa  totaling around 190-200kbpd recently. The output volumes are unlikely to increase significantly as there seems to be no other project coming up in the pipeline. The Pecan field, operated by Aker Energy, might have been the one to supplement the Ghanas production portfolio, however overall delays in its development will postpone its commissioning, all the more so as Aker now wants to split it in two separate phases for the fields northern and southern part. Should there be any output additions over the course of 2021-2025, they would come from Tullows Greater Jubilee production ramp-up and not new projects.

By Viktor Katona for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Law enforcement blocked off streets around the Alabama Capitol on Sunday as a security measure in the event of protests leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday.

Federal officials have warned local law enforcement agencies that the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6 is likely to inspire others with violent intentions at state capitols around the nation.

An FBI bulletin last week warned of potential armed protests in all 50 states.

States have been increasing security in preparation for possible armed protests and violence, particularly at statehouses amid legislative sessions and inaugural ceremonies. Officials are reassessing their security plans for high-risk targets and police in major cities are preparing to be put on tactical alert if necessary.

The FBI is tracking an extensive amount of concerning online chatter, including calls for armed protests leading up to the presidential inauguration, FBI Director Chris Wray said Thursday.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform 'Bhoomi Poojan' of the Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-II and Surat Metro Rail Project on Monday (January 18, 2021).

The ceremony will start at 10:30 AM via video conferencing, informed the Prime Minister's Office.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Union Housing & Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will be present on the occasion.

"The Metro Projects will provide an environment friendly Mass Rapid Transit System to these cities," said PMO.

Details of Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-II:

Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-II is 28.25 Kms long with two corridors. Corridor-1 is 22.8 Kms long and is from Motera Stadium to Mahatma Mandir. Corridor-2 is 5.4 Kms long and is from GNLU to GIFT City. The total completion cost of Phase-II project is Rs 5,384 crores.

Details of Surat Metro Rail Project:

Surat Metro Rail Project is 40.35 kms long and comprises two corridors. Corridor-1 is 21.61 kms long and is from Sarthana to Dream City. Corridor-2 is 18.74 kms long and is from Bhesan to Saroli. The total completion cost of the project Rs 12,020 crores.

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A man was shot in the 1400 block of Teche Street in Algiers just before 7 a.m. and was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle, the New Orleans Police Department said Sunday morning.

The shooting occurred two blocks away from the Mississippi River, just north of the Crescent City Connection.

Police did not provide any additional details.
Mumbai, Jan 17 : Actress Hina Khan is celebrating her Sunday with stunning pictures on social media.

Hina posted a string of pictures on Instagram. In the images, she is seen sitting on a balcony sipping on some champagne. In the background a picturesque view can be seen.A The actress looks stunning in fiery orange off shoulder short kaftan dress.

"Do what makes your Soul shinea Happy Sunday everyone," Hina captioned the image, which currently has 199K likes on the photo-sharing website.

Recently, Hina's show "Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai" completed 12 years. In the show, she was seen playing the title role of Akshara.

In the past 12 years, she has walked the Cannes red carpet, been a reality TV star on Bigg Boss and Khatron Ke Khiladi, had her brush with Bollywood and has also cemented her status as one of the highest paid stars of the Indian television industry.

AN ARCHAEOLOGIST who discovered a mass grave containing the remains of 429 children in a Belfast bogland has called for a commission to investigate mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland.

Toni Maguire has been fighting for an investigation for the past seven years since Sunday Life first revealed in 2014 that 244 infants, with an average age of just three months, died at the Nazareth Lodge orphanage in the city between 1940 and 1951.

That is an astonishing 25 children per year, or one death every fortnight. All of them were buried at the Bog Meadows nature reserve in west Belfast next to the M1 motorway.

Toni has carried out extensive work at the site, finding on one occasion a mass grave with the bones of 429 children inside.

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Other worrying research she has been involved in centres on the Marian Vale home in Newry where expectant mothers from the south were brought to give birth to babies which were immediately put up for adoption.

Last night Toni added her voice to those calling for an inquiry into mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International is championing the demand, which comes after the Irish government apologised for the "appalling levels of infant mortality" in its mother and baby homes.

Around 9,000 children died in 18 institutions that were investigated. Similar deaths were recorded in Northern Ireland, an issue that Toni Maguire believes has been ignored until now.

She said: "I've been calling for years for a commission to be set up in the north to investigate this. It needs to happen."

Seven years ago this newspaper was the first to reveal the scandal, detailing the large infant mortality rate at the Nazareth Lodge and Nazareth House care homes in south Belfast. For most of their history the House was for girls and the Lodge for boys.

Babies were taken at birth from unmarried mothers staying at the Marian Vale Mother and Baby Home on the Ormeau Road. The unit was run by nuns from the Good Shepherd convent, who were linked to an orphanage opposite run by the Sisters of Nazareth.

A baby born to a mother at Marian Vale was immediately moved to the nearby Nazareth House and Nazareth Lodge homes, which were 200 yards apart, if adoptive parents could not be found. The homes suffered huge infant mortality rates as the childless Sisters of Nazareth nuns struggled to cope.

Milltown Cemetery burial records, viewed by Sunday Life at the Public Records Office, show the worrying mortality rates among infants at Nazareth Lodge and Nazareth House.

Between 1940 and 1951 a total of 244 babies, with an average age of just three months, passed away at the homes. The youngest to die during this perijuod was two-week-old Aloysius O'Hagan, who was buried in 1941. The eldest was two-year-old Anne Callaghan who lost her life in 1947.

But these deaths are just the tip of the iceberg, hundreds of other babies died at the Nazareth homes in the decades that preceded and followed these dates.

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A trawl of other documents at the Public Records Office show the deaths of a further 52 babies at the homes between 1934 and 1939 - an average of 10 per year. Most of the children were buried in mass graves at the Bog Meadows nature reserve next to Milltown Cemetery.

Archaeologist Toni Maguire, who has excavated the site, said: "The burial records show the nuns were totally incapable of looking after these babies. Malnutrition was rife, the high mortality rates show that.

"I've been fighting for years for a commission to be set up in the north to investigate this because we had exactly the same system as the south."

Another issue Toni's work uncovered was the transfer by the Catholic Church of expectant mothers from the south to the Marian Vale care home in Newry. They would give birth there, and their babies taken from them, before being moved back across the border.

Toni explained: "There were a number of reasons for the move -to take the mother away from her friends and place her in an unfamiliar environment where she was more vulnerable.

"This would mean she was less resistant to having the baby taken off her by the regime for adoption. It totally undermined her, it was a ploy to weaken her."

Babies born in Northern Ireland also had a greater chance of being adopted as they could have British passports.

Toni explained: "These were the tactics the church used. It was like a game of chess, the more they moved the pieces, the more confusing it became and the easier it was for it to have its way.

"It also gave the church a defence of plausible deniability. If an adopted baby, as an adult, comes looking for records of its birth they usually approach the church with details of the home where there mother had been sent.

"But because she had given birth at Marian Vale in Newry the church could say, 'We've no record of you being born at this home', which is technically true but morally so wrong."

Trawling documentation detailing how young unmarried mothers were separated from their newborns is "heartbreaking", according to Toni.

She revealed how the priests and nuns based in Newry broke their own religious doctrine by not recording the baptisms of babies so the adoptive parents could have their own ceremonies and put their names on the certificates.

"This goes against Catholic doctrine because within the Catholic faith you cannot be baptised twice," added Toni.

"Yet the priests and nuns were knowingly arranging this - they were breaking their own rules. I have seen one document which states the baptism of a newborn was not to be recorded because the baby was being sent to America for adoption and its adoptive parents wanted to have their own ceremony."

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It was originally estimated that 7,500 women in Northern Ireland went through mother and baby homes but Amnesty International director Patrick Corrigan says he has "no doubt the figure will be significantly greater".

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Judith Gillespie, chairwoman of the inter-departmental working group on mother and baby homes, said a research report by academics will make recommendations to Stormont ministers before the end of the month.

Ms Gillespie's group was set up in 2017 to look at mother and baby homes and Magdalene Laundries in Northern Ireland, after they fell outside of the terms of reference of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry.

Karan Veer Mehra is all set to tie the knot with actress Nidhi V Seth on January 24 in his hometown, Delhi. The duo will get married in a gurdwara and plan on following it up with an intimate dinner with close friends. The Pavitra Rishta actor spoke with TOI and said, We have invited only 30 guests for the shaadi, but we plan to hold a reception in Mumbai for our friends, who wont be able to attend the wedding.



Nidhi also spoke and added, We had shortlisted a few dates, including one in December. However, we wanted 2020 out of our lives and hence, settled for January 2021. We checked online and found that January 24 was an auspicious date. I realised that I am not shooting on that day, and that was another reason we zeroed in on this date (laughs!).

The couple first met in 2008, during the shoot of a commercial but did not in touch. Karan reveals that they met again at a gym three years ago and starting talking. The actor shares, She asked me what I was up to, and when I replied that I had just turned producer, she expressed a desire to work on my show. I wanted her to be a part of the show and asked my writers to sketch a role for a new entry. A month later, I asked her to be a part of the series. All I can say is that I was focused, persistent and charming.



On being quizzed about what made him fall in love with her, he said, She completes me and I know that she feels the same about me. We hardly say 'I love you to each other, we always say, 'I love us.

For the unversed, Karan was previously married to his childhood friend, Devika and got divorced in 2019. On the work front, he was last seen in Sony SABs Tera Kya Hoga Alia.

ALSO READ: Jasmin Bhasin Says She's In Love & Doesn't Mind Getting Married To Aly; Adds That Her Parents Are Okay With It

ALSO READ: Avinash Sachdev & Palak Purswani To Get Married Next Year
PHOTHARAM, Thailand  The bat caves reeked of bat.

In the murk of the grottoes, in a cave complex west of Bangkok, Thais in headlamps and with flashlights went about their business.

Pilgrims to the temple that owns the complex prayed to Buddha figurines in one of the caves, the statues carved expressions betraying no reaction to the plip-plop-ploop of bat droppings falling on their shoulders.

Collectors of bat dung, or guano, scraped up the droppings to sell as fertilizer, hefting bags of manure through an obstacle course of stalactites and stalagmites.

And medical researchers, overseen by one of the worlds foremost bat virologists, trapped the winged mammals to test them for traces of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. Scientists believe it originated in bats.
After my last column, in which I asserted that President Trump seems to have gone completely off his rocker, many readers wrote to ask why I had supported him in the past.

This shows a fundamental misunderstanding of political commentary. I do not support politicians. I support their policies. And when Trump was supporting policies consistent with my conservative politics, I supported his efforts.

But as for the man personally, thats quite a different story. Coming from New Jersey, I know lots of people who have had encounters with Trump. Most consider him a boor, a hustler and a cheat.

But most of those people voted for him in that victorious 2016 election. And most applauded his policies on the economy, energy and government in general.

Typical is Seth Grossman, an Atlantic City lawyer who runs a conservative group called Liberty and Prosperity. In early 2016 I called Grossman to ask him to assess Trumps chances in that years presidential primaries.

I used to have a security guard business and I contracted with him, Grossman recalled back then. Were paying employees for seven weeks and hes not paying us anything. And then he says, Ill pay you for three weeks. Or he might say, Knock 10 percent off the bill and Ill pay you. "

Grossman said that was typical of Trumps handling on contractors. So did the Atlantic City crowd oppose a run by the former casino owner?

Everybody down here is rooting for him, he said. They figure hell screw the Chinese the way he screwed us. Hell probably screw some Arabs, too.

When I called Grossman the other day, he said he thought Trump had accomplished a lot for the conservative movement during his time in office. But The Donald was no team player, he said.

If Trump was a leader of the movement, he would consult with other leaders of the movement and not just say, Whats good for me is good for the movement, Grossman said.

I heard a similar point of view from Marvin Roffman. Back in the 1990s, Roffman was an analyst with a Wall Street firm whose beat included the A.C. casinos. He got along great with Trump  for a while.

He had the kind of personality where youd like him as long as he heard what he wanted to hear, Roffman said. But God forbid if you said something he didnt like.

Which is what Roffman did when a Wall Street Journal reporter asked him about the prospects for Trumps Taj Mahal, the casino that The Donald labeled the eighth wonder of the world.

Roffman predicted  accurately as it turned out  the Taj would have a great opening, but once the cold winds blow from October to February, it wont make it. The market just isnt there.

Trump blew his top and sent a letter to Roffmans bosses saying, Either you immediately dismiss Roffman or Im gonna implement a major lawsuit, he recalled.

After Roffman refused to recant his views he was summarily fired. But the major lawsuit went the other way when Roffman got a big judgment from Trump that permitted him to set up his own firm.

That little tiff didnt stop him from supporting President Trumps policies, however.

I loved when he came in and the things he did about regulation, taxation things like that, he said. But would you want to be friends with him? I mean he has an evil mind.

I prefer to think it was the combination of old age and that brush with COVID-19 that drove him over the edge. Whatever the explanation, Trump became a liability to conservatism in general and the Republican Party in particular after Dec. 8.

Thats the day on which each state affirmed its members of the Electoral College. Before that date, Trump had several avenues for contesting the outcome of each states election. After that, he had none.

If he had cared about his fellow Republicans, Trump should have bowed out gracefully. Instead he began to push scenarios that departed from both a strict construction of the Constitution and reality  two things we conservatives hold dear.

His rantings led to the loss of two U.S. Senate seats in Georgia and therefore control of the Senate.

Trump wasnt done damaging the interests of his own party. Until Jan. 6, Republicans could attack Democrats over the conduct of various left-leaning crowds.

Once Trump fired up that crowd to march to the Capitol, that all changed. Even many of those who first defended The Donald are now pushing a conspiracy theory that George Soros was behind that rioting.

But even Trumps worst enemy could not have orchestrated such a debacle for the Republican Party.

Thats Trumps legacy. And the Democrats will have great fun exploiting it if that Senate trial of Trump goes off as planned.

Time for The Donald to get on Air Force One and go south.

That is an action I would completely support.
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She's said to be earning up to 7,000 for her sponsored holiday posts as she spends UK's lockdown period in the United Arab Emirates for business purposes.

And Chloe Ferry took a break from her 'work' schedule to enjoy a night out with her pals in Dubai on Saturday.

The Geordie Shore star, 25, joked she was 'waiting for her Danny' as she channelled Grease character Sandy in an all-black outfit, which featured a busty bodysuit.

'Waiting for my Danny': Chloe Ferry took a break from her 'work' schedule to enjoy a night out with her pals in Dubai on Saturday

Highlighted her slender frame, the media personality, who recently underwent a breast reduction surgery, teamed her clingy, low-cut top with a thick buckle belt and glossy leggings.

The social media star boosted her frame in open-toe sandals, while she dressed up her look with a selection of gold jewellery.

With her locks worn in glamorous waves, the blonde complemented her features with heavy strokes of matte foundation.

Inspiration: The Geordie Shore star, 25, joked she was 'waiting for her Danny' as she channelled Grease character Sandy (Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta pictured in 1978 film)

In her element: The next day, the media personality soaked up the sun in a bikini for a boat ride

Reality stars like Chloe, Laura Anderson, and Georgia Steel are reportedly earning up to 7k per sponsored post on Instagram during their trips to Dubai.

According to claims from The Sun, influencers who have jetted off to the sun-drenched city amid the coronavirus crisis are able to rake in thousands of pounds through the content they provide on social media.

The publication shared reports from digital marketing agency Pilot Fish Media, which claimed that Chloe is able to earn 6,508 for every snap she shares via Instagram while abroad.

Meanwhile, the posts that Laura shares with her 1.4 million followers can earn her an estimated 3,113 per sponsored post.

It was also reported that Geordie Shore star Sophie Kasaei is able to earn $4,395 per post, while Anton Danyluk rakes in 2,244 for his snaps.

The TV stars have travelled abroad under the ruse that their trips are 'for work,' sparking backlash from fans who have been holed up in lockdown amid the pandemic.
A SHIPMENT of 275 bicycles repaired by Irish prisoners at Loughan House Open Centre has arrived in Gambia.

News reports from the African nation show how the bikes have been donated to students struggling to travel long distances to school.

Speaking this week, Exceutive Director of CADO Frances Mendy thanked Rotary Ireland, who co-ordinate the work on the bikes with inmates at Shelton Abbey and Loughna House open centres.

He said: This initiative has already provided 1,440 bicyles to Gambian students across the country.

With this resource, students can thrive in their education and also contribute to other important causes like reducing waste and saving the environment.

For the past five years Rotary Ireland have been collecting unwanted bikes from households around Ireland and sending them to Loughan House & Shelton Abbey Open Centre for repair before shipping them to school children in Gambia to help them get to education.

Governor of Loughan House Mark Lydon this week told the Sunday World: The project has given the prisoners a real sense of community and something to be proud of as they help to make a positive impact on the lives of the young people in Africa.

Here at Loughan House we aim to offer a number of activities that will help to rehabilitate our prisoners and provide them with skills that will be useful when they are reintroduced to society, the project provides them with the expertise to become bicycle mechanic and to even gain a City and Guilds Qualification which we are confident many can use to make a better life upon their release.

The guys here work really hard and with passion and this project gives them a real sense of pride, to be involved in something which is helping others is an important part of their lives, we are very grateful for the support from Rotary that these prisoners are given this opportunity.
New Delhi:

TDP MP J C Diwakar Reddy has been banned by all domestic airlines following his alleged unruly behaviour at the Visakhapatnam airport as he was denied boarding for an IndiGo flight.

Full-service carrier Vistara and budget airlines GoAir and AirAsia India on barred Reddy from their flights. Air India, SpiceJet and Jet Airways followed IndiGo yesterday, which imposed the flying ban on him. In a show of unity, all major domestic airlines have barred Reddy from taking their flights -- similar to action taken by the carriers after the incident involving Shiv SenaMP Ravindra Gaikwad earlier this year.

"After careful consideration of the various issues and ramifications of the actions of Reddy, GoAir has also taken a decision of not accepting any further bookings for the said passenger," the airline said in a statement.

An AirAsia India spokesperson said it has also barred Reddy from flying. AirAsia India said in its statement that it supports the decision to impose a flying ban by the fellow domestic airlines.

"We will support the decision taken by the industry with regard to the recent incident involving an Indigo staff," the AirAsia India spokesperson said in the statement. AirAsiaIndia does not tolerate abusive or unruly behaviour by passengers that puts the safety of other guests and crew members on board at risk," the airline said.

The airline is fully committed to providing a safe and comfortable journey to guests, the statement added. "In support of the fellow carriers, Vistara has also taken a decision to impose flying ban on J C Diwakar Reddy," a Vistara spokesperson said.

On Thursday, Reddy was scheduled to fly IndiGo's flight 6E-608, which departs from Visakhapatnam at 8.10 am, to Hyderabad. But he reached just 28 minutes before the scheduled departure, according to the airline.

As per norms laid out by the aviation regulator, airlines close check-in counters for all domestic fights 45 minutes prior to departure.

Reddy -- who had allegedly vandalised the Air India office at Gannavaram airport in Vijaywada last year after he missed his flight -- got into a verbal spat with the groundstaff and threw a printer kept at the airline's counter after he was informed that boarding for his flight had closed.

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Doreen Tome is honored to have shared a bit of her life with Bert, in our community Jackson Hole. Contact her via columnists@jhnewsandguide.com.
'It can't be done; the attorney general has advised it may be unconstitutional," is quite a familiar refrain in our political discourse for shutting down further discussion.

Inevitably it has reared its head in the ongoing debate about whether legislation may be enacted granting an unrestricted right of access to information on the identity of one's birth mother.

The last attorney general, Seamus Woulfe, felt constrained by a Supreme Court judgment to advise that such legislation would be unconstitutional unless exceptions were allowed enabling the right of privacy of mothers, who were promised secrecy, to be taken into account in individual cases.

It seems that his successor, Paul Gallagher, takes the opposite view.

This highlights a more general, important question on whether the opinion of an attorney general on this or any other prospective legislation should enjoy finality in the processes of government.

The Constitution provides that the attorney general is the adviser to government on matters of law and legal opinion.

On most matters, the rather general provisions of the Constitution admit several interpretations.

Opinions - whether they are given by the attorney general, or any other lawyer - on whether legislation is constitutional are no more than predictions as to how the courts, ultimately the Supreme Court, will interpret the Constitution.

"It is a brave man," the former taoiseach Jack Lynch once said, "who will predict what the Supreme Court will decide."

Assessment of the merits of a legal opinion is impossible without sight of its reasoning.

When citing the advice of an attorney general it is rare for a taoiseach or other minister to go beyond stating conclusions.

Attorneys general don't go public on their advice; not being members of the government they are not answerable to the Oireachtas.

When denying the Oireachtas or others sight of the reasons supporting an opinion of the attorney general, government ministers are wont to rely on the general privilege of clients not to reveal the advice of their lawyer.

This ancient privilege is one related to the exigencies of litigation enabling prospective and actual litigants to be frank with their legal advisers and to get honest advice in return.

It has no rationale for legal advice given to government on the constitutionality of contemplated legislation.

The invocation of the privilege in such cases impoverishes public debate and is anomalous in an era of open government and freedom of information.

Legal professional privilege, as it is sometimes called, has allowed successive governments to hide behind the advice of attorneys general - without revealing in most cases the reasons for that advice - as justification for not proceeding with a host of desirable measures.

A long-standing casualty was the legislation recommended by the Kenny Report in the 1970s that would have reduced the price of land for building.

A more recent casualty was legislation designed to curb political patronage in judicial appointments. There are a host of other examples.

It has been remarked in criticism of the practice that it gives an excessive power of veto over legislation to the attorney general, who is not even a member of the government.

In reality, the position of attorneys general holding office at the pleasure of a taoiseach, and perhaps hoping for judicial preferment at the end of their term, is vulnerable.

They may find themselves under pressure from the taoiseach or other ministers to provide "helpful advice" enabling the government to cite legal advice to avoid responsibility when, for political reasons, they don't want to promote legislation.

One needs strong attorneys general not beholden to the government they advise to resist the devaluation of their office by being used as a sort of mudguard for members of that government.

Ultimately, responsibility for legislation rests with the taoiseach and other ministers.

If they are convinced that a particular item of legislation would be in the public interest they should not be inhibited by doubts whether it is constitutional.

They should leave that to the courts that, alone, have the authority to give definitive rulings on the Constitution.

There is provision in the Constitution itself for referring bills to the Supreme Court to rule on their constitutionality.

In cases where there is genuine doubt, that is the proper way to proceed.
A bridesmaid has been branded 'selfish' and 'entitled' for complaining about the dress colours she was asked to wear because it doesn't suit her style.

The Australian woman said while her bride friend was flexible with the bridal party picking out their own gowns, they needed to stick to the colour scheme to blend in with the rest of her wedding day.

'She's letting us pick our dresses but we have to stick to certain colours. I personally hate all the colours and I would never wear them and we have to pay for it ourselves,' the anonymous bridesmaid wrote in a wedding Facebook group.

'Is it worth telling her that I don't like the colours and I don't suit them? Or do I just have to deal with it?'

A bridesmaid has been branded 'selfish' and 'entitled' for complaining about the dress colours the bride suggested she could wear because it doesn't suit her style (stock image)

Poll What should the bridesmaid do? Tell the bride she 'hates' the dress colours Suck it up and deal with it Step down from being a bridesmaid What should the bridesmaid do? Tell the bride she 'hates' the dress colours 13 votes

Suck it up and deal with it 474 votes

Step down from being a bridesmaid 274 votes Now share your opinion





Her post quickly racked up more than 100 comments, with dozens saying the bridesmaid needed to 'suck it up' because it's the bride's day, not hers.

'It's not about you. The attention is supposed to be on the bride - it's not your event or moment to shine, just wear it and don't cause a fuss. Let the bride have her moment... she doesn't need to feel bad about anything,' one woman wrote.

A second said: 'Dude if she's giving you that much leeway, pick the colour you like best of the choices, shut up and wear the dress, you can sell it after if you want.'

And a third added: 'You most certainly just have to deal with it, and quit your complaining while you're at it. When did bridesmaids become so entitled?'

Most people sided with the 'generous' bride for allowing her bridal party to choose from a range of colours and styles - while others urged the bridesmaid to 'step down' if she can't set aside her problem for one day.

'Deal with it, it's her colour scheme for her day, and has probably ordered and paid for a bunch of other stuff in those colours,' one wrote.

'Do you expect her to change all that and lose money because you don't like the colour of her wedding? If you really can't deal with the colour, step down from being a bridesmaid.'

A second said: 'Pay for a dress that you can afford, but stop being ridiculous. It isn't your day. It's her day. If the shoe was on the other foot, what would be your real expectation. If it's an issue, don't be a bridesmaid.'

A third added: 'If you can't support your friend's wishes on her special day with colour choices and designs, maybe you need to let her know, then step aside and allow someone who will.'

Another woman said the bridesmaid 'can't exactly go against the theme' of the bride's wedding but she could 'pick the most flattering colour and style'.

'It's a bridesmaid's duty to pay for the dress unless otherwise stated. You have that choice or go as a wedding guest,' she added.

Meanwhile, others revealed they would go to extreme lengths just to make their bride friend happy on their wedding day.

'If my friend told me to wear a garbage bag for her wedding. I would do it,' one wrote, while another added: 'I would wear anything my friends put me in.'
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are already allegedly living separate lives doing their own thing.

Reports already said that they are on the brink of a divorce, which only means they are done.

With the 40-year-old busy with her family, kids, empire, and careers, she's going to need the help of one influential person to help her with a new mission in life.

Kim Kardashian As A Lawyer

In her Vogue cover story in 2019, the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star is studying to become a lawyer to reinvert herself from being just a beauty mogul, a selfie expert, and a social media influencer.

Some people were inspired, while some people told her to stay in her line.

But Kim Kardashian's response, "I want people to understand that there is nothing that should limit your pursuit of your dreams and the accomplishment of new goals. You can create your own lanes, just as I am. The state bar doesn't care who you are."

She has already been helping in prison reform and has been calling out to the POTUS to help inmates on death row.

In 2022, she will officially become a lawyer, as per reports.

But according to many people, they believe that Kim is going to need the help of one person to help her with her life's mission and law career.

It all boils down to Van Jones.

Kim Kardashian and Van Jones

Kim Kardashian was motivated to study law after working with criminal justice reform advocate Van Jones and his team, helping release a 63-year-old prisoner Alice Marie Johnson from prison.

The pair also have the biggest aspiration to work as a lawyer.

With the 52-year-old having decades of experience in law, who is also a commentator and author, Van Jones made a big name for himself in the industry.

This is why there's no doubt why many "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" fans are hoping to see Kim Kardashian being with Van Jones, who is the polar opposite of her current husband, Kanye West.

And as per Screen Rant, Van is the perfect catalyst to completely reinvent herself - from party-girl, s-tape girl persona.

With Van, the KKW Beauty mogul will be much more successful if her new public image will look more serious and authoritative.

The CNN commentator has already praised Kim for being "extraordinary" and "passionate" about law.

He even said, "She is not that kid that used to party with Paris Hilton."

Despite the age gap, if looking at it from a romantic perspective, Van Jones can help Kim Kardashian reach her goals and bring change while mentoring her.

READ MORE: Kim Kardashian, Kanye West Real Status of Their Marriage Amid Divorce Rumors -- Revealed!

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
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This town has claimed victory against the "snowpocalypse" that didn't really happen.



Here's a bold pronouncement about future snow removal plans following a weekend municipal victory over a light dusting . . . Read more:
He catapulted to international stardom after playing Connell Waldron in BBC Three's Normal People in 2020.

And Paul Mescal's loyal Aussie fans have been desperately tracking the Irish-born actor's every move since he moved Down Under in December to start filming the movie adaptation of opera Carmen in rural Australia.

Earlier this month, local Twitter users and mega-fans began documenting their casual sightings of the 24-year-old in New South Wales.

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Inside Irish actor Paul Mescal's (pictured) new 'normal' life in Australia: From carefully counting eggs for the 'perfect dozen' at Woolies to spending time at the beach

On January 13, one Twitter user tweeted: 'Hearing reports Paul Mescal has been spotted on Tinder in Sydney. if this is you, DM me!'

While it's unlikely the actor would be using the dating app, other responses to the Tweet gave a potential insight into Paul's new 'normal' life in Australia.

Coming in hot? While it's unlikely the actor would be using dating app, Tinder, other responses to the Tweet gave a potential insight into Paul's new 'normal' life in Australia

'I saw him at [Tamarama] beach the other day': Eagle-eyed fans claim to have spotted Paul at the beach, at their local Woolworths grocery store and crossing the road in Redfern

'I saw him at my local Woolies': It's unclear how many, if any, of the star spottings are genuine

'My girlfriend nearly hit him with car in Redfern this morning!!!' one fan claimed.

Another said they had spotted him doing his groceries: 'I saw him at my local Woolies, checking all of the eggs to make sure he got "a perfect dozen".'

'I saw him at [Tamarama] beach the other day. Reacted as calmly as you would imagine,' one super-fan joked, adding she grabbed her friends arm 'so hard I nearly removed it from her shoulder'.

Another user joked 'theres like 15 Paul Mescals at Coogee Beach everyday' referring to the large Irish expat community in the area.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Paul Mescal's management for comment.

Season's greetings: On December 25, Paul shared an Instagram photo (not pictured) with the caption: 'From Sydney with love... Happy Holidays'

Star on rise: Paul's career has gone from strength to strength since debuting as Connell Waldron in Normal People in April last year. Pictured with co-star Daisy Edgar Jones

Paul showed off his biceps in a black muscle tank and jeans on the set of Carmen in Breadalbane, New South Wales, on Friday.

The actor will play the male lead of Aidan.

Filming, which was originally slated to occur in Mexico and Los Angeles, will reportedly continue in Broken Hill, New South Wales.

Under the radar: The Irish-born actor has been quietly living Down Under since December, and recently started filming the movie adaptation of opera Carmen in rural Australia. Pictured on set in January 2020

Paul's career has gone from strength to strength since debuting as Connell Waldron in Normal People in April last year.

He has since featured in drama The Deceived and will star in The Lost Daughter, opposite Dakota Johnson and Olivia Colman.

Paul's work as a lovelorn student on Normal People alongside co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones, also won him a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie at the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards.

Normal People is available to stream on Stan in Australia
Posted Sunday, January 17, 2021 6:47 am

More than four months after a wildfire tore through Malden and Pine City, President Donald Trump is withholding federal aid to help residents rebuild their lives because of his personal animosity toward Gov. Jay Inslee, an aide to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said.

"The holdup now is the relationship between the president and Gov. Inslee," said the Spokane Republican's aide, who requested anonymity to speak candidly.

Trump has approved 21 major disaster declaration requests since the Babb Fire destroyed approximately 80% of homes in the Whitman County towns on Sept. 7, including a request for wildfires in Oregon that was approved in just two days. Other declarations sent aid in the wake of wildfires in California, a winter storm in Oklahoma and hurricanes in several eastern states.

On Dec. 31, McMorris Rodgers sent a letter to Trump, whose term ends Wednesday, bashing Inslee for attacking the president while asking for federal aid to be approved.

"Unfortunately, for the past four years, Governor Inslee has chosen to repeatedly attack you and your Administration, putting his personal political disagreements with you ahead of the people he is supposed to represent," McMorris Rodgers wrote in the letter, which has not previously been made public.

McMorris Rodgers spoke directly to Trump by phone about the request in late December, the aide said, but the president has yet to either approve or deny it, leaving hundreds of residents of the scorched towns in limbo and Inslee unable to appeal the decision.

"Despite our governor's bad faith personal vendetta against your Administration, people in my district need support, and I implore you to move forward in providing it to those who have been impacted by devastating wildfires in our region," McMorris Rodgers wrote.

Trump and Inslee have traded barbs in the past four years over the fires, the COVID-19 response and racial justice protests in Seattle. Trump has called Washington's governor "a nasty person" and "a snake," while Inslee has called the president's denial that climate change has worsened wildfires "a bunch of ignorance."

The governor's office said the state's appeals to the federal government were "based on the facts of the matter."

Inslee questioned why McMorris Rodgers' letter takes more aim at Inslee than Trump, who is the one holding up the aid.

"It's hard to overstate what a distortive, inappropriate and pathetic letter that is," Inslee wrote in a statement. "It is beneath the integrity of her office. This is not a request for aid; it is an appeal to the president's ego."

On Sept. 14, two days before he sent the request for Trump to declare a major disaster for Whitman County, Inslee published an open letter criticizing the president's "half-baked theories" about poor forest management being solely to blame for the devastating fire season.

Major disaster declarations free up significant federal resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies, including jobless benefits from the Department of Labor. The aid can come in two forms: individual assistance to help with things like temporary housing and other expenses caused by the disaster, and public assistance to reimburse states for costs like debris removal and infrastructure repairs.

FEMA did approve 10 grants to help fight wildfires in Washington between July and September. Those Fire Management Assistance Grants are narrower in scope than individual and public assistance, and cannot be used to rebuild or cover costs for individuals and families.

While FEMA conducts damage assessments and makes recommendations to the White House after receiving a governor's request, the authority to declare a major disaster rests solely with the president.

After FEMA recommended against approving a request from California's governor in October, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and other Republican lawmakers from the state lobbied Trump, who overruled the agency's recommendation and issued a declaration.

On Sept. 16, just days after the fire, Inslee requested individual and public assistance for Whitman County, where Malden and Pine City are located. He expanded the request Oct. 8 to include public assistance for other communities affected by wildfires in Douglas, Franklin, Kittitas, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Skamania and Yakima counties.

Without a response from the Trump administration, Pine Creek community residents have been stuck, unable to apply for other types of aid, like Small Business Administration loans that become available after being denied for individual assistance from FEMA.

"During the Obama administration, we wanted to move those very quickly," said Elizabeth Zimmerman, who served as associate administrator for FEMA's Office of Response and Recovery from 2009 to 2017. "Because, if it's going to be a 'no,' if FEMA is not going to provide assistance, then it opens up other avenues of assistance for those communities to pursue."

Delays like what has happened to the request for Malden are extremely unusual at FEMA, Zimmerman said.

"If there were things happening, the White House might say, 'Wait and send it to us in 24 hours,' " Zimmerman said. "The White House never would tell us, 'Wait and send it to us in four months.' "

A governor can also appeal a denial, but Trump's nondecision has left Washingtonians with little to do but wait and hope the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden will approve the request swiftly. A spokesman for the Biden transition team did not respond to questions about Inslee's request.

A group of local residents formed the Pine Creek Community Long Term Recovery group, which has been working to help fill the gap left by the lack of federal aid, said director Scott Hokonson, who lost his own home in the fire.

While some cleanup has been completed in Malden and Pine City with funding from Washington state, progress has been slow, with most residents uninsured and losing hope, especially when the president they voted for won't help them, Hokonson said.

Of the 100 people from Malden who voted in November, 67% voted for Trump, up from the 62% who voted for him in 2016.

"They have Trump signs, they have Trump hats, they have Trump things on their trucks," Hokonson said of his neighbors. "Or they did, before they all burned.

"And it's hard to talk to these people about how it really does sit on Trump's desk."

McMorris Rodgers' letter isn't the first time she or other members of Congress have pushed Trump to respond to Washington's request.

On Dec. 8, Washington state's congressional delegation wrote a letter to Trump and FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor asking for the request to be approved. This was the third letter by the delegation since the wildfires ravaged Washington over Labor Day weekend.

"It is incredibly frustrating that the Trump Administration has ignored the pleas of the people of Malden, and other Washington state communities that have been devastated by wildfires, as well as the repeated requests from Washington state's congressional delegation," Sen. Patty Murray, another Washington Democrat, said in a statement last week.

"The one thing that should be clear to everybody when a tragedy happens," Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said, "is the federal government is there to respond. That's our job and our duty, and politics should play no role in it."

The White House did not respond to questions and a FEMA spokeswoman said only that Inslee's request "is still under review."

"That is the standard answer, and that is all you would ever hear from FEMA," said Zimmerman, who reviewed all disaster declaration requests on their way to FEMA's administrator and the White House during her eight-year tenure.

After a governor requests a major disaster declaration, a regional FEMA office assesses the damage and sends its findings to the agency's headquarters, which in turn makes a recommendation to the president.

"You can be certain that this has moved from FEMA and it is sitting over in the White House, waiting for a determination by the president," Zimmerman said. "Once it hits FEMA headquarters in Washington, it would be ready to be moved over to the White House in a matter of 24 hours or less.

"FEMA doesn't keep secrets. FEMA wants to get these processed, and if assistance is warranted, they want assistance to get out to the people. This is not normal."

George Haddow, who served as deputy chief of staff at FEMA in the Clinton administration, called the delay "ridiculous" in light of the small population in Malden and Pine City, and the severity of the destruction.

"It's not hard to do the damage assessments," Haddow said. "So if you're four months out and the state has not heard back from FEMA, I don't think it's a process issue. Let's just put it that way. ... I have to believe the roadblock is in the White House."

Inslee's office said he is "very frustrated" at the lack of response from the White House or any update from the federal government.

"It is stalling recovery efforts, and no reason has been provided," the governor's office said. "We are hopeful we will get a better response from the new administration, but that's no excuse for the Trump administration to continue to sit on its hands for the next week."

Hokonson said the governor and his office have gone above and beyond to make sure Malden residents have the resources they need, but there is only so much Inslee can do without federal aid.

"Governor Inslee has shown incredible leadership," Hokonson said.

While Hokonson said he agrees with the intent of McMorris Rodgers' letter to get Pine Creek community residents aid, he does not appreciate the attacks against Inslee.

"The words and attacks against the governor who has been there for us, who has visited us, who talked to me on the phone personally ... are painful and, I feel, misplaced," Hokonson said. "However, I understand CMR's intent in a last-ditch effort to appeal to someone she knows personally."

Malden Mayor Dan Harwood said without "crucial" help from Inslee and Washington State Emergency Management, the town would have struggled to make any progress on recovery efforts.

Harwood said he believes McMorris Rodgers did everything possible to represent the people of Malden.

"She did what she needed to do," Harwood said after reading McMorris Rodgers' letter.

"It should be obvious that the reason we have not received our FEMA request is because of a challenging relationship between president Trump and Governor Inslee," Harwood said. "It's nothing that is a big secret."

While the cause of the delay is obvious to Harwood, that doesn't make it any less difficult to see his neighbors struggling.

Last week. during the windstorm that caused 100,000 households to lose power in the Spokane area, Harwood said his phone lit up at 4 a.m. full of texts from people asking, "Are you guys OK?"

The wind was blowing the same direction it did the day of the fire, Harwood said. But this time, instead of sitting in their homes, many Malden residents were in RVs on their burned-out properties.

"These people should have been in FEMA-approved winter housing and because of a lack of action they were in RVs," Harwood said. "That upsets me and that scares me."
She's never fails to look sensational.

And Love Islands Georgia Steel was sure to set pulses racing once again as she shared a set of sun-kissed bikini snaps to Instagram on Saturday.

The reality star, 22, left little to the imagination in a skimpy neon yellow two-piece while posing up a storm on a Maldives beach against a brilliant blue sky.

Just beachy: Love Island's Georgia Steel sizzled in a barely-there neon bikini as she shared her latest set of sun-soaked snaps with her 1.6m Instagram followers on Saturday

Georgia flaunted her curves in the barely-there bikini, teasing a peak at her ample assets, and looked sensational as she modelled on the inviting white sand.

She pulled her hair back in an elegant up-do, and accessorised with a metallic watch and simple gold earrings.

Georgia captioned the photos: Its that inner peace for me and tagged in Velassaru Resort in the Maldives.

The stunning brunette jetted off to the luxe hotel on Friday, having left influencer hotspot Dubai with fellow Love Island pal Joanna Chimonides.

Strutting her stuff: Georgia had been living it up with the legions of influencers in Dubai before heading for her beach holiday, which she said she feels 'so grateful' to be able to do

Scorching: The reality star jetted off to the luxury Maldives resort with pal Joanna Chimonides on Friday for what she said was a 'work trip' the pair had planned for a long time

She previously told her 1.6m Instagram followers the work trip had been planned for a long time and she was thankful it could go ahead despite Covid-19.

The reality star sparked serious FOMO with a series of gorgeous snaps of her plush room and the glittering blue ocean.

She captioned one: I feel so lucky to be able to travel with my job at the moment.

Im so grateful that Ive been given the opportunity to work with @velassarumaldives for the next week and make memories that are going to last me a lifetime.

I thank the universe every day.

'Grateful': Georgia revealed she's set to spend a week in the luxury Maldives resort as she explained her travels on Instagram earlier this week

Georgia's travel to the Maldives from Dubai comes after it was announced on Monday that travellers returning to the UK from the UAE will have to quarantine.

The news follows a 52 per cent surge in the number of COVID -19 cases there - an undoubted shock for the influencer-packed city.

Georgia joined a slew of Love Island stars living it up in the UAE, with many claiming their travel was 'for work'.

Under the latest lockdown rules, which are now in effect, holidays are banned as international travel is only permitted for a strict number of reasons such as for work.

Within the UK, domestic holidays are also banned as you must stay at home at all times except for a limited number of 'reasonable excuses' such as shopping for essentials or work.

Covid: Georgia also said she hoped they would be able to bring her fans a 'little bit of light' during 'a very dull time', which has seen a strict Covid lockdown enforced across the UK

The Government has said if you need to travel you should stay local  meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live  and look to reduce the number of journeys you make overall.

It was also recently revealed that new rules will require international travellers to come back negative after a PCR test before arriving in England, with the rules coming into force from Friday (January 15).

From 4am on January 15, passengers arriving by boat, train or plane - including UK nationals - will have to take a test up to 72 hours before leaving the country.

They will need to present proof of a negative test result - using a PCR test or on some occasions a LAMP or lateral flow test - to their carrier on boarding while the UK Border Force will conduct spot checks on arrivals.
(Newser)  "His jaw hit the floor." That's how Randi Dery describes the reaction of her 11-year-old son after Ryan Reynolds recorded a personal message for him, reports CTV News. Brody Dery is undergoing chemo for Hodgkins lymphoma, and the Deadpool star got wind of his situation with help from TV station CKPG. "I just heard a little bit about your story and I wanted to send you this video and let you know that I'm thinking about you and I'm sending you tons of love and I'm sending you strength, whatever strength I've got," says Reynolds to his fellow Canadian, per People. Reynolds also told Brody that "you have a ton of people in your life that love you so much," and he pledged to meet the boy in person someday.

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After watching the video over and over, "he keeps saying, 'I feel special,'" says Randi Dery of her son, who is also battling Crohn's disease. The pair had previously made a video of their own reaching out to Ryan on social media explaining they were huge fans of him and especially of Deadpoolin part because Ryan's character survives cancer with a wicked sense of humor intact. "Brody finds the funny in everything," says his mom. A GoFundMe account has been set up for the family. (Reynolds has a sideline making funny ads, not to mention profitable gin.)

In the first episode of BYJUS Young Genius, the host Anand Narasimhan first welcomed child prodigy Lydian Nadhaswaram, who has been called the ambassador of Indian music by the legendary musician AR Rahman.

During the episode, Lydian shared his journey of becoming a talent to watch out for. He revealed that he was just two-year-old when he started playing drums and that is when his father and sister realised his talent and encouraged him. Later, Lydian's father motivated him to pursue piano at the age of 8.

Now 15, Lydian has performed at around 500 concerts till date. He can play blindfolded and even two pianos simultaneously. He won the title of The World's Best in 2019.

Lydian wants to become a composer for Indian film industry and Hollywood. He aims at becoming the world class pianist and wishes to play piano on the moon.

Renowned vocalist Shankar Mahadevan joined the episode virtually. He said, "Lydian is the star attraction of International Piano Day held in Mumbai."

He also praised the wonder kid and wished him more recognition for his talent.

BYJU'S Young Genius: Meet Lydian Nadhasawaram and Meghali Malabika This Saturday

The second child prodigy to join the episode was the 'Google Girl of India,' Meghali Malabika. She aspires to be a space scientist and utilise her knowledge on geography for the development of mankind.

If she gets to re-draw the world map, she said she will separate the 'fighting countries' and 'put them away from one another'.

The 14-year-old was later quizzed by the show host and she impressively gave all the answers accurately.

Both the geniuses were given one-year BYJU'S subscription and an award celebrating their excellence in the field of Performing Arts and Memory/IQ respectively.

BYJU'S Young Genius, a Network 18 initiative, airs every Saturday and the repeat telecast takes place on Sunday.
O le Gunnar Solskjaer has made a couple of big calls as Manchester United head to Anfield to face Liverpool in their biggest game of the Premier League season so far.

An impressive run of form has seen United take first place in the table, and the Red Devils currently boast a three-point lead over champions Liverpool before Sundays clash on Merseyside.

Victor Lindelof comes into defence in place of Eric Bailly, while Anthony Martial is fit to start instead of Edinson Cavani in attack.

David de Gea starts in goal, while the defence reads right to left: Aaron Wan-Bissaka;Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw.

With a tough midfield battle likely and Solskjaer wary of the threat of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, Fred and Scott McTominay provide bite in front of the defence.

Bruno Fernandes will play through the middle, with Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford in support of Martial.

Manchester United lineup: de Gea, Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Fred, McTominay, Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Pogba, Martial
But, Dorsey added, "this was the right decision for Twitter. We faced an extraordinary and untenable circumstance, forcing us to focus all of our actions on public safety." Dorsey, Gadde and the White House did not respond to requests for comment. Since Trump was barred, many of Dorsey's concerns about the move have been realised. Twitter has been embroiled in a furious debate over tech power and the companies' lack of accountability. Trump, who joined Twitter in 2009, was a boon and bane for the company. His tweets brought attention to Twitter, which sometimes struggled to attract new users. But his false assertions and threats online also caused critics to say the site enabled him to spread lies and provoke harassment. Jack Dorsey opined on his own companys site that blocking powerful politicians "sets a precedent I feel is dangerous:. Credit:AP

Over time, Twitter became more proactive on political content. In October 2019, Dorsey ended all political advertising on the site, saying he worried such ads had "significant ramifications that today's democratic structure may not be prepared to handle." But Dorsey, a proponent of free speech, declined to take down world leaders' posts because he considered them newsworthy. Since Twitter announced that year that it would give greater leeway to world leaders who broke its rules, the company had removed their tweets only once: Last March, it deleted messages from the presidents of Brazil and Venezuela that promoted false cures for the coronavirus. Dorsey opposed the removals, a person with knowledge of his thinking said. Dorsey pushed for an in-between solution: appending labels to tweets by world leaders if the posts violated Twitter's policies. In May, when Trump tweeted inaccurate information about mail-in voting, Dorsey gave the go-ahead for Twitter to start labelling the president's messages. After the election, Trump tweeted that it had been stolen from him. Within a few days, Twitter had labelled about 34 per cent of his tweets and retweets, according to a New York Times tally. Then came the Capitol storming.

On January 6, as Congress met to certify the election, Twitter executives celebrated their acquisition of Ueno, a branding and design firm. Dorsey, who has often gone on retreats, had travelled to the South Pacific island, said the people with knowledge of his location. When Trump used Twitter to lash out at Vice President Mike Pence and question the election result, the company added warnings to his tweets. Then, as violence erupted at the Capitol, people urged Twitter and Facebook to take Trump offline entirely. That led to virtual discussions among some of Dorsey's lieutenants. The group included Gadde, a lawyer who had joined Twitter in 2011; Del Harvey, vice president of trust and safety; and Yoel Roth, head of site integrity. Harvey and Roth had helped build the company's responses to spam, harassment and election interference. The executives decided to suspend Trump because his comments appeared to incite the mob, said the people with knowledge of the discussions. Gadde then called Dorsey, who was not pleased, they said. Trump was not barred completely. If he deleted several tweets that had stoked the mob, there would be a 12-hour cooling-off period. Then he could post again.

After Twitter locked Trump's account, Facebook did the same. Snapchat, Twitch and others also placed limits on Trump. But Dorsey was not sold on a permanent ban of Trump. He emailed employees the next day, saying it was important for the company to remain consistent with its policies, including letting a user return after a suspension. Many workers, fearing that history would not look kindly upon them, were dissatisfied. Several invoked IBM's collaboration with the Nazis, said current and former Twitter employees, and started a petition to immediately remove Trump's account. That same day, Facebook barred Trump through at least the end of his term. But he returned to Twitter that evening with a video saying there would be a peaceful transition of power. By the next morning, though, Trump was back at it. He tweeted that his base would have a "GIANT VOICE" and that he would not attend the January 20 inauguration.

Twitter's safety team immediately saw Trump fans, who had been saying the president abandoned them, post about further unrest, said the people with knowledge of the matter. In a Parler message that the safety team reviewed, one user said anyone who opposed "American Patriots" like himself should leave Washington or risk physical harm during the inauguration. The safety team began drafting an analysis of the tweets and whether they constituted grounds for kicking off Trump, the people said. Around noon in San Francisco that day, Dorsey called in for an employee meeting. Some pressed him on why Trump was not permanently barred. Dorsey repeated that Twitter should be consistent with its policies. But he said he had drawn a line in the sand that the president could not cross or Trump would lose his account privileges, people with knowledge of the event said. After the meeting, Dorsey and other executives agreed that Trump's tweets that morning  and the responses they had provoked  had crossed that line, the people said. The employee letter asking for Trump's removal was later delivered, they said.

Within hours, Trump's account was gone, except for an "Account suspended" label. He tried tweeting from the @POTUS account, which is the official account of the US president, as well as others. But at every turn, Twitter thwarted him by pulling down the messages. Some Twitter employees, fearing the wrath of Trump's supporters, have now set their Twitter accounts to private and removed mentions of their employer from online biographies, four people said. Several executives were assigned personal security. Loading Twitter has also broadened its crackdown on accounts promoting violence. Over the weekend, it removed more than 70,000 accounts that pushed the QAnon conspiracy theory, which posits that Trump is fighting a cabal of Satan-worshipping paedophiles. On Wednesday, employees gathered virtually to discuss the decision to bar Trump, two attendees said. Some were grateful that Twitter had taken action, while others were eager to leave the Trump era behind. Many were emotional; some cried.
Dublin Airport has lost connections to 115 cities around the world due to the Covid crisis.

The airport now has scheduled flights to just 85 cities, down from 200 before the crisis began.

In a briefing to staff, DAA boss Dalton Philips said on average 10,000 passengers were using the airport every day in December. The UK remained the main market but passenger numbers to and from Britain were down 92pc compared with December 2019.

Ryanair dominated traffic at the airport, with 46pc of all December flights, compared to just 21pc of traffic for Aer Lingus, including its regional flights operated by Stobart.

Transatlantic traffic was down 89pc year-on-year, European traffic was down 84pc, as was traffic from the rest of the world.

Covid has seen Ireland's connectivity with the world greatly contract and almost a quarter of all traffic at Dublin and Cork airports was to and from the UK. The second-biggest market out of the two DAA-run airports was Spain, accounting for 11pc of December traffic. Netherlands was on 10pc, Poland on 9pc and the US on 9pc - about 750 passengers per day.

Overall, Dublin had 291,000 passengers in December, compared to 2.3 million during December 2019, a fall of 87pc year-on-year.

Load factors improved to 58pc in December compared to much lower earlier in the year but well behind the 80pc in the same month of 2019.

Cork Airport had just under 9,000 passengers in December, less than 300 passengers per day and down 95pc year-on-year.

DAA's international retail subsidiary ARI saw global business fall over 30pc in December, with retail sales down 70pc in Cork and Dublin.

In a separate update to staff regarding Covid safety measures, DAA said that it had "recently experienced an increased number of non-workplace close contact cases".

DAA told staff that it was reintroducing "on-call" shifts for airport search unit staff to avoid having excessive numbers of staff in the terminal when passenger volumes were low. This could necessitate staff being called into work on alternative days "should the demand profile change".

DAA's outlook for passenger traffic through January was "quite lumpy", with numbers potentially hitting 15,000 some days but as low as 3,000 on others. In a letter to the company, Siptu said it welcomed the on-call shifts but had concerns.

"Because of the closure of childcare facilities and schools many workers in DAA are having difficulties in fulfilling obligations outside the workplace and the notion that they will essentially be on-call for days not rostered is simply unacceptable at any time and especially in the current circumstances," it said.




Vice President Mike Pence reads the final certification of Electoral College votes cast in November's presidential election during a joint session of Congress after working through the night, at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 7, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite, Pool)

Pence Urges Biden to Stand Up to Chinese Aggression in Indo-Pacific

Vice President Mike Pence urged President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday to stand up to the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.

As a new American administration prepares to take office, we do well to remember as Americans that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance, Pence said at the Naval Air Station Lemoore in Jan. 17. And a free and open Indo-Pacific is essential to our prosperity, our security and the vitality of freedom in the world.

The vice president said that the CCP is determined to expand Beijings influence across the region through military provocations and dead diplomacy.

I urge the incoming administration to stay the course. Do what weve done. Stand up to Chinese aggression and trade abuses. Stand strong for a free and open Indo-Pacific and put America and our freedom-loving allies first, Pence said.

Pence made the remarks during the last week of his service as the vice president and just days after the U.S. Department of State declassified a document outlining the administrations overarching strategy in the Indo-Pacific. The strategy, in place since 2017, emphasized working with regional allies to counter the CCPs ambitions in the region and highlighted Taiwans role in combating the Chinese regimes military aggression.

Beijing is increasingly pressuring Indo-Pacific nations to subordinate their freedom and sovereignty to a common destiny envisioned by the Chinese Communist Party, national security adviser Robert OBrien said in a memo dated Jan. 5 that accompanied the declassified document. The U.S. approach is different. We seek to ensure that our allies and partners  can preserve and protect their sovereignty.

The document, titled U.S. Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific, describes how the Chinese regime poses a threat to the United States and like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific.

China aims to dissolve U.S. alliances and partnerships in the region. China will exploit vacuums and opportunities created by these diminished bonds, the strategy document states. Chinese economic, diplomatic, and military influence will continue to increase in the near-term and challenge the U.S. ability to achieve its national interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

In terms of confronting the Chinese military, the U.S. strategy committed to devise and implement a defense strategy capable of three objectives: deny China sustained air and sea dominance inside the first island chain in a conflict; defend the first island chain nations, including Taiwan; and dominate all domains outside the first island chain.

The first island chain is an arbitrary demarcation from the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, Taiwan, the Philippines, to Indonesia. For decades, Chinas military strategists have seen the first island chain as a barrier to the regime projecting its air and naval power to the second island chain and beyond. The second chain stretches from Japan to Guam and Papua New Guinea.

The U.S. strategy would enable Taiwan to develop an effective asymmetric defense strategy and capabilities that will help ensure its security, freedom from coercion, resilience, and ability to engage China on its own terms, the document adds.

Experts noted that the documents language on Taiwan is a deviation from the U.S. governments longstanding policy of strategic ambiguitymeaning not clearly stating whether the U.S. government would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by China.

Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan despite its de facto nation-state status, with its own democratically elected government, military, and currency. The Chinese regime has repeatedly threatened to use military force to bring the island under its control.

Frank Fang contributed to this report.
Crews remove the vehicles from an early morning crash in the southbound lane of I-91, near mile marker 38 in Rockingham, on Jan. 1.
BlueBridge Technologies, an Irish-connected-health-engineering company, has won a significant contract from the European Space Agency to design and build hand-held devices to monitor the spread of Covid-19.

The monitor, called Resper, will be similar to an asthma inhaler in appearance and will measure a user's lung function, breath temperature and saturated oxygen levels.

This data will then be shared via both mobile phone networks and the EU's Galileo satellite network so as to monitor the progress of the virus in real time.

As a certified medical device designer in a highly regulated market, BlueBridge, which was founded in 2006, has previously developed software and devices for some of the largest firms in the world including Medtronic, Novartis, Abbot and Boston Scientific.

Garret Coady, the company's founder and chief executive, said: "We are only too happy to be able to play a part in the fight against Covid-19. We hope that Resper will play an important role, not only in monitoring the spread of the virus in real time but in helping to manage the long-term effect that Covid-19 will have on some sufferers.

"Resper will be able to provide real-world information in real time to the experts advising on the key decisions in the battle to restrict the spread of Covid-19."

BlueBridge Technologies has partnered with Actuate technologies, an American firm, to commercialise the new technology when it becomes available.

The firm has already built a prototype device and expects commercial production to begin in early 2022. Some 500,000 Resper units are forecast to be sold in its first year.
Mark Wright made work a family affair on Sunday as he brought his wife Michelle Keegan and their two pet pooches with him.

The presenter, 33, took to Instagram Stories and shared snaps of himself and Michelle as she sat on the floor of Global Studios while he presented his show.

The actress, also 33, looked stylish in the snap in a gold coat and skintight black leather trousers and a beanie hat.

Family: Mark Wright made work a family affair on Sunday as he brought his wife Michelle Keegan and their two pet pooches with him

Alongside the photo of his other half, former Strictly Come Dancing star Mark wrote: 'Bring the gang to work day', as she cradled their dachshund Phoebe.

Mark held their chihuahua Pip in his lap as he presented his weekly radio show, captioning his snap: 'She wanted to come to work with me! How could I say no?'

Mark recently took to a trip to Manchester on Friday to play with Crawley Town against Bradford.

The former TOWIE star previously played for the club during the 2006-07 season and rejoined on a non-contract basis back in December.

Stylish: The presenter, 33, took to Instagram Stories and shared snaps of himself and Michelle as she sat on the floor of Global Studios while he presented his show

In Manchester, Mark cut a casual figure as he was seen grabbing two cups of coffee in a local Starbucks.

The presenter sported a black jacket along with a matching pair of tracksuit bottoms and white trainers.

Putting safety first with a face mask, Mark completed his look for the outing with a black cap.

It comes after Mark urged the public to follow COVID-19 rules so that life can return to normal sooner rather than later.

Outing: It comes after Mark took to a trip to Manchester on Friday to play with Crawley Town against Bradford

The reality star reflected that he misses taking Michelle on romantic trips and is keen to enjoy 'parties and pub visits' again, and want to adhere to the government's tough restrictions so it will be possible to do so again.

Writing a column for The Sun on Tuesday, he claimed: 'Like everyone else, I long to go back to parties and pub visits.

'I have had the same group of 15 friends since childhood and we usually go to the pub every week. I miss them all dearly and I miss being able to whisk my wife Michelle away for the weekend and going on holiday, but I cant.'

While he claimed he wasn't 'moaning' about the fact he couldn't take Michelle on holiday or see his friends, he added: 'I still want to return to our old life, and we will be living that sooner rather than later if people follow the rules.'

Out and about: In Manchester, Mark cut a casual figure as he was seen grabbing two cups of coffee in a local Starbucks

Mark's parents Mark. Snr, 64, and Carol, 60, announced on New Year's Eve they had been struck down by Covid-19, Mark. Snr has since returned home.

Mark said that his father is still 'not completely better' and that his family 'worried for his life' while he was in hospital battling coronavirus.

The TV star also revealed that two of his uncles are currently in hospital due to the virus with his uncle Eddie, 65, the father of his reality star cousin Elliott, in a coma and intensive care unit (ICU).

Hopes: Mark recently said he 'missed' whisking Michelle on holiday and going to the pub as he urged the public to follow COVID-19 rules so life can go back to normal

Speaking on his Heart Evening Show, the presenter made an impassioned plea for people to observe government guidelines to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Mark also revealed that he had tested positive for Covid-19 last year but it didn't affect him like it has his family.

The emotional reality star said: 'I want my life back. I want my family to be well again. I don't want my family to have to worry anymore.

'I don't want you to worry anymore. If you want to get your life back, the only way this will happen is if we obey by the government rules.'

Upsetting: On Monday, Mark said that his father is still 'not completely better' and that his family 'worried for his life' while he was in hospital battling coronavirus

Mark noted that people obeyed the government guidelines and rules 'so much better' during the first lockdown compared to the third lockdown.

He said: 'Now last time when this happened, last year's lockdown, I saw such a difference. Everybody was sticking to the rules so much better than it feels this time and it's coming back to bite us, harder, faster and tougher.

'Do you want to see your family members go through what I'm seeing right now? I understand if it hasn't affected your family like it has affected mine, bloodlines are different, I don't know the science of it.

He said: 'What I do know is that my father, my dad was suffering in hospital and we worried for his life for two weeks, he's now home, he's not completely better, he knows that and we know it.

'My other uncle, his brother, is in hospital right now, receiving oxygen, and their other brother, my uncle Eddie who I love dearly is currently in a coma in the ICU.'

Mark admitted that he wasn't trying to get 'too dark' but by sharing personal information about how it has impacted his family, it will highlight how important the guidelines are.

He continued: 'Now I'm trying not to be too dark but I'm trying to give you a personal from me, because I am seeing first hand, and I know if you haven't seen it and you haven't felt it the way I have, I understand it's hard to believe it.

'It's easy to sit and think, "You know what, it's just for people that have got real underlying health issues, they were going to die of something anyway." That's not the case.

'A) that shouldn't be a good excuse anyway because they don't deserve to take this badly just because they've got an underlying health condition. And b) it's not just that. My dad is a healthy man, so are my uncles.'

He added: 'So look, I want to move on from this subject, but I just wanted to clear it up because it's made a bit of the headlines from what I said on Good Morning Britain.

'My dad is doing okay, and I want him to know I love him very much. But look, please going forward, we stick together, we do this together and we do what we can to get us back to normal.

'Get us back to holidays, get us back to seeing our friends and dancing on the dance floor.'

Mark also admitted that he understands it's a 'tough situation' and that he is aware that the virus affects everyone differently.

Heartbreaking: Mark also revealed that two of his uncles are currently in hospital due to the virus with his uncle Eddie, 65, the father of his reality star cousin Elliott, in a coma and intensive care unit (ICU) (Elliott and Eddie pictured in February 2020)

He continued: 'It is a tough situation, I understand, because there's so many conspiracy theories that you hear from people.

'Many people that don't believe how real what is going on actually is, and I hear it first hand from friends of mine, very close friends of mine.

'"Oh it's just like a cold, it's just like a flu," "I know someone who had it," "I had it, I was just tired, it didn't hurt, it was fine" and I know that. We know that. It doesn't affect everybody to the point of the way it affects some.

'It didn't affect me when I had it back last year, the way it affected my family members, the way it is affecting my family members.

'I've always done my best to stand by what the government say, and the reason I do that is because I know the experts working with the government, are the best experts we have and that's why they're working for the government.'
A woman identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as Emily Hernandez is seen holding a nameplate taken from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office in the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (FBI)

Woman Who Allegedly Posed With Pelosis Nameplate During Capitol Breach Is Charged

The woman who was spotted holding House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) nameplate during the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol has been charged.

Emily Hernandez was seen inside the Capitol holding the nameplate, according to an image published in a court filing from the FBI.

At least three tipsters contacted the bureau after seeing the image broadcast by a news outlet. One recognized Hernandez through their association on social media; a high school friend of Hernandez confirmed the womans identity to the FBI.

A different photo showed a woman the FBI says is Hernandez outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, holding the nameplate and an American flag.

FBI agents found that Hernandez posted a video to her Snapchat showing her inside the Capitol and holding the nameplate. They also received photos appearing to show Hernandez at the scene.

The nameplate is estimated to cost $870 to replace.

Hernandez was hit with five charges on Jan. 15, including illegally entering the Capitol, disorderly conduct, and stealing a thing of value of the United States. She faces jail time if convicted.

Hernandez couldnt be reached for comment; she hasnt retained a lawyer, according to information about the case from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Hernandez is one of five women to be charged with participating in the Capitol breach, according to court records. Authorities have arrested over 125 people and have identified more than 200 suspects.

Pelosi told reporters last week that the Capitol breach was an armed insurrection against America. She led the House in impeaching President Donald Trump over claims that he incited the breach. Trump and his supporters have defended the president, noting that he on Jan. 6 called for protesters to demonstrate peacefully.

A Colorado man, meanwhile, was charged last week after authorities say he threatened to kill Pelosi.

Cleveland Meredith drove to Washington with guns and ammunition, authorities said. He was ordered held without bond, pending trial.
Cubicles erected inside Salisbury Cathedral, for people to receive a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, in Salisbury, England, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021. Vaccination centers are being opened in England at some of the country's great cathedrals. Salisbury Cathedral, which also houses a copy of the Magna Carta, opened its great nave to the public. Others will follow as the rollout continues. Organ music played as the jabs were delivered at Salisbury and requests were even taken. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP)

The U.K. government plans to offer a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to every adult by September as the nation's health care system battles the worst crisis in its 72-year-history.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Sunday that the government will soon begin a trial of round the clock injections at some locations as it continues to add more vaccination sites to increase the pace of delivery. The National Health Service opened a mass vaccination center on Saturday at the historic Salisbury Cathedral, where injections were accompanied by organ music.

"Our target is by September to have offered all the adult population a first dose,'' he told Sky News. "If we can do it faster than that, great, but that's the road map."

Britain has more than 51 million adults in its population of 67.5 million people.

The ambitious vaccination program comes amid crushing pressures on the National Health Service. Already beleaguered hospitals are admitting another COVID-19 patient every 30 seconds, putting the service in its most precarious situation ever, said Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England.

"The facts are very clear and I'm not going to sugarcoat them, hospitals are under extreme pressure and staff are under extreme pressure,'' he told the BBC. "Since Christmas Day we've seen another 15,000 increase in the in-patients in hospitals across England. That's the equivalent of filling 30 hospitals full of coronavirus patients."

Travellers arrive at Heathrow Airport in London, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. The UK will close all travel corridors from Monday morning to protect against the coronavirus with travellers entering the country from overseas are required to have proof of a negative Covid test. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Britain's health care system is staggering as doctors and nurses battle a more contagious variant of the coronavirus coupled with cold, wet winter weather that drives people inside, where infections spread more easily.

The surge in infections has pushed the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 to a record 37,475, more than 73% higher than during the first peak of the pandemic in April. Britain has reported 88,747 coronavirus-related deaths, more than any other country in Europe and the fifth-highest number worldwide.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Jan. 2 ordered England into its third national lockdown in an effort to slow the spread of the virus and protect the NHS, which Stevens said now has some 50,000 employees off work due to COVID-19 infections and exposure quarantines.

The government says it won't review the lockdown measures until mid-February, by which time it plans to offer at least one dose of vaccine to everyone over 70, as well as to frontline health care workers and others who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

Travellers walk towards the Covid-19 testing centre at Heathrow Airport in London, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. The UK will close all travel corridors from Monday morning to protect against the coronavirus with travellers entering the country from overseas are required to have proof of a negative Covid test. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Travellers wait for their Covid-19 test results at Heathrow Airport in London, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. The UK will close all travel corridors from Monday morning to protect against the coronavirus, with all travellers to have a negative COVID-19 test to enter the country. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Members of the public receive the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, at Salisbury Cathedral, in Salisbury, England, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021. Vaccination centers are being opened in England at some of the country's great cathedrals. Salisbury Cathedral, which also houses a copy of the Magna Carta, opened its great nave to the public. Others will follow as the rollout continues. Organ music played as the jabs were delivered at Salisbury and requests were even taken. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP)

In this photo issued by Kensington Palace, Britain's Prince William, bottom right talks on a virtual call with NHS staff and volunteers , from left, top row Saints Foundation volunteer and flow manager at Solent NHS Trust and University Hospital Southampton Jake Plummer, GP at Rysseldene Surgery in Colwyn Bay Dr Helen Alefounder, nurse and clinical lead on Covid-19 vaccinations in care homes in Ayrshire and Arran Dalene Steele, from left bottom row, pharmacist at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry Bronagh Hegarty and Medical Director of Primary Care for NHS England Dr Nikki Kanani. Prince William is encouraging everyone in Britain to follow the example of Queen Elizabeth II, his grandmother, in being inoculated against COVID-19 as authorities battle unsubstantiated fears about vaccine safety. The second in line to the throne spoke about the queen and her spouse, Prince Philip, during a video call with National Health Service staff and volunteers that was released late Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021. (Kensington Palace/via AP)

Tube trains are parked at the Boston Manor depot at sunrise in London, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, during England's third national lockdown since the coronavirus outbreak began. Transport for London, TfL, aims to run as close to normal services as possible to enable social distancing when travelling, although people are asked to stay home while the U.K. is under an indefinite national lockdown to curb the spread of the new coronavirus variant. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Once that goal has been reached, the U.K. will offer the vaccine to everyone over 50 before finally moving on to everyone over 18.

Unlike other nations, Britain has chosen to stretch out the time between vaccine doses from 21 days to up to 12 weeksa decision that means more people will get at least one dose more quickly.

Britain has approved three vaccinesones by Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna. The first two are already being used, while the Moderna doses are not expected until spring.

Meanwhile, vaccination centers are being opened in England at some of the country's great cathedrals. Salisbury Cathedral, which also houses a copy of the Magna Carta, opened its great nave to the public. Others will follow as the rollout continues.

Organ music played as the jabs were delivered at Salisbury. Requests were taken.

"I doubt that anyone is having a jab in surroundings that are more beautiful than this, so I hope it will ease people as they come into the building," said the Very Rev. Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
As the White House gears up to welcome a new set of President and staff on January 20 on the Inauguration Day, new social media accounts are being set up and amid flurry of followers going back and forth, Vice-president elect Kamala Harris' husband Douglas Emhoff has bagged a first time official Twitter account.

Democrat Kamala Harris created history after she became elected as the first woman vice-president elect after the US Presidential elections in 2020. Emhoff, who is a lawyer saw his account surging ahead in the number of followers after his new official account was set up as @SecondGentleman and has garnered close to 4.8 lakh followers so far.

Emhoff's bio in the microblogging site reads, Future Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff. Devoted dad. Proud husband to Vice President-elect Harris.

President-elect Joe Biden will be taking over as the 46th President of the US on January 20 and several social media accounts will be official handed over to him and his staff, including @POTUS, @PressSec. Biden who tweeted from his official handle said that his account @PresElectBiden will automatically transform into the official @POTUS.

Folks  This will be the account for my official duties as President. At 12:01 PM on January 20th, it will become @POTUS. Until then, I'll be using @JoeBiden. And while you're here, follow @FLOTUSBiden @SenKamalaHarris @SecondGentleman and @Transition46. President-elect Biden (@PresElectBiden) January 15, 2021

Even though there are no tweets from Emhoff's official account so far, netizens were all praises for this new addition to the official account. Leading by example, an excited Meena Harris, Kamala Harris' niece tweeted.

Omg theres officially a @SecondGentleman account  Meena Harris (@meenaharris) January 17, 2021

I havent seen any tweets yet but Douglas Emhoff @SecondGentleman already has over 400,000 followers. Gotta love his handle. #genderparity #groundbreaker Gloria Feldt (@GloriaFeldt) January 17, 2021

Amid increasingly conversations around gender equality and pre-conceived norms about masculinity, netizens also believed that this would help to rework some of these set norms in the society.

Because I was focused on how great it is to have a female VP in the US, it hadnt occurred to me how great it is to have her husband as second gentleman. Now Im super excited to see what he can do for masculinity norms in the US. https://t.co/C3xkgwReLX Johannes Haushofer (@jhaushofer) January 17, 2021

She will be the first female vice president, First African American/ Asian American Vice President and he will be the first 2nd Gentleman. What a proud moment in our nations history. Best wishes to them both I know theyll make us proud.  Kellie C. (@KellieC_LMT) January 17, 2021

First account I ever started following before it sent a single tweet. Then, BAM! It just started snowing sideways! (@Waygood2) January 17, 2021

But Biden's Biden new official presidential Twitter account and the others will not be directly inheriting the followers from their predecessors, as the microblogging platform announced, but those who follow Biden Administrations current accounts will be notified via alerts to follow the new handles.
Amazon Prime Video officials in India were summoned by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry over controversy surrounding the recently released web series 'Tandav', reported ANI.

Several leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party have called for the ban of new series and accused its makers and actors of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindu. They have also called the show "anti-Dalit".

BJP MLA Ram Kadam in Maharashtra on Sunday lodged a complaint against the makers of web series at Ghatkopar police station in Mumbai. He also wrote to the Union I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar seeking a ban on the show 'Tandav'.

"Strict against should be taken against the actor, director and producer of the web series," Kadam said about the series which has been named after a dance form tandav, associated especially with Shiva, according to ANI.

Kadam had taken to Twitter to demand the removal of a part he says "mocks Shiva" and an apology from actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub.

"Tandava will be boycotted until necessary changes are made.#BanTandavNow," he had tweeted.

"Just as there is a system of censors for reviewing films and serials, a similar arrangement should be made to review series on the OTT platform. Writing to @PrakashJavdekar ji," he added in Hindi.

Other ministers from the party have also called for the ban and urged Prakash Javadekar to regulate the OTT platform.

Manoj Kotak, a member of Parliament from Maharashtra, condemned the web series and said that "OTT content be regulated in the interest of integrity of India".

OTT Platforms having absolute freedom from censorship has led to repeated attacks on Hindu sentiments which I strongly condemn.spoke to hon.@PrakashJavdekar ji & requested that OTT content be regulated in the interest of integrity of India & we are fast moving in that direction (sic)," he wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

BJP leader Kapil Mishra alleged that Tandav is "anti-Dalit and full of communal hatred against Hindus". He requested people on Twitter to write to Javadekar appealing for a ban on the web series.

'Tandav', starring actors Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Dino Morea, Kumud Mishra, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Gauhar Khan and Kritika Kamra, premiered on the streaming platform on Friday.

Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar has created, directed and produced the political drama with Himanshu Kishan Mehra and it is written by Gaurav Solanki, best known for 'Article 15'.

















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Black westerners are clearly not above making colonizer moves. To Black people's credit though, at least we gather our own when we're doing wrong like this.

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idk, the shade room comment etc make me realize we don't though.

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Black Twitter was eating her up and gathering the Black people who tried to defend the behavior. It was a beautiful sight. I will say, Shade Room commenters have the worst takes of all time. People are consistently colorist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, and the loudest capitalists without any damn capital to their name. It is where reason and good sense go to die.

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i feel like its always two factions when stuff like this happens. the sensible black folks who understand intersectionality and can agree that we get disproportionately reprimanded for stuff white folks get away with but still need to be dragged for anyway because its common fucking sense, and the pick me/hotep clowns who think criticizing black people in any way shouldnt be allowed



the shade room is sadly full of the latter

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It sucks that a lot of valid criticism was paired with anti blackness.



Americans and other ppl from imperialist countries need to stop this shit.



So many people taking advantage of loopholes and low flight tickets especially during the pandemic has been really disheartening to see.



Eta- spelling typos



Edited at 2021-01-17 07:20 pm (UTC)

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The fact that Indonesians jumped out to call her the n-word was not lost on me. She gave them plenty to criticize her for and get her out of Bali, yet they ran to be anti-Black. Like, I can't.

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From what I got is Indonesians used the word "ngga" which is slangy/lazy for "no" in Indonesian, and not the n-word.

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i really doubt indonesia is a queer paradise

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It's not. Indonesians themselves said it's false

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it's actually outlawed.

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I usually see Indonesia on a list of worst places for women, so Id be shocked to know it was so great for gay people.

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yeah it's pretty shit by all accounts



i don't think the sarcasm came through in my original comment

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I've been watching some videos by "Asian Boss" youtube, and they have some very sad interviews.









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Im a lesbian from Indonesia and its not lol. Bali is a little better than the rest of Indonesia because its Hindu instead of Muslim or Christian but I still wouldnt feel safe being out there. It makes me really sad because I desperately miss home and I wish I could move back but I wouldnt be safe or accepted there

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yeah that's what baffled me the most - like indonesia is such a huge strict muslim heavy country did they find the tiny part that was lgbtq friendly??

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Bali is MASSIVE for Australians.



I know a lot of lesbians who wont go. Others who do choose to go are much less affectionate cause of the fear.



They were going to do a thing a few years back where people could be arrested for sex outside of marriage. The only thing that stopped it was they realised it would destroy Bali.

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"The fact that you're trending on Twitter [..] makes me a stan" is just another argument for teaching Media Literacy in schools.

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hi what the FUCK is a digital nomad

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People who travel around the world making money on the internet basically. Most of them are in digital marketing or "consulting".



Edited at 2021-01-17 07:23 pm (UTC)

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It's basically a person whose job grants them the ability to work from anywhere in the world because it's online and you don't have to go to an office.

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"Do you know when the boss tells you this job can be done everywhere? So why not just do THAT?"



Any function that only needs proper internet.

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People who can and do work from anywhere in the world. Even before the pandemic, they could work anywhere as long as they had an internet connection. I remember hearing from one guy, who did this style of work in finance, that places like Bali even have conference/computer centers set up for them

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I worked during my last travel because there are certain dates on which I just can't get time off and I was always worried about carrying my work laptop around the world (I was also in Bali). I'd prefer no work and no stress about stolen work stuff.

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Always my dream job

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_nomad People who can work from home/without going into the office, so they decide to work remotely from foreign countries.

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what I want to become lol!



Liek the other person said its a person who can basically work remotely forever so they can just move around from place to place

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It's what I'm hoping to get as my next job.

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I basically got a laptop and a phone from my company and can work from anywhere. I just have to make sure I am available to my 1:1 call with my boss every other day. For a while I stayed at my bfs parents place in Mexico to work or at his cousins place in Spain but right now I am obviously stuck at my own four walls in Berlin

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If you're taking advantage of loopholes to live and work in a country maybe you should keep that shit to yourself?

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Icb it made it to the independent.



Honestly, I don't think there's anything wrong with moving to a country, which is friendlier. But understand your privilege, and don't contribute to gentrification. A lot of the westerners who move to poorer countries, rarely try to assimilate or contribute to the local culture, and create their own expat heaven of inflated real estate prices, which pushes out the locals.



Edited at 2021-01-17 07:21 pm (UTC)

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She didn't even officially move, she's there on a tourist visa.

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What a dumbass. So shes making income in a foreign country and probably not reporting it to the IRS either.

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Lol those folks want to live like they're in America with better weather. They don't want to actually live among the locals and have to learn the language. They have a whole tv network dedicated to them.



Edited at 2021-01-17 07:32 pm (UTC)

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I think it would be very hard for an American to move to a poorer country and not contribute to the gentrification in the slightest.

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Here in PRico were having that problem. Yes we are part of the USA, but were a colony in everything but name. Gringos, especially white ones, have moved here at an alarming rate to take advantage of tax loopholes. So while many of them are paying 0-4% in taxes, us locals are paying up to 33% in taxes.



Most of them are incredibly rude, condescending and expect everyone to cater to them. Theyre trying to build a helipad in one of the schools so they can transport their kids there. Its infuriating and obnoxious as fuck, not to mention incredibly disrespectful.

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A lot of people move to "developing" countries just to take advantage of the currency exchange and that's fucked up

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1) Fuck her.

2)if living in Bali is oh so fantastic and oh so cheap why the fuck does she need to sell her *EBOOK* for 30$?

3) Fuck her.

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re point # 2, it may be cheaper but money does not grow on trees, ANYWHERE. Whichever country you live in, you need an income source to survive

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maybe but how can she justify pricing her book that high? cmon

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Someone else already said it in the other post, but this digital nomad thing reeks strongly of neo-colonialism-but-make-it-millenial-be cause-of-flex-work. Yes, I know traveling is wonderful and it's even cooler and easier if you can work during it to provide, but if you want your cake and have it to, you're going to have to give back to society just like you do in your country of origins.



To find loop holes and use a tourist visa is not it. It speaks of an arrogance against "lesser developed" countries you probably feel like should be flattered to have you.

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Other post?

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digital nomad pre-dates millenials. it's a gen x invention.

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Flex work for all.

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Well said. Its not inherently shitty to be a digital nomad (if a bit silly sounding) and work in Bali. She just has to recognize the enormous privilege she has over indigenous Balinese folks, pay her gd taxes, and contribute to her community instead of never talking to any Indonesians except when she and her gf need tours or restaurant recs and shittalking Indonesians behind their backs and calling them lazy/stupid as most expats do.



Source: I grew up an expat around other expats. You couldnt catch me saying that shit though, not even as an 8 year old bb



Edited at 2021-01-17 11:25 pm (UTC)

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This. I hate that a lot of 'digital nomad' vloggers in my feed always have rental properties videos with captions like 'All this for only $250' or something along the lines. It's like saying 'you too can colonize this poorer country.' It's especially irksome when it's some middle-aged white man who's obviously a sex tourist in Thailand. Inspiring all other sad, middle-aged white men to be sex tourists to join in their grossness together.

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I really dont feel like black people have the economic and political power necessary to gentrify or colonize a place, but her thread is very tone deaf. Also, I doubt anyone in her comments is actually gonna pack their shit and move to Bali.

Edit: If shes gonna be there for more than a few months, she needs to formally move there and pay some fucking taxes though.



Edited at 2021-01-17 07:29 pm (UTC)

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disagree on your black people comment. You dont think if 100 black people with USD move to a caribbean island for example, they will not potentially gentrify simply based on the strength of the US dollar?



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This sort of happened with the Return to Africa movement in Ghana. Prices in Accra rose a lot because Black Americans who were able to travel in the first place clearly have a lot of wealth, started gentrifying the locals. As a Canadian, I see the way I get treated differently compared to Black Africans for example. As individuals, we have a lot of privilege just by virtue of our accents and relative wealth tbh. I dont think we should ignore that.



Edited at 2021-01-17 08:12 pm (UTC)

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Black Americans as a class may not a lot of enough economic and political power, but as individuals, we certainly can use our funky little passports and $USD paychecks to take advantage of poor countries using the same colonial mindset that white people do. We are responsible for our behavior. The oppression we face at home doesn't mean we're not responsible for doing better when we move into other spaces.

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Yeah the people calling her a colonizer need to take a breath. I don't agree with her actions or the majority of what she wrote in that tweet thread but people keep throwing out terms to make the situation sound as extreme as possible.

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Lit some incense, sat in a circle then each person spoke their dream out loud





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so rainbow rhythms

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The most woo. Many of my new coworkers are a fan of this type of stuff, and I'm a little worried about going to meetings in person and having someone try to get me to meditate. I've already joked about taking a face shield and painting it black with my name on it so I can go "off-camera" when someone starts talking about the power of positive thinking -_-



I really like my career and field, but a lot of people have taken it into the "wellness" realm and I am not here for that

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my nightmare

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Just the idea of speaking my dreams out loud to a circle of people is giving me anxiety tbh

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one of her tweets was asking ppl to contact her for a list of resources on how to get there during the pandemic and like, how could you ever think that was a good idea to flaunt that you know how to get around another country's restrictions???

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Obviously "it shouldnt be the responsibility of a Black queer woman to fix systemic issues affecting the country" and if anybody said that they're pretty ridiculous but that's also not the point of the argument!



I think it is complex because obviously in America, she doesn't have that privilege. But in Bali, she does. She's there, living off her US salary, while trying to sell a book explaining to other Americans how to move there, evade taxes, and overstay their visas and contribute to the gentrification of the area. The tone of the post is very "I'm American and wonderful, and look at how quaint these foreign people are."

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Sen. Lindsey Graham: Pardoning US Capitol Rioters Would Destroy Trump

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) remarked that it would be unwise for President Donald Trump to pardon individuals who breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

I dont care if you went and spread flowers on the floor, you breached the security of the Capitol, interrupted a joint session of Congress, you tried to intimidate, assault, you should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and to seek a pardon of these people would be wrong, I think it would destroy President Trump, and I hope we dont go down that road, Graham told Fox News.

President Trump never said go into the Capitol and try to interrupt a joint session of Congress, Graham said. That was the choice they made and they need to live with that choice.

On Jan. 6, Trump issued remarks to a group of protesters as both chambers of Congress counted the electoral votes. A much smaller group then broke into the Capitol building, although Trump several times called for no violence. Later, Trump called on the rioters to leave in peace, and last week, he said that demonstrators who plan on protesting during Inauguration Day to not commit any acts of violence.

House Democrats and about 10 Republicans impeached Trump over the incident on Jan. 6.

So far, more than 100 people have been arrested by federal agents due to the breach.

Virginia National Guard soldiers march across the east from of the U.S. Capitol on their way to their guard posts in Washington on Jan. 16, 2021. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The U.S. Army has increased security around Jan. 20s events, deploying National Guards members to all 50 state capitols. More than 25,000 Guard members have been sent to Washington D.C., an increase of about 5,000 over previous estimates.

Our National Guard soldiers and airmen are set around the city to protect our nations Capital, National Guard Bureau Chief Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson said in a statement last week.

In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking, and NO vandalism of any kind, Trump stated on Jan. 13. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.

The National Park Service has closed the Washington Monument to tours and Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked visitors to avoid the city. Other areas in D.C. have also been closed, while video footage and photos have shown significant fencing and barriers around the Capitol area.
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Americans were shocked by the assault on the U.S. Capitol that took place on January 6th, ostensibly by Trump supporters.

The US Capitol Police Chief, who has since resigned, stated: The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol was unlike any I have ever experienced in my 30 years in law enforcement here in Washington, D. C.

Pat Buchanan noted: What Americans watched was a mob occupation and desecration of the temple of the American Republic. And the event will be forever exploited to discredit not only Trump but the movement he led and the achievements of his presidency. He will be demonized as no one else in our history since Richard Nixon or Joe McCarthy.

The fallout from last Wednesday will likely continue for a long time. The pitchfork brigade that frightened those in the Capitol for a few hours will likely become the face of conservatives on direct mail pieces of the Southern Poverty Law Center and their ilk.

But those inside the Capitol were not typical of the vast majority of conservatives, including those who attended the D.C. meeting. Pastor and columnist Larry Tomczak was there.

For wnd.com (1/6/21) he writes: The diverse crowd was overwhelmingly respectful but righteously angry. The gathered multitudes were a far cry from the boisterous, violent and destructive protests of Black Lives Matter, Antifa and far-left extremists.

How are we to process all this? Dr. Richard Land, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary, commented on the attack: Americans must always reject the resort to violence in pursuit of political goals. It is literally un-American to engage in, or resort to, violent disregard of the law. This is not a question of conservative vs. liberal or Democrat vs. Republican. This is right vs. wrong.

One now-repentant participant inside the Capitol is quoted in the New York Post (1/8/21): My decision to enter the Capitol was wrong, and I am deeply regretful to have done so. Without qualification and as a peaceful and law-abiding citizen, I condemn the violence and destruction that took place in Washington.

But, of course, if hes looking for forgiveness from the left, he will not find it. There is no redemption from the left.

Part of the story that is so difficult to stomach is the double standard  the way the media treats protesters on the right versus those on the left.

Tristan Justice of The Federalist.com notes that in the last year there were 28 times that media and Democrats excused or endorsed violence committed by left-wing activists. He points out: Democrats and their allies in the media are ready to condemn riots now that the turmoil has shifted to fit their narrative.

Justice adds, Incoming Vice President Kamala Harris encouraged her supporters last summer to donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, which provided bail money to the militant anarchists facing charges for setting fire to Minneapolis.

Looting and stealing and killing and violence for months was called mostly peaceful protests. Some of the reporters saying these riots were mostly peaceful protests had burning buildings behind them. They were reminiscent of Baghdad Bob, spokesman for Saddam Hussein in 2003, who would report that his forces were winning while the viewer could see the exact opposite behind Bob.

For months, we saw looting and unprecedented destruction of peoples livelihoods. Many of the people financially hurt were the working poor, including minorities, whose businesses and dreams went up in smoke.

America is all about the rule of law. The creation of the U.S. Constitution was in response to a riotous situation.

Some commentators note that the frustrated Capitol protesters did not go as far as trying to spark an insurrection. But, interestingly, the Constitution came about because of a true insurrection. It was called Shayss Rebellion (1786).

In her 1986 book on the creation of the Constitution, Miracle at Philadelphia, author Catherine Drinker Bowen says, Desperate farmers, ruinously taxed  by Boston, they said  and seeing their cattle and their land distrained by the bailiffs, had risen in revolt. With staves and pitchforks they had marched on county courthouses after the best Revolutionary technique, frightening sound-money men out of their wits and rousing General Washington to express disgust and anger that a country which had won a difficult war was not able to keep order in peacetime.

Response to this ultimately led to the creation of the Constitution  something good out of the ashes of calamity.

Meanwhile, Americas need to repent and return to God could not be clearer. One of the worst potential outcomes would be to encourage more Christian apathy on politics. It is never a good time to quit doing the right thing, even after major setbacks. After all, as Calvin Coolidge said, If good men dont hold office, bad men will.
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Much like Santa Claus, the 'Tooth Fairy' is an important fictional character in the lives of children in Western countries or cultures. Putting one's milk teeth under the pillow after losing it for the Tooth Fairy to take and in return give the kid a gift has almost become a right of passage for children.

So when a young student by the name of Gavin studying at Hart Highlands Elementary School in the British Columbia province of Canada lost his tooth in the classroom during school hours, he was bereft.

The incident occurred right before lunch time and Gavin was inconsolable at having missed the opportunity to send his tooth to the Tooth Fairy. That is when the school's Vice Principal Shandee Whitehead had a bright idea that saved the day.

Taking immediate measures to salvage the situation, Whitehead wrote an official letter to the 'Tooth Fairy' seeking payment for the lost tooth. That letter went viral on social media and netizens have hailed the commendable act of the vice principal.

In the letter addressed to the Tooth Fairy, Whitehead narrated the entire episode of how young Gavin lost his tooth and that they were unable to recover it despite a lot of effort.

She wrote that being a vice principal and a dentist by hobby, she could verify that there was surely a gap in the kids teeth which was not there that morning when he came in.

She demanded the tooth fairy to provide the standard monetary exchange rate she normally offers for a lost tooth. At the end of the letter, she even asked the tooth fairy to pay her back for the wisdom tooth she herself lost in 2000. She asserted she had bills to pay and hence wanted the payment to be made as soon as possible.

In addition to contributing to a long-term plan for ST success, cultivating leadership in others, managing PPL, data, & processes, & improving school leadership ... a VP has the duty of helping to create a positive school culture ... one that saves the day! pic.twitter.com/udZhQ19SGV shandeemay (@shandeemay1) January 13, 2021

Posting a picture of the letter on Twitter, Whitehead wrote that in addition to the myriad academic lessons, as a vice principal her duty is to create a positive culture in school, one that saves the day.

The post has been liked by over hundreds of Twitter users and many of them praised the vice principals efforts. One user wrote that reading the letter made her day and that she was sure it had helped the kid too.

True connections with students. Made my day and I am sure the student as well Shuirose Valimohamed (@shuirose) January 13, 2021

Well done! No doubt the tooth fairy appreciates your help! Janet Whitehead (@musingsandmud) January 13, 2021

Whitehead's enthusiasm to connect with the child and not let him down won her a lot of praise on social media.

The ED has arrested two Chinese nationals in connection with its money laundering probe linked to an alleged hawala racket worth an estimated Rs 1,000 crore that involved shell or dubious firms, official sources said on Sunday. The central probe agency arrested Charlie Peng alias Luo Sang (42) and Carter Lee under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on January 15. They were produced before a local court in Delhi on Saturday that sent them to 14 days custody, they said.

The ED case against Peng stems from an Income Tax Department investigation of last year and an FIR filed by the Delhi Police special cell against him in 2018. Peng's name had cropped up last year in connection with the detention of two persons in Himachal Pradesh who were allegedly tracking Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's movement on his direction.

The Chinese national and some of his alleged associates, including bankers, were raided by the Income Tax Department in August. Peng, sources had alleged, had a fake Indian passport. Tax officials had claimed that he created a "web of sham companies to launder hawala funds to and from China" in the past two-three years.

The sources had said his front or showcase business was import and export of medical and electronic goods and some other items. Peng, the sources said, was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in September 2018 on charges of fraud and forgery and was allegedly running an illegal money changer.

Both ED and I-T department, sources had said, are also probing allegations if Peng was "bribing" some Tibetans living in Delhi. In a statement in August last year, the CBDT had, without identifying the entities involved, stated that its searches were based on "credible inputs that a few Chinese individuals and their Indian associates were involved in money laundering and hawala transactions through a series of shell entities." It had said the "subsidiary of Chinese company and its related concerns have taken over Rs 100 crore bogus advances from shell entities for opening businesses of retail showrooms in India".

"Search action revealed that at the behest of Chinese individuals, more than 40 bank accounts were created in various dummy entities, entering into credits of more than Rs 1,000 crore over the period," the CBDT had said. "Incriminating documents of hawala transactions and money laundering with the active involvement of bank employees and Chartered Accountants have been found as a result of the search action," it said.

Evidence of foreign hawala transactions involving Hong Kong and US dollars have also been unearthed, the CBDT had said. Similar charges are being probed against Lee by the ED, they said.
About 2008, Melissa Kutney was scouring cubbies built into a room of her former Scranton home when she discovered a 19th century Bible and a broken rosary tucked away in a back corner, almost buried in insulation.

Kutney, now of Thompson, held onto the mammoth Catholic Bible she found at 357 N. Garfield Ave. for more than a decade. It was missing its front cover, but Kutney considered the Bible a fascinating find. A family name, Blewitt, recorded several times in the antique book, piqued her curiosity and prompted research that last year led to an exciting discovery.

The Blewitts memorialized in the Bible, researcher and genealogist Barbara Spellman Shuta eventually confirmed, were ancestors of President-elect Joe Biden  making the Bible a tangible manifestation of Bidens well-documented and frequently touted Scranton roots.

The family record section of the Bible includes one recorded marriage and three deaths, including the deaths of Catherine Blewitt in February 1901, and her husband Patrick Blewitt on Nov. 26, 1911. Catherine Blewitt, whose hand-written name is misspelled as Cathrine in the Bible, and Patrick Blewitt were Bidens great-great grandparents on his mothers side of the family.

Their son, Bidens maternal great-grandfather, Edward F. Blewitt, served as Scrantons city engineer before being elected a state senator, among other notable achievements. A Democrat, he won the 22nd District state Senate seat representing Lackawanna County in 1906.

Doing her own research, Kutney knew the Blewitts were a prominent and historically significant family in Scranton, but didnt make the Biden connection. Motivated by a desire to return the heirloom to the familys descendants, she first tried to track down living ancestors before seeking assistance from St. Peters Cathedral  the site of the marriage recorded in the Bible  in late March.

I thought that somebody might want it and it might be important to them, Kutney said. People dont really hold on to the old things like they used to, so I was hoping I could find somebody that would appreciate it.

Thats when Shuta, a volunteer researcher at the Cathedral, got involved and got to work tracing the Blewitt family line down through the generations. Her pedigree chart details Bidens lineage.

Edward F. Blewitt married Mary Ellen Stanton at St. Patricks Church in Scranton on May 10, 1879, according to Shutas chart. Their daughter, Bidens maternal grandmother, Geraldine Blewitt, married Ambrose Joseph Finnegan, Bidens maternal grandfather, in 1909. Bidens mother, Catherine Eugenia Finnegan, was born to the couple in 1917, and married Joseph R. Biden Sr. in May 1941.

Joseph R. Biden Jr., set to become president of the United States on Wednesday, was born in St. Marys Hospital on Hickory Street in South Scranton on Nov. 20, 1942.

I was so excited I have to tell you, Shuta said of connecting the Bible to Bidens ancestors. I was beyond excited.

Kutney gave Shuta the Bible in May, but the task of returning it to the Biden family remained. After fruitlessly exploring other avenues, Shuta happened to relate the Bible story to Lackawanna Historical Society Executive Director Mary Ann Savakinus, who reached out to Green Ridge resident Virginia McGregor.

McGregor, who knows the Bidens and who the president-elect recently nominated to serve as treasurer of the Democratic National Committee, emailed photos of the Bible to Bidens sister, Valerie Biden Owens, and asked if the family would want it. She already knew the answer.

Knowing how deep the Catholic faith runs in the Biden family I knew they would want it back, McGregor said. And, not only because it was a Bible, (but) because it belonged to their ancestors, and it was the thread that connected them all.

Valerie Biden Owens responded to the email almost immediately and provided her address, McGregor said. She sent the Bible July 31.

In a handwritten note, Valerie Biden Owens thanked Savakinus for helping facilitate the return of the Bible.

It is a treasure, and I cant wait to share it with my brothers, the note reads. Hopefully, God willing  it will find a place with Joe in the White House. On behalf of all my brothers  and myself  thank you.

For Savakinus, the Bible is yet more evidence that Joe Biden shares a similar heritage with many residents of Northeast Pennsylvania. As an artifact, the Blewitt Bible represents that heritage and a familys history, and Savakinus, Shuta, Kutney and McGregor said theyre pleased its back with the Bidens.

I was just so happy that it was now back in their familys hands, because, as a genealogist, to me thats (of) the most value, Shuta said. I always feel really great when Ive helped any of the clients that Ive had over the years find the piece of information that unlocks the mystery of what theyve been trying to solve for so long, that gets them back to the generations beyond.

Kutney said she plans to look for the broken rosary she found with the Bible more than a decade ago.

Because I think theyd really want that as well, she said.

Shuta also lauded Kutney for wanting to return the antique book to the Blewitts descendants.

Truthfully, if it had not been for her appreciating the fact that there might be someone who would want this Bible ... none of this would have happened, Shuta said.
An Iranian duo has been arrested for an alleged plot to import a quarter of a tonne of methamphetamine in shipments of chandeliers and kitchen benchtops.

The Australian Federal Police arrested Hamed Yarmohammadi, 30, and Niusha Ojaghfaghihi, 26, on January 8 and 9 in Sydney over the alleged scheme to bring in drugs with a street value of about $187 million.

An Iranian duo was charged over an alleged plot to import $187 million worth of methamphetamine into Australia.

An investigation by the Victorian joint organised crime taskforce was triggered in December when the Australian Border Force detected 100kg of methamphetamine hidden in benchtops, sent from Iran and destined for an address in Endeavour Hills in Melbourne.

The shipment was allegedly moved to a warehouse in Lakemba in Sydney in January, where a clandestine laboratory was set up to process the drugs.
US continues to face very serious problems in trade and economic relations with China

Armenia 1st President: There is a risk of civil war

Scenes of apprehension of Azerbaijani who attacked Armenian in Moscow disseminated on the Internet

Germany, France, Netherlands urge tech giants to test start-up purchases

Armenia 1st President: There has never been such rough dialogue between Armenian and Azeri leaders as there is now

California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development opening office in Yerevan

US Department of State issues statement on detention of Armenian soldiers by Azerbaijani forces

Armenia 1st President says Aliyev is certain that Pashinyan won't win elections and is trying to get all that he can

UN calls for $ 95 million in aid to Palestinians

Twitter is concerned about safety of its employees in India

Artsakh hero: Impotent and perhaps also treacherous authorities of Armenia need to be removed from power immediately

France MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to show maximum restraint

Azerbaijani attacks Russia citizen of Armenian descent in Moscow

Armenia acting MOD provides President with information about capture of Armenian servicemen

Lithuania MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to go to de-escalation of situation and pull out troops

Russian Deputy FM, EU Special Representative discuss situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia acting FM resigns

Acting Deputy FM: Armenia reserves itself the right to take necessary steps to protect its territorial integrity

China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

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Less than 100 hours ahead of his historic inauguration, US President-elect Joe Biden has either nominated or named at least 20 Indian Americans, including 13 women, to key positions in his administration, a new record in itself for this small ethnic community that constitutes one per cent of the countrys population.

As many as 17 of them would be part of the powerful White House complex. The January 20th inauguration, the 59th in all, wherein Biden would be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States is already historic in the making as for the first time ever a woman Kamala Harris would be sworn as the vice president of the country.

Harris, 56, is also the first-ever Indian-origin and African American to be sworn in as the vice president of the United States.

It is also for the first time ever that so many Indian-Americans have been roped into a presidential administration ever before the inauguration. Biden is still quite far away from filling all the positions in his administration. Topping the list is Neera Tanden, who has been nominated as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget and Dr Vivek Murthy, who has been nominated as the US Surgeon General.

Vanita Gupta has been nominated as Associate Attorney General Department of Justice, and on Saturday, Biden nominated a former foreign service official Uzra Zeya as the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.

The dedication that the Indian-American community has shown to public service over the years has been recognised in a big way at the very start of this administration! I am particularly pleased that the overwhelming majority are women. Our community has truly arrived in serving the nation," Indiaspora founder M R Rangaswami told PTI. Mala Adiga has been appointed as Policy Director to the future First Lady Dr Jill Biden and Garima Verma would be the Digital Director of the Office of the First Lady, while Sabrina Singh has been named as her Deputy Press Secretary.

For the first time ever among the Indian-Americans include two who trace their roots to Kashmir: Aisha Shah, who has been named as Partnership Manager at the White House Office of Digital Strategy, and Sameera Fazili, who would occupy the key position of Deputy Director at the US National Economic Council (NEC) in the White House.

White House National Economic Council also has another Indian American, Bharat Ramamurti, as Deputy Director.

Gautam Raghavan, who served at the White House in the previous Obama Administration returns to the White House as Deputy Director in Office of Presidential Personnel.

Among Bidens inner circle is his top confident for year Vinay Reddy, who has been named as Director Speechwriting. Young Vedant Patel all set to occupy a seat in the White House lower press, behind the briefing room, as Assistant Press Secretary to the President. He is only the third-ever Indian American to be part of the White House press shop.

Three Indian-Americans have made their way to the crucial National Security Council of the White House, thus leaving a permanent imprint on the countrys foreign policy and national security.

They are Tarun Chhabra: Senior Director for Technology and National Security, Sumona Guha, Senior Director for South Asia, Shanthi Kalathil: Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights.

Sonia Aggarwal has been named Senior Advisor for Climate Policy and Innovation in the Office of the Domestic Climate Policy at the White House and Vidur Sharma has been appointed as Policy Advisor for Testing for the White House COVID-19 Response Team.

Two Indian Americans women have been appointed to the Office of the White House Counsel: Neha Gupta as Associate Counsel and Reema Shah as Deputy Associate Counsel.

Also, for the first time in any administration, the White House would have three other South Asians in key positions.

Pakistani-American Ali Zaidi as Deputy National Climate Advisor White House; Sri Lankan American Rohini Kosoglu as Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President and Bangladeshi-American Zayn Siddique: Senior Advisor to the White House Deputy Chief of Staff.

During the campaign, Biden had indicated that he would rope in a large number of Indian Americans.

As President, I'll also continue to rely on Indian-American diaspora, that keeps our two nations together, as I have throughout my career," Biden had said in his address to the Indian-American community during a virtual celebration of Indias Independence Day on August 15, 2020.

My constituents in Delaware, my staff in the Senate, the Obama Biden administration, which had more Indian Americans than any other administration in the history of this country and this campaign with Indian Americans at senior levels, which of course includes the top of the heap, our dear friend (Kamala Harris) who will be the first Indian American vice president in the history of the United States of America," Biden said in his video address.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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John is like any other middle-class professional in his 30s living in an Irish city. The Dubliner is restricted by the Covid-19 pandemic; he can't socialise with his friends, he has to be careful about visiting his family, and he is working remotely.

He is stuck at home from dawn until dusk trying to make sense of life. And, like thousands of people across the country, John is regularly taking cocaine to ease his boredom.

It seems the pandemic is not having a negative effect on the sale of illegal drugs - in fact, it is making it easier for users to get their hands on them, at their own front door.

"I used to just do coke when I went out to the pub or a party," says John (not his real name), who spoke to the Sunday Independent on condition of anonymity.

"But since the pandemic I've started doing it at home a good bit. Either on my own or with the odd mate. It's just out of boredom really. I suppose I do it mostly on my own.

"At the beginning of Covid I never thought I'd bother getting it delivered to the house and doing it when I wasn't heading out. I don't think I've a problem. Maybe it's not normal, but what is these days?"

Read More

John is one of thousands of people who are using and abusing cocaine from the comfort of their own homes.

Garda seizures of the drug have sky-rocketed since last March when the first lockdown hit. The Class A drug has held its market price, an indicator that supply and demand remains at pre-pandemic levels, according to well-placed security sources.

"A lot of people who would have used cocaine socially didn't realise they had a problem until lockdown," explains Dr Garrett McGovern, a specialist in addiction who runs the Priority Medical Clinic in Dundrum, south Dublin.

"Now they are beginning to use it at home on their own, and that's when some of them ring my clinic for help. It lays it bare for them.

"There is a traditional view in this country that cocaine is a social drug. But even before Covid, 70pc of people coming to my clinic were domestic users and only 30pc were using it socially. Now, 100pc of the clients we are seeing in Dundrum with cocaine issues are people doing it in their homes, often alone."

New problems

Dr McGovern is witnessing new patterns emerge in problem cocaine users as a direct result of the pandemic.

"Plenty of people wait until their partner goes to bed and then the coke comes out. Then there's those who do it when they're having a few drinks at home, but again, often alone.

"Alcohol and cocaine often go hand in hand, creating all kinds of medical problems. At the other end of the scale there is a significant group of people who take cocaine throughout the day, from early morning. Just sniffing small amounts, from a coin or a key, to give them a lift. Many of them are living normal lives and working from home."

Another misconception is that cocaine is something people would simply "stumble across" on a night out, in a pub or club, or from a street dealer.

"It hasn't been like that for years and was never overly true to begin with," according to a senior security source.

Read More

"Anyone who does coke regularly has numbers in their phone to ring. The dealers will drop it over to your house no problem - that's the norm now, particularly with Covid.

"There's also no shortage of lads driving taxis who are really dealers making deliveries. They make much more from that than cab fares."

Door-to-door cocaine delivery is the new normal, Dr McGovern agrees.

"Most of the time it can be delivered straight to your front door. The mobile phone is a killer in that regard because we are all so addicted to our phones.

"A lot of the dealers are on social media, so it's very easy to send a message and have a delivery out to your house quickly. And these dealers don't look like devils with horns either. Often, they're just dealing on the side to support their own habit."

War on drugs

In December, it emerged that more drugs were seized in 2020 by the garda's national narcotics unit than at any time since it was created - despite the pandemic effectively closing the night-time economy since March.

The Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau seized drugs valued at more than 36m in the first 11 months of last year, compared with 21.3m the previous year.

While cannabis accounted for almost half of last year's seizures, cocaine was the second most popular drug detected by gardai, with 209kg seized, valued at 14.6m.

"Gardai did wonder, at the beginning of Covid, would cocaine use drop off with everyone largely confined to their homes. I can assure you that has absolutely proven not to be the case," explains another security source.

"We are still very much a cocaine nation. The country is awash with it. The more gardai seize, the more comes in. It's like an avalanche of white powder coming into Ireland every month."

The cocaine on Irish streets originates from South America and is usually transported via Rotterdam in Holland. It is being imported predominantly by the Kinahan cartel, who are based in Dubai, and a north Dublin crime boss known as Mr Big.

"The Kinahans and Mr Big are the only two traffickers who are wholesale enough to be arranging the shipments from South America directly using their connections," adds the source.

"Some of the other Irish drug gangs are importing from 'connects' they have in Holland, or else are buying large quantities from the Kinahans or Mr Big's gang.

"South America is flooding Europe with coke at the moment and has been for some time. Having already saturated the American market, South America is now dumping the rest of it in Europe because there is so much of it, they don't know what to do with it.

"It is practically being given away - the profit margins for the likes of the Kinahan cartel are insane. A kilo of coke in Ireland is worth 70,000 and to buy a kilo in South America costs just a few hundred dollars."

This grim reality means that recent major garda cocaine busts don't, in reality, translate into a major blow to the gangs' profit margins, the source continues.

"It's always a success when gardai intercept shipments, whether it's coming in through the ports or when it's being dispatched around the country. But it's a drop in the ocean. It doesn't have Daniel Kinahan tearing his hair out. The truth is, they can afford to shrug it off and plenty more coke is still getting in. They bought it for next to nothing in the first place."

Does this make the so-called war on drugs futile?

"Look, cannabis is Ireland's main drug of choice. A lot of gardai recognise that it isn't a particularly damaging substance in many ways. The problem is that it's controlled by drug gangs because it's illegal," said a separate security source.

"But it's cocaine where the gangs are making the real money and, more significantly, destroying communities. This costs the State a lot more, socially and economically.

"And it's not just powder cocaine that continues to thrive, crack cocaine use has become impossible to ignore since the pandemic."

Crack epidemic

Dr McGovern sees both sides of the coin in terms of cocaine addiction. In private practice, he witnesses how middle-class cocaine users are falling down a rabbit hole during Covid, snorting lines in isolation, compounding their anxiety.

He also works as part of the HSE's addiction services team, providing help in disadvantaged communities for those with drug addictions.

"The phenomenon of crack cocaine is a real worry to me right now. Unlike the more expensive powder cocaine, crack is cheaper and smoked through a pipe. I work in marginalised areas in west Tallaght and Crumlin. Communities are being decimated out there with crack," he says.

"Families are being left with massive drug debts their teenage and adult children are running up over crack additions. Many of these decent, hard-working families are currently out of work because of Covid, but the dealers intimidating them and demanding money don't care."

And it's not just in Dublin that crack is making its mark. A report from the Health Research Board in July highlighted that people in Cork and Limerick were increasingly presenting for treatment due to crack cocaine addiction.

Gardai acknowledge that cocaine has now carved out a market among the rich and the poor alike. "It's everywhere," one source says. "If you can't afford powder, crack is an option. Crack is worse, more addictive. But coke is coke, be under no illusion."

John, the middle-class cocaine user living in Dublin, is appalled at the idea of smoking crack.

"I'd never do that, it's not like snorting powder," he insists. "I can stop whenever I want. I will when the pandemic is over."
WASHINGTON  When Joe Biden took office as vice president in 2009, he was part of an administration inheriting the worst economic crisis in generations.

His second stint in the White House begins Wednesday under even more dire circumstances.

First and foremost he faces the coronavirus pandemic, a health and economic disaster that is now killing around 4,000 Americans per day  worse than a daily 9/11  has left some 11 million without jobs and millions more facing lost income, isolation, and an uncertain future.

He will be inaugurated in the shadow of a Capitol that two weeks earlier saw one of the ugliest moments in U.S. history: an insurrection aiming to overturn a democratic election. A Confederate flag was paraded through the Capitol that day, crystallizing the depths of the countrys festering divisions and racial animus. Uniformed soldiers and barbed wire now ring the Capitol.

 READ MORE: Biden unveils a $1.9 trillion plan to stem the coronavirus and steady the economy

Even as he pledges national healing, Biden will have to govern as the polarization and misinformation that drove that tragedy still run rampant, and with the cloud of a Senate impeachment trial that could extend President Donald Trumps dominance of the national discussion.

And hell try it all with only the narrowest Democratic control of Congress.

There are more challenges and they are more substantial than what even Barack Obama and Joe Biden faced when they came in, said Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.), a staunch Biden ally.

Casey said the economic problems are equal to or worse than those in 2009, on top of the health crisis. The divisions in the country are also more substantial, he said.

Its not unusual for new presidents to come into office aiming to clean up messes left by their predecessors, said Julia Azari, a political scientist at Marquette University. In the case of Biden and COVID-19, though, once thats dealt with, there are five other crises.

Biden will be joined in office by a barrier-breaking vice president, Kamala Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants who will become the highest-ranking woman ever in American government.

 READ MORE: Biden picks geneticist as science adviser, designates role a new Cabinet position

He has presented himself as a figure of competence, stability, and empathy for a nation that has endured a chaotic four years and much suffering over the last nine months  and any sense of normalcy still seeming far off. For many, Bidens campaign message wasnt the most exciting, but presidential historian Timothy Naftali said it may be exactly whats needed.

A good-paying job and good health will excite Americans, said Naftali, a professor at New York University. We might have had enough political excitement for a while. In fact, Im sure of it.

Biden effectively took on the mantle of national leadership Thursday even before his inauguration, rolling out a proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package and giving a national address meant to convey his sober approach to the issue.

A lot of this is just about the leadership that he can bring to bear, both he and Kamala Harris, but also the leadership of individual agencies, communicating effectively, communicating consistently, having competent leadership, Casey said.

The Trump administration has presided over the rapid development of a coronavirus vaccine, which offers hope, but the president has also long downplayed the pandemic, and public safety measures, even as it surged again and again.

Casey blasted Trump for spending months focused almost entirely on overturning the election, as the vaccine rollout has stumbled. Leadership alone will be filling a huge void, Casey said.

Biden has pledged to have 100 million vaccine shots administered in his first 100 days in office, calling it one of the most challenging operational efforts we have ever undertaken as a nation.

 READ MORE: Like pushing a heavy rock up a steep hill. Even under Biden, Democrats plans face big obstacles.

It will take time to see if his plans and execution are effective. What he can do immediately is change the tenor from the countrys top office.

In his speech Thursday he talked about unity, a crisis of deep human suffering, and expressed empathy for those who have lost jobs or loved ones. I know that feeling, looking at the empty chair across the table, said Biden, who lost his first wife and daughter in a car crash, and, decades later, a son to cancer.

The fact that people are suffering so much right now, its important to have a leader who genuinely, genuinely cares about their plight, said Alison Dundes Renteln, a political science professor at the University of Southern California.

 READ MORE: How can Biden approach the Russia mess that Trump left in his lap? | Trudy Rubin

Those who supported Biden will be looking for a certain level of selflessness and humility that we have not seen in the current administration, along with technocratic competence, said Andra Gillespie, a political scientist at Emory University.

Unlike his two predecessors, Biden isnt a celebrity or cultural symbol. Obama and Trump each inspired devotion and vitriol because of who they were, but also what they represented. Biden doesnt carry that kind of cultural weight.

You have two of the most notable and famous and distinct people to serve in the presidency for wildly different reasons, and you start to lose sight of having someone who isnt so culturally symbolic in there, Azari said.

In that sense, Azari said, Bidens tenure will be a test of what the presidency is after two predecessors who were each, in their own ways, bigger than politics.

 READ MORE: Joe Biden plans a flurry of executive orders, new legislation for first days as president

For all the hope Biden supporters place in his experience, hell face significant obstacles, including the raging political divides that show few signs of abating. Somewhere between two-thirds and three-quarters of Republicans harbor doubts about the fairness of the election, polls have found, after the relentless campaign by Trump and his allies to attack it with false claims.

The problem that hes going to face, and that Obama faced, is that all Americans wont believe that hes their president, said Lilliana Mason, a University of Maryland professor who has studied polarization. He is trying to govern a country that doesnt agree on what reality is.

Even basic health measures, like wearing face masks, have become cultural flash points. Biden on Friday slammed House Republicans who refused to wear masks when in a confined, secure space with fellow lawmakers during the riot. What in the hells the matter with them? he said.

On policy, Democrats will have almost no room to maneuver in Congress, given their slim control of both the House and the Senate. And Republicans are sure to oppose many of his key policy plans, labeling them too expensive, or as federal overreach. A day after Biden unveiled his coronavirus relief plan, Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) blasted two major elements, $1,400 relief checks and a nationwide $15 minimum wage.

 READ MORE: First it was fraud, then they just didnt like the rules: How Pa. Republicans justified trying to overturn an election

Biden allies hope his experience in the Senate can help break through the gridlock, though theres also deep skepticism thats possible.

I dont think weve had a president with as much combined legislative and executive experience, Casey said. On a lot of days that will matter.

Even as Biden tackles the immediate challenges, Gillespie noted that Black Americans  who were crucial to his victory  will look for him to deliver on his promises to address issues of race and inequality that roared to the forefront over the summer.

There is a younger group, particularly of African American activists, who are emerging who are not going to be satisfied with symbolic gestures, Gillespie said.

 READ MORE: Pat Toomey is ready to work with Joe Biden. A little.

It will be crucial, she said, for Biden to make clear that even as he confronts the virus, issues such as police brutality, voting rights, and structural inequality remain on the agenda. Some of that can come through addressing the underlying health and economic issues that have meant Black, Latino, and indigenous groups have suffered disproportionately from the pandemic, Gillespie said.

Biden explicitly pointed to that unequal impact Friday, saying Equity is central to our COVID response.

Harris exact portfolio within the administration isnt yet clear, and its likely shell have to spend significant time in the Senate to cast tie-breaking votes in a chamber split 50-50. But even before she takes up a policy role, shell fill a symbolic one.

Her perspective, as a woman, and a woman of color, can influence policy discussions in ways and conversations that you dont expect, Azari said.

Biden on Thursday called for unity to build a bridge to the other side of the crisis we face.

We didnt get into this overnight, he said. We wont get out of it overnight, and we cant do it as a separated and divided nation.
India on Saturday kicked off the massive inoculation exercise against the novel coronavirus with the Union Health Ministry saying that 1,91,181 healthcare and frontline workers received the jab, as against a target of vaccinating three lakh people by the Centre.

The shortfall is on account of Covid-19 vaccination being voluntary.

The Central Government said that the Serum Institute's Covishield was supplied to all states and Union Territories while Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech was used by 12 states.

Both locally-manufactured Covishield and Covaxin were given to doctors, nurses, other health staff directly linked to fighting the pandemic. The Centre decided which Covid-19 vaccine went where; people cannot choose which of the two vaccines they want.

While initiating the vaccination drive on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed it as a major achievement.

The PM also said that people shouldn't fall for propaganda over coronavirus vaccines, amid controversy over Covaxin, which has been cleared for emergency use by the Indian drug regulator, while still in the clinical trial.

"The DGCI (Drugs Controller General of India) gave approval after they were satisfied with the data of the two vaccines. So stay away from rumours," PM Modi stated.

Take a look at the Covid vaccination data from some states:

Target: 3 lakh Achieved: 1.91 lakh

Maharashtra - Target: 28,000 Achieved: 18,328

Delhi - Target: 8,100 Achieved: 4,319

Rajasthan - Target: 16,700 Achieved: 9,279

Haryana - Target 7,533 Achieved: 5589

Karnataka - Target: 24,300 Achieved: 13,594

West Bengal - Target: 18,000 Achieved: 9,730

Assam - Target: 6,499 Achieved: 3,528

Himachal Pradesh - Target: 2,499 Achieved: 1517

Madhya Pradesh - Target: 15,000 Achieved: 9,219

Goa - Target: 700 Achieved: 426

Uttar Pradesh - Target: 31,700 Achieved: 21,291

Bihar - Target: 30,000 Achieved: 18,169

Telangana - Target: 13,900 Achieved: 4,200

Andhra Pradesh - Target: 33,200 Achieved: 18,412

Tamil Nadu - Target: 16,600 Achieved: 2,945

Kerala - Target: 13,330 Achieved: 8,062

Punjab - Target: 5,900 Achieved: 1,319

Gujarat - Target: 16,000 Achieved: 10,787

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UN peacekeeping troops have retaken control of a city in the Central African Republic captured this month by armed groups waging an offensive against President Faustin Archange Touadera's regime, a spokesman said.

"The city of Bangassou is under the complete control of MINUSCA," the peacekeeping force's spokesman Vladimir Monteiro said, adding that the rebels abandoned their positions following a UN ultimatum on Friday.

Short link:


The marines have been deployed in Indonesia to help evacuate residents from their homes in flooded parts of the country.

Heavy rain brought a deluge of flooding to West Kalimantan, where floodwater was 1.5 metres high (4.9 feet,) Indonesia's Metro TV said.

In South Kalimantan, people boarded rescue boats and followed the Martapura river to safety. One body was found during the rescue mission in the Banjar district on Sunday, Metro TV said.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
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Extraordinary research finds electric eels hunt in packs CNN

Googles Revolving Door (US) Tech Transparency

A new and innovative way for Google to kill your SaaS startup GoMox, Medium. We never properly established the cause of the issue, but we chalked it up to some AI tripping on acid at Googles HQ.

Amazon is filled with fake reviews and its getting harder to spot them CNBC

SPACs are a new part of the same market story Yahoo Finance. Musical interlude.

Credit card firm Capital One fined for violating U.S. anti-money laundering law Reuters

Big Meat: facing up to the demands for sustainability FT

Capitol Seizure

#COVID19

Mysterious Wheat Deals Complicate Hunger Fight in Ethiopia Bloomberg

Coronavirus second wave surges across Africa FT

China?

COVID-19: Indonesia vaccine rollout bucks trend by targeting younger generations Sky News

A black market for illegal coronavirus vaccines is thriving in the Philippines WaPo

PM Muhyiddin and govt cant be ousted while emergency is in effect, says Malaysian gazette Straits Times

Why is Laos building Mekong dams it doesnt need? Deutsche Welle

Fire-Resistant Tropical Forest at Brink of Disappearance in Indonesian Regions Due to Human Modification (press release) Swansea University

Syraqistan

Brexit

Falklands disappointed and frustrated with Brexit deal Penguin News

UK/EU

New Cold War

Trump Transition

Governors angrily accuse Trump administration of misleading states on vaccine supply ABC

Impeachment

Biden Transition

Rock Bottom for Democracy Should Focus Americans on Election Reforms Sightline Institute. Alaska just adopted RCV.

Democrats in Disarray

Dems Reject Bigger Survival Checks, Float Tax Breaks For The Rich David Sirota, Daily Poster. Too bad the Democrats campaigned on those $2,000 checks  yes, literal checks  while winning the Senate in Georgia: Parsing Warnock, he did say  using the typical Democrat trope  that he would be fighting for the $2,000 checks. He didnt say hed deliver them. Harris tries to put the toothpaste back in the tube: We will finish the job of getting a total of $2,000 in cash relief to people who need it the most. The $600 already appropriated is simply not enough.

Your next president, @JoeBiden  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 15, 2021 Bidens toothpaste, as it happens: $600 is simply not enough when you have to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table. We need $2,000 stimulus checks.  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 11, 2021 Parsing Biden, he only said that we need $2,000 checks. He didnt say hed deliver them either. Next, I suppose, access to checks. Well, Im sure the Biden administration will be able to execute on complex challenges, even if they cant get simple things right.

Republicans in Disarray

Health Care

Boeing

NASAs Delayed Deep-Space Rocket Suffers Test Failure on the Ground WSJ. Oopsie. More oopsie: Again the Boeing company could add a new member of the board of directors who has aircraft engineering and or manufacturing experience but they refuse. https://t.co/oYSg0zoVKq  Isaac  Alexander (@jetcitystar) January 15, 2021

Big Brother Is Watching You Watch

Imperial Collapse Watch

Guillotine Watch

Class Warfare

Ex-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones turning herself in to face new charge USA Today

Most Execrable and Abominable or Irreligious Laphams Quarterly. Testing and informed consent

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Students of Class 10 and Class 12 are eagerly waiting for the release of CBSE Class 10, 12 Board exams 2021 date sheet ever since Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal announced recently that CBSE Class 10, 12 board exams 2021 will be held from May 4 till June 10.

Though the CBSE is yet to make any official announcement regarding the announcement of the date sheet, it is widely speculated that the board could announce the timetable by mid-January.

For his part, Pokhriyal had also announced that the government is making efforts to release the dates as soon as possible. A notice on CBSEs website said that the date sheet for CBSE Class 10, 12 Board Exams 2021 will be declared in the coming days. Students should monitor the official website of CBSE, i.e., cbse.nic.in, for any announcement and should not fall prey to the fake news circulating about the datesheet.

Once the CBSE Class 10, 12 Board Exams 2021 date sheet is released, students can follow these steps to check it online

Step 1: Visit the official website of CBSE, i.e., cbse.nic.in.

Step 2: Under the announcement section, click on the link that reads, CBSE schedule for 10th and 12th

Step 3: Click on the class 10th or class 12th link.

Step 4: A new page will appear on the screen with the PDF file.

Step 5: Save and download the date sheet for future reference.

A few weeks ago, the CBSE had reduced the syllabus for Class 10, 12 Board exams by 30 per cent but on December 31, the education minister made it clear that the further syllabus deduction for the upcoming board exams is going to be tough and he had suggested the students to start preparing for the exams.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Two popular Italian dining spots on Staten Island received violations that resulted in a Tottenville restaurant getting its liquor license yanked, and a Dongan Hills eatery fined $1,500, according to the State Liquor Authority (SLA).

Cited for violating several coronavirus (COVID-19) mandates, Angelinas Ristorante in Tottenville recently had its liquor license suspended -- with potential for it it be permanently revoked -- and faces fines of up to $10,000 per violation, according to the SLA.

The restaurant received several recent violations, including for alleged indoor dining when its currently prohibited in New York City, operating after 10 p.m., and employees not wearing face masks, said the SLA.

In order to protect New Yorkers health and safety during this public health emergency, the SLA suspended Angelinas liquor license after multiple inspections found the business in flagrant violation of COVID-related regulations, including operating on Jan. 9 after 10 p.m, with numerous patrons inside, employees without face masks, and refusing to permit an inspection, said William Crowley, an SLA spokesman.

We are still fighting a global pandemic, and the SLA will continue to hold those who put their employees, patrons and communities at risk accountable for their actions, he added.

Baci Ristorante in Dongan Hills received a $1,500 fine after the states multi-agency task force conducted an inspection observing three employees allegedly inside the kitchen without face masks, according to the SLA.

The crackdown is part of Governor Andrew Cuomos ongoing initiative to curb the spread of the virus. Several other Staten Island eateries received violations and/or have had their liquor license suspended last year.

ANGELINAS VIOLATIONS

According to the SLA, Angelinas Restaurant, at 399 Ellis St., was cited with the following alleged violations:

On Dec. 23, the Mayors Office of Special Enforcement visited Angelinas restaurant and issued a summons for indoor dining on Dec. 16. During the visit, the owner became angry and prevented inspectors from taking photographs, said the SLA.

On Jan. 6, officers from the city Sheriffs office visited Angelinas and observed patrons seated at tables inside a fully enclosed tent in the rear of the premises.

On Jan. 9, investigators from the states multi-agency task force and officers with the NYPD arrived at the eatery. When they peered inside, the lights were off with patrons seated at tables and loud music playing. Investigators knocked on the restaurants door and an employee came to the door. The employee told the authorities they were closed. The employee refused to open the door to permit an inspection, which every liquor license holder must allow, said the SLA. Such a violation of the law can lead to the permanent revocation of a liquor license as it undermines public safety, according to SLA guidelines.

On the same night, investigators gained access through a side door entering the kitchen, which was allegedly operating past 10 p.m., with six employees allegedly preparing food without face masks.

Also on Jan. 9, authorities observed six tables allegedly occupied by patrons on a fully enclosed wrap around porch on the first floor.

In the rear yard inside a large fully enclosed plastic tent, investigators witnessed patrons allegedly seated at tables and eight employees without face masks, with the manager/owner indicating to investigators that there were approximately 80 patrons present at the time of the inspection on Jan. 9. Investigators estimated at least 50 patrons present, and began to disperse when investigators arrived. (Under the NYS Department of Health Guidance, in place since June, in order to meet the definition of an outdoor space, outdoor structures must have at least two open sides for airflow).

On Jan. 13, the SLA Board voted unanimously to suspend the establishments license, said the SLA.

Angelinas liquor license was immediately yanked, and owners face the maximum penalty including the permanent revocation of the license and fines of up to $10,000 per violation. Licensees subject to an emergency suspension are entitled to a prompt hearing before a SLA Administrative Law Judge.

ANGELINAS TO CLOSE MONDAY

Vincent Malerba, who owns the eatery with the restaurants namesake, his mother, Angelina, said he didnt want to comment on the alleged violations until the case is settled.

While the eatery has remained opened, he plans to voluntarily close on Monday until the case is settled, said Malerba, noting he was issued a court appearance in February.

It was my decision to close because there is no point in sitting people in 20 degree weather outside, he said. I spent $60,000 converting my outdoor area so I could keep my employees working. I havent made money since March.

BACI VIOLATION

Following complaints, on Nov. 25, investigators with the states multi-agency task force conducted an inspection of Baci Ristorante at 1657 Richmond Rd. They allegedly witnessed three employees inside the kitchen without face masks, according to the SLA.

The restaurant was charged with violating the Governors Executive Orders, and must respond to the charges by Jan. 27, 2021. The owner was given the option of paying a $1,500 fine or pleading not guilty.

Alessandro Borgognone, owner of Baci, said he chose to pay the $1,500 fine.

We paid the fine because if we didnt our license would be suspended, he said. With that being said, every restaurant in New York City is definitely suffering.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK***

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The engine of the new reusable Russian carrier rocket Amur-SPG will be powerful enough to cover up to 50 space launches, Russian space agency Roscosmos informed. According to the official website, at least ten flights are currently speculated by the engines design. The launch cost of the new carrier rocket is also expected to reach $22 million.

Files from Roscosmos read, Consider measures to increase the possibility of using a serial liquefied (natural gas) rocket engine as part of the first stage of a launch vehicle up to 25, 50 times.

READ: Navalny Flies Back 'home' To Russia Despite Arrest Threats From Prison Service

READ: 'Alt-furry': Russia Circus Faces Backlash For Dressing Animals In Nazi Clothing

'$5.2 million contract'

According to the document, the materials specified that the cost of launching the rocket without landing the first stage unit and reusing it and without using an upper stage, which allows satellites to be launched, should not exceed $30 million. Apart from this, the Russian Space Rocket Centre (SRC) Progress has not released much detail on the new carrier in order to protect the developers. Meanwhile, ANI reported that last year a $5.2 million contract was signed on the development of a rough design of the Amur-SPG medium-class rocket.

The new Russian carrier rocket, which will launch in 2026, will have a first stage that could be reused up to ten times. In the reusable mode, Amur-SPG will be able to launch 9.5 tonnes of cargo into low-Earth orbit from Russias Vostochny spaceport. In a regular mode, the rocket will be able to carry 12 metric tons of cargo. According to reports, the design-to-cost principle will for the first be used in the Russian space industry which means design in compliance with the final cost. The launch cost will once again be calculated according to the global trends in the launch market in 2026.

(With inputs from ANI)

READ: Russia Withdrawing 300 Military Instructors From CAR

READ: Russia Follows US To Withdraw From Open Skies Treaty


As California struggles to get a limited supply of coronavirus vaccines injected into the arms of those who need it the most, gig workers and the app makers that provide their livelihood are trying to elbow their way toward the front of the line.

But the advocacy for ride-hail drivers, meal couriers and gig workers has been complicated by the fact that their jobs dont always fit into neat frameworks. Despite lobbying and public relations efforts by gig companies, government agencies setting the priorities for vaccine distribution havent provided clarity on when on-demand workers will get the shots.

The biggest tension seems to be around whether meal couriers and grocery shoppers will get the same priority as grocery-store and restaurant workers, who are in an earlier stage of vaccine eligibility than other workers.

We are an essential service, said Chase Copridge, a Bay Area gig worker who delivers groceries through Instacart, food through DoorDash, and other items through Amazon Flex. People out there who are too sick to leave the house, we are the only means that they have of getting the resources they need, he added.

Contract workers will likely get access to vaccinations at the same time as regular employees in the same industry do, Veena Dubal, a professor at UC Hastings College of Law.

But the specifics may prove crucial. Asked about gig workers, including those whose work involves delivering food, the California Department of Public Health referred to them in an email as transportation and logistics workers, who fall in a subsequent stage.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has suggested including grocery workers in an upcoming round of vaccinations, but did not specify whether that included gig workers.

Vaccine rollouts in California vary by county. Counties move through the phases and tiers at different times. San Francisco, for example, is vaccinating people 65 and older, but it is not vaccinating food and agriculture workers or other essential-worker groups, even though they are in the same tier under the state system.

Some companies, recognizing the financial and health benefits a vaccinated workforce offer them, are creating incentives for workers to get the shots.

San Francisco grocery delivery service Instacart, which has a workforce of about 500,000 mostly gig workers, said Thursday it would pay workers $25 to get the vaccine. Uber and Lyft, the dominant ride-hailing companies, and DoorDash, which delivers meals and groceries, have not yet followed suit.

Those companies have advocated at the state and local level for their workers to be given priority, as they transport food and passengers, raising their risk of exposure to the virus.

DoorDash sent a letter to the head of the CDC last month asking delivery workers be bumped up in the vaccine line.

Uber and Lyft have sent letters to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is facing mounting political pressure to speed vaccine delivery.

Neither company has announced sweeteners for drivers who get the vaccine, but both are working on making themselves central to the broader vaccination effort.

Last month Uber said it would offer 10 million free or discounted rides through its app to get people to vaccination sites.

Lyft said in December it would partner with JPMorgan Chase, health insurance provider Anthem, and others to take 60 million Americans with limited income or no insurance to vaccination sites.

Dubal, the law professor, said that Uber and Lyft were seeking to bolster public trust in their services by lobbying for vaccine priority, and hence benefit their bottom line. Demand for ride-hailing has recovered somewhat after the pandemics rapid spread crushed demand for rides and forced Uber and Lyft to lay off hundreds of corporate workers and left thousands of drivers out of work.

Ensuring drivers get the vaccine has a huge impact on the willingness of consumers to use these services, Dubal said.

Interactive Vaccine Tracker: Latest developments Detailed information about the coronavirus vaccines as it becomes available.

DoorDash and Instacart have faced different issues. The companies have seen crushing demand for food deliveries since stay-at-home orders came into force. Vaccines could reassure potential workers and increase their supply of labor.

The issue is complicated by the vast number of essential workers  contractors and employees  who are equally deserving of a limited supply of vaccines, said John Swartzberg, infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley.

To distinguish which essential workers are more deserving than others is frankly nearly impossible, he said.

Another question that may arise is what will happen if gig workers are reluctant to get the vaccine.

The companies that provide app-based employment have long insisted that workers are not employees under their control. That highlights the precarious position California gig workers remain in after the passage last year of Proposition 22, which enshrined some gig workers independent contractor status into law.

Dubal said companies like Uber and Lyft could use workers contractor classification under Prop. 22 to refuse to send passengers to drivers who cannot prove they have been vaccinated, once it becomes more widely available.

Companies can generally require employees to get the vaccine, with exceptions for health risks and religious issues. Contractors have fewer protections.

Doing something like that would likely cause some public outcry, she said. That will make it harder for them in litigation elsewhere to argue that they arent actually an employer.

Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice
For Northeast Pennsylvania leaders from diverse backgrounds, a Joe Biden presidency brings sighs of relief, momentum for change and a release from fear.

I miss the days where theres nothing going on and every day isnt some type of assault on some type of minority group, said Amber Viola

Women from communities of color are inspired by and finally see themselves and their children reflected in Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. LGBTQ leaders are hopeful rights like marriage equality will be preserved and protections from discrimination will be set in stone in the early days of the 46th presidents term.

He cares

Bidens presidency has the energy to unite the country, said Lia Richards-Palmiter, ACSW, Ph.D., who works at Marywood University and has lived in Northeast Pennsylvania for 20 years. A social worker by trade, shes the universitys director of diversity.

Originally from the Midwest, Palmiter, a Black and Hispanic woman and a self-described momma bear of three kids, said in her experience people from Scranton are willing to have frank conversations. Politics, shes noticed, often dominates those conversations, while local politicians have an ear for any resident no matter their socioeconomic status.

His (Bidens) ability to look into our eyes and into our souls  he has the patience and seems to honestly hear and he cares, and I believe that thats a NEPA characteristic, she said.

Rights protected

Dee Culp grew up in Hazleton but has lived in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area for the past seven years, settling in Throop.

Biden is basically someone who is going to be fair and balanced, she said.

As a transgender woman, Culp said shes lived in fear over the past two years that a case would come before the U.S. Supreme Court that strips rights away from the LGBTQ community.

Culp said she believes that from day one Biden will ensure concrete protections for certain rights and privileges, like marriage equality.

We just havent felt that kind of support or even acknowledgment, she said of the past four years.

Someone who looks like you

Amber Viola, human resources director for the city of Scranton, has the perspective of not only a Black woman and mother of a mixed-race child but also of a veteran.

She sees herself and her daughter in Harris.

It means a lot to us to be able to see someone who looks like you, she said.

Viola, a Navy veteran, grew up in Gouldsboro and graduated from North Pocono High School and the University of Scranton.

Republicans often tout military morals as belonging to their party, she said, adding the GOP has a monopoly on veterans, yet the armed forces are very brown and its very diverse.

Over the past four years, a lot of veteran funding has been cut under the table, she said, including taking away tuition assistance from the National Guard and cutting the GI Bill, which provides college tuition money for service members.

Biden and his wife, Jill, as military parents, have an appreciation for the diversity of the nations armed forces, Viola said.

Viola described herself as an Army brat. Shes lived in many places and understands why, despite living in Scranton for only a decade, Biden feels like the city where she now lives is his home.

You really do feel like youre from somewhere even if you havent lived there long, she said.

He wants ... real change

For Sarah Cruz, the Scranton School Boards first Hispanic member, a political awakening in not only Northeast Pennsylvania but also nationwide was born in so many people after the 2016 election. Such an awakening would not have happened without candidates with Scranton roots, including Hillary Clinton, she said.

Cruz characterized Biden as affable and having a good sense of humor but also strong with righteous anger.

I know so many people from this area. ... Theyre funny, they have a good sense of humor, but as soon as they see something wrong theyre right on you, she said.

Cruz said one reason she cast her vote for Biden is because he chose a woman as his vice president.

It helped me to see hes not just for the status quo. He wants to do some real change, she said. And for me, as a diverse woman in politics, it inspires me to see how shes going to work alongside him.

Palmiter also sees herself reflected in Harris. She feels this moment is a Civil Rights Movement 2.0.

Just seeing how everyone got involved  old, young, Black, white, gay, straight  never in my life have I witnessed something like that, she said. Ive been more hopeful than Ive ever been in my entire life about this change and honestly believe the roots that he has from Scranton  really have affected his entire outlook.
Mr. T says there are vaccines for COVID-19 and antidote to hatred, urges fans to seek after God

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Actor and retired professional wrestler Mr. T has been actively using his platform to promote his Christian faith, which he believes is the antidote to a contagion that's engulfing the United States.

We are fighting 2 contagious deadly virus[es]! One is COVID-19 and the other is hate! he wrote on Twitter Tuesday.

The television personality continued, We got vaccinations for COVID and the love of God for all the haters!

Mr. T, who has been using his Twitter account to almost exclusively promote the Bible and his reflections on whats happening in the world, said there is a vaccine for the coronavirus as well as for hatred. He then instructed his hundreds of thousands of followers on how to embrace the cure.

The vaccine works when its injected into our arm! The love of God works when you invite Him into your Heart! he declared.



The Chicago native also quoted from Matthew 5:44 which says, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you. he then expounded on that verse.

The admonition love your enemies is one of the greatest statements Jesus ever made, Mr. T maintained. Love in this passage is love that originates from God Himself.

Mr. T, whose famous slogan is I pity the fool... surrendered his life to Jesus in 2005 while helping with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans, Louisiana.

In 2017, he bravely shared how he came to his Christian faith while on "Dancing With the Stars." During his segment on the dance competition series, Mr. T discussed his cancer battle in 1995. He testified that he had to solely rely on his faith in God during that time.

"Back in the day, I had money, cars. I had achieved what I wanted to achieve and then everything really stopped," Mr. T said in a video featured ahead of his dance performance to Amazing Grace.

"I called on God. I said, 'God, give me strength to do your will.' That's when it really hit me: What's really real? My faith in God, that was real, because only God could save me," he testified.
The mystery of Wuhan  did the Covid-19 outbreak originate in a state laboratory there?  has now reached a new level. The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has added his powerful voice to those asking for the truth.

The US State Department, in a document of great sobriety and caution, did not suggest that the virus was intentionally engineered or released on purpose.

Even so, it flatly accused Chinas ruling Communist Party of systematically preventing a proper investigation into the origin of the pandemic.

It complained that Chinas authorities have a deadly obsession with secrecy and control and have chosen instead to devote enormous resources to deceit and disinformation.

The mystery of Wuhan  did the Covid-19 outbreak originate in a state laboratory there?  has now reached a new level. Pictured: Shi Zhengli works with other researchers in a lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province

Washington also suggested that the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) has been involved in military work, even though it poses as a civilian institution.

The State Department said that the WIV had collaborated on publications and secret projects with Chinas military and had done classified research, including animal experiments, on behalf of Chinas defence sector.

It said it had a right and obligation to determine whether any of our research funding was diverted to secret Chinese military projects at the WIV.

This is extraordinarily tough language at such a high level. Mr Pompeo was careful not to make any specific allegations about what may have happened.

The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has added his powerful voice to those asking for the truth

But he revealed, in a major development, that the US has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV fell ill in the autumn of 2019, weeks before the first officially identified case of Covid.

They had symptoms consistent with both Covid and common seasonal illnesses. US experts also claim that Wuhan scientists were working with a bat coronavirus that is 96.2 per cent similar genetically to the virus that causes Covid.

Could this autumn 2019 outbreak have been the first case of Covid? Could this have resulted from a laboratory accident or unintended cross-infection between animals in laboratories and human researchers?

It is vitally important that we should know, and high time, too.

The Mail on Sunday first reported on April 5 last year that British Government Ministers had been briefed on intelligence which did not rule out that the virus first spread to humans after leaking from a Wuhan laboratory.

Those who cast doubt on this revelation at the time have some explaining to do.

The evidence is now piling up that serious independent investigation is required. With a death toll of two million already, even the suggestion that this disaster may have had origins in human error must be pursued until we have clear answers.

The World Health Organisation is looking into events in Wuhan. But will this probe be adequate?

Questions have been raised about one of the inquiry members, Peter Daszak, who has been accused of important conflicts of interest.

The WHO team also cannot be sure of full co-operation from China. As of last night, there was no certainty that the team would even be permitted to visit the WIV itself. Shockingly, neither China nor the WHO will say exactly where they will go.

This is simply not good enough. The world needs to know exactly what happened in Wuhan. If it was a disastrous accident leading to a pandemic, then urgent steps must be taken as quickly as possible to prevent a repeat.

And China has to understand that, as a great and growing power, it needs to accept much higher standards of transparency and frankness than it has shown so far.
WASHINGTON  A 63-year-old woman from Stratford was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police after she drove up to an inauguration checkpoint in Washington, D.C., and falsely identified herself as a police officer and as a member of the presidents cabinet, according to a police report.

Linda MaGovern, 63, of Stratford also failed to obey a law enforcement official and fled from an official, according to a police report.

Her arrest came as security was tightened in Washington, D.C., as violence was continued violence was feared in the days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. On Jan. 6, rioters stormed the Capitol, with dozens of protesters arrests and President Donald Trump impeached in connection with the violent attack.

The incident began at 8:45 a.m. Saturday when MaGovern approached Capitol Police officers at a checkpoint near Columbus Circle, which is about a half-mile from the U.S. Capitol, the police report said.

She showed them a military police challenge coin and told them she was a part of law enforcement and a presidential cabinet member, the report said.

Officers repeatedly told the Stratford woman to park her car, and she eventually did, the police report said. But when an officer asked to see her drivers license, she drove off, the police report said.

MaGovern drove northbound on Columbus Circle before she was stopped in front of Union Station and arrested, the arrest report said.

She was sent to United Medical Center in Washington to undergo an evaluation after her arrest, according to police.

A military police challenge coin is a keepsake often service members and law enforcement personnel.

(@FahadShabbir)

Quito, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2021 ) :Ecuadoran police have seized 1.3 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a container destined for Estonia, interior minister Patricio Pazmino said Saturday.

The narcotics were found in the port of Guayaquil thanks to a drug-sniffing dog, he said.

"With the support of the anti-narcotics canine, Garo, the drugs were detected in a container that was to be transported to Estonia, in Europe," he tweeted along with pictures of the seized container.

Ecuador's police seized a record 128 tonnes of drugs in 2020, the interior ministry said earlier this month, breaking the previous record of 110 tonnes seized in 2016.

Ecuador borders Colombia and Peru, which are the world's two largest producers of cocaine, according to the United Nations.
Charges dropped against deacon arrested for singing hymns outdoors

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A court has dismissed all charges against a church deacon who was one of the three arrested last September for singing while not wearing a mask at a psalm sing outdoor worship service held in Moscow City, Idaho.

The Idaho District Court dropped charges against Gabriel Rench in the case State of Idaho v. Gabriel Rench. The deacon was arrested at an event hosted by Christ Church and held outside City Hall in response to the extension of a COVID-19-prompted mask mandate imposed by Moscows mayor at the time, the law firm Thomas More Society, which represented the church, said.

We had done the Psalm sing in the past under the same [mask] resolution and we werent arrested, we werent warned  we were just taking our constitutional liberties to do what were allowed to do under the Constitution  worship, Rench said, referring to the event that was attended by about 200 people.

The city of Moscow, appears to have been so anxious to make an example of Christ Churchs opposition to their desired COVID restrictions that they failed to follow the mandatory exemptions articulated in their own laws, Thomas More Society Special Counsel Michael Jacques noted.

The Moscow City Code allows the Mayor to issue public health emergency orders, but exempts [a]ny and all expressive and associative activity that is protected by the United States and Idaho Constitutions, including speech, press, assembly, and/or religious activity, Jacques explained. Mr. Rench and the other worshipers who were arrested had their constitutionally protected liberties violated and their lives disrupted  not only by the inappropriate actions of law enforcement officers, but also by city officials who did not immediately act to correct this unlawful arrest.

After Rench and others were arrested in September, the church wrote on its Facebook page: Yesterday Christ Church sponsored a flash psalm sing at city hall. We were going to appear there at quarter to [5 p.m.], sing three psalms or hymns, then the doxology, and then out. The songs were Psalm 20, Psalm 124, and 'Amazing Grace.' When we arrived, the police were waiting for us. One of them informed me that people either had to social distance or wear a mask or otherwise face a citation.

Douglas Wilson, who wrote the post, added: I told him that I would inform everyone of that, which I did. I said a brief prayer, and we began to sing. Over the following 15 minutes of singing, three of our people were arrested, and two others were cited.
More than 100 people have been infected with the UK strain of the coronavirus at a Belgian retirement home, its director told AFP on Sunday.

Three residents died after the virus began spreading at the De Groene Verte home in Houthulst, northwestern Belgium, Jurgen Duyck said.

A total of 111 people have been confirmed as infected, including 39 staff members. The cluster represents two-thirds of the home's residents.

The British variant -- believed to be more infectious than previous strains of Covid-19 -- was also detected in eight residents and an unknown number of staff at a home for people with disabilities in the same area, the Belga news agency reported.

Belgium has suffered one of the world's worst per capita death rates from the coronavirus, with nursing homes representing more than half of overall deaths from the disease, according to the Public Health Institute.

Mayor Joris Hindryckx said the outbreak in Houthulst had prompted a halt to "all social and sporting activities" in the town of around 10,000 people.

The source of the contamination is unknown, but the mayor said the infection must have been "indirect" as none of those testing positive at the retirement home was known to have travelled to Britain.

He said those infected must quarantine for 10 days instead of the usual seven.

But an epidemiologist urged a "full lockdown" in Houthulst and called for all inhabitants to be tested.

Writing in the daily Le Soir, Yves Coppieters said: "We have the foundations of a third wave of contaminations."

He also told Belgian TV channel La Une that "if there is already a cluster of this intensity, there are sure to be others".

Without blanket testing, "we won't succeed against a variant that is a lot more contagious," he warned.

On Friday, Yves Van Laethem, spokesman for Belgium's health authorities, said there were already several dozen cases of both the British and the South African strains of the coronavirus in the country, adding that "other strains could emerge".

He noted that the Pfizer vaccine, the one most widely used in Belgium, is effective against the two variant strains.

Residents of the Houthulst retirement home were set to be vaccinated against Covid-19 this week, but the programme was postponed because of the large number of Covid patients, Hindryckx said.

The elderly are the priority target in the vaccination campaign, which according to official figures had reached 17.26 percent of retirement home residents and staff by January 13 with the first dose of the vaccine, which is to be followed up by a second dose.

Belgian authorities said Saturday that a delay in deliveries of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses would not affect the vaccination of this segment of the population.

The country recorded 16.6 percent excess deaths last year attributed mainly to Covid-19.

Since the start of the pandemic, Belgium has recorded 677,209 cases and 20,396 deaths.

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A

s fighting raged across the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia in November, a group of soldiers arrived one day at Hitsats, a small hamlet ringed by scrubby hills that was home to a sprawling refugee camp of about 25,000 people.

The refugees had come from Eritrea, whose border lies 30 miles away, part of a vast exodus in recent years led by desperate youth fleeing the tyrannical rule of their leader, one of Africas harshest autocrats. In Ethiopia, Eritreas longtime adversary, they believed they were safe.

But the soldiers who burst into the camp on 19 November were also Eritrean, witnesses say. Mayhem quickly followed  days of plunder, punishment and bloodshed that ended with dozens of refugees being singled out and forced back across the border into Eritrea.

For weeks, Ethiopias prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, has denied that soldiers from Eritrea  a country that Ethiopia once fought in an exceptionally brutal war  had entered Tigray, where Abiy has been fighting since early November to oust rebellious local leaders.

In fact, according to interviews with two dozen aid workers, refugees, United Nations officials and diplomats  including a senior US official  Eritrean soldiers have been fighting in Tigray, apparently in coordination with Abiys forces, and face credible accusations of atrocities against civilians. Among their targets were refugees who had fled Eritrea and its president, Isaias Afwerki.

Recommended Tigray leader says his forces fired rockets at Eritrea

The deployment of Eritreans to Tigray is the newest element in a melee that has greatly tarnished Abiys once-glowing reputation. Only last year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for making peace with Isaias. Now it looks like the much-lauded peace deal between the former enemies in fact laid the groundwork for them to make war against Tigray, their mutual adversary.

Abiy has invited a foreign country to fight against his own people, says Awol Allo, a former Abiy supporter turned outspoken critic who lectures in law at Keele University in Britain. The implications are huge.

Abiy insists he was forced to move his army quickly into Tigray after the regions leaders, who had dominated Ethiopia for 27 years until Abiy took over in 2018, mutinied against his government. But in the early weeks of the fight, Ethiopian forces were aided by artillery fired by Eritrean forces from their side of the border, a US official said.

Since then, Abiys campaign has been led by a hodgepodge of forces, including federal troops, ethnic militias and, evidently, soldiers from Eritrea.

At Hitsats, Eritrean soldiers initially clashed with local Tigrayan militiamen in battles that rolled across the camp. Scores of people were killed, including four Ethiopians employed by the International Rescue Committee and the Danish Refugee Council, aid workers said.

The chaos deepened in the days that followed, when Eritrean soldiers looted aid supplies, stole vehicles and set fire to fields filled with crops and a nearby forested area used by refugees to collect wood, aid workers said. The camps main water tank was riddled with gunfire and emptied.

Their accounts are supported by satellite images, obtained and analysed by The New York Times, that show large patches of newly scorched earth in and around the Hitsats camp after the Eritrean forces swept through.

Ethiopia and Eritrea were once the best of enemies, fighting a devastating border war in the late 1990s

Later, soldiers singled out several refugees  camp leaders, by some accounts  bundled them into vehicles and sent them back across the border to Eritrea.

Shes crying, crying, said Berhan Okbasenbet, an Eritrean now in Sweden whose sister was driven from Hitsats to Keren, the second-largest city in Eritrea, alongside a son who was shot in the fighting. Its not safe for them in Eritrea. Its not a free country.

Berhan asked not to publish their names, fearing reprisals, but provided identifying details that The New York Times verified with an Ethiopian government database of refugees.

Abiys spokesperson did not respond to questions for this article. However, a few weeks ago the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, bluntly asked Abiy if Eritrean troops were fighting in his war. He guaranteed to me that they have not entered Tigrayan territory, Guterres told reporters on 9 December.

Those denials have been met with incredulity from western and UN officials.

Ethiopian Orthodox worshippers in the Tigray region on their way to church (AFP via Getty Images)

The Trump administration has demanded that all Eritrean troops immediately leave Tigray, a US official said, citing reports of widespread looting, killings and other potential war crimes.

It remains unclear how many Eritreans are in Tigray or precisely where, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss delicate diplomacy. A communications blackout over Tigray since 4 November has effectively shielded the war from outside view.

But that veil has slowly lifted in recent weeks, as witnesses fleeing Tigray or reaching telephones have begun to give accounts of the fighting, the toll on civilians, and the pervasive presence of Eritrean soldiers.

In interviews, some described fighters with Eritrean accents wearing Ethiopian uniforms. Others said they witnessed televisions and refrigerators being looted from homes and businesses. A European official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential findings, said some of those stolen goods were being openly sold in the Eritrean capital, Asmara.

Three sources, including a different western official, said they had received reports of an Eritrean attack on a church in Dinglet, in eastern Tigray, on 30 November. By one account, 35 people whose names were provided were killed.

The reports of Eritrean soldiers sweeping through Tigray are especially jarring to many Ethiopians.

Ethiopia and Eritrea were once the best of enemies, fighting a devastating border war in the late 1990s that cost 100,000 lives. Although the two countries are now officially at peace, many Ethiopians are shocked that the old enemy is roaming freely inside their borders.

A religious service in the town of Alamata (AFP via Getty Images)

How did we let a state that is hostile to our country come in, cross the border and brutalise our own people? says Tsedale Lemma, editor-in-chief of the Addis Standard newspaper. This is an epic humiliation for Ethiopias pride as a sovereign state.

Abiy has already declared victory in Tigray and claimed, implausibly, that no civilians have died. But last week his government offered a $260,000 (190,000) reward for help in capturing fugitive leaders from the regional governing party, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF)  a tacit admission that Abiy has failed to achieve a major stated goal of his campaign.

In fact, the biggest winner so far may be his Eritrean ally, Isaias.

Since coming to power in 1993, Isaias has won a reputation as a ruthless and dictatorial figure who rules with steely determination at home and who meddles abroad to exert his influence.

For a time he supported the Islamist extremists of al-Shabaab in Somalia, drawing UN sanctions on Eritrea, before switching his loyalties to the oil-rich  and Islamist-hating  United Arab Emirates.

Inside Eritrea, Isaias enforced a harsh system of endless military service that fuelled a tidal wave of migration that has driven more than 500,000 Eritreans  perhaps one-tenth of the population  into exile.

Isaias seeks to project power in ways that are completely unimaginable for the leader of such a small country

The peace pact signed by the two leaders initially raised hopes for a new era of stability in the region. Ultimately, it amounted to little. By this summer, borders that opened briefly had closed again.

But Abiy and Isaias remained close, bonded by their shared hostility toward the rulers of Tigray.

They had different reasons to distrust the Tigrayans. For Abiy, the TPLF was a dangerous political rival  a party that had once led Ethiopia and, once he became prime minister, began to flout his authority openly.

For Isaias, though, it was a deeply personal feud  a story of grievances, bad blood and ideological disputes that stretched back to the 1970s, when Eritrea was fighting for independence from Ethiopia, and Isaias joined with the TPLF to fight an Ethiopian Marxist dictator.

Those differences widened after 1991, when Eritrea became independent and the Tigrayans had come to power in Ethiopia, culminating in a devastating border war.

A young shepherd in the Tigray region (AFP via Getty Images)

As tensions rose between Abiy and the TPLF, Isaias saw an opportunity to settle old scores and to reassert himself in the region, says Martin Plaut, author of Understanding Eritrea and a senior research fellow at the University of Londons Institute of Commonwealth Studies.

Its typical Isaias, says Plaut. He seeks to project power in ways that are completely unimaginable for the leader of such a small country.

Aid groups warn that, without immediate access, Tigray will soon face a humanitarian disaster. The war erupted just as villagers were preparing to harvest their crops, in a region already grappling with swarms of locusts and recurring drought.

Refugees are especially vulnerable. According to the UN, 96,000 Eritrean refugees were in Tigray at the start of the fight, although some camps have since emptied. An internal UN report from 12 December, seen by the New York Times, described the situation at Hitsats as extremely dire, with no food or water.

Farther north, at Shimelba camp, Eritrean soldiers beat refugees, tied their hands and left them under the sun all day, says Efrem, a resident who later fled to Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.

They poured milk on their bodies so they would be swarmed with flies, he says.

Later, Efrem says, the soldiers rounded up 40 refugees and forced them to travel back across the border to Eritrea.

 The New York Times
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off eight trains connecting different parts of the country to Kevadia to facilitate seamless connectivity to the Statue of Unity in Gujarat on Sunday via video conferencing. This project unites India in the true sense as it defines the Indian Railways vision and Sardar Vallabhai Patel's mission, said PM Modi.

With this improvement in connectivity, one lakh tourists will visit Kevadiya in Gujarat daily.

Emphasising on how this connectivity will not only benefit the tourists but also the tribal communities, PM Modi added, "This connectivity will be beneficial for tourists coming to see the Statue of Unity but it will also help in changing the lives of the tribal community of Kevadiya. It will bring new opportunities for job and self-employment"

The Prime Minister inaugurated Dabhoi-Chandod broad gauge railway line, Chandod-Kevadiya new broad gauge railway line, newly electrified Pratapnagar- Kevadiya section and the new station buildings of Dabhoi, Chandod and Kevadiya.

"One of the trains flagged off for Kevadia today originates at Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central Railway Station. It is a pleasant coincidence that today is the birth anniversary of MGR. His life was dedicated to the service of the poor," added the Prime Minister.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal were also present on the occasion.

Kevadiya station is India's first railway station with a Green Building Certification. These projects are aimed to boost development and tourism in the region.

The Statue of Unity, situated near Kevadiya in Gujarat's Narmada district, is the world's tallest statue and monumental tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India's first home minister as well as deputy prime minister.

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Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
CAIRO  Judge Hanafy Ali el-Gebaly, who validated a controversial 2016 agreement handing two islands to Saudi Arabia, was elected speaker of the House of Representatives of the new Egyptian parliament Jan. 12.

Gebaly, the former head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, had won an independent seat in October's parliamentary elections. The Nation's Future Party, known for its support of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and which holds holds 55% of the seats in the parliament, provided Gebaly the backing he needed to assume the post.

This raised the ire of opposition politicians inside and outside Egypt because Gebaly was one of the judges who had approved a maritime border agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia under which Cairo agreed to cede the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to the kingdom.

In April 2016, Sisi signed an agreement to transfer ownership of Tiran and Sanafir. Despite a wave of objections and protests against the decision, the Egyptian government went ahead with it.

In January 2017, after months of court hearings, the High Administrative Court, the highest administrative authority in Egypt, ruled to nullify the agreement. The decision said the two islands were Egyptian.

But the government appealed the ruling to the Supreme Constitutional Court.

The Supreme Constitutional Court, headed by Gebaly, decided in March 2018 to void the High Administrative Court's ruling and to proceed with the Saudi-Egyptian maritime border agreement, ceding the two islands to Saudi Arabia. Gebaly said at the time that signing the agreement and ceding the two islands was part of the states sovereign decisions. The judiciary does not have the authority to endorse or nullify the decision. He said the High Administrative Courts ruling undermined the executive authority represented by the president.

Adel Rashed, a member of the Muslim Brotherhoods executive office who has been in self-exile in Turkey for more than six years, said Gebaly was elected speaker to honor him for closing the judicial file regarding the Tiran and Sanafir islands, and to praise his shameful ruling of canceling any provisions related to the Egyptian ownership of the two islands and participating in ceding them to the kingdom.

He told Al-Monitor through an online video communication service, Sisis regime is sending a message to everyone that whoever is on his side and rules in his favor will be rewarded and put in the highest positions.

Rashed added, Shame will continue to haunt Sisis regime and Gebaly, and whoever contributed to ceding the two islands to Saudi Arabia. The day will come when Gebaly and whoever was complicit in selling the two islands will be punished, rather than rewarded.

Issam Hilal, secretary-general of the Nations Future Party and a member of the Senate, told Al-Monitor, We decided to endorse Gebaly [for speaker] because of his rich judicial history.

Hilal refused to answer the question about any link between supporting Gebaly and his ruling in favor of the agreement to cede control of Tiran and Sanafir. He said, I dont have an answer to allegations that endorsing him to be speaker of parliament was a reward for his ruling. The judiciary in Egypt is decent and independent and does not need rewards to do the right thing. Nobody can doubt the transparency of an Egyptian judge or court.
New Delhi, Jan 17 : The use of regional languages during Rajya Sabha proceedings has increased more than five times and parliamentarians spoke in 10 of the 22 scheduled languages for the first time during 2018-20 with Sanskrit emerging as the fifth most widely used Indian language in the Upper House.

With 12 interventions in Sanskrit, all during 2019-20, it has emerged as the fifth most widely used language in the Rajya Sabha among the 22 scheduled languages after Hindi, Telugu, Urdu and Tamil.

During 2018-20 with 163 sittings, regional languages were used 135 times, including 66 interventions in debates, 62 Zero Hour and seven Special Mentions. Four of the 22 scheduled languages such as Dogri, Kashmiri, Konkani and Santhali were used for the first time in the Upper House since 1952, further to the introduction of Simultaneous Interpretation Service in these four languages and Sindhi language at the behest of Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu in 2018.

Besides, six languages like Assamese, Bodo, Gujarati, Maithili, Manipuri and Nepali have been used after a long gap, a Rajya Sabha document reveals.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Naidu's efforts yield results with more diversified use of regional languages since he took charge in August 2017 and has been urging the members of the House to speak in their respective mother tongues since then in the spirit of the federal nature of the House.

While announcing the availability of Simultaneous Interpretation Facilities in all the 22 scheduled languages in July 2018, the RS Chairman spoke in 10 languages in the House.

While Hindi and English are the widely used languages during the proceedings of the House, the use of 21 other scheduled Indian languages (other than Hindi) has increased more than five times (512 per cent) per sitting in 2020 over that of the 14-year period between 2004-17.

Rajya Sabha members spoke in 10 scheduled languages (other than Hindi) in the House on 269 occasions during 923 sittings between 2004 and 2017 at the rate of 0.291 per sitting.

In 2020, 49 interventions in regional languages were made during 33 sittings at the rate of 1.49 per sitting, marking an increase to 512 per cent.

During 2013-17 spanning more than 329 sittings, the Upper House members spoke only in 10 regional languages (other than Hindi) on 96 times, all limited to debates, the document said.

The number of times the regional languages (other than Hindi) were used during 2013-17 (329 sittings) and 2018-20 (163 sittings), respectively were: Tamil (32 and 18), Telugu (19 and 33), Urdu (19 and 24), Bengali (6 and 17), Sanskrit (0 and 12), Marathi (3 and 6), Odia (5 and 6), Kannada (2 and 5), Punjabi (2 and 3), Malayalam (2 and 0) and Assamese (0 and 2).

(Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)


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File photo of Martin Luther King III and his wife Arndrea Waters King posing with a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in New Delhi on Feb. 15, 2009, during their 13-day visit. King retraced the steps of his late father, U.S. civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr., who visited India in 1959 to study the philosophies of India's founding father Mahatma Gandhi. (Prakash Singh/AFP via Getty Images)
(CNN)  Law enforcement and state officials are on high alert for potentially violent protests in the lead-up to Inauguration Day, with some state capitols boarded up and others temporarily closed ahead of Wednesday's ceremony.

The FBI says it has received information warning of "armed protests" in all 50 state capitols beginning Saturday and the US Capitol in Washington, DC, beginning Sunday, ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's swearing-in.

Domestic extremists pose the most likely threat to the inauguration, particularly those who believe the incoming administration is illegitimate, according to a joint bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and eight other agencies and obtained by CNN.

The assessment, dated January 14, provides a breakdown of additional concerns leading up to Tuesday, including possible violence.

"In light of the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January, planned events in Washington, DC, in the lead up to and day of Inauguration Day offer continued opportunities for violence targeting public officials, government buildings, and federal and local law enforcement," it reads.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday that authorities are "tracking calls for potential armed protests and activity leading up to the inauguration" and "monitoring all incoming leads."

'Chatter' around Sunday

The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that Biden's inauguration rehearsal would be delayed one day to Monday due to online chatter about Sunday, but said there are "no specific credible threats."

"It is going to take place on Monday is the current schedule. Secret Service is in charge of running that schedule, but that's done in partnership with Biden team. And it was their decision to delay a day," Acting Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli told CNN's "New Day."

"The decision was made to delay a day and leave the Secret Service in a position, and the whole team across the Washington metro area, to be prepared to respond on that day if needed," he said.

Biden said "yes" when asked if he felt safe about Inauguration Day, based on the intelligence he has seen, when exiting a televised address to the country Friday afternoon.

\Washington police said they were receiving daily FBI briefings on internet "chatter" of possible protests around the inauguration.

"I can assure the residents of the District of Columbia that the Metropolitan Police Department and federal partners are in a posture to respond to the information that's out there thus far that we've heard," Metropolitan Police Department Acting Chief Robert Contee said.

MPD is coordinating with the FBI and briefing DC Mayor Muriel Bowser daily on all threats, Contee said.

On Friday evening, US Capitol Police arrested a Virginia man as he attempted to pass through a police checkpoint in downtown DC with fake inaugural credentials, a loaded handgun and over 500 rounds of ammunition, according to a police report and a law enforcement source briefed on the situation.

The man, identified as Wesley Allen Beeler, pulled his pickup truck to a police checkpoint just north of the Capitol building, the source told CNN. Beeler, from Front Royal, Virginia, presented officers with what was described as an unauthorized inauguration credential.

When police asked Beeler if he was carrying any weapons, he told them he had a Glock semiautomatic pistol in the center armrest, the source said. The Glock was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition and a round chamber ready to fire, according to the source.

Police recovered the pistol, as well as 509 rounds of ammunition, shotgun shells and a magazine for the handgun, according to an incident report from the Metropolitan Police Department. Beeler was arrested anc charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition, among other offenses, the report said.

DC Mayor says stay home

Bowser said she did not expect the continued presence of visiting National Guard troops after the inauguration but the city will have to take on a "new posture."

She again urged Americans to enjoy the inauguration from home and asked anyone who does not need to be out to avoid restricted areas.

The National Mall will be closed to the general public on Inauguration Day, the National Park Service (NPS) announced Friday.

The temporary closure began Friday morning and will extend through at least Thursday, January 21. The NPS says protests will be allowed in designated locations and will be limited to those with permits.

Lawmakers are asking for help from travel companies to prevent an attack and investigate the January 6 insurrection.

The House Oversight Committee sent letters Thursday to more than two dozen operators of bus lines, rental car companies, and hotels asking for assistance "identifying and preventing the ongoing and extreme threat of further violent attacks in Washington, DC, and elsewhere, over the coming days."

The letter asks the companies to increase security and screening of guests and keep business records available for future investigations, as well as provide Congress with records of any policies "currently in place or being developed to ensure that your services are not used to facilitate violence or domestic terrorism."

The letter cited Airbnb's cancellation of all DC reservations around the inauguration Wednesday as an example of a company that had "voluntarily taken action to prevent domestic terrorists from using their services to support further violence."

One of the companies sent the letter, Megabus, said Friday on Facebook that it was canceling service to Washington until after the inauguration.

Facebook said Friday evening that it would prevent repeat violators of its policies from streaming live videos or creating events, groups or pages through Inauguration Day.

In addition, Facebook is banning the creation of new event pages tied geographically to Washington and state capitols, the company announced in a blog post.

The move is intended to "further prevent people from trying to use our services to incite violence," Facebook said.

'Every state' supporting inauguration with guardsmen

The Pentagon has authorized up to 25,000 National Guard members for the inauguration, the National Guard Bureau said in a news release Friday. That's an increase from the 21,000 troops authorized a day earlier.

"Every state, territory and the District of Columbia will have National Guard men and women supporting the inauguration," the statement said.

As of Thursday, there were 7,000 Guardsmen in DC from more than a dozen states and the DC National Guard. That number will more than triple in the next few days.

Major Gen. William J. Walker, Commanding General for the District of Columbia National Guard, said guardsmen on duty knew they would be in the capital city until at least January 24.

"Now, if conditions change, they'll stay here longer. So, the bottom line is, the National Guard will be here as long as we're required to be here, as long as we're needed," he told CNN Friday.

Walker dismissed suggestions that the guardsmen's presence at the Capitol made it look like a war zone.

"This is not a war zone, and anybody who's been in a war knows that this is not a war zone. What you have here is a community-based organization, it's part of the United States military, the Guard, but we are citizen soldiers and airmen, and we represent the communities we serve in," he said.

"But most of all, Americans should be assured that the Guard is out here in support of the lead federal agency -- the United States Secret Service -- and that the 59th Presidential Inauguration will be peaceful," he said.

States enhancing security at capitols

The FBI warning that armed protests are planned in all 50 states has prompted governors and police chiefs to deploy thousands of officers and equipment at capitols around the country.

The FBI bulletin noted that extremists could zero in on government officials and institutions, as well as racial and religious minorities, journalists, and the LGBTQ community.

States are enhancing security and calling up the National Guard in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, will not be in Washington for the inauguration, citing warnings from the FBI and other agencies of "credible threats of potential domestic violence and terrorism" in his home state, Crystal Staley, a spokeswoman for the governor, said via email Saturday.

Florida and Maine have also activated the National Guard to work with state law enforcement.

States are using heavy fencing and additional crowd control measures, including in Arizona, California, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Virginia and Washington, while Pennsylvania has built barriers and increased security.

Kentucky and Texas Friday announced that the grounds around their capitols will be closed temporarily.

The Michigan State Police is mobilizing personnel from across the state to secure the Capitol ahead of planned protests, including one on Sunday, the agency said in a statement Friday.

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor urged people to "avoid coming to the Capitol and surrounding area" because of demonstrations expected on Sunday.

"Downtown Lansing residents should consider planning ahead to stay inside and avoid this demonstration," the mayor said in a statement.

"I am asking residents and those who live in the Lansing area to stay out of the downtown area and to not engage with demonstrators who come to our city with ill intentions."

Michigan's attorney general has warned that the Capitol was not safe due to the expected presence of armed militia members. It is legal to carry firearms in the open in the state.

Canceled legislative sessions and closed capitols

Michigan's state Senate and House have canceled legislative sessions over "credible threats."

In Virginia, a state of emergency has been declared in Richmond and Capitol Square will be closed. The state is anticipating a gathering Monday for "Lobby Day," an annual protest that last year brought thousands of gun rights advocates to the Capitol.

Governors in Maryland, New Mexico and Utah also declared states of emergency.

In Oregon, the FBI has set up a command post to gather and share intelligence with law enforcement.

In Florida and Oklahoma, lawmakers and staff are being told to work from home this weekend. Pennsylvania, Indiana, South Carolina and Utah are closing their capitols altogether.

The first-floor windows of the state capitols in Illinois, Michigan, Virginia and Wisconsin have been boarded up.

New Jersey has told state employees to work from home Tuesday. The New Jersey National Guard will have a "quick reaction force" of 100 standing by Sunday, Lt. Col. Barbara Brown told CNN on Friday.

Several large states are on high alert. In New York, state police have taken steps "to harden security in and around the State Capitol in Albany." And in California, more than 1,000 National Guard troops have been deployed and fencing has been erected around the Capitol after what the governor called an "unconscionable assault on our Republic."

This story was first published on CNN.com ''Armed protests' warning puts officials on alert this weekend ahead of Biden inauguration'
Head of Egypts General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel delivered a message from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi as he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday.

El-Sisis message stressed Egypts keenness to intensify its efforts so that it contributes to the success of the Palestinian elections process.

The message also affirmed Egypts unchangeable stance on the need to reach a just, comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.

During their meeting, Abbas and Kamel discussed the latest developments of the Palestinian issue, a day after Abbas had issued a decree announcing that the country will hold presidential and parliamentary elections for the first time in 15 years.

According to the decree issued by Abbas on Friday, the Palestinian Authority will hold the legislative elections on 22 May, then the presidential elections on 31 July.

Abbas, during the meeting, expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by El-Sisi to resolve the Palestinian issue.

Kamels visit also included a meeting with the intelligence chiefs of each of Jordan and Palestine, where they discussed means to support the peace process and reviewed future steps to accomplish the Palestinian reconciliation process.

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With just a year left to assembly polls scheduled early next year, Yogi Adityanath led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is hopeful of doing what no other political party had been successful with over the last three decades. It hopes to break the jinx that the party in power has never been repeated for the second consecutive term. Behind this aspiration are the partys perceived strong dominance and the fact that the opposition politics has not been able to catch the wider imagination so far.

The opposition parties have also sprung to action with the approaching polls. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has gone into action mode and Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress General Secretary in charge for UP, is all set to launch a mega offensive in the state. But the question that emerges is whether the opposition can turn the tide in its favour or else is it too late to counter the saffron dominance in the politically significant state.

BJPS FREE RUN AND A WEEK OPPOSITION

In a couple of months, CM Yogi Adityanath will complete its fourth year. Never in recent history of majority governments, has opposition been so rudderless and unsuccessful in building a broader opinion and a powerful campaign against the ruling party.

The credit for BJPs continued success in the 2019 general elections could be the failed experiment of the grand alliance between the SP and the BSP. The space of the opposition was further curtailed during the covid-19 pandemic era that clouded last year.

Though Congress and Priyanka Gandhi did waged a few successful political campaigns against the state government on issues of migrant workers, law and order and bad governance its impact was limited as the party failed to sustain the momentum.

Gandhi remained actively involved with the partys organizational work, her absence from the state, baring her visit during Gangrape and murder of a Dalit girl in Hathras, was projected by opponents as a proof of half-hearted intervention.

While Congress did remained in the show, the Samajwadi Party was largely absent in 2020. Another major opposition force the BSP, was mostly in news for its seemingly soft approach towards the BJP and its open attack against the Congress and the SP.

A YEAR TO POLLSAKHILESH GETS INTO ACTION

Breaking the Lull, Samajwadi Party and its chief Akhilesh Yadav now seems to be getting in the action mode. His strong intervention in favor of the ongoing farmers protest, against the new farm laws marked the beginning of his offensive. The fact that Akhilesh even courted arrest was seen as a strong message to his party cadre for pulling up the socks and getting in action.

Since then, Akhilesh has been visiting districts, meeting party workers and leaders. The party has also launched training sessions for its workers where one such camp recently held in Chitrakoot was attended by Akhilesh himself.

The training camps are a unique mechanism, where party leadership gets to interact with the grass root workers, chalk out the broader strategy. In run up to assembly elections, these camps are focused on electoral strategy and preparing the cadre for the challenge ahead Samajwadi party legislator Sunil Singh Sajan said.

The question remains whether it can reap any results? Senior journalist Ramdutt Tripathi says Samajwadi party since its inception had been the party of struggle. This trait has been lost over the past few years. This has weakened the party cadre. He adds, Akhilesh inherited the leadership when party was in power, he needs to get out of power mode and behaving like the CM in waiting. Against formidable enemy like BJP, he needs to intensify the struggle.

ORGANIZATION IN SHAPE, PRIYANKA PLANS INCREASED OFFENSIVE

For the grand old Congress, the challenge had been to build an organization which could cash on its leader Priyanka Gandhis popularity. The party, which has been out of power in the state for more than thirty years, till recently had no organizational committees at the block level. Organization on more than sixty thousand Nyay panchayats was a distant dream.

The hard work over past one year has now resulted in formation of party committees in more than 800 blocks of the state. Party leadership claims they also have a robust organizational structure in more than 15 thousand Nyay panchayats and the number is only adding up. Before this micro level organizational work, party under Priyankas supervision had already streamlined the Jumbo PCC from five hundred plus members to 62-member committee.

Our party now has an efficient and responsive mass-based organization. The new strength should be judged from the successful campaigns which party led in recent months. From issue of migrant laborers, to farmers, law and order and unemployment no other party challenged the government or faced police brutalities, Congress state media convener Lallan Kumar said.

With organizational structure in place, top leaders say that Priyanka Gandhi is now all set to hit Streets in Uttar Pradesh. Priyankas electoral campaign will start sometime after Mid-January and will begin from western Uttar Pradesh. The Gandhi scion will start from attending the Panchayat level meetings in villages of Districts like Ghaziabad and Meerut. A senior leader aware of the development told News18.

The idea is to catch the larger public imagination with a Gandhi hitting the dusty by lanes of the villages. Beginning with Panchayat yatras and village meetings the Priyanka campaign will gradually pick up in the run up to assembly polls.

NEW ENTRANTS FURTHER DIVIDE THE OPPOSITION

The major opposition players might just be gearing up to the challenge, the others are already busy flexing muscles. From AIMIM to AAP, smaller players have made the intent clear about contesting the assembly polls. However, Both Asaduddin Owaisi led AIMIM and Arvind Kejriwals AAP even in their limited capacity can be a bigger nemesis for the opposition, rather than the BJP.

BJP has been able to maintain a strong hold on its caste and religion-based vote bank since 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Further role played by AIMIM in Bihar should not be forgotten. These smaller players will clearly benefit the BJP, senior journalist Mudit Mathur said.

Possibility of alliance between the AIMIM and the BSP, as evident in Bihar, can further result in division of minority votes. Even Samajwadi Party and the Congress will eye for the share.
Foreign Secretary: A familiar message to be shared at the upcoming UNHRC sessions By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s):

Sri Lanka looks set to push familiar messages of sovereignty and non-interference in domestic affairs whilst also offering some deliverables, when the country comes up before the UN Human Rights Council later this month and early next month.

It has not yet been decided whether a delegation will fly from Colombo to Geneva or participate virtually. The Core Group on Sri Lanka  Canada, Germany, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Britain  will present a new resolution. But the Government will urge the Council, as it has done in the past, to consider that it had waged war against the LTTE to protect people in fulfillment of its electoral mandate, and the military did not fight in a vacuum.

The LTTE was labeled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2008 as the most ruthless terrorist organisation in the world, said Admiral (Prof) Jayanath Colombage, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said it pioneered suicide bombing, the suicide vest and suicide women cadres, killing two world leaders. An average of 250 lives  including of LTTE fighters  was lost each month during the 30-year war, he claimed. It was not immediately clear how the figure was arrived at.

From May 19, 2009, to date, it is zero deaths, Admiral Colombage said.

That means life is protected here by the Government action. The right to life, to me, is more important than human rights because first you have to live. If you live only you can enjoy human rights.

(Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares that: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.)

But the international community continues to blame the Government for lack of accountability, reconciliation, payment of reparations and a domestically constituted mechanism to resolve this issue. In recent months, they have said they observe another new trend going the negative way,  Admiral Colombage said.

They are saying, Oh, the trend is bad. I do not know what it is. They have to tell us, he added.

He did reveal that in a report on Sri Lanka to be released to the UNHRC, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, had identified early warning signals, and a negative trend in the country.

The report had been sent for comments from the Government and was sitting on his desk this week. Even the 20th Amendment to the Constitution was seen as a negative trend. But it had gone through due process, and the 32 petitions against it in the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court of this country ruled that certain clauses were against the constitution and certain clauses could not be handled by the Parliament, Admiral Colombage said.

So the Government made the amendments and it was passed by a two-thirds majority of a democratically-elected parliament that included a few Tamils and a few Muslims. I think any country should respect the democratic mandate of another sovereign country.

The Secretary also made the oft-repeated argument that there was recorded evidence of the LTTE holding 300,000 people as a human shield during the last stages of the war; that the LTTE and its remaining cadres mingled with these people and had artillery and mortar guns amongst them along with other weapons. This heinous crime was never referred to by the international community, he said.

But, he admitted, they could be targeting the Government as the LTTE, having been comprehensively defeated, was no more.

Still, they must at least mention this and look at the Sri Lankan Governments actions in context, he said.

The 300,000 civilians in question, were taken over to the military side, given medical treatment, fed and taken to centres for the internally displaced where international agencies like the UN and Red Cross had access.

If we were really as accused, we could have killed them all, Admiral Colombage said.

But we did not. They were our people.

On allegations of civilians disappearing after entering Government control, he said: There are a few allegations. Allegations can be there that some activities took place. I do not know. I really did not investigate. I am not privy to that investigation.

These claims, he said, kept dogging Sri Lanka because someone wants this issue alive for some ulterior objective.

We cannot look at this in isolation, as a 65,000sq km island, the Secretary said.

He said Sri Lanka was in a geographically, geo-strategically and geo-economically important location.

As I see it, this is one reason the so-called international community is trying to point a finger at us.

Admiral Colombage also said the Governments relationship with the UN was at a good level because Sri Lanka was a responsible member of the system.

We have no issue, as an individual country, with the United Nations Human Rights Council, he said.

But the UN Human Rights Council is always accusing Sri Lanka. They come out with a certain shopping list. When we do that, they change to another shopping list. When we do that, then they give another shopping list. This is the trend.

He said the current administration was cooperating with the UNHRC, But we dont want to surrender our sovereignty totally to an international body. And we do not like the international body to dictate terms to us and say do this, do that at gunpoint. We would like to be treated as a sovereign nation, an independent country. We have to find our own way of reconciliation, he added.

In this regard, the Secretary claimed the Government (including intelligence agencies) was taken completely by surprise on the demolition of the war memorial at the University of Jaffna  a provocative act just days before the UNHRC sessions. That was why the Government immediately said it would rebuild the monument.

That was not something we needed at this time. I think it was not necessary and it was contrary to what we want to achieve. We want reconciliation, peace and harmony. And, by doing this again, if we antagonise a community in this country, that is not what we want. I think from what I hear from the inner circles, no one in the Government is saying it is a good thing. Everyone is saying it is a bad thing.

The Secretary also said the President had a genuine interest in finding answers to the question of missing persons  to find out how many were missing, the circumstances of their disappearance, whether reparations should be paid and to issue certificates of death or absence.

But Admiral Colombage also raised the usual doubts regarding missing people  such as those who have gone abroad and now use different names.

So, everyone is not really missing. Theyre living somewhere. he said.

The Government was also committed to supporting and maintaining the momentum of institutions like the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), the Office for Reparations and even the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation and Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. Budgets had been passed and action plans requested in this regard.

Even High Commissioner Bachelets report had accepted that reparations totaling Rs 142mn (at the rate of Rs 6,000 per person) had been paid to 4,385 out of 16,275 applications processed by the OMP from January to November 2020. Provisions had been made to continue the payment.

The Secretary admitted the Government was likely to be questioned about the refusal to allow the burial of deceased COVID-19 positive Muslims. He said some Governments had already raised the issue with his Ministry.

While the matter was beyond his purview, he said he had also read the signals coming from the political leadership and they wished to find a solution to this matter.
Ben Affleck has praised Marvel boss Kevin Feige. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

Ben Affleck has commended Marvels Kevin Feige as the greatest movie producer who has ever lived.

The actor and Academy Award-winning screenwriter, of Good Will Hunting, worked with Feige on 2003s much-maligned Daredevil.

During a recent discussion with The Hollywood Reporter about his career to date, Affleck took the opportunity to praise what Feige has achieved with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Watch: Ben Affleck hits out at sexist and racist critics of Jennifer Lopez

He said: Kevin Feige is absolutely, you have to say, the greatest producer, most successful producer who ever lived. He's the only guy in the world who, if he told me, 'I know what the audience wants! This is what we're doing,' I would believe him 100%.

Read More: Ben Affleck says he wore his Batman suit to son's birthday party

Affleck didnt stop there, though, as he called Feige a genius who knows his audience like no producer ever.

More than that, Affleck believes that Feige has managed to perfectly toe the line with the tone of each Marvel superhero movie, even comparing him to a ringmaster at the circus.

Kevin Feige attends the 23rd Annual Hollywood Film Awards in Beverly Hills, California, 3 November, 2019. (Amy Sussman/FilmMagic)

He knows exactly how much to wink at the audience, exactly when to pull at the heartstrings, exactly when to do the effects, how many jokes, what the sensibility, what the tone is, Affleck said.

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Because people didn't know to run away from the pyjamas or embrace it, or make it serious.

The films that Feige has produced as the president, primary creator and producer at Marvel Studios have grossed a combined total of over 19.72 billion ($26.8 billion).
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NYPD have arrested at least two protesters near Barclays Center. The latest arrest came after the crowd moved to the sidewalk, following orders issued over LRAD.



This is a protest demanding NYPD officer Prusayev be fired for pulling a gun on protesters earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/xJuGhLIRcX  NYC Protest Updates (@protest_nyc) January 17, 2021

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- At least nine people were arrested Saturday night during a protest in Brooklyn calling for an NYPD officer to be removed after allegedly pulling a gun at an earlier Black Lives Matter rally, the New York Post reported.

A group of 100 people gathered in front of the Barclays Center around 8 p.m., which has been a common location for protests since the summer, according to News12.

Videos shared on social media from the event appear to show protestors being moved to the sidewalk.

A line of officers prevented protestors from entering the street as they marched from the Barclays Center to the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn, the Post explained.

Crowds grew hostile toward officers as arrests were made, according to the Post. Someone repeatedly screamed, How many officers does it take?

The protest was dispersed by 10 p.m., the Post reported.

Protestors were calling for Officer Artem Prusayev to be fired after allegedly showing force during a Tuesday evening protest, the report said.

Heres the video of Officer Prusayev - also clearly not wearing a mask in a global pandemic. Will you be firing this officer? pic.twitter.com/yXket7wWoj  Hillary Wright (@hillarywright) January 14, 2021

According to a Change.org petition against the officer, Prusayev allegedly pulled out his gun, and later, a baton, in the direction of protestors who were questioning why he was not wearing a mask.

The petition calls for his immediate removal from service and that his pension be revoked.

He is a danger to every New Yorker and obviously not equipped with the emotional stability required to possess a firearm, much less to allegedly Protect and Serve, the petition reads.

Police didnt immediately comment about the allegations.
A team of 10 Nepalese climbers on January 16 made history by scaling the worlds second-highest peak in the winter season. At 28,251 feet, Pakistans K2 is the most prominent peak of the Himalayan range and it has never been reached in winter due to weather and geographical difficulties. According to Associated Press, the winter winds at the second tallest peak after Mount Everest can blow at more than 200km per hour and temperatures can drop to minus 60 degrees Celsius.

However, even after facing such difficulties, Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, Nirmal Purja, Pun Magar, Gelje Sherpa, Mingma David Sherpa, Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, Dawa Temba Sherpa, Pem Chhiri Sherpa, Kilu Pemba Sherpa, DawaTenjing Sherpa, and Sona Sherpa reached the top of the peak on Saturday afternoon around 5pm. The secretary of Pakistan's Alpine Club, Karrar Haideri, lauded the group for their achievement and said that this has never been done by anyone before in winter. Purja Sherpa also took to Instagram and shared the image of the team at the Summit and wrote, Impossible made possible.

READ: 'India's COVID-19 Vaccination Plan Gives Great Hope To Us': Nepal Foreign Minister Gyawali

Following their historic achievement, Haideri informed that four international climbing teams had arrived about a month ago to try scaling K2. Of the dozens of climbers, the group of 10 Nepalis have so far been the only successful team, the Alpine Club official added. Haideri also said that no mountaineers had reached higher than 7,750 meters until Saturday then fair weather conditions allowed the climbers to push ahead.

READ: Nepal Favours Talks To Resolve Border Issue With India; Wants 'good Ties' With China Too

Proud moment for Nepal

While taking to Facebook, Mira Acharya, who is an officer in the Nepal Department of Tourism, said, Nepali climbers have made history again. For the first time in the history of winter climbing, Nepali climbers reached the top of Mt. K2 (The second highest mountain in the world). Congratulations to our Nepali climbers.

Located in Pakistan part of Karakoram Range, the K2 summit was the last among the worlds 14 tallest mountains, all higher than 8,000 meters that had not been climbed during winter. Since the first attempt back in 1988, just a handful of winter expeditions have been attempted on the peak, which is along the Chinese border that leads into the Himalayas. Haideri informed that an unprecedented number of climbers, in four teams totalling 48 members, converged on the mountain. The ten Nepalese climbers were also spread across different teams, however, they had formed a new group in order to claim the feat in Nepals name.

(With inputs from AP)

READ: Nepal PM Oli Faces Fresh Woes After Leaked Paper Makes Big Revelation On House Dissolution

READ: Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali Meets EAM Jaishankar In New Delhi



STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) said he believes President-elect Joe Bidens rescue plan will be good for New York and could deliver more than $50 billion in direct relief to the state.

Schumer said the funds would include unemployment benefits for those still out of work, direct cash payments of $1,400 to struggling families, and critical dollars to keep small businesses and nonprofits afloat.

Bidens proposal also allots vaccine dollars, transit relief, state and local funds and more.

Schumer -- who will become the U.S. Senate Majority Leader this upcoming week -- and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) said they plan to fight hard for Bidens plan to come to fruition.

Come January 20th, when Joe Biden is sworn in as President of the United States, we will hit the ground running to deliver the American rescue plan because too many Americans still need help while this pandemic rages on, said Schumer.

And a plan like this, that delivers COVID relief to New York families, small businesses, a robust vaccine effort, state and local dollarsand expands to provide New York restaurants with direct relief like the RESTAURANTS Act, to provide even more help to transit systems and more, is one we will fight hard to fully achieve. The Biden rescue plan would deliver more than $50 billion and counting to New Yorkand well need those dollars to get through this crisis and comeback strong, he added.

Said Gillibrand: While we have a lot of work ahead of us, Senator Schumer and I are ready to enact plans to get New Yorkers the resources needed to rebuild an economy that prioritizes paid leave, child care, transit funding, Health Force, and an equitable vaccine distribution for all. I am looking forward to helping pass this plan to deliver much-needed relief to our state, local governments, and Americans all across the country.

This past December, Schumer announced New York would receive more than $54 billion in coronavirus relief funding as part of the roughly $900 billion dollar bipartisan package passed by Congress.

For New York, the deal includes: $20 billion in small business loans; $9 billion in $600 direct cash payments; $6.4 billion for enhanced unemployment benefits; $4.2 billion for the MTA; $4 billion for the states public schools; $1.3 for emergency rental assistance, and $13 billion in funds going directly to New York state governments.

Schumer also announced this past Thursday, that he worked with President-elect Biden to release $2 billion in COVID aid for New York FEMA disaster fundspreviously blocked by President Trump.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

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Julia Letlow will run in the special election to fill the congressional seat left vacant after her husband, Rep.-elect Luke Letlow (R-La.), passed away in December due to COVID-19 complications.

The big picture: Luke Letlow, 41, was elected in a Dec. 5 runoff to replace outgoing Rep. Ralph Abraham, for whom he'd previously worked as chief of staff. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) has called for a special election on March 20 to fill the seat.

What they're saying: "My motivation is the passion Luke and I both shared: to better this region that we called home and to leave it a better place for our children and future generations," Letlow said in a statement.
Guest columnist Marc D. Greenwood, a former columnist, is a freelance writer. His work has appeared in the Sun News, cleveland .com, L.A. Times, New York Daily News, Birmingham News, al.com, nj.com and Montgomery Advertiser.

Martin Luther King Jr. thundered that police have committed unspeakable horrors against Black people. In addition, he said during his I Have a Dream speech that police brutality smacked Black freedom fighters like a staggering wind.

Alas, King referenced an issue that is perpetual, from 18th century slave patrols to modern police departments:

 Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd by torturing him for 8 minutes and 46 second -- grinding his knee into Floyds neck. Chauvins treachery incited long-suppressed Black rage, which spawned protests, riots and clamors for police reform.

 Mark Clark wrote in Police Magazine that Graham v. Connor, a 1989 case, determines the legality of every police use-of-force incident. Graham immunizes police officers who kill, then claim they feared for their life.

 Ohio police officers chased and blocked in Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams as they sat in their vehicle. Officer Michael Brelo fired 49 shots, then, atop the hood of the car, pumped 15 shots through the windshield. A judge acquitted Brelo, theorizing that Russell and Williams could have survived over 100 gunshots.

 Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback arrived on the scene of a suspicious-person call in Cleveland. Loehmann shot and killed Tamir Rice  a young teenager playing with a toy gun -- before Garmback could even stop the cruiser.

Cleveland police had hired Loehmann without knowing that he earlier had resigned from the Independence Police Department to avoid termination. When the village of Bellaire, Ohio, hired Loehmann, the upheaval caused Loehmann to rescind his application.

 Ben Grunwald and John Rappaport co-authored a 30-year investigation of full-time Florida police officers. During any given year, Florida hires 1,100 full-time officers who have been fired by other agencies. Fired then rehired officers are fired almost twice as often as other officers, and are more apt to commit moral-character violations in general, as well as physical and sexual misconduct.

 Phillip M. Stinson of Bowling Green State University and his associates found that between 2005 and 2018, only 97 nonfederal law enforcement officers were charged with murder or manslaughter, and only 35 were convicted for an on-duty shooting.

Grand juries and jurors seem to view officers as stalwarts -- Eagle Scouts -- authorized to protect and serve. For example, jurors acquitted four officers who savaged Rodney King, splintered his skull in 11 places, broke his leg, and fractured his cheekbone.

They acquitted the officer who killed Philando Castile after Castile advised the officer that he had a concealed carry weapon permit, and acquitted non-uniform New York City Police Department officers who fired 41 shots  19 of which struck and killed Amadou Diallo.

 The University of California at Berkeley examined more than 600 appeal cases. Prosecutors struck 72 percent of Black prospective jurors, about 28 percent of Latinos, less than 3.5 of Asian-Americans and only 0.5 of whites. Blacks were rejected ostensibly because they wore dreadlocks or blinged sandals, or because they slouched or wore a short skirt.

 In 1986, Dallas County, Alabama, Prosecutor Ed Green eliminated all the Black prospective jurors for Earl McGhees double murder trial. Green claimed he struck them because they lacked intelligence, but he neglected to confirm or refute the intelligence ruse. Therefore, since 1990, the courts have ordered five new trials because the county illegally excluded Black jurors.

As long as agencies continue to rehire criminal cops, Graham v. Connor is abused, and anti-Black juror bias abounds, police reform remains a mirage.

Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Ann Norman at anorman@cleveland.com. Essays must include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting todays topics are also welcome.
God is still doing reasonably well in the polls.

"God is still doing reasonably well in the polls."

That was the title of the most recent research by Reginald Bibby, a sociologist of religion at the University of Lethbridge.

According to Bibby, who has been conducting surveys about religion in Canada since the 1970s, 32 per cent of Canadians say they definitely believe in God while around 27 per cent say they think God exists  about 60 per cent overall.

He also found 15 per cent definitely dont believe God exists, while 26 per cent dont think so.

As for Manitoba, Bibby found a higher number of people in this province believe God exists  42 per cent. About 20 per cent think there is a God, while 10 per cent are sure there is no God. Twenty-nine per cent say they dont think there is a God.

This is a marked change from 35 years ago; back then, 61 per cent of Canadians said they definitely believed in God and 23 per cent thought God existed. Also back then, only six per cent of Canadians said they were atheists.

Why the change? Bibby traces it partly to the baby boomer generation, who "have been less inclined to express decisive belief in God," he said.

Boomers passed their lack of belief to their children, who have in turn passed it to their children, he added. "Both belief and disbelief are socially transmitted," he said.

Another reason is greater acceptance of atheism in Canada compared to years ago. Today, he said, "one doesnt have to suppress the fact that they dont believe."

Bibby acknowledges the trendlines in Canada are moving away from religion. There has been a "noteworthy decline in clear-cut believers since the mid-1970s," he said.

Yet he is still bullish on belief. While many Canadians have said goodbye to God, "large numbers have not," he said.

What do other scholars of religion think about Bibbys findings? I reached out to a few to find out. They expressed appreciation for Bibbys research, but werent so sure things are that good for God in Canada.

"The average Canadian has moved toward no religion," said Sam Reimer, professor of sociology at Crandall University.

"Research over time shows increased disaffiliation, lower religious practice, like attendance, and lower belief this is the dominant trend."

What impressed John Stackhouse, professor of religious studies at Crandall, about Bibbys findings is how widespread non-belief has become.

He noted there are no statistically important differences between men and women or regions of Canada when it comes to not believing.

Similarly, he said, the drop-off in belief by older Canadians  traditionally regarded as the most religious  stands out.

When it comes to belief in God, "its a pretty flat landscape," he stated, suggesting God may not be doing as well in the Canadian polls as Bibby thinks.

Its like "we Canadians continue to race the Dutch, and perhaps the Aussies and Kiwis, for the steepest rate of de-Christianization since perhaps the French Revolution," he said.

For Rick Hiemstra, director of research at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the question needs reframing today.

He noted when Bibby first started asking this question in the mid-1970s, "the idea of what belief in God might mean and what someone might be asserting if they claimed to believe in God was more defined."

Back then, the question would have been interpreted through a lens of attendance at religious services, assenting to historic creeds or practising faith through scripture study and prayer. Today, he said, it is more likely to mean whatever people want to believe.

"The responses from the 1970s and from today are not really comparable," he said. "The question may have stayed the same but the way it is understood has changed."

Hiemstra suggested a better way of ascertaining belief would be to ask what belief in God means to people, and how it changes the way they live and relate to others.

For Joel Thiessen, professor of sociology at Ambrose University, Bibbys headline about how God is doing is "technically not incorrect. It just doesnt capture the main storyline and shifting trajectory of decline."

Simply asking people if they believe in God "doesnt really tell us a lot about what difference belief makes or not to peoples lived experiences," he said.

Lori Beaman is the Canada Research Chair for Religious Diversity and Social Change at the University of Ottawa. She also would ask the question differently.

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"Id be more interested in exploring how people perceive Gods impact in their day-to-day lives and intersections around important issues like climate change, social justice and so on a more complex picture that focuses on practice rather than belief, or in addition to belief," she said.

Kevin Flatt, professor of history at Redeemer University College, agreed. For him the more important question is what belief in God means  how it impacts behaviour. "Thats where the action is," he said.

For Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Waterloo, the main takeaway from Bibbys research is the change in religiosity in Canada.

"Its easy to get jaded or bored by a trend that weve seen develop over many decades, but we shouldnt forget the magnitude of that trend," she said.

We are "transitioning from an age that lasted many hundreds of years during which the vast majority of Westerners believed in a Christian God, to an age now where belief and non-belief co-exist its a fundamental shift."

faith@freepress.mb.ca
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday said some people did not turn up for coronavirus vaccination at the last moment, adding that the government cannot ask anyone to compulsorily take the jab. He also said that the number of vaccination centres in Delhi will be increased from 81 to 175 soon.

In Delhi, a total of 4,319 healthcare workers - 53.3 per cent of those registered - got the vaccine shots on the first day of the COVID-19 vaccination drive on Saturday, the minister said.

Jain noted that a similar trend was observed across the country, adding that around 50 per cent of those registered got the jabs on the first day.

"Some people decided not to turn up at the last moment. The vaccination programme is completely voluntary. We cannot ask anyone to compulsorily take the shot even if the person has registered for it," he said.

One "severe" and 51 "minor" cases of AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) were reported among health workers who were administered the coronavirus vaccine in Delhi on Saturday, according to official figures.

An AIIMS security guard had developed an allergic reaction after receiving the vaccine. He was kept under observation of doctors, an official had said on Saturday.

"His current status is not known... 51 others were discharged after some time," Jain said.

The minister also said that the Delhi government decided to omit vaccination centres of municipal corporations due to the ongoing strike by the civic bodies.

"The number of vaccination sites will be increased from 81 to 175 in some days. Thereafter, it will be increased to 1,000. It will also include the sites of municipal corporations," he said.

On some political parties questioning the efficacy of the vaccines, Jain said the Centre gave permission for emergency use of the vaccines after completing a rigorous process.

"All protocols were followed. So, there should be no questions about it," he said.

The health minister added that the COVID-19 positivity rate has come down to 0.44 per cent.

"The coronavirus positivity rate has remained below 0.5 per cent for the last few days. We can comfortably say that the third wave is on the wane. Cases have decreased. Still, I want to appeal to people to take precautions and use masks," he said.

Also read: India shows highest level of trust on COVID-19 vaccine, says Edelman survey

Also read: Most COVID-19 jabs administered in Uttar Pradesh on Day 1 of vaccination drive

A woman wearing a face mask walks past a public information sign in Belfast as Northern Ireland remains in an extended lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus and lower infection rates. Picture: PA

The growing unease between the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive over the handling of the pandemic on the island of Ireland was laid bare last week during a meeting by senior politicians on both sides of the Border.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken had a "robust exchange" on the issue, according to two sources privy to the discussions which were held to mark the first anniversary of the restoration of the power-sharing Executive.

It all centred around claims the Irish Government had "refused" to share details on passengers arriving on the island, despite multiple requests by Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann.

"Aiken criticised Coveney on the lack of the North-South co-operation, saying it is the fault of the Irish Government," revealed a source, "but Coveney shot back, saying he was 'absolutely wrong', there was no resistance from the Irish Government, and it was down to legal reasons."

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When contacted about Mr Aiken's criticisms, a Department of Health spokesperson said: "There has been, and continues to be, engagement between the ministers for Health in both jurisdictions on data sharing from respective passenger locator forms."

A second source said Mr Coveney told the meeting that it is Northern Ireland that is the "back door on to the island and into the South and that's the real issue".

"The conversation caused the most anxiety and friction between the two sides and was the biggest issue of the week," the source added. Days later Stormont's leaders joined in the criticism, with First Minister Arlene Foster, saying repeated attempts by the Executive to access data on passenger locator forms filled out by people arriving in Dublin had proved unsuccessful.

In a letter to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly last July, which has been seen by the Sunday Independent, Mr Swann advised that the "logical solution is to ensure all international travellers landing on the island of Ireland provide data which is accessible for compliance checks in our respective jurisdictions". Then in another letter in November, Mr Swann asked Mr Donnelly that those making the journey over the Border into Northern Ireland should be advised of the "extreme importance" to self-isolate.

It was announced last week that passengers arriving into Northern Ireland from outside the UK and the South will soon have to produce a negative Covid-19 test before departure.

People arriving from countries not on the government's travel corridors list will also still have to self-isolate for 10 days.

The Executive says it is working with the UK government to "facilitate urgent conversations with the Irish Government to improve data sharing from Dublin, to minimise the risk of a back door emerging through the land border".

Last week, hospitals across Northern Ireland were under significant pressure with "really serious numbers of admissions expected in the coming week", according to an Executive source. With a surge of Covid cases predicted across the island, measures to ease pressure could include patients being sent from hospitals such as Cavan General Hospital to South West Acute Hospital in Co Fermanagh.

Ms Foster told an Executive Committee last week that the region would consider any "request for assistance" by their southern counterparts should it be required, but that no such assistance has yet been requested. "Whether that is us to the Republic or the Republic to us, we should at all times try to assist when there are pressures," she said.

As Northern Ireland's statistics agency recorded 145 deaths, its highest weekly Covid-19 related registered deaths since the pandemic began, there was some noticeable cross-border co-operation, with the chief medical officers North and South pleading for people to stay at home. In a joint statement, Dr Tony Holohan and Dr Michael McBride said they were "gravely concerned" about the "unsustainably high level of Covid-19 infection" across the island of Ireland.

"We will continue to work together to protect public health across the island, as we have done throughout this pandemic, but we need everyone to play their part by staying at home and protecting themselves and their communities."

Northern Ireland is halfway through its six-week lockdown, with ministers scheduled to review measures this week.

However, Dr McBride says it "optimistic in the extreme" to expect the restrictions to be lifted any time soon.
The United Arab Emirates is leading the way when it comes to utilizing fintechs to foster and develop smart cities, said Miljan Stamenkovic, General Manager of the Middle East and North Africa region at Mambu, in an article.

He lists four predictions for banking and finance industry in the Mena region for the year. They are:

1- An increased investment in fintech

Clifford Chance has named the UAE as the Menas leading financial technology market, predicting that it will increase to $2.5 billion by 2022. The surge in fintech investments directly addresses the increasing demand for tech enabled and consumer centric banking. Therefore, the digital push that was imposed on businesses by Covid-19 indicates we can expect to see many digital banks continue to come to life as financial institutions make the transition from traditional to online.



Similarly, we also see that significant changes in consumer spending habits as a result of Covid19 are impacting demands for digital banking. According to the National Economic Register reported by Emirates news agency WAM, UAE s e-commerce sector was issued the highest number of licenses  196 - in May 2020, while the first five months of 2020 saw a 300% rise in consumer demand for e-commerce services. We expect that consumers will continue to prefer online shopping and that will continue to increase the demand for digital payments in 2021 and beyond.



2- A return to relationship banking



The move away from customer-centric banking was so gradual that we barely noticed it. There was a time when having a personal relationship with your local branch commonplace. Digital technology changed this, focusing on convenience, increasing competition and making the mobile customer experience the key differentiator. While these advancements have benefited customers in many ways, in some instances it has placed the emphasis away from the customer-centric model which once defined banking.



The emergence of Covid-19 made this increasingly apparent and highlighted that there is still a need for relationship banking, particularly for vulnerable and non-digital customers. The crisis impacted many peoples financial stability and gave rise to many questions on the support available to customers. Furthermore, customers availing from banking services during this time that typically required face-to-face interaction, such as mortgages, were now moving through this process digitally.



At the same time, we see many new entrants. Banks are now faced with having to adjust and ward off competition, while also maintaining the relationship with customers who favour traditional banks and processes, as well as those who prefer digital banking. In addition, today creating an excellent onboarding experience is absolutely essential. Customers should be walked through their banking journey every step of the way as this can be the defining factor for the ongoing relationship the client has with the financial institution.



Key services in the GCC market that still require relationship banking are wealth management, retail banking and trade finance mainly because they still require advisors, account managers etc.



Covid-19 has emphasised the different needs of customers depending on their situation and demonstrated the importance of focusing on bespoke and personalised services dependent upon customers individual needs and wants. We will see a return to relationship banking in 2021 as a priority, but now combined with the convenience and benefits offered by digital banking. Its a delicate balance but employing the right technology will be critical for banks to deal with customers in the right way, according to their expectations.



3- A significant increase of cloud adoption in banking



While cloud banking has been on the precipice over recent years, the perceived technology risk has prevented this from being implemented in any significant way. However, now the business risk to not implement cloud technology has overtaken this technology risk. This is primarily as a result of two elements:



 With competition reaching critical mass in the banking industry in recent years, agility is essential in being able to compete and drive new products quickly to market. A bank can no longer decide to forgo modernisation and cloud adoption, unless they are open to the risk of becoming overtaken and obsolete.



 Covid-19 has plunged banks into an unknown future. Banks have had to adjust processes and policies overnight in response to changing regulation and customer requirements, which legacy, on-premise systems were not built for. As the crisis continues to evolve, banks are navigating blind on how to proceed. This has emphasised the need to have a system that allows banks to pivot quickly and smoothly.



Cloud technology is essential to banks competing and surviving in this new era. While this shift was always inevitable, developments in 2020 have made this a non-negotiable and as a result, we will see widespread adoption of cloud banking in 2021. According to IDC's research, the GCC public cloud market, which includes IaaS, SaaS, and PaaS, is expected to grow from $956 million this year to $2.35 billion in 2024, at an annual growth rate of 25 per cent.



4- Tactical movement on embedded finance



While we wont see big technology and non-banking players entering the banking industry in any significant way in 2021, we can expect these players to take careful, tactical movements toward establishing a notable, long-lasting presence.



Big technology and banks think differently and move at different paces, which presents challenges to both sides. Regulation is also a remaining issue for big technology companies. There are necessary steps to take in order to navigate these obstacles which non-banking players will continue to face through 2021.



About the author: Miljan Stamenkovic is General Manager of the Mena region at Mambu, a leading SaaS cloud banking platform
Health minister Stephen Donnelly warned that the situation in hospitals would get worse before it got better (Brian Lawless/PA)

Irelands health service is potentially facing the most challenging week in its history, a minister for state has said.

Joe OBriens stark prediction came as health minister Stephen Donnelly warned that the situation in hospitals would get worse before it got better, with very serious pressure expected in the coming weeks.

The number of Covid-19 patients requiring intensive care treatment has risen sharply since the end of December.

Expand Close Cars and people queueing at the vaccination centre in Phoenix Park, Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Cars and people queueing at the vaccination centre in Phoenix Park, Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA)

On Sunday afternoon, 1,928 coronavirus patients were being treated in Irelands hospitals, 195 of whom were in intensive care units. There had been 68 added hospitalisations in 24 hours.

Another 13 Covid-19 linked deaths and 2,944 new cases were also confirmed.

Mr OBrien, minister of state for community development, said ICU capacity had been increased in preparation for the surge.

We have 313 ICU beds at the moment, that goes up to surge capacity of 350, he told RTEs The Week In Politics.

Its going to be a very difficult week ahead I suspect, possibly the most challenging week for the health service almost in its history.

Mr Donnelly said sufficient clinical staff were available to deal with the increasing numbers.

Expand Close Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said hospitals would come under very serious pressure over coming weeks (Niall Carson/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said hospitals would come under very serious pressure over coming weeks (Niall Carson/PA)

Most importantly, we have the staff, he told RTEs This Week programme.

There has been a lot of work done since the first wave.

PPE is fine. The number of ventilators  if you remember back in March that was a serious concern, oxygen is fine, a lot of work has been done.

Nonetheless, the system is and will continue to be under very serious pressure for the next few weeks.

His comments come a day after it was announced that hundreds of student nursing and midwifery placements have been suspended to free up staff to support the coronavirus response.

#StayHome



"By staying at home, you are protecting our health and social care services as they struggle against the enormous burden of infection that many weeks with thousands of daily cases of #COVID19 represents.a @CMOIreland  Department of Health (@roinnslainte) January 16, 2021

The move will allow those qualified nurses and midwives who supervise and teach the students during the placements to focus on the battle against the virus.

Irelands chief medical officer has expressed concern that failures to fully comply with coronavirus rules and guidance was frustrating efforts to bring down infection rates.

Dr Tony Holohan said the situation in the countrys hospitals was stark.

We are seeing people of all ages being admitted to hospital and being taken into intensive care units, he said on Sunday evening.

The levels of infection are such that your chances of transmitting or getting Covid-19 are very high, and we know that a proportion of those cases will lead to serious illness and mortality.

There is no group who should feel the public health advice does not apply to them. It is only if we act together that we can keep ourselves, our loved ones, and health and social care facilities safe.

As we look forward to the week ahead, consider your choices and make the right ones. Do not go into work tomorrow if you can work from home. If you are an employer, facilitate remote working for your employees.

Expand Close Dr Tony Holohan said the virus had taken hold in every part of Ireland (Brian Lawless/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Dr Tony Holohan said the virus had taken hold in every part of Ireland (Brian Lawless/PA)

Virologist Dr Cillian De Gascun, who is director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, has highlighted the threat posed by the new variant first detected in the UK.

He said it was inevitable that it would become the dominant variant in Ireland.

Due to the nature of the mutation found in the UK variant of the virus, it is inevitable that it will become the dominant variant here in Ireland over time, he said on Saturday.

The UK variant has adapted to us: simply put, it is better at moving from person to person when we come into contact.

So what we must do is reduce its opportunities to spread by cutting out socialising.

Pressure is mounting in hospitals as efforts to roll out the vaccine in Ireland continue.

Over the weekend, around 1,800 GPs, practice nurses and other healthcare staff received Moderna jabs at mass vaccination centres in Dublin, Galway and Portlaoise.
Gutka, tobacco products seized in Nashik, 4 held

Nashik, Jan 17 (UNI) The Rural Police have seized gutka and tobacco products as well as two containers collectively worth Rs 2.10 crore at Karanjkhed Phata on Vani-Saputara road in Dindori taluka of the district and arrested four people in this connection.

Acting on a reliable information that a large stock of gutkha and aromatic tobacco, which is banned for sale in the state, will come to the city from Vani via Nashik-Saputara road, a team of Vani Police set a trap at the spot late on Saturday night.

When the two suspected containers came one after the other, police stopped them.
First, new state government policies released last year will encourage massive growth in renewables. Sidestepping federal paralysis, states and territories have accepted the pressing need to modernise our electricity grid and are cranking up investment in the generation, storage and transmission of renewable energy. The NSW governments electricity infrastructure roadmap plans to support a massive 12 gigawatts of wind and solar installed by 2030. Loading Energy analysts ITK services have argued this NSW plan will actually increase pressure on Victorias coal power stations to close. More renewable energy means more supply, which lowers the average wholesale electricity price. Even more significantly, solar and wind can flood the market with essentially zero-cost energy during the day, increasingly pushing the wholesale price into negative territory. Coal power stations designed to keep chugging along all day have to decide whether to ramp up and down  at the cost of wear and tear  or keep running while actually having to pay for the privilege. And of all electricity generators on the grid, Victorias brown coal power stations are the least able to cope with this ramping up and down. The analysts argue this will make Yallourn unviable by 2025 and Victorias other power stations  Loy Yang A and B  will struggle by 2030. The 2020 Victorian budget included a whopping $1.6 billion for clean energy and energy efficiency. Credit:Gary McLean

That prediction was written in November last year, and since then conditions have become even less favourable for Victorias big old coal burners. The 2020 Victorian budget included a whopping $1.6 billion for clean energy and energy efficiency, funding that will reduce household energy demand and enable more wind and solar projects. Loading The second sign that Yallourn wont last the decade comes from the head of the Energy Security Board, who warned this month that coal plants will retire faster than anybody thinks. That was based on analysis that the current growth in renewables is on track with the market operators most ambitious step change scenario, which foresees 94 percent renewables by 2040. This will lower the future energy price, and coal power stations will struggle to maintain commercial viability. A third sign comes from the workers themselves, who have expressed scepticism the power station will stay open for another 11 years. In November 2019, unions representing 500 workers at Yallourn demanded conditions relating to closure be included in their enterprise bargaining agreement, saying theyd learned from the ambush of Hazelwood power station. Workers reiterated these concerns to The Age last week. Workers at Yallourn have expressed scepticism the power station will stay open for another 11 years. Credit:NIck Toscano

As this evidence stacks up, we have to ask what the power station owners hope to gain by giving unrealistic closure dates. Are they angling for a compensation payout when governments finally impose policies that directly curb pollution from coal power stations? The Victorian government is about to set emissions reduction targets for 2030, and EnergyAustralia could be looking to blame that policy for Yallourns looming closure even though the writing has been on the wall for years. For their part, governments have perpetuated this silence over inevitable coal closures, happy to cheerlead the growth of renewables but less keen to acknowledge wind and solar will ultimately push out the older forms of electricity generation. But this silence helps no one, and especially not the workers and communities in the Latrobe Valley who need as much notice as possible to plan for new industries and jobs in the region. One clear lesson from the successful transition out of coal in Germany is the importance of being upfront, so power stations can be phased out in an orderly way. Leaving it to the private market to decide leaves communities in the lurch. Loading In the absence of credible federal policy on climate change, state governments have stepped up and supported the boom in renewables and energy storage, preparing the electricity grid for coal closures. Now its time for an open and honest conversation about retiring power stations and how government can support the Latrobe Valley through this difficult but necessary transition.
New Delhi: As India launched the worlds largest COVID-19 vaccination drive on Saturday (January 16), actress Priyanka Chopra lauded the initiative and expressed gratitude for the frontline heroes.

Priyanka retweeted UNICEF Indias tweet which read, A big moment for India as it starts the #LargestVaccineDrive today! Health workers are the first to receive the #COVID19 vaccine across India. #TogetherAgainstCOVID19.

Responding to UNICEF's tweet, the Barfi! actress wrote, Bravo India! Congratulations to Indian authorities, medical & health teams for starting off the massive Covid vaccination drive. Forever grateful to our frontline heroes who have been risking their lives this past year to save others.

Bravo India! Congratulations to

Indian authorities, medical & health teams for starting off the massive Covid vaccination drive. Forever grateful to our frontline heroes who have been risking their lives this past year to save others https://t.co/VA56OzVLUy  PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) January 16, 2021

In the first phase of the immunization drive, around 1,91,181 healthcare and frontline workers received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Apart from them, 3,429 people from defence institutions of the Indian Army and the Indian Navy were also administered the first jab. The vaccination drive was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conferencing.

On the work front, Priyanka is currently busy promoting her upcoming Netflix film The White Tiger, co-starring Rajkummar Rao and Adarsh Gourav. While her memoir Unfinished will be released on February 9, 2021.

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As I watch The Darkest Hour, a 2017 Academy Award-nominated film, the similarity between the betrayal of Prime Minister Winston Churchill by those around him as well as U.K. voters, and President Trump becomes starkly apparent.

Churchill was surrounded by backstabbing appeasers, think Neville Chamberlain, and weak-sisters like Lord Halifax while President Trump has not only been backstabbed by appeasers like Mitch McConnell (another China lackey) and weak-sisters like Obama, who favors appeasing countries like Iran (state sponsor of global terrorism) over the United States.

Churchill was handed a disaster in 1940, the result of decades of peace at any cost clowns like Chamberlain, who allowed the British military to rot and wither. When the military was desperately needed, Dunkirk happened, like Benghazi happened, thanks to feckless and incompetent leaders like Atlee, Chamberlain, Carter, Clinton, and Obama.



May 1945. Germany surrenders, Hitler took the cowards way out, and Churchill took England from the brink of disaster to ultimate victory. January 2017. President Trump takes over a faltering economy, stagnated by Democrat policies, conceived by idiots and implemented by minions so corrupt that they would embarrass the devil himself at the depths of their perfidy.

President Trump took over amidst a country overrun by illegal aliens, corrupt politicians on both sides, rampant crime, domestic terrorists like Antifa and BLM, a failing rule of law, and of course, a skyrocketing national debt that decades of politicians kicked the can down the road on, doing nothing but spend, tax, spend, rinse and repeat.



Churchill, the Roaring Lion of England, loses in a landslide victory for Clement Atlee, in May 1945. This is the same man who once stated:

Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender

Thus the Lion lost to a sheep. On Jan. 6, 2021, President Trump lost to a Chinese lackey, who never stopped at selling anything and everything, including the United States, to the highest bidder. Churchill was a man for the people, and President Trump was cut from the same bolt of cloth. Both possessed courage and smarts in abundance, making politicians like Lord Halifax, Clement Atlee, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, etc., look like they arrived on scene in an overstuffed clown car.

How could a sheep beat an English Lion and a bought-and-paid-for Chinese lackey beat an American Eagle? Both men enjoyed a high approval rating (Churchill 83% in May 1945 and President Trump, a 60% plus approval rating, which continues to be very high) despite skewed and false polls. However, by June, Churchills number were dropping, President Trumps not at all. Indeed, at least some polls have shown that his numbers grew after the Antifa attack on the Capitol, no doubt egged on by the Deep Swamp, much as the Labour Party sabotaged Churchill.

Both men identified their nations enemies and took steps to defeat them but the legion of backstabbers, liars, con men (think Chuck Schumer), and the corruptocrats ruled the day, swayed by power, bribes (think China Joe Biden), and quite simply, envy of a man that they knew they were not fit to shine his shoes.

How did history repeat itself?

Both Winston Churchill and President Trump spoke their minds, never sugar-coating the bad news, Churchill speaking over the radio while President Trump used social media such as Twitter to air his views, going straight to the people, bypassing the many courtiers whose liveihood in Washington D.C. depended upon kissing the backsides of any politician within lip-smacking distance. Note the brashness of Churchills speech to the outer ring:

Some might benefit, I mean, the powerful might be able to parlay good terms, uh, preserved in their country redoubts, out of sight of the swastika flying over, over, Buckingham Palace, over Windsor, and uh, draped on these very buildings

Consider how President Trump said much of the same thing in his speeches and rallies, which, like Churchill, annoyed and angered the rich and powerful, the Deep Swamp critters like the clowns in the Lincoln Project. Remember that Chuck Schumer once said, let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you, and how much it did to undercut and sabotage a man who not only worked for the country but went so far as donating his salary to charity, something that no president ever did.

Indeed, like President Trump, Churchill was sabotaged by lies, including this whopper, the East End of London was flooded with rumors that he [Churchill] was planning a war against Russia. The Democrats mewled in 2016/17 that President Trump would start World War III and thus, started an avalance of lies, innuendo, and plain outright slander. And some people lapped it up like a cat lapping up cream.

In conclusion, it is blatantly evident that both Prime Minister Churchill and President Trump were sabotaged, undermined, and plainly backstabbed by men and women, i.e., Schumer, McConnell, Pelosi, Liz Cheney, etc., who, in reality, were not and never could be, in a thousand years, fit to do the laundry of either man. They will live forever in history, as great men, while the miscreants and lesser humans, on both sides of the aisle, will be quickly forgotten. Perhaps Sam Adams, the Father of the American Revolution, said it best: Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.

Image credit: Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington. An Arizona man seen in photos and video of the mob wearing a fur hat with horns was also charged Saturday in Wednesday's chaos. Jacob Anthony Chansley was taken into custody Saturday, Jan. 9. PHOTO:(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Prosecutor: 'No Evidence of Plot' At DC Protest

By The Associated Press

PHOENIX - The prosecutor leading the investigation into the pro-Trump protesters that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week now says authorities have no direct evidence that they were plotting to assassinate or capture officials.The comments from acting District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin on Friday come after prosecutors said in court papers filed in one case that there was strong evidence that the "mob intended to capture and assassinate elected officials.Sherwin soon backed away from that claim, telling reporters that authorities have no direct evidence at this point of kill, capture teams.The accusation came in a court filing by prosecutors late Thursday in Phoenix in the case against Jacob Chansley, the Arizona man who took part in the protest sporting face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns."Strong evidence, including Chansley's own words and actions at the Capitol, supports that the intent of the Capitol rioters was to capture and assassinate elected officials in the United States Government," a prosecutor wrote in a memo urging the judge to keep Chansley behind bars. But at a hearing for Chansley later in the day in Phoenix, another prosecutor, Todd Allison, struck the line from the memo.Allison said prosecutors didn't want to mislead the court and don't have to rely on the stricken statement to argue that he should remain in jail.Sherwin said there appears to have been confusion among some prosecutors in part because of the complexity of the investigation and number of people involved.Prosecutors raised a similar prospect Thursday in the case of a former Air Force officer Col. Larry Rendall Brock, Jr. Brock was arrested Sunday in Texas after being photographed on the Senate floor wearing a helmet and vest and carrying plastic zip-ties."He means to kidnap, restrain, perhaps try, perhaps execute members of the U.S. government," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Weimer said, without providing specifics.Brock's attorney noted that he has only been charged with misdemeanors, and said there was no direct evidence of Brock breaking doors or windows to get into the Capitol, or doing anything violent once he was inside.On Thursday, authorities also arrested a man from Utah who filmed the fatal shooting of the Trump supporter inside the Capitol. Police shot Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, as she was trying to climb through a broken window into the speaker's lobby.John Sullivan, 26, a self-described journalist who filmed the shooting, told the AP earlier this week that he was only there to document the events at the U.S. Capitol and didn't attend the riot as a Trump supporter.

Islamabad: Gunmen shot dead two female Afghan judges working for the Supreme Court in an ambush in the country's capital on Sunday, officials said, an attack that the top US envoy in Kabul blamed on the Taliban.

Violence has surged across Afghanistan in recent months despite ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and government  especially in Kabul, where a new trend of targeted killings aimed at high-profile figures has sown fear.

The spate of almost daily unclaimed killings is thought to be largely the work of the Taliban, possibly part of a chilling new campaign to silence liberal voices ahead of any power-sharing negotiations.

Many of the attacks appear aimed at removing advocates of a liberal society at odds with the conservative religious creed espoused by the militants. The killings are suspected of being a concerted effort to cow ideological opponents ahead of any talks to find a political settlement.
Lets call this column, and perhaps the next couple of columns, an old-timers memories of the past offered with the hope that they may help u Read more
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 16:38:35|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Bayankhongor, a southwestern Mongolian province, has been providing hay near wildlife habitats to help animals survive the extreme wintry weather, a local official said Sunday.

"It can be said that our province did not see summer in 2020. There was no grass last summer," Jalbuu Enkhbat, deputy governor of the province's Bayanlig soum, told Xinhua.

"A hundred bales of hay have been allocated to our soum. Just yesterday, we put some hay in an area called 'Ariin Usnii Tsakhir,' which is a habitat of the Siberian ibex," he said. "We also plan to put out hay and feed for other wild animals such as gazelles and roe deer."

This harsh winter has become a big challenge not only for wild animals, but for herders, the official said, adding that there are about 800 herder households in the soum, around 40 percent of whom have migrated with livestock for better grasslands elsewhere.

At least six of all 21 Mongolian provinces are likely to experience a dzud or near-dzud this winter, according to the country's Food and Agriculture Ministry.

A dzud is a type of brutal weather when a dry summer followed by a frigid winter kills a vast number of livestock, through either starvation or freezing temperatures. In 2016, a dzud killed more than 1 million livestock in Mongolia, a nation where pastoral herding is still common. Enditem
Texas A&M International University has helped students navigate the financial impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic through generous assistance provided by TAMIU CARES Act relief funding.

Students enrolling for Spring 2021 classes and meeting selection criteria can benefit from an additional $3 million from existing TAMIU CARES funding and anticipated federal funding from the Coronavirus Relief Response Supplemental Appropriations Act.

TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz said the relief provided by CARES funding and anticipated by additional CRRSAA funding is dramatic.

The relief CARES Act funding has provided our students is dramatic. To date, we have awarded $5.1 million in emergency grants to assist students. Our students and their families have been severely impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For many, this funding has enabled them to continue their degree progress and not leave the University. We anticipate being able to allocate up to an additional $3 million this semester alone with CRRSAA support, Dr. Arenaz noted.

The anticipated CRRSAA funding comes from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 Public Law 116-260, signed into law by president Trump on Dec. 27, 2020. In total, it authorizes $81.88 billion in support of education, in addition to the $30.75 billion former Education Secretary DeVos provided last spring through the CARES Act, Public Law 116-13.

Arenaz said that of special interest with the CRRSAA funding is the expansion of funding support to students enrolled in exclusively online classes.

Previous CARES Act funding did not anticipate the impact of the Pandemic on students in online programs, and CRRSAA funding will help address that. We have a growing number of students enrolled in completely online degree programs, so this will be of tremendous help to them, he noted.

Only enrolled students are eligible for this funding assistance and there are additional requirements. Enrolled students are encouraged to visit the TAMIU CARES website at tamiu.edu/cares for updated details and criteria for selection. After the semesters start, students will be contacted by TAMIU email to help guide the process.
Joe Biden wasnt the University of Scrantons first choice to deliver its 1976 commencement address.

With the United States in the midst of its bicentennial celebration, the school had its eye on a speaker who could bring a bit more prestige to the event.

Although Biden had made some waves on Capitol Hill, the Scranton native was nonetheless a still relatively unknown freshman U.S. senator  not exactly marquee material.

How then did Biden, who will become the nations 46th president Wednesday, end up behind the lectern in the universitys Long Center on Sunday, May 23, 1976?

Its a story that involves two other men who rose to the office of president and a third who tried.

The Rev. William J. Byron, S.J., who was president of the University of Scranton from 1975 to 1982, recalled it began when former Pennsylvania Gov. William W. Scranton stopped by his office one day to chat.

Scranton, who made his own unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for president in 1964, wanted to know if Byron would be interested in having President Gerald R. Ford speak at the commencement.

I said that would be great, said Byron, now 93 and living at St. Josephs University in Philadelphia. He (Scranton) said, Well, Ill set it up for you. 

Recognizing that presidential schedules can change on pretty short notice, Byron said he decided the university needed to have a contingency plan in the event Ford couldnt keep his commitment to speak.

He immediately thought of Biden, the first-term senator from Delaware whom he knew had spent part of his childhood in Scranton. He contacted the senator and invited him back to his hometown to receive an honorary degree.

When I talked to him, I said, Oh, by the way, the president is going to be the commencement speaker, but just in case he cant make it, would you be willing to take his place? Byron said. He said, Sure. 

At the time, Ford was in a tight race with former California Gov. Ronald Reagan for the 1976 Republican presidential nomination. Although Ford eventually prevailed over Reagan and went on to lose to Democrat Jimmy Carter in the general election, Reagan would rebound and win the presidency four years later.

On May 4, 1976  19 days before the university commencement  Reagan scored a crucial victory over Ford in the Indiana primary, threatening to block the incumbents path to the GOP nomination.

Byron got a call from Fords appointment secretary.

The guy said to me, Its not in the cards. That is the expression he used. We cant be at your graduation. We have to be in Oregon campaigning, Byron said.

Byron asked the secretary to give the president his regards. Then he called Biden.

Youre on, he told the senator.

Biden was one of four people awarded honorary degrees at the commencement, joining Jean OHara Lynett, widow of Edward Lynett, former publisher of the Scranton Times; Dr. Mildred Jefferson, president of the National Right to Life Committee, and the Rev. Walter J. Ciszek, S.J., a Polish-American priest and Shenandoah native who conducted missionary work in the Soviet Union.

The 1976 presidential election was the first one after the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixons resignation, and Biden told the nearly 900 graduates and their families in his address that he did not think there has ever been as much doubt in America as there is today.

More than 72% of the people in this nation, surveyed in a recent poll, said that they thought America was in trouble and that things would get worse in the next 10 years, he said, according to The Times-Tribune files.

Citing what he called a crisis in American leadership, he urged the graduates to become interested in politics and not to view all politicians with skepticism.

There is nothing which can help or hurt society as much as politics, Biden said. Those of you who dont participate in our political system should not complain about it.

In introducing Biden at the commencement ceremony, Byron described him as a Scranton native who reflects glory on this city, according to university records.

It is our hope that his appearance here today will bind him a little closer to all of us, and that no matter how high he goes he will remember his city and the university of which he has become an honorary alumnus, Byron said.

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Alabama is falling behind.

The CDC reports the state has the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate.

Pfizer's vaccine arrived at hospitals around the country on Monday. Pfizer's vaccine arrived at hospitals around the country on Monday.

But two vaccination clinics happening on Monday could help ramp up this process.

Cars are expected to line up Monday at John Hunt Park.

The Health Department will hold a vaccination clinic for people eligible.

"Even though Monday is a holiday, Health Departments across the state are willing to stay open for these vaccination clinics," said Judy Smith.

Judy Smith with the Alabama Department of Public said once you get your first dose of the vaccine you have to wait three weeks for the second dose if you got the Pfizer vaccine and four weeks if you got the Moderna vaccine.

"What we're doing when people come they will be given, they are already automatically going to have an appointment for that four weeks. It'll be the same time, the same place, just four weeks later," said Smith.

Whichever vaccine you got first you will get again on the second dose.

"If you start with Pfizer on your first dose, you end with Pfizer on your second dose. If you start with Moderna on the first dose, you end with Moderna on the second dose," said Smith.

Smith understands the desire to get vaccinated is high right now but urges people to be patient.

"People now have an inkling of hope and they just want to get it and move on and we want that to happen to," said Smith.

Even if you can't get it in the next several weeks the Health Department is working to ensure there will be enough doses for everyone.

"If you don't get it Monday, if you don't get it Tuesday, if you don't get it next week, if you want the vaccine you will get the vaccine. It just may take a little more time," said Smith.

Those eligible right now include people 75 and older and first responders.

You will have to make an appointment to get the vaccine on Monday at John Hunt Park or the Health Department on Max Luther Dr.

Paducah Man Arrested on Cocaine Trafficking Charge

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH, KY - A Paducah man was arrested Tuesday at the McCracken County Courthouse on drug charges.According to the McCracken County Sheriff's Department, Cedric Prude of Paducah was charged with one count of trafficking a controlled substance-cocaine 1st degree two or more offenses.The charges stem from an undercover investigation in April, where Prude allegedly sold cocaine to a person while in a Paducah restaurant.Prude was booked into the McCracken County Jail.
Washington, Jan 17 : The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched a probe to find out if any foreign actors, including governments and groups, funded the rioters who attacked the US Capitol building in Washington D.C. on January 6, according to a news report published on Sunday.

The NBC News report, which cited a former and current FBI official, said the agency "is examining payments of $500,000 in bitcoin, apparently by a French national, to key figures and groups in the alt-right before the riot".

The officials told NBC News that tose payments were documented and posted online last week by a company that analyses cryptocurrency transfers.

Last week, a joint warning issued by the FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other security agencies said that since the riot staged by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump, "Russian, Iranian, and Chinese influence actors have seized the opportunity to amplify narratives in furtherance of their policy interest amid the presidential transition".

The current FBI official told NBC News that the agency did not necessarily suspect Russian involvement in the bitcoin transfers, which appear to have been made by a French computer programmer who died by suicide on December 8, 2020 after triggering the transfers.

The FBI and the DHS are yet to comment on the NBC News report, which comes as federal law enforcement are trying to track down and charge members of the mob involved in the January 6 riots.

Last week Michael Sherwin, acting US attorney for D.C., had said that officials were treating the investigation "just like a significant international counterterrorism or counterintelligence operation".

The attack on the Capitol building on January 6 took place while Congress was in session considering the ratification of the electoral college votes electing Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President.

Earlier that day outside the Capitol, Trump addressed his supporters during which called for "patriots" to take a stand against the 2020 election results Five people, including a police officer, were killed during the riots.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning about plans of armed protests from January 16 through January 20 at all the 50 state capitols, and from January 17 through January 20, the day of the inauguration, at the Capitol in Washington D.C.

Up to 25,000 National Guard members have been authorised by the Pentagon for Washington D.C., more than the amount of the troops currently stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
KYODO NEWS - Jan 17, 2021 - 21:53 | World, All, Japan

New South Korean Ambassador to Japan Kang Chang Il said Sunday that South Korea and Japan, with their relations at their lowest point in decades over wartime labor and other disputes, should explore "political solutions" to issues stemming from Japan's colonization of the Korean Peninsula.

Speaking online with Japanese media and other outlets before departing for Japan, Kang assessed bilateral relations to be the "worst" since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1965.

The former lawmaker said he will do his utmost to help the two countries establish future-oriented ties, adding that President Moon Jae In told him earlier of his readiness to make maximum efforts to help the postponed Tokyo Olympics be a success.

Japan-South Korea relations sharply deteriorated over South Korean Supreme Court rulings in 2018 that ordered Japanese companies to compensate groups of South Koreans for forced labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule.

Ties were further strained after Japan strengthened controls on exports to South Korea in 2019. In South Korea, the Japanese move was seen as retaliation against the rulings, and the public moved to boycott Japanese goods.

"We learned the lesson that if a historical issue is intertwined with an economic one, it will not be good for either side," Kang said.

A court ruling in Seoul earlier this month that ordered the Japanese government to pay damages to former "comfort women" could further fray bilateral ties, with the Japanese government calling it a violation of international law.

The new envoy said the two countries should not repeat the mistakes they made in handling the matter.

Kang also said he heard that one of the plaintiffs involved in a similar damages lawsuit against the Japanese government recently said the suit can be dropped if the government admits facts and offers an apology.

Kang said that during his meeting with Moon on Thursday, the president said he wants to talk "candidly" with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on pressing matters.

Related coverage:

Japan urges South Korea to take action over "comfort women" ruling

Japan mulls "various options" against S. Korea comfort women ruling

South Korea likely to confirm ex-comfort women's win next week

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The day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday honoring a leader of the American civil rights movement, some Texas employees will also take a paid day off this Tuesday for Confederate Heroes Day  a state holiday falling on Robert E. Lees birthday, intended to celebrate him, Jefferson Davis and other Confederate soldiers.

For years, a handful of Texas lawmakers have tried in vain to pass legislation that would remove or replace the holiday celebrating leaders of the Confederate army.

But they say this year feels different.

Demonstrators across the nation spent months over the summer protesting police brutality and racial injustice, leading many states to initiate mass removals of Confederate memorials.

The killing of George Floyd, a Texan, and the killing of Atatiana Jefferson, another Texan, at the hands of law enforcement, certainly do underscore the importance of removing a day of remembrance that brings to the mind slavery and oppression, said state Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, chairperson of the Legislative Black Caucus.

Texas isnt alone in its recognition of the controversial holiday. Eight other states have similar Confederate memorial days throughout the year: Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Tennessee and Virginia. Mississippi and Alabama also have a joint Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert E. Lee Day.

The birthdays of Lee and Davis used to be separate Texas holidays, but lawmakers consolidated them in 1973 to create Confederate Heroes Day.

State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, D-Houston, filed one of two bills for this session attempting to remove the holiday from the states calendar. State Rep. Shawn Thierry, D-Houston, filed the other in support.

This is an opportunity for us to bring and shine light on social injustice, how Black people across this country have been demonized and have been treated unfairly by the judicial system, the criminal justice system, Johnson said. I think this is another way that we have to wipe away and erase harmful, hurtful imagery that continues to remind us of our horrible past.

Johnson filed the same bill to abolish the holiday during the 2019 legislative session, but it never got a vote in the State Affairs Committee, which House Speaker Dade Phelan chaired at the time.

Phelan will ensure lawmakers have a level playing field to advocate for legislation important to them and their communities this session, said Enrique Marquez, spokesperson for the speaker.

Johnson said he is working with more lawmakers this session and has higher confidence that the bill could pass this year. He plans to hold a news conference with Collier and other representatives at noon on the state holiday.

I think its the right thing to do at the right time to do it, Johnson said.

State Rep. James White, R-Hillister, said in an interview with the Texas Tribune that he would not support a measure to remove the holiday because he believes all those who fight in war deserve honor, regardless of the cause of a war. White served in the U.S. Army from 1986-92.

I understand the politics. I have been deployed as a soldier, possibly under unpopular domestic sentiment, White said. But the point is, I had raised my right hand to defend the Constitution. And that meant answering to those civilian authorities at that time.

Terry Ayers, spokesperson for the nonprofit group Descendants of Confederate Veterans, testified against the bill in 2019 and said Johnson wrote it because of intolerance toward those who hold different opinions than himself.

Ayers declined to comment for this story.

In 2015, state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, filed a bill to rename the holiday Civil War Remembrance Day, but it died in committee. But she thinks the Legislature could move to get rid of the holiday this year.

Now is the perfect time, after everything that weve experienced over the past interim with Black Lives Matter, and absolutely increased consciousness about institutional racism and implicit bias, Howard said. I dont know how anybody could justify having a state holiday that dignifies Confederates, especially at this point in time, so I am very hopeful.

When Jacob Hale, who is from Austin, was 13, he approached Howard to draft the bill to rename the holiday. Now a student at Vanderbilt University, Hale has returned every session to testify on the bill.

White supremacists cling to the legacy of the Confederacy simply because the Confederates fought for what they believe in, Hale said. They believed in subjugating an entire race of people.  And theyre free to express themselves however they want. They can carry a flag. But that doesnt mean that you have to officially endorse that cause as a state.

The day after Confederate Heroes Day, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to hold the position, will be inaugurated at the U.S. Capitol.

Collier said the irony isnt lost on her.

It does bring you pause to say that in between two wonderful, momentous days, that we have to pause to remember and honor individuals who worked to oppress my ancestors, Collier said.

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.


Lets call this column, and perhaps the next couple of columns, an old-timers memories of the past offered with the hope that they may help u Read more
A team of climbers have made history by becoming the first to scale Pakistans K2 summit  the worlds second tallest peak  during winter.

The 10 Nepalese sherpas, among them Nirmal Purja, a former Gurkha and UK special forces member who had previously climbed all 14 of the worlds 8,000-metre peaks in just over six months, successfully completed the attempt just before 5pm local time on Saturday.

They had paused 70 metres short of the 8,611-metre peak to wait for one another and cross the threshold together. Once at the top they sung Nepals national anthem before descending.

K2, located on the Pakistan-China border, is the most prominent on the Pakistani side of the Himalayan range and had been the only mountain higher than 8,000 metres not to have been summited in the winter.

This is largely due to the fact winter winds on the infamous peak can blow at more than 125 miles per hour and temperatures drop to -60C. The 10 Nepalis were lucky with weather conditions, having left their high camp at 1am for a summit attempt via the Abruzzi Spur in temperatures as cold as -40C but with low wind and in brilliant sunshine, according to reports.

As well as Mr Purja, the group included Gelje Sherpa, Mingma David Sherpa, Mingma G, Sona Sherpa, Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, Pem Chhiri Sherpa, Dawa Temba Sherpa, Kili Pemba Sherpa, and Dawa Tenjing Sherpa.

In a statement, Mr Purja described the achievement as a journey, saying he was humbled to say that as a team, we have summited the magnificent K2 in extreme winter conditions.

We set out to make the impossible possible and we are honoured to be sharing this moment, not only with the Nepalese climbing community but with communities all across the world, he said.

Mother nature always has bigger things to say and standing on the summit, witness to the sheer force of her extremities, we are proud to have been a part of history for humankind and to show that collaboration, teamwork and a positive mental attitude can push limits to what we feel might be possible.

Karrar Haidri, secretary of Pakistans Alpine Club, said on Saturday that four international climbing teams had arrived at the end of last year to try scaling K2. Of these roughly 48 people, the group of 10 Nepalis were so far the only successful team, he told Reuters.

However, the teams celebrations were overshadowed by the death on K2 of renowned Spanish climber Sergio Mingote, who, according to Mr Haidri, fell down a crevasse on the mountain as he attempted to make his way to Base Camp.

Recommended Hiker rescued after surviving 100ft drop from mountain

Dismayed by the news of the accident that has ended the life of a magnificent athlete, Spains minister of health Salvador Illa wrote on Twitter, adding Mingote was a personal friend.

Mingote, 49, garnered international attention after climbing seven mountains over 8,000 meters without supplemental oxygen in less than two years.

K2 was first climbed in 1954 by Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli, and quickly became notorious for its sleep slopes and high winds. There had been six previous winter attempts on the mountain  when its surface turns to slick ice  but none were successful.

The Pakistani military is regularly called in to rescue K2 climbers using helicopters. According to official figures, of the 367 people to have completed its ascent by 2018, 86 died.

People around the world have excitedly reacted to the news of the Nepali teams feat. One well-known climber and photographer, Steve Razzetti, tweeted his respect for the group.

Mountaineering history is being made as I post this, he wrote minutes before the group officially achieved the all-time first.
Loews Hotels said on Saturday that it would not host a fund-raiser with Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, the latest indication that many companies are distancing themselves from Republicans who voted to overturn the election results.

Fighting for Missouri, a political action committee affiliated with Mr. Hawley, had planned to host a fun-filled, family-friendly Orlando weekend event with the senator at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando, Fla., from Feb. 12 to Feb. 15, according to an invitation for the event. Tickets were being sold for $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the size of the group.

But Loews said that the fund-raiser had been called off after the deadly riot at the Capitol, which many Democrats and Republicans have blamed in part on Mr. Hawley and other members of his party who supported President Trumps efforts to stop the certification of Joseph R. Biden Jr.s victory.

We are horrified and opposed to the events at the Capitol and all who supported and incited the actions, the company said on Twitter. In light of those events and for the safety of our guests and team members, we have informed the host of the Feb. fund-raiser that it will no longer be held at Loews Hotels.
In Sri Lanka it was rumoured that one Chief justice has publicly admitted that he abused the power to pass a judgment of not guilty to a would-be President. A Prime Minister is said to have publicly announced that another Chief Justice has insisted that if he be given the Chief Justice post he would give favourable verdicts in all court cases that the President wanted favourable sentences.

by Helasingha Bandara

The purpose of this article is to generate a constructive dialogue amongst the legal experts, intellectuals and intelligentsia of Sri Lanka in order to explore the necessity of reviewing the entire criminal justice system, the Sri Lanka penal code and the related provisions of the constitution of the republic of Sri Lanka. It appears that laws and the legal structure have not moved forward with the rest of the world and presumably stagnates on the anachronistic and ridiculous laws written down by the British to enforce their will upon the locals during the British rule of Ceylon. This is manifestly true by the hitherto use of pompous and archaic langue in the courts, a language that was employed by the colonialist to impress their white supremacy on the locals who they considered inferior. The British are gone, and we have regained our sovereignty which is ensured by the constitution of the country. The criminal justice system and its other apparatus should be modified to consolidate peoples sovereignty of a country which is governed by a peoples constitution to avoid arbitrary subjugation of its owners, the people. The imminent cause for the igniting of such thoughts was a recently concluded case of contempt of court

SC.Rule No. 01/2018 SC (Contempt of Court)

Case No. 04/2017

Ranawaka Sunil Perera, 43/11, Walawwatta Road, Gangodawila, Nugegoda. Complainant 

Vs-

Sadda Vidda Rajapakse Palanga Pathira Ambakumarage Ranjan Leo Sylvester Alphonsu Alias Ranjan Ramanayake, No. A-5, Members of Parliament's Housing Scheme, Madiwela, Sri Jayawardenapura, Kotte. Respondent

Charge Sheet

TO: THE RESPONDENT ABOVE NAMED

WHEREAS you were interviewed by media personnel immediately outside the premises of Temple Trees, the Official Residence of the Hon. Prime Minister, after a parliamentary group meeting of which you were a member, on 21 August 2017

WHEREAS the said interview was broadcast on  News 1st  news bulletin at 10.00 p.m. on isri TV of MTV Channel (Private) Limited on 21st August 2017;

WHEREAS you, in the course of the aforementioned interview, inter alia stated as follows;

Simplified English translation

Majority in Sri Lanka are corrupt Judges. Corrupt lawyers. About 95%. They work for money. They everyday protected murderers, corrupt people and drug dealers for money

The sentence

For the aforementioned reasons, we convict him for the offence of contempt of court punishable under Article 105(3) of the Constitution and sentence him to a term of four (4) years rigorous imprisonment. The Registrar of this court is directed to issue a warrant committing the Respondent to prison to a term of four (4) years rigorous imprisonment.

Contempt of court

Given below are some of the definitions and explanations of the offence,contempt of court.

Contempt of court is the offense of being disobedient toor disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behaviour that opposes or defies the authority, justice and dignity of the court.There are broadly two categories of contempt: being disrespectful to legal authorities in the courtroom, or wilfully failing to obey a court order.Contempt of court is essentially seen as a form of disturbance that may impede the functioning of the court.

Contempt of court happens when someone risks unfairly influencing a court case. It may stop somebody from getting a fair trial and can affect a trials outcome.

Canada

Contempt of court includes the following behaviours:

 Failing to maintain a respectful attitude, failing to remain silent or failing to refrain from showing approval or disapproval of the proceeding

 Refusing or neglecting to obey a subpoena

 Wilfully disobeying a process or order of the court

 Interfering with the orderly administration of justice or impairing the authority or dignity of the court

 An officer of the court failing to perform his or her duties

 A sheriff or bailiff not executing a writ of the court forthwith or not making a return thereof

Hong Kong

 Insult a judge or justice, witness or officers of the court

 Interrupts the proceedings of the court

 Interfere with the course of justice

 Misbehaves in court (e.g., use of mobile phone or recording devices without permission)

 Juror who leaves without permission of the court during proceedings

 Disobeying a judgment or court order

 Breach of undertaking

 Breach of a duty imposed upon a solicitor by rules of court

England and Wales

Disorderly, contemptuous or insolent behaviour toward the judge or magistrates while holding the court tending to interrupt the due course of a trial or other judicial proceeding

India

In India contempt of court is of two types:

Civil contempt has been defined as wilful disobedience to any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or other process of a court or wilful breach of an undertaking given to a court.

Criminal contempt has been defined as the publication (whether by words, spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise) of any matter or the doing of any other act whatsoever which:

i. Scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers or tends to lower the authority of, any court, or

ii. Prejudices, or interferes or tends to interfere with the due course of any judicial proceeding, or

iii. Interferes or tends to interfere with, or obstructs or tends to obstruct, the administration of justice in any other manner.

What are the necessary ingredients to constitute Contempt of Court in India?

Interference with Administration of Justice

The Court held that it was enough if a defamatory statement is likely or in any way tends to interfere with the proper administration of justice.

Sri Lanka

Section 120 of the Penal Code defines the offence of contempt of court as one where whoever by words, either spoken or intended to be read, excites or attempts to excite hatred or contempt of the administration of justice.

Summary

Contempt of court happens when an offence impedes the administration of justice. The phrase administration of justice is not taken out of context in any of the above explanations but meant the administration of justice in a court case that is currently being heard. This means that any act that perverts the course of justice or impedes the delivery of justice in a particular court case is construed as contempt of court. From the notes above it is clear beyond any reasonable doubt that the involvement of a court and a trial is absolutely essential for an offence of contempt of courtto happen. The offence may be committed within the said court premises or outside. Any offense, if it does not directly or indirectly prejudice, subvert or impede the delivering of justice in the court case concerned, is not contempt of court. Simply, in the absence of a court case proceedings, there is no possibility at all for contempt of court to happen. No trial, no contempt.

The contempt jurisdiction is not intended to uphold the personal dignity of the Judges. Judges rely on their conduct itself to be its own vindication.

https://www.theleaflet.in/contempt-dignity-and-fair-criticism-what-do-they-mean-to-courts/

Penalties

Britain

The maximum penalty for criminal contempt under the 1981 Act is committal to prison for two years.

India

Six months of jail, or fine up to 2000, or both

Freedom of expression

In the case of PN Dua v Shiv Shankar and others, the Indian Supreme Court held that mere criticism of the Court does not amount to contempt of Court.

The Court observed that in a free marketplace of ideas, criticisms about the judicial system or Judges should be welcomed, so long as such criticisms do not impair or hamper the administration of justice.

While the Indian supreme court heldthat mere criticism of the court does not amount to contempt of court in relation to a case that was proceeding at the time, criticism of judges or lawyers out of context should not have even the slightest relevance to contempt of court. Criticism of lawyers, judges or the justice system is the right of people which forms part of freedom of expression.

Assume, that the Chief Justice with his trousers down with a semi-naked female is found by a layman in a public park and got assaulted by the laymen who was outraged by the obscenity. Can the layman be tried for contempt of court just because the headman of the justice system represents the entire justice system. Similarly, when the husband of a witness who was raped by a magistrate in the court chamber itself was attacked with a bag of human excrementby the husband while the magistrate was hearing someone elses case, can he be tried for contempt of court? In the case of Baradanath Mishra v the Registrar of Orissa High Court the court held that a common form of such contempt is the vilification of the judge. The Court has to ask whether the vilification is of the Judge as a judge, or it is the vilification of the Judge as an individual. If the latter the Judge is left to his private remedies and the Court has no power to commit for contempt.

In Sri Lanka it was rumoured that one Chief justice has publicly admitted that he abused the power to pass a judgment of not guilty to a would-be President. A Prime Minister is said to have publicly announced that another Chief Justice has insisted that if he be given the Chief Justice post he would give favourable verdicts in all court cases that the President wanted favourable sentences. A magistrate was known to have raped more than two women who came to his courts seeking justice for their grievances. Another judge, incidentally by the name of Abrew, committed suicide when the public discovered that he kept on raping an underage servant. Freedom of expression permits people to criticise those judges without being subjected to contempt of court.

When people say all politicians are corrupt, they do not literally mean every politician is corrupt. The expression, all politicians are corrupt is just an exaggerated expression as part of human conversation. Even scientific conclusions are based on the data of a sample. If they say Sri Lankans are alcohol drinkers, that conclusion must have been reached after surveying only a sample. Based on a sample of a few badly behaved judges one may conclude that the majority of judges are corrupt as he or she has practically no way to conduct a research to find out whether every single judge is corrupt. That is freedom of expression and no harm is done to well behaved judges. If such comments can be tried for contempt of court especially when they have no relevance at all to a currently proceeding court case, Sri Lanka will have no time for anything else other than to keep onhearing such cases. If any person encourages to hold such comments as contempt of court it may be an indirect attempt to subdue and silence people. It will prove to be impossible to silence people with such dreadful tactics even in a technologically not so advanced society like Sri Lanka.
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Government to cap gas price for households Jan 18  media

The cap will be in effect throughout the quarantine period, but no longer than September 31.

Reporting by UNIAN

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Coronavirus cases continue to infect thousands of San Antonians daily, with 2,840 new cases reported by Metro Health on Saturday.

Thats just 49 fewer than Fridays 2,889 cases, with both days coming dangerously close to Jan. 10s record-high 3,002 cases.

The hope many are placing in getting the public vaccinated to help stop the spread of the disease is wearing thin because San Antonio just isnt getting enough doses.

At Saturdays briefing, which has resumed on weekends because of the continuing surge in the disease, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff expressed frustration at the lack of vaccines.

While more than 1 million people in Bexar County are in the groups now eligible for the medicine, only about 20,000 to 30,000 doses are coming in weekly, Nirenberg said.

You could liken it to the state and federal government giving us a thimble to bail out a sinking canoe, the mayor said. We have far more people that are eligible for the vaccine than we can supply.

The people eligible now include first responders, those living or working in nursing homes, everyone older than 65 and those 16 or older with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and obesity.

An environment of scarcity  has been exacerbated by the limited distribution to our community of vaccines and the eligibility criteria that has essentially opened the floodgates for the vaccines that we do have, Nirenberg said.

The rolling seven-day average of new cases reported daily crossed the 2,000 threshold for the first time Friday, with an average of 2,041. The seven-day average reported Saturday broke the record again, increasing to 2,261.

On ExpressNews.com: When and where Texans can get the COVID vaccine

The city also reported six additional deaths Saturday, which occurred within the past two weeks.

The list of deceased includes an Anglo man in his 50s; a Hispanic man and woman in their 70s; an Anglo man in his 80s who was a resident of the west campus of Blue Skies of Texas; and a Hispanic woman in her 80s and an Asian man in his 90s who were both residents of Alamo Heights Health and Rehabilitation.

Since the pandemic began ripping its way through Bexar County, 146,343 people have contracted the virus and 1,716 have died.

Just in the past week, San Antonio has added 15,896 new cases and 123 deaths.

Vaccination appointments are once again open at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Activity Center and the Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior One-Stop Center.

WellMed received 9,000 additional doses Friday and has already filled 2,496 appointments, according to retired Maj. Gen. Jimmie Keenan, a registered nurse who is operations leader of all WellMed clinics in Texas, New Mexico and Florida.

To schedule an appointment, call 833-968-1745.

Since so many people called the number at the same time  with 380,000 trying the number Saturday alone  it may take a few tries to get connected to one of the 150 operators staffing the phone lines.

Like Nirenberg and Wolff, she acknowledged how frustrating it can be to keep getting a busy signal or not being able to get through at all but urged patience.

On ExpressNews.com: Tracking COVID-19 - coronavirus by the numbers in San Antonio and across the country

More than a third of hospital patients Saturday have tested positive for the coronavirus, for a total of 1,394 patients  seven more than Friday. The most coronavirus patients hospitals have seen so far was 1,433 patients just a few days before on Jan. 11.

Some 182 patients with coronavirus had just checked in within the past 24 hours.

Area hospitals are only caring for one El Paso patient as the number of patients affected in Bexar County climbs and threatens to overwhelm the hospital system.

Of the 1,394 patients Saturday, 424 were in intensive care  21 more than the previous day  and 241 needed ventilators to breathe.

liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway
Modi the person through which Balakot information went to Arnab: Rahul Gandhi

Did Arnab Goswami have prior information about Balakot strike?

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Jan 17: Opposition has demanded a high-level probe into the purported WhatsApp chat between Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami and former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) CEO Partho Dasgupta in which the former is alleged to have told the incarcerated executive that India would strike at Pakistan three days before the actual airstrike.

"If what a section of Media is reporting is correct then it points towards a direct linkage between Balakot airstrikes and 2019 General elections. Was National Security milked for electoral purposes? Needs a JPC investigation," MP Manish Tiwari wrote on Twitter.

"Did a journalist (and his friend) know about the retaliatory strike on Balakot camp three days before the actual strike? If yes, what is the guarantee that their 'source' did not share the information with others as well, including spies or informers working for Pakistan? How did a "For Your Eyes Only" decision find its way to the government-supporting journalist? @rajnathsingh," Chidambaram tweeted.

A purported WhatsApp conversation between Goswami and former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) CEO, Partho Dasgupta, went viral on Friday, raising questions about illegal access to highly classified information.

The chats revealed that the government had planned the airstrike "in a way" that the people would be "elated" at "something major".

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated in the aftermath of the Pulwama terrorist attack which killed 40 CRPF troopers. While India conducted an air raid on terrorist camps in Balakot on Pakistan's side on February 26, the Pakistan Air Force made incursions into Indian airspace on the next day.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman landed in Pakistani custody following an aerial dogfight between Indian and Pakistani pilots a day after the Balakot airstrikes in 2019.

His MiG-21 Bison aircraft had crossed over to the Pakistani side and was shot down. He was subsequently released on March 1, 2019.
The Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State said on Saturday that it would endorse Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State as the leader of the p...





The Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State said on Saturday that it would endorse Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State as the leader of the party in the South-West.

Giving the indication after a meeting with Governor Makinde in Ibadan on Saturday was the Deputy Chairman of the PDP in Lagos State, Alhaji Waliu Hassan.

Hassan, who lauded the outstanding role of the governor in the sustenance of the party, pledged members loyalty to him as a force to reckon with in the South-West PDP.

A former House of Representatives member, Rita Orji, while addressing journalists after the stakeholders meeting held at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, urged the governor not to relent in his leadership roles.

The Lagos PDP chapter, while expressing its resolve to ensure amicable resolution of conflicts within its fold, said, The purpose of todays meeting is to thank Governor Makinde for standing by the party and to pledge total loyalty to his leadership of the South-West. No more, no less.

We can tell you that the governor does not want anything from us. He, as the Chief Security Officer of Oyo State, needs nothing from the party. Rather, we are the ones who came all the way from Lagos to plead with him to keep leading the party.

We resolved to, irrespective of any rancour, move the party forward and we will ensure that the party takes its better seat in 2023. We did not come here to discuss who takes anything for zonal congress. The congress will soon come up and for all we care, we have come to restate our commitment to our own governor.

It is the full structure of Lagos that is represented here. Out of 19, we have the representation of 12 local government chairmen. We also have 17 complete non-working committee members of state exco here present. We have the deputy chairman of the party here. We have the secretary, legal adviser and the entire party structure of Lagos State here. This is a complete House of PDP, Lagos State.
Present strength of terrorists in Kashmir lowest in last decade: Lt Gen B S Raju

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

New Delhi, Jan 17: Lieutenant General B S Raju, GOC, Chinar Corps, on Sunday said the current strength of terrorists in Kashmir was 217 which was lowest in the last decade.

Even as he said that "Pakistan's desire to send weapons and drugs through drones and tunnels was definitely a challenge. To deal with this, we were using some advance technologies including ground-penetrating radars to detect tunnels."

"About encounters, contact with terrorists is established at every 20-25 specific searches. During searches, we ensure that minimum inconvenience is caused to locals. Our troops are trained to respect local culture and religious sensitivities," Lieutenant General BS Raju said.

He also said, "When we got to know that terrorists are trapped somewhere, we ask them to surrender especially if they are locals. We call their family members if their identity is established. When all attempts fail, we go ahead and neutralise them."

He further said that "In Kashmir, Pakistan terrorists target security forces and civilians in crowded areas. They expect us to respond and cause more civilian casualties."

"They then use this as propaganda to tarnish our image and use social media to spread misinformation and attract new recruits," he added.

Furthermore, he said that "This year we were been able to reduce infiltration by over 70 percent in comparison to last year. Officers responsible for the area along LAC, have made adequate disclosures of the situation."

"On the LoC, we remain in full control & are prepared for all contingencies," he said, adding that "In the last 6 months, 17 of those who had joined terrorism came back. Presently, we're working with govt for a suitable surrender policy which definitely will work."

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Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2021, 13:38 [IST]
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Looking to stave off lockdown boredom with a little online shopping? This week sees one of the UK's most eclectic art collections going on sale in a live virtual auction - and you could pick up a 65-million-year-old dinosaur skull, a floating giraffe named Gerard, or an antler chair that has housed the derriere of Liam Gallagher.

The treasure trove of eccentric artefacts, said to be worth 2million, are housed at the Aynhoe Park mansion in Oxfordshire, made famous for hosting Jade Jagger's wedding and Noel Gallagher's 50th birthday party - and will be on sale with auction house Dreweatts on the 20th and 21st January.

Owned by Sophie and James Perkins, this week's sale comes ahead of the couple and their three children moving onto their next country estate, Grade I-listed Parnham House in Dorset. Sophie says the artefacts 'belong at Aynhoe' and so should be sold ahead of their move.

Lockdown purchase? Among the items being put on sale this week by James and Sophie Perkins, who own Aynhoe Park mansion in Oxfordshire, is a 35,000 Kate Moss portrait with with hand-applied Swarovski crystals

The stately home in Oxfordshire has been a regular haunt for celebrities, with Noel Gallagher hosting his 50th birthday party here. Aynhoe Park's owners, James and Sophie Perkins, have decided to sell of some of the unique pieces they own in an auction set to raise 2million

The grown-up playground has curios in almost every room of the home which the couple have called home since 2006. Owner James says Gerald the flying giraffe (pictured) is among his personal favourites from the collection

Collected over 25 years, the catalogue of items includes a 35,000 Kate Moss portrait with with hand-applied Swarovski crystals, a huge plaster cast of a section from the Acropolis in Athens and a red chair bearing the Queen's Royal Cypher, thought to have once been owned by a judge.

Every room of the Grade I Palladian country house that has been the family home of James and Sophie Perkins since 2006, is adorned with fascinating artworks, sculptures and curios.

Described as a cross between Downton Abbey and Narnia, the palatial pile has been a playground for celebrities from the music, film, art and fashion as well as hosting weddings and lavish parties.

From a giant white statue of Hercules wearing a gold watch around his neck, a stuffed zebra rocking-horse, flamingos, circus lights and a polar bear wearing a captain's hat, the 17th century stately home has been called 'a museum crossed with a fantasy world'.

King's Speech star Colin Firth said 'what an amazing place' after visiting the mansion, while British fashion designer, Matthew Williamson, added, 'Aynhoe Park is magical, unique and unforgettable'.

Designer Matthew Williamson is among those to have items in the Perkins' collection, and has said the house is 'magical, unique and unforgettable' (Pictured: some of the couple's art works in the dining room of the mansion)

A gold palm tree is the biggest statement piece in one of the guest bedrooms at Aynhoe House

Big hitter: This 65-million-year-old triceratops skull is expected to fetch around 250,000 in the auction

Books, furniture, taxidermy, modern design and objects such as a 65-million-year-old triceratops skull, which could make up to 250,000, litter the ornate 28-bedroom home.

One stand-out item is a 1959 Le Mans tribute half-scale model of the winning Aston Martin DBR1 that is kept in the library.

The static model worth around 15,000 was created to commemorate the victory by Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby at the 24-hour race.

Before becoming a property developer with a taste for the eccentric, James made his fortune organising legal raves in the 1990s. Along with wife Sophie, he now works on projects restoring properties, including Aynhoe Park.

The house has been described as an 'Aladdin's cave' of treasures, with Kate Moss' portrait in crystals expected to be among the more expensive items sold

A little something for the hallway? A giant white statue of Hercules wearing a gold watch around his neck is among the items listed

Another favourite of the owners is a painting of the moon, which could sell for 5,000

Auction bosses say the whole collection is expected to fetch between 1.2m and 2m, but this is very likely to be exceeded as bidding is already taking place online and many items are exceeding their estimates.

Nearly 700 lots make up the The Celebration of a Modern Grand Tour auction, held from January 20 to 21.

James, 50, said: 'It's a chance to buy a piece of history. Aynhoe Park is evocative of the modern Grand Tour, hence the auction title. It is furnished with a collection of iconic objects and curiosities from our travels across the globe.

'It has been my passion, as well as a family home. We have enjoyed carrying on the tradition of Aynhoe Park by sharing and hosting our home with the most respected people from the world of business, film, fashion, art and music.'

When asked what his fondest memories of Aynhoe will be, he replied: 'It has to be our four day wedding two years ago such an incredible coming together of special friends from across the globe to witness our marriage followed by the most incredible three days of partying in what turned about to be the hottest few day on record for April.'

Other artefacts for sale include a unicorn statue estimated to fetch between 5,000 and 8,000 and a steamer trunk with 'first class Orient Express' written on the side.

Behind the desk in the drawing room sits a perfect replica of an Aston Martin DBR1, which ran in the 1957 Le Mans grand prix

The couple are moving house hence the sale, with the family of five heading to Grade I-listed Parnham House in Dorset

A pair of Zaffre glass and metal commodes that could sell for as much as 35,000, a painting of the Moon worth around 5,000 and ammonite fossils are also for sale.

On the couple's personal favourite pieces, James added: 'For me probably Gerald my flying giraffe and the Aynhoe moon painting, and the Battersea desk plus the dinosaur.

It is going to be hard to see these fascinating objects collected over so many years being sold, but they belong at Aynhoe... Sophie Perkins

'But for Sophie I know she loves the Duval Brasseur bug wall lights and our red ER chair, plus the brass and jewelled parrot in the Matthew Williamson suite, as it's so beautifully made.

'The triceratops skull was bought many years ago and has been our pride and joy appealing to everyone that visits, it has such presence and scale.

'It is going to be hard to see these fascinating objects collected over so many years being sold, but they belong at Aynhoe and with those that have so many fond memories and so they will become mementos and talking points amongst those admirers of times past here at Aynhoe.

'And one day I can go shopping again.'

James and Sophie Perkins have sold Aynhoe and along with their three children, are due to move to their next project - restoring Grade I-listed Parnham House in Dorset, which was nearly completely destroyed in a suspected arson attack by its former owner in 2017.

Describing the sale and the collection, Will Richards, deputy chairman of auctioneers Dreweatts said: 'Aynhoe Park really is an Aladdin's cave of beautifully-chosen works, from the academic to the more eclectic and from the ancient to the contemporary.'
A death investigation led authorities to arrest a man in connection with his wifes death, according to Laredo police.

The case dates back to Sept. 22, when Laredo Fire Department crews responded to an alleged overdose report at about 1:31 a.m. in the 200 block of Canyon Oak Drive in the San Isidro Northeast Subdivision.
A voter turnout of over 70 per cent was recorded in the first round of the three-phase Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) polls in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, Electoral Officer Sanjeev Mahajan said. Over 63 per cent voters of two panchayats in Kaza block in the tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti braved extreme cold weather conditions at a temperature of minus seven degrees Celsius to cast their votes, a district official said.

While 1,227 panchayats went to polls on Sunday, the remaining two phases are slated to be held on January 19 and 21. Of the 3,615 gram panchayats in the state, 3,583 will go to polls, barring 32 in Lahaul-Spiti's Keylong, Mahajan said.

A voter turnout of 63.80 per cent was recorded at Kaza and Khurik panchayats in Kaza block of Lahaul-Spiti as 1,197 of the 1,876 electors exercised their franchise, a district official said. All the members in 11 panchayats have already been elected unopposed, he added.

Voters came out in large numbers to vote at both panchayats in Kaza, despite a temperature of minus seven degrees Celsius, Block Development Officer Mahendra Pratap Singh said. A voter turnout of about 76 per cent was recorded in Hamirpur district.

India's "first" voter, Shyam Saran Negi, exercised his franchise in Kinnaur district. Negi, who is 103 years old, cast his vote at a Kalpa polling booth, where he was given a warm welcome by the district administration, which laid a red carpet for him.

Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa honoured Negi with a Kinnauri "topi" and a shawl. Talking to reporters, Negi said the voters should participate in the polls to elect good and capable candidates.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur cast his vote at the Government Primary School, Kurani in Murhag gram panchayat of Mandi district along with his family members. State Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathour and his wife Tripta Rathour cast their votes at Medhavani village in Kumarsain tehsil of Shimla district.

The counting of votes for ward members, deputy village heads and village heads will be taken up soon after the completion of voting. However, the counting of votes for the members of panchayat samitis and zila parishads will be conducted on January 22.

The election process will be completed by January 23, Mahajan said. The candidates are contesting these polls as independents and not on party symbols.
Norway expressed increasing concern about the safety of the Pfizer Inc. vaccine on elderly people with serious underlying health conditions after raising an estimate of the number who died after receiving inoculations to 29.

The latest figure adds six to the number of known fatalities in Norway, and lowers the age group thought to be affected to 75 from 80. While its unclear exactly when the deaths occurred, Norway has given at least one dose to about 42,000 people and focused on those considered most at risk if they contract the virus, including the elderly.

Until Friday, the vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech SE was the only one available in Norway, and all deaths are thus linked to this vaccine," the Norwegian Medicines Agency said in a written response to Bloomberg on Saturday.

There are 13 deaths that have been assessed, and we are aware of another 16 deaths that are currently being assessed," the agency said. All the reported deaths related to elderly people with serious basic disorders," it said. Most people have experienced the expected side effects of the vaccine, such as nausea and vomiting, fever, local reactions at the injection site, and worsening of their underlying condition."

Official reports of allergic reactions have been rare as governments rush to roll out vaccines to try to contain the global pandemic. U.S. authorities reported 21 cases of severe allergic reactions from Dec. 14-23 after administration of about 1.9 million initial doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The first Europe-wide safety report on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is due to be published at the end of January.

Australias Concern

Australia, which has an agreement for 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, is seeking urgent information on the issue from the producer, health authorities and Norways government, Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday.

Australias Therapeutic Goods Administration will seek additional information, both from the company, but also from the Norwegian medical regulator," Hunt said. Australias foreign ministry will also contact its counterpart in Norway on the issue.

Norways experience doesnt mean that younger, healthier people should avoid being vaccinated. But its an early indication of what to watch as countries begin to issue safety monitoring reports on the vaccines. Emer Cooke, the new head of the European Medicines Agency, has said tracking the safety of Covid vaccines, especially those relying on novel technologies such as messenger RNA, would be one of the biggest challenges once shots are rolled out widely.

Though the two Covid-19 vaccines approved so far in Europe were tested in tens of thousands of people -- including volunteers in their late 80s and 90s -- the average trial participant was in his or her early 50s. The first people to be immunized in many places have been older than that as countries rush to inoculate nursing-home residents at high risk from the virus.

Too Risky

The findings have prompted Norway to suggest that Covid-19 vaccines may be too risky for the very old and terminally ill, the most cautious statement yet from a European health authority.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health judges that for those with the most severe frailty, even relatively mild vaccine side effects can have serious consequences. For those who have a very short remaining life span anyway, the benefit of the vaccine may be marginal or irrelevant."

Pfizer and BioNTech are working with the Norwegian regulator to investigate the deaths in Norway, Pfizer said in an e-mailed statement. The agency found that the number of incidents so far is not alarming, and in line with expectations," Pfizer said.

We are aware that deaths have also been reported in other countries, but do not have full details of this yet," Norways medicines agency said. There are also differences between countries in who is prioritized for vaccination, and this could also affect the reporting of side effects, including death."

The Norwegian Medicines Agency has communicated, prior to the vaccination, that when vaccinating the oldest and sickest, it is expected that deaths will occur in a time-related context with vaccination. This does not mean that there is a causal link between vaccination and death. We have also, in connection with the reported deaths, conveyed that it is possible that common and known side effects of the vaccines may have been a contributing factor to a serious course or fatal outcome," the agency said.





This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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Marmorstein: You might soon be living in a million dollar home  unfortunately
Detectives are currently questioning a taxi driver after almost 120,000 worth of cash was seized in the capital over the weekend.

A significant operation was carried out in the Coolock area yesterday as part of an ongoing investigation targeting a Dublin-based drugs gang.

Gardai attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) searched a house and car in the area on Saturday which led to 117,000 in cash as well as a Rolex watch being recovered.

A 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of money-laundering offences and is currently being held at Coolock garda station.

It is understood the man is a licensed taxi driver who was used to hold the large sum of cash for an organised crime group.

One source said: "This individual is suspected of being used as a gilly to hold the cash and at this stage there's nothing to suggest he was involved at any higher level."

Members of the Garda Dog Unit assisted detectives during the searches of the property and vehicle, which has also been seized for examination.

A Garda spokesman said the suspect was arrested on suspicion of involvement in money laundering related offences contrary to Section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010.

He is being held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and can be quizzed for a period of up to 24 hours.

Assistant Garda Commissioner John O'Driscoll, who is in charge of the Garda's national units investigating organised and serious crime, said that Saturday's seizure is the latest success against the crime gangs they are targeting.

"We continue to target those causing most harm in our community.

"This seizure of a significant quantity of cash will, we believe, contribute to the disruption and potential ultimate dismantling of particular organised crime groups that we continue to target, building on earlier success achieved, in recent years," he said.

The seizure is one of the most significant by the Garda unit so far this year and follows around 1m being recovered in Kildare earlier this month.

Last year the value of cash seized by the GNDOCB more than doubled on the previous year as gardai focused on targeting the profits being made by drugs gangs across the country.

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Diplomats can now obtain the National Identity Number (NIN) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from January 19, the Nigerian government has said.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by Femi Adeluyi, the technical assistant to the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, on Sunday.

The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM, has approved the setting up of a National Identity Number (NIN) enrollment centre at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The desk will be set up by Tuesday, 19th of January, 2021.

This enrollment centre will provide support for members of the Diplomatic Corps and will be managed by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, through the National Identity Management Commission.

The centre is being set up based on the request of the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, in order to simplify the process for diplomats.

The National Identity Number is mandatory for diplomats who (will) reside in Nigeria for a continuous period of two years or more. It is also mandatory for all other lawful residents in the country as stated in Section 16 of the National Identity Management Commission Act 2007.

The Law has made it mandatory for Nigerians and legal residents to obtain a NIN since 2007. However, compliance has been low, until recently.

The Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy remains committed to creating an enabling environment for all Nigerians and legal residents to obtain their Digital Identity Number, Mr Adeluyi said.
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
Tim Patterson, owner of Patterson-Forest Grove Funeral Home and Crematory, has been in the funeral business for 30 years and for the first time he is having to add extra shifts.

The number of deaths from COVID-19 and other causes since November has put enormous strain on his business. The crematory and five cremationists now work almost 24 hours a day.

Weve been in this for 30 years and weve never seen anything like this before, Patterson said.

Deaths from COVID-19 are reported on a delay, at times months after the fact, so there is no precise count yet on how many people in Alabama died from the virus this month. But hospitalizations have set new highs throughout the month. And Alabama in January watched the total deaths from the pandemic cross 5,000 and then keep climbing to pass 6,000.

Charles Perine is the executive director of the Alabama Board of Funeral Service. He said businesses across the state have been reaching out for advice on how to handle the large volume of recent deaths. Many have added extra cremation shifts to handle the extra load.

Deaths from COVID have been increasing since November, but the virus isnt the only cause of increased business. Homicides and drug overdoses also surged last year, adding to the unprecedented death toll.

Funeral homes dont always operate on regular business hours, Perine said. However, to the point that you are having to run the crematorium around the clock, that is unique.

Glennis Points is a manager at the Patterson-Forest Grove Funeral Home, which cremates remains for other funeral homes around Pleasant Grove. Points said the crematory usually ran from about 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. prior to the pandemic.

Now we are working until 3 a.m. most nights and starting back up again around 8 in the morning, Points said.

Patterson said the funeral home has struggled to obtain burial vaults, the concrete receptacles that hold and protect buried caskets. He has had to call out-of-state recently because his local suppliers are out.

Arlillian Kate Bushelon, manager of Bushelon Funeral Home in Birmingham, said casket companies have also reported shortages and asked her to call ahead before ordering, something shes never had to do before.

Bushelon said the number of families requesting her services has increased substantially since November, when the number of hospitalizations from COVID-19 began climbing in Alabama.

Last week, we waited on 20 families, where it had typically been five to ten a week prior to the pandemic, Bushelon said.

In the past, surges in COVID-19 deaths trailed spikes in hospitalizations by two or three weeks. Hospitals reported an average of about 3,000 patients daily last week, about twice the number of patients as the summer wave, a warning that many more deaths could be coming.

Perine said funeral homes havent been overwhelmed and have had enough capacity to store remains for burial. In other cities, authorities have used mobile morgues, but none have been needed in Alabama.

Bill Yates, deputy coroner for Jefferson County, said his office rarely handles COVID-19 cases. But they have been swamped by homicide and drug overdose deaths. The morgue, which is usually about two-thirds full, hit full capacity in December.

His office has collaborated with funeral homes to hold bodies until space becomes free. Funeral homes have also agreed to hold remains requiring burial in the county cemetery to save space in the morgue, he said.

Everybody is just kind of dealing with it and trying to work together, Yates said.

The pandemic has upended the funeral business is other ways too. Crowd limits and concerns about the virus limited funeral planning since March. Families often became distraught when they couldnt plan a large funeral for a loved one, Points said.

Its been hard for us, but its been terrible for families, Points said. Absolutely terrible for families. Its never been a good time to lose somebody, but its been particularly terrible this year. They cant embrace each other. They are afraid to come to large groups. Its just so difficult.

Without the support of families, funeral directors have stepped up in other ways. During a recent funeral, Bushelon filled in as a pallbearer because the service didnt have enough able-bodied men. It was the first time she ever served that role.

Overall, not many people come to the funeral services, Bushelon said. That can be disheartening for the families because their family member was well loved.

On top of the stress, funeral directors also face danger. Both Points and Bushelon said family members still suffering from COVID have exposed funeral home workers while making arrangements. The high risks of the job pushed mortuary workers into the first tier of vaccine recipients, but not all counties have honored the guidelines set by the state, Perine said.

Points said she has called several hospitals and health departments to find vaccines. So far, no luck.

We are eligible to get them, Points said. But we dont know how to do it.

Points worries that the funeral industry has been overlooked as the vaccine rolls out. The first tier included health care workers and mortuary workers, but most attention focused on nurses and doctors.

When all this first started, they were talking about restaurant workers. They were talking about teachers and grocery store employees, Points said. Were the last of the frontline workers. Why arent we included in the benefits and recognition? We are the last of the frontline workers and we are getting bombarded.

ISTANBUL - A cargo ship sank off Turkey's Black Sea coast on Sunday, leaving at least three people dead, Turkish authorities said. Six others were rescued.

ISTANBUL - A cargo ship sank off Turkey's Black Sea coast on Sunday, leaving at least three people dead, Turkish authorities said. Six others were rescued.

The transport ministry said the Palau-flagged ship named Arvin had anchored off the port of Bartin in northern Turkey due to bad weather, before breaking into two pieces and sinking.

Emergency workers saved at least six crew members and reached the bodies of two others, the ministry's naval branch said on Twitter. Bartin's Gov. Sinan Guner said a third person had died, according to the official Anadolu news agency.

The navy sent a frigate to assist rescue efforts. The transport ministry said the ship had 12 crew members, including two Russians and 10 Ukrainians.

The cargo ship was en route to Bulgaria from Georgia but the Black Sea region has been buffeted by heavy rains, snow and strong winds.


Police have recovered the body of a man who died in the Colo River in Sydney's north west.

Emergency services were called to the river near Grassy Hill Trail at Colo Heights at 7pm on Saturday following reports a man had disappeared under water.

Police have been told the man was with five others on separate inflatable lilos when he became wedged on a large submerged rock about 1pm at Colo River. Credit:Dean Sewell

NSW Police have been told the man, believed to be aged 41, was with five other men on separate inflatable lilos when he became wedged on a large submerged rock about 1pm.

The other men were uninjured and alerted authorities.
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After a tumultuous year, where racial disparities were magnified by the coronavirus and the George Floyd crisis, admirers of the slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. say the way forward is to combine his nonviolent principles with the lessons of 2020.

Dr. King said, Take the first step, even if you dont see the whole staircase, and thats why I am so proud of all the people who are speaking out for justice, said Khanisha Denise Moore, 27 of Norwalk, a coordinator at the New Haven-based nonprofit, Rise Network. Dr. King said, Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

The president of the New Haven NAACP agrees.

We are seeing more and more white people who can no longer deny what we have been talking about for so long, who are empathetic and want to be part of the solution, said Doris Dumas. These are people who know that they have to be antiracists, instead of being part of the problem by saying (racism) doesnt exist.

Catherine Avalone / Journal Register Co.

The national holiday honoring Kings legacy on Monday follows a riotous start to 2021 that has already seen an attack on the Capitol by extremist supporters of President Trump, who chanted for the elimination of the nations top elected leaders. News reports and social media chatter about threats of violent outbreaks leading to the inauguration of Joe Biden on Wednesday only heighten the appeal of Kings principals of civility, equality and solidarity, Black leaders said.

Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

I definitely believe that we are about to turn the corner - even when you look at what has gone on in the past week with the rioting at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., which we have seen was instigated by our leader, said the Rev. Joseph Ford, senior pastor at Faith Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in Stamford, and the religious affairs committee chair of the Stamford NAACP. As our new president is inaugurated, we will see a change in temperament, and we will be able to get back to working together, because, as Dr. King said, The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.

Mondays holiday also comes during the second surge of the coronavirus, which has canceled in-person services in Bridgeport, Danbury, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford and elsewhere across the state, where communities have traditionally gathered to commemorate Kings contributions and invoke his vision.

Depending on the location, some NAACP chapters are focusing more this year on outreach and community service, while Black leaders in other cities are hosting virtual services on the teleconferencing platform, Zoom.

In Danbury, for example, the longstanding tradition of a Martin Luther King Day breakfast celebration at New Hope Baptist Church is going virtual.

Dr. King was not just about the African-American race, but about everybody - just like it wasnt just African-Americans who followed Dr. King, said Gladys Cooper, a member of the committee that organizes the celebration each year at the baptist church, and the chairperson of the Danbury Board of Education. That is why our committee has always felt that we need to have this program every year, no matter what.

Carol Kaliff / Carol Kaliff

Cooper and other longtime followers of Kings example said when the lessons of 2020 are grounded in Kings nonviolent principles, the takeaways are clear:

2020 held up a mirror that forced America to look at itself honestly.

Everyone has a duty to reflect on their own role in society, and improve it.

Change is possible.

Younger disciples of King agree.

Among the influencers of 2020 were teenagers such as Shoshana Mahon of Bridgeport, who organized a protest and a forum on racism as part of last summers nationwide civil disobedience, following the public slaying of George Floyd in police custody.

It was great seeing white people and non-Black people coming out to support us, said Mahon, 18. I can relate to Kings purpose to make change and bring Black people and white people together. I feel like we made a change.

2020s lessons

The coronavirus crisis highlighted longstanding disparities between the white suburbs and communities of color in access to health care, in preparedness for distance learning, and in job security, among other areas.

We were not surprised by this, because we have been battling so many fights on so many fronts for so many years that its tiring. Its wearing on us, but we have to keep fighting, said Dumas from the New Haven NAACP. These are the fights we have daily. This is the dream King had.

If theres any solace in the suffering COVID-19 caused the most vulnerable, its that those with more comfortable lives may have been forced by the quarantine to pay more attention to the Black fight for equal treatment, some observers in the Black community said.

COVID literally taught us to sit and be still and spend more time more time in reflection about where we have been, where we are going and what we want to do, said Norwalks Moore. We have all been a virus in one way or another in how we have treated other people, and being able to sit still and listen to stories on news platforms, we can stop and say, Does it make sense that this person hates me because I was born this way?

The at-home effect of the pandemic may have also contributed to the widespread outrage communities expressed in Connecticut and across the country after May 25, when a white police officer kept his knee pinned on the neck of a Black man until the victim stopped breathing.

Faith Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church

The death of a George Floyd and a Breyonna Taylor and an Ahmaud Arbery gave the nation an opportunity to stand up and say, This is not right, This is not just, said Stamfords Ford. I do think some of this was facilitated by COVID, because so many of us were home, and this is what our attention was on.

Ford is among those filled with hope as the nation prepares to commemorate a civil saint on Monday.

I am so proud of the millennials because they are a generation that wants their voices heard, Ford said. As Dr. King said, Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
India slams UK MPs over Kashmir debate, states they are making 'false assertions'

The Indian condemned some of the United Kingdom parliamentarians who participated in a debate on Kashmir in the Houses of Parliament complex in London, saying they relied on false assertions and unsubstantiated allegations propagated by a third country  an apparent reference to Pakistan.

The UK government also reiterated its unchanged stance that the situation in Kashmir remains an issue for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution to the issue. Photo courtesy: Wikimedia

"Regarding the reference to 'Kashmir'' in the title: the need is felt to differentiate between the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India, and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (when the erstwhile princely state of Kashmir legally acceded to India in October 1947, this part was forcibly and illegally occupied by Pakistan)," the High Commission said in a statement.

The statement asserted that while it was not the policy of India to take "undue interest" in the internal discussions within a foreign Parliament, the High Commission of India continues to engage with all concerned - including the UK government and parliamentarians - to avoid "misperceptions and misinformation" by making authentic information about India available to all.

The UK government also reiterated its unchanged stance that the situation in Kashmir remains an issue for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution to the issue.

Responding to a debate held in the House of Parliament complex on the "Political situation in Kashmir", Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) minister Nigel Adams stressed that it is not for Britain to play any mediatory role in a bilateral matter.

"The government's policy [on Kashmir] remains stable, it's unchanged. We continue to believe that this is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution to the situation that takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people... as laid out in the Simla Agreement," said Adams, in his capacity as Minister for Asia.

The debate, organised by backbench members of Parliament led by Labour's Sarah Owen, included the participation of cross-party British MPs, many of whom have a large Kashmiri diaspora constituency base.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was its internal matter. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.
Dai Bin (front, L) has a meal at the construction site of the Huangzhuang apartment isolation site in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 16, 2021. Dai Bin, a 33-year-old builder, had participated in the construction of portable buildings in Wuhan when the city was hit hard by COVID-19 during the Spring Festival of 2020. After Wuhan lifted its outbound traffic restriction, Dai Bin came to Shijiazhuang to work as a carpenter. At the start of 2021, the Huangzhuang apartment isolation site project, located at the junction of Zhengding County and Gaocheng District in Shijiazhuang, was launched. He once again embarked on the course of fighting the epidemic and worked with his colleagues day and night to complete the project with good quality and in time. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)
An ultra-Orthodox rabbi has told his followers to avoid getting a Covid vaccine because it can make them gay.

Israeli media reported that Rabbi Daniel Asor, who has amassed a large online following, also claimed inoculation efforts were part of a global malicious government trying to establish a new world order.

While his claim of a link between the vaccine and homosexuality is factually incorrect, it also contradicts statements from leading orthodox rabbis who have called on their followers to come forward for a coronavirus jab.

According to news outlet Israel Yahom, Mr Asor used a recent sermon to claim: Any vaccine made using an embryonic substrate, and we have evidence of this, causes opposite tendencies. Vaccines are taken from an embryonic substrate, and they did that here, too, so ... it can cause opposite tendencies," seemingly referring to homosexuality.

Responding to his comments, LGBT+ rights group Havruta joked that it was currently gearing up to welcome our impending new members.

Recommended Israel rebuffs WHO vaccine request for Palestinian medics

Israel is aiming to have administered vaccines to 5 million of its 9 million citizens and reopen the economy by mid-March, as it presses ahead with one of the fastest rollouts anywhere in the world.

More than 2 million Israelis have already received one dose of the jab while around 225,000 have had a second shot.

A senior health official said on Friday the country was in the final stages of the pandemic and those aged 45 and over would be offered the vaccine from Sunday, in a sign of the rapid pace of the Israeli programme, which has already reached more than one in five of its population.

Israel, with the scale of its vaccine drive, is showing the world that there is an exit strategy, Ronni Gamzu, who was advising the government on Covid before returning to his job as director of a hospital in Tel Aviv, told Channel 12 news.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 26 May 2021 A girl, with her face painted with the colours of the opposition flag, looks on during a demonstration against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and presidential elections, in the opposition-held Idlib, Syria REUTERS World news in pictures 25 May 2021 A Buddhist monk climbs atop a giant statue of Buddha, to wash and decorate on the eve of Buddha Purnima, a holiday traditionally celebrated for Buddha's birthday also known as Vesak celebrations, in Bhopal AFP/Getty World news in pictures 24 May 2021 Lava from the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo cuts through Buhene north of Goma, Congo AP World news in pictures 23 May 2021 Cyclists at the start of the 15th stage of the Giro dItalia, a 147km race between Grado and Gorizia AFP/Getty World news in pictures 22 May 2021 Swiss Guards take their position prior to the arrival of the European Commission President at San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican for a private audience with the Pope AFP/Getty World news in pictures 21 May 2021 A dog that has been trained to sniff out the coronavirus disease, screens a sweat sample at Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters World news in pictures 20 May 2021 Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr in action during a F1 practice session at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo Reuters World news in pictures 18 May 2021 Horse-drawn carriages drive through the mudflats near Cuxhaven, northern Germany dpa via AP World news in pictures 17 May 2021 Kanoya Onishi in action during the Cycling BMX Free Style of Tokyo 2020 Olympics test event at Ariake Urban Sports Park in Japan EPA World news in pictures 16 May 2021 Rescuers carry Suzy Eshkuntana, 6, as they pull her from the rubble of a building at the site of Israeli air strikes, in Gaza City Reuters World news in pictures 15 May 2021 A ball of fire erupts from the Jala Tower as it is destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza city AFP/Getty World news in pictures 14 May 2021 Muslims offer Eid al-Fitr prayers inside the Baitul Mukarram Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh AP World news in pictures 13 May 2021 Muslim girls ride on a mini train after attending the Eid Al-Fitr prayer that marks the end of the Holy month of Ramadan at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, Kenya AFP/Getty World news in pictures 12 May 2021 Israeli artillery fire as the escalation continues between Israeli army and Hamas at the Gaza Border EPA World news in pictures 11 May 2021 Maya Nakanishi competes in the womens long jump - T64 category during a para-athletics test event for the 2020 Olympics at the National Stadium in Tokyo AFP/Getty World news in pictures 10 May 2021 A Palestinian man helps a wounded fellow protester amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalems Al-Aqsa mosque compound, ahead of a planned march to commemorate Israels takeover of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War AFP/Getty World news in pictures 9 May 2021 Falconer Giovanna Piccolo performs with her Eurasian eagle-owl at 'Roma World' theme park, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Rome Reuters World news in pictures 8 May 2021 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) is introduced as a starter against the St. Louis Blues at T-Mobile Arena. USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 6 May 2021 Buddhist monks and believers attend a lantern parade in celebration of the upcoming birthday of Buddha at a temple in Seoul, South Korea Reuters World news in pictures 5 May 2021 Russian MiG-29 jet fighters of the Strizhi (Swifts) and Su-30SM jet fighters of the Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights) aerobatic teams fly in formation over the Cathedral Square of the Kremlin in Moscow during a flypast rehearsal for the WWII Victory Parade AFP/Getty World news in pictures 4 May 2021 An elevated metro line collapsed in the Mexican capital on Monday, leaving at least 23 people dead and dozens injured as a train came plunging down, authorities said AFP/Getty World news in pictures 3 May 2021 Lightning bolts strike buildings during a thunderstorm in Bangkok AFP/Getty World news in pictures 2 May 2021 Samaritan worshippers arrive to take part in a Passover ceremony on top of Mount Gerizim, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus AFP/Getty World news in pictures 1 May 2021 A Gilet Jaune, or yellow vest, protestor stands in front of a burning barricade holding his hand up with an inscription calling for President Macron to resign as May Day Protest turn violent near Place de la Republique in Paris, France Getty World news in pictures 30 April 2021 A demonstrator from the Rio de Paz human rights activist group digs a symbolic grave in front of rows of bags symbolising bodybags on Copacabana beach, during a protest against the Brazilian governments handling of the coronavirus pandemic, in Rio de Janeiro AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 April 2021 An aerial picture shows dead carp fish flushed to the shores of al-Qaraoun reservoir in Lebanons Western Beqaa District in the countrys east. Tonnes of fish have washed up dead on the shoreline of the highly polluted artificial reservoir in eastern Lebanon in recent days AFP/Getty World news in pictures 28 April 2021 Health workers wearing PPE attends to coronavirus patients inside a banquet hall temporarily converted into a covid care centre in New Delhi AFP/Getty World news in pictures 27 April 2021 The full moon, known as the Super Pink Moon rises behind the Statue of Liberty in New York City, Reuters World news in pictures 26 April 2021 Balinese people lay wreaths with names of the crew on board the sunk Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala during a prayer at the sea near Labuhan Lalang, Bali, Indonesia EPA World news in pictures 25 April 2021 An Ethiopian Orthodox Christian worshipper walks around the Edicule, the place believed to be where Jesus Christ was buried, during Palm Sunday celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem AFP/Getty World news in pictures 24 April 2021 Fans of Wuhan Three Towns FC cheer for their team during the 1st round match Wuhan Three Towns FC and Beijing Institute of Technology FC during Chinese Football League One in Wuhan, China Getty World news in pictures 23 April 2021 A girl prays in front of the Dome of the Rock, in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalems Old City, on the second Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, as coronavirus restrictions ease around the country, in Jerusalem Reuters World news in pictures 22 April 2021 People walk through the art work 'THE SPIRITS OF THE PUMPKINS DESCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS' by Yayoi Kusama, during the press preview of a retrospective exhibition of the Japanese artist at the Martin Gropius Bau museum in Berlin, Germany AP World news in pictures 21 April 2021 Hungary's Sara Peter competes in the Women's floor qualifications during European Artistic Gymnastics Championships at the St Jakobshalle, in Basel AFP/Getty World news in pictures 20 April 2021 South Korea university students gets their heads shaved during a protest against Japan's decision to release contaminated water from its Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, in front of the Japanese embassy, in Seoul Reuters World news in pictures 19 April 2021 A spectator wearing a football jersey of Argentina's forward Lionel Messi attends the ATP Barcelona Open tennis tournament singles match between Japan's Kei Nishikori and Argentina's Guido Pella at the Real Club de Tenis in Barcelona AFP/Getty World news in pictures 18 April 2021 People raise their fist during a demonstration near the George Floyd Memorial in Minneapolis, Minnesota AFP/Getty World news in pictures 17 April 2021 Security personnel stand guard outside a polling station during the 5th phase of West Bengal's state legislative assembly elections in Kolkata AFP/Getty World news in pictures 16 April 2021 Palestinians take part in the first Friday prayers of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site, in Jerusalem's Old City AFP/Getty World news in pictures 15 April 2021 A firefighter inspects the site of a car bomb attack in Sadr City district of Baghdad, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 14 April 2021 This picture shows the 100 days countdown till the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games displayed on the illuminated Tokyo Skytree in Tokyo on April 14, 2021 AFP/Getty World news in pictures 13 April 2021 This photo taken and received courtesy of an anonymous source shows Buddhist monks gesturing while taking part in a demonstration with protesters against the military coup in Mandalay during the Myanmar New Year festival of Thingyan AFP/Getty World news in pictures 12 April 2021 An Indian holi man during the Kumbh Mela royal bath (Sacred Hindu Pilgrimage) in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India. Thousands of pilgrims are gathering and taking holy dip in Kumbh Mela that is a mass Hindu pilgrimage which occurs after every twelve years and rotates among four locations EPA World news in pictures 11 April 2021 Nasa released images of of sand dunes on Mars captured using infrared reflections NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU World news in pictures 10 April 2021 People watch devotees pulling a chariot in Biska Jatra Festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal AP World news in pictures 9 April 2021 Maintenance workers clean the monument of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in Moscow on April 9, 2021. - Sixty years ago Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space, marking it a new chapter in the history of space exploration. AFP/Getty World news in pictures 8 April 2021 Protesters hold a banner and burning red flares during a demonstration of called by unions of healthcare and social workers in support of their sector and to demand a bonus in their pay in Paris AFP/Getty World news in pictures 7 April 2021 Protesters laying on the street near the Election Commission office in Kolkata during a demonstration demanding the halt of the ongoing state legislative election and campaign rallies amidst the rising number of Covid-19 cases AFP/Getty World news in pictures 6 April 2021 Voters stand in queue to cast their votes at a polling booth during third phase of West Bengal state elections in Baruipur, South 24 Pargana district, India AP World news in pictures 5 April 2021 The Statue of Christ appears behind clouds from the Sao Jorge Castle in Lisbon as the Portuguese government eased coronavirus restrictions AFP/Getty

The country has seen its percentage of seriously ill over 60-year-olds drop in line with the mass rollout of the vaccine.

However criticism has fallen on the government after it emerged millions of Palestinians living under Israeli control will have to wait much longer for the jab.

Israel's vaccination campaign will include Jewish settlers living deep inside the West Bank, who are Israeli citizens, but not the territory's 2.5 million Palestinians, nor those living in Gaza.
The US Capitol is surrounded by fences and troops amid fear the January 6 riots could spark violence this weekend and leading up to Wednesday's inauguration.

But experts worry the real threat may be what the attack unleashed for the long term.

"The plots of tomorrow are literally being hatched right now," Oren Segal, vice president of the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, told CNN.

Experts shared growing concern about chatter around a unifying message of people who feel wronged -- by those in power, by the political system and by Big Tech.

They're also worried that the numbers of potentially violent extremists are growing. Social media giants banned President Donald Trump and others over fears their posts would continue to spark violence, which the experts said has led to a sympathetic and growing audience at risk of radicalization.

Some who had communicated via Facebook, Twitter or even Parler are now on other platforms. Those include Telegram, where extremists and White supremacist channels have existed and spewed hate for years in channels largely unmoderated until just days ago.

On many of these channels, there is frequent praise of mass killers, tactical instructions and vile and disturbing radicalizing content being spread rapidly.

"Our moderators are reviewing an increased number of reports related to public posts with calls to violence, which are expressly forbidden by our Terms of Service," Telegram spokesperson Remi Vaughn told CNN in a statement on Wednesday. Vaughn added: "We welcome peaceful discussion and peaceful protests, but routinely remove publicly available content that contains direct calls to violence."

The search for 'fresh blood'

Segal calls the Capitol attack a seminal moment and says it will have a major impact, even more than the country's historically biggest catalysts for major anti-government activity.

"It ain't Waco, it's not Ruby Ridge, this is bigger than that," Segal explains comparing January 6 to past events that sparked calls to action and inspired deeper distrust and sometimes hatred against the government. "This stuff impacts more people."

In public and private chats there are common messages about plotting to "take back America" or rallying together against supposed censorship, according to Angelo Carusone, president and CEO of Media Matters for America. Carusone and his team have been tracking extremist language and posting in a variety of media landscapes.

"We saw these mass migrations from traditional platforms like Twitter and Facebook to a surge of activity on Parler, and then a secondary surge of activity onto platforms like Telegram as these intermediate groups started to build up redundancy in their communications," he says.

"And that meant fresh blood," Carusone says.

Fringe online spaces are now seeing far-right figures, hate-filled White supremacists, and racists who have clamored for civil war mix with QAnon conspiracists and ardent President Trump supporters who have listened to him for years and believe the election was stolen from them. And many are figuring out what to do next -- and how to craft their messages.

In one neo-Nazi-focused chat, a member urged restraint in language to avoid alienating newcomers, Carusone said.

Disturbing content alone isn't enough

The FBI said in a statement to CNN that while some of the content may be disturbing, authorities cannot take action on that alone.

"The FBI cannot open an investigation without a threat of violence or alleged criminal activity. However, when that language does turn to a call for violence or criminal activity, the FBI is able to undertake investigative activity," the agency said.

Investigators could face a tougher task of finding some people who have been removed from the bigger platforms.

"It is more and more important to know where they're going, especially if they're moving even further and further behind the veil," Carusone said. "If you lose track of them entirely, you lose that that information pipeline, you lose the ability to identify those indicators, which means it's harder to prevent harm."

Prevention efforts must go beyond mere barricades and officers, Carusone says.

"It's actually the mechanisms that are radicalizing these individuals," Carusone says. "It's the algorithms that are helping connect people. It's the disinformation."

None of the protests this weekend or at the inauguration will feature an actual Trump rally. Experts say that's a good sign, along with the increased law enforcement presence in Washington, DC.

In many messaging apps and boards, some are calling for a boycott of events this weekend and the inauguration. Michael Edison Hayden, the Southern Poverty Law Center senior investigative reporter and spokesperson, says high-profile names and podcasters Mike Peinovich and Nick Fuentes have told their followers not to go to rallies. The ADL says that White supremacist Peinovich, known as Mike Enoch, and the far-right Fuentes have been rallying voices of discontent for years.

Though there still are some concerning messages out there, Hayden says he believes the probability of violence in DC is not as high as it was on January 6 -- when there was a lot of online chatter, a major political event in the certifying of an election and a Trump rally.

Federal authorities are also tracking dozens of people who pose potential concerns of violence who may be coming to Washington for events around the Inauguration, according to a source briefed on intelligence shared among federal and local law enforcement.

Experts worry some people will turn to their state Capitols to express their anger. Hayden says posts of coordinates and maps of statehouses have been posted online. The FBI has received information indicating "armed protests" are being planned at all 50 state capitols in the days leading up to the inauguration, according to an internal bulletin obtained by CNN earlier this week.

What could happen next

A bigger concern for experts tracking hate and extremism online? What may happen after this weekend and the inauguration.

Segal said extremists might move cautiously in coming days, from both paranoia and knowing they're being watched.

"It's not before inauguration that we need to be concerned about them trying to spark another civil war -- it's after," Segal told CNN.

Segal says it is helpful to look at the situation in Michigan last spring when thinking how things could unfold after the Capitol attack.

"The reopen protests ended up resulting in part in an attempt to kidnap the governor," Segal explains.

Trump was very much a part of that, too. He repeatedly criticized Gov. Gretchen Whitmer about her Covid-19 restrictions before and after the news of the plot against her.

Experts note that at the protests against her moves, there too was a cross-pollination of people who showed up -- self-declared militia members, anarchists, those with anti-government beliefs and anti-vaxxers.

Now, take those existing grievances and add lies about the election being stolen and the Capitol attack. That kind of kinetic energy is hard to stop, experts fear.

Heading 'into a buzzsaw'

The extremism experts agree on several glaring points on how we got here and where we may be going. America is in the midst of a mass radicalization of sorts. The fire starter was not Trump, they say; he simply threw gas on the flames.

Seeing Biden inaugurated, a Black and South Asian woman as his Vice President, and then realizing that Trump is gone will fan the flames for those who will falsely claim the Biden administration is illegitimate, Segal warns.

Carusone says this is just the beginning of the country heading "into a buzzsaw" due to divisiveness, extremist actions and political rhetoric.

"Trump has gift-wrapped the narrative for the next four years," Segal explains.

The experts worry about a false sense of security emerging if the country makes it through the inauguration without any violence. But what happens when the barricades come down? When National Guard troops leave? When tech platforms, the general public, and the media turn their attention to other issues?

The threat will remain, the experts say.

"All of those new people being brought into these communities creates new opportunity for expanding the ranks," Carusone said. "There's going to be a lot of new people ... organized and exposed to a set of prescriptions that ultimately bring us back to the same place ... leading up to the attack on the Capitol.

"Except in this case, it'll be more of them."
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday arrested a senior Indian Railways Engineering Service (IRES) official along with two others for allegedly accepting a bribe of 1 crore.

The probe agency also carried out searches at 20 locations across the country, including Delhi, Assam, Uttarakhand, and two other states, news agency PTI reported.

CBI took Mahender Singh Chauhan, a 1985-batch IRES official, into custody when he was allegedly receiving the bribe to extend favours in granting contracts of projects of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), the report stated.

The railway official is posted at the NFR headquarters in Maligaon in Assam.

The probe agency has reportedly recovered the bribe money.

In another similar incident, a senior section engineer with the Indian Railways, working in the division that deals with issuing tenders, was arrested by the Mumbai crime branch last year in October.

The accused, identified as Anil Ahirwar, along with four others allegedly took a bribe of 2.73 crore from a Gujarat-based trader by promising him a tender for hose pipes required in trains.

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Chinese, US officials discuss bilateral trade, agree to maintain contacts: Ministry 27 May 2021 | 9:52 AM Beijing, May 27 (UNI) Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and US trade representative Katherine Tai discussed on Thursday the development of the bilateral trade and agreed to maintain further contacts, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said. see more..

BNP protests against withdrawal of word "Israel" from B'desh passport 26 May 2021 | 2:45 PM Dhaka, May 26 (UNI) BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has termed the Bangladesh Home Ministry's silence on removing the word" Israel "from passports as" unprincipled position of the government ". see more..

Sewa International to build 100 oxygen generation plants in India 26 May 2021 | 8:22 AM Houston (TX), May 26 (UNI) US-based Sewa International will be funding the installation of 100 oxygen generation plants in hospitals across India to ease oxygen scarcity in the country. see more..

Brazil: COVID death toll crosses 4 5 lakh-mark 26 May 2021 | 8:08 AM Rio De Janeiro, May 26 (UNI) The death toll from the Novel Coronavirus in Brazil has surpassed the grim milestone of 450,000-mark. see more..
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Alex Wong/Getty ImagesBY: BEATRICE PETERSON, ABC NEWS

(WASHINGTON)  Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is set to resign from the United States Senate on Monday but will not give a speech on the Senate floor which is not in session.

The California native had already started the process of resigning after notifying California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

"This is not a goodbye for Vice President-elect Harris, as she resigns from the Senate, she's preparing to take an oath that will allow her to preside over it. And as vice president, she will work tirelessly ... and in a bipartisan fashion to really achieve the Biden-Harris administration's legislative agenda," an aide to Harris said.

Harris, who is only the second Black woman to serve in the Senate, worked in 1984 for then-Sen. Alan Cranston during her sophomore year at Howard University -- a seat she would later win over 30 years later in November 2016.

A Harris aide noted that they hope that she will not have to break many ties in the Senate, saying that the Biden-Harris team hopes to focus on bipartisan issues.

"Given the fact that the Senate is 50/50 she will serve as the tiebreaker, we hope to not break many ties because we believe that the issues that the Congress will have to take up are bipartisan issues that are of importance to the American people, and that will require and push folks to work in a bipartisan fashion and I think a very good example of that bipartisan work is the stimulus bill is the deal that Democrats and Republicans came together to pass in December, it was a start.

The aide told ABC News that Harris will not be focused not on whipping votes but instead on building relationships.

Harris, according to the aide, has already spoken to many of her Senate colleagues on the other side of the aisle about one of President-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet nominations.

"It is her hope that she doesn't have to break any ties, because we believe that we are going to garner bipartisan support for a number of these issues," one Harris aide said.

During her time in the Senate, Harris worked with various Republicans on a series of issues including anti-lynching and immigration. With Sen. Rand Paul, Harris focused on the Pretrial Integrity and Safety Act to encourage states to reform or replace the bail system, and Harris along with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Historic Preservation Program , which passed in 2019, and focused on restoring historic buildings at the schools.

Another Harris aide noted that her relationships with Republicans in the committees have been meaningful and, since the election, Harris has had many "productive conversations" with fellow Republican senators such as Richard Burr, Susan Collins, James Lankford, Mitt Romney and Graham.

There will be no Black senators once Harris steps down this week.

"As we all know, she is now only the second black woman to serve in the United States Senate, and with her departure there will be no Black women serving in one of the great the greatest deliberative body in the world and so it is it is something she recognizes she believes that the representation of Black women and their voices are important. And that she hopes to see. And yet more black women, more women of color, serving in that body," the aide said.

"We also have to remember what happened on Jan. 5. On Jan. 5, the people of Georgia sent a black man -- a Black Baptist preacher -- and a young Jewish man to the United States Senate as their senators to represent the state of Georgia, something that many people said could not or would not be done," the aide added. "And so, while there are not currently any Black women after her resignation who will be serving in the United States Senate, there are strides that have been made and we have to continue to push the ball forward."

In late December, Newsom selected the California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to replace Harris. An aide close to Harris said that it is unlikely Padilla would be sworn in on Monday.

Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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The missing backpacker Esther Dingley who vanished in the Pyrenees last year had been 'taking a break' in her relationship at the time of her disappearance, according to a witness.

Ms Dingley, 37, an Oxford graduate, was last seen on November 22 as she made her way to the summit of the Pic de Sauveguard mountain, which straddles Spain and France.

The last communication from Ms Dingley was a selfie she had sent to her partner of 19 years Dan Colegate, from the top of the mountain.

Hiker Laura Adomaityte, 27, who lives in Spain and met Ms Dingley at a shelter just days before her disappearance, was asked to share details about the hikers 'physical and emotional shape' to the authorities.

Esther Dingley (pictured with her partner Daniel Colegate) disappeared on November 22 while solo hiking in the Pyrenees mountains

She said: 'Esther said they were taking a break and didn't know if they were going to get back together again.

'When you're not 100 per cent okay with your partner, you're not going to be totally balanced emotionally.

'She didn't seem desperate to me but the last time we spoke was about a week before she went missing and in that space of time a person can have a lot of highs and lows.'

Ms Adomaityte added: 'I spoke to the Spanish police two days after she was reported missing and told them everything I knew.

'The British police called me last month after the Civil Guard rang me back to ask if they could pass on my number to them.

'They wanted to know my opinion about how well prepared Esther had been in terms of the equipment she was carrying and the shape she was in physically as well as how she was emotionally.

'They didn't appear to me to be focusing on anything in particular. They just asked a lot of questions.'

Ms Adomaityte, who was born in Lithuania but is fluent in Spanish and knows the Pyrenees well, added: 'The one thing that did surprise me about Esther was how little food she took with her on the last hike we did together.

'We left on the afternoon of November 12 and returned the following day around midday.

'Esther only took dried oats, a red pepper and a small lettuce. I ended up sharing the food I'd taken for myself when we reached a refuge for the night called Refugio de Pescadores, which included a can of tuna and potatoes we heated up in the evening and an apple the following morning.

The last communication from Ms Dingley was a selfie she had sent to her partner (pictured together) from the top of the mountain

The hiker parked her Fiat camper in a car park in the Spanish town of Benasque on November 15 before setting off on her solo trek around the Pyrenees

'She said she liked to travel light when she was in the mountains.'

'If she made mistakes anywhere, it could have been the provisions she'd take because she was well-prepared in terms of equipment and very strong physically.'

Earlier this month, Mr Colegate rubbished claims that his partner was unhappy in their relationship, and revealed their final loving texts.

He told The Daily Mirror: 'The fact no trace was found  and given the specifics of the weather, terrain and location  I lean towards somebody else being involved, even though that raises its own questions.'

Mr Colegate also revealed the couple's final loving texts. One - sent by Ms Dingley - said: 'I'm on a col/peak so can't stop for too long. Can't wait to read all your messages. Love you very much XXX having a really good time.'

Ms Dingley continued to keep her partner updated on her hike, saying in a later text she 'might dip into France' after heading for the Port de la Glere mountain pass.

The final time the couple spoke was via a video call. 'We were both very happy to see each other so happy. We were also excited we'd be together again in a few days,' Mr Colegate said.

Mr Colegate dismissed the theory that that his partner could have 'voluntarily disappeared' because she was unhappy in their relationship.

This theory was put forward by French Captain Jean-Marc Bordinaro in December, who has been leading the investigation into Ms Dingley.

He told The Times in December: 'Esther Dingley wanted to continue with her current way of life, journeys in a camper van and sporting activities including hiking, whilst Daniel Colegate seems a little tired of this nomadic life.

Ms Dingley, who stayed at this 7,000ft Angel Orus Refuge (pictured) on November 17, had reached the peak of the mountain when she took the selfie

'Did [she] want to go off on her own to live her life and organise her own disappearance? There is nothing enabling us to eliminate this working theory. This situation provoked some tensions within the couple, but nothing too much.'

Mr Colegate also dismissed questions over the state of his partner's mental health, saying she had not suffered depression for almost a decade, and that she was incredibly physically fit - noting they had completed an 80-day, 1,000 mile hike that year.

Since Ms Dingley's disappearance, Mr Colegate has worked with British charity LBT Global. His work has lead to a dossier outlining three theories behind her disappearance.

These are that she was involved in an accident, that she went missing on purpose, or that someone else harmed her.

In a moving statement released as part of the dossier he said: 'Esther is simply the best person I've ever met. 'She is kind, generous, compassionate, intelligent and creative.

French police have dismissed the possibility that a third party may have been involved in her disappearance. Pictured: A map showing the likely route she was taking

'She wears her heart on her sleeve and always sees the best in others.'

He added the 'real reason' he loved her so much, 'through the ups and downs of any normal relationship' was her 'unwavering goodness and commitment to doing what she feels is right.'

The police forces working on the Esther Dingley case say they have no leads pointing to any foul play but insist all theories are still on the table as mountain search teams wait for spring when they can resume operations after the Pyrenees snow thaws.

Mr Colegate and his partner met at Oxford University where they both studied. Ms Dingley was reading Economics while Mr Colegate studied Chemistry.

A book and memoir written by Colegate and later published titled 'What Adventures Shall We Have Today?: Travelling from More to Less in Search of a Simpler Life', published in June, said that after they both graduated with first class degrees, they settled into successful academic careers.

Last year, Colegate arranged for them to stay in a remote farmhouse in the Pyrenees village of Arreau, which they decided to return to when lockdown began earlier this year. But at the end of October, Ms Dingley set off alone for a hike.

On November 15, she parked their campervan in the village of Benasque, which has now become the site of the on-going investigation into her whereabouts.

The last person to see the hiker was Spanish Olympic skier Marti Vigo del Arco, who was coming down from Pico Salvaguardia with his girlfriend on November 22 at around 3pm as Ms Dingley was going up.

It is known that she reached the peak of the mountain because of a selfie she sent to Mr Colegate at the top, just before 4pm, and three days before she was expected to return to the Spanish village of Benasque.
Marmorstein: You might soon be living in a million dollar home  unfortunately
Rising energy costs are a major financial worry for most households, but many have never switched supplier to save money.

Research undertaken for The Mail on Sunday by money-saving consumer website TopCashback reveals that eight in ten households are worried about paying more for gas and electricity this year to heat and light their homes.

But the same research indicates that a fifth of energy customers have never actively sought a cheaper tariff by switching supplier  despite significant savings that can be made by doing so.

Savings: A fifth of energy customers have never actively sought a cheaper tariff by switching supplier

Adam Bullock, a director of TopCashback, says: 'We strongly urge anyone who hasn't switched before to look into it as it really can make a big difference to your outgoings.'

Now is an ideal time as many households are consuming more energy than ever  due to the time of year and the fact the pandemic is keeping people at home far more.

Separate research by comparison website Uswitch also shows that 68 fixed energy deals expire at the end of this month.

Nearly half a million households will be affected  and if these customers do nothing but roll over on to their supplier's standard deal they will see their energy bill go up on average by 171 a year.

Tomorrow marks the start of Big Energy Saving Week, a national campaign encouraging people to cut the cost of bills. They can do this by claiming financial support (if eligible), switching deals and becoming more energy efficient.

Bullock adds: 'To save more money and to help reduce our carbon footprint, new energy-efficient habits need to be introduced into our homes and lifestyles. Anything from quick fixes such as fitting LED lights, to bigger changes like installing double glazing, will all have a positive impact in the long run.'

Find out more about cutting bills down to size at bigenergysavingwinter.org.uk or call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133. Customers can use website TopCashback Compare Energy to compare quotes, set up alerts to obtain the best deals, and get cashback if they end up switching.
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister on Sunday again appealed to the farmers unions to suggest ways to resolve the deadlock over the agrarian reforms implemented by the Modi government.

Prior to the next round of talks scheduled on January 19 with the farmer unions leading the protests against the farm laws passed by parliament last year, he said that if the farmer unions could suggest any alternative solution, apart from the repeal of the three Central farm laws, the government would certainly consider it.

On the other hand, as the ongoing farmer agitation at the borders of the Capital has entered the 53rd day, the farmer unions have clearly said they would continue with all their programmes announced earlier to intensify the protest.

The Agriculture Minister in a statement to IANS said in the next round of talks, the farmers unions should discuss the three farm laws point-wise and express their reservations, and the Central government would consider these. Apart from repeal of the three laws, the government would seriously consider whatever alternatives the farmers suggest, he added.

With a view to improving agriculture and allied sectors, the Central government implemented the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020. Though the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of these laws and set up am expert committee to resolve the issue, the Central government has kept open the path for dialogue with the farmer unions.

Tomar, who is leading the negotiations on behalf of the government, has repeatedly reiterated that whatever provisions would be appropriate in the interests of the farmers of the country, the Modi government would consider including them in the new farm laws.

But the leaders of farmer unions are adamant on that the three laws be repealed. The Central government has said it is ready to present its case before the committee set up by the Supreme Court to find solutions to the problems of the farmers, but the protesting farmer unions are not ready to appear before it.

The protesting farmers are adamant on repealing the three Union farm laws and demanding a legal guarantee for procurement of crops at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) while the Union government has already accepted two other core demands related to power subsidy and stubble burning.

Union Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal had, on October 14, first held talks with the farmer leaders to resolve the misgivings of the farmers regarding the new farm laws. The ministerial-level talks began after this, but the nine rounds of talks till now have been inconclusive on the main demand. Apart from Tomar, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Som Prakash, were leading the government side in the talks.

--IANS

pmj/skp/khz/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.)

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Despite these delusions, Ms. Gilbert  a self-described mystic who has written four books, with titles like Swami Soup  mostly struck me as a New Age eccentric who could use some time away from screens. She disdains the mainstream media, but she agreed to be profiled, and we kept in touch.

Over a series of conversations, I learned that she had a longstanding suspicion of elites dating back to her Harvard days, when she felt out of place among people she considered snobby rich kids. As an adult, she joined the anti-establishment left, advocating animal rights and supporting the Standing Rock oil pipeline protests. She admired the hacktivist group Anonymous, and looked up to whistle-blowers like Julian Assange and Edward Snowden. She was a registered Democrat for most of her life, but she voted for Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, in the 2016 presidential election after deciding that both major parties were corrupt.

Ms. Gilberts path to QAnon began in 2016 when WikiLeaks posted a trove of hacked emails from the Clinton campaign. Shortly after, she started seeing posts on social media about something called #Pizzagate. She had dabbled in conspiracy theories before, but Pizzagate  which falsely posited that powerful Democrats were running a child sex-trafficking ring out of a Washington pizza parlor, and that all of this was detailed in code in the Clinton emails  blew her mind. If it was true, she thought, it would connect all of her suspicions about elites, and explain the horrible truths they had been covering up.

The world opened up in Technicolor for me, she said. It was like the Matrix  everything just started to download.

Pizzagate primed Ms. Gilbert for QAnon, which she discovered through the YouTube videos of a British psychic. It quickly took over her life, and yanked her politics sharply to the right. Seemingly overnight, her Facebook feed switched from Change.org petitions and cute animal photos to Gateway Pundit links and Killary Clinton memes.

Like many QAnon die-hards, Ms. Gilbert has a purely virtual attachment to the movement. She said she had never attended a QAnon rally, or even met another QAnon believer in person. She works from home as a freelance audiobook narrator, rarely leaves her apartment and scoffed when I asked if she would ever take up arms for Q.

I am a digital soldier, she said. I work through the computer.

She was not at the Capitol riot, and she denied that QAnon was a violent movement. She said there was no proof that the participants were QAnon believers, and suggested that they might have been antifa activists in disguise  all things that have been widely debunked. She sounded frustrated that Mr. Biden had been certified as the winner of the election  something Q had never predicted  but she said it hadnt shaken her faith.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Peugeot-maker PSA Group cemented their trans-Atlantic merger Saturday, creating Stellantis NV, a global auto-making giant that executives say will have the heft needed to compete in a fast-changing industry.

The deal, first agreed to in late 2019 and approved earlier this month by shareholders, comes as the global car business is rapidly shifting to new technologies, such as electric vehicles, and battling upstarts trying to upend everything from the way cars are engineered and built to how they are sold.

Stellantis, derived from Latin term meaning to brighten with stars," ranks as the worlds third-largest auto maker by sales, according to 2019 figures, the latest available. At Fridays close, it was worth more than $51 billion. The newly formed car company plans to start trading under the ticker symbol STLA on the Paris and Milan stock exchanges Monday and in New York on Tuesday.

Stellantis will have a major presence in North America and more than a quarter of the market in Europe, selling vehicles through a massive collection of brands, ranging from American names like Jeep and Ram to Peugeot, Citroen and Opel in Europe and Maserati and Alfa Romeo on the luxury end.

In a turbulent year for many global manufacturers, executives at FCA and PSA pushed forward with the merger, saying the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic have only reinforced the need for the combination. They estimate the tie-up could eventually produce $6 billion in annual cost savings, in part by consolidating the two companies engineering and parts purchasing to drive larger economies of scale.

Still, the auto sector has a spotty record with megamergers and many of Stellantiss rivals, including General Motors Co., are moving in the opposite direction, retrenching from money-losing regions and shrinking their global operations to be more nimble.

Carlos Tavares, the PSA chief now leading Stellantis, faces numerous challenges in fitting these two companies together, including underperforming factories, lagging brands and an ailing China business.

The trickiest part of every merger is when you have to mix all of the cultures," said Carla Bailo, president of the Center for Automotive Research and a former co-worker of Mr. Tavares at Nissan Motor Co.

The 62-year-old Mr. Tavares is known in automotive circles for his success in turning around faltering businesses. When he first arrived at Peugeot from Renault in 2013, the company was bleeding cash. Within six years, he transformed it into one of the most profitable European car companies with PSA posting an operating margin of 8.5% in 2019. He later revived Opel and Vauxhall, two once-struggling European brands that PSA purchased from GM in 2017.

At PSA, the turnaround was largely achieved by pulling back on profit-damaging sales discounts and pushing the company to be hypervigilant about costs. He also trimmed the workforce without closing plants, negotiating new union agreements and eliminating jobs through buyouts.

It is a formula, some analysts say, he is likely to apply at Stellantis, which employs about 400,000 workers globally.

One of Mr. Tavaress largest undertakings will be melding the two auto makers manufacturing operations, which together comprise nearly 50 factories globallymany of them operating at well below capacity, according to data provided by research firm LMC Automotive. He also needs to reinvigorate the business in China, where the two companies combined sales now account for less than 1% of a market that sold 20 million vehicles last year, and fix Fiat Chryslers money-losing operations in Europe.

On electric vehicles, Stellantis will be under pressure to match the investment being poured into the technology by competitors, like GM, which plans to spend $27 billion through 2025 on electric and self-driving cars.

While Fiat Chrysler and PSA have worked to expand plug-in offerings and secure battery supplies, the marketplace is becoming increasingly competitive with both traditional car companies and well-funded startups getting ready to release a wave of new electric models this year.

Stellantis plans to divert the bulk of the $6 billion in projected yearly savings to developing electric vehicles and other costly technologies. But first it must tackle areas of overlap in manufacturing and vehicle lineups, without closing plants and eliminating brands as executives have promised, a task that industry analysts say could be tricky as car companies continue to confront depressed sales during the pandemic.

Ms. Bailo says Mr. Tavares, a Portugese-born auto fanatic who spends many weekends racing cars, is likely to take time to assess the business and get to know his counterparts at Fiat Chrysler before making any major changes.

Hes not the kind of leader who gives you a target and says, Go find a way to meet it," she said. Hes much more hands-on than the typical leader."

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text

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Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Consultative Committee of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LDPF) has reached agreement on the mechanism for selecting candidates for leadership positions of the Unified Executive Authority at the end of their meetings on Saturday in Geneva, Switzerland, Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Stephanie Williams
New Delhi, Jan 17 : Majority of the senior citizens of the country believe that current state of the economy is among the biggest issues that India needs to address immediately.

The other top concern is unemployment, showed a survey by Antara, a Max Group entity.

Further, fear of coronavirus infection and social isolation were the two big concerns for seniors during the lockdown, it said.

More than half of seniors in the survey said that India has done its best to handle the Covid-19 pandemic.

On the senior assisted living programmes, a large chunk of the surveyed senior people was of the view that these programmes and facilities were acceptable.

Despite being an established and accepted industry across the world, senior care services are still at a nascent stage in India. This can be attributed to various reasons such as a young population, close knit-family structures, social stigma, among others.

"The survey shows this perception is changing rapidly. 48 per cent of seniors consider senior care facilities as a ready-made social community, an acceptable living option. They believe that it provides them with the comfort and access to a community of like-minded individuals, thereby increasing their mental satisfaction by making them feel understood," the report said.

Rajit Mehta, MD, and CEO, Antara said: "Their (senior Indians) needs and aspirations have come a long way. They now want to be active contributors in the economy, want to lead a life with dignity, and become more 'Atmanirbhar'."
A staff member at a cafe in Seoul organizes tables and chairs Sunday, after the government slightly eased social distancing restrictions on several indoor facilities including cafes. Starting Monday people are allowed to eat and drink inside coffee shops until 9 p.m./ Yonhap

Pitching himself as president, Joe Biden promised to heal America's hurting soul. His experiences with suffering and healing were well known, including the deaths of his wife and two of his children, his struggle against stuttering and many political losses. On a bigger stage than ever, Biden was trying to show the country how he did it.

Through his Catholic faith.

"For me, faith, it's all about hope and purpose and strength," Biden said in a February video ad. "Faith sees best in the dark."

"Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning," he quoted from the Book of Psalms in October.

Now, Biden will lead a nation deeply in need of healing - with soaring coronavirus cases, thousands dying daily and millions out of work and hunkered down in isolation. But he is facing not one America but two, each claiming with new religious fervor that God and righteousness are on its side.

As divided as any are Biden's own people, U.S. Catholics, with millions who don't even see him as a legitimate Catholic at all, because of his support for abortion access and LGBT equality.

The question is how the country will adjust to a man whose faith doesn't feature literal Bible-waving promises to "save Christianity" or threats that political opponents might eliminate God (all Trumpian moments).

Biden presents a less common image: a devout, churchgoing liberal. The country will soon observe for the first time a president who goes to Mass every Sunday, plus on Catholic feast days, and sprinkles conversation casually with scripture, religious hymns and references to religious history but describes faith's purpose in general, inclusive terms - as sustenance for the weary, encouragement for the suffering and an obligation to welcome and care for one another.

Can Biden heal today's America?

Catholicism and its structures - its poetry, humor, teachings, rituals - have always been how Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. has understood healing, others and himself.

"Catholicism and family provide the substructure of his life. ... That's his whole conception of how society works," said Evan Osnos, a writer for the New Yorker who recently published a book on Biden and his 2020 run for president. "It's more personal than political. That's what separates him from 2021 in Washington, D.C., where there are few ways in which religion is not part of politics. Biden doesn't go out of his way to make it that."

"I think he'll try very hard like he always does at everything to bring people together and build bridges," said Sen. Robert Casey Jr., a Pennsylvania Democrat who grew up in the same Catholic community of Scranton as Biden. "He'll have more patience than I would have."

Millions of Americans hungry for a faith focused on healing and inclusion will embrace it - especially on the left, where believers have felt trampled by the religious right into nonexistence since the 1970s.

Millions of others will reject Biden's version of religiosity, one that's less tied to doctrine, less likely to honor religious conservatives' legal demands, less invested in America as a Christian nation. This is problematic for many on the right. A 2020 poll by the Public Religion Research Institute found sharp partisan divides on the issue of religious diversity, with 43 percent of Republicans preferring the country to be made up "primarily" of Christians, compared with 16 percent of Democrats.

Some further to Biden's left will also bemoan his unwillingness to draw a direct line from the gospels to policy changes like free higher education and universal health care.

But what makes Biden different, says Villanova University theologian Massimo Faggioli - whose spiritual biography of the president-elect is being published this month - is that he's unapologetic.

"Joe Biden is a Catholic in the public square who doesn't take lectures from bishops about what being Catholic is about. This is totally new," Faggioli said.

His desire to be a uniter will be tested quickly on the religious front. On Jan. 29, nine days after Biden's inauguration, one of the most-watched events on the annual Catholic calendar will take place - the March For Life, which marks, and protests, the Supreme Court decision Roe v Wade. Normally tens of thousands of mostly Catholic abortion opponents rally on the National Mall, though this year the event will be virtual, due to the coronavirus and security concerns. The march has become heavily Republican in recent years, filled with abortion opponents willing to overlook President Donald Trump's record-breaking number of executions and his laissez-faire approach to a virus that has killed hundreds of thousands in the United States. In 2020, Trump became the first U.S. president to speak live at the march. This year, it will undoubtedly feature many speakers and signs challenging Biden's faith.

But Biden has long pushed back on the idea that, for him, faith must lead to policies.

"I'm prepared to accept doctrine on a whole range of issues as a Catholic. ... I'm prepared to accept as a matter of faith - my wife and I, my family - the issue of abortion. But what I'm not prepared to do is impose a rigid view, a precise view ... that is born out of my faith, on other people who are equally God-fearing, equally as committed to life," Biden told the Jesuit magazine America in a 2015 videotaped interview.

Yet Biden has bound up his promises to make significant social change in areas from health care to the environment with that to "restore the soul of the nation." If he is a healer, Biden has an epic pastoral challenge.

The shaping of Biden's religiosity stems from two sources - his family and his era.

He was raised in working-class, Irish-Catholic communities, where faith routines and Catholic institutions such as schools and parishes were everything. When Biden talks about his Catholic upbringing, he usually repeats the word "dignity" multiple times. The dignity of work. The dignity of the poor.

"My father would say, 'The cardinal sin of all sins is the abuse of power,'" Biden told America editor Matt Malone in the 2015 interview. "Whether it's a man raising his hand to a woman, whether it's economic power being evoked and asserted over someone else, whether it is the government abusing its power. And that's how I look at what this is all about."

Biden was a young adult during the Second Vatican Council, when Catholicism was deliberately opening to the world - with new languages for prayer and new relations with other faiths, among many other changes.

"He's a Catholic born in that period when Catholicism was exiting the Catholic ghetto. It's the end of the subculture," Faggioli said. He grew up with "a Catholicism that no longer exists."

Biden thought about becoming a priest when he was 12, during an era when most Irish American Catholic youth saw priests and nuns as heroes. He raised the idea again to his mother in high school, and then to the Delaware bishop in the 1970s, after his wife and daughter died.

Aside from politics, the priesthood "was the only other thing I ever thought about," Biden told journalist Jules Witcover for Witcover's 2010 biography of the then-vice president. Each time it was more of a concept than a serious pursuit. "Girls got in the way," Biden said with a laugh.

Settling on a career in government, he told a group of young Catholic volunteers during a lecture in 1992, was a "means to fight the injustices that his faith taught him to work to overcome," reported a July profile in the National Catholic Reporter.

The role of Biden's Catholicism - prayer, as well as Catholic teachings about the role and purpose of suffering - in helping him survive the deaths of his young wife and daughter in the 1970s and then his son Beau, of brain cancer in 2015, is well known. He often uses the words "solace" and "comfort" when asked about the role of his faith. He is quick to talk with others who are pained by loss or struggle.

The Rev. Leo O'Donovan, a former Georgetown University president, described to the National Catholic Reporter the moment when Biden asked him to lead the funeral Mass for Beau.

"The priest's first words to Biden were, 'Joe, I am so sorry,' before he himself erupted into tears," according to the publication. "He began to comfort me. ... He became the pastor there," O'Donovan told NCR.

As strong as Biden's attachment is to Catholic beliefs and culture, his idea of religiosity is pluralistic.

Rabbi Michael Beals, a Delaware cleric whom Biden calls "my rabbi," met Biden 14 years ago when the then-senator came without fanfare to sit shiva - a visit to relatives of the dead during the week-long period of Jewish mourning - for a longtime, small-amount donor. Then, six years ago, at a party at the vice-presidential mansion for the Jewish High Holidays, Beals offered to bless Biden.

"He bowed his head the way a Jew never would. I put my palms on his forehead, like I would for my children, and it was such a moment. He really has a sense for respect for religion, religious leaders, deep faith. And his faith isn't a designer label. He is a Catholic but he treated me no differently than he would have a priest," Beals said, noting that Biden has his own black yarmulke.

All three of Biden's adult children were married to Jewish spouses at some point. His wife, Jill Biden, attends church with him but is a Presbyterian.

It's not yet clear where Biden will attend Mass regularly as president. During the pre-inauguration period, he has been going weekly to St. Joseph on the Brandywine, near his home in Wilmington, Del.

In Washington, where Biden lived for eight years as vice president, he attended Mass in different places, including Dahlgren Chapel at Georgetown and Holy Trinity Parish, said the Rev. Kevin O'Brien, who as a vice president at Georgetown got to know Biden starting in 2006. O'Brien celebrated Mass with Biden on the days of his two inaugurations as vice president.

Because of coronavirus restrictions, Biden probably won't be able to attend Mass in a parish at first, said some of his faith advisers, and he will probably wind up celebrating it at the White House. After that, it's hard to say.

Biden's churchgoing ways haven't remotely won over many of his fellow Catholics, particularly conservative ones who call him a heretic. Approval of Biden among Catholics is closely linked to partisan identity, and he only narrowly won the Catholic vote in November, by 52 percent to Trump's 47 percent - compared with about 80 percent of Catholics who cast ballots for John Kennedy in 1960.

The rifts among U.S. Catholics have been building since Vatican II's liberalizing changes, and then Pope Francis's 2013 election and the arrival of a role model who puts inclusion and religious diversity over doctrinal clarity and an emphasis on abortion.

Some Catholics worry - or hope, depending on their perspective - that Biden could influence the U.S. church.

"What's happened with Catholics is, we got subsumed by (White) evangelicals because of the political interests," said Anthea Butler, a religion professor at the University of Pennsylvania who sat on Biden's Catholic advisory groups. "But the ways in which he's speaking about the poor - this is straight-up Catholic social teaching, and you can't get away from that."

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in November created a working group to deal with the "difficult" situation of the second-ever Catholic president being a strong advocate for policies the church opposes on abortion and LGBT legal rights. The bishops also noted areas of potential collaboration on immigration, climate change and racism.

"I'd hope (the bishops) would make judgments about Joe Biden's presidency that take into account the whole social teaching mission of the church, not just picking a few issues like abortion," Casey said.

But to Jayd Henricks, a former top lobbyist for the bishops, Biden creates a crisis: He "undermines the prophetic work of the Church and her call to witness the truth and love of Jesus Christ," Henricks wrote last month in First Things. "The bishops' crisis in this situation is not a political crisis. It is a crisis of authority, a crisis of identity, and a crisis of faith."

Henricks identifies the eye of the storm of that crisis as the giving of Holy Communion, the way to "save one's soul," he writes. He concludes that U.S. bishops should deny this to Biden and thus "provide clear guidance ... on the dignity and seriousness of the moral life."

However, Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington and a newly minted cardinal, has already said he will not deny Communion.

As he prepares to assume the presidency, Biden has focused on faith as solace. In his Nov. 7 victory speech, he quoted a hymn beloved by his late son, "On Eagle's Wings," that paints God as protector, holding "you in the palm of his hand."

Butler says Americans should prepare for such references "to be everywhere" in a Biden administration. "Biden's thing is: There is suffering in the world, and Catholicism looks grief and suffering right in the face."
Kolam, a traditional Indian art form of drawing geometric patterns on the floors as a sign of welcome, was part of the virtual kick-off ceremony of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris, who traces her origin to Tamil Nadu where these auspicious designs adore almost every household.

More than 1,800 individuals from across the US and many from India participated in the online initiative to create thousands of kolam designs to celebrate the historic event.

Many believe kolams symbolize positive energy and new beginnings. People of all ages from various communities collaborated from their homes to create tiles with eco-friendly materials. What started out as a local project spread way beyond our expectations, said Shanthi Chandrasekar, an award-winning multimedia and multidisciplinary artist from Maryland who took the initiative along with several others.

The initial idea was to have these kolam patterns from across the country in front of the White House as a symbol of good beginning to the new administration. The Washington DC police later gave the organizers permission to have it near the Capitol Hill, around the inauguration venue.

However, due to the unprecedented security measures that have been enforced in Washington DC, the permission was cancelled.

As a result, pictures of thousands of kolam tiles on Saturday were woven into a video to welcome Biden and Harris in the spirit of Presidency for All and to showcase the multi-cultural heritage of America.

A date for the installation after the inauguration will be set after a go-ahead from the local security, said Sowmya Somnath who is part of the Inauguration Kolam 2021 organizing team in her volunteer capacity.

Washington DC Public Schools arts director Mary Lambert and visual arts manager Lindsey Vance joined Chandrasekar to combine thousands of kolam drawings made by people from many different backgrounds to welcome President-elect Joe Biden when he takes office in a few days.

Hundreds of artists, citizens and students from across the country collaborated online to combine thousands of local pieces.

In Tamil Nadu, where Harris has roots, women draw kolams on the ground to invite health and prosperity into houses where they are displayed.

This is what we wanted when we planned to have thousands of kolam tiles in front of the White House, said Somnath.

Students from ten public schools in Washington DC participated in making the kolam art. Lambert said the District of Columbia Public School arts curriculum focuses on equity and believes cultural representation is an important part of that effort.

This project provided an opportunity for our students to learn about another culture and the math skills needed for creation in the arts, said Lambert. As well, an opportunity to express their identity through visual arts and to see that united with others from around the country.

Major Democratic fund raiser Shekar Narasimhan, whose niece and grandniece joined many others to make tiles for the Inauguration Kolam, supported the project. Narasimhan said the project reflects and honours the history of America. With the rise of diverse America, the energy behind this artwork is a reminder of what binds us together as Americans, he said.

I am so grateful and honoured to be able to share my love for kolams through the #2021kolam community project. The real celebrities are the children who have invested so much of themselves into beautifying the dots and the shapes around them that will come together for our collaborative welcome offering for Inauguration Kolam #2021, Chandrasekar said.

The response has been way beyond our expectations, she said. We have people send in their tiles from all the way from California, Boston, New Jersey and many places. From day cares to people in their 90s have participated in this. The response has been amazing, she said.
India on Sunday has strongly condemned the attack against the United Nation (U.N.) peacekeepers in two separate incidents in Mali. A Burundian peacekeeper from the UN mission in the Central African Republic (C.A.R) was killed Friday during an attack perpetrated by a rebel group, following which, another peacekeeper from Egypt was killed in Mali's northern Kidal region the same day.

READ | India Will Promote Fundamental Values, Reinforce Multilateralism At UNSC: Amb Tirumurti

Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti on Sunday took to Twitter and expressed condemnation, pain, and extended condolences to the families and governments of the dead peacekeepers.

READ | EXCLUSIVE: India's Permanent UN Rep TS Tirumurti Speaks About Pak, China & COVID Vaccine

Another explosive was found at the scene in Tessalit and disabled, the UN mission in Mali said late Friday. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday strongly condemned the attack and said attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

READ | Bar Council Of India Slams Politicisation Of SC's Order, Urges Farmers To Suspend Stir

Four peacekeepers from Ivory Coast lost their lives

Four peacekeepers from Ivory Coast lost their lives due to an improvised explosive device and an attack Wednesday by unidentified gunmen in the Timbuktu region.

The peacekeeping mission has been in Mali since 2013 after Islamic extremists took control of major towns in the north. A French-led military operation dislodged them, but the jihadists have since regrouped in rural areas and expanded their reach. The U.N. says more than 231 peacekeepers in Mali have been killed due to hostile incidents, in what has become known as its most dangerous mission.

READ | PM Modi Addresses Startup India Summit, Launches Rs 1,000 Crore Start-Up India Seed Fund

(With AP Inputs)
Akshay Kumar To Wife Twinkle On 20th Anniversary: 'You Still Make My Heart Flutter'

Sharing a love-soaked picture of himself and his actor-turned-writer wife Twinkle Khanna, superstar Akshay Kumar on Sunday marked his 20th marriage anniversary on Sunday. The 'Housefull' actor shared the picture that sees his wife's hands circled around his shoulders, on Instagram. Kumar complimented the post with a short note about his "partnership" with Mrs. Funnybones and also shared how she continues to make his heart flutter even after "20 years of togetherness."

"The surest I've ever been of a partnership...twenty years of togetherness and you still make my heart flutter and sometimes even drive me up the wall," he wrote. "But then again I wouldn't have it any other way coz a smile is never far when you are near. Happy anniversary Tina," he added. See it here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar)

Mesmerised by the sweet anniversary post by her husband, Khanna commented a heart emoji on the post. She also reportsed it and captioned it as, "You are the beauty and the brawn in this partnership and I cant even say I am the brain, because you are smarter than me. We dont need each other to be complete( thats just a cliche from soppy ballads) but we want to have the other one around always and that is perhaps the only way it is meant to be. Happy Anniversary Mr K"

Several Bollywood celebrities like Anupam Kher and various fans of the celebrity couple commented on the post to wish them on the occasion. The couple had tied the knot on January 17, 2001. They are now parents to two children.
MOSCOW -- Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny arrived in Moscow from Germany, where he was being treated after being poisoned, and was promptly detained by law enforcement authorities at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.

A live broadcast of his arrival showed police taking the 44-year-old Kremlin critic away on January 17 at the passport control booth.

His lawyer, who was travelling with him, was not allowed to accompany him. His wife, Yulia Navalnaya, who was also on the flight, was allowed to pass through passport control.

Russia's prison authority, FSIN, confirmed Navalny's detention, according to Interfax. The FSIN statement said that Navalny was being held because of multiple violations of the conditions of his suspended sentence relating to a 2014 fraud conviction and for evading criminal inspectors.

The statement said Navalny would be held until a court ruling on the matter.

The move, which could see Navalny jailed for 3 1/2 years for allegedly flouting the terms of a suspended prison sentence, sparked an immediate wave of criticism of President Vladimir Putin from both inside and outside the country.

"Putin seems to be doing everything possible to make @navalny into a national hero. After poisoning Navalny, which required German doctors to save his life, Putin arrests him on return for parole violations because he was in Germany," tweeted William Browder, a U.S.-born British investor and the CEO and cofounder of Hermitage Capital Management, the investment adviser to the Hermitage Fund, which at one time was the largest foreign portfolio investor in Russia.

Shortly before he was detained, Navalny told journalists at Sheremetyevo he was happy to be back in Russia and that he was confident he would not be arrested.

Navalny arrived from Germany after being flown there for emergency medical care after being poisoned in Russia in August 2020.

Laboratory tests conducted in Germany, France, and Sweden have established that Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent of the Soviet-style Novichok class, a conclusion confirmed by the international Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

INFOGRAPHIC: In And Out: All The Times Aleksei Navalny Has Been In Prison

Navalny has said President Vladimir Putin is directly responsible for the poisoning. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.

Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who has been leading protests against strongman leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka since a disputed presidential election in August 2020, wrote on Twitter that Navalnys detention was a dangerous step to depriving Russia of political alternatives.

Belarus has seen the outcome of such treatment of political opponents, she wrote. This does not serve the interests of the Russian people and of the country.

Meanwhile, European Union members Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania immediately issued a joint statement calling for the imposition of restrictive measures against Russia over Navalnys detention, which they called completely unacceptable.

Navalny had been scheduled to arrive at Moscows Vnukovo airport, where hundreds of his supporters had gathered amid a massive riot police presence.

At the last minute, however, authorities closed Vnukovo to incoming flights and diverted Navalnys plane to Sheremetyevo airport on the other side of the capital.

Police detained numerous people who were waiting for Navalny's arrival at Vnukovo, including Lyubov Sobol, a lawyer for Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation; Ruslan Shaveddinov, a project manager for the foundation; and Novaya gazeta journalist Vlad Dokshin. Other journalists were also reportedly among the detained.

Navalny returned to Russia despite the authorities' stated intention to arrest him and potentially jail him for years.

Late last month, the FSIN demanded Navalny return immediately from Germany or face jail in Russia for violating the terms of his suspended prison sentence.

Navalny denies all wrongdoing in that case and says that it, like several other criminal cases filed against him in recent years, is retribution for his anti-Kremlin political activity.

According to court documents, he could face a prison term of as much as 3 1/2 years.

Amnesty International immediately issued a statement saying the organization considers Navalny a prisoner of conscience and calling for the Russian authorities to release him without conditions.

Amnesty also called for the release of the dozens of Navalny supporters who were detained earlier by police at the airport.

Opposition politician and former Yekaterinburg Mayor Yevgeny Roizman wrote on Twitter that he had spoken by telephone with Navalnys parents and told him their son was a worthy citizen of Russia, brave and respectable.

Navalny and other members of his Anti-Corruption Foundation could also face separate criminal charges of embezzling donors' funds, an accusation they vehemently deny. That charge carries a prison term of up to 10 years.

Earlier on January 16, Germany demanded that Moscow carry out a full investigation into Navalnys poisoning and sent to Russia the transcripts of interviews its authorities conducted with him.

With reporting by Reuters and TASS
If you dine at Osteria Salina in downtown Auburn, it won't be the only business keeping you safe during your time there.
Egyptian Christians faring better under Al-Sisi, but remain under threat of attacks and persecution

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Experts on the persecution of Egyptian Christians report that although life under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is better for Christians than past presidents, such as Mohamed Morsi or Hosni Mubarak, believers continue to face persecution and violence at the hands of radical Muslims who evade arrest and prosecution.

When mobs of radical Muslims attack Christians, none of them get arrested, said Coptic Christian leader Samuel Tadros. Instead, the victims of violence are arrested by police.

Not a single person has been convicted or spent time in jail for attacking Christians, said Tadros, who was among the experts who spoke at a Zoom conference on Friday hosted by In Defense of Christians, an advocacy group for Middle Eastern Christians.

They will execute ISIS who are enemies of the state for attacking Christians, but not violence by Muslims. When it comes to mob attacks we have had a complete failure by government, not of impunity but encouragement," he stressed.

Recently, a radical Muslim mob burned houses and stripped an elderly Christian woman naked and drug her through the streets. Egypts courts acquitted the men who led the mob.

Even though such incidents are common, Egypts present government under al-Sisi has a better record of protecting Christians than former president Hosni Mubarak or the Muslim Brotherhood, Tadros said.

Al-Sisis government presents a strange mixture of public support and private indifference to Christians, speakers at the conference said. Al-Sisi, a Muslim, has attended Christmas services at a Coptic cathedral, signed new legislation that registered churches with the government and built a Coptic Christian cathedral with government money.

But these deeds arent the whole picture. Al-Sisis church registration program has made it challenging for churches to get licenses approved and difficult for Christians to build new churches.

These are modest advancements but still important to recognize," said Nadine Maenza, who was appointed by President Donald Trump to the Commission for International Religious Freedom in May 2018 and elected vice-chair in June 2019. "Egyptian bureaucracy is infamous for moving slowly, but [the church program has accepted] only a third of applicants. Church registration is still substantially different and far less proportional than mosques in the country.

Even al-Sisis cathedral is not really a Coptic cathedral, said Tadros. Its in an inconvenient location and doesnt have a Coptic name,

Its in the desert, not where you can worship, he said. We, as Copts, name our cathedrals after saints. Its a telling thing that even the name of the cathedral was chosen by the Egyptian president.

Kurt Werthmuller, a supervisory policy analyst for USCIRF with a particular emphasis on religious freedom in Egypt, Iraq, and the Levant, brought up al-Sisi's detention of Christian rights activist Ramy Kamel in 2019.

Hes been theoretically not imprisoned but in pre-trial detention. The charges that are levied against him include colluding with a terror organization to spread false information, said Werthmuller. He has spent most of that year in solitary confinement. Weve heard that the last couple of months his health has been deteriorating.

Werthmuller said Egypt should be doing better on religious freedom. Coptic Christians shouldnt have to accept mob violence against them as a normal part of life, he added.

Egypt is a country with tremendous potential. Its people are amazing, it has resources. We shouldnt take this is the best were going to get as enough, Werthmuller said.

Egypt is ranked No. 16 on Christian persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA's 2021 list of countries where it's most difficult to live openly as a Christian.
Outgoing US Vice President on Saturday urged President-elect Joe Biden's administration to exercise 'eternal vigilance', especially when it comes to US-China relations.

In one of his final appearances before leaving the White House on January 20, Pence told the incoming Biden administration to 'stay the course' and 'stand up to Chinese aggression and trade abuses', while speaking to sailors from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Fox News reported.

"As a new American administration prepares to take office, we do well to remember as Americans that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance... And a free and open Indo-Pacific is essential to our prosperity, our security, and the vitality of freedom in the world."

Pence's remarks come days after President Donald Trump's administration declassified the US strategy for tackling the growing threat between China and nations in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Fox News.

As per the United States Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific (henceforth, the Framework), it envisioned "accelerating India's rise", blocking China from establishing "illiberal spheres of influence", and maintaining "US strategic primacy" in the region.

"The declassification of the Framework today demonstrates, with transparency, America's strategic commitments to the Indo-Pacific and to our allies and partners in the region," wrote National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien in a memo dated January 5, 2021.

O'Brien also said that China is increasingly pressuring Indo-Pacific regions to subordinate their freedom and sovereignty to a common destiny envisioned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

He also added that the goal of pushing back against China is to help allied nations in the region "who share the values and aspirations of a free and open Indo-Pacific".

According to Fox News, Pence said on Saturday that China is 'determined' to spread its dominance in the region through 'military provocations and dead diplomacy'.

The relations between the US and China have deteriorated sharply over the last year in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, China's efforts to curtail Hong Kong's autonomy, and the US-China trade 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.)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 05:40:07|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Saturday commented on the rumors on the possibility of releasing a vessel of Republic of Korea (ROK) recently seized by Iran in the Gulf, saying the statements by people not related to the issue lack any basis.

Khatibzadeh made the remarks in response to a question by some reporters about the rumors of possible release of the ROK ship, as reported by official news agency IRNA.

He stressed that decisions made by the Iran judiciary which is in charge of the issue, are announced only by its spokesman so the statements by people not related to the issue lack any basis, adding that the ROK ship was seized for polluting the Gulf waters upon an Iranian judiciary order.

The spokesman said since the case is still under investigation, it is only the judiciary that has the authority to make any announcements in this regard.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps announced in a statement on Jan. 4 that an ROK vessel carrying 7,200 tons of petrochemicals had been seized for violating environmental protocols in the Gulf. Enditem
Eoin O Broin is not your average Sinn Fein TD. Originally from Cabinteely in south Co Dublin, O Broin is one of the new breed of Sinn Fein politicians looking to get his party to the holy grail of government. Just don't expect him to become taoiseach.

He was born to middle-class parents who sent him to be privately educated in Dublin's exclusive Blackrock College. He has since risen through the ranks within the party to become one of their most reliable performers.

Described as a "brain-box" by party leader Mary Lou McDonald, the 48-year-old O Broin represents a new generation of Irish republicans whose journey into politics has been built on activism and peaceful protest.

Before he took up elected office in both Dublin and Belfast, O Broin was involved in music and played at Irish rock and folk festivals where he supported Rory Gallagher in his last concert, as well as busking with Glen Hansard. It was during his short-lived music career that he dabbled in drugs.

"I was a double bass player, with dreadlocks," he smiles. Influenced by the punk movement, he says there was "a lot of hash about the place".

Read More

"A lot of hash and weed would have been smoked, and at some point I am sure there would have been a little bit of speed. I was part of that culture it's not something I regret."

O Broin says he was "very lucky" to have been born into a comfortable family "and at no stage during my upbringing did we want for anything".

It was the mid-1980s when he took an interest in politics while attending Crown Woods Comprehensive in London after realising "the world we lived in wasn't fair". He found himself following the Troubles in Northern Ireland and trying to work out why there was so much division.

"In Dublin in the 1980s there was very little discussion about the conflict in the North, very little debate or discussion going on in schools and we never discussed it.

"Living in London I met lots of people from the North from a unionist, Protestant, nationalist, republican background which helped me to understand and the media coverage in Britain was more open than in the South," he says.

One of O Broin's "motivating factors" in getting involved in Sinn Fein in 1995 when he moved to Belfast was because the ceasefire "opened up an opportunity for conflict resolution". While he says he understands why the IRA and loyalist groups got involved in violence, he believes the Troubles "should not have happened".

"There are different views on the causes of the conflict, on what conflict resolution is. I don't think you can understand any conflict without understanding the political causes of it - and that's not about justifying the violence of one group or another group."

In 1997, O Broin was arrested after scaling the roof of Belfast City Hall as part of a protest by Saoirse, the republican prisoners' freedom organisation. Pretending to be painters, he and others climbed on to the dome and displayed a banner which read: "Free all PoWs now."

"The RUC arrived and tried to get access to us from the windows but unfortunately the officers were heavier than the ladder's load would bear, and they had to get the fire brigade with a raised platform to get us down - it took four hours."

Months later the group tried it again, only to be intercepted by an armed response unit carrying machine guns. "The RUC thought we were loyalists planning to kill Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly [a former IRA prisoner] who was due to speak at an event later that day," he explains.

He accepts that his party's past links with the IRA are anathema to many voters, explaining that some have "very honestly and politely told me they won't vote for me because of Sinn Fein's relationship with the IRA". Even many of his former schoolmates have "found my political trajectory difficult to understand for a long period of time".

"I respect that," he says. "In a conflict, everyone believes their particular position is justified, I am not interested in those debates. When people ask me my attitude to the conflict, my answer is an honest one - it would have been much better if it had never happened.

"Peace-building, listening to others and understanding the views of others" were crucial in finding peace in the North, he says, adding that "this has yet to happen fully in the South".

"I think one of the things we need in the South is for people to try and start doing the same. That doesn't mean people have to change their views, such as those people who blame the IRA for the conflict in the North, or those people who believe the IRA were justified in what they did.

"But the politics I learned my trade in is the politics of moving beyond that, so there is never a generation of republicans or loyalists who would even think about that [a return to violence]."

In those early days, O Broin rode a scooter from Dublin to Belfast "where I would be going no more than 50mph". After the two-and-a-half-hour journey "you'd walk like a cowboy afterwards".

He remembers the moment he was hit by a joyrider in Belfast the night before the annual Twelfth of July celebrations and taken to hospital where "the only people admitted were people who were injured or hurt from the 11th night".

"There was me - a southerner - and a UDA lad who hurt his hand having banged the Lambeg drum all day. I was scared senseless, not speaking a word behind the curtain."

O Broin would go on to work with families who lost loved ones to the IRA and collaborate with unionist organisations while representing one of the most deprived wards in the North, from 2001 to 2004, a time of heightened tension in north Belfast.

Another issue for his party is trying to keep a lid on some of its supporters' inappropriate - and often highly offensive - content on social media, including that of Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley, who had to apologise last year after comparing a 1920 IRA ambush in Co Cork to the killing of British soldiers by the Provisional IRA at Narrow Water, Co Down, in 1979.

O Broin says the toxicity of social media is a problem "for all political parties" and not just his own, which has repeatedly found itself embroiled in controversy due to so-called 'Shinnerbots'.

"We have a really big problem in cyberbullying and social media needs to be regulated like publishers. I don't need Sinn Fein supporters being on social media attacking my political opponents," he says, citing the "daily abuse" that some politicians, including his colleagues, receive on Twitter and Facebook.

"Some of it is the most appalling, racist, homophobic, sexist abuse. That must be tackled and some of that comes from, by the way, people who might consider themselves supporters of Sinn Fein or other parties. We need to legislate; we need to be cleaning up our act."

He has been subjected to online death threats from Donald Trump supporters "who say the Covid restrictions are infringing on their liberties", and "terribly dull trolling from Fine Gael supporters". But says, having been warned of loyalist death threats while working as a councillor in Belfast, "I make a judgment on what I should report to gardai".

As for Sinn Fein's political aspirations, O Broin says he is "open to the possibility" of a left-led government which, he says, could include Fianna Fail given its "ideological promiscuity and the fact they have a working, middle-class base and a soft republican base".

"Could I envisage a situation with Fianna Fail as a junior partner in a progressive, left republican-led coalition? Certainly, I would be open to negotiations around that I would be up for sitting around the table with others." But such an arrangement, he adds, "would have to include a programme of government that we have never seen before in the history of the State".

Despite believing his party could do a better job in charge, he says he would "absolutely not" like to be taoiseach. He says he "never saw myself as an elected politician" but has made no secret of the fact he'd like to be housing minister one day, having spent his career advocating for the homeless. The royalties for his book, Home: Why Public Housing is the Answer, were donated to Inner City Helping Homeless.

"I have a vision of what we can do in that office in the right government. Beyond that, I have no ambitions to be in elected office or higher office."

The overlapping of homelessness, mental health and addiction has put "a very vulnerable group of people at greater risk of premature death", explains O Broin. "The support measures are not adequate; these are people who should not be dying. Senior government ministers need to spend a day with those working on the frontline."

A fan of comedy, including impressionist Oliver Callan, O Broin says political satire is important because politicians "should not get ideas above our station".

Politics aside, he has just finished writing his next book, Defects - Living with the Legacy of the Celtic Tiger, which will include extensive interviews with people who bought homes, including at Priory Hall. Another short book - a celebration of the building that houses Busaras - will include photographs by Brian Teeling and words by O Broin.

He lives with partner Lynn Boylan, a Sinn Fein senator and a "formidable politician in her own right", and admits to being "desperately romantic".

His Twitter feed outside working hours is usually awash with the couple's love of seafood and fine drink, prompting his critics to brand him a "champagne socialist". He laughs this off.

"For me, what matters in politics is not where you come from. None of us controls where we were born or where we grew up, what matters is what you do with the advantages that life may have given you.

"I don't mind what people call me, but my drinking choice is whiskey, not champagne," he says.
CONNECTICUT  Coronavirus cases and deaths soared this past week  just before they inexplicably plummeted  as the rollout of the vaccine began its transition into the next phase.

Another 41 coronavirus-related deaths were reported Friday, bringing the state total up to 6,594. Worse still, Connecticut recorded a staggering 10.72 percent positive coronavirus test rate Tuesday, which is the highest daily rate since the second wave began in Connecticut and the highest daily rate since late May. Then on Thursday, the numbers looked more like November, with a positive test rate of 4.37 percent, a net 30-patient drop in hospitalizations.



"I'm having a hard time coming up with a rhyme or reason for why these numbers are bouncing around," Gov. Ned Lamont said. Connecticut's seven-day per capita case count is the 15th highest in the country, according to the New York Times coronavirus tracker.



Many thought we were out of the woods, having placed the long-dreaded post-Thanksgiving and post-Christmas coronavirus spikes and surges finally behind us. But on Monday, Lamont warned the next couple of weeks could become another flashpoint, with university students coming back and more public schools going back to the classroom.



Connecticut's cities are no longer the big per-capita infection hotspots they were when the state first started charting its coronavirus red zones. That doesn't mean their positivity rates have dropped, just that the number of infections in the smaller towns have continued to climb.



As of Thursday, only Canaan, Cornwall and Warren weren't classified by the state Department of Public Health as coronavirus red zones, which exceed 15 daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 people over a two-week average. The health department uses the per-capita figures as the main gauge of the state's coronavirus situation.

The coronavirus vaccine promises to turn those red zones back to orange and yellow, but it's not happening soon. As of Friday, 166,722 people in Connecticut have received their first vaccine dose and another 17,162 have received both doses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Story continues

The phase 1a population included front-line health care workers and nursing home and assisted living residents and staff. The first round of vaccinations administered to every nursing home in the state has been completed. The Pfizer vaccine requires 2 doses, separated by at least 3 weeks, according to CDC.

Connecticut will get a bonus 50,000 coronavirus vaccine doses this week as a reward from the federal Department of Health and Human Services for getting the vaccine administration program off to a good start, Lamont said Thursday. That amounts to around an extra week's worth of doses.



No matter how many bonus vials the state receives, it still needs to get the medicine into residents' arms, and those efforts are ramping up. Connecticut will officially start vaccine appointments for people over 75 on Monday  residents were allowed to make appointments starting Thursday. During phase 1b, the state's focus will be on vaccinating the people most at risk for severe illness or death from the coronavirus along with issues of equity and health disparity in communities.

Just remember not to pay anyone anything when you do get around to receiving the vaccine. The bar for lowlife activity was raised a tick on Monday when state officials warned residents of possible vaccine-for-money scams. Lamont warned against "bad actors" who would "interfere with our efforts to ensure our residents are healthy."

If you suspect a vaccine fraud or scam is being perpetrated in your town, report it to the state Department of Consumer Protection by using the department website or email. Suspicious activities related to distribution practices can also be reported to local law enforcement or local public health officials.

See also from across Connecticut:

This article originally appeared on the Across Connecticut Patch
All the fans and followers always love Ileana DCruzs travel photos on social media and they await her stunning pictures to be seen online every time she travels to a new place. From travelling to the Fiji Islands to exploring tons of beaches worldwide, she has shared some of her fun and quirky travel moments on social media. Lets take a look at some of the best Ileana DCruzs Instagram photos that made her fans crazy about her even more.

Ileana D'cruz's travel photos

Ileana DCruz posted this picture a while ago on her Instagram handle in which she can be seen having fun. She can be seen sitting on a surfboard and boating towards the beach wearing a sizzling pair of black bikini. As she winked towards the camera, she wrote in the caption that this was how she was running away from her responsibilities. All her fans found her video clip adorable and complimented her on how cute she looked in that clip.



She posted yet another one on her Instagram handle in which she can be seen posing in a stunning blue coloured bikini with a set of cool black shades. As she bathed in the sun with a blissful smile on the face, she captioned the post by stating wishful thinking? and added symbols of the sun, palm tree, beach, a bikini as well as a sea wave. As she was vacaying at a mesmerizing beach, all her fans were thrilled to see these Ileana DCruzs travel photos and stated in the comments how it felt that she was sitting in a heavenly place.

The actor shared quite a lot of pictures of her travel time when she went on a trip to the Fiji Islands. Among all Ileana DCruzs photos, this is one of the most adorable ones on her Instagram in which she can be seen cutely hugging the kids of the native people of Fiji. In the caption, she mentioned how the more one smiles, the brighter the sun shines and then wished a Happy Fiji Day. Many of her fans found this picture so adorable that they posted tons of heart emojis in the comments while many others praised her and stated how they gained respect for her after this.

Ileana D'Cruz doesnt keep calm whenever she travels anywhere and this boomerang clip is the proof. As she was enjoying her travel time, she also went on to explore an amusement park. In the video, she can be seen having fun on one of the rides at the park. She captioned it by stating how madness got her. Even her fans loved her craziness in the video clip and sent lots of love through the comments.



Also read When Ileana D'Cruz Confessed She 'almost Sleep-walks' & Sent Fans Into A Frenzy

Also Read Ileana D'Cruz Reveals The Romantic Activity She Would Choose Over 'kissing In Paris'

Heres another one from Ileana DCruzs photos that depicted her love for travelling. In the picture, she can be seen with her team as she was travelling for work. The actor clicked this picture when she travelled to London a long time ago. She can be seen clicking this selfie having the sun kiss her in the most mesmerizing way. The fans loved her sun-kissed picture and stated how beautiful she looked in her photo.

Also read Malaika Arora Talks About How Sunday Should Look Like, Shares Picture From Her Goa Trip

Also read Ileana D'Cruz Just Revealed What Her Mother Calls Her While Sharing Her Workout Photo

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
New York :

India-born former McKinsey head Rajat Gupta will address an IIT alumni leadership conference in the US to discuss issues ranging from leadership to cutting-edge technologies.

Gupta, an IIT Delhi alumnus, will join chief executives, entrepreneurs and technology experts at the second annual IIT Bay Area Leadership Conference to be held in Santa Clara in California on Saturday.

Speakers and IIT alumni at the conference include author and wellness expert Deepak Chopra, venture capitalist Ravi Mhatre,?Parag Havaldar, a computer engineer from IIT Kharagpur who won an Oscar this year for technical achievement, HCL co-founder Arjun Malhotra, product director at Google and IIT Madras alumnus Aparna Chennapragada and VP Engineering at Google Shashi Thakur of IIT Bombay.

The 11000-member strong IIT Bay Area Alumni Association is hosting the conference, the theme for which is From Engineers to Leaders.

IITians are the smartest technologists in the world, however, they miss opportunities due to lack of leadership development. The IIT Bay Area Leadership Conference is designed to raise awareness for learning leadership skills from peers, seniors and professionals, Umang Gupta, Founder and CEO of Gupta Technologies and Keynote Systems said in a statement.

Gupta, 68, who founded the Indian School of Business (ISB), sits on the board of PanIIT USA and is the current chairman of the WHEELS Global Foundation, a US-based?non-profit organisation started by IIT alumni?that focusses on applying technology to uplift rural communities and provide technological solutions to global challenges.

Gupta argues that success comes from constantly finding ways to make a difference to your employer. His approach is focused and intentional, a statement issued by Wheels Global Foundation said.

Also Read | Top 10 universities in India: DU ranked 8th, IIT-Delhi gets top spot in QS University Rankings

Gupta, a former director at Goldman Sachs, is a free man now after completing a two-year prison term on insider trading charges.

He has been gradually re-entering the social and philanthropic world. He has undertaken visits to India and spoken at the Young Indians National Summit hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry in New Delhi in March.

Last month, he spoke at a panel discussion here on the rising tide of economic nationalism and protectionism organised by the New York Tri-State chapter of Pratham USA, one of the largest non-governmental organisations.

Also Read: 3 IIT B-schools feature in top 10 NIRF management ranking

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Despite the violent events that unfolded in the U.S. Capitol early this month, many Republicans are still opposed to a Trump impeachment.

A poll from NBC News found that American voters were mostly divided when it comes to a Trump impeachment.

Overall, 50% of voters nationwide support a Trump impeachment and removal from office while 48% don't want it to happen.

Eighty-nine percent of Democratic voters believe Trump should be impeached and removed from office but only 8% of Republicans want him removed.

Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates noted even though Republicans in office have already broken away from Trump, voters from the party are still "sticking with him for now."

Independents were also split on a Trump impeachment with 45% in support and 53% in opposition.

Horwitt conducted the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies from January 10 to 13.

Current Poll Numbers on Trump Impeachment Similar to 2019 Surveys

Daily Wire noted that the results of the NBC poll were echoed by other polls such as a CBS News/YouGov poll released that said 55% of Americans favored a Trump impeachment and a Politico and Morning Consult poll that said 53% voters supported a Trump impeachment.

It was also similar to surveys conducted in 2019 when Trump was also facing impeachment.

At the time, 48% of voters believed Trump should be impeached or removed.

Some 83% of Democrats supported the move alongside 50% of Independents and 8% of Republicans, noted Daily Wire.

NBC News also noted a prior survey they did around the same time with Wall Street Journal showing 8% of Republicans also supported a Trump impeachment over the Ukraine controversy in 2019.

Related Story: Trump Impeached by House for Second Time With 10 Republican Members Voting Against Him

The U.S. House voted to impeach Trump on January 13 while the Senate will no be taking up the matter until Tuesday, the day before Trump's term ends.

Ten Republicans have voted to impeach the president in the House and 197 opposed the impeachment. All 222 of House Democrats voted for the Trump impeachment.

Four GOP lawmakers did not vote on the matter.

Major Events Do Little in Affecting Trump Impeachment Numbers

Horwitt also recognized how responses regarding Trump's impeachment haven't budged despite the violent Capitol riots. However, unmoving numbers has been consistent for Trump despite major controversies.

"As we've seen over the course of his term, major event after major event does little to shake Trump's standing with Republicans," Horwitt said.

In the 2019 NBC poll, the overall count on voters' opinions on impeachment and removal from office were split 48-48.

At the time, Democratic-controlled House impeached Trump but the Senate moved to acquit him.

Read Also: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene To File Impeachment Articles Against Biden

Trump has been seen by many as the person to incite the Capitol riot as an ABC News/Washington Post poll showed that about seven in 10 Americans believe he bears some responsibility over the event.

However, only 42% of Republicans believe he has some responsibility for the attack which took the lives of five people including one Capitol Police officer and vandalized the Capitol building, noted Fox News.

On top of this, only 12% of Republicans believe Trump should be disqualified from running for president again.
A 33-year-old man is facing charges for allegedly administering a fake COVID-19 vaccine to an elderly woman.

Man Allegedly Tricks Elderly Into Receiving Fake COVID-19 Vaccine

David Chambers of London has been accused of allegedly tricking a 92-year-old woman into forking 160 for a fake novel coronavirus vaccine.

Chambers is facing charges of fraud and common assault.

He allegedly administered the fake vaccine at her Surbiton house in London last December 2020.

Chambers, 33, of Hook Rise North in Surbiton, was indicted on January 13, 2021, and was taken into custody at the Bishopsgate police station. He was arraigned for one count of common assault, two counts of fraud by false representation, and two contraventions of coronavirus regulations.

He allegedly turned up at the pensioner's house, offering to inoculate her against COVID-19 in exchange for payment.

Chambers is accused of conducting the bogus procedure on December 30, 2020, and returning on January 4, 2021, in an attempt to get another 100 from the woman, reported Evening Standard.

He has been confined in custody and is slated to appear at Kingston Crown Court on February 12.

He allegedly charged the elderly 160 before returning on January 4 to request another 100, reported Independent.

In the United Kingdom, the COVID-19 inoculation is free and merely available from the United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS). People will be reached by the NHS, local GP surgery, an employer, or a pharmacy before being administered the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the City of London Police, "At no point will you be asked to pay. The NHS will never ask you for your bank account or card details," reported iNews.

Also Read: Death of US Doctor After Being Administered COVID-19 Vaccine Under Investigation

The police underscored that vaccines are delivered for free. The NHS would also never arrive at your home to give a vaccine shot unannounced.

It is alleged that the suspect pressed an object against the elderly woman's wrist. He returned a week later demanding another 100 from the now-dubious pensioner.

According to Prosecutor Matt Barrowcliffe, "On September 30 this defendant called at the home of a 92-year-old lady who lived on her own. He purported to administer a Covid-19 vaccine. He delivered the vaccine by pressing something to the back of her wrist and asked for payment, she gave 160," reported Daily Mail.

He continued that the suspect came back on January 4 demanding more money. At that point, the plaintiff was aware of such fraud and denied him the payment.

The CCTV footage made its rounds in the national press. It was reportedly purposefully targeting vulnerable persons.

Previously this month, police officials cautioned of fake texts being delivered offering a vaccine in a bid to steal personal and financial data. According to Derbyshire Constabulary, the text offers a link to a very convincing false NHS website. People are requested to input their bank details to avail of a vaccine.

Any person who believes that they have been a victim of fraud could report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or by visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.

Related Article: Dr. Fauci Gives List of Places To Avoid, Less Chance of Contracting COVID-19

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It has been a busy few weeks in Washington D.C., and at least one more major event is on the way as president-elect Joe Biden will be sworn into the office this week.

The inauguration is scheduled amid a global pandemic that has disrupted American life for almost a full year, and it also follows soon after a violent, seditious attack on the capitol as members of Congress were certifying the results of Bidens election.

A presidential inauguration is always a massive event, and between COVID-19, civil unrest and heightened security - including members of the Pennsylvania National Guard that have been activated and deployed in D.C. - it would not be the best idea to attend in person.

But if you are hoping to tune in and watch the proceedings, you have plenty of options. All you need is a television or an internet connection.

WHEN IS THE INAUGURATION?

Joe Bidens presidential inauguration will be on Wednesday, Jan. 20. While the exact timing of the ceremony has not been announced, his term as president officially begins at noon that day.

WHEN WILL COVERAGE OF THE EVENT BEGIN?

As you might expect, there will be plenty of coverage leading up to the swearing-in of the 46th president.

The show technically begins on the evening of Jan. 19, with a program called Celebrating America. The program, presented by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, will feature live messages from Biden, vice president-elect Kamala Harris, celebrity host Tom Hanks, and performances by Jon Bon Jovi, Justin Timberlake, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemons. It begins at 8:30 p.m. and will air on ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and MSNBC, and stream online on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Twitch.

READ MORE: Tom Hanks to host star-studded Biden inauguration special, Celebrating America

HOW TO WATCH ON TV

The exact timing of the broadcast on Jan. 20 has not been announced, but the major news networks and cable news channels will likely be covering the lead-up to the event for much of the morning. That includes - in alphabetical order - ABC, CBS, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC and PBS. Check your local TV listings for more details.

HOW TO WATCH ONLINE

If you prefer a computer screen to a television, the inauguration broadcast will also be carried by many livestream outlets.

The previously mentioned news networks and programs, such as PBS NewsHour, NBC News, CBS News, Fox News and CNN are all likely to broadcast the live proceedings on their respective YouTube channels.

And any of the streaming services that carry the major networks - including Hulu Plus, Sling, Fubo TV, YouTube TV, CBS News, NBC News Now and Peacock - will also be streaming the inauguration.
People who smoke, especially those genetically predisposed to doing so, are at much higher risk for a rare but often fatal type of bleeding stroke, new research shows. And the more you smoke, the higher the risk.

The study, published Thursday in the American Heart Association journal Stroke, provides evidence of a causal link between smoking and subarachnoid hemorrhage, or SAH. Thats when a blood vessel on the surface of the brain ruptures and bleeds into the space between the brain and the skull. This accounts for 5% of all strokes and affects mainly middle-aged adults; half of the people who have SAH strokes are under age 55.

One-third of people who have them die within days or weeks. Those who survive have a high rate of disability or cognitive impairment.

Previous studies have shown that smoking is associated with higher risks of SAH, yet it has been unclear if smoking or another confounding condition such as high blood pressure was a cause of the stroke, Dr. Guido Falcone, the studys senior author, said in a news release. He is an assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

The new study analyzed data for 408,609 people in the United Kingdom between the ages of 40 and 69 who were part of a large cohort that gave researchers access to genetic and other health information. Researchers identified people in the group who smoked, along with those who carried genes associated with a propensity for smoking and those who later experienced SAH strokes.

They found the more a person smoked, the higher their risk of having an SAH. Those who smoked half a pack to 20 packs of cigarettes per year had a 27% higher risk than those who didnt smoke. Heavy smokers more than 40 packs per year  were three times more likely than nonsmokers.

People who carried a genetic predisposition for smoking were at 63% greater risk for having an SAH.

The results should prompt future studies to explore whether genetic variants leading to smoking can be used to identify people at risk for this type of stroke, lead study author Dr. Julian N. Acosta said in a news release. He is a neurologist and postdoctoral research fellow at Yale School of Medicine.

These targeted populations might benefit from aggressive diagnostic interventions that could lead to early identification of the aneurysms that cause this serious type of bleeding stroke, he said.

Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan received his Covaxin shot at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital at Trichy on Sunday. In an interview to News18.com, he says both Covishield and Covaxin vaccines are safe and that people who have got the opportunity to receive the jabs should utilise it.

In comparison to other states, Tamil Nadu's response on the first day of vaccination seems to be poor. What is the reason?

This is not a target-oriented programme. It is going to be a very long process. We are not looking at purely numbers. As we gradually expand the session sites and expand the coverage, we should keep improving on the numbers. Our primary goal is to ensure that no adverse event take place.

How are you tackling the hesitancy around vaccination?

It is our duty to clarify the doubts of healthcare workers who want to get vaccinated and we are doing it. After prominent doctors taking the first dose on the first day, people who are hesitant will come forward to take the vaccine. In Trichy, where I was administered vaccine, I was happy to see the President of Tamil Nadu Nurses association, Valarmathi, taking her vaccine dose. She also made an appeal to other healthcare workers to get vaccinated.

One has to understand that it is not like pulse polio vaccination where we have to achieve a target in a stipulated time. It is like Aadhar Card distribution where no one comes forward in the beginning and gradually people start coming in and at one point they wait in queues. Therefore, whoever is eligible for vaccination should utilise the opportunity. The state is planning to vaccinate 1.6 crore of its population by the end of this year subject to the supply of the vaccine.

What made you take the vaccine dose in the first phase?

I am a healthcare administrator who has been on field for months regularly visiting containment zones and hospitals, including Covid wards. Also, incidentally I am the Chairman of Tamil Nadu Medical Service Corporation. I didn't walk into a site and suddenly decide to get vaccinated there. I had already registered for my vaccination at Trichy site. I can't stand behind without volunteering myself when I know I can be at risk. Therefore, I did not hesitate to get vaccinated.

Why did you choose Covaxin over Covishield?

Both Covishield and Covaxin are completely safe, give good immunogenicity and have come to use only after Drug Controller General of India's approval. My session site had Covaxin and I was happy to take it. It is not only safe, but also developed by Indian researchers.

Will vaccine be the game changer in our fight against Covid?

Vaccine is a milestone. It is an important step ahead in our fight against the virus. At the same time, we should not let our guards down.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 20:24:39|Editor: huaxia

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KHARTOUM, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least 48 people were killed and 97 others injured in an attack by armed militias in El Geneina, the capital of Sudan's West Darfur State, official SUNA news agency reported on Sunday.

"The bloody events are still continuing in El Geneina city starting from Saturday morning, which left around 48 people dead and 97 injured according to our statistics," SUNA quoted the Doctors' Committee in West Darfur State as saying.

The committee urged the government to provide means of transport accompanied by security forces and medical cares, according to the report.

The Council of Ministers, in the meantime, sent an urgent high-level delegation to El Geneina to follow up the situation and address the issue to restore calm and stability in the state.

The delegation, led by the Attorney General Taj Al-Sir Ali Al-Hebr, includes representatives of security, military and judicial bodies.

Meanwhile, local authorities in West Darfur on Saturday imposed a curfew in the wake of the incidents.

West Darfur State's Governor Mohamed Abdalla Al Doma decided to designate the regular forces to end the violence started by a fight between two citizens in El Geneina, in which one of them was killed. Enditem
It is feared that Trump's supporters are migrating to websites such as BitChube. AP

The crackdown by social media giants following the siege of the US Capitol building has prompted some of Trump's followers to migrate to new 'free speech' platforms.

BitChute, a video-sharing website, is one of the websites that pro-Trump supporters are increasingly viewing as a suitable alternative to YouTube.

Despite guidelines existing, it appears that BitChute is doing little to remove hateful content.

On the websites, Trump supporters coalesce with video makers and their followers, calling COVID-19 a hoax, denying the Holocaust, and even promoting white supremacist terrorist groups.

Terrorist groups are actively recruiting members on these video-sharing platforms, experts told Insider.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Many of President Donald Trump's supporters have been searching for a new home online ever since major social media platforms banished the president and cracked down on violent content.

With Parler unavailable and YouTube inhospitable to them, a growing number are choosing to migrate to smaller 'free-speech' platforms that do little to moderate hateful and sometimes criminal videos.

Why Trump's most extreme followers are migrating to other websites

The search for a new digital home was accelerated by the events of last week's siege of the US Capitol building when social media giants responded to the chaos and violence by suspending President Donald Trump's accounts.

Twitter banned Trump permanently, Facebook followed suit, and Snapchat also cut ties with the president.

In solidarity, many of his supporters announced that they too, would leave these platforms. #GoodbyeTwitter, for example, was a trending topic on the platform on the day of his suspension.

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It was then rumored, in the immediate aftermath of the social media crackdown was then rumored that Trump was considering signing up to Parler - a social media app long been popular with his followers.

Story continues

Some of the president's supporters, pre-empting Trump's possible appearance on the app, shared their plans to move to Parler.

Parler reported a surge in downloads, indicating that the app was the preferred destination for those on the right choosing to shun major social media platforms.

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Parler's growth, however, was short-lived. Amazon kicked the app off its web-hosting servers, forcing the site to go dark.

Then YouTube, the last major platform to remove Trump, announced steps to crack down on content that might incite violence. It removed content that violated the platform's guidelines and banned Trump from posting new videos for a "minimum" of a week.

Read more: VCs warn that Twitter and Facebook will face backlash on all fronts from banning Trump: Tech 'dictatorships' are over

Trump's most ardent followers, now digitally homeless, began to look for new platforms to populate.

YouTube's far-right alternatives are more popular than ever

"The migration to other websites has existed for a while. We've seen a lot of content splitting off into smaller channels as a result of previous crackdowns that were happening on YouTube from as early as 2019," Dr. Andre Oboler - CEO of the Online Hate Prevention Institute - told Insider.

Last week's suspensions, however, have sped up the process. "The far-right's gravitation towards these platforms for has now certainly been accelerated," Oboler said.

BitChute, a British video hosting website founded in 2017, has drawn in those suspicious of YouTube's moderation policies for over three years. Recently, however, it has seen a massive spike in interest.

Interest over time in BitChute. A value of 100 represents peak popularity for the website. Google Trends

BitChute reached its peak popularity in the immediate aftermath of the attempted coup in Washington DC and Trump's subsequent social media exile.

Google Trends, a tool monitoring search queries, shows that BitChute is currently being searched for more than at any other point in its history.

The peak period was the week of January 10, 2021 - immediately following Trump's ban from Twitter and suspension from YouTube.

"Growth is strong and traffic has doubled this week," a BitChute spokesperson told Insider.

Read more: Author of book on how Trump's Twitter presidency ushered in white rage says social media companies must be held accountable for not taking action sooner

Pro-Trump Twitter users advertised it as the preferred alternative to YouTube. Users of the unencrypted services Telegram and Discord also recommended BitChute in group chats, cybersecurity experts told Insider.

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Other video hubs, less well established than BitChute, have also drawn in those looking to view and post content without the fear of censorship.

BrandNewTube, a platform that advertises itself as one which "wouldn't suppress your opinions," has seen a boost in recent weeks.

Interest over time in BrandNewTube, where a value of 100 represents peak popularity. Google Trends

The video-sharing site, launched in May 2020, has seen a peak in popularity since last month, according to Google Trends.

Other websites, such as WorldTruthVideos - a site popular with anti-vaxxers and climate change skeptics, have also launched and promoted themselves to the far-right in the past year.

Dr. Ben Horne, assistant professor of Information Studies at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, said: "We're seeing a bunch of people attempting to create alternative sites to YouTube and seeing which ones stick."

What is BitChute?

BitChute allows users to upload content that might otherwise be banned on mainstream platforms.

The platform advertises itself as "a service that they [creators] can use to flourish and express their ideas freely."

Based on the videos published on the platform, it is evident that BitChute is popular with Trump supporters, members of the far-right, and followers of QAnon.

It hosts several far-right conspiracy theorists who had previously been banished from YouTube, most notably InfoWars' Alex Jones.

InfoWars, infamous for promoting 9/11 conspiracy theories and alleging that Sandy Hook Elementary School's shooting was a hoax, has over 100,000 subscribers on BitChute.

A screenshot of BitChute's homepage on 15 Janury, 2021. BitChute

The website also hosts videos dismissing COVID-19 as fake, supporting white supremacy, and promoting terrorist acts.

"The content is very extreme and the only videos that get any sort of engagement are very, very extreme," Dr. Ben Horne told Insider.

A quick search of 'Holocaust' on BitChute's browser reveals thousands of videos falsely alleging that the Holocaust did not happen or was exaggerated. Similarly, 'Holohoax' brings up more than 1,500 videos.

Search results for 'Holocaust' on BitChute's website. BitChute

Propaganda videos for terrorist organizations are also relatively easy to find.

Searching 'Atomwaffen' - the name of a sinister neo-Nazi terrorist network - immediately reveals a video glorifying the group.

According to a 2020 study by charity Hope Not Hate, 114 videos supporting proscribed terrorist groups on BitChute - including 23 videos supporting National Action and 86 videos promoting ISIS - were available on the website.

"There are still plenty of videos that are glorifying terrorists and calling for people to do similar things. Atomwaffen and similar groups in Europe use these sites to promote propaganda videos," the charity's researcher Patrik Hermansson told Insider.

Dr. Ben Horne said that these videos actively recruit on the website. "We have found very explicit videos of terrorist groups recruiting with encrypted email links urging people to join them," he said.

Some of the videos are also disturbingly graphic. "The videos we have seen on BitChute include videos of actual terrorist attacks filmed by the terrorists themselves," Dave Rich of the Community Security Trust (CST) - a British charity that combats antisemitism - told Insider.

A propaganda video for Atomwaffen on BitChute. BitChute

There is very little moderation on BitChute

Despite many of these videos breaching laws in numerous countries, it appears that BitChute is doing little to remove them.

BitChute's CEO Ray Vahey told Insider: "Our guidelines are intended to prohibit illegal content and unacceptable behavior that leads to oppression and incitement. We endeavor to enforce our guidelines in a way that is fair, transparent, and does not infringe on the right to freedom of expression or the ability to hold power to account."

Experts strongly dispute that these guidelines are enforced.

Read more: MeWe doesn't want to be the next Parler. But extremist hordes are coming to the social-media site anyway.

Hope Not Hate's Patrick Hermansson told Insider: "They could argue that they just haven't seen the dangerous content but, in reality, it is on their front page. They must look at their front page sometimes."

The CST echoes this view.

Dave Rich, the organization's head of policy, said: "It's a site that is disproportionately used by extremists to post really disgusting, hateful, violent, and racist stuff, and BitChute seems to be doing the bare minimum to discourage or remove this material."

Many advertise that they are 'banned on YouTube and Facebook'

BrandNewTube is another site that has seen a rise in popularity over the past month.

It is a honeypot for conspiracy theorists claiming the COVID-19 pandemic is orchestrated by a shadowy world government.

The website's most popular videos are anti-vaxxer films, many proudly advertising that they are "now banned on YouTube and Facebook."

BrandNewTube's top videos on 15 January, 2021. BrandNewTube

The most popular creator, Dr. Vernon Coleman, shares videos that wrongly suggest that COVID-19 vaccines and national lockdowns are a form of population control and that the coronavirus is not real.

Inevitably, Holocaust denial videos and clips praising Adolf Hitler are also available on the website.

A pro-Hitler video on BrandNewTube's website. BrandNewTube

WorldTruthVideos, a new site with a relatively small following, is also a hotbed of conspiracy theories and anti-Black racism.

A video on WorldTruthVideo's website. WorldTruthVideos

One video, which was published four months ago, threatens to "annihilate" Black people when the "race war" breaks out. The rest of the website is littered with uses of the N-word and images of lynching.

"It is the Wild West on these websites where anything goes," said Dr. Ben Horne.

Sanctuary for the far-right

Horne told Insider: "There isn't anything indicating that this isn't a long-term trend. The biggest barrier to entry is if these platforms have server space."

Parler's CEO has said that the app may never go back online after Amazon removed it from its web-hosting service for violating its terms and conditions.

BitChute, however, uses Epik, a web hosting company that is famously hospitable to controversial websites.

Read more: Parler reportedly spent $300,000 a month on Amazon's cloud before it got banned, and it's a sign that it won't be so easy for the far-right social app to come back online.

The web hosting company was described as a "safe haven for the extreme right" by Vice magazine. It has historically not responded to reports of illegal activity on its websites, according to WIRED.

Epik's reputation as a far-right online sanctuary has resulted in Parler joining Epik, according to Newsweek.

The consequences of de-platforming and the rise of 'splinter' websites

While some have celebrated the de-platforming of the far-right by Big Tech, the splintering into websites like BitChute, BrandNewTube, and WorldTruthVideos present new challenges.

"Pushing extremists off mainstream platforms decreases the number of people that they can radicalize," Dr. Andre Oboler told Insider. "But on the other hand, these new splinter websites give their audience an echo chamber where there isn't any opposition, discussion, or debate."

He continued: "We need to make sure that these new platforms, who refuse to moderate content that crosses into terrorism, are cut off by their suppliers or held accountable by their relevant governments."

Oboler then explained why, after the insurrection at the Capitol, this action is needed urgently: "America has woken up to find out that when freedom of speech crosses a line, it has real-world consequences."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Michael Fields is the Executive Director of Colorado Rising State Action and was a member of the Behavioral Health Task Force.


WASHSINGTON - When a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Leslie hoped that this would be her Trump-supporting parents' wake-up call. She hoped they were watching, maybe feeling ashamed.

Then, a friend called. "Do you know already?" the friend said, and Leslie wondered briefly if someone had died.

The politically liberal 35-year-old cried about the screenshots from her mother's Facebook page, posts defending the pro-Trump crowds and suggesting that Leslie's mom made it at least to the Capitol's steps. Then she reported her mom to the FBI - because "actions," she said, "should have consequences."

"I think before I realized she was this far gone . . . there was a sense that perhaps there was some way to reconcile," said Leslie. "It felt like a death, honestly."

Leslie shared screenshots of text messages in which she shared her FBI tip "submission complete" page, and another friend recounted hearing that Leslie had reported her mother.

Leslie and many others interviewed for this article spoke on the condition that their full name not be revealed, citing concerns about retaliation or further heightening tensions in their families.

In relationships already strained or severed, last week's violent spectacle of democracy under siege has pushed some people to take a drastic new step: warning law enforcement. Anguished Americans are turning in friends and family for their alleged involvement in the Capitol riots, contributing to more than 100,000 tips submitted to the FBI and playing a role in at least one high-profile arrest.

For months - sometimes years - the informants say they have watched helplessly as loved ones embraced far-right ideology and latched onto conspiracy theories, from QAnon to viral-video claims of a coronavirus "Plandemic." Extremism has thrived in the Trump era and under pandemic lockdowns, experts say, with more people isolated at home and misinformation rampant online.

"Far-right extremism is not a small-fringe worldview, it's not an insular cult that only reaches a few dozen or a few hundred people - it's a wide-ranging worldview embedded in American society," said Peter Simi, an associate professor of sociology at Chapman University who has studied far-right extremist groups and violence for more than 20 years.

Increasingly estranged friends and relatives told The Washington Post they were driven to law enforcement by their own politics, a sense of moral obligation and a fear of what their loved ones could do next.

"They left me no choice because they are on such a destructive path and I do worry about other people's safety as well as theirs," said a Texas woman who recounted learning through social media that family members were on the Capitol lawn, apparently beyond the barriers that rioters toppled. Her husband said he can corroborate that she informed the FBI.

Authorities say they have just started making arrests in the wake of the four-hour insurrection attempt at the Capitol, which sent lawmakers into hiding, halted certification of the presidential vote and left five people dead, including a police officer. Hundreds could eventually face charges,and people around the country are volunteering information.

Reddit forums and Twitter threads urge users to turn in even those closest to them - and comfort those who say they did. Some of these online spaces have become safe havens where people share their struggles with the radicalization of a loved one.

"Maybe being held accountable will do them some good," one Reddit user writes in a thread about reporting Capitol rioters, making sure to include the FBI's Web form for tips. Elsewhere, someone notes that Ted Kaczynski, the serial terrorist known as the "Unabomber," was turned in by his brother.

The FBI did not respond to questions about the sources of its Capitol riot tips. But one of their agents described a witness in the case of Larry Rendell Brock, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, who called in identifying herself as Brock's ex-wife. According to the FBI, Brock was photographed last week in the well of the Senate chamber with zip-tie handcuffs - and a military patch recognized by the FBI's tipster, who explained that she was married to Brock for 18 years.

The Post was unable to reach Brock, his relatives or his public defender.

Some family members have stuck by those arrested, defending them to the media. And for others, contacting the FBI feels drastic.

Waking up from a nap last Wednesday to see the Capitol breach on TV, Robyn Sweet said, she had a feeling that her father, Douglas Sweet, was there. She knew he went to the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, she said, and she has listened to him spout QAnon conspiracy theories, speaking of child pedophile rings and a chemical compound supposedly extracted from young captives' blood.

By the time family located him, Robyn said, her father was already arrested. She says she would not have contacted law enforcement anyway, since she does not believe her father harmed anyone. But she says she has heard from a large community of people who are also mourning their own relatives' descent into conspiracy - and who say that if they were in her shoes, they would report.

"I have had a lot of people around the world reaching out to me and saying they feel like they've lost their parents to this radical Trumpism," she said. "They feel like they don't have a family anymore."

The Post could not reach her father, and it is not clear if he has a lawyer. Posting on Facebook after his arrest, Douglas Sweet dismissed his unlawful-entry charge as the equivalent of a "ticket."

Simi argued that while right-wing extremism has been building - and ignored - for decades, it has gained greater force during the Trump administration, fomented not only by the president, but other federal officials as well.

This has brought political extremism in America to unprecedented levels, Simi said, adding, "We really are in unchartered territory."

The coronavirus pandemic has proved a "terrible recipe for extremism," Simi said. Then came the Capitol riots: "What we saw on the 6th is the culmination of something that has been burning and building for quite some time, and in that sense what happened was quite predictable," he said.

The Texas woman who says two of her relatives were on the Capitol lawn also described radicalization long in the making.

"They have closed themselves off from the rest of society, everybody else is the enemy," she said of her relatives. One family member has argued for a "white ethnic state" and the separation of races, she said.

"It's almost like a cult," she said. "They all sit around and share conspiracy theories, that the media is lying to them, they don't want to believe any kind of fact outside of their circle."

Stunned after learning they were at the Capitol last week, she slept on the issue and then tried to discuss it with other family members. The woman says they brushed her off, echoing claims of widespread voting fraud.

"They said I was being ridiculous and overreacting," she said. That response helped push her to report to the FBI.

"I felt I had to do something because it seemed like no one else in their immediate circle was going to talk to them," she said.

Another woman said she informed the FBI about a former friend - estranged because of her increasingly radical politics - who appears in video close to the overrun Capitol, shouting toward police: "Traitor! Traitor Traitor!" The ex-friend, a California attorney named Leigh Dundas, also posted video of herself telling a crowd the day before the Capitol chaos that "we would be well within our rights" to take traitorous Americans "out back and shoot 'em or hang 'em."

The woman shared screenshots of a group chat where she said she reported Dundas to the FBI, and her daughter also corroborated that her mother notified law enforcement.

Dundas did not respond Friday to calls and emails. She wrote on Facebook last week that "the police were the aggressors" on Jan. 6 and blamed "antifa thugs" inside the building. The FBI has said it does not believe antifa was responsible for the day's violence.

Dundas's former friend said she initially felt some hesitation about contacting the FBI. But Dundas's words erased "all of the great things we did together and the wonderful things she did for me," she said.

"What she said about killing people . . . she was talking about me."

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites and Jenn Abelson contributed to this report.
Worthwhile questions posed by more critical fanboys who are worried about the start of the playoffs and how they'll spend this January on the sofa.



Read more . . .
Black Lives Matter Utah Leader Disavows Activist Charged in Capitol Breach

The leader of Black Lives Matter Utah is disavowing the racial justice activist who was arrested for participating in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

We do not want to be associated with John Sullivan, Lex Scott, the founder of Black Lives Matter Utah, told Fox News.

Sullivan was charged last week with being on restricted grounds, civil disorder, violent entry, and disorderly conduct after he admitted to being inside the Capitol while protesters stormed the building.

Sullivan has repeatedly posted online about Black Lives Matter, expressing support for the movement. He founded a group called Insurgence USA, whose website says its founding was spurred by the death of George Floyd, a rallying point for Black Lives Matter, and advocates against police brutality, another point in alignment with the so-called racial justice movement. Sullivan is one of the few black men organizing for racial justice in Utah, his personal website says.

Scott sought to distance Black Lives Matter from Sullivan. She said he never joined the Utah chapter, attended a meeting, or helped with its mission.

He seems like hes kind of a loose cannon. So weve just been distancing ourselves from himbut hes like this thorn in my side that wont go away, she said. John is a new activist. He got here in June, because a lot of bandwagon trendy people came in.

Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 by self-described Marxist activists who were angered by the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of black teenager Trayvon Martin. Hundreds of Black Lives Matter demonstrations have involved violence.

Local chapters are run separately from the national movement. Scott said the Utah chapter makes members sign contracts promising not to incite violence or destroy property.

Video footage from the Capitol showed Sullivan calling to burn the Capitol down as he entered the building with dozens of others on Jan. 6. He told The Epoch Times that he took steps to blend in with protesters supporting President Donald Trump because he has a reputation of being an anti-fascist, or a member of the far-left, anarcho-communist network Antifa. Black Lives Matter and Antifa often participate in events together.

Antifa activists also have attempted to distance themselves from Sullivan, calling him a likely infiltrator.

Sullivan on Jan. 6 also urged U.S. Capitol Police officers to leave their posts, telling them they would be hurt if they didnt. He was near Ashley Babbitt (also spelt Ashli), a pro-Trump Air Force veteran, when she was shot dead while trying to climb into the Speakers Lobby.

Sullivan, who was wearing a ballistic vest and a gas mask and entered the Capitol through a broken window, described himself as armed at one point during the mayhem, according to court filings. He has claimed to be an independent journalist, although he lacked press credentials, the FBI said. Sullivan was released without bail on Jan. 15.

Petr Svab contributed to this report.
The Bay Area struck a hard bargain with its tech workers. Rent was astronomical. Taxes were high. Your neighbors didnt like you. If you lived in San Francisco, you might have commuted an hour south to your job at Apple or Google or Facebook. Or if your office was in the city, maybe it was in a neighborhood with too much street crime, open drug use and $5 coffees. But it was worth it. Living in the epicenter of a boom that was changing the world was what mattered. The city gave its workers a choice of interesting jobs and a chance at the brass ring. That is, ...
Walter Whites fate was sealed in the series finale of Breaking Bad. But what about his family?

We know Walt tried to set them up to live a somewhat comfortable life. But the finale didnt get into what exactly happened to his wife, Skyler White, and their kids, Holly and Walt Jr. Did his plan work, or is his family still struggling? Heres one theory on what happened to Walts family after Breaking Bad.

Bryan Cranston | Ursula Coyote/AMC

How Breaking Bad ended

After spending five seasons reigning as meth kingpin Heisenberg, Walts world began to collapse. Found out by police, he contacted the disappearer and fled New Mexico for New Hampshire, where he resumed a new identity.

But a lonely Walt eventually returned to tie up loose ends, despite the nationwide manhunt for him. At home, he provided Skyler with the location of Hank and Steves burial sites to use as a bargaining chip in negotiating a plea deal and left her some money to support their family. Then he left to meet with Jack at his hideout, where he died after a shootout.

Bryan Cranston | Ben Rothstein/Vinton Productions

RELATED: Breaking Bad: Bryan Cranston Was Not Fully Convinced Walter White Died in the Finale  Heres Why

What happened to Walts family after Breaking Bad ended

On Reddit, one person speculated that Skyler wrote a memoir called Til Meth Do Us Part: Married to Heisenberg that earned her a lucrative book deal. In the words of Looper, that stands in stark contrast to the little-read short stories shed write and the tiny profits she was making selling on eBay at the start of the series.

The theory also says that Walt Jr. no longer goes by his birth name and now uses Flynn, just like he did in the earlier episodes of Breaking Bad. Both he and his mom are well off enough that they have enough money to send Flynn to college and live off of indefinitely.

A lot of viewers will probably agree that it would be nice to see them have a little more peace and stability in their lives, especially after everything that happened in Breaking Bad. But at the same time, it can be argued that thats exactly what happened in the finale when Walt finally agreed to exit their lives.

Bryan Cranston | Ursula Coyote/AMC

RELATED: Breaking Bad: Surprising Hidden Details About Walter Whites House You Never Noticed

Will Breaking Bad ever be revived?

A revival series could definitely offer up more insight into what exactly happened to Walts family after Breaking Bad. But the chances of one happening are extremely low.

Actor Bryan Cranston (Walter White) previously said at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con that its best to leave it alone. He continued (via Comic Book): I dont want to mess with it. It was the perfect opportunity that changed all of our lives. It changed many lives on our show.

But at least theres Better Call Saul  the Breaking Bad spinoff centered around Saul Goodman and his past life as do-good lawyer Jimmy McGill. Better Call Saul has received strong reviews from fans and critics since its premiere, with some arguing that its even better than its predecessor. Sound interesting? See more of our coverage below.
"There are many people who have been part of the Covid war, and who are the unsung heroes. They have worked tirelessly behind the scenes. They are ones really who have gone into the Covid areas without any formal training on infection control. They have risked themselves and very often we need to acknowledge them. So, I think this is a tribute to all healthcare workers," Dr Guleria, who also got the jab on Saturday, told News18. Photo: PTI<br />
Increased taxes, curbed trading hours, stricter advertising regulations, and a higher drinking age limit are among the legislative measures government is considering to clamp down on alcohol abuse in South Africa.

This is according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, who recently elaborated on the ANCs position regarding alcohol abuse in South Africa during an interview with The Sunday Times.

The ruling partys annual January 8 statement this year included comments about the impact of the ongoing alcohol ban amid the second wave of COVID-19 in the country, pointing to possible permanent interventions in this regard.

The temporary restrictions that were placed on the availability of alcohol under the state of disaster regulations have demonstrated the extent to which abuse of alcohol fuels violence, trauma and reckless behaviour and places a burden on our health system and emergency services, the statement reads.

We must take measures to reduce the abuse of alcohol through a combination of legislative and other measures and community mobilisation, it added.

Ramaphosa told The Sunday Times that steps were necessary in order to ease the pressure alcohol abuse had on the healthcare system.

What is clear in my mind is that it raised its ugly head now during [the] COVID [pandemic] and we saw what abuse of alcohol does in the number of trauma cases that are often reported; when we imposed the ban, many trauma cases stopped, he said.

He noted while government would start with intensified campaigns against the abuse of alcohol, there were several legislative interventions it could implement.

These could include raising the alcohol drinking age limit, or changing trading hours for liquor purchases.

In addition, Ramaphosa said increased taxation was a possibility, as this had resulted in a drop in consumption in other countries.

Furthermore, liquor advertising could come under the spotlight.

Should alcohol be as widely and broadly advertised as it is, to a point that even young children see alcohol being advertised throughout the course of the day; what should we do about that, should they advertise or not? Ramaphosa asked.

SAB cancels R2.5-billion investment

The constitutionality of governments decision to ban alcohol for a third time under COVID-19 lockdown regulations has been challenged by South African Breweries (SAB), however.

The company has said it will approach the court as it believes the ban goes far beyond what is reasonable and necessary to contain the spread of the virus and unlawfully restricts various rights that are enshrined and protected by the constitution.

These include the right to freedom of trade, the right to human dignity, privacy, and the right to bodily and psychological integrity, SAB said.

It argued that the alcohol ban removes the South African publics right to responsibly consume alcohol in the privacy of their own homes, noting that the prohibition would have severe negative effects on local industry.

The damage to the South African economy and impact on the alcohol value chain arising from the ban on the sale of alcohol is, in SABs view, disproportional and unlawful.

Earlier this week, SAB announced it had cancelled a R2.5 billion capital investment in South Africa following the latest ban.

This brings the brewers cancelled capital expenditure in the country to R5 billion since the first alcohol ban was introduced in March 2020.

The cancelled investments relate to upgrades to operating facilities, product innovation, operating systems, as well as the installation of new equipment at selected plants.

This decision will impact on the profitability of and number of jobs created by the companies that would have worked with SAB to execute the capital investment plans, it said.

Now read: Reopening of South African schools postponed
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We werent surprised that some Derryfield School alumni calling themselves an inclusion alliance are demanding the exclusion of Shannon McGinley from the board of trustees. More and more these days, inclusion is defined on both left and right as including only those with like-minded views.
Imagine the horror if the president had won.

Not the simultaneous riots...er, I mean, mostly peaceful protests perpetrated across the country by Black Lives Matter and Antifa. How many businesses would have been firebombed? How many police stations and government buildings would have been overrun? How many college campuses would be aflame with leftist activism?

No, not the left-wing media and Hollywood losing their collective minds.

Not the cries of voter suppression and racism (because of course racism).

Not the violence and threat of violence committed against the president, his family, and anyone (of us 75 million people) in his sphere.

No, the horror I'm speaking about is the right's treatment of our defeated foes.

As we see how the collective left is (mis)treating those of us who supported a different candidate, and therefore a different agenda for America, let us take pause to consider the horrors that might have been directed toward our Democrat neighbors had the president won.

Imagine them having to endure watching us go to work the next day.

Or us waving at them as we walk around the block with our children, grandchildren, and pets.

Imagine our calls for unity, getting local and state government off our backs.

Imagine a rebounding economy.

Imagine blacks, Hispanics and women with the employment gains they had secured under the president's first term.

Imagine the restoration of peace and order imposed on our Democrat-run inner cities.

Imagine more Arab countries making peace treaties with our ally, Israel.

Imagine Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un being kept in check by continued peace-through-strength initiatives in the Pacific.

Imagine the mean things that our president might have said, though, about the Iranian mullahs, Kim Jong-un, Xi Jinping, or Joy Behar.

Imagine the continued drawdown of overseas troops.

Imagine us not agreeing with what you say, but defending your right to say it, or the myriad of other civil liberties defended and protected on your and our behalf.

Imagine continued calls for patriotism in support of our flag, our constitution, our service members, the police, and the Judeo-Christian values that have sustained our nation for the past 245 years.

Imagine our Republican...ahem...representatives glad-handing with each other for their support of the president in his re-election bid, proclaiming that they always had his back.

Yeah, while we await the left's next measure of punishment, let's not lose sight of how horrific things might have been for America had Donald Trump won the presidency.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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Pres. Trump signs bipartisan law creating ambassador position to combat anti-Semitism

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A bipartisan bill creating an ambassador-at-large position to combat anti-Semitism was signed into law by President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

The Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act, introduced in the House by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., elevates the special envoy position and provides more clout and resources to the office in charge of leading the U.S. response to fighting anti-Semitism worldwide.

Anti-Semitism [has been] on the rise in many countries around the globe over the past 10 years, Smith warned in a statement.

Weve seen members of the Jewish community harassed, intimidated, assaulted and even killed. Weve seen sacred places like synagogues and graves desecrated. Weve heard the use of anti-Semitic slurs and threats, and the open targeting of the State of Israel with what the great Soviet refusenik and former religious prisoner Natan Sharansky told me are the three Ds  demonization, double-standards and de-legitimization of Israel.

Part of the job description of the position is to implement foreign policy objectives to combat hatred and discrimination toward Jews. The person currently serving in that role is Elan S. Carr, the son of Iraqi Jewish refugees who fled persecution in Iraq. Carr formerly served as deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County and has prosecuted violent crimes for more than a decade, including hate crimes.

Smiths bill was co-sponsored by 87 members of the House from both major political parties. Sens. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Jackie Rosen, D-Nev., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and their staffs helped push through the legislation on the Senate side.

My new law will raise the special envoy to the rank of ambassador-at-large, a high-level position that will allow the special envoy to report directly to the secretary of state, Smith said.

The official rank of ambassador comes with greater seniority and diplomatic access not only here in Washington, but equally important, overseas in dealing with foreign governments. In short, it gives the special envoy the clout required to do the job more effectively.

The House voted twice to approve Smiths legislation, once in September 2018 and again in January 2019. But in each instance, the bill stalled in the Senate even though it had the backing of human rights groups, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee Hadassah and Agudath Israel of America. The upper house passed the bill last December.

The enactment was praised by Jewish leaders.

Sadly, we have seen a surge of anti-Semitic incidents around the world in recent years, Nathan Diament, executive director for the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, said in a statement. With the passage of this legislation, Congress is providing powerful new tools to the State Department to lead impactful international efforts to combat what has been aptly called the worlds oldest form of hatred and roll back the tide of anti-Jewish hate.

Chaplain Taakov Wegner of the National Chaplains Association called the new law a welcome step in battling divisiveness and hate.

The National Chaplains Association applauds President Donald J. Trump for approving Congressman Chris Smith's important bill which will help battle the scourge of anti-Semitism worldwide, Wegner said in a statement shared by Smiths office.

In May, the international Jewish human rights organization Ant-Defamation League reported that the American Jewish community experienced record levels of anti-Semitic incidents in 2019. The organization began tracking such incidents in 1979. The group reported as many as 2,100 acts of assault, vandalism and harassment across the U.S.

In recent years, the Jewish community in the U.S. was targeted in horrific attacks on their places of worship and businesses, such as the synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh in 2018, the Poway synagogue shooting in California in April 2019, the Jersey City kosher mart shooting in December 2019 and the December 2019 stabbing at the home of a Hasidic rabbi in Monsey, New York.

In 2019, there was a spree of violent assaults against Jewish people in New York City.

Anti-Semitism is not just a problem in the U.S. In October 2019, a far-right gunman conducted an attack on a synagogue in Halle, Germany, while worshipers were inside celebrating Yom Kippur. Failing to break in, the gunman killed two people outside the synagogue.

On Wednesday, police in Montreal, Quebec, arrested a man who reportedly was caught defacing the Congregation Shaar Hashomayim synagogue with swastikas and planning to torch the building.

The new laws enactment comes over a year after President Donald Trump passed an executive order aimed at combatting anti-Semitism on college campuses in the U.S. The order directs federal agencies to treat anti-Semitic acts as a violation of civil rights.

Trumps order relied upon the definition of anti-Semitism drafted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews, the definition reads. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

The order was opposed by critics who argued that it would enable the government to withhold funding from colleges that support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. The movement is aimed at opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

Smith, who has served in Congress since 1981, is seen as arguably the leading congressional champions for international religious freedom, taking the baton from retired Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia.

He previously served as co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. He also authored the 2016 Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, which bolstered the State Department's ability to help counter-terrorism and the increasing persecution of religious minorities.
Among those most reluctant to return to their workplaces full-time were people aged 35-49 years with school-aged children. Management consultant Mark Geels is looking forward to getting back to his desk and seeing his colleagues but expects to continue working from home in some way for the foreseeable future. "I'll keep it as flexible as I can. Our workplace very much encourages flexible working and has done so even before the pandemic, but it's never been as well followed as since the pandemic," he said. "I'll never say never, but I don't envisage [going to the office] five days a week at least for the next six months."

He said the pandemic had proven that office workers could be productive at home, but that staff were missing catch-ups and chance encounters with their colleagues. "Every meeting has to be planned. Rarely are they just spontaneous, and that's what you really miss out on." Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp has pushed for workers - a vital part of what makes our city great - to get back into the CBD to help cafes and bars that rely on office staff. "Our message to workers returning to the city is that we've missed you, welcome back," Cr Capp said. Mr Geels said workers benefit from chance encounters with their colleagues. Credit:Jason South

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry acting chief executive Dugald Murray has predicted that staff numbers might not increase beyond 60 per cent of capacity even when restrictions are eased again in late February, subject to health advice. Loading Commercial vacancy rates increased to 13.2 per cent in the last quarter of 2020, according to new data from Macquarie, which described it as the worst year for demand on record. There were 68,000 square metres of empty office space in Melbourne in the quarter, compared to 57,000 in Sydney. Cr Capp said the council could consider converting under-used offices if working arrangements change in the long term, and acknowledged the city would have to adapt.

This requires a mindset and policy change after years of managing the momentum of a strongly growing economy, she said. "There are going to be challenges for our economy with fewer workers in the city for the immediate future. We also dont know how flexible working arrangements will play out in the medium and long term." "Our team will also be studying our residential population and what opportunities there are to convert under-utilised commercial buildings into apartments and creative spaces. However, she said Melbourne cant be replicated and events, hospitality and retail need investment to build on our strengths to entice people to return.

Professor Buxton believes the emptying out of commercial buildings will be temporary, saying the greater threat to the CBD was the loss of international students and short-term renters in high-rise apartments. Its those buildings that could need to be repurposed for new tenants, he said, cautioning it was too soon to say whether this would eventuate. We might just have to look around for other ways to fill large numbers of vacant apartments. One option is public housing, for example, Professor Buxton said. He said Australia was one of the only countries in the western world to construct high-rise residential apartments that rely on international arrivals, a risky model dependent on international relations. Before the pandemic hit, students comprised 45 per cent of the residential population in central Melbourne at the time of the 2016 census, many of them international students.

About 40,181 people lived in the CBD in 2016, which was expected to grow by an average 4.1 per cent a year, according to forecasts prepared for the City of Melbourne in 2019. Danni Hunter, Victorian executive director of the Property Council of Australia, agreed there would be challenges for residential developments without international students. Everything's changed, the fundamentals of what makes the property industry tick has really changed, but there's a lot of opportunities in it, she said. Ms Hunter said there would be a period of transition before it became clear which behavioural changes became permanent. The property industry is extremely agile and is already responding to these rapid trends as we change floor plates, build in home offices and become ultra-connected across locations."

Back in the 1990s, the city council and state government transformed the CBD by encouraging residential development under the Postcode 3000 project, which led to empty office buildings being converted into apartments. It brought thousands of residents into the city. Several candidates in last years city council election advocated for again repurposing empty office buildings into social housing or artist hubs. Mark Feenane, executive officer of the Victorian Public Tenants Association, said that could be a feasible option to address the shortfall in public housing. If existing buildings can be repurposed into safe, long-term housing that gives Victorians an opportunity to live with dignity, that would warrant serious consideration. COVID-19 rules changing from 11.59pm on Sunday, January 17 -From Monday, private workplaces will be able to increase to 50 per cent staff capacity and the Victorian public service will be able to return to 25 per cent staff capacity at each site. -Masks will no longer be required in most workplaces. They will only be mandatory on all domestic flights, at airports, in hospitals, on public transport, in commercial passenger vehicles, at supermarkets and shopping centres.
Thousands of travellers have found themselves grounded in New Zealand throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, watching on from afar as their respective nations suffered differing fortunes.

Luckily for those marooned explorers, including many based in the Bay of Plenty, Aotearoa has happily pulled in a few ringers from around the globe to join the team of five million.

In March last year, as the pandemic picked up momentum, British couple Andy Coman and Millie Fawcett made a decision. They hurriedly packed their bags and flew from Thailand to New Zealand, heading to the final destination of a backpacking adventure earlier than anticipated.

We got here just about in time, Andy admits. Very, very lucky.

Andy and Millie spent the first lockdown with relatives in the South Island. With schools closed, the two teachers helped home school children within their bubble.

The pair went on to embrace the tourism sector in the country at a time when it desperately needed a boost, travelling around the relentlessly stunning roads of both the North and South.

Since September 2020, they have called the Bay of Plenty home, straddling residences with friends in both Mount Maunganui and Aongatete. Life has been relatively normal for them since, compared to the multiple lockdowns, furlough schemes, and death toll in the UK.

Being in a country where things are basically normal and got back to normal so quickly you have to remind yourself sometimes of the absolute chaos in the rest of the world, Andy ruminates. Especially back home. We have just been phenomenally lucky.

At Mount Backpackers hostel on Maunganui Road, the common room is still a sea of accents. British, Irish, German, Brazilian and many more varying inflections permeate.

Miguel Franco, from Spain, arrived in October 2019. He has travelled across the country visiting impressive Milford Sound, Abel Tasman and Wellington. He also spent a month with a family in Rotorua perfecting his English.

Mount Maunganui has been his home for nearly a year now. He spent lockdown last March in the hostel with 37 other guests although insists everyone kept their sanity. Miguel now works at the hostel, putting his lengthy experience as a guest to good use.

Like the United Kingdom, Miguels homeland has been ravaged by Covid in a way New Zealanders can only dread. Therefore, it is not lost on Miguel how fortunate he has been.

I think it is so lucky. Always I say the same that I am so lucky to be here because in Spain the situation is so bad.

The Mount has become like a second home for Miguel, the cooling breeze reminding him of his native Zaragoza.

To live life in the Mount is perfect. The location, two minutes to the beach, all the bars here, it is perfect.

Miguel will be leaving at the end of the month, heading back to Spain via a trip to Seattle, USA, to visit relatives. He admits trepidation at the prospect of leaving the relative safety of these shores.

In Europe it is like a second wave. It is a bit scary now.

Miguel had hoped to ride out the global health crisis in New Zealand, whilst continuing to work and enjoy life in the Bay. The longevity of Covids grip on his homeland, and most of Europe, has been a shock.

I have to come back to Spain. My idea was to stay here until the situation was better. But now I dont know how it is going to be when I go back.

Whilst happy being stranded in the relative normalcy of New Zealand, Andy and Millie are also planning on heading home in February.

Even though it is so chaotic at home, it is still home, says Andy.

But what New Zealand has offered is not lost on these halted globe-trotters.

The culture here, the ethos, is to be nice and be welcoming which has helped us get through a fairly chaotic time, Andy stated.

Even without Covid, we have been lucky to spend a year in New Zealand, it is a wonderful thing. It felt like a nice version of home. Friendly, beautiful, warmer, Millie interjects.

She then makes one thought abundantly clear. We are so grateful to New Zealand and to Kiwis.

The gratitude is clear to see. No doubt those who have taken safe haven in Aotearoa during these unprecedented times will be welcomed back with typical Kiwi hospitality in the future.

Reporter Mathew Nash is from the UK and is himself in New Zealand on a working holiday.
Press Release

January 17, 2021 Bong Go lauds private sector, LGU initiatives to secure COVID-19 vaccines; renews calls for bayanihan to help poor and vulnerable sectors overcome health crisis Senator and chair of the Senate Committee on Health Christopher "Bong" Go virtually attended on Thursday, January 14, the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the Philippine government, participating local government units, private sector donors, and drug firm AstraZeneca for the procurement of seventeen million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The private sector had pledged to donate 2.6 million doses from AstraZeneca through the 'A Dose of Hope' program last November. Now a similar deal has been signed, which will secure an additional 14.4 million doses for the country. The first batch of doses is expected to arrive by July. "Napakahalaga ng papel ng bakuna sa ating recovery mula sa kasalukuyang pandemya. Ito po ang magiging susi upang makabalik ang pamumuhay natin sa normal. Kaya naman, napakalaking bagay ng ceremonial signing na magaganap ngayong araw dahil opisyal na nitong uumpisahan ang ating pagbangon mula sa COVID-19," the Senator said in his video message. He also praised the combined efforts of the national government, LGUs, and private sector for delivering a timely and effective national vaccination program for Filipinos. He stressed the importance of a whole-of-nation approach in addressing the challenges of the pandemic and uplifting the lives of the people. "This is a true showcase of how the Philippine government and private groups can unite in protecting its people against the pandemic. To everyone involved in the 'A Dose of Hope' project, I congratulate you on this achievement and may you never tire in supporting our countrymen and women, especially those who need it the most," Go continued. The 'A Dose of Hope' project is an initiative by the private sector to procure vaccines for the government. It is led by Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion. "We are all part of the solution to this public health issue. Therefore, we must all share the responsibility if we want to recover from this pandemic," added the Senator. Meanwhile, Go urged concerned authorities to ensure that poor and vulnerable sectors, as well as medical and uniformed frontliners are prioritized to receive the vaccine in the first phases of administration as directed by President Rodrigo Duterte. He also reiterated his call for a nationwide information campaign to educate the public on the various processes being undertaken and the distribution plan for the vaccine roll-out to raise the public's confidence and allay fears. In addition, the Senator said the government's top priorities this 2021 are to address the issue of hunger, immunize the priority sectors, and promote economic recovery by providing more job opportunities. "Asahan ninyong bibigyang prayoridad ng gobyerno ang tatlo sa mga pinakamahalahang hamon upang maka-recover na tayo sa COVID-19 pandemic. Una riyan ang kagutuman na siyang pinaka-urgent na dapat nating lutasin," he stated. "Ikalawa ang pagpapabakuna sa ating health workers at mga poor at vulnerable sectors na silang pinaka-nangangailangan ng vaccine. Panghuli, isusulong natin ang mga polisiya na mag-uudyok sa mga negosyo at investors na magbukas nang marami pang mga trabaho para sa ating mga kababayan," he added. Until the nation has achieved herd immunity, Go reminded everyone to diligently take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from the virus, reduce its transmission, and help to make their communities safer. He also stressed that maintaining the health and safety of the nation will require the cooperation of everyone. "As I have said, this war is yet to be won. Hindi pa po tapos ang laban. We have to build on our early successes and learn from the lessons of the past year. I urge everyone to continue cooperating with the government and follow health and safety protocols to stop the spread of the disease," appealed Go. "Ang pakikipagbayanihan natin at pagmamalasakit sa kapwa ang susi upang maiahon ang ating mga kababayan mula sa hirap na dulot ng pandemyang ito. Tulad ng sinabi ng Pangulo, no Filipino should be left behind in our road towards recovery," he ended.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17)  For Vice President Leni Robredo, women who led other countries have shown that they can get the job done.

In her radio show Biserbisyong Leni on Sunday, Robredo refuted the remark of President Rodrigo Duterte that women are not fit for the presidency.

"Unang una, alam natin kung ano iyong pagtingin ni Pangulo sa mga kababaihan. At hindi tayo sang-ayon doon. At napakababa ng pagtingin sa mga kababaihan kaya nga nangyayari itong mga sinasabi niya," Robredo said, before noting that female chief executives have fared better when responding to the pandemic.

[Translation: First of all, we already know what the President thinks of women, and we do not agree to that. And he has always underestimated them, that's why he can say things like this.

"Pangalawa, napapaligiran tayo sa buong mundo ng mga babaeng napakahuhusay na chief executives. In fact, during the pandemic, iyong mga best performing na mga bansa ay led by women..." she said. "Pero sa akin, may epekto ito sa laban natin sa gender equality, sa rights of women na matagal na natin itong pinaglalaban."

[Translation: Second, the world is filled with women who make excellent chief executives. In fact, during the pandemic, the best performing countries were led by women. For me, this has an effect on our fights against gender equality, and women's rights that we have long been fighting for.]

Robredo also called on Duterte to be more "circumspect" with his remarks, noting that cautioning his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and other women leaders will only leave an unnecessary mark on those who wish to participate in the government.

"Dapat sana responsibility niya din na maging circumspect sa sinasabi kasi Pangulo siya, hindi lang siya ordinaryong tao na iyong mga nakakarinig lang iyong apektado...hindi lang ito kay Mayor Sara o sa akin, o sino pang mga kilalang women leaders, pero sa lahat ng mga kababaihang Pilipina, may epekto iyong mababang pagtingin ng Pangulo."

[Translation: It is his responsibility to be circumspect, because he is the President, he is not just an ordinary person who will only affect those who listen to him...such remark does not only apply to Mayor Sara or me, or other women leaders, but also all Filipino women, his lowly perception only leaves a mark.]

In his speech last Thursday, Duterte stressed that he has been discouraging his daughter from succeeding his post, noting that "the presidency is not a woman's job."

"The emotional setup of a woman and a man is totally different. Maging g*go ka dito (You will be foolish here). That's the sad story," he added.

READ: Duterte tells daughter Sara not to run, says being president not a woman's job

This is not the first time Duterte discouraged his daughter from gunning for the presidency. He told Sara last year that she should let go any plans of running unless she believes she can improve everyone's lives.

Duterte also warned that he has a mouthful to say against Robredo, should she decide to gun for the presidency in 2022.

READ: Duterte fumes over Robredo's typhoon efforts: 'Do not compete with me'

The Philippines only had two female presidents in history: Corazon Aquino and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden were among those who were previously lauded for their early intervention measures that controlled the transmission of COVID-19 in their respective countries.
A thug, who shattered the legs of a garda, by ramming the officer between a stolen car and a Garda patrol vehicle, toasted his first night of freedom by posing for pictures with a Budweiser.

Our picture shows 31-year-old Patrick McDonagh back at home in Balbriggan on Wednesday night after being freed from Mountjoy Prison on serving just over five years behind bars.

His release comes just over 18 months after the devastating life-altering injuries sustained by Garda Ciaran Murrihy led to the High Court awarding him damages in the sum of 975,000.

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McDonagh, had 19 previous convictions for offences including drink driving, robbery and aggravated burglary, when he reversed a stolen vehicle into the legs of Gda Murrihy at Clonuske Rise, Hamlet Lane, Balbriggan on the night of August 29, 2015.

The then 26-year-old subsequently pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to causing serious harm to Gda Murrihy.

He further pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment of Gda Murrihy, assaulting Garda Stephen Hughes and Garda Vincent Turley and unlawful use and criminal damage of a vehicle at the same location and date.

Sergeant Padraig Lynch told Kathleen Noctor BL, prosecuting, that Gda Murrihy, Gda Hughes and Garda Lucy Woods spotted the stolen Citroen parked in the estate.

He said McDonagh reversed the vehicle as the gardai approached it on foot from either side and crashed into the patrol car behind, jamming Gda Murrihy, who fell on the ground as the Citroen continued moving backwards over his ankle.

McDonagh then drove the vehicle forward while Gda Murrihy was on the ground and sped around the corner into a cul-de-sac, where he crashed the car into a wall and attempted to flee on foot.

He assaulted Gda Turley as he was being arrested and made no admissions during interview, but entered an early guilty plea.

Gda Murrihy, described in his victim impact statement how he was "haunted" by the vision of McDonagh driving the stolen car directly at him.

Gda Murrihy said he had since gone from being a proud garda and active father-of-two to feeling "useless".

"I was so active and now I spend all day, every day doing nothing it was not meant to be like this," he said in the statement read out in court by Sergeant Lynch.

Gda Murrihy outlined how he had been in a "good place" in his 14-year career and had loved the way his children saw him as "their big, strong dad".

He also paid tribute to his wife, who he said helped him with everything. He described missing work and his formerly busy lifestyle and added that he now only had medical appointments to plan for.

Judge Martin Nolan imposed the seven-year sentence on the most serious charge. He also imposed a concurrent sentence of three-and-a-half years for the offence of assaulting Gda Hughes.

The sentences dated from August 31 2015 when McDonagh went into custody - but with remission applied he qualified for release from prison last Wednesday.

At a hearing in June 2019 to decide on the sum compensation to be awarded to Gda Murrihy, further horrific details emerged, including how he had to roll away to avoid his legs being repeatedly run over.

Gda Murrihy was in a wheelchair when he attended the criminal court in February 2016 and the court heard he was expected to be out of work for "a very long time".

Notwithstanding, the sickening consequences of McDonagh's actions on the night of August 29, 2015, he was welcomed back with open arms by family members.

"Welcome home from jail kid, enjoy your nite," wrote one.




The big financial story of the moment is the economic destruction resulting from coronavirus and repeated lockdowns  and rightly so.

On Friday, the latest data on the economy's shrinkage  a 2.6 per cent contraction in November  worryingly confirmed that we are heading for a 'double-dip' recession.

In other words, another period of economic decline after last year's recession and subsequent bounce-back. All rather frightening.

Despair: There are flaws in his aid packages that Chancellor Rishi Sunak should iron out as a matter of urgency

For many small businesses, the situation is becoming dire. As my colleague Sarah Bridge reports above, hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs  the heartbeat of our economy  are in danger of losing their livelihoods unless the Government comes to their help.

Like other businesses, they have been derailed by lockdown. But, unfairly, they are being denied financial assistance because of inconsistencies in the Government's approach to the awarding of grants. Flaws that Chancellor Rishi Sunak should iron out as a matter of urgency.

Our mailbag is a barometer of the big financial issues facing households and small businesses.

This is top of the list. We need these entrepreneurs to survive in order to drive the economy forward as the coronavirus threat weakens and lockdown is no more  ensuring we move from a double-dip recession to a double bounce-back.

......................................................................................................................................

Nobody should shed a tear for the eight former board members of collapsed construction company Carillion.

This follows a legal bid by the Government to bar them from becoming company directors for up to 15 years.

Although the action taken against these former stewards of a FTSE100 company by new Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is unprecedented, it is the right one.

At various stages, they presided over a business that employed 19,500 workers in the UK until it went into liquidation in 2018 with debts of 1.5billion.

It was a company that a joint parliamentary select committee report described as being modelled on a 'relentless dash for cash, driven by acquisitions, rising debt, expansion into new markets and exploitation of suppliers'.

And one that put the payment of dividends to shareholders ahead of ensuring the company's defined benefit pension schemes for employees were adequately funded.

It's a shame therefore that a new pension law passing through Parliament this month  and born out of a Conservative manifesto pledge to protect 'pension pots from being plundered by reckless bosses'  will not apply to these individuals.

Under the Pension Schemes Act, it will now be a criminal offence for a company official to engage in any conduct that endangers the accrued pension benefits of workers. As well as the risk of being jailed, there is the potential for personal fines of up to 1million.

According to Laura Amin, of pensions consultant Lane Clark & Peacock, the legislation will have 'profound implications' for more than 5,000 businesses that run defined benefit pension schemes.

She says it will need to be considered  'in the room'  every time a corporate decision is taken.

She adds: 'Any company decision which materially affects the chance of pensions being paid in the future could be challenged in a court of law, potentially years after the event.

'And if the court decides that someone should have been aware of the impact of the decision they were making, they can find themselves facing a hefty fine or worse.'
A ferry service linking Brisbane's CBD with North Stradbroke Island, which the Palaszczuk government promised would open by Christmas, is yet to take a single passenger because it has not been certified by council.

In September, then-tourism minister Kate Jones announced three new pontoons would be built at Howard Smith Wharves.

Howard Smith Wharves is a step closer to having its own CityCat terminal.

The project would be a "game changer" for Brisbane residents, especially those living in the north and west of the city, who have to drive about 30 kilometres from the CBD to the Cleveland terminal.

Construction of one of the pontoons has finished but is "waiting on Brisbane City Council certification before it can be used as a passenger terminal", a Tourism Department spokesman said.
Health Minister Greg Hunt says Australia is proceeding with extreme caution in the process to gain approval for the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine despite deaths in elderly Norwegian patients.

Leading health experts say the reports of about 30 deaths do not mean the vaccine is ineffective or unsafe and it should still be rolled out across Australia.

Health experts say Australians should be confident in the regulatory approval process and vaccine rollout. Credit:Getty

Mr Hunt said people should be confident in the process of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and there was no evidence yet of a concrete link between the vaccine and the deaths.

We don't know yet whether this is a function simply of age and people who are older and sadly facing the natural loss of their life, or whether there's any causation that hasn't been asserted as yet, he said on Sunday. But we're proceeding with an abundance of caution.
If you pass Courthouse Square in Scranton and follow Washington Avenue, youll eventually enter Green Ridge, a neighborhood seemingly preserved in 1950s-era America.

Stately old residences line this leafy stretch of North Washington Avenue, where Scranton Loves Joe signs adorn lawns. There isnt any doubt about the politics of where President-elect Joe Biden spent his early youth. Where Biden grew up in Green Ridge, Irish-Catholic Democrat was one conjoined word, said Austin Burke, former president of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. That political allegiance remains intact  especially with a native son about to ascend to the White House.

Wednesday, Biden will become the 46th president amid nightmarish conditions. The nations chaotic state is the ultimate test for Biden, who, for decades, has presented himself as a loyal Democrat but also a unifying, centrist figure.

Bidens persona is shaped by his Scranton roots. Its important to understand how the former vice president is a product of the Electric City, where politics remains something of a local industry. Biden has been shaped for years as a creature of Washington, but before that he was a creature of Scranton, said Christopher Borick, a native of Throop and director of Muhlenberg Colleges Institute of Public Opinion.

Though Biden lived in Scranton only until age 10, the citys political and cultural past is encoded in his DNA. Tim Hinton, a Scranton attorney and distant relative, noted that the president-elect has deep, widespread roots (among) very prominent people who did a lot to shape Scranton and help build up the city, whether designing roads, inspecting mines or serving in the state Senate.

Bidens maternal great-great-grandfather, Patrick Blewitt, left Irelands County Mayo 170 years ago and settled with his parents in Scranton, then a center for coal, iron and railroads. He became a local engineer, planning many of Scrantons streets as the region experienced explosive population growth. By 1880, when Scrantons population reached 45,000, the Irish had diluted the political influence of Welsh Methodist Republicans, who often worked as mine superintendents. Bidens maternal great-grandfather, Edward F. Blewitt, ascended the citys Democratic hierarchy, served as city engineer under Mayor Terence Powderly, later head of the Knights of Labor and served in the state Senate from 1907 to 1910. He was a founder of Scrantons chapter of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, which became a local political force.

The Irish always controlled the city, noted Michael DeMichele, a retired University of Scranton historian. A native of South Scranton, DeMichele recounted working in playgrounds when City Hall was controlled by James Hanlon, mayor from 1946 to 1962. Irish political leaders ran ethnically diverse tickets then to maintain control in the melting-pot city.

Biden was born in 1942, not long after Scrantons population peaked at 143,000. The Irish elite dominated Green Ridge. Bidens family lived with his maternal grandparents in a three-story home near Marywood University. Even then, Green Ridge was always seen as the way up, said Borick. And as an Irish Catholic, being a lawyer or a politician was a vocation and path forward.

Of course, other Scrantonians followed this vocation. In 1964, William Scranton  the citys patrician namesake, a liberal Republican and Pennsylvanias then-governor  made a last-minute effort to secure the GOP nomination from Barry Goldwater. At the time, Robert P. Casey, father of current U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, was Scrantons state senator. In 1986, Casey Sr., a Green Ridge resident, defeated William Scrantons son, Bill, in Pennsylvanias gubernatorial race.

By St. Patricks Day 1973, Biden was Americas youngest U.S. senator, representing Delaware. On that day, not long after the tragic death of his wife and daughter, Biden spoke for the first time at the annual dinner hosted by the local Friendly Sons. Among the attendees was Gene Peters, who served as Scrantons Republican mayor from 1970 to 1978. I said he could be president someday, Peters said.

Now, Biden will fulfill that role. Of course, Scranton has profoundly changed since 1973. New immigrant groups, including Nepali-Bhutanese and Hispanics, reside in neighborhoods such as South Side. Nearly half of Scrantons ethnic Catholic parishes have closed or consolidated since the late 2000s. Paige Gebhardt Cognetti, an Oregon native and Obama administration alum, won election as an independent in 2019.

The Democratic Party no longer wields the regional influence that it enjoyed during Bidens youth. Though every city precinct favored Biden in November, Northeast Pennsylvania is trending Republican. In 2016, Trump lost Lackawanna County by about 3,500 votes to Hillary Clinton, whose father, a Republican, grew up in Scranton.

Biden carried Lackawanna by nearly 10,000 votes. If you had told me years ago that Biden, or anybody from Scranton, was running for president, I would think hed get 80% of the vote in Lackawanna, Borick noted.

Amid the regions shifting politics, Green Ridge remains frozen in time. One recent afternoon, a trio of children ascended a hill off North Washington Avenue to Hanks Hoagies, a luncheonette where a life-size cutout figure of Biden greets customers. The neighborhood was calm, even idyllic, and a parallel universe compared to the national state of affairs.

It remains to be seen how Biden can serve as a calming, if transitional, force during this dark time. I feel very confident about Biden, said Peters, the former GOP mayor. I tried to serve all the people  thats my philosophy in government  and I believe Biden will have a similar approach.

Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Mirae Asset Financial Group founder Park Hyeon-joo, left, and Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma / Korea Times file



By Park Jae-hyuk



Mirae Asset Financial Group founder Park Hyeon-joo has drawn attention from domestic investors, after he publicly gave support to Beijing's ongoing regulations on Ant Group and Jack Ma, the largest shareholder of the e-commerce giant Alibaba Group's fintech arm.



The Korean financial mogul's pro-Chinese government stance is widely interpreted as a kind of strategic choice for his company's success in both countries, although he cited "social balance" as the official reason for his remarks.



Park, who is also serving as the global investment strategy officer (GISO) of Mirae Asset Daewoo, made the controversial remarks during a rare appearance on the brokerage firm's YouTube channel last week, in which he was sharing his investment philosophies with viewers.



In the second video clip uploaded a day after his YouTube appearance, the GISO said the decision by Chinese authorities to prevent Ant from going public last November was quite appropriate for the sake of the Chinese financial industry's long-term stability.



"In the long-term view, I think it is not a wise choice to allow a platform service provider to handle the financial business," he said. "Regardless of an individual's interests, I think it was a necessary measure for the entire Chinese society's long-term stability."



Chinese regulators are attempting to break up Ant to partially nationalize the fintech firm, citing an antitrust probe and governance reform as the primary reasons for their latest measures. Given the months-long crackdown came after Ma criticized the Chinese Communist Party's policies in an October speech, market participants regard this as an organized retaliatory measure against the billionaire.



Park took the opposite stance to them, saying the U.S. tech giants Amazon and Google are also subject to the separation between banking and industrial capital.



"Ma criticized China's fintech policies in the forum, but in fact, China is the country with the most alleviated fintech regulations in the world," he said.



The founder's opinions have caused some controversies among internet users and investors here, but his recent remarks may not be surprising at all to those who are aware of his keen interest in the Chinese market.



Last year during a meeting with his company's former and incumbent PR executives, Park emphasized the importance of investments in mainland China, despite the deepening political crisis in Hong Kong.



The financial firm ruled out the possibility of its Hong Kong subsidiary's relocation scenario by stressing it will keep an eye out for investment opportunities in both Hong Kong and mainland China.



In addition, some observers speculate that the Chinese authorities' regulations on Ant can benefit Mirae Asset which is in a strategic collaboration with Naver.



Ant is serving as the second-largest shareholder of KakaoPay through Alipay Singapore Holdings. KakaoPay failed to win preliminary approval for a MyData license last week because the Chinese regulators did not verify whether Ant was under any sanctions there.



KakaoPay's rival, Naver Financial, on the other hand, is expected to get the final approval for a license for its data-driven financial businesses. Mirae Asset is the second-largest shareholder of Naver's fintech arm.



Park also compared Naver to Ant in his YouTube appearance, saying Naver is just connecting technologies with finance, without doing financial business directly as Ant does.



A plea in the has challenged the scheme of amalgamation of with Development Bank of Singapore (DBS), contending that its shareholders have been "left in the lurch" and the Centre and the Reserve Bank have failed to protect their interests.

The petition was listed before a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh on January 13, but was adjourned to February 19 after the bench was told that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has moved a plea in the Supreme Court to transfer all pleas against the amalgamation scheme to the Bombay High Court.

The petition in the has been filed by lawyer Sudhir Kathpalia, who was also a shareholder in (LVB) and lost his 20,000 shares in the company due to the amalgamation scheme.

Kathpalia has sought quashing of the clause in the scheme which states that from the date of merger, "the entire amount of the paid-up share capital and reserves and surplus, including the balances in the share/securities premium account of the transferor bank, shall stand written off".

The petition has said that under the scheme, was not required to give any shares to the LVB investors in return and they were "left in the lurch".

The amalgamation scheme was approved by the RBI on November 25, 2020 and the merger took place on November 27, 2020.

The petition has contended that the Centre and RBI have failed to protect the interests of the shareholders.

It has also claimed that was chosen for the merger without inviting bids from other banks and financial institutions.

It has alleged that the "scheme of amalgamation was irregular, arbitrary, irrational, unreasonable, illegal and thus, void".

(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.)

Swedish businessman Linus Frejf's time in Malaga hasn't been easy. Having only just arrived after spells in Russia and Poland, and with only a handful of Spanish lessons under his belt, the Covid-19 pandemic changed all of our lives forever.

As director of the IKEA store in Bahia Azul, next to the Plaza Mayor shopping centre in Malaga, he has had to oversee major changes in a short period of time. Not only the way we make purchases has changed, but also where our priorities now lie. We asked him to reflect on the past year and how the company has been forced to bring forward its plans in a bid to adapt to our 'new normal'.

How was 2020 for the company?

It was challenging - for all of us. But in a way, business is surprisingly good.

How has the pandemic affected you?

More than anything, the pandemic has pushed us five years into the future. Everything we were anticipating, everything we were planning for around 2025 to 2030 has been brought forward. During this pandemic we've had to become much closer to the people - the people that couldn't come to the store because of restrictions or because they didn't dare to go to a shopping centre. In Granada we have opened a click and collect at the Nevada shopping centre where there will also be an IKEA Disena, where we help customers to make orders but also to plan kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms. This is kind of the model that we're trying to build. Then we'll see what we can do in other parts of the region. The next focus now is very much along the western Costa del Sol, where we don't have an IKEA touchpoint until more or less Algeciras. So there is quite a long distance where IKEA is non-existent at the moment.

How has the pandemic changed us as consumers?

We could see two quite clear trends in Malaga. Normally, people don't spend so much time at home. Malaga is a fantastic city; we spend more money on restaurants and bars and on drinks and food than we do on our home furnishing. We don't invite family and friends to our home so much; we tend to go to 'chiringuitos' or to restaurants or to the beach. I think this time gave our customers a totally new view of what the home is, and what it could be. I think many, including myself, realised that they didn't have a work space at home that is suitable for sitting and having eight-hour meetings. The second thing we realised was that we will all be a little bit less prone to travel so that's why we decided to focus super strongly on our accessibility business plan.

Do you think this sudden surge in interest in improving our homes will last?

I don't think this is something that will disappear quickly. Even with restrictions easing up and a vaccine arriving, I think people will still have a bit of a mental barrier about living life as freely as we did before. My feeling is there will be a continual trend of spending more time in our homes, which we will open up to more people. I also think more people will be free to work from wherever they want in the world, and not only from the home.

What did customers prioritise most during lockdown?

Quite early on during lockdown I asked the staff what they were experiencing in their homes and we all kind of came to the same conclusion. If we had children, we didn't have good storage for them. Also, we were all working from home and none of us had a good workstation. We didn't have a comfortable chair, no desk... not an ergonomically safe environment at all. And then as we spent much more time together as a family, I think storage in general was the part that stood out a lot.

Did any items surprise you?

One type of storage surprised me a little bit and that was wardrobes. But some people have more love for shoes and clothes than I do. I have my uniform on for 12 hours every day!

Did you run out of stock of many items?

Certainly. What's extremely challenging in a big international company like IKEA is that we're reliant on a supply chain and supply chains don't react very well to panic breaks and that's difficult to get going again.

If another strict lockdown happens again, do you feel you'd be prepared this time around?

For sure. During the first lockdown we went from having between 80 and 90 per cent of total turnover from customers physically coming through the doors to becoming a 100 per cent online retailer. After just a couple of days we realised that doing everything from a central fulfilment centre was not feasible. So after a couple of weeks we brought all our people back into the stores and turned all of them in Spain into local fulfilment centres. So now we have the model, we could simply go back to it and then work out how to make it even better.

Have restrictions on foreign travel affected you? Have you noticed that there aren't as many foreigners coming in?

Absolutely. Malaga is a super popular tourist destination which means that in a normal year, about 30 per cent of our total turnover is from foreign customers.

Do you think Brexit will have an effect?

I'm hoping that we have already seen its negative impact on the Spanish and Malaga economy and that there will be a turnaround. We actually started seeing a declining trend about two years ago with the Brexit referendum and then of course with the lockdown. Over summer about half of the foreign customers as normal were coming. Now with new mobility restrictions it is even less. But with the relaxation of restrictions, we are expecting more visitors, also from other provinces, and we are prepared with more stock, new scheduling and new safety measures to prevent bottlenecks.

Speaking of bottlenecks, is there any progress on the project to get the new access road?

At the moment this is still in progress. Everything from our perspective is ready. Now the only thing is to get the final approval from the city hall and we're ready to go. We're hoping to have it by spring.

IKEA has announced it's no longer publishing its catalogue in paper form. Why's that?

Well we will have the current one until August. But it's a development that's in keeping with the times. That said the catalogue is much more than just a tool for finding home furnishings - it's an event. So next year you'll still receive something, but I'm not allowed to share what it is!

And the company is now moving more towards reusing furniture. Is that correct?

Exactly. I've been with this company for about 15 years, and I've always had a very strong connection with the brand's values which are very much connected to circularity and sustainability. What we haven't been so effective at is communicating it - we're a little bit too humble. Now we are taking a few steps with our new rebanded Circular Hub section, a concept from the 80s, to give furniture, which would normally go in the bin, a second chance.

Shopping in IKEA seems easier these days. Before it felt like you were trapped in a maze. Is this a deliberate change?

It's a big store here - 23,500 square metres and there are 10,000 article numbers so to have the necessary stock you need a long way to walk around. But here we've opened up in an excellent way. We've taken away taller things so that visitors can get more of an overview. The IKEA standard concept has shortcuts but sometimes they're not prioritised and they become a little bit hidden but Malaga has made a point to highlight the shortcuts to make it a little bit easier. This is a local Malaga initiative. But in general too we're also becoming much better at understanding what the customer actually wants to see and then allowing them to see that quite quickly.

The same applies to assembling items. Assembling an IKEA product doesn't take as long as it used to...

Self assembly is an old concept that provides both sustainability improvements and also cost saving. The latest IKEA development is to include dowels in more parts of the range, especially in our new storage and kitchen solutions. They're all connected without screws so it makes it much easier and also gives you a cheaper piece of furniture at the end of the day. Of course, too, the instructions are improving as we find ways to make things more efficiently.
Natural gas futures rose to settle at Rs 200.20 per mmBtu on January 15 as participants trimmed their position as seen by the open interest. Natural gas price gained Rs 2.50, or 1.27 percent, during the week on the MCX.

Natural gas prices fell in three out of the five trading sessions in the Indian market.

Fundamentally for the weeks ahead, we are estimating MCX Natural Gas futures to trade bullish in expectancy of steady supplies, better demand/usage and fall in inventories observed on a weekly basis. Natural gas inventories have showcased a seasonal fall to 3,270 billion cubic feet, lower compared to previous reported inventories of 3,402 billion cubic feet," said Sunand Subramaniam, Senior Research Associate, Choice Broking.

"The US CPC expects developed weather conditions for the next 6-10 days, which is expected to support prices in the week ahead. Overall, we expect bullish-trend in MCX Natural Gas futures in the coming week, he said.

The demand for natural gas has been lower last week amid a slight increase in residential sector demand to 118.4 billion cubic feed per day (Bcf/d) compared 113 Bcf/d in the prior week, according to PointLogic Energy.

Natural gas consumption in the industrial sector was marginally higher at 25 Bcf/d on a weekly basis.

Chris Durman, Global Head of LNG Analytics, S&P Global Platts said, LNG supply has continued to remain challenged, especially in the key Asia Pacific region, with long term ongoing issues in Malaysia and Australia contributing to a tight regional balance. The US continues to export at historically high volumes but continued congestion at the Panama Canal means that many Asia-bound cargoes are still choosing to take the long route via the Cape of Good Hope."

However, there are signs that the supply situation is improving. Qatari exports have recovered to close to year ago levels, Australias Prelude FLNG appears to be finally ready to start loading cargoes and at least one train at Bintulu (Malaysia) seems to be coming back online. The LNG fleet has also grown by 6 new faster vessels since the start of the year with several more expected to commission over the coming weeks which will help ease tightness in the shipping market, Durman noted.

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that US natural gas inventories dropped by 134 Bcf for the week ended January 8 against market expectations of a 129 Bcf.

The number of rigs drilling natural gas in the US rose by 1 at 85 rigs for the week to January 15, said Baker Hughes in a weekly report. The rigs count rose for the second straight week.

MCX iCOMDEX Natural Gas Index jumped 21.06 points, or 0.86 percent to close at 2,456.95.

In the futures market, natural gas for January delivery touched an intraday high of Rs 204.90 and an intraday low of Rs 193 per mmBtu on MCX. So far in the current series, natural gas has touched a low of Rs 167.40 and a high of Rs 255.90.

Natural gas delivery for January gained Rs 2.60, or 1.32 percent, to settle at Rs 200.20 per mmBtu with a business turnover of 5,399 lots. While delivery for February soared Rs 2, or 1.02 percent, to close at Rs 197.60 per mmBtu, with a business volume of 2,324 lots.

The value of January and Februarys contracts traded on January 15 was Rs 6,145.64 crore and Rs 207.88 crore, respectively.

Natural gas price settled with a gain of 3.23 percent quoting at $2.75 per mmBtu in New York.

For all commodities-related news, click here

: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
The UK's economic recovery this year could be stronger than most experts predict, the chairman of a leading bank has said.

William Vereker, who chairs the UK arm of Spanish banking group Santander, said a return of business investment and consumers unleashing savings will drive growth.

He believes the Brexit deal along with the roll-out of vaccines could lead to a stronger than expected bounce-back this year. He expects a 'big uptick' in consumer spending and increased business investment. 'I am a great believer in being an optimist,' he said.

Setting sail: William Vereker believes the Brexit deal along with the roll-out of vaccines could lead to a stronger than expected bounce-back this year

'There have been so many negative predictions. But there is another possibility: things might be okay.'

Mr Vereker took over as chairman of Santander UK last year after a long career in finance. He was also business envoy for Theresa May.

The economy shrank by 2.6 per cent in November, meaning output was 8.5 per cent below its pre-pandemic peak. That was better than many had foreseen but more financial agony is expected in the short term.

Mr Vereker outlined why he is optimistic. 'There is significant pent-up consumer demand and savings which will flow into the economy later this year so I can see a quick bounce-back.

'Second, I am optimistic about business investment.'

He said this had been 'anaemic' due to uncertainty over Brexit and the pandemic. 'Now, however, you are going to have a much clearer framework in which to make investments because the Brexit deal is going to remove a big element of uncertainty and I would also expect the Covid situation to improve.'

He added that there will be a 'reassessment of the UK as a place to invest and do business,' if the Government gets its policy framework right.

'I am optimistic because of the combination of those three things, and a fourth. That is, on a relative basis, the UK looks good in terms of the opportunity to invest, employ and develop businesses,' he said.

'We still have pretty flexible labour laws, the English language, excellent education and a strong legal system.

'These are competitive advantages which have meant capital and talent have gravitated to the UK over 30 years. I can see sterling strengthening and the economy growing faster than forecast.'
US Prepares for One of the Most Unusual Inaugurations in History

WASHINGTONPresident-elect Joe Biden is set to be sworn in on Jan. 20 amid unparalleled security measures and the pandemic lockdown, making it one of the most untraditional inaugurations in U.S. history.

Like many predecessors, Biden is going to be sworn in on the steps of the Capitol building. But the traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, which normally draws hundreds of thousands of Americans, has been canceled, to be replaced by a virtual parade. Inaugural balls have been canceled as well.

The viewing stand near the White House has been dismantled, making this event likely the smallest inauguration in history, in terms of physical attendance. While a low turnout is expected, the event will be unusually tight in security and law enforcement.

National Guard troops near the Capitol building in Washington on Jan. 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

This inauguration is unique in its own way, according to David Pietrusza, political historian, author, and expert on presidential electoral history.

In terms of people being so on edge, the flooding of troops and security into Washington, and the COVID-19 pandemic, theres no really great precedent for that, he told The Epoch Times.

But there are different examples in history where things didnt go like clockwork and werent uneventful, he said.

According to historians, Abraham Lincolns first inaugural address was the most stressful one, as the threat of war hung heavy in the air. Six weeks after the speech the Civil War, which claimed about 2 percent of the American population, erupted.

Certainly the country was in worse shape and people were more on edge in 1861 with Lincoln. Theres no comparison to that, Pietrusza said.

While security ahead of the Civil War was a big deal, measures that have been put in place this year in preparation for Bidens inauguration also are unprecedented, he noted.

This is the first time an inauguration has been declared a National Special Security Event, not days before, but a full week before the actual event.

Security around the Capitol building in Washington on Jan. 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Authorities have taken aggressive measures in the city amid growing concerns that the civil unrest and violence observed on Jan. 6 may be repeated during inauguration week. As many as 25,000 National Guard members from all 50 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia will be stationed in the nations capital.

The security measures have brought the city to almost a complete halt. More than a dozen Metro stations around the National Mall and U.S. Capitol building were closed in the days before the inauguration; the streets of Washington are eerily empty.

Buses, streetcars, and other forms of public transportation, even bicycles, have been shut down. Most stores are closed, and many have been boarded up.

The south side of the White House on Jan. 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

President Donald Trump said earlier that he wouldnt attend the swearing-in ceremony of Biden. He made the announcement one day after Congress certified Biden as the winner of the 2020 election.

Trump wont escort Biden in a motorcade to the Capitol, which is another break from tradition. However, it isnt the first time a president has refused to attend the inauguration of his successor.

John Adams, the second president of the United States, left Washington before Jeffersons inauguration in 1801.

The situation that year was very divided, and in some ways similar to 2021. Jeffersons supporters characterized his opponent, Adams, as a lover of monarchy, while Adamss supporters pictured Jefferson as a radical. Some say Adams didnt attend Jeffersons inauguration to prevent any violence at the event.

Security around the Capitol building in Washington on Jan. 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

John Quincy Adams, the sixth U.S. president, left Washington a day before, declining to attend Andrew Jacksons ceremony in 1829.

Other presidents who didnt watch their successors take the oath of office were Martin Van Buren (1841) and Andrew Johnson (1869).

Its unfortunate that Trump isnt attending the ceremony, John Gizzi, Newsmaxs chief political columnist, told The Epoch Times.

As someone whos witnessed, not only the transfer of power, but the tradition of the incoming president paying tribute to the outgoing president, that is something that surely is going to be missing, he said. You miss not only the handoff, so to speak, but you also miss the tradition of graciousness.

For more than 200 years, the tradition of inauguration parades, celebrations, and displays of patriotism have continued despite scattered protests, including at Trumps 2017 inauguration.

The pomp and pageantry are as American as you can get, Gizzi said.

Extra security barriers block the roads at F and 14th streets in Washington on Jan. 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Hearing the orchestras, seeing the president and vice president waving from the cars, sometimes getting out and marching with the crowdall of that is something thats so richly American to the point that its timeless. When that is removed, it takes a little bit of the mystique of the transition away, he added.

This years inauguration, according to Gizzi, is most compared to the fourth and final inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was sworn in on Jan. 20, 1945, at the White House on the portico overlooking the backyard.

Roosevelt preferred to hold a simple ceremony because of World War II, which claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of American citizens. That presidential inauguration lasted only 15 minutes.

This time, there wont be a lot of pomp because of the CCP virus, Gizzi said.

Kay Rubacek and NTD News Learner Liu contributed to this report.
He also told them that if farmers want to sell their produce in other markets, they should be facilitated to do so as it was provided for under the new farm laws.  DC Image

Hyderabad: Agriculture minister Sin-gireddy Niranjan Reddy directed officials of the marketing department to draw up plans to help farmers sell their Rabi produce to traders as envisaged by Chief Mini-ster K. Chandrashekar Rao.

The minister said that the Centre had not taken any decision on the minimum support price under the new farm laws. The state was unlikely to purchase the produce in the face of volatile prices. Against this backdrop, he asked officials to ensure that farmers are not at a loss when they sell to private traders. He also told them that if farmers want to sell their produce in other markets, they should be facilitated to do so as it was provided for under the new farm laws.

Niranjan Reddy said that officials should explain to the farmers the conditions under which the government cannot purchase crops that are coming into the respective agricultural markets. He asked agriculture and marketing departments to work in coordination to help farmers get remunerative prices.

The minister instructed the authorities to make arrangements to issue coupons depending on the yield of crops in the area, farmers and harvest time. Facilities like licensed traders, hamali sheds, open CC platforms should be provided to the farmers in the agricultural markets.

Chilli crop should not be dumped in the market at once. All 191 markets in the state and 72 sub yards should allow day trading.

The minister stated that crops can be stored not only at the warehouses with a capacity of 24 lakh metric tones but also in sub-yards.

Farm officials should ensure that crop booking is 100 per cent complete, the minister said. Agricultural extension officers (AEOs) should visit the field and strictly enforce crop registration. AEOs should be prepared for farmers meetings at their respective forums.

Rabi harvests should end in March. Niranjan Reddy said that agriculture authorities should motivate farmers in that direction. Farmers are likely to suffer losses due to untimely rains if delayed.

Agriculture Secretary Janardhan Reddy, marketing director Lakshmi Bai, horticulture director Venkatram Reddy, Markfed managing director Bhaskarachari were present.


- Reimagined ADSW 2021 comprises high-level virtual events including ADSW Summit, IRENA Assembly, Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum, Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum, Youth 4 Sustainability Virtual Forums and World Future Energy Summit Webinars

- Global leaders from policy, industry and technology to explore social, economic and technological opportunities for delivering a green recovery

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco, Head of State, Principality of Monaco will deliver a keynote address at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), the global platform for accelerating sustainable development, hosted by Masdar, which runs from 18-21 January 2021 as a reimagined virtual event this year.

His speech on national resilience in the face of COVID-19 at the ADSW Summit on 19 January, will follow the keynote by His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy for Climate Change and Chairman of Masdar, and is expected to help set the agenda for a green recovery in a post-pandemic world.

ADSW Summit will feature more than 70 high-level speakers from around the world and broadcast online across different time zones to engage audiences across various geographies and markets. The agenda runs over three two-hour sessions that focus on the pillars of "Live & Move," "Care & Engage," and "Work & Invest," with each pillar exploring social, economic and technological opportunities to set and support a sustainable recovery.

The speakers at the one-day virtual ADSW Summit will also include: H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group CEO Mubadala Investment Company; H.R.H Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, Founder and CEO, KBW Ventures; H.E. Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of the Republic of Singapore; H.E. Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder & CEO, Kalimat Publishing Group; H.E. Eng. Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Energy; Francesco La Camera, Director General, IRENA; Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director UN-Habitat; Noel Quinn, Group Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Holdings; Laurence Fink, Chairman and CEO BlackRock; and Dr. Lucas Joppa, Chief Environmental Officer, Microsoft, in addition to many other high-level speakers.

ADSW 2021, which is supported by Abu Dhabi's Department of Energy as a Principal Partner, will feature a series of high-level virtual events, including the ADSW Summit, IRENA Assembly, Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum, Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum, Youth 4 Sustainability Virtual Forums and the World Future Energy Summit Webinars.

Through initiatives and events, ADSW is committed to the sharing of knowledge, implementation of strategies and the delivery of real-world solutions to address the challenges related to sustainability and climate change. As the first global event in the UAE's Golden Jubilee year, ADSW 2021 will help galvanize further collaboration among government, business and community stakeholders to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals

For over a decade, Abu Dhabi has provided a sustainable platform for the global community that has grown through its initiatives and events to emerge as a thought leader and catalyst that accelerates sustainable development around the world.

The 2020 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week hosted around 45,000 attendees from 170 countries, with more than 500 high-level speakers from around the world.

To ensure the safety of all participants, ADSW 2021 and all related high-level events will take place virtually. The physical program of ADSW will return in 2022.

Register now for the ADSW Summit at www.adsw.ae

About Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) is a global platform for accelerating the world's sustainable development. The week brings together a unique fusion of policy makers, industry specialists, technology pioneers and the next generation of sustainability leaders. Through its initiatives and events, ADSW is a catalyst for sharing knowledge, implementing strategies and delivering solutions to drive human progress.

ADSW is committed to furthering our understanding of the major social, economic and environmental trends shaping the world's sustainable development.

About Masdar

Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company Masdar is advancing the commercialization and deployment of renewable energy, sustainable urban development and clean technologies to address global sustainability challenges. Wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company, the strategic investment company of the Government of Abu Dhabi, our mandate is to help maintain the UAE's leadership in the global energy sector, while supporting the diversification of both its economy and energy sources for the benefit of future generations. Today, Masdar is active in more than 30 countries, including the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Egypt, Morocco, the UK, the US, Australia, Spain, Serbia, India, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, and many more.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1421704/Abu_Dhabi_Sustainability_Week_Logo.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1421705/Price_Albert_of_Monaco.jpg

SOURCE Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
The Government has called for submissions on a revised National Development Plan (NDP). The NDP covers policy that affects the fabric of our daily lives in areas such as homes, jobs and travel.

Data from December 2020 projects show that, so far, less than one third of the current NDP's projects by the four main agencies have been commenced or completed - despite the fact that many of these projects have been in more than two previous versions of the plan, ie, since 2007.

Worryingly, the two largest and most critical areas of infrastructure - energy and water services - have not even obtained permission for any of their largest projects, much less built them. In fairness, sectors such as transport, health and education have successfully completed some very bold ambitions.

This evidence suggests that it is premature to make plans for more new projects when there is a growing body of evidence about the lack of capacity to deliver many of the plans that we already have. Despite this, we are still likely to hear of calls for ambitious 'Moonshot Projects' that will magically cure all ills.

We are living through a period of great turmoil in which both Covid and Brexit are forcing us to re-evaluate much that, so recently, seemed so certain.

Working from home is here to stay and it will utterly change the patterns of where and how people will live. There will be a dramatic increase of population in smaller settlements and rural areas. This will be welcomed at first as seeming to deliver the holy grail of more balanced regional population and jobs.

In a short time, however, a new reality will emerge of dramatically changed patterns of travel that will affect the viability of many public transport projects - while also increasing traffic and demand for water services in hitherto quiet areas. Increased day-time populations will also change pressures on local services for education, health and amenities, not to mention increasing demand for local authority services.

Covid has accelerated changes in the patterns of retail and office working, which are the 'glue' that hold together the centres of our settlements. Without the numbers, the spending power and the business rates, many centres will deteriorate or become exclusive and expensive urban residential enclaves.

Meanwhile, changes caused by dramatically increased online activity, as well as Brexit, will drive big changes in the location and energy consumption of our services sector. Those who hold their noses at the business requirements of these new sectors will need to ask themselves about where their next job is likely to come from - or, more realistically, where their current job is likely to go to.

Anxiety defines our youth, faced with a tsunami of bad news that they feel helpless to affect. 'Change' is the word on every young pair of lips, often shouted in helpless rage, contempt or utter frustration.

There are plenty who are trying to capture and redirect these frustrations - often into the types of display that we see with Extinction Rebellion in London, the Yellow Vests in Paris or the Maga riot in Washington.

In Ireland, there is a similar restless hungering for change. Emotions leap to life at the first sight of any obvious wrong, such as housing last year or the mother and baby homes last week.

The problem with a world in which thoughts and emotions are driven by the news cycle is that it leaves little time or opportunity to reflect on the 'why' instead of the 'what'. In Ireland's case, many of our difficulties arise from the seldom-considered question of how we organise ourselves - often mistakenly believing that if we change who governs us, then everything will improve.

No political party or movement shows any interest in changing the basic mechanisms of the State. Change will only come about when we get back more control of our most immediate environs - not some coral reef in the Pacific.

The review of the NDP is one of those rare opportunities for all of us to step back and to ask ourselves: what do we really need, and how are we going to get it?

This is the opportunity for the 'change the world' person in your life to make a real difference. Get involved.

First, we need to examine who spends our money before we decide what to spend it on. We must spend less from the centre and we must make more plans based on what can actually be delivered.

Ireland has one of Europe's highest amounts of spending by central government, compared with local government. We must devolve decision-making about public spending to a much lower level. So, the first answer to the 'who' question is 'spend according to local need first'.

Then we need to give first priority to spending that ensures national wealth. We cannot share out what we do not have in the first place.

Spending on health, education and social protection, will always be limited by earned tax income. This means that we need to have a priority on infrastructure first, then services second.

If we accept that infrastructural spending must be the priority, then we need to scrutinise who spends this precious public money. This means that the second answer to the 'who' question is 'assign spending to those who can spend it'.

These new approaches will please few in power. Politicians and officials will fiercely resist the transfer of power to more local levels - despite evidence that Ireland is now a glaring outlier. We have given away monopoly powers for the delivery of energy and water - the keys to our future success. These large and powerful agencies together with their regulator will strongly resist calls for increased accountability and effectiveness.

Progress towards future prosperity lies with those who are willing to patiently unravel the seemingly dull and complex problems of governance and infrastructure in a fast-changing world of ever-diminishing certainty.

We need to beware of those who promise us far-in-the-future 'Moonshot Projects' to deflect our attention from increasingly obvious failures to deliver what we need here and now.

Everybody needs to pay more attention to the future, if only for the sake of our youth.

In the next two weeks, log on to the NDP consultation site, it is called 'Review to Renew'. Tell them that you want to see better delivery of projects that will make a real difference to where you live. As you are there, remind them that all of the young around you want change too. They are not wrong.


University students will face fresh concerns when they resume studies as a union has warned of strikes if lecturers are asked to resume unsafe in-person teaching.

The University and College Union (UCU) said online learning should remain in place to protect staff, students and communities.

Describing university staff as burnt out by the demands placed on them, the union said moves to restart face-to-face teaching this academic year were "impractical".

It warned it was prepared to ballot members on industrial action, as has already taken place at its branches at Northumbria University and Birmingham City University.

Members have been balloted on possible strike action at Birmingham City University

Northumbria University has already discussed possible strike action, according to the University and College Union

Another at Manchester Metropolitan University is due to close next week.

Under the current lockdown in England, university students who were allowed to travel home before Christmas, are not permitted to return to campus and are expected to study from their current residence.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady, 37, said: "We need as much university teaching as possible to remain online for the rest of the academic year.

"Death rates are higher than ever, and with the Government's rapid testing programme under severe scrutiny and the huge logistical hurdles in rolling out the vaccine, even an Easter return now looks hopelessly optimistic.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady says university teaching should continue online for the rest of the academic year

"If the Government and universities will not commit to prioritising staff safety then UCU will continue to resist a return to unsafe campuses while committing to provide the highest possible quality of online teaching.

"We are willing to ballot universities that are putting our members' wellbeing at risk and some UCU branches have already taken this step.

"University staff are also burnt out from the chaotic and unsustainable demands which the sector has placed on them this year."

In-person teaching can only take place for a small number of critical courses, including medicine, dentistry, teacher training, veterinary science and social work.

According to Department for Education guidance published this month, all other courses should be delivered online "until at least mid-February".

Miss Grady added the UCU was prepared to work with universities in calling on the Government to refund students the costs of "lost accommodation" as well as "underwriting the other extra costs which universities are facing this year".

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Businesses yesterday called for tougher lockdown measures, with some going as far as proposing a long curfew spanning from 6 p.m to 6 a.m.

The curfew now starts at 9 p.m. and goes till 5 a.m. Businesses also called on the Government to free up the importation of Covid-19 vaccines to allow private sector participation and to allow people to travel overseas to get vaccinated.
New Delhi, Jan 17 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested two Chinese nationals in connection with its money laundering probe that it registered last year in August, officials said on Sunday.

An ED official related to probe told IANS, "ED arrested Luo Sang aka Charlie Peng and Carter Lee arrested on Friday under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)." The official said that Peng and Lee are accused of running a huge hawala operation for Chinese companies through hundreds of shell companies.

The official said that they were produced before a court on Saturday and sent to ED custody for 14 days.

The agency has registered a case of money laundering against them in August last year after the Income Tax department had carried out raids and claimed Peng and other Chinese nationals were running a huge hawala operation.

They were also accused of running an espionage racket. The Delhi Police has also registered a case against them.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text

Photo: CBSA The CBSA displays seized passports and stamps used in a massive immigration scam by New Can Consulting.

A 45-year-old Port Coquitlam woman linked to B.C.s biggest immigration fraud investigation  and who was scheduled to be deported  has had her case appealed based on humanitarian grounds.

Thats according to an Immigration and Refugee Board decision handed down in August, but not released until this week.

Jie Yi Huang, a permanent resident of Canada, had a removal order made against her on Sept. 11, 2019 after the board found she had committed misrepresentation by submitting false information related to her and her husband's travel and employment history and dates of residence in Canada.

The falsified information came to light following a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) investigation into the activities of Xun Sunny Wang, as well as two companies he ran, NewCan Consultants Ltd. and Wellong International Investments Ltd.

When CBSA investigators combed through NewCan's offices, they turned up Huangs and her husbands names on several records relating to applications to renew their permanent residency.

Xun Wangs fraud operation was built on helping permanent residents renew residencies or acquire Canadian citizenship by falsely representing the clients time in Canada, according to the board's ruling.

About 1,200 clients paid the company roughly $10 million for its fraudulent services, which included affixing fake stamps to clients' passports; falsely declaring time in Canada on applications; providing fabricated addresses and phone numbers; and providing trumped-up proof of employment by such means as issuing false T4 tax slips.

Or as the immigration board put it in the ruling: NewCan conducted a large-scale fraud against the Canadian Immigration system.

The fraud was first discovered when Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) spotted addresses in Edmonton and Calgary used on multiple permanent resident card renewal applications.

After the agency discovered Huangs husband, Zheng Hong Yang, had lied about his employment status and residence in Canada, he and their son, now 18, were both ordered deported at an earlier hearing.

All three family members then appealed their deportations together, with the older son  who was a child at the time of the misrepresentation  winning his appeal in an earlier decision based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

The court ruling paints a picture of a family struggling to adjust to a new culture at a difficult time in their lives, and a wife who went along with her husbands plan to hang on to their permanent residency by signing blank documents and providing false information to authorities even though she knew it was not right.

Arriving in June 2005, the couple had a second son within three months. Born premature, the family struggled to take care of the new child in an unfamiliar world and without family to help out. By November, they decided to move back to China, go back to their old jobs and buy an apartment as they took care of their ailing parents.

While they visited Canada between 2005 and 2013, at no point did they stay for more than a month, according to the ruling. Recognizing this could affect their permanent residency status, they turned to NewCan for help.

According to the ruling, Wang told Huangs husband that he could create Canadian income for him so he didnt have to set up his own company and pay himself a salary. On paper, the husband would be working for Young Dynasty Enterprises Inc., but in reality, Wang never renewed the husbands permanent residence card based on overseas employment. Instead, altered stamps were added to both husband and wifes passports, which under-declared their absences from Canada.

Both denied they knew Wang had altered the dates, while Huang said she had been tricked.

At the same time, Huang remained in China until 2013, admitting she had falsely represented her time in Canada, including submitting home addresses in Burnaby and Vancouver, neither of which she lived at the specified times.

The board found the misrepresentation to be egregious and that it eroded public confidence in the immigration system and its efficacy.

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada must stand on the bedrock of truthful and reliable information or it risks collapse, reads the decision.

Despite finding Huang culpable of misrepresentation  as well as providing evasive and somewhat contradictory testimony  the board noted her husband was a more active participant in the NewCan scheme.

Upon returning to Canada in 2013 after her father-in-laws death, Huang testified she eventually began building relationships in the community, volunteering, actively raising her two children and working to set up a small business until she was diagnosed with cancer in 2016.

But it was her active part she plays in her sons lives that swayed the board in granting special relief to the Port Coquitlam mother.

Her husbands appeal, however, was denied appeal and his deportation stands.
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He's been working on multiple film projects in Hollywood, including the upcoming Suicide Squad sequel.

But Australian actor Jai Courtney finally set foot on home soil after jetting back Down Under on Friday.

The hunk, 34, was spotted arriving at a hotel quarantine in Sydney ahead of his mandatory 14-day period of self-isolation.

Home from Hollywood! Jai Courtney, 34, looked determined as he arrives at a hotel quarantine in Sydney on Friday ahead of his mandatory 14-day isolation

Carrying his belongings in a black leather duffle-bag, the star looked visibly determined as he was ushered inside by masked police officers.

Jai looked typically rugged, dressed in a grey T-shirt and black jeans.

The tattooed star covered his chiseled jaw and nose with a surgical mask, and completed his look with a pair of brown Converse sneakers.

Let's do this! Carrying his belongings in a black leather duffle-bag, the star looked visibly determined as he was ushered inside by masked police officers

Jai has previously spoken about his desire to move back home to Australia, after relocating to Los Angeles in 2012.

'[Hollywood] is where I reside for now, but if I have a family I wouldn't raise them anywhere else [but Australia],' he previously told Confidential.

'This makes sense right now, and it's good  I like LA, you have to find your version of it that works for you. But I look forward to the day that I can move home.'

Rockstar arrival: Jai looked typically rugged, dressed in a grey T-shirt and black jeans

Meanwhile, Jai is gearing up to reprise his role as Captain Boomerang in the hotly anticipated Suicide Squad sequel, which is scheduled to hit theaters in August.

Speaking with Collider in April last year, Jai drummed up excitement for the film, when he revealed: 'I got sent the script, and it's just a really great [script], I was surprised by everything [in it].'

Jai will be rejoined by fellow Australian star Margot Robbie and English actor Idris Elba in the James Gunn-directed flick.
The Saint Alban Branch of the Anglican Young Peoples' Association (AYPA) at the weekend presented assorted items to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Tema General Hospital.



The items included; baby diapers, toilet rolls, baby wipes, clothing, assorted drinks, confectioneries, infant formulae, gallons of liquid soap.



The gesture, which is an annual undertaking to communities in and around Tema, was meant to ameliorate the plight of patients at the Unit and to make their stay relatively comfortable.



Nana Araba Acquaah-Ba, Vice President, St. Alban Branch, AYPA, who made the presentation on behalf of the delegation, said a needs assessment was conducted after a request by a staff nurse at the facility, which necessitated the support.



She said over the years, the Association had done similar exercises including a donation to the Heart of the Father Orphanage, Old Ningo - a fishing community near Prampram, Greater Accra Region - in January 2020.



Receiving the items, Mrs Gifty Awuku, Principal Enrolled Nurse, Tema General Hospital, said the items would be put to good use as it would supplement the hospital's meagre supplies.



She expressed profound appreciation to the association for the support and called on other philanthropic organizations to emulate the gesture.



Mrs. Doris Obeng Agyekum, Senior Staff Nurse, Tema General Hospital, who made the request on behalf of the Unit, further thanked the Association for their kindness.

Source: GNA









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The pandemic helped bring the worlds tech giants such as Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. to new heights in 2020. The shift to online shopping and remote working accelerated at a pace that would have been inconceivable without the coronavirus.

But there are signs the good times may end soon. Late last year, governments in the U.S., China and Europe separately began investigating whether Big Tech is too big. The scrutiny in Washington is expected to continue under a Biden administration, which also appears inclined to continue the Trump administrations export restrictions against Chinese companies that are reshuffling global supply chains.

While Big Tech faces perhaps its biggest challenge in years, some sectors can look forward to 2021. The world of electric vehicles may finally arrive. President-elect Joe Biden promises to make cybersecurity a priority. And Washington will start doling out financial incentives to help U.S. companies stay ahead of Chinese rivals.

Here are some of the tech industrys most important themes this year.

Stu Woo

Email: stu.woo@wsj.com

Regulation

The main regulatory worry hanging over Big Tech will continue to be the threat of antitrust lawsuits. But newly empowered Democrats in Congress are likely to press for more legislative restrictions, as well.

For Alphabet Inc.s Google and Facebook Inc., the antitrust threat is already very real. The Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general filed five lawsuits against them in quick succession late last year.

The big question for those companies is whether the incoming Biden administration will choose to expand the federal actions, continue to litigate them or perhaps choose to settle. Both companies appear interested in putting the cases behind them. Each has denied any wrongdoing.

Copycat lawsuits by private parties also are piling up, adding to the headaches.

For Amazon and Apple Inc., the big worry is whether preliminary probes by federal regulators will lead to new lawsuits against them.

Beyond the current crop of investigations and lawsuits, tech companies also must worry that Congress will pass legislation to strengthen existing antitrust laws. As interpreted by courts, current antitrust rules mostly focus on the impacts of business practices on consumer prices. That can make enforcement against largely free search and social-media services tricky.

After the tumultuous final days of the Trump administration, newly empowered congressional Democrats might push social-media companies such as Facebook and Twitter Inc. to get tougher on disinformation and hate speech. Some Democrats suggested as much following the Capitol attack, but no one has yet offered a clear policy proposal.

New privacy rules and tighter liability standards also could get consideration.

John D. McKinnon

Email: john.mckinnon@wsj.com

Will Big Tech get bigger?

Dependency on Big Tech soared in 2020 as homebound Americans and businesses turned to online shopping, software and cloud-computing services and to their smart devices and video streaming. Some smaller companies built for a pandemic world also saw skyrocketing growth, with videoconferencing firm Zoom Video Communications Inc. headlining the crowd.

The entrenchment of technology services in everyday life has set the industry up for continued success this year, analysts predict. Segments such as e-commerce, which by some estimates grew by roughly 50% in 2020, will continue to benefit from the change in consumer habits spurred by the pandemic. And even as offices and public spaces become more accessible with the rollout of coronavirus vaccines, the corporate embrace of remote work is expected to provide sustained demand for the platforms that have helped people stay connected.

We knew tech was important to us, but there was a level of denying just how important it was," says Gene Munster, managing partner at investment and research firm Loup Ventures. The pandemic has gotten us to a point where we are fully embracing it."

Still, Big Tech will face the law of large numbers in 2021. Record-setting earnings last year mean a threat of a slowdown, particularly for firms that saw several years worth of growth in several months because of the pandemic. As growth in some business segments slows, analysts expect leading tech firms to double down on video streaming and other services that are expected to have a bright future.

They will need to feed the beasts of growth," Mr. Munster says of Amazon, Apple and others that have entered streaming and other new markets in recent years.

Sebastian Herrera

Email: sebastian.herrera@wsj.com

Electric vehicles

This year will be a pivotal one for the electric-car market.

Tesla Inc., now the worlds most valuable auto company, plans to open two new assembly plants, in the U.S. and Germany, and enter the lucrative pickup-truck market with the all-electric Cybertruck, due out in late 2021 or early 2022. Traditional auto makers such as Volkswagen AG, General Motors Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. also plan to introduce new electric models aimed at mass appeal.

This is the tip of the spear," says Scott Keogh, CEO of Volkswagens U.S. division, whose ID.4 electric crossover hits U.S. dealerships in March.

Additionally, a wave of hotly anticipated 2021 launches from electric-vehicle startups like Rivian Automotive LLC and Lucid Motors Inc. will give drivers more plug-in options.

Auto executives say greater variety and new competition will help supercharge electric-vehicle sales, as they have in China and Europe. Sales of battery-powered models grew 9.8% in China last year, and 89% in Europe through November of last year, industry figures show.

But in the U.S., where analysts estimate Tesla sold roughly four out of every five electric cars purchased in 2020, full-year sales of battery-powered vehicles fell roughly 11%, according to data from LMC Automotive.

One challenge: charging. The U.S. currently has around 96,000 public chargers for electric vehicles, according to government data, a fraction of what analysts say is needed to support major growth.

But 2021 could bring new impetus to solving that issue. During the campaign, President-elect Joe Biden pledged to build 500,000 new public chargers in the U.S. through 2030.

Ben Foldy

Email: ben.foldy@wsj.com

Cybersecurity

The massive hack of federal agencies discovered last month revealed the holes in the governments cyber defenses. After the breach, which officials accuse Russia of orchestrating, President-elect Joe Biden said cybersecurity would be a priority at every level of government.

Diane Rinaldo, who served from 2018 to 2019 as a top administrator of one of the hacked agencies, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, says Congress can start with a simple step: allocating funding. While the name of the agency she ran suggests technological pre-eminence, its staffers struggled with decades-old computer infrastructure dubbed sneakernet"which required them to insert flash drives and physically walk data from computer to computer to back up emails, among other things, she says.

Sneakernet was symbolic of Washingtons outdated computer infrastructure. Its so simplistic: We need money," says Ms. Rinaldo, a Republican. The systems need to be updated."

Beyond government, the top cybersecurity challenge of 2021 is the same as it was last year: ransomware attacks, says Eric Chien, technical director of Broadcom Inc.s Symantec cybersecurity unit. Nothing about that landscape has changed, and its up to organizations to continue practicing basic cybersecurity hygiene to prevent such attacks.

Whats unique to 2021 is how organizations adapt to the permanence of work-at-home employees. Before the pandemic, it was feasible to require a few remote workers to access corporate networks via virtual private networks. Its less so if the whole workforce works from home.

What if someone forgets theyre on the company network and is watching Netflix?" Mr. Chien says. Thats a lot of data." He says organizations can set up simpler security gates, letting employees log into systems if they, for example, are in the correct time zone and dont trigger security or malware alerts.

Stu Woo

Tech nationalism

Last year was the year the U.S. government crippled some of Chinas tech-industry champions, notably telecom-hardware giant Huawei Technologies Co. and Chinese chip makers. This year will be the year it tries to ensure companies in the U.S. and allied countries dont squander this edge.

Dont expect a Biden administration to roll back the major actions against Chinese tech companies, Democratic advisers and China analysts say.

Its not reverse engines," say James Mulvenon, who leads a team of China analysts at defense contractor SOS International. The Biden administration wants to keep some aspects of Trump policies that are useful, and they want to de-emphasize ones that seem emotional and punitive."

That could mean maintaining export restrictions on Chinese telecom and chip giants, while leaving courts to figure out the legality of the Trump administrations ban on TikTok and WeChat.

Maintaining the status quo would let U.S. officials figure out how to spur Americas tech industry. Congress recently passed national-security legislation to give chip companies grants and financial incentives, which lawmakers indicated could be as much as $3 billion per project. Biden advisers have signaled they intend to continue a Trump administration effort to spur U.S. companies to develop open-source 5G equipment technology that could compete against Huawei. And the president-elect himself made encouraging U.S. manufacturing of electric vehiclesa supply chain that China currently dominatesa central plank of his platform.

The U.S. priority is to increase domestic semiconductor manufacturing so that its less reliant on potentially volatile sites in Asia," says Dan Wang, a Beijing-based tech analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics. Meanwhile, China has to rebuild substantial portions of the semiconductor software and equipment supply chain."

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text

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International travellers will be required to present a negative Covid test before arriving in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health has announced.

The rule will come into affect from January 21 and passengers will have to show proof of a test taken within the 72-hour period before departure.

Travel operators will be subject to fines of up to 10,000 if they allow travel in breach of the rule. If a passenger arrives in Northern Ireland without proof of a negative test they will also be subject to a fine, starting at 500.

Health Minister Robin Swann said: "This additional measure will provide another layer of protection to help reduce the risk of imported infections, while national lockdown and vaccination take effect.

"The move is in addition to other robust existing measures such as the removal of travel corridors and the self-isolation requirement regardless of pre-departure test result."

The news comes after a further 25 Covid-related deaths were reported in Northern Ireland on Sunday, bringing the death toll here to 1,606.

The highest daily figure for those who have passed away after contracting the virus since the outbreak (26) was reported on Friday.

Of the 25 fatalities outlined on Sunday, 21 happened within the current reporting period, from 10am on Saturday to 10am on Sunday, while the remaining four deaths occurred previously.

A further 822 people also tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours.

There are 840 Covid patients in hospitals across Northern Ireland, with 67 in intensive care and 50 requiring ventilation.

Hospitals are at 93% occupancy. A total of 139 care homes are dealing with outbreaks of the virus.

Read More

Meanwhile, Northern Trust chief executive Jennifer Welsh said almost half of all patients in Antrim Area Hospital have tested positive for the virus.

Speaking on BBC NIs Sunday Politics programme, Ms Welsh explained that as of Sunday morning, 30 patients in Antrim Area Hospitals emergency department have received a decision to admit.

However, there are no beds to accommodate them - 24 of those patients have been waiting for more than 12 hours.

Read More

She added that the five health trusts have been working together to help cope with the influx of Covid-19 patients.





Cases by council area:

Newtownabbey: 6,577 cases (+471 in past 7 days) and 157 deaths

Ards and North Down: 4,437 cases (+319 in past 7 days) and 94 deaths

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon: 11,432 cases (+1,352 in past 7 days) and 178 deaths

Belfast: 18,173 cases (+971 in past 7 days) and 324 deaths

Causeway Coast and Glens: 6,013 cases (+359 in past 7 days) and 129 deaths

Derry City and Strabane: 10,335 cases (+335 in past 7 days) and 114 deaths

Fermanagh and Omagh: 4,874 cases (+404 in past 7 days) and 61 deaths

Lisburn and Castlereagh: 6,059 cases (+391 in past 7 days) and 119 deaths

Mid and East Antrim: 6,032 cases (+419 in past 7 days) and 147 deaths

Mid Ulster: 9,350 cases (+810 in past 7 days) and 136 deaths

Newry, Mourne and Down: 9,203 cases (+799 in past 7 days) and 107 deaths

Not known: 2,826 cases (+252 in past 7 days) and 40 deaths
Reporter

Heather Bellow, a member of the investigations team, joined The Eagle in 2017. She is based in the South Berkshire County bureau in Great Barrington. Her work has appeared in newspapers across the U.S.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  War-like imagery has begun spreading in Republican circles after the attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters, with some elected officials and party leaders rejecting pleas to tone down rhetoric calling for a second civil war.

In northwestern Wisconsin, the chairman of the St. Croix County Republican Party was forced to resign Friday after refusing for a week after the siege to remove an online post urging followers to prepare for war. The incoming chairwoman of the Michigan GOP and her husband, a state lawmaker, have joined a conservative social media site created after the Capitol riot where the possibility of civil war is a topic.

Phil Reynolds, a member of the GOP central committee in Californias Santa Clara County, appeared to urge on insurrectionists on social media during the Jan. 6 attack, declaring on Facebook: The war has begun. Citizens take arms! Drumroll please.. Civil War or No Civil War?

The heightened rhetoric mimics language far-right extremists and white supremacists have used for years, and it follows a year of civil unrest over the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer and its links to systemic racism. Some leftists have used similar language, which Republicans have likened to advocating a new civil war.

The post-Floyd demonstrations prompted governments and corporations alike to reevaluate, leading to the removal of Confederate symbols across the South and the retirement of racially insensitive brands.

Then on Jan. 6, demonstrators stoked by Trump's false claims that he won the 2020 election brought symbols of the Old South to the siege of the Capitol, carrying Confederate flags inside and even erecting a wooden gallows with a noose outside the building.

Democrats say the uptick in war talk isnt accidental. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said Trump began putting his supporters in the frame of mind to make the opening charge years ago and is capable of starting a civil war.

Since his first day in office, this president has spent four years abusing his power, lying, embracing authoritarianism (and) radicalizing his supporters against democracy, she said in arguing for impeachment. This corruption poisoned the minds of his supporters, inciting them to willingly join with white supremacists, neo-Nazis and paramilitary extremists in a siege of the United State Capitol building, the very seat of American democracy.

There are parallels between now and the run-up to the Civil War, including a fractious national election that ended with presidents  Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and Joe Biden in 2020  who millions rejected as illegitimate victors, said Nina Silber, co-president of the Society of Civil War Historians.

Lincoln won the Electoral College but came away with only a plurality of the popular vote in a four-way race. Biden won the popular vote by 7 million over Trump and defeated him decisively in the Electoral College, 306 to 232. Dozens of lawsuits by Trump and his allies seeking to overturn the results failed, some of them turned away by federal judges Trump himself nominated. Then-Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department could find no evidence of widespread fraud that would have changed the election's outcome.

While the same geographic split doesnt exist today as when the Civil War started in 1861 and there is no mass preparation for all-out conflict, Silber said white anger and resentment fueled both eras.

At the time of the Civil War, this took the form of Southern white men angry at the idea that the federal government would interfere with their right to own Black slaves. Today, I think this takes the form of white people who believe that Black and brown people are making gains, or getting special treatment, at their expense, Silber, who teaches at Boston University, said in an email interview.

Just as happened generations ago, partisans are using strident words and images to define the other side  not just for policies with which they disagree but as evil, said George Rable, a retired historian at the University of Alabama.

I think both then and now, we need to worry about the unanticipated consequences of overheated rhetoric and emotions," he said. Secessionists then hardly anticipated such a bloody civil war, and their opponents often underestimated the depth of secessionist sentiment in a number of states.

State Rep. Tim Butler, a Springfield Republican who represents the same area as Lincoln did in the state legislature, condemned the attack on the Capitol during a speech on the Illinois House floor and urged more Republicans to speak up.

If youre not stepping up and denouncing this, no matter where you fall on the political spectrum, I dont have a place for you ..., Butler said. The favorite son of this city was murdered because of a civil war as he was president. Im not going to see a civil war on my watch, I can tell you that.

The question is whether those stoking the war talk can be controlled by the more moderate elements within the party, or whether they will become the dominant voice.

Randy Voepel, a state Assemblyman in California, backtracked after referencing an earlier war  the American Revolution  in a Jan. 9 San Diego Union-Tribune article: This is Lexington and Concord. First shots fired against tyranny. Tyranny will follow in the aftermath of the Biden swear in on January 20th.

More than three dozen veterans and officials have called for Voepel to be expelled from office. He has since revised his war-like rhetoric with a condemnation of the violence and lawlessness at the Capitol and a call for healing.

The other California Republican, Reynolds, said he has no plans to step down from his local party position. He told the San Francisco Chronicle that he wasnt trying to incite violence with his war has begun rhetoric, but simply reporting what he saw on television: My statement was that this cant happen. I was condemning it with my words. It was taken out of context, he said.

Democratic state Assemblyman Evan Low isn't buying it. He called for Reynolds resignation, telling the Chronicle that the man he has known for two decades was a genuine and warm human being but was radicalized by Trumps poison and lies.

In Missouri, state GOP Chairwoman Jean Evans had enough of the war talk. She resigned after she was barraged by calls from Trump supporters, some of whom demanded a military coup to keep Trump in office no matter what it takes."

Theres a lot of good Republicans right now who totally disagree with whats going on," she told KMOX. Its been very scary and frightening and un-American from my perspective, and definitely not part of the conservative party I embrace.

Andrew Hitt, the Republican chairman in Wisconsin, faced off against the St. Croix County party without initial success, describing the call to war as an ill chosen phrase and urging its removal.

Despite his plea and those of Democrats and a Republican sheriff, the post remained defiantly in place until a week after the Capitol attack. The website went dark Wednesday without explanation, and the county GOP chairman, John Kraft, resigned on Friday. He did not return a call seeking comment.

Silber, the Civil War historian, said she is worried the attack on the Capitol wasn't the last stand for enraged Trump supporters.

I think we can see how well-organized right-wing militia groups have become and how well armed they are, and that makes for an extremely explosive situation, she said. I dont know if that would be war in the technical sense, but there could be an extended period of violent attacks.

___

Carr Smyth reported from Columbus, Ohio. Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis.; David Eggert in Lansing, Mich.; John O'Connor in Springfield, Ill.; and Don Thompson in Sacramento, Calif., contributed to this report.
An aide who claims she was raped by a Conservative MP says one of the attacks took place in his parliamentary office while other politicians worked nearby.

The woman says police did not fully investigate her allegations and did not follow up several lines of inquiry before they shelved the case last month.

The MP has consistently denied the allegations, which police say could not be corroborated.

But the aide is now being advised by a top QC and is continuing her bid to have the 'monster' politician jailed, as one source says the woman had gone through 'utter hell' and was subjected to verbal, physical and mental abuse.

The aide's mother said she feared for her daughter's life after finding her 'in shock, sobbing', with scratches on her arms, The Mirror reports.

The mother has claimed that police dismissed evidence and suggested the aide might consider dropping the case.

But the woman now claims that police had not questioned fourteen people with supporting evidence, texts and phone records were ignored, and officers dismissed the allegations because she was in a relationship with the MP - who was arrested in August amid allegations of rape, sexual assault and coercive control.

The woman now claims that police had not questioned fourteen people with supporting evidence, key evidence including texts and phone records were ignored, and officers dismissed the allegations because she was in a relationship with the MP

If the Crown Prosecution Service decided to prosecute, the politician could face trial, with a minimum sentence of 19 years if convicted of rape.

The woman says the attack in Westminster, which is one of four alleged assaults, took place in mid-2019.

A source close to her said that it happened one day after he threatened her on a night out, shouting at her in the street with 'raised fists, screaming in her face, and swearing at her, before he tried to push her into a taxi.'

'This was all because she was late to dinner,' the source added. 'After this, she rang her mum in floods of tears.

'She said, ''I'm so scared of him, I want to get away from him and never see him again''.'

The next day, he told her to come to his office to apologise, and the alleged sexual assault was said to have then taken place.

The woman told lawyers two sexual assaults took place in mid-2019, with one later in the year and the rape in early 2020.

She had called her parents after the final incident, and they took her to hospital, reports say.

The aide's mother said she feared the MP would 'kill or seriously injure' her, having been aggressive 'throughout the relationship', with the daughter often ringing her in tears.

The woman, who is in her early 20s, has been diagnosed with PTSD.

One source claimed the politician said he would 'destroy' the woman's life and 'wreck her career' if she ever told anyone what happened.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed in December that the case 'did not meet the evidential test' despite a thorough investigation of the allegations.

Friends of the MP, who has consistently maintained his innocence, spoke of his relief that the probe was over.

The Palace of Westminster, comprising both houses of parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, is silhouetted in the late autumn sun in central London (file photo)

Allies of the politician had appealed to Scotland Yard to 'end his torment', saying that after four months of inquiries, police should be able to bring their investigation to an end.

The man, who the Sunday Times reported has been carrying out parliamentary duties from home since his arrest, has been told of the police decision.

The alleged victim told the paper she intends to appeal against the decision under the Victims' Right to Review Scheme.

The Mail on Sunday revealed in August how the politician was arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault against a young Commons researcher.

After his arrest, the MP was released on police bail which was eventually lifted in mid-October, although police insisted he remained under investigation for assault, sexual assault and rape.

However, in a statement in December, the Met said: 'Following a thorough investigation and based on all evidence made available to officers, the decision was taken that the case did not meet the evidential test and no further action will be taken.

'The complainant has been made aware of the decision.'

One friend of the MP said: 'The last four-and-a-half months have been a living nightmare for this MP.

'But hopefully, now that the Met have finally concluded a thorough investigation and recommended discontinuing the case as a result, he and his loved ones can at last return to some kind of normal life.'
THE RISE AND FALL OF SAINT GEORGE



The Headland, Barangaroo Reserve, January 15

For many of us in Sydneys inner-west, Saint George was our patron. A tribute to the late George Michael, this benevolent two-storey mural by Scotty Marsh lived on the Erskineville home of local artist-icons Paul Mac and Jonny Seymour. Saint George  irreverent under a rainbow-hued halo  was a remembrance, a blessing, a beacon.

The Rise and Fall of Saint George at Sydney Festival. Credit:Bianca De Marchi

But, as told in The Rise and Fall of Saint George, a live music event with light theatricality and an open heart, At the eleventh hour they came for George. The night marriage equality passed, angry Christian believers destroyed the mural. It was a new heaviness  a reminder that only 61% of the public had voted yes.

Directed by Kate Champion on the headland at Barangaroo Reserve, where queer voices become the proud siren song of the city, the strongest force imaginable is resilient queer love. It weaves through the opening number and expands outwards: theres a song for the mural  how he winked at us from the train and held us in his gaze  and one for two women whose love led them across the inner west to a mural-backed proposal. There are songs of the dissenters too, but they dont own this story.
The Trump administration last week notified some Huawei suppliers that it is revoking their licenses to sell to the Chinese tech giant and intends to reject dozens of other applications to supply the telecommunications equipment maker, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The action against Huawei Technologies - likely the last under Republican President Donald Trump's administration - is the latest in a long-running effort to weaken the world's largest telecommunications equipment company, which it says is a threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.

The notices came amid a flurry of U.S. actions against China in the final days of the Trump administration. Democrat Joe Biden will take the oath of office as president on Wednesday.

A Commerce Department spokesman did not immediately return requests for comment.

In an email seen by Reuters documenting the actions, the Semiconductor Industry Association said on Friday the Commerce Department had issued "intents to deny a significant number of license requests for exports to Huawei and a revocation of at least one previously issued license." Sources familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was more than one revocation.

The email said the actions spanned a "broad range" of products in the semiconductor industry and asked companies whether they had received notices.

The email noted that companies had been waiting "many months" for licensing decisions and with less than a week left in the administration, dealing with it was a challenge.

A spokesman for the semiconductor group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After a year unlike any other, I think it is safe to say we all feel a little weary. We have emerged into 2021, and while vaccinations have begun, we do not yet know when the end of this pandemic will be. For West Texas, we have not only been faced with the fallout from a global pandemic but also the collapse of oil prices. Having lived in West Texas for more than 25 years, I have seen my fair share of booms and busts, but none begin to compare to 2020. As they always do though, West Texans showed up for their neighbors. We checked in with friends and relatives, found new ways for grandparents to connect with grandchildren, collected snacks and drinks to show appreciation to front-line workers, helped each other through the sometimes chaotic world of remote learning, and generally did what West Texans do in a crisis  looked for ways to help.

This was especially true in the non-profit sector. As the executive director at Midland Rape Crisis and Childrens Advocacy Center for eight years, I know firsthand how well this community supports its nonprofits, but even I was blown away by the kindness and generosity extended to us last year. Foundations checked in regularly to ensure our ever-changing needs were being met. Sponsors insisted we keep funds donated for events that were cancelled or postponed. Local businesses reached out with hand sanitizer when it was impossible to find. Individuals and businesses stepped up to provide toys for Christmas to benefit many children in need in our community. Restaurants and businesses hosted give-back days, donating a portion of their proceeds to area nonprofits. On top of all this, our community turned out again on Permian Basin Gives Day, helping bridge funding gaps created due to lost fundraising revenue. All efforts to support the non-profit community helped ensure we all weathered a turbulent year and could focus on our missions instead of worrying about our budgets.
(CNN)  Every year, tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims wade into the Ganges River, seeking salvation from the eternal cycle of life and death. Holy men lead prayers and offer blessings, and devotees wash their sins away in the sacred waters.

But this year, India's Kumbh Mela -- the largest pilgrimage on Earth -- is drawing alarm, with some authorities warning of a potential mass Covid-19 outbreak if crowds gather and bathe together without masks.

Kumbh Mela, a months-long mass pilgrimage, is one of the most important Hindu celebrations. According to some myths behind the festival, the Ganges river water turns into "amrita," or the nectar of immortality, on particular days.

Bathing in the sacred waters of the "sangam," where the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers meet, is believed to achieve "moksha," or release from the cycle of life and death.

The pilgrimage was supposed to begin on Thursday, known as Makar Sankranti, or the first day of the holy baths. But this year, officials decided to push the pilgrimage back a month.

"We will issue for (the pilgrimage) to start sometime in the third week of February," and run through the end of April, said Madan Kaushik, Uttarakhand Minister for Urban Development and Housing. Within those few months, there will be four days designated for people to dip into the Ganges, he said.

"This festival will not be postponed further. We will take the precaution and do everything possible but we will not delay or cancel the Kumbh Mela," he added.

Despite the postponement, hundreds of thousands of people from across the country congregated in the ancient city of Haridwar, in the northern Uttarakhand state, on Thursday to celebrate Makar Sankranti.

Devotees began arriving on Wednesday; photos show families taking dips in the river, groups walking or sitting along the banks, and holy men performing evening prayers. Shopkeepers decorated their storefronts, while open-air vendors laid their goods along the streets in anticipation of the crowds. By Thursday, about 700,000 people were in attendance, according to Kaushik.

As the first throngs of people dipped into the waters, authorities braced for the potential of a super-spreader event, with the country still reporting between up to 20,000 new Covid-19 cases a day.

Globally, India has the second highest number of cases and third highest death toll. As of Friday, it has reported more than 10.5 million cases and 151,000 related deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

And though the pilgrimage has been postponed, it could still pose a threat when it takes place a month from now. Last year, up to 55 million people attended the festival over several months, according to CNN affiliate CNN-News18. Even if the attendance falls this year, that's still millions of people congregating in close quarters for hours a day, sharing public facilities, having meals together, and bathing in the same waters.

A potential 'breeding ground'

India's infections peaked last September, and the number of daily new cases has steadily fallen since then. Regulators approved the country's first two Covid-19 vaccines for restricted emergency use earlier this month; health authorities are now launching a massive immunization program, aiming to inoculate 300 million people by August.

However, leaders warn that vaccine or not, the danger of infection is still high, and residents should continue taking precautions.

"Covid protocols will have to be implemented during this, even a bit of looseness can cause damage," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 11.

The Uttarakhand High Court issued a court directive on January 11, highlighting the danger of the festival and urging authorities to provide more detailed safety measures. Unless the flow of people is controlled, with safe accommodation and transportation, "Kumbh Mela 2021 may become the breeding ground for spread of COVID-19 pandemic," the court warned.

"Since people from all over the country and abroad do congregate at Kumbh Mela, the infection of COVID-19 may be carried back by the pilgrims to different parts of the country," the court said, adding that the government needed "concrete plans" to minimize the threat.

Siddharth Chakrapani, the organizer of this year's festival, acknowledged health and safety concerns -- but said they were taking precautions, according to CNN-News18. "I have confidence that Mother Ganga will protect all of them," he added.

Devotees coming from outside the city will need to go through thermal scanning and random test sampling, said Haridwar Additional District Magistrate KK Mishra on Thursday. District administrators have been deployed throughout the city to raise awareness, and provide safety training for shopkeepers and business owners, he said.

On Thursday, volunteer teams conducted temperature checks on devotees near the Ganges. People who want to partake in the holy baths are also required to register online and receive e-passes, according to CNN-News 18. National guidelines are still in place, including mandatory face masks and a required six-feet social distancing rule in public spaces.

But it's unclear how closely those precautions will be followed, or how they will be enforced -- especially during next month's pilgrimage.

Photos from Thursday show people packed together at the river banks, without the required distance between individuals. Many of those pictured wore face masks or coverings, but a sizable number were bare-faced as well, including children and the elderly -- and especially during group rites.

There's also no guarantee that people will wait until the official start date. The significant religious dates are based on planets' astrological positions, so devotees could well travel to the Ganges on those dates for the holy baths, regardless of authorities' approval.

Rising religious tensions

Authorities have good reason to be nervous. Around the world, several religious gatherings have caused Covid-19 clusters, some spreading beyond their community to the entire nation.

One of the earliest and most well known cases was the Shincheonji religious group, which became the center of South Korea's outbreak in February. By March, thousands of cases had been linked to its members -- more than half of all the country's cases at the time -- prompting local lockdowns. and extensive contact tracing and testing.

In the US, too, churches have found themselves at the center of community outbreaks; one church in California was linked to at least 70 cases, while another church in Ohio saw more than 90 related cases.

India faced its own crisis in mid-March, when a gathering of a conservative Muslim missionary group in New Delhi led to a highly publicized cluster. Thousands of members traveled from across the country and abroad to the event -- by the following months, more than 4,200 cases had been linked to the gathering, across 23 states and union territories.

But the Muslim group's gathering was met with a much stronger fallout and public hostility than the instances in other countries, largely due to India's long-standing Muslim-Hindu tensions, which ratcheted up alongside fear and paranoia during the pandemic.

The majority of India's 1.3 billion population is Hindu; Muslims make up about 200 million people in the country. The Delhi cluster amplified existing prejudices, which have been growing in recent years under Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Muslims around the country reported being harassed and beaten; some had their houses raided by police; some BJP leaders described the gathering as an act of terrorism.

Other non-Muslim gatherings still went on during the same time period but faced significantly less backlash. For instance, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state traveled to another city for a Hindu ritual even after the lockdown was announced, reportedly surrounded by at least 20 people. Afterward, his media adviser told local media there were around 10 people present.

There was almost no sign of public outcry this week, either, for the hundreds of thousands of Hindus who congregated in Haridwar. Modi, who has a strong Hindu base, tweeted about the holiday on Thursday, making no mention of Covid-19 or safety measures.

"Makar Sankranti (the first day for holy baths) is marked with enthusiasm in several parts of India," he wrote. "This auspicious festival illustrates India's diversity and the vibrancy of our traditions."

Indian political commentator Sanjay Kapoor isn't surprised that authorities are pushing ahead with the pilgrimage next month despite obvious safety concerns.

"I don't think it will ever be canceled -- it's too big," he said, adding that the festival has grown substantially since the BJP came into power, reflecting their emphasis on Hindu nationalism -- as well as the cultural and political sway of India's Hindu majority. It's all the more stark when considering that the Muslim gathering in March had been "venomously" targeted and made an example of, he said.

"They're not even allowing Parliament to come together on account of Covid, but these mega events are allowed to happen. How do you explain that to the world?" Kapoor said. "The pandemic hasn't gone away."

This story was first published on CNN.com.
Salman Khan has mourned the untimely demise of Bigg Boss talent manager Pista Dhakad.

Pista, 25, died on Friday after her scooter slipped near Film City Road in suburban Mumbai and she was crushed under a van.

Sharing a picture with the bereaved, Salman wrote on social media, "Rest in peace Pista."

Rest in peace Pista... pic.twitter.com/7oXexVVfL6 Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) January 17, 2021

Earlier, several actors, including former Bigg Boss contestants took to social media to offer their condolences to the departed soul. Prince Narula remembered Pista as a positive personality. You reside in our heart in a way that it seemed we knew you since childhood. I havent seen a positive person like you. Someone who always wanted good of everyone and who used to always stay happy, he posted on Instagram.

Recalling his last meeting with Pista, he said, We didnt know that the Goa trip that you, Yuvika and I took would be our last together. No one can fill your void in our industry and our life. Love you always. Devoleeena Bhattacharjee said she was shocked with the news.

Yuvika Chaudhary, Shehnaaz Gill, Jasmin Bhasin too offered their condolences.

David A. Plachko

PORT CARBON  A borough man charged with assaulting a Port Carbon police officer on Oct. 31 waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko.

Timothy Burke, 27, of 30 Pike St., was arrested by Patrolman Timothy Walsh and charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count each of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

By waiving his right to a hearing, Burke will now have to answer to all four charges in Schuylkill County Court, where he can plead guilty or enter a not guilty plea and request a trial.

Walsh said he was called to the Burke home where he found Burke unconscious due to an overdose.

When EMS personnel administered the drug Narcan, Burke regained consciousness and became enraged. Walsh said Burke became aggressive and began to kick him several times in the leg and groin. Burke also continued to struggle with other officers until he was able to be taken into custody, Walsh said.

Other court cases included:

Stephen J. Vereb, 59, of 81 Cardinal Road, Pine Grove; waived for court: DUI, DUI-high rate, DUI-controlled substance, driving with an alcohol level of 0.02% or higher while under license suspension, driving with a suspended or revoked license, not discontinuing signals and disregard for single traffic lane.

Braxton J. Moore, 38, of 606 Cedar St., Freeland; held for court: possession of a firearm prohibited, firearms not to be carried without a license, receiving stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Patrick Davis, 57, of 208 S. Mill St., Saint Clair; waived for court: dangerous dog attacks, failure to comply with sections, having a dog without a muzzle or supervision and not having a dog confined within the premises of the owner.

Georgia M. Skeans, 43, of 524 N. Delaware Ave., Minersville; held for court: retail theft.

William W. Skeans, 33, of 125 W. South St., Mahanoy City; held for court: conspiracy.

Jeffrey M. McAnaney, 32, of 41 York Farm Road, Pottsville; waived for court: resisting arrest, possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

David M. Martin, 31, of 16 Silver Creek Road, New Philadelphia; waived for court: DUI, DUI-high rate and disregard for single traffic lane.

Timothy A. Geiger, 46, of 409 E. Hancock St., Saint Clair; waived for court: resisting arrest, obstructing the administration of law, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, criminal attempt to commit tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bryan Rogers, 32, of 640 Fifth St., Port Carbon; waived for court: DUI, DUI-high rate, careless driving and disregard for single traffic lane.

Kenneth M. Neifert, 34, of 301 E. Erie St., Philadelphia; waived for court: possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

William V. Goralewski, 54, of 215 Market St., Cumbola; waived for court: receiving stolen property.

Tanya M. Viars, 44, of 110 S. Jackson St., Pottsville; waived for court: possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Edward M. Tomko, 40, 800-37 N. Second St., Pottsville; waived for court: theft of services.

David M. Brady, 45, of 131 S. Nicholas St., Saint Clair; waived for court: possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sean Malick Dotson, 20, of 302 N. 12th St., Pottsville; waived for court: DUI, disregard for single traffic lane, diving without a license and failure to use safety belts.

Andrea Mamadjanov, 34, of 124 Front St., Mount Carmel; withdrawn: endangering the welfare of children. Waived for court: interference with the custody of children.

Jesse J. Bolinski, 35, of 800-10 N. Second St., Pottsville; waived for court: criminal trespass and possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Stephen J. Bayer

TAMAQUA  A Tamaqua man charged with stealing a trailer hitch valued at $1,200 from 200 East St. in Coaldale on June 18 or 19 waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer.

Michael R. Farber, 55, of 599 Old 209 Road, was arrested by Coaldale police Patrolman James Bonner and charged with one count each of theft and receiving stolen property.

By waiving his right to a hearing, Farber will now have to answer to both charges in Schuylkill County Court, where he can enter a guilty plea or plead not guilty and request a trial.

Bonner charged Farber with going to the property of Paul Coppie and stealing the hitch from his 5th wheel camper that was at Second and East Howard streets.

When interviewed, Bonner said, Farber admitted going to the property in Coaldale and admitted to removing the hitch. Farber also said that Coppie told him it was okay to take the hitch and use it, Bonner said.

Other court cases included:

Carl L. Hardy, 59, of 84 Hunter St., Apt. 6, Tamaqua; waived for court: conspiracy.

Emmanuel Kwabena Obeng, 19, of 119 Middle Road, Greentown; waived for court: possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jorge Fernando Urizar, 19, of Keystone Junior College, 1 College Ave., Factoryville; waived for court: possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Pedro J. Ortiz, 21, of 416 W. Oak St., Shenandoah; waived for court: possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, possession of a small amount of marijuana, delivering or intending to deliver drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jason M. Riegel, 39, of 304 N. Elizabeth St., Tamaqua; waived for court: simple assault and harassment.

Betty Delos Santos-Colon, 21, of 852 Alter St., Hazleton; held for court: retail theft.

Brian Burns, 35, of 513 N. Railroad St., Tamaqua; held for court: possession of a controlled substance.

Keith D. Neff, 38, of 216 N. Greenwood St., Tamaqua; held for court: possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jesse B. Roth, 29, of 60 Hill St., Wilkes-Barre; held for court: false identification to law enforcement, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Wayne Vasiliou, 33, of 10 E. Holland St., Summit Hill; held for court: possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Michelle A. Valentine, 45, of 157 First St., Coaldale; waived for court: DUI-controlled substance and careless driving.

Logan R. Moser, 20, of 436 E. Broad St., Tamaqua; withdrawn: burglary, criminal trespass, theft and receiving stolen property. Waived for court: defiant trespass.

Anthony J. Kilker

SHENANDOAH  A Shenandoah man charged with threatening to kill another person in the borough on Aug. 23 had charges against him held for court during a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker.

Michael J. Mayersky, 41, of 34 W. Penn St. was arrested by Shenandoah police Patrolman Adam Sajone and charged with terroristic threats, intimidation of a witness or victim and harassment.

Kilker determined the commonwealth presented enough evidence to substantiate the charges and ordered all three held for Schuylkill County Court, where Mayersky can plead guilty or enter a not guilty plea and request a trial.

Sajone said Mayersky called a woman from his mothers telephone and told her if she ever called police to check on his mother or send police to the house, he would kill and destroy her business.

Other court cases included:

Gregory J. Paschall, 41, of 8 Emerick St., Shenandoah; withdrawn: strangulation, simple assault, harassment and recklessly endangering another person.

Michael C. Linkchorst, 40, of 4 Chunky Lane, Shenandoah; held for court: disorderly conduct.

April Ann Tovar, 42, of 438 W. Poplar St., Shenandoah; dismissed: simple assault and driving without a license.

Jesus Fernandez, 33, of 272 Merwinsburg Road, Effort; held for court: criminal attempt to commit rape, criminal attempt to commit rape of a child, criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, criminal attempt to commit aggravated indecent assault of a child, indecent assault, indecent exposure and corruption of minors.

Chaqueera A. Gilsaint, 22, of 180 Indiana Ave., Shenandoah; held for court: possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Brandon M. Wallace, 26, of 420 E. Race St., Pottsville; held for court: possession of drug paraphernalia, driving without a license and driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked.

Stephen A. Mackeravage, 49, of 225 W. Coal St., Apt. 2, Shenandoah; held for court: terroristic threats, simple assault, disorderly conduct and defiant trespass.

Michael C. Williams, 37, of 40 W. Spruce St., Mahanoy City; withdrawn at the request of the victims attorney: terroristic threats, harassment and disorderly conduct.

Danny R. Wetzel, 53, of 1200 E. Pine St., Mahanoy City; guilty plea entered: disorderly conduct.

Ricky L. Teter, 42, of 709 Ringtown Road, Zion Grove; held for court: possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked and period for requiring lighted lamps.

Tyler J. Mooney, 26, of 22 S. Ninth St., Mahanoy City; held for court: possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kenneth G. Neely, 55, of 721 E. Mahanoy Ave., Mahanoy City; waived for court: possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sean D. Bowen, 40, of 259 Kidder St., Wilkes-Barre; waived for court: possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Diego R. Cruz, 31, of 1133 E. Mahanoy Ave., Mahanoy City; dismissed: simple assault, harassment and recklessly endangering another person.

Jesse D. Alonge, 32, of 122 N. Line St., Girardville; dismissed: burglary, criminal trespass, theft, simple assault and harassment. Guilty plea: possession of drug paraphernalia.

Crystal A. Wentworth, 35, of 304 W. Cherry St., Shenandoah; waived for court: making repairs to or selling offensive weapons, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Timothy E. Hostetter, 34, of 1740 Center Turnpike, Deer Lake; waived for court: defiant trespass, disorderly conduct, public drunkenness, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Juan Rivas, 28, of 120 N. Bower St., Shenandoah; withdrawn: simple assault and harassment.

Scott A. Green, 24, of 2406 Railroad St., Mahanoy Plane; withdrawn: receiving stolen property, conspiracy and disposition of a vehicle or vehicle parts with altered vehicle identification numbers.

(Staff writer Frank Andruscavage compiled this report)
There is no doubt that 6th of January 2021 will be remembered as a dark day in American history. The events of the day and the resulting fall out will be referenced, studied, and analysed for years to come.

One moment in particular, the permanent banning of Donald Trumps Twitter account, will undoubtedly be a watershed moment in the debate surrounding free speech and censorship on social media platforms, and the regulation of Big Tech companies.

Twitter has banned Donald Trump. Credit:AP

Whether you see Twitters move to silence Mr Trump as the death knell of freedom of speech on social media platforms or as a necessary measure to quell inciteful rhetoric, it must be conceded that Big Tech companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple, have amassed extraordinarily powerful positions in the global corporate and political landscape.

As a globally interconnected world, we have arrived at a new reality of 'glocalisation', where the local is merged with the global through online portals. We have become increasingly reliant on Big Tech companies and their services, and governments have not kept pace with these transformations and the impact on our societies. We must now work to catch up.
Massachusetts public health officials reported 4,283 newly-confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the same day officials said they detected for the first time the highly contagious strain thats swept over the United Kingdom and spread to more than 50 countries.

At least 448,311 Massachusetts residents have contracted the virus statewide and 13,372 have died since the pandemic began.

Sundays stats bring the estimated active case total to 98,476 just as the nation approaches 24 million cases and 400,000 deaths nearly a year after the pandemic reached America.

The person who tested positive for the more contagious coronavirus variant is a Boston woman in her 20s who became ill after traveling to the U.K., DPH officials said Sunday afternoon.

The individual developed symptoms in early January and tested positive for COVID-19, according DPH. A genetic sample was sent to an out-of-state laboratory as part of the US Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) established surveillance process to identify COVID-19 variants. The State Public Health Laboratory was notified last evening of the results.

As of Sunday, there have been 88 reported cases of the highly contagious variant in 14 states.

The latest totals in Massachusetts come as the U.S. eclipsed 397,000 COVID-19-linked deaths and a total of 23.8 million cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. Despite making up just 4% of the worlds population, the U.S. accounts for more than a quarter of all global cases and 20% of deaths worldwide.

The latest state data is based on 89,177 new molecular tests. A total of 12.3 million tests have been administered in Massachusetts throughout the crisis.

The seven-day average rate of positive tests stands at 5.86%. The percentage is significantly higher than the low of 0.8% the state reached in September, but has still shown a downward trend over the last week, DPH said. Excluding higher education institutions, where frequent testing has helped keep COVID-19 isolated and prevented spread, the states seven-day average is 7.2%.

As of Sunday, at least 2,165 people are being treated for COVID-19 in the hospital, including 433 in intensive care. At least 288 are intubated, DPH said.

State officials have labeled 229 Massachusetts towns and cities as high-risk for spreading the virus.

Since the state launched vaccinations last month, 32,984 people have reached full immunization with a second dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. In total, 239,174 doses have been administered in Massachusetts, according to DPH data.

On Monday, the state will begin inoculations for homeless individuals, residents of group homes, substance use disorder treatment programs and emergency shelters, and inmates.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that the release of new data in preparation for emergency use authorization of vaccines from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca was weeks away, not months away, for sure. He also expressed confidence that President-elect Joe Biden could deliver on his goal to vaccinate 100 million people within 100 days of taking office on Wednesday.

Fauci also warned again that Americans must remain vigilant when it comes to wearing masks, social distancing and taking the vaccine, especially as public health officials study new, highly contagious variants of the coronavirus in the U.K., Brazil and South Africa.

Cumulative COVID cases by county:

Barnstable: 7,315

Berkshire: 3,969

Bristol: 44,697

Dukes: 665

Essex: 71,251

Franklin: 1,589

Hampden: 32,936

Hampshire: 4,996

Middlesex: 92,781

Nantucket: 990

Norfolk: 35,130

Plymouth: 31,740

Suffolk: 65,398

Worcester: 53,526

Related Content:
By Nathan Layne and Patricia Zengerle

(Reuters) - Protesters are expected to descend on statehouses across the United States on Sunday in support of baseless claims that electoral fraud robbed President Donald Trump of a second term, as law enforcement officials girded for possible violence.

More than a dozen states have activated National Guard troops to help secure their capitol buildings following an FBI warning of armed protests, with right-wing extremists emboldened by the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6.

There were scattered demonstrations on Saturday, but statehouses remained mostly quiet. Security officials have eyed Sunday as the first major flashpoint as that is when the anti-government "boogaloo" movement made plans weeks ago to hold rallies in all 50 states.

Related: Riots at the U.S. Capitol

While many states have erected fences or other barriers to secure their capitols, Texas and Kentucky have taken the further step of closing their capitol grounds to the public.

It is just days until Wednesday's Inauguration Day, when Democrat Joe Biden will be sworn in amid extraordinary security efforts in Washington, D.C.

The downtown area of the capital was virtually empty on Saturday, with streets near the Capitol closed and battalions of camouflaged National Guard soldiers taking up positions across the city center.

Connecticut has activated its National Guard in preparation for as many as 2,000 mostly Trump supporters at its capitol complex in Hartford on Sunday, a state police spokesman said.

"We are preparing possibly for anything to happen," said Trooper Pedro Muniz, adding that there had not been any specific threats. "We won't tolerate any acts of violence."

The nationwide security scramble followed the attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington by a mix of extremists and Trump supporters, some of whom called for the death of Vice President Mike Pence as he presided over the certification of Biden's election victory.

POTENTIAL VIOLENCE

The Democratic leaders of four U.S. congressional committees said on Saturday they had opened a review of the events and had written to the FBI and other intelligence and security agencies asking what was known about threats, whether the information was shared and whether foreign influence played any role.

The FBI and other federal agencies have warned of the potential for future violence, as white supremacists and other extremists look to exploit frustration among Trump supporters who have bought into falsehoods about electoral fraud.

It was not clear whether the ramped up security presence might lead some protesters to stay at home.

Following the Jan. 6 violence in Washington, some militia members said they would not attend a long-planned pro-gun demonstration in Virginia on Monday, where authorities were worried about the risk of violence as multiple groups converged on the state capital, Richmond.

Some militias and extremist groups have told followers to stay home this weekend, citing the increased security or the risk that the planned events were law enforcement traps.

Bob Gardner, leader of the Pennsylvania Lightfoot Militia, said his group had no plans to be in Harrisburg this weekend, where the Capitol has been fortified with barricades and will be protected by hundreds of members of its National Guard.

"We've got our own communities to worry about," Gardner said earlier this week. "We donat get involved in politics."

(Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut, Patricia Zengerle in Washington and David DeKok in Harrisburg; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Frances Kerry)
Axios

While Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) was out of state at a conference, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R) issued an executive order Thursday banning mask mandates in school and public buildings, AP reports.Why it matters: Little never issued a statewide mask mandate, but there have been some in counties, cities and schools. McGeachin announced last week she was running for governor, challenging Little who has only served one term, and her order could appeal to far-right voters in the state.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Little's office told AP that McGeachin did not tell the governor about the order in advance. Throughout the pandemic, Gov. Little has been committed to protecting the health and safety of the people of Idaho and has emphasized the importance of Idahoans choosing to protect our neighbors and loved ones and keeping our economy and schools open, Little spokesperson Marissa Morrison saidBackground: In March, McGeachin participated in an anti-mask protest, the Washington Post reported, and she suggested last year that the pandemic may or may not be occurring."According to AP, Idaho has recorded more than 190,000 cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and roughly 2,000 deaths.What she's saying: Ive been listening to people all across the state with the concern about, especially, why are little kids being forced to wear masks in school, McGeachin told AP.My oath to the Constitution is to protect those rights and freedoms of the individual, and Ive never supported any type of a mandate on the individual, especially when it comes to health care choices.McGeachin said she had contracted the virus in 2019 and now has a "natural immunity," per AP.Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin issued an executive order banning mask mandates, not face masks. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
Courtesy of the National Park Service

Authorities are searching for a 41-year-old woman who went missing during a hike at Yosemite National Park last week.

Alice Yu Xie is believed to have gone on a day hike to the Upper Yosemite Fall overlook on Friday or Saturday morning, authorities said. She has not been seen or heard from since.

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Saturday marked the fifth anniversary of the founding of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Chinese President Xi Jinping has firmly supported the operation and development of the AIIB, the first China-proposed multilateral financial institution, and has spoken of the institution on many occasions.

The following are some highlights of his remarks:

-- To address issues emerging in the course of economic globalization, countries should pursue more inclusive global governance, more effective multilateral institutions, and more robust regional cooperation. In this context, the AIIB may grow into a new platform that promotes development for all its members and facilitates the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

-- With more good friends and partners getting on board for higher-quality cooperation, the AIIB has established itself on the global stage as a new type of professional, efficient and honest multilateral development bank.

-- The AIIB should commit itself to serving the development needs of all its members and providing more high-quality, low-cost and sustainable investment for both traditional and new types of infrastructure.

-- China will continue working with other members to support the AIIB and make it a success, and contribute more to the global response to risks and challenges and the pursuit of shared development.

-- The founding and opening of the AIIB will bring about a better investment environment and more job opportunities and trigger greater medium- to long-term development potential on the part of developing members in Asia. This, in turn, will inject impetus into economic growth in Asia and the wider world.

-- The AIIB and the existing global development financial institutions will complement each other's advantages.

-- The founding of the AIIB proves once again that where there is a will, there is a way.

-- The initiative to establish the AIIB is a constructive move. It will enable China to undertake more international obligations, promote the improvement of the current international economic system, and provide more international public goods. This is a move that will help bring mutual benefits and win-win outcomes to all sides.
Authorities in the north-central Vietnamese province of Quang Binh have discovered 22 troops of endangered Francois' langurs near local residential areas and are planning on protecting their habitat.

The Center for Indigenous Knowledge Research and Development (CIRD) on Friday convened a meeting with the Peoples Committee in Tuyen Hoa District, Quang Binh Province regarding the discovery of the langurs.

The troops, which consist of a total of 156 Francois' langurs, also known as white side-burned black langurs, were found inhabiting limestone mountains in Dong Hoa, Thach Hoa, and Thuan Hoa Communes in Tuyen Hoa District.

Among them, 12 troops were spotted in Thach Hoa, nine in Dong Hoa, and one in Thuan Hoa.

The herds typically include one male and many females, as well as their offspring, according to the CIRD.

The langurs often appear near local residential areas and farms, the center added.

Francois' langurs are sighted in Thach Hoa Commune, Tuyen Hoa District, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam. Photo: L.G. / Tuoi Tre

Francois' langurs are classified as critically endangered in the Red Book of Vietnam and in urgent need of conservation and protection.

This species mainly lives in Quang Binh, while a few other troops have also been recorded in north-central Quang Tri Province.

A small number of Francois' langurs also inhabit the border area between Laos Khammouane Province and Vietnams Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park.

The Tuyen Hoa District administration is coordinating with the CIRD to prepare measures necessary to conserve and protect the langurs.

Local authorities have banned residents from chasing away or hunting the langurs as well as from exploiting local limestone mountains.

They are planning on establishing an ecotourism area that allows visitors to watch the langurs from a safe distance.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
China is one of the countries betting big on self-driving cars, and with the help of local tech giants, it now hopes to build a network of roads that would fit this new generation of vehicles like a glove. Huawei and a series of domestic partners are currently piloting such an approach with the help of a four-kilometer (2.5-mile) road in the city of Wuxi in Jiangsu province, all with the purpose of determining how a smart road can exchange information with a self-driving vehicle.Needless to say, this road is fitted with an army of sensors, cameras, and radars, all supposed to collect and transmit information to nearby cars.Huawei is testing all capabilities with a specifically built bus called X-Bus and whose operation is controlled by a special network in charge of analyzing all data. The bus can automatically submit special requests, such as for the green light when it needs to reach a specific station faster and stay on schedule, while the road itself can provide information like traffic conditions.Autonomous driving is an irresistible trend, but any isolated vehicle alone cant nail it, Jiang Wangcheng, a president at Huaweis information and communications technology business, was quoted as saying recently. The only solution is to get more information from the roads."Of course, this is just the beginning of a more ambitious project, and while China is betting big on this new-generation technology, dont expect it to happen overnight.But worth noting is that unlike other tech giants, such as Apple , Huawei isnt necessarily interested in a self-driving car but rather in the infrastructure that could make such a vehicle operate more efficiently.
Virginia Man Arrested at DC Checkpoint With Unregistered Firearm, Says It Was Honest Mistake

The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) on Saturday announced that it had arrested a man at an inaugural security checkpoint the day before, who had presented a non-government issued credential.

Authorities said the man, Wesley Allen Beeler, 31, of Virginia, was arrested at around 6:30 p.m. Friday, when he was carrying a handgun in plain sight in his vehicle. A search of his car revealed numerous rounds of ammunition. Media outlets, citing a police report, said more than 500 rounds of ammunition were found in his vehicle.

Beeler was subsequently transported to USCP Headquarters and charged with Carrying a Pistol without a License; Possession of Unregistered Firearm, and Possession of Unregistered Ammunition.

The 31-year-old was released from police custody on Saturday. He told The Washington Post that he was lost and didnt mean to bring the gun and ammunition to Washington. He said he was working as hired security to guard media equipment in downtown Washington in the lead up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

It was an honest mistake, Beeler told the newspaper. I pulled up to a checkpoint after getting lost in D.C. because Im a country boy.

I showed them the inauguration badge that was given to me, he added.

Beeler also denied having more than 500 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle.

The arrest comes as security measures are ramped up ahead of Jan. 20. Federal authorities have said they are tracking an extensive amount of concerning online chatter about potential threats to the inauguration, including armed protests, potential threats linked to the Capitol breach, and other types of potential threats.

Videos by reporters, workers, and residents in the area show street closures, workers putting up miles of barricades and fencing, shops and offices being boarded up, and an increased military presence. Military vehicles are seen parked on downtown streets, and armed guards are checking identification for people leaving and entering the city.

Many streets are being closed for several days, beginning Saturday, Jan. 16, and some bridges and interstate highways into Washington are scheduled to shut down at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

Meanwhile, around 25,000 National Guard members from all 50 states, three territories, and Washington will be stationed in the city next week, the U.S. Army confirmed, which is an increase of 5,000 from numbers earlier this week. The number of guardsmen sent to Washington exceeds the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, which has been reduced to 2,500, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The heightened security for inauguration day was triggered by the civil unrest and violence observed on Jan. 6. Left-wing activists and some protesters waving American and Trump flags illegally stormed the Capitol building. The mayhem left five people dead and dozens of police officers injured.

The Justice Department said on Thursday that federal authorities have made charges in about 80 cases and arrested 34 individuals in connection to the acts of violence and lawlessness at the Capitol.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said the bureau is readily investigating and making arrests over the events from the Capitol breach and has embarked on countless other investigations to prevent those individuals from any efforts to repeat that kind of activity and serve as a very stern warning to anybody else who might be inclined to engage in that activity.

He added that the American people should be confident that his agents are involved in much behind-the-scenes work to feed relevant information to law enforcement partners so that can track targets as appropriate.

Dreams of reopening Queensland's border to Sydney residents have been thrown into question after seven new COVID-19 cases were reported in New South Wales over the weekend, but all hope is not lost.

Genomic testing is underway to confirm whether a man who tested positive on Saturday could be linked to a cluster in the western Sydney suburb of Berala.

Incoming passengers are screened by police as they arrive at the domestic terminal at Brisbane Airport. Credit:Dan Peled

Six of the man's close contacts, including a hospital worker, tested positive on Sunday.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the weekend cases were close to the Berala cluster, but health authorities will run tests to confirm they are linked.

Premium intelligent EV brand IM Motors premiered worldwide

SHANGHAI, Jan. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jointly founded by SAIC Motor, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech and Alibaba Group, IM Motors (Zhiji Motors in Chinese), a premium intelligent pure electric vehicle brand, was simultaneously premiered in Shanghai China, CES in Las Vegas and London, UK. At the brand launch, IM Motors unveiled two ready-for-production models - theIntelligent Pure Electric Car and SUV. IM Motors aims to redefine a vehicle and the relation between users and enterprises, while becoming the leader of intelligent mobility in the era of artificial intelligence.

The English brand name IM Motors stands for Intelligence in Motion, which is a natural reflection of the evolving direction of intelligent vehicles: focusing on the collaboration and integration of artificial and human intelligence. Meanwhile the brand logo uses binary code as a simple, friendly and interconnected language to reflect the infinite creativity of intelligent technologies. The brand proposition of IM Motors is defined by the phrase "IM what I am" which places emphasis on a consumer's self-identity and self-expression.

IM Motors offers a plethora of advanced technologies which it leverages during the transition between driver assistance and full autonomy. The intelligent operating system, termed IMOS, is the first of its kind in the world. With unprecedented intelligent multi-scenes, the system can switch between multiple interactive content displays to present the driver with the most intuitive driving experience. Another of the brands innovative offerings is the SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture) which includes a five-lane perspective as well as full scene driving controls. Meanwhile, the car's intelligent camera system, Carlog, has three wide-angle cameras with a total of 150 million pixels and supports 4K, 180 distortion-free wide-angle shooting. The camera system is highly advanced and integrates several modern age features such as high-range dynamic, a 480-frame slow-motion and night scene shooting, delayed photography, instant generation, a master template, one-click sharing etc. In the 5G era, it creates a social sharing experience for users to instantly share.

The first mass production vehicle will come equipped with 15 high-definition visual cameras, 5-millimetre wave radars and 12 ultrasonic radars to help accelerate the implementation of a door-to-door Pilot. The various sensors are necessary to realise intelligent urban roads navigation, high-speed intelligent navigation and centimetre level high-precision fixed-point automatic parking.

Another crucial point to address in the era of intelligent mobility is that of range anxiety. In response to the challenge, vehicles from the brand will come equipped with either a standard 93kWh Si doped lithium-ion battery, or an optional high configuration 115kWh variant. The batteries, which are tested to the strictest standards, mean that IM Motors can support a maximum endurance of almost 1000km in the complete architecture bandwidth and can achieve zero attenuation performance of 200,000 km. In addition, the implementation of the world's first mass-production 11kw high-power wireless charging eliminates the need for wired charging and provides an electric vehicle with constant energy and safety.

The realisation of these intelligent technologies depends on Data-Driven, which is the core IM Motors concept and product iteration. The exclusive data factory of IM Motors will reconstruct the internal logic of development and iteration from the bottom, build a data-driven business flywheel system, continuously drive the optimisation of product and service experience through the data provided by users and AI algorithm closed-loop, and finally make data become the core driving force of product and brand optimisation iteration.

While data endows a car with intelligence, art undoubtedly endows a car with soul. To this end, IM Motors has partnered with a multi-award-winning British design and architecture studio founded by the world-renowned designer Thomas Heatherwick-who is known as "Da Vinci of our times" for vehicle and charging station design. An international cross domain art team, teamLab, will work with IM Motors to explore the intelligent interaction and immersive art experience. The co-founder of the Tianyi Foundation, Jiang Qionger, will explore and realise the integration of art and technology. Williams Advanced Engineering, a pioneering explorer in high-end automobile lightweight, battery technology and product optimisation will ensure that every IM Motors user can enjoy the exhilarating drive empowered by high-performance electric vehicles. In the future, the Partner Program will extend to users, and IM Motors will work with the British Council to explore in-depth cooperation in art, education and culture, to facilitate creative expression and exchanges between the Chinese and British youth. This will help young generation better understand the brand proposition 'IM what I am'.

Under current plans, the first mass-production model will be ready for global bookings at the upcoming Shanghai Motor Show in April 2021, where IM Motors will provide more product details and user experience solutions.

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The Study on Stress, Spirituality and Health (SSSH), a cutting-edge proteomics analysis, suggests that religious beliefs modulate protein expression associated with cardiovascular disease in South Asians in the United States. The research, published by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) in Scientific Reports, demonstrates that spiritual struggles, in particular, significantly modify the impact of unique proteins on risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in U.S. South Asians, a community that has especially high rates of CVD.

This study represents the first proteomics analysis ever conducted on protein levels in relationship to CVD within a U.S. South Asian population and the first published study to analyze proteomics signatures in relationship to religion and spirituality in any population.

Before we can develop the best interventions to reduce CVD disparities, we need to understand the biological pathways through which health disparities are produced. As this study shows, psychosocial factors - and religious or spiritual struggles in particular - can affect biological processes that lead to CVD in this high-risk population. Spirituality can also serve as a resource for resilience and have a protective effect. Given that many of the minority communities that experience higher levels of CVD also report higher levels of religiosity and spirituality, studies such as the SSSH may help identify new leverage points, such as spiritually focused psychotherapy for those in spiritual distress, that could reduce risk of CVD for such individuals." Alexandra Shields, PhD, Study's Principal Investigator and Co-Senior Author

Alexandra Shields is the director of the Harvard/MGH Center on Genomics, Vulnerable Populations and Health Disparities at the MGH Mongan Institute and associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS).

Results of the study, which included 50 participants who developed CVD and 50 sex- and age-matched controls without CVD from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study (100 participants), indicate that there may be unique protein expression profiles associated with CVD in U.S. South Asian populations, and that these associations may also be impacted by religious struggles, in which, for example, individuals experiencing adverse life events feel they are being punished or abandoned by their God, or have a crisis of faith.

The MASALA study includes 1,164 South Asians who were recruited from the San Francisco Bay Area and the greater Chicago area and followed for approximately eight years with the goal of investigating factors that lead to heart disease among this high-risk ethnic group. MASALA is one of the original cohorts participating in SSSH, through which this research was conducted.

"Understanding the pathways of this mechanism at the molecular level using proteomics technology is crucial to developing potential interventions that can help reduce CVD incidence in this population," says Long H. Ngo, PhD, lead author and co-director of Biostatistics in the Division of General Medicine at BIDMC and associate professor of Medicine at HMS.

Co-senior author Towia Libermann, PhD, director of Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Center at BIDMC, adds: "The kinds of blood-based protein biomarkers used in this study are particularly effective in assessing CVD risk because they carry clinical information about risk of disease and are the most commonly used molecules for diagnostic applications."
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A tearful Nancy Pelosi announced Congress members might be prosecuted over the Capitol riot as she initiated a major security review.

Congress Members May Be Prosecuted

The House Speaker was emotional upon declaring she has asked retired Lieutenant General Russel Honore to conduct an urgent review of security arrangements in the wake of the violence at Washington, DC.

The unexpected January 6 siege courtesy of President Donald Trump's supporters had five fatalities. This resulted in the House impeaching Trump for a second time due to an arduous speech that day in which he prompted thousands of his followers to combat President-Elect Joe Biden's victory.

The hundreds who inundated the Capitol hastily overwhelmed police officials barricading the US Capitol, calling security preparations into question, and displayed a level of detailed knowledge regarding the location of lawmakers' officers by some rioters that raised concerns.

Pelosi declared the "security infrastructure" of Capitol Hills would undergo review.

According to the House Speaker, "We must subject this whole complex to scrutiny in light of what happened and the fact that the inauguration is coming. Members are moving forward with strong oversight from committees, of course, to have after-action review. There is strong interest in the Congress in a 9/11-type commission - an outside commission to conduct that after-action review," reported Yahoo.

The Democratic speaker stated the retired army Lt. Gen Russel Honore would spearhead the review.

Pelosi remarked that they had experienced a devastating attack on the US Capitol that threatened and traumatized Congress members, staff, and support workers, reported Independent.

Also Read: Trump Says He Will Not Attend Biden's Inauguration on January 20

Democratic lawmakers are probing whether Congress members provided rioters tours of the Capitol in the days prior to the violence.

The California lawmaker's caution comes after a number of House Democrats have remarked that people on the inside, including Congress members and police officers, may have been accomplices to perpetrate the attack.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill from New Jersey suggested previously this week that a number of lawmakers were complicit in the riot.

The House Speaker also choked up as she mentioned a "punk" who wore a hoodie to the siege with the words "Camp Auschwitz."

According to Pelosi, if it is discovered that members of Congress were accomplices to the insurrection -- if they abetted and assisted the crimes -- there might have actions to be upheld beyond the Congress in terms of prosecution, reported Daily Mail.

The investigation arrives at speculation that Republicans and Capitol Police could have played a role in organizing or allowing a fatal mob in support of Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results he stated were "stolen" from them.

Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio, who oversees a Capitol Police oversight committee, has stated that an investigation is looking at over one lawmaker who gave tours to groups of people at the Capitol the day prior to the siege.

Related Article: Trump's Response to Permanent Account Suspension: Twitter Has Gone Further and Further in Banning Free Speech

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Galmoys David Fogarty was crowned the winner of the 2020 Macra na Feirme Young Farm Manager of the year.



David completed his Leaving Certificate in Colaiste Mhuire Johnstown in 2010 and studied agricultural science in UCD for four years.

From there he worked with Teagasc in Kilkenny as a farm advisor and in 2015 he made the decision to move to New Zealand, where he worked on three different dairy farms over a three-year period.



On his return to Ireland in 2015, David was offered a number of farm manager positions and again opted to partner up with Teagasc in Kilkenny. He gave one year with them in Greenfields Dairy.

In 2017 David moved to manage a 620-acre dairy farm in Rosegarland estate, Wellington Bridge in Wexford, where he manages a 480 dairy herd which he hopes to increase this year.



Achievements

Davids achievements to date are all the more remarkable as he did not hail from a farm background. He did, however, from an early stage show an extremely strong work ethic and was very much supported and encouraged all along by his proud parents Jerry and Margaret.



Following two interviews David was announced as the winner of the Farm Manager of the year award, sponsored by FBD. It is a fitting tribute to all his hard work to date and his eagerness to develop and grow his skills.
Britain's campaign to vaccine the country, starting with the elderly and most vulnerable, has seemingly played a significant part in lowering the figure. The median age stood at 29 for the week ending May 19 - down from 35 at the start of April and 41 at the beginning of the year. Compounding the apparent efficacy of the vaccine rollout, analysis now shows that two thirds of people admitted to hospital with the coronavirus are under 65, reports say. But despite Boris Johnson's desire to announce an end to social distancing this week, this has been pushed back amid the ongoing threat of the Indian Covid variant. The Prime Minister has said that he has not seen ' anything currently in the data to suggest that we have to deviate from the road map'. The fast-spreading strain now makes up between half and three quarters of all cases in the UK, Matt Hancock said yesterday. The Health Secretary told a Downing Street press conference it is now dominant in Britain, taking over from the Kent variant that had been the most common one since Christmas. But official data has now revealed that just three per cent of Britons infected with the Indian variant had received two jabs. More than 38.6million adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 24million have had two. Pictured left: Queues for vaccines in Bolton.
In the early 1980s, Dr. Kimat Khatak and Dr. M. Saleem Bajwa, two Pakistan-born Holyoke physicians, founded the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts, whose West Springfield campus has grown to serve the religious and social needs of Muslim families and to host interfaith events.

He was a sincere and strong leader as well as a down-to-earth friend, said Bajwa of Khatak, who died Jan. 7 of complications from COVID-19. He was loved by Muslims and non-Muslims from all walks of life.

Khataks published obituary reflects similar sentiments from others who knew him in his secular and religious roles.

Bajwa said the two met shortly after he had moved to the area and Khatak had finished a fellowship in cardiology at Baystate Medical Center in 1979.

He was looking to start a practice and I was exploring the same thing, Bajwa said.

Two doctors were retiring in Holyoke. We both bought these practices, and started independent practices in September 1979. He practiced internal medicine and I practiced internal medicine and pulmonology. This is how we met and continued as colleagues, and close friends. We both were and remained affiliated with Holyoke Medical Center.

Bajwa, who had been involved in establishing Islamic centers in New York before moving here, said Khatak became very enthusiastic about establishing one in Western Massachusetts.

There were many Muslim families here and Muslim students on campuses, but no organized society or center, Bajwa recalled.

Dr Khatak became very enthusiastic and we started meeting with the families weekly, initially at our houses, for religious services as well as social connections.

Bajwa said that the families were mostly from Arab and Indo-Pakistani background, and there were a good number of families long-established here.

They families, too, were enthusiastic about the idea of having an Islamic society and center and we, being physicians, were accept as leaders, influential and well-respected, with great love, Bajwa said.

We started the society in 1983 with Dr. Khatak as the first president and I served as treasurer and religious leader. A year later, we bought a small house with a good piece of land in West Springfield and turned it into the societys center.

Bajwa noted that the society has grown enormously since then and expand its facility many times.

Right from the beginning, we realized the need to develop affiliation with other faith communities, and have been participating in what is now the Interfaith Council of Greater Springfield, he said.

Bajwa called Khatak, who came to this country in 1974 to further his medical studies, an outspoken and straight talker, yet respectful.

He loved to socialize, fully enjoying the American dream, Bajwa said.

He was also very much connected to his native country. He would tell stories of his growing up in a small town in Pakistan, his college life, and later on his career in the armed forces of Pakistan.

He added they supported each other in all undertakings related to the Islamic society and their faith. They were often quoted in the press when hate crimes occurred against Muslims and when their West Springfield center was vandalized. Both men had experienced being profiled when they traveled and passed through immigration in the aftermath of the 9/11.

They condemned those attacks as the work of Arab terrorists, and told a reporter on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 that they were committed by individuals with no faith or with a faith that has nothing to do with mainstream religion.

There is no clash of civilizations. A jihad has not been fought in 500 years, said Khatak, interviewed at the time and referring to the war against the Christian crusades. I have been here 36 years, and all I do is take care of sick people in America. I love my patients and my patients love me.

Bajwa said Khataks patients, and colleagues all loved him.

He wanted to continue serving his patients, until his last minute of life, and that is the way he left this world, said Bajwa, adding that Khatak, who would have turned 84 next month, had continued in private practice until shortly before his death.

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Sports lie at the margins of our culture, different from how it is elsewhere in the world, and from how it used to be. This is one of the reasons why criminality among youth proceeds unchecked. There is no youth labour market, and the school system ruthlessly triages youth.

New Delhi: India on Saturday undertook the biggest, nationwide COVID-19 inoculation drive and as many as 1,91,181 healthcare and frontline workers received the first dose.

The nationwide vaccination drive was carried out during 3,352 sessions by 16,755 specially trained personnel. Also, an additional 3,429 people from defence institutions of the Indian Army and the Indian Navy, too were immunised.

However, vaccination drive was suspended at some places mostly due to a glitch in the CoWIN app.

Vaccination drive halted in Maharashtra

The COVID-19 vaccination on Saturday was temporarily suspended in Maharashtra, as per the Health Department of the state. As per an official statement, the vaccination has been postponed for two days on January 17-18 due to technical issues with the CoWIN App. Due to the technical fault in the app, the target could not be met, now the COVID-19 vaccination drive will not be done through the offline medium. "While implementing the COVID-19 vaccination campaign today (January 16, 2021), it was noticed that technical problems were occurring in the CoWIN app. Efforts are being made by the Central Government to address this problem," the statement read.

Vaccination drive halted in Odisha

Meanwhile, Odisha has decided to halt the Covid-19 vaccination for Sunday to observe those who received the vaccine on Saturday. We want to observe those who took the vaccine, the state additional chief secretary (health) said. The vaccination drive will continue from Monday.

Also, in states like Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, some people reported that they did not receive the mandatory message scheduled to get the vaccine which is generated from the CoWIN portal.

While several centres at Karnataka reported problems with CoWIN due to server crash. The app had crashed during a dry run in Bengaluru on 9 January too and the health workers had to rely on manual entry.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the vaccination drive, hailing it as a major achievement. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also held a video conference with the health ministers of all states and UTs, complementing them on the successful rollout of the vaccines.

(with agnecy inputs)

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Famed music producer Phil Spector, whose legacy was marred by his conviction in the 2003 murder of actress and club hostess Lana Clarkson, has died.

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Spector was "pronounced deceased of natural causes at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday, January 16, 2021, at an outside hospital. His official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner in the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office," the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement Sunday.

The prison said he was 80 but Variety and TMZ reported his age as 81, born on Dec. 26, 1939.

"Before his incarceration, Spector was an influential record producer, musician and songwriter best known for developing a music production technique called the 'wall of sound,'' the prison said in the release.

TMZ said he died from COVID-related complications four weeks after he was diagnosed.

Spector was found guilty of second-degree murder by a Los Angeles jury after his second trial in 2009. He was sentenced to 19 years-to-life in prison.

The producer's first trial ended in a hung jury and was declared a mistrial in 2007.

Spector's lawyers argued Clarkson could have killed herself at Spector's home.

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Among the hit songs Spector produced in the 1960s and '70s were "To Know Him is To Love Him" by the Teddy Bears, The Righteous Brothers' "You Lost that Lovin' Feeling," "Unchained Melody," "You're My Soul and Inspiration," The Ronettes' "Be My Baby," The Crystals' "He's a Rebel" and Ike & Tina Turner 's "River Deep, Mountain High."

Spector also produced The Beatles' final album, "Let It Be," and John Lennon's solo songs "Instant Karma" and "Imagine."

The Grammy winner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Al Pacino played him in the 2013 movie, Phil Spector.

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The Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Sunday issued a notice to Amazon Prime over its series 'Tandav'. The move comes after several leaders protested against it with BJP MP Manoj Kotak writing to I&B minister Prakash Javadekar seeking a ban on the series for ridiculing Hindu deities.

'Tandav' stars actors Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Dino Morea, Kumud Mishra, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Gauhar Khan and Kritika Kamra, and premiered on the streaming platform on Friday.

Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar has created, directed and produced the political drama with Himanshu Kishan Mehra and it is written by Gaurav Solanki, best known for "Article 15".

The Mumbai North-East MP said attempts are often made on such platforms to not show Hindu deities in good light. Different organisations and individuals have complained that Hindu Gods and Goddesses have been ridiculed in 'Tandav' web series. Comments have been passed about them, Kotak said.

The legislator said he has filed a complaint in this connection at the suburban Ghatkopar police station. Filed complaint against Tandav Web Series at Ghatkopar police station. Police has assured quick investigation, FIR under Sec 295A of IPC, Section 67A of IT Act & Atrocities Act. Producer, Director, Writer, Actors & Amazon to be summoned soon. #BanTandavNow #Boycottandav, he tweeted.

The scene at the heart of the controversy relates Zeeshan's Shiva doing a stage play where he is dressed as Lord Shiva. The sequence talks about how Lord Ram has become more popular today. When contacted Amazon Prime Video PR said the platform "won't be responding" on the matter.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Friday called for the federal government to better fund efforts to deradicalize white supremacists, conspiracy theory adherents, and others who have supposedly been misled by President Donald Trump.

Responding to a question during a virtual town hall, Ocasio-Cortez conceded that figuring out how best to communicate with some of Trumps supporters is very difficult.

I think that were going to be hearing a lot from a lot of experts in the best ways to deradicalize people, she said. There are a couple things I will say about this. One is I think our community recognizes  that this is not a problem that is going to go away Jan. 20. You know, this doesnt go away with an inauguration, it doesnt go away after an inauguration. And there are people who are radicalized right now, and it is going to take a very long time  and a lot of effort to deradicalize those people.

Now, that is not to say that all hope is lost, Ocasio-Cortez assured her listeners, and mentioned how she has served for the past two years as vice chair of the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which is a part of the Oversight Committee.
In April 1996 - the late Garrett Cooney having temporarily succumbed to a bout of laryngitis - it fell to Donal O'Donnell, a recently appointed 38-year-old senior counsel, to open the appeal of Senator Des Hanafin against the High Court's refusal to invalidate the wafer-thin passage of the October 1995 divorce referendum.

Had Shane Ross sat at the back of the Supreme Court chamber during that appeal, he could not have failed to have been struck by the conspicuous brilliance of O'Donnell's advocacy, a staging post on a journey that was to mark him out as the great appellate and constitutional lawyer of his generation.

The idea that Donal O'Donnell was "an unknown" plucked from obscurity in the bowels of the Law Library for appointment to the Supreme Court, as was suggested by Mr Ross in these pages last week, is simply ludicrous. For the decade prior to his appointment, his services were in constant demand and he appeared in many of the most important civil and constitutional cases of that time.

As a barrister, irrespective of the cause or the client, he was the gold-standard of advocacy, his knowledge of the law encyclopaedic, his analysis always lucid and compelling.

Contrary to the gratuitous and deeply offensive insinuation that there was something inappropriate about his elevation to the Supreme Court in January 2010, his appointment at that time - which was recommended by the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board - was entirely deserved.

I have never met a single lawyer who considered his appointment undeserved. Not one. Moreover, appointing a judge to the Supreme Court without prior judicial experience is not as unusual as Mr Ross indicated last week. Along with Hugh O'Flaherty and Adrian Hardiman, James Geoghegan, Cecil Lavery, Cearbhall O Dalaigh, Billy Fitzgerald, Tony Hederman, Niall McCarthy and Nial Fennelly never served as judges prior to their appointments to the Supreme Court.

Expand Close PHOTOBOMB: Shane Ross and world lightweight champ Katie Taylor at Dublin Airport in 2019 / Facebook

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Whatsapp PHOTOBOMB: Shane Ross and world lightweight champ Katie Taylor at Dublin Airport in 2019

After 11 years on the Supreme Court, Mr Justice O'Donnell's formidable intellect is more than evident from a canon of judgments of unsurpassed quality. Practitioners are intimately familiar with this work but, almost certainly, a populist blowhard like Shane Ross is not.

Indeed, a telling feature of Mr Ross's broadside of soundbites and innuendo is that it is devoid of any analysis whatsoever of the judicial decision-making of Mr Justice O'Donnell. He is obviously hostile to his subject, but he does not, and presumably cannot, identify a single decision in the course of the entire judicial career of Donal O'Donnell that he finds fault with.

Instead, the centrepiece of his criticism of Mr Justice O'Donnell is that in 2007, some three years prior to his appointment to judicial office, he attended the FA Cup final between Manchester United and Chelsea. He was at that time a private citizen, and perfectly entitled to do this. On what conceivable basis can Mr Ross criticise his attendance? Are we to believe that Mr Ross never socialised with a client during his former career as a stockbroker?

If we could all judge the wisdom of our actions with the benefit of hindsight, Mr Ross would doubtless wish to retract many of his columns lionising Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide and their erstwhile chief executives.

Ireland is a small country. Judges often unavoidably have familiarity with litigants, who may be neighbours, friends, relations or former clients. As a matter of course, Irish judges always disclose any connection of this nature, however remote, and where appropriate they recuse themselves in order to avoid any conceivable apprehension of bias.

Mr Ross professes that he wants to know more about Donal O'Donnell and other candidates for judicial office, but there are thousands of pages of his judgments freely available online that he has, we can surely infer from his silence on the subject, neglected to read. If he had read even a small number of them, all of his concerns about Mr Justice O'Donnell's suitability for high judicial office would have been answered.

We should not wish for our judges to have their lives parsed by the likes of Shane Ross. We expect our judges to be persons of integrity who are low-profile, independent arbiters of legal dispute. We should at all costs resist the sort of American-style tabloid circus that Mr Ross wishes to promote, whereby the politicisation of the judiciary renders the minutiae of the lives of Supreme Court nominees fair game.

The sort of bumper-sticker analysis of judicial candidates that populist muckrakers yearn for will serve no purpose other than to degrade the quality of the pool of candidates for judicial office.

Mr Ross departed ministerial office last year without an achievement more memorable than his undignified photobombing of a bemused Katie Taylor at Dublin Airport.

In truth, his tenure is best recalled for a crusade on judicial appointments, a hobby-horse entirely unconnected to his office as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. Wholly undeterred by the ostensible disadvantage of his ejection from public life, he now sequesters regular column space in this newspaper to perpetuate this tiresome campaign.

In choosing, as his latest target, a Supreme Court judge who is precluded from entering the fray, Mr Ross inadvertently undermines his perennial thesis that judicial appointments are driven by politics. Any fair assessment of the career of Mr Justice O'Donnell readily reveals the objective merit underlying his appointment to the Supreme Court.

The level of animosity that Mr Ross has towards the judiciary and the legal profession appears to know no bounds. It is perhaps helpful, therefore, that readers are reminded that he has had the misfortune to find himself a defendant in High Court proceedings, according to publicly available records, on 14 separate occasions arising out of his journalism and politics. The most recent was the rebuke administered by seven judges of the Supreme Court (of whom, coincidentally, Mr Justice O'Donnell was one) against Shane Ross and the other members of the Public Accounts Committee arising out of their treatment of former Rehab chief, Angela Kerins.

Amongst the exclusive club who have been sued as frequently as Mr Ross, animus towards the legal system is perhaps only to be expected.

Mr Ross therefore comes to his topic with lots of baggage: pique that his beloved Judicial Appointments Bill is being amended in a manner not to his liking; and simmering, but misplaced, anger that his signature blend of vitriol and grandstanding has had its wings clipped by our legal system.

Mr Ross has already been repudiated by the electors of Dublin Rathdown who ran away from him last year at the speed that 'Dominant' Puspure rows her boat - to recall one of his more celebrated gaffes. Readers should take with a pinch of salt the ad hominem attacks of a petulant controversialist on persons who, by dint of their office, cannot respond to them.

Back to Senator Hanafin's appeal in 1996.

The challenge was founded on the one-sided government expenditure to promote a Yes vote that had been found to be unconstitutional in earlier proceedings brought by Green Party MEP Patricia McKenna.

Despite Donal O'Donnell's valiant efforts, it was not to prevail. The State's formidable team, led by the Attorney General Dermot Gleeson, and a young senior counsel from Kerry named Paul Gallagher, had much to do with that outcome.

Rossa Fanning is a senior counsel
Those who refuse to be immunised against COVID-19 could be banned from pubs, restaurants or their workplaces under a radical plan proposed by Gladys Berejiklian.

The New South Wales Premier has revealed she is considering implementing regulations that would prohibited residents who have not vaccinated from entering certain venues.

She said the measures would be aimed at 'incentivising' uptake of the vaccine, which is vital to rebooting the economy, and businesses may require patrons to prove they had received the jab.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) is considering implementing regulations that would prohibited residents who have not vaccinated from entering certain venues under a radical plan to 'incentivise' immunisation uptake

'Clearly, opportunities to travel overseas or opportunities to enter certain workplaces or venues might be enhanced if you have the vaccine,' Ms Berejiklian told the Daily Telegraph.

'Some of those decisions could be inspired by government, [and] some of those decisions might be inspired by the organisation themselves.'

The government has supply agreements in place for the, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Novavax vaccines and will start rolling out the Pfizer jab next month.

While vaccine rollout and policies are the domain of the federal government, Ms Berejiklian said she will be encouraging residents across the state to be immunised.

The government will meet in coming weeks for further discussions on how to roll out the vaccine.

Under the plan, 'high risk' hospitality businesses and government run-settings, such as departmental buildings, police and fire stations, or Service NSW shopfronts, may require proof of vaccination upon entry.

Ms Berejiklian has previously said a green tick feature could easily be added to the Service NSW App to indicate someone has been vaccinated.

It is believed some non-government organisations, including hospitality operators, will have a say in setting their own entry requirements.

Under the plan, businesses would be urged to require patrons to prove they were vaccinated before entry

'Workplaces might say: "if you're coming into work, this is our preference, or this is what you [need to] do",' Ms Berejiklian said.

Ms Berejiklian is not the only politician to suggest mandatory immunisation regulations.

Scott Morrison earlier this month flagged the possibility that it may be a legal requirement for certain types of people to get the jab but he refused to say whether such a directive would apply to health workers and aged care residents.

However, a spokesperson for Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the 'vaccination in Australia is and will remain voluntary'.

In November, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said travellers would need to be inoculated before they could fly with the Australian carrier once a coronavirus vaccine was made available to the public.

It comes as Australia is investigating reports Norwegian authorities are concerned about the safety of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine after a number of elderly and frail people died after being inoculated.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency has reported 29 people had suffered side effects from having the vaccine, 13 of them fatal.

Mr Hunt is seeking additional information through the Therapeutic Goods Administration from the company and the Norwegian medical regulator.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has also tasked the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to seek advice directly from the Norwegian government.

Under the plan, 'high risk' hospitality businesses and government run-settings, such as departmental buildings, police and fire stations, or Service NSW shopfronts, may require proof of vaccination upon entry

'So as further information is available, we'll share that with the Australian public,' Mr Hunt said.

'There is no change in our timeframes at this point, but the medical regulator is completely empowered to make independent decisions.'

The Pfizer vaccine forms only part of Australia's response to COVID-19, as there will be a greater use of the AstraZeneca, and home produced, vaccine once it has been approved by the TGA.

Vaccinations are due to start next month.

Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack said concerns over Pfizer is why Australia has not put all its eggs in one basket when it comes to a vaccine, with the AstraZeneca, Novavax and other options available.

'We've got enough doses to, of course, roll out right across the nation, free of charge, and to also provide a vaccine, from February, for the Pacific Islands as well,' he told the Seven Network's Weekend Sunrise program.

'So throughout the year, we're going to ensure that the vaccine is swift, yes, but safe. Absolutely paramount it will be safe.'

There was some good news on the likely take-up of the vaccine from market researcher Roy Morgan.

A survey of more than 1,200 respondents found over three-quarters of Australians say they would be willing to be vaccinated when the vaccine becomes publicly available.

At the same time, just under three-quarters say mask wearing should be compulsory.

NSW recorded six locally acquired cases in an existing cluster in western Sydney in its latest update, five of which were household contacts of an infected man reported the day before.

However, Ms Berejiklian urged people to come forward for testing amid concerns there were only 12,700 tests on Saturday.

'What is really important is to make sure that given we are towards the tail end of this particular outbreak, there haven't been other super-seeding events, we want to keep it that way,' she told reporters.


For the first time this season, Kemba Walker hasnt been ruled out for a game. On the Celtics injury report Saturday, Walker is listed as questionable meaning its possible the guard could make his 2020-21 debut Sunday at 1 p.m. against the New York Knicks.

Walker has been out since the postseason bubble last year. The former Charlotte Hornet is in his second season with Boston after signing as a free agent. Hes been on a strengthening program for his left knee designed to make him durable enough for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs when he returns.

Walker would likely be on a minutes restriction. Still, any play from Walker would be a surprise as the Celtics havent had a full-squad practice since hes been cleared to practice. Boston was off Saturday.

The news wasnt all good. Jayson Tatum, Robert Williams and Carsen Edwards all remain out due to the NBAs health and safety protocols, the leagues designation for anything COVID-19 related. The league and the Celtics are prohibited from further elaboration. Theres no specific timetable for their individual returns. Boston steamrolled the Orlando Magic without them Friday.

Tacko Fall, who showed off his off-the-dribble skills in the final minute may have injured himself in the process as he landed awkwardly after his dunk. Hes listed as questionable with a left ankle sprain. Daniel Theis, who had his share of bumps, bruises and bad luck Friday is also questionable with a right middle finger sprain. If they cant play, Boston would be left with just Tristan Thompson and Grant Williams available inside against the Knicks.

#NEBHInjuryReport continued (2/2):



Daniel Theis (right middle finger sprain) - QUESTIONABLE

Kemba Walker (left knee injury recovery) - QUESTIONABLE

Robert Williams (Health & Safety Protocols) - OUT  Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 16, 2021

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Party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal also said that Centre was being 'insincere' in talks over the farm laws and that it is 'trying to tire the farmers' out

Tarn Taran: Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday alleged that attempts are being made to threaten farmer leaders through notices by agencies like the NIA.

He also accused the Centre of being insincere in talks over the farm laws and said the government is only "trying to tire out farmers".

"Simultaneously, it (Centre) is intimidating farmers by issuing notices to them through various agencies like the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Farmers are not anti-nationals. We condemn this," said Badal.

Strongly condemn Centre's attempts to intimidate farmer leaders & supporters of #KisanAndolan by calling them for questioning by #NIA & ED. They aren't anti-nationals. And after failure of talks for the 9th time, it's absolutely clear that GOI is only trying to tire out farmers. pic.twitter.com/3x5T8VNdph  Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) January 16, 2021

Senior Akali leader and former state minister Bikram Singh Majithia also accused the Union government of defaming farmers by calling them naxalites and Khalistanis.

He said the SAD had always stood with farmers and quit the National Democratic Alliance when the government refused to listen to them.

Badal also slammed Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, alleging that he has failed to fulfil any of his promises made to people.

Badal asked the chief minister to tell one thing he had done for the people of the state in the past four years of his rule.

In direct contrast, former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was responsible for making Punjab power surplus besides bringing in irrigation projects, providing free power for tube wells, creating the 'mandi' infrastructure and even ushering in the minimum support price system by taking up the issue with the Centre, he said.

All this can be verified, he said, adding that his party's government in the state ensured peace and communal harmony. Meanwhile, former senior Congress leader Manjit Singh Ghaseetpura on Saturday joined the SAD at Ghaseetpura village.
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UN calls for $ 95 million in aid to Palestinians

Twitter is concerned about safety of its employees in India

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France MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to show maximum restraint

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Russian Deputy FM, EU Special Representative discuss situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia acting FM resigns

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Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

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If something can happen once, it can happen again. This is the oft-ignored first lesson of history. The second lesson is that humans usually forget lesson number one. Watching the attempted coup unfold at the Capitol building, those two lessons kept working through my mind. Never have I felt like I was living so intensely in history. Maybe you did too.

Pro-Trump supporters outside the US Capitol on January 6. Credit:Getty Images

In 1923, after almost a decade of economic suffering caused by the First World War, Germany was hit by an intense economic shock  hyperinflation, which destroyed middle class savings and raised the cost of a simple loaf of bread to several billion marks.

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Into this turmoil stepped a little known agitator named Adolf Hitler  a man considered an embarrassment to his establishment backers but who had a gift for speaking to the people. On November 8, in a Munich beer hall, Hitler assembled a ramshackle collection of his followers  angry extremists dismissed as uneducated buffoons, and right-wing establishment figures who thought they could easily control him  and convinced those gathered to take over the Bavarian state government and march on Berlin to seize power. In a confused, pathetic fiasco, four policemen and 14 others were killed and Hitler slinked away to later be arrested.
Hollywood superstar Matt Damon and his family touched down in Australia on Saturday and began 14 days of privately-arranged quarantine in New South Wales.

And the actor says he is thrilled to be spending time Down Under as he joins the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder.

'I'm so excited that my family and I will be able to call Australia home for the next few months,' Damon, 50, said.

Star power! Matt Damon says he is 'excited to call Australia home' after becoming the latest Hollywood star to move Down Under and join the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder with pal Chris Hemsworth. Pictured with wife Luciana Barroso in 2019

'Australian film crews are world renowned for their professionalism and are a joy to work with so the 14 days of quarantine will be well worth it.'

Damon, who flew to Australia with wife Luciana Barroso and children, Isabella, 14, Gia, 12, and Stella, 10, via a private jet over the weekend, added: 'Australia definitely is the lucky country.'

The Good Will Hunting actor thanked the New South Wales and Australian Government for the 'enormous support' regarding his entry into the country.

'Australia definitely is the lucky country': The Good Will Hunting actor thanked the New South Wales and Australian Government for the 'enormous support' regarding his entry into the country. He arrived via private jet and has arranged to privately quarantine with his family

Will he take on a new role? Damon (left) had a small cameo in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok as an Asgardian actor playing Loki (Chris Hemsworth- pictured right) in a play

Damon had a small cameo in Thor: Ragnarok as an Asgardian actor playing Loki (Chris Hemsworth) in a play.

Unless the Asgardian actor character survived Hela and Surtur's attacks, it would appear Damon might be taking on another role when he returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the new film.

The Australian production of the fourth installment in the Thor franchise was made possible by a AUD$24.1 million location incentive by the NSW and Australian Governments.

Damon has long been a fan of Australia and has been seen out-and-about in Byron Bay with pal Chris Hemsworth numerous times over the past few years.

In November last year, The Daily Telegraph reported that Matt and his wife Luciana snapped up a $22million mansion in the popular coastal town.

The five bedroom property, which overlooks Wategos Beach, is regarded as one of the area's most prestigious homes.

Practically a local already! Damon has long been a fan of Australia and has been seen out-and-about in Byron Bay with pal Chris Hemsworth numerous times over the past few years

Interesting! In November last year, The Daily Telegraph reported that Matt and his wife Luciana snapped up a $22million mansion in the popular coastal town

With the threat of COVID-19 as a paramount consideration, the Damon family entered Australia under the direction of the NSW Governments COVID-19 Quarantine Program over the weekend,

Dr Zac Turner, CEO of Concierge Doctors, delivering the private health and quarantine service, said: 'The family will be entirely segregated for the period of their quarantine and will participate in standardised testing and monitoring, in full compliance with current NSW Government requirements.'

The New South Wales Police will also enforce the same quarantine rules and checks on the Damons than any other returning visitors to the state.

The Damon's Immigration Lawyer Rebekah OSullivan stated that several private Australian companies assisted with the Damon family arrival and quarantine.

'Every aspect of the Damon familys relocation and quarantine has been privately arranged and funded, ensuring that their entry will in no way impact or reduce the number of spaces for Australians overseas waiting to return home nor create any burden to the Australian taxpayer whatsoever,' she said.

Star-studded cast: Other stars known to be joining the fourth Thor film are Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), and Christian Bale (villain Gorr the God Butcher). Pictured: Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman

Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcomed the announcement of Matt Damon this week.

'Hollywood superstar Matt Damon joining our homegrown talent to film such a major movie in NSW is a big win creating thousands of jobs for locals. Australias management of COVID-19 and our Governments tax incentives have ensured that our film industry is booming with many new jobs for actors as well electricians, carpenters, cooks, security staff, bus drivers and a massive boost for NSW.'

Other stars known to be joining the fourth Thor film are Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), and Christian Bale (villain Gorr the God Butcher).

Thor:Love and Thunder is slated for release on May 6, 2022
A farmers' union has written to the Commissioner SN Shrivastava seeking permission to hold the farmers' agitation at in the capital.

The application was filed by Dr AP Singh, a lawyer on behalf of the farmer union--Bhartiya Kisan Union Lokshakti (BKUL)--before the commissioner for immediate direction to hold or continue agitation in in Delhi.

The lawyer, Dr Singh had filed the application before the commissioner, after the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde asked farmer unions to write to Delhi Police seeking permission to hold or continue, if any, agitation on the farmers' issue.

On January 12, the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the Centre's three farm laws and asked the committee formed by it concerning the laws to submit its report within two months.

The committee has been directed to hold a dialogue with farmers and submit its recommendations pertaining to the farm laws within two months from the date of its first sitting.

Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws-- Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Moscow:

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in late May by Russia, reports said on Friday. According to Russian news agencies, Russia's Defence Ministry has said that it is checking information about the alleged killing of Baghdadi in a Russian air strike near Syrian city of Raqqa.



The agencies cited the ministry as saying that the Russian air strike had targeted a meeting of ISIS leaders on May 28 in which Baghdadi may have been killed.



"According to the information which is now being checked via various channels, Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was eliminated by the air strike, was also present at the meeting," RIA news agency quoted the ministry as saying.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Scott Morrison swapped cocktails on the beach in Hawaii for a low-key summer holiday tour of bushfire-hit NSW towns.

The prime minister took some time away from the spotlight last week and left his gaffe-prone deputy Michael McCormack acting PM in his absence.

Trying to keep a low profile, Mr Morrison was spotted browsing at the Few and Far homewares store in Berry during the week.

Store management told Daily Mail Australia they had no idea he'd even been in store, and he must have done a decent job at going incognito.

Pictured: Scott Morrison trying to blend in with the crowd at a gift shop in Berry on the NSW south coast

Pictured: The shirt Scott Morrison wore on holidays. The shirt reads: 'Hold on to your hairyman'

A local who shared a photo of Mr Morrison at the store told Sydney Morning Herald he was stocking up on gifts at the boutique.

The nation's leader cut a casual figure while wearing a bizarre T-shirt from Hairyman Brewery, a craft beer venue in Caringbah in his electorate of Cook, during the day out.

The shirt read: 'Hold on to your hairyman', and raised a few eyebrows within the community.

Mr Morrison is prone to fashion faux pas but effectively used his 'daggy dad' look to appeal to middle Australia in in 2019 election.

The trip was not confirmed until several days into the holiday when a photo emerged of the leader on the beach (pictured)

Pictured: Scott Morrison with a family of fans at the Shoalhaven Heads Hotel on Thursday

Berry wasn't the only coastal town Mr Morrison hit as on Thursday he was snapped at a table teeming with fans at the Shoalhaven Heads Hotel.

Manager Leslee Maddinson was not working that day but told the Blayney Chronicle the leader got a 'reasonably good reception'.

The father-of-two is not stranger to hanging with voters at the country pub, having stayed there over Christmas in 2018.

The prime minister announced in advance he was taking a week of leave, in an apparent attempt to avoid repeating his disastrous trip to Hawaii in 2019.

As the swaths of the country were reduced to cinders amid the most disastrous bushfire season on record, Mr Morrison took his family on a trip to the idyllic U.S state.

Pictured: Scott Morrison on a beach with his wife Jenny and two daughters Abbey and Lily

The trip was kept secret and not confirmed until several days into the holiday when a photo emerged of the leader on the beach.

His decision sparked widespread outrage, and Mr Morrison returned from the holiday early to apologise for offending the community.

When announcing plans for his most recent family trip on Monday, Mr Morrison assured the public he would still be in the loop regarding the Covid pandemic.

'While away I remain in contact with the chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, who will brief me on Covid-19 issues as they occur,' Mr Morrison said.

He will return to duties on Monday.

By Charlie Gerow | Opinion contributor

This week the nation will once again experience the transition of power, but under tumultuous circumstances none really want.

The past couple of weeks have been tumultuous for every American. Steps that could have been taken to bring the nation closer together were passed over for things that further divided us.

As Ive asked for weeks, were the actions taken truly what those who took them believed were best for country? Or were they designed to simply gain some short-term political advantage or score cheap political points?

The second impeachment of Donald Trump this past week was trumpeted by the left. They put the process on hyper-speed, neglecting hearings, evidence, and the opportunity to be heard by the accused, The President of the United States. They overlooked their own rules in the process.

In doing so they rejected the advice of other Democrats, most notably Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who warned of the harm it would do to the republic. Sadly, they never got real advice from the president-elect who hinted that he did not want the House to proceed, but never actually said so.

Thus they rushed ahead, impeaching the president with only a week left in his term. The third-ranking Democrat in the House admitted, prior to the vote, that they had no idea what would happen from there, as they recognized the Senate may not be able to do anything with the article of impeachment.

Nevertheless, they were able to collect lots of little 30-second speeches by Democrats, which will be replayed by them back in their districts during campaign season. They also got to put Republicans on the record thus, they believe, putting them in jeopardy in a primary or general election.

Beyond that, its hard to imagine what they truly believe they accomplished. President Trump was leaving office in a few days regardless. Certainly their actions did not lower the national temperature when thats what most Americans are looking for. It may also have made the peaceful transition of power on January 20 more difficult.

Americans have every right to be proud of the way in which we transfer the power of the presidency. It dates back to the earliest days of the Republic when George Washington handed over the reins of executive power to John Adams before riding off into the sunset.

Adams, a Federalist, was then required to make way for rival Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, to assume the presidency.

While our orderly transition of power is the envy of the rest of the world, it hasnt always been easy or issue-free.

Four years ago I wrote this in my column:

Going from one administration to another is inherently disruptive, but some are now going beyond that to introduce needlessly divisive resistance to Trumps election.

Already Democratic activists, still recovering from the shock of defeat on November 8, loudly tried to dissuade electors from doing their duty in the Electoral College. Next came an attempt to get the Congress of the United States to not accept the return of the electors. That failed. But some on the left still promise massive disruption of Inauguration Day ceremonies.

Sadly, history does repeat itself. The resistance of four years ago and the loud protestations that Donald Trump had stolen an election, abated by Russian collusion and that he was not our president were not roundly decried by the Democratic leadership and their allies in the media.

Once Joe Biden becomes President Biden, with control of both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, there will be plenty of opportunity for robust debate over the policies he wants to enact. Thats not only fair game, its as American as apple pie.

Healthy debate leads to better policies and by extension, a better country. Short term political posturing only leads to further schism and increased passions in a country which, already divided, needs neither.

Charlie Gerow is a Republican strategist and CEO of Quantum Communications. He and Democrat Mark Singel write opposite each other every week on PennLive. They are also seen together Sunday mornings at 8:30 on CBS-21s Face the State.
When he assumes charge as US President two days from now, it is not quite clear yet if Joe Biden can change tracks in significant ways from Donald Trumps policy of a complete withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan by May this year, but this is a matter that cannot but deeply concern the government of President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul. Among the regional powers, India is on the same wavelength as the Ghani government. It is to be hoped that the incoming Biden administration begins to seriously invest in counter-terrorism in the Afghanistan theatre.

This is in view of the monstrous proportions terrorist violence has assumed all through 2020 after the Trump administration signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February last year under which the US troops have been withdrawn almost entirely. In the last quarter of 2020, more than 500 civilians were killed in the country and more than 1,000 injured. There have been targeted assassinations of prominent politicians, social workers and journalists. Vice-president Amrullah Saleh, well known for his opposition to Pakistans policy of promoting extremism and terrorism in Pakistan, barely escaped death. Places of worship and educational institutions have been bombed. Only last week, a plot to assassinate highly placed US diplomatic officials in Kabul is thought to have been mounted.

It is in this backdrop that national security advisor Ajit Doval was in Kabul last week. If the Taliban assume real control in Kabul as a result of the peace deal, whatever the appearances, we may expect a full-fledged renewal of terrorism-related pressure on India from the Pakistan side. On January 13, after Mr Doval called on President Ghani, the Afghanistan presidents office said in a media release, Both sides discussed counter-terrorism cooperation and efforts for building regional consensus on supporting peace in Afghanistan. The statement also quoted Dr Ghani as saying that Afghanistan and India in joint efforts with Nato and the United States will be able to succeed in the fight against terrorism.

As a leading regional player invested in peace in Afghanistan, it redounds on India to persuade the new government in Washington to re-establish the focus on counter-terrorism, and to coordinate peace-oriented moves with Kabul and like-minded regional players.
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Azerbaijani attacks Russia citizen of Armenian descent in Moscow

Armenia acting MOD provides President with information about capture of Armenian servicemen

Lithuania MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to go to de-escalation of situation and pull out troops

Russian Deputy FM, EU Special Representative discuss situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia acting FM resigns

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6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

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Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

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Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

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Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around 50F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around 50F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
H alf of all over-80s have been vaccinated against coronavirus, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.

The milestone is more positive news for the governments vaccination programme, that has now seen more than 3.5million people get a first jab in the UK.

Earlier NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said the NHS in England is vaccinating at a rate of 140 jabs a minute and will start testing 24/7 vaccinations in some hospitals in the next 10 days.

While Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab revealed the Government hoped to give all UK adults a vaccine dose by September.

Health secretary Mr Hancock tweeted: Im delighted that over half of all over-80s have been vaccinated.

Each jab brings us one step closer to normal.

Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Save lives.

NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: Since Christmas Day weve seen another 15,000 increase in the in-patients in hospitals across England, thats the equivalent of filling 30 hospitals full of coronavirus patients.
AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine has been approved for emergency use in Pakistan, the health minister said on Saturday, making it the first coronavirus vaccine to get the green light for use in the South Asian country.

Pakistan, which is seeing rising numbers of coronavirus infections, said its vaccines would be procured from multiple sources.

"DRAP granted emergency use authorisation to AstraZeneca's COVID vaccine," the health minister, Faisal Sultan, told Reuters.

Approval has been given to get more than a million doses of Sinopharm's vaccine from China, he said.

"We are in the process to obtain Western origin and other vaccines both via bilateral purchase agreements as well as via the COVAX facility," he said.

The Chinese vaccine is awaiting approval from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), which has received and reviewed its data.

Pakistan is speaking to a number of vaccine makers, and Sultan said the country could get "in the range of tens of millions" of vaccine doses under an agreement with China's CanSinoBio.

The vaccine company's Ad5-nCoV COVID-19 candidate is nearing completion of Phase III clinical trials in Pakistan.

Efficacy is a key factor, said Sultan. "We have and are watching the evolving stories around efficacy of a number of vaccines."

Also read: Brazil says flight to India for AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines delayed
Dictador launches first collection in Capitulo series

Colombian rum producer Dictador has announced the first release in its new Capitulo limited series.

Designed as Dictador's offering to the Fine and Rare category, the Capitulo series will feature three "chapters" that showcase a range of individually bottled casks, each selected by Dictador master blender Hernan Parra.

The brand says the range is designed for consumers who would like to invest in a collectible rum, "a bottle they will be proud to have in their home collction".

The first "chapter" in the range, Capitulo Uno, is a collection of rums aged in American oak and finished in a range of casks including port and sherry.

There are eight releases in the range, five American oak cask, two port cask and one sherry cask, all aged for between 20 and 24 years and bottled at between 41% and 44% ABV.

Capitulo Uno Port Cask Finish is the first expression to launch in the UK. All other expressions in the Capitulo Uno range will be released throughout 2021.

17 January 2021 - Bethany Whymark
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA)  Dick Rice, the longest-serving meteorologist on local television in Northeast Mississippi, died from the coronavirus Saturday at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo. He was 80.

Rice first appeared on local television in 1979 when WTVA hired him after his more than two decades in the U.S. Navy to do the weather for the morning and midday newscasts.

He eventually became the station's chief meteorologist and served in that role until he stepped away from his day-to-day duties in 2011. He served as chief meteorologist emeritus until his death.

The Massachusetts native one year earlier was honored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his more than 25 years of dedication to the television industry with his induction into its Silver Circle.

Rice, of Mooreville, entered the Mississippi Associated Press Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame that same year.

His passing came two months after the death of his wife, Jill. They were married for 60 years.
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WASHINGTON  Far-right media personality Tim Gionet, who calls himself Baked Alaska, has been arrested by the FBI for his involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

Gionet was arrested by federal agents in Houston on Saturday, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter before the public release of a criminal complaint and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 as Congress was meeting to vote to affirm President-elect Joe Bidens electoral win. Five people died in the mayhem.

Gionet faces charges of violent and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Court documents dont list an attorney for Gionet or say where he is being held. The jail in Harris County, which includes Houston, didnt immediately reply to phone messages seeking further information.

FBI Special Agent Nicole Miller said in an affidavit filed in the case that Gionet streamed live for about 27 minutes from inside the Capitol and could be heard encouraging other protesters not to leave, cursing and saying Im staying, 1776 baby, and I wont leave guys, dont worry.

She wrote that Gionet entered various offices and when told by law enforcement officers to move, identified himself as a member of the media. Miller wrote that Gionet then asked officers where to go before cursing a law officer while alleging the officer shoved him, then leaving the building.

Gionet also posted video that showed Trump supporters in Make America Great Again and God Bless Trump hats milling around inside the Capitol and taking selfies with officers who calmly asked them to leave the premises. The Trump supporters talked among themselves, laughed, and told the officers and each other, This is only the beginning.

Law enforcement officials across the country have been working to locate and arrest suspects who committed federal crimes. So far, they have brought nearly 100 cases in federal court and the District of Columbia Superior Court.

In a 2017 interview with Business Insider, Gionet said he was given the nickname Baked Alaska because he is from Alaska and that he smoked marijuana at the time.
The advocates for the 89 accused submitted in the court that the applicants had no role to play in the attack and the police had arrested them on mere suspicion

Thane: A special court in Maharashtra's Thane district on Saturday granted bail to 89 accused in the Palghar mob lynching case, in which two sadhus and their driver were killed.

District judge SB Bahalkar in his order granted bail to 89 accused and fixed the next date of hearing in the case to 15 February.

Appearing for the accused, advocates Amrut Adhikari and Atul Patil submitted in the court that the applicants had no role to play in the attack and the police had arrested them on mere suspicion.

The accused also questioned the validity of three FIRs registered for the same incident.

A total of 201 persons have been arrested in the case, of which 75 main accused are in jail.

Special public prosecutor Satish Maneshinde appeared for the prosecution, while advocate PN Ojha appeared for the family of the sadhus.

On 16 April, 2020, a mob lynched two sadhus Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70) and Sushilgiri Maharaj (35) - and their driver Nilesh Telgade (30) at Gadchinchale in Palghar district, 140 km north of Mumbai.

The brutal attack took place amid rumours that child-lifters were roaming in the area during the lockdown.
TMC MP Shatabdi Roy

Trinamool loyalist Shatabdi Roy was moments away from joining the bandwagon of TMC turncoats who sided with the Bharatiya Janata Party, when the party's top brass stepped in to ensure it does not lose another heavyweight to the saffron party.

Actor-turned-politician Shatabdi Roy was appointed as the vice-president of TMCs West Bengal unit on January 17, amid speculations of her following Suvendu Adhikaris footsteps. Only two days ago, she had hinted at joining the BJP just ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections.

Speaking to news agency PTI, Roy said she welcomed the partys decision and would work hard to make sure the BJP does not win in the upcoming West Bengal election 2021.

She added: If you take up the matter concerning the party with the top leadership, it is addressed. This development proves that.

Shatabdi Roy had earlier complained of being mentally anguished as she was not getting invitation to attend party events that were being held in Birbhum, her own constituency. There were speculations that she would fly to Delhi to meet BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The TMC MP cancelled her Delhi trip late on January 15 after meeting with Mamata Banerjees nephew Abhishek Banerjee. After the meet, she asserted: I am with the Trinamool. My problems with the party have been addressed by Abhishek Banerjee. All my abhimaan has been placated. I came to politics for Mamata Banerjee. I am with her.
Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 4:29AM

Netflix might be the next streaming service to support spatial audio. According to a story from iPhoneSoft, Netflix might launch the feature this spring using a "small catalogue." The report sites an unnamed Netflix employee that claims the company started testing out spatial audio in December 2020.

Spatial audio is a feature that utilizes head tracking technology to mimic an immersive surround sound experience on the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. When it is enabled, it'll sound like audio is coming from around the user with the sound mapped to the device. Spatial audio is already supported by services like Apple TV+, HBO Max, and Disney+.

Source: AppleInsider
Flat prices in the UK have halved as fears over dangerous cladding similar to that found on Grenfell Tower cripple the housing market.

Families have been left in flats they cannot sell as flat transactions worth 1.6billion were lost in September amid concerns over unsafe constructions and fire risks, figures from the Land Registry show.

In September the number of flats being sold also fell by around 5,600, or 48 per cent, compared to the same month the year before, according to the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership charity.

It comes after it was revealed that thousands of homeowners could face bills of 40,000 each on average to replace dangerous cladding on their properties, similar to that found on Grenfell Tower in 2017, under new proposals by the Government.

Flat prices in the UK have halved amid concerns over unsafe construction and fire risks. Pictured: Workers remove cladding from the Whitebeam Court tower block in Salford in June 2017

Across the country, around 20,000 high-rise flats still have the same cladding as Grenfell Tower and an estimated 186,000 private high-rise flats are wrapped in other types of inflammable materials, The Sunday Times revealed.

The issue has left some prospective buyers having to pull out of sales due to the drop in the housing market.

Tom Marshall, 31, and his fiancee, Jessie Andrews, 27, were due to buy a three-bedroom terrace in south London flat last year but had to pull out after their first-time buyer's lender refused a mortgage.

The property failed an 'external wall system' safety check and saw the couple lose 245,000.

Mr Marshall told The Sunday Times: 'We were buying off a lady who lost her work contract over Covid-19. She was also trying to free up capital to support her son and his family buy their first house.'

Earlier this month, it was revealed that new government proposals could force homeowners to pay up to 40,000 each on average to replace the dangerous cladding on their properties.

Ministers have set aside 1.6 billion to fund repairs, but MPs estimate that building costs could be closer to 15 billion.

Seventy-two people died as a result of the fire at Grenfell Tower when an electrical fault in a fridge-freezer sparked a catastrophic blaze in 2017

Last year, the Grenfell inquiry heard how Celotex, part of the French multinational Saint-Gobain group, 'overengineered' a test of Rs5000 in May 2014 to get a pass after a first test failure in January 2014.

Celotex added a 6mm fire-resisting magnesium oxide board to a cladding test rig and 8mm fibre cement panels were added over the magnesium oxide to 'conceal' its presence.

After a first test failure in January 2014, the second system which passed in May 2014 was used to erroneously market the combustible rigid foam boards as being safe for use on high-rise buildings such as Grenfell Tower.

Seventy-two people died as a result of the fire at the 24-storey tower when an electrical fault in a fridge-freezer sparked a catastrophic blaze which was fuelled by the building's flammable cladding system.
Californians should love me, even when Im used against a politician you like.

So I hope youll appreciate me if Gov. Gavin Newsom, who remains popular in polls, faces a recall election later this year.

Newsoms team is already attacking me as extreme, anti-democratic and expensive. But those arguments, while understandable, are misguided. When you fight me, youre fighting democracy itself.

I, the recall, am a direct democratic tool that allows citizens to petition for a vote to remove elected officials from office before their terms are over. My petitions and elections are quite valuable, even when the targeted official survives the recall attempt (as most do  I am merciful). The threat of using me can make elected officials more responsive, and allow swifter challenges to failing leaders.

The wisdom of providing citizens with a democratic, non-violent means of removing public officials has never been more apparent.

Because Im not a legal instrument at the federal level in the United States, American voters just spent four years with no democratic way to remove a lawless, authoritarian president. Your constitutional tools for removal  the 25th Amendment and impeachment  are too weak because they depend not on voters but on elected officials to remove a president who may be their ally.

Imagine if I had been available these past four years  could I have provided the checks and balances that Congress neglected? Would I have been a better way for Americans to blow off steam, as opposed to posting on Twitter? Could I have  dare I say  removed the outgoing president? In my absence, your nation descended into anti-democratic rage, extremism and political violence.

Other world democracies, with parliamentary or multi-party systems, allow the peaceful fall of prime ministers or governments at any time. But nationally, Americans cling to the paradox satirized by Will Rogers: On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does.

In this context, Californias long embrace of me is a difference worth celebrating. Since voters added me to the state constitution in 1911, Californians have considered recalls of hundreds of local officials, and attempted the removal of state officials 165 times. Here, people dont have to wait until the next election to fire dangerous politicians; you can use me to fire them at any time.

My biggest moment was in 2003, when California became the first state since 1921 to recall a governor. This time around, Im an underdog because the politics of many of my right-wing backers are too Trump-ian for California. Some stated reasons on the petition knock Newsom for actions that are popular  like his sanctuary protections for immigrants, criminal justice reform and requiring childhood vaccinations. (The governors pandemic management mistakes dont appear on the petition, because the petition was filed before COVID-19 shutdowns.)

But none of this means Im doomed. I can win again in California if support for me can grow beyond the right, with a replacement government candidate with mainstream appeal. Thats what California got in 2003, when Arnold Schwarzenegger essentially commandeered the recall campaign from the wingnuts and convinced Californians he could take on their broken governing systems.

Despite Schwarzeneggers efforts, that system remains broken, and Newsom hasnt begun to fix it, while struggling with pandemic response. So, if a top-notch crisis manager with deep commitment to systemic change were to emerge, I could once again throw out a California governor.

As of right now, that seems unlikely to happen. The best-known replacement candidate, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, couldnt manage an office lease. And Newsom looks like the sort of deft politician who makes adjustments when facing recall, and emerges more popular. Thats why I take some pride in the fact that  in the weeks since it first appeared Id leave South America (Im popular in Peru) to come to California in 2021  the governor has shaken up his staff, and offered more focused plans for school reopening and business assistance.

Still, at the risk of appearing self-promotional, I would suggest that having a recall election might be healthy for your state. The pandemic has revealed many urgent problems with your governance, especially centralization of money and power in Sacramento that has left local governments too weak to respond effectively in emergencies.

And California has spent the past four years understandably focused on fighting off attacks from the Trump administration. Its been too long since the Golden State took a hard look at itself, and whether its public institutions are strong enough to handle the challenges of this very tough century.

I, the recall, would be the perfect vehicle for that kind of self-examination.

Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square.

A surge in donations at the last federal election has taken the resource industrys political payments to $136.8 million over two decades and a new analysis has named the sector as the biggest donor in Australian politics.

Mining and gas companies ramped up their spending on political parties in recent years to outstrip property developers and other big donors, led by a funding blitz from coal and iron ore magnate Clive Palmer.

Mining and gas companies ramped up their spending on political parties in recent years, led by a funding blitz from Clive Palmer. Credit:Attila Csaszar

The analysis, compiled by the Centre for Public Integrity from public data, shows the Liberal and Nationals parties collected $15.2 million over the period, more than three times the $4.9 million paid to Labor.

This shows the lion's share of the funding was paid by Mr Palmer and his companies to his own political parties.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2021

The Reichstag Fire of Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C.

Jan. 16, 2021 (EIRNS)The following is an edited version of the presentation given by The LaRouche Organizations Harley Schlanger to the weekly Saturday Manhattan Project Town Hall of The LaRouche Organization:

Harley Schlanger: Im going to give a summary view of the intent of the military-industrial complex behind the Jan. 6th Reichstag Fire event at the U.S. Capitol, and the rush-to-judgment impeachment. What unfolded is classic British counterinsurgency strategy.

Lets begin with Jan. 6. This was a pretext for the next phase of a fascist coup. This is something well be discussing this afternoon, in the course of this meeting....

Let me take you back to some statements Lyndon LaRouche made in 1971, following Richard Nixons ill-fated decision to end the Bretton Woods system and move the United States into the economy of floating-exchange rates, speculation, and what was, in reality, a post-industrial economy. This is something that LaRouche was warning about, had forecast would happen, and when it happened, he was very clear on what needed to be done. Most importantly, what he identified as the contributing factors, were the decision of the global financial oligarchy to move into an era of environmentalism, post-industrial economy, and neo-Malthusianismthat is, global depopulation. And he identified that if this were not reversed, we would be heading to fascism. Not fascism as the image most people have of jack-booted soldiers marching with a swastika, but fascism as an economic system typified by the role of Hitlers Minister of Finance Hjalmar Schacht who was the choice of the London-New York banking crowd to oversee the phase-shift in Germany, from an industrial republic to a destructive force, targetting all of Europe and the United States. It was that policy which was the policy of the corporate cartels.

What weve seen in the United States, since LaRouche made that warning in 1971, is a series of phase shifts economically and politically. Im just going to identify a couple of those which are the more important ones. One of them, was the mid- to late-1980s, when the Democratic Party adopted what they called the Third Way, to dump the policies of Franklin Roosevelt and John F Kennedy, that were committed to the idea of uplifting the conditions for the whole of the population, and instead becoming neo-liberalsessentially dependent on money from Wall Street, and carrying out policies for the benefit of the wealthiest, including the bankers and financiers. That was the shift that brought us the Clinton Administration; Al Gore was key in setting that up.

The second phase-shift was after 9/11, and again, this had been forecast by LaRouche, that there would be a move toward a fascist policy following what he identified would be a Reichstag Fire event, which we saw with 9/11.

The Patriot Act, which was introduced then, was based on something that Joe Biden authored in 1995, called the Omnibus Counterterrorism Act, which called for an expansion of the FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act], but most importantly it identified terrorism as based on political beliefs. So, when the Patriot Act was passed and pushed by John Ashcroft, he contacted Biden as a means to get Democratic support for it. And of course, Biden agreed, when Ashcroft told him the Patriot Act was based on your bill in 1995. That was another phase-shift in the United States, and we know what it means to have not just the mass surveillance, but the use of social media to manipulate the way people think and act.

We also had the permanent wars launched as a result of the Reichstag Fire on September 11, 2001; permanent wars that we were in and still are in. But it became the basis of Donald Trumps victory in 2016, appealing to the American people based on their being tired of war, tired of austerity, saying that we are going to end these wars and rebuild our nation.

That was responded to by the military-industrial complex, the Deep State, the swamp, or, what we call the British Empire, by launching Russiagate to get rid of Donald Trump. We identified this from the beginning as a regime-change coup, that intended not just to defeat Trump, but to change the country, to demoralize his supporters, and to prevent the United States from asserting its national sovereignty and building its economic power based on the principles of the American System.

Lets jump ahead to what happened Jan. 6th. There was a perfectly legitimate contest in the Congress, which has been done by the Democrats before: This was not unprecedented, challenging the certification of the electors. The Democrats did it in 2004, in the Bush-Kerry election, and in 2016. To read the mass media, or watch the television coverage, it was as though this was some kind of absolute break with the traditions of American history, but it was a constitutionally defined action that was being taken.

What did happen was the event at the Capitol Building.

Now, there are many unanswered questions, and I just want to pose a couple of them, without going into great detail. These were brought up by the investigative journalist John Solomon. He pointed out that the New York Police Department, the Capitol Police, and the FBI all had advance warnings that there could be violent protests at the Capitol when these hearings took place on Jan. 6th. Keep in mind, on the FBI, this in itself can be somewhat suspicious, given that we know that the FBI repeatedly deploys people into organizations to be provocateurs. They did this with the civil rights movement; they did it with the people fighting the civil rights movement. Theyve done it with the left and right historically. As it does clearly appear as though there were provocateurs in these riots, just keep in mind that the FBI supposedly had advance notice.

But here are the questions you have to look at. Why was there not more robust security if there had been these advance warnings? The Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund reported that he went to the House and Senate security personnel, and suggested they bring in more police, possibly the National Guard and he was rebuffed. So, there was not an adequate police presence at the Capitol when this started. But secondly, if you look at the timeline, the first assault on the Capitol began while President Trump was still speaking. He was speaking for an additional 20 minutes when people started swarming into the Capitol Building. The question Solomon asked is: How can he be accused of inciting something that was preplanned, and started before he supposedly said the words that incited the crowd? This was not an incitement: It was a provocation. And thats why we see this as a Reichstag Fire.

What was the result of what happened on Jan. 6th? Well, the attempt to get rid of Trump moved ahead. The idea of impeaching someone in the last days in office is somewhat of a strange conception. But we know that Pelosi has been intending this for a long time. What makes this more than an attack on Trump, was an attempt to criminalize a movement. He got 75 million votes, and by presenting him as a madman, as a rioter, an insurrectionist, by implication theyre saying that anyone who voted for him was crazy, was an insurrectionist, was a potential danger. They criminalized the opposition to the policies, by making it appear that if you didnt go along with the Pelosi-Schumer agenda  which by the way is the same agenda of a lot of the Republicans, as became clear in their weakness in defending the President from the impeachmentthat if you go along with Trump, youre a potential criminal, a potential terrorist. Theyre out to change the Constitution, especially in the way elections are run.

And the censorship policy which was brought in, was designed to cut people off from an ability to communicate, to even discuss ideas! If you challenge the counting of the vote, you might be a terrorist, and suspect, and possibly get your access to internet platforms cut.

Finally, the effect of this will be to increase the radicalization of some Trump supporters, and set the stage for more violence in the future. It would be done to justify more surveillance, more preemptive measures, and so on.

Now look, what was the Trump movement? It was people who were angry, at watching the country go to hell, watching the cities collapse, the health care system be torn apart. Our young men and women being sent to wars that are unwinnable; fighting for goals that are never specified, by politicians who never served in the military, and really dont care about the problems theyre creating for the nation. So, you create an environment of polarization and radicalization.

The other aspect of classic British gang-countergang strategy is, you do it with the left and the right. You have left and right radicals, who are fed by this process. Weve seen it with the Black Lives Matter and Antifa. We see it on the right with the Q movement and militias. Many of the people who get caught up in these things are people who legitimately are concerned about what they see as a collapse of the system, collapse of society, but who feel helpless to act through standard political means, because the political system itself is so corrupted, by big money on both sides, the left and the right.

So, what happens? Lets look at this QAnon just for a moment. I know this is going to aggravate some people, probably enrage others. But you better face it now. If you were angry and frustrated and looking for some answers, many people turn to QAnon, because it seemed to have an explanation, of what was going on in the attacks on Donald Trump. But what was it really? Its a classic British operation of psychological warfare. It engaged people in a kind of political video-game: A World of Warcraft for politics, where people were encouraged to watch what was going on, were given drops of information, little bits and pieces, which, by the way, were available in other places besides the QAnon postings.

But think about what was said: There are 30 sealed indictments, 100 sealed indictments, 300 sealed indictments. Now Im told theyre saying there are over 220,000 sealed indictments. Thats a lot of sealed indictments. How come people havent been going to prison? We were told there would be mass arrests. We were told that Biden and Hillary Clinton are wearing ankle bracelets. That Gina Haspel, the CIA Director, was killed in a nonexistent shoot-out in Frankfurt, Germany. If she wasnt killed, she was sent down to Gitmo. Some of them say the Pope has been killed or replaced by a hologram.

And what were also told is, dont worry about the chaos ahead, the good guys are coming to the rescue. Trust the plan. The hook was the attack on the corruption of a broken-down system, but there was not a strategic perspective. People were not organized around a counter-strategy, other than wait for the good guys and cheer them on, and in the meantime, become informed.

A lot of people did become awakened by the victory of Donald Trump and the events that took place afterwards. Much was exposed about the corruption in the intelligence communitythe Clinton, Obama and Bush networks in both parties; the corruption coming from the United Kingdom. But there were diversions, attempts to point people in different directions. And instead of going after the people pulling the strings, you went after some of the puppets, who were the ones the string-pullers were putting in your face.

What is the ultimate plan of the people who ran this? This will be discussed coming up, but the basic point is to push through the Great Reset: To establish a global bankers dictatorship that will essentially give the power to the people behind the central banks, but also in the corporate cartels, give them the power over not only the circulation and the production of credit, but also where the money is spent. Eliminate the role of parliaments and governments and the Congress to make policy. Why? Because theyre too liable to try to answer some of the demands of their constituents. Put it instead in the hands of technocrats run by the banks, so that we can have the kind of austerity that will not only allow the banks to pay off their debts, but also kill off whole sections of the population. They dont intend to have a sound economy! Thats not what the World Economic Forum and the Davos billionaires intend. They intend to radically reduce the worlds population. Thats their plan: a bankers dictatorship. So, while people were caught in the left-right gangs and countergangs, this is what has been going on in the background.

There are still people who are saying, Youre wrong. You wait and see, theres going to be an insurrection act, theres going to be martial law, mass arrests in the next week. Well, if it happens, well see. I dont believe it. And I think many of you are going to have a rude awakening, when you realize youve been played by the same people who ran the impeachment against Donald Trump. The same people who have wrecked our economy and put the United States into the category of a mere banana republic, with the manipulations theyve carried out over the recent weeks and months.

We have a strategy at The LaRouche Organization; we have a program. And it starts with two points. Know your enemy and how they think, and how they manipulate you. And secondly, how do we revive the American System of physical economics, which was the great contribution that Lyndon LaRouche made in his many years in politics and statecraft in the United States.
New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned another fatal attack carried out against a peacekeeping convoy in Mali that left a blue helmet from Egypt dead, and another seriously injured on Friday
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A Chinese government survey ship was caught running dark in Indonesian waters without broadcasting its position through AIS (Automated Information System), amid concerns of Beijing's maritime behaviour. This is the latest twist to China's ongoing naval invasion, which has also witnessed uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) discovered several times in Indonesias territorial waters.

The survey ship, Xiang Yang Hong 03 that left its base at Sanya, China, on the morning of January 6, was intercepted by the Indonesian Coast Guard near the Sunda Strait on January 11. All ships transiting the strategically important strait are required to broadcast their position on AIS. When confronted, the crew of Xiang Yang Hong 03 reportedly claimed that its AIS was damaged.

Indonesia requires all ships transiting the worlds only archipelagic sea lanes to have functioning AIS and forbids them from carrying out oceanographic research, according to Asia Times. The Maritime Security Agency said the Xiang Yang Hong 03 killed its transponder twice while passing through the Natuna islands at the southern end of the South China Sea and later in the Karimata Strait, northeast of the island of Belitung.

READ | Something Fishy: Chinese Submarine Drone Caught By Indonesian Fishermen; Not The First

Chinese Naval operations underway?

The interception comes shortly after a Made In China Sea Wing UUV was discovered in the Indonesian waters in December last year. It was the latest of at least four Sea Wing gilder UUVs to be found in the region. Gilders are commonly used to gather information about the maritime environment using forward momentum created by a sinking and rising method called variable-buoyancy propulsion.

The data gathered by gliders can be used for scientific research or naval intelligence including for planning submarine operations. Survey ships are often used to gather naval intelligence using sensors like side-scan sonar and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Multiple discoveries of Chinese UUVs indicates that China is gathering intelligence in Indonesian waters. This could relate to the submarine operations of the Chinese Navy (PLAN).

The Sunda Strait, along with the Lombok Strait and Malacca Strait, are strategic maritime passages between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. All of these straits involve transiting Indonesian waters. If the Chinese Navy wants to operate more in the Indian ocean, it will have to consider the safest routes through these regions, which requires an extensive survey operation.

READ | US Declares Beijing's South China Sea Claims 'completely Unlawful'; Sanctions 20 PRC Firms

Regular trips to the Indian Ocean

Xiang Yang Hong 03 is a regular visitor to the Indian Ocean through Indonesia. The ship has made several voyages to the Indian Ocean in the past two years.

In November 2019, the Chinese survey ship passed through the Sunda Strait into the Indian Ocean, where she surveyed the deep waters to the west of Indonesia, up to the Bay of Bengal. This region is important to the submarine operations of both India and Australia. A year later she was spotted again in the Indian ocean, carrying out an extensive survey in the Arabian Sea.

Whether the activities of Xiang Yang Hong 03 are directly related to naval intelligence or legitimate scientific research is difficult to prove but is raising questions about China's intentions in the region.

These discoveries in Indonesian waters suggest we should be paying a lot more attention to what the Chinese are doing and why, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) analyst Malcolm Davis told Asia Times.

READ | Indian Naval Ship Conducts 'passage Exercise' With Vietnamese Navy In South China Sea

READ | Chinese Warship Tracks US Destroyer During Freedom Of Navigation Sail In South China Sea
President Donald Trump had low approval ratings throughout his time in office. He was, after all, the first president in the history of Gallup polling to never receive a positive rating from a majority of Americans. And now as he is getting ready to leave the White House, his approval ratings are getting even lower. Trump will be leaving office with an approval rating of 29 percent, which is the lowest of his presidency, according to the latest Pew Research Center poll. That marks a nine-point decline from August and is lower than his previous record low approval rating of 36 percent in the poll that was registered in August, 2017. That decline was largely due to Republicans considering 60 percent now approve of his performance as president, compared to 77 percent in August.

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Pew wasnt alone in showing a dip in the presidents numbers. The latest CNN/SSRS poll released Sunday shows a record low 34 percent of Americans approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, marking a one-point drop from his previous lowest point of 35 percent in February, 2018. A record 62 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Trump has been handling his job as president, which is a record high in the poll. A majority of Americansor 54 percentbelieve Trump should be removed from office because of his role in the January 6 riot. Since that day, Trumps net approval rating has fallen by 6.5 points, according to FiveThirtyEights approval tracker.

Not every poll is showing a dramatic decline though. A new NBC News poll found that Trumps approval rating has been relatively stable among voters with 43 percent saying they give the president a positive rating. That marks a two-point drop from where his approval rating was before the election but still higher than the 38 percent that was registered in October, 2017.
When it comes to Covid, our lungs are ground zero. They are one of the primary routes the virus uses to get into the body. But early on in the pandemic, chest X-ray scans revealed something else: where the images should be black, indicating healthy air-filled tissue, in many cases there was a white mist described as resembling ground glass.

Its the telltale sign of pneumonitis  inflamed lungs as a result of the bodys immune response to the virus. But in the case of Covid, the damage often seems to be far worse and more extensive than with similar illnesses such as flu.

This distinctive pattern became known as Covid lung, and many doctors now say theyre almost able to diagnose the disease just by looking at one of these images.

The worst affected end up on ventilators in intensive care, fighting for breath. About a third dont make it out alive. And while the majority make a full recovery from Covid, there are signs of lingering damage in the lungs where the virus first took hold.

Early on in the pandemic, chest X-ray scans revealed that where the images should be black, in many cases there was a white mist described as resembling ground glass

Experts say they are seeing ever-growing numbers of patients reporting breathlessness and extreme fatigue months after leaving hospital. Some struggle to perform basic tasks such as housework or even tying a shoelace.

Even those who suffered a milder illness are being referred to respiratory clinics to have their ongoing problems investigated.

And X-rays are revealing something else  worrying signs that the illness leaves an indelible mark. The most common problem  in nearly one third  is scarring inside the lungs. Also known as fibrosis, the damage can appear as ominous, ghostly masses on X-rays, and this build-up causes the lungs to become stiff and impermeable, making it harder for oxygen to pass into the blood.

Other complications include signs of partial lung collapse, weakness in the muscles supporting the lungs and pulmonary hypertension  high pressure in the blood vessels that supply the lungs which, over time, can damage the heart.

While we are still less than a year into the pandemic, with a lot of research left to do, experts are already warning that in some cases the damage may be lifelong. Such is the concern, one American doctor last week released three X-ray images, one showing healthy lungs, one showing the lungs of a life-long smoker, and one  by far the least healthy-looking  a post-Covid patient.

Texas-based surgeon Dr Brittany Bankhead-Kendall warned in a tweet: Post-Covid lungs look worse than any type of terrible smokers lung weve ever seen.

Lung expert Dr Sam Hare, an adviser to the Royal College of Radiologists and NHS England, has been performing scans on patients throughout the pandemic.

He says: Were seeing around 20 to 30 per cent of patients who were infected in the first wave coming back for follow-up appointments and being told they have lung damage from scarring. Some werent seriously ill enough to be hospitalised and may have had fairly mild Covid symptoms.

Amy Durant, from Banstead, Surrey, was one of those patients. The 31-year-old, who is healthy and fit with no underlying conditions, was not hospitalised after she caught the virus in March. Yet it wasnt a straightforward illness.

I got a fever which lasted a few days, but my chest got increasingly tight, she says. Two weeks in, my breathing got so laboured I called an ambulance. The paramedics measured my oxygen levels but they were fine, so I wasnt admitted. Since then the chest pain has been pretty constant. Ive been breathless just lying down and I cant stand up in the shower.

Scar damage: Amy Durant (pictured above), from Banstead, Surrey, has constant chest pains. The 31-year-old, who is healthy and fit with no underlying conditions, was not hospitalised after she caught the virus in March

Amy, who runs publishing company Sapere Books, tested positive for Covid antibodies in July and was referred for a CT scan at Kingston Hospital in August which showed she had narrowing in her airways. The doctor said her lungs were inflamed and that this could lead to permanent scarring.

She adds: I was pretty shocked. I dont know whether my symptoms will ever improve, and Im only 31.

So what causes the scarring?

When it first enters the body, the virus invades the upper airways  the nasal cavity and throat. And this, for the majority, is the extent of infection  the immune system recognises the threat and kills it off.

A mild cough and cold-like illness could be the only symptoms, if there are any.

But in some individuals, mainly those whose health is already compromised in some way, by age or other illness, the virus multiplies and infection spreads into the lungs. To combat this, the body floods the area with fluid containing immune cells. A noticeable symptom of this is coughing up the fluid as thick mucus.

Dr Brittany Bankhead-Kendall, a trauma surgeon in Texas, showed the difference between the X-ray of a life-long smoker (left) and that of a post-Covid patient (right)

Chemical messengers called cytokines are also released. These cause inflammation and heat  the aim is to create a hostile environment that will destroy the virus.

But this can, in some cases, develop into pneumonitis: the medical term for swelling and a build-up of fluid in the lungs caused by the immune response, which can lead to extreme breathing difficulties.

In very severe cases, patients struggle to breathe on their own, suffering acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, a kind of lung failure, and need to be given oxygen via a mask or ventilator.

However, many patients dont require this kind of intensive treatment, and many more wont need to go to hospital at all.

But all of these patients are at risk of developing fibrosis.

Scarring, typically, appears about eight to 12 weeks after infection. Its not that the damage continues to worsen, but that it takes a while for scar tissue to develop. Like any injury, the tissue has to repair, and it is this healing process which can cause scarring.

COVID FACT A quarter of Covid patients are left with some level of insomnia six months after recovering, a Chinese study of more than 1,700 sufferers found. Advertisement

Experts say the amount of scarring does not appear to relate to how serious the pneumonitis was. It is also irreversible, adds Dr Hare, who is on the committee of the British Society of Thoracic Imaging: The best we can hope is that its mild and that it doesnt get worse.

In rarer cases, balls of scarring can build up, showing up as masses on scans.

Professor John Hurst, a respiratory medicine specialist at University College London and spokesman for the British Thoracic Societys research committee, says: One hypothesis with Covid is its inflammation thats causing the scarring, but we just dont know. Lung fibrosis can be a worrying condition, sometimes rapidly progressive, with a difficult prognosis.

Its thought that a third of patients who are hospitalised with Covid suffer ongoing respiratory symptoms. This was what was seen after outbreaks of similar coronaviruses  SARS in 2003 and MERS in 2012.

Prof Hurst says: We dont know what proportion of these patients are just taking longer to recover and how many may be developing longer-term complications. A minority will have been on ventilators, which can cause harm, but we are also seeing some people developing what looks like more permanent scarring who havent been in ITU [intensive treatment unit].

The additional concern is these problems are going to put a huge extra burden on an already over-stretched NHS, with not enough respiratory specialists to meet the demand.

University of Nottinghams Professor Gisli Jenkins, also a lung expert, says: Without doubt well be looking at large numbers of people coming through our clinics in the months ahead with Covid-related lung issues. What we saw after the first wave was not reassuring, given the numbers.

And there is little hard data about how many people like Amy, who battled the illness at home, will develop these problems.

Treatment for lung scarring is limited to drugs which can help reduce the rate at which it worsens, exercise and a healthy lifestyle. In a worst-case scenario, lung failure can be so bad that a transplant is the only option. However at present just a handful of such cases have been reported worldwide.

Sammie Mcfarland (pictured above) has lost 50 per cent of her lung capacity. She said: I was in shock. My dad has COPD  but hes a 72-year-old farmer working with chemicals and a lifelong heavy smoker, so a very different situation'

On top of fibrosis, Covid-19 also triggers blood-clotting problems in the lungs, leaving patients breathless. According to Dr Hare, arteries supplying the lungs can become clogged, reducing the amount of blood which can flow through them. This puts additional pressure on the heart and, long term, can lead to heart failure. Link that with scarring and its a double whammy for your health, he adds.

Another Covid victim whos been left struggling is Sammie Mcfarland, 44, who fell ill in March. While she was acutely unwell she says it felt like I was breathing through a wet sponge. She adds: It was quite scary.

COVID FACT The UK has the third-highest rate of pneumonia deaths in Europe, behind Slovakia and Romania. Advertisement

Ten months on, the Pilates instructor from Dorchester, Dorset, is still suffering breathing problems and fatigue. Tests show she has just 50 per cent lung capacity and she has been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, or COPD, a lung disease which causes breathing difficulties.

I was in shock. My dad has COPD  but hes a 72-year-old farmer working with chemicals and a lifelong heavy smoker, so a very different situation.

COPD can be inherited and is not a known complication of coronavirus. But it is possible that Covid is accelerating, or exacerbating, underlying issues or genetic risk factors that make people susceptible to certain conditions.

Alarmingly, there have been suggestions that Covid could increase the risk of lung cancer. One Chinese study claimed damage caused by inflammation in the lungs could cause tumours, or trigger existing tumours in other organs to spread to the lung. Prof Hurst said having an underlying lung condition such as fibrosis or COPD was already associated with a slightly increased risk of lung cancer, and acknowledged it was possible  although nothing like this has been seen yet.

Reassuringly, there is no evidence to suggest that the SARS or MERS outbreaks were linked with an increased risk of cancer.

Perhaps most mysterious are the significant numbers of Covid patients who suffer breathlessness despite their lungs appearing normal on X-rays and CT scans.

What do you think about the new jab plan? Write to us at health@mailonsunday.co.uk. Advertisement

A team from Oxford and Sheffield universities have been using a new MRI scanning technique to try to work out what is going on, and have found that these patients have problems transferring oxygen into the blood even though theres no visible fibrosis.

The findings could help identify those suffering long-term Covid problems who would benefit from treatment. And there are other tentative signs of hope as we approach the peak of the pandemics second wave and the spread of the new variant.

Dr Hare says although younger patients are being hit more this time  possibly due to the fact that older people are now better at avoiding it  there is more chance, due to their age, they wont get such severe lung damage. Fewer patients are suffering clots, too. We dont yet know why that is, he says.

However, there is another notable difference in Covid treatment today  the widespread use of the steroid dexamethasone. This has cut death rates for the most seriously ill patients who need to be on ventilators by one third and is protecting lungs from damage.

Prof Jenkins is hoping to conduct a study into whether giving steroids for longer could also give further improvements.

Dr Hare says: Only in six months time will we see whats going on with the new variant. But my gut feeling is there might be less damage and scarring.
Weve covered the Galaxy S II and Galaxy S III in previous Flashback articles, but now it's time for the original  the one that started it all. Well, ther was the I7500 Galaxy after which almost all of Samsungs Android phones are named, but we mean the original S-series phone.

The Samsung Galaxy S (I9000 if you want to compare model numbers) was announced in March 2010. Yes, the S series are over a decade old now. The phone became available in June of that year and would reach a total of 10 million units sold by January 2011. 4 million of those were sold in North America (more on that later) and 2.5 million went to Europe.



Samsung I9000 Galaxy S

The S-phone popularized Samsungs Super AMOLED panel, though it was not the first to use them. That honor goes to the Wave, a Bada-powered phone. Samsung hoped that the Wave series would sell millions of units too, the company was used to juggling multiple OSes. But Androids explosive growth quickly put an end to Bada, Symbian, Windows Mobile and other lines.

Back to the screen - it was a 4.0 panel with 480 x 800 px resolution, using the PenTile arrangement (two sub-pixels per pixel, not three). It was arguably the most impressive screen we had seen until then.



The Samsung I9000 Galaxy S compared with the iPhone and the LG BL40 Chocolate

The panel was laminated to the Gorilla Glass protective layer, so the image almost appeared to float on the top of the glass  most phones back then had an air gap between the screen and glass (sometimes plastic). Also, the contrast of AMOLED made the image pop, it had a clear advantage over the LCDs of the day.

At 9.9 mm thick, the Galaxy S was marketed as the thinnest Android smartphone in the world, a title that would be claimed by its successor, the S II, the following year.

The phone was powered by the Hummingbird S5PC110 chipset, later renamed Exynos 3 Single 3110. This was the first-ever Exynos chip and it was co-developed with Intrinsity, a company that specialized in high performance CPU design (Intrinsity was snatched up by Apple in 2010, shortly after the phone was announced).

The chipset featured a single-core Cortex-A8 CPU running at 1.0GHz (up to 1.4GHz in some variants). It was paired with 512MB of RAM and 8GB storage (with a 16GB option). Also, microSD cards up to 32GB were supported.

This was important as the Galaxy S was one of the best multimedia devices of its day. It was the first Android to be certified for DivX HD viewing (remember the DivX video codec?). Of course, the AMOLED display made for an awesome experience with its high contrast and saturated colors.

The phone also had a 3.5mm headphone jack with a Wolfson WM8994 DAC and, as we noted in our review, the audio quality was excellent.

The Galaxy S launched with Android 2.1 Eclair, which was skinned with TouchWiz 3.0. Thats right, version 3.0. Samsung started the TouchWiz project several years prior in an attempt to unify the touch interfaces of its phones that ran Windows Mobile, Symbian and even featurephone OSes (including the Jet and others). Like we said, at the time Samsung preferred not to be tied down to a single operating system.



The TouchWiz 3.0 user interface comes preinstalled on top of the Android OS

Anyway, the phone was officially updated to 2.3 Gingerbread. It never got 4.0 and later Androids with the official explanation being not enough RAM. However, with millions of units sold, this was a popular target for custom ROMs. If you take a peek at the XDA forums youll see some surprisingly recent posts. It seems that the latest version that you can get running on the I9000 is 7.1 Nougat.

The phone was equipped with 5MP camera on the back, which was pretty bare-bones. There was no LED flash, never mind a hardware shutter key. The photos it produced werent the best either (noisy and underexposed). On the plus side, the phone did record 720p video at 30 fps, which was no small feat back then. For comparison, the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD only got up to 24fps.





Samsung I9000 Galaxy S camera samples

We promised more detail on the Galaxy S in the North American market and, oh boy, theres a lot to cover. The I9000 served as a basis for all kinds of variations, it seems that every carrier wanted its own version of the phone. Some of these only switched up the supported 3G band bands to fit the carriers network.

Then there were the likes of i897 Captivate for AT&T and later the i927 Captivate Glide, which packed a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Or the I997 Infuse 4G also for AT&T. Note: its a 3G phone, never mind the deceptive marketing. The same goes for the Galaxy S 4G T959 for T-Mobile (aka Vibrant). It was a weird period in time when carriers started calling HSPA+ 4G (they did much the same with LTE-A and 5G).



Samsung i897 Captivate  Samsung i927 Captivate Glide  Samsung I997 Infuse 4G  Galaxy S 4G T959

The Epic 4G for Sprint was also a 3G phone, though the CDMA kind of 3G this time (this version had a keyboard). Verizon and US Cellular received CDMA versions as well, e.g. the Fascinate and Mesmerize i500. Samsung did create some honest to goodness 4G (LTE) models in 2011, ones like the Droid Charge I510 and I405 Stratosphere for Verizon  the former out a keyboard, the latter with.

Its not just LTE, the Droid Charge also borrowed the larger 4.3 Super AMOLED Plus display of the Galaxy S II (which had a full RGB stripe instead of a PenTile matrix). Also, the camera was upgraded to 8MP, though the phone kept the original Exynos chip so no 1080p video recording.



Samsung Epic 4G  Samsung Fascinate  Samsung Droid Charge I510  Samsung I405 Stratosphere

Well quickly go over a few other notable variations of the Galaxy S. On one end of the spectrum was the I9003 Galaxy SL. The goal with this one was to create a low-cost version of the highly popular device. This led Samsung to switch the display to an SC-LCD panel and the chipset to a TI OMAP 3630. Also, RAM and storage capacities were reduced.



Samsung I9003 Galaxy SL

On another end was the I9001 Galaxy S Plus, a fancier version of the phone (though not as good as the Charge). This one kept the Super AMOLED display and got an upgraded chipset  a Snapdragon S2 with a 1.4 GHz Scorpion core and Adreno 205 graphics (replacing the PowerVR SGX540 GPU). Performance was a mixed bag (check out the benchmarks in our review) with Snapdragons CPU being much faster, while its GPU lagged significantly behind.



Samsung I9001 Galaxy S Plus

Earlier this week Samsung launched the Galaxy S21 series, the 12th generation of S-phones. They still use Super AMOLED displays and (some of them) are powered by Exynos chipsets, though both are much improved from what was back then. No more TouchWiz, though, that was supplanted by One UI (and for the better, many would say).
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Please, people of Trinidad and Tobago, I beg you to take Covid-19 very seriously. I dont want anyone of you to feel the pain I feel.

The weight of that tearful plea from Indian restaurateur Gautam Khanna ripped the heartstrings from the body in one forceful pull, on a quiet Wednesday morning in Arima.
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A caravan of Honduran migrants is approaching the U.S. border ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration, creating the first major test of Biden's plan to reverse many of Donald Trump's immigration policies.

The group of migrants was originally anywhere between 2,000 and 4,000 strong, although their numbers have dwindled as the march towards the United States has continued.

'We recognize the importance of the incoming Government of the United States having shown a strong commitment to migrants and asylum seekers, which presents an opportunity for the governments of Mexico and Central America to develop policies and a migration management that respect and promote the human rights of the population in mobility,' said a statement from Pueblo Sin Fronteras, a migrants right group.

'We will advocate that the Biden government honors its commitments.'

A caravan of Honduran immigrants appear to be making its way towards the United States as soon as this week

The caravan of migrants started out at least 3,000 strong, although the size of the group has lessened in time

The Hondurans departed from San Pedro Sula in Honduras on Friday morning, trying to escape a dangerous life

The Associated Press reports the migrants crossed into Guatemala on Friday night without registering after departing from San Pedro Sula in Honduras earlier in the day.

It's not clear what the intended final destination of the caravan is, or if they'll be able to make it there without being further fractured.

'Theres no choice,' Oscar Zaldivar, 25, said about leaving his country. 'You have to leave here, this country because were going to die here.'

The Immigration Institute in Guatemala claimed that around 600 people returned to Honduras voluntarily after entering the country.

The Hondurans were able to cross into Guatemala by Friday evening, though it's unclear where they go from here

The Mexican immigration authorities have been posting videos of troops stationed at their border in anticipation

Two major hurricanes are one of the major reasons the pictured caravan is making its way to the US for a better life

Last month, a caravan forming reportedly failed to even make it to the Guatemalan border. Other caravans recently have managed to make it that far, only to fail to cross into Mexico.

The National Immigration Institute in Mexico has been posting videos and images showing what awaits migrants when they try to cross into the country: various agents and National Guard members, ready to protect the border.

The potential arrive of a migrant caravan to the United States harkens back to the midterm elections in 2018, when Trump made it a central issue.

On Friday, many of the migrants forced their way into Guatemala without registering in the country

Pictured: Migrants cross into Guatemala and past the Guatemalan soldiers patrolling their border

Pictured: Some skirmishes took place as the Honduran migrants forced their way into Guatemala this weekend

Tear gas was used against those trying to gain entry to the United States at the San Ysidro port of entry and many others were simply turned away and forced to apply for asylum while waiting in Mexico.

Trump used the caravans as justification for the border wall he wanted to build between Mexico and the United States, as well as a 'zero tolerance' policy that resulted in the separation of children and parents at the border.

Trump referred to the caravans as an 'invasion' of the United States.

Donald Trump's controversial immigration policies were implemented to prevent caravans from coming to the US

But migrants have not stopped trying to come north in search of a life better than the one they had in Honduras

The Migration Protection Protocols (MPP) are another byproduct of the narrative surrounding the caravans. It required some migrants to remain in Mexico before they could have an immigration court hearing in America.

Many of these policies are likely to be altered or reversed altogether by the incoming Biden administration, though.

Biden has promised to create 'a clear roadmap to citizenship' on his first day in office for 11 million living in the United States unlawfully.

He also promised to find a way to permanently protect DACA, which Trump has tried to end through the courts.

Joe Biden has vowed to reverse many of Trump's immigration policies and the caravan may be his first big policy test

Reuters reports Biden claimed he would end the MPP on his first day in office as well, although his transition team has since suggested that it will take longer to do so, especially when trying to keep everyone safe from COVID-19.

'Our priority is to reopen asylum processing at the border consistent with the capacity to do so safely and to protect public health, especially in the context of COVID-19,' Susan Rice said to Spanish wire service EFE. 'This effort will begin immediately but it will take months to develop the capacity that we will need to reopen fully.'

Biden also plans to increase the cap of resettled refugees to 125,000 after Trump set the number at a record-low 15,000 refugees this year.
Kunchacko Boban, the romantic hero, and lady superstar Nayanthara are sharing the screen for the first time, in the upcoming movie Nizhal. As per the latest reports, the Appu N Bhattathiri directorial has been slated to hit the theatres, in March. If the reports are to be true, the Kunchacko Boban-Nayanthara starrer will release on March 4, 2021.

Nizhal, which is said to be a mystery thriller, was entirely shot during the lockdown period, following all safety guidelines. The project had also emerged as the first Malayalam film to get an outdoor shoot after the long months of lockdown. The Kunchacko Boban-Nayanthara starrer is majorly shot in Kochi and Bangalore.

The highly anticipated project marks the directorial debut of Appu N Bhattathiri, who is a Kerala State Film Award-winning editor. The mystery thriller features Kunchacko Boban in the role of first-class Judicial Magistrate, John Baby. The versatile actor's first look from the movie was released by the team on his birthday.

However, the makers have kept the character played by Nayanthara completely under wraps. But the sources suggest that the lady superstar is playing a performance-oriented character in Nizhal. Along with Kunchacko Boban and Nayanthara, newcomer child artist Izin Hash is appearing in a pivotal role in the Appu N Bhattathiri directorial.

Nizhal is scripted by newcomer S Sanjeev. Deepak D Menon is the director of photography. Director Appu N Bhattathiri himself handles the editing of the project, along with Arunlal SP. Sooraj S Kurup has composed the songs and background score. The project is jointly produced by the banners Anto Joseph Film Company, Melange Film House, and Tentpole Movies.

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A business mogul has cut the size of his mega-sized mansion by an entire floor after copping backlash from his millionaire neighbours who complained it was too high.

Scott Andrew Didier, who owns Trump Investments, bought a prime piece of real estate on Bronwell Drive at Byron Bay, on the New South Wales north coast.

The property is a stone's throw away from Wategos Beach and reportedly cost as much as $5 million, Daily Telegraph reported.

Mr Didier filed a development application to Byron Bay Council to knock down the property and build another mansion for an additional $3.3 million.

Scott Andrew Didier (pictured, with a guest at a charity event in Las Vegas in 2018), bought a prime piece of real estate on Bronwell Drive at Byron Bay, on the New South Wales north coast

The property (top right) on Bronwell Drive, at Byron Bay, cost as much as $5 million to purchase

Council documents showed the property would have been three-storeys high with a four-vehicle stacked garage that included a lift.

It also included a number of luxury amenities including a sauna, pool, powder room and several balconies.

Though Byron Bay Council rejected the application in March 2019 following objections from neighbours.

Mr Didier then challenged the verdict at the NSW Land and Environment Court.

His representatives came forward with plans to adjust the size of the mansion.

The new plan included one less level, reducing the house to two-storeys.

Mr Didier was then granted conditional approval for the revised plans as they 'addressed' council's concerns.

The property adds to Mr Didier's portfolio in the area after his business bought the 'Beach Suites Byron Bay' on Bay Street in January 2018.
(Newser)  A 70-year-old New York City woman is facing charges after officials say she was recorded on video attempting to slip her husband roach poison. Per a Queens District Attorney's office release, Suncha Tinerva is seen on surveillance footage "squeezing a white powdery substance from a bottle with a red cap and yellow label" into her husband's coffee. The statement goes on to allege that Tinerva was recorded retrieving a bottle from the cabinet under the sink on two or three occasions. A bottle matching the one on the footage was discovered by investigators and found to contain 100% boric acid, the release said. Boric acid is used to kill ants and roaches and, when consumed by humans, can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach aches, diarrhea, and serious skin rashes.

story continues below

Tinerva's husband was sickened but did not die, per ABC News. Tinerva was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on charges of attempted assault in the second degree, reckless endangerment in the second degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. Domestic violence is not limited to mental and physical abuse," Queens DA Melinda Katz said in the statement. "The defendant in this case allegedly used deception to sicken her spouse." Tinerva was ordered to return to court in March, when she'll face up to four years in prison if convicted. (Read more poisoning stories.)
As a landlocked state, Madhya Pradesh relies heavily on revenues from sales of alcoholic beverages, but in recent days the liquor mafia has emerged as a big challenge for the government here, especially after the deaths this month of two dozen people who consumed hooch in Morena district.

The incident came weeks after 14 people died in a similar tragedy in Ujjain. Some labourers had consumed a locally made intoxicant Poltli Jhinjhar.

Much to the embarrassment of administration, constables Shaikh Anwar and Nawaz of Kharakuan police station in Ujjain were arrested in connection with the sale of spurious liquor and later a doctor Junaid and a medical store salesman Irshad too were held by the police.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, taking swift action, had removed superintendent of police Manoj Singh and additional SP Rupesh Dwivedi.

Three bootleggers - Yunus, Sikandar and Gabbar - who were arrested after the incident were slapped with the National Security Act (NSA).

However, the incident at Morena has put the state government's efforts under the scanner.

In the past nine months, as many as 46 people have died after consuming spurious liquor in the state.

At present, around a dozen are undergoing treatment in different government hospitals in Morena and Gwalior after consuming spurious liquor, deputy inspector general, Chambal Range, Rajesh Hingankar told news agency PTI.

"The death toll is 24 now as four more persons died after consuming spurious liquor," he added.

Some residents of Manpur and Pahawali villages in Morena consumed a white-coloured liquor last Monday night. Later, people in some nearby villages also fell ill after consuming spurious liquor, police said.

A three-member team headed by additional chief secretary (Home) Rajesh Rajora had reached Manpur village on Thursday to carry out an investigation into the incident.

The other members of the committee are additional director general of police (CID) A Sai Manohar and deputy inspector general Mithilesh Shukla.

The SIT will submit its report to the state government on January 19. Calling the incident "painful" on Wednesday, CM Chouhan promised a drive against the liquor mafia in the state.

Meanwhile, excise officers and policemen of the area too face action.

After the incident, residents slammed the administration, alleging that the mafia was openly producing sub-standard liquor and it was in the knowledge of officials.

In all, seven locals involved in illegal liquor trade have been booked on charges of culpable homicide.

Observers say the district administrations slackness can be gauged from the fact that the liquor mafia had established over 20 manufacturing units and even had packing machines installed in them. However, the police and excise department was turning a blind eye towards these malpractices.

The excise department was also suffering losses to the tune of around Rs 30 lakh per day due to the illicit liquor trade.

Rural areas are seeing liquor manufacturing units being installed in households and the product is supplied to nearby districts.

Locals say these units are functioning under political patronage so police and the excise department refrain from undertaking any major action.

Sources say that staffers from the government distillery in Morena are also hand in glove with the liquor mafia. The situation is somewhat similar in neighbouring Bhind district.

However, a crackdown was started in Morena and nearby districts by the administration after the latest hooch tragedy.

But the audacious liquor mafia assaulted police and excise officials in Rajgarh district during a drive on Friday.

Hooch tragedies have been reported in recent days from Barwani, Khargone and Ratlam as well.

Sources say hooch production has surged in Madhya Pradesh following a liquor ban during the lockdown period. As liquor shops were allowed to open, the excise department and traders also made money selling desi and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) much above the maximum selling price.

This pushed buyers towards cheap spurious liquor.

In Morena, locally made desi liquor which sold for Rs 50 a quarter while the desi liquor which had an MSP of Rs 75 for a quarter at authorised shops was being sold at Rs 110 a quarter.

Nidhi Jain, the district excise officer of Morena affirmed that the department was receiving liquor being sold above MSP at authorised shops and claimed that those shopkeepers found guilty will be punished with cancellation of licence.

The authorised liquor shops had lowered the rates shortly after the hooch tragedy claimed lives in Morena.

The availability of hooch has become so widespread that excise and police personnel are still seizing spurious liquor from farmlands in large quantities.

The SIT team which is yet to submit a report to the chief minister, has reportedly concluded that the spurious liquor had traces of methyl alcohol.

SIT chief Rajora slammed the excise department officers in a meeting in Gwalior on Thursday, saying the sale of illicit liquor was going on openly and no one was there to obstruct it.

Spurious liquor has been received from Gwalior, Shivpuri, Bhind, Rajgarh, Datia and other parts.

In districts like Dewas and Khandwa, a glass of locally made desi liquor is available at Rs 10. There are various districts where the spurious liquor is available in polythene pouches, glasses or bottles at roadside shops.

The Congress led by MPCC chief Kamal Nath had attacked the Shivraj Chouhan government, saying even if ration cant reach far-flung places in MP, liquor especially the illicit variety is easily available and this has exposed the true character of the BJP government.

Liquor policy change on the cards

After the hooch tragedies in Ujjain and Morena, the state government is pondering over a plan to amend sections 34 and 49A of the Excise Act, provisioning harsher punishment for those involved in production of illicit liquor, excise commissioner Rajiv Chandra Dubey told the the media in Gwalior on Friday. ACS Home Rajesh Rajora and Dubey said that the state government is pondering over altering the excise policy in which smaller groups will be allowed to run liquor shops instead of allowing major groups to have monopoly in the trade. The Congress government during its tenure had changed the liquor policy, allowing a handful of groups to run the liquor shops which led to a steep surge in prices of liquor in Madhya Pradesh.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, seen speaking as President-elect Joe Biden listens during an announcement Jan. 16, 2021 at the Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware, said Jan. 12 that DACA and TPS recipients will automatically get green cards while others would be on an eight-year path to citizenship. In his platform, the president-elect said that he would work with Congress to reform the work visa system, the H1-B visas, to allow those on the visas to switch jobs, many of them held by members of the Indian American community. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Plans to demolish a former convent building to make way for an extension to a supermarket car park in the west Cork town of Castletownbere have been rejected.

An Bord Pleanala rejected an appeal by the owners of Murphys SuperValu store in the town against the decision of Cork County Council to refuse planning permission for the proposed development to add 27 extra car park spaces to its existing facility.

The board said the provision of additional surface car park spaces did not provide sufficient justification for the demolition of the 19th century, three-storey convent.

It noted the convent, which was built around 1880, is classified in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as a building of regional importance which is of architectural, artistic and social special interest". The board also highlighted how it is an objective of the Cork County Development Plan to consider all buildings listed in the NIAH for inclusion in the Record of Protected Structures.

While council planners acknowledged that the provision of extra parking spaces would address problems with a shortage of car parking facilities in Castletownbere, they still recommended a refusal of planning permission.

The convent was most recently used as a hostel until its closure in 2014 but is currently in a state of disrepair with a large number of broken windows and some structural damage.

A planning inspector said there was also evidence of waste associated with anti-social behaviour.

The supermarket owners said they had tried to keep the building in use by renting it as a hostel but it was unprofitable.

They claimed the former convent did not contribute to the architectural or artistic views of the town centre and was becoming a distraction to the adjoining Church of the Sacred Heart, while also being used as a rat-run which raised insurance concerns.

The supermarket claimed the local community had no issue with the demolition of the building and the redevelopment of the area as well as claiming its removal would provide a better shopping experience for customers. However, an inspector with An Bord Pleanala said the convents demolition would undermine and erode the historical complex of religious structures at this location.
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Apple is looking to break Samsungs iron-clad hold on the foldable smartphone market with a device of its own. As we entered the new year, rumours about Apples foldable smartphone or the Foldable iPhone also started to intensify.

According to the most recent report, the Cupertino tech giant could be testing as many as two kinds of foldable designs based on the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Fold. The foldable iPhone with a similar design to the Galaxy Fold is said to have two screens separated by a hinge in between.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 Review: A week with the best foldable smartphone of 2020

However, renowned tipster Jon Prosser claimed that the company has started testing foldable iPhone prototypes using Samsungs OLED flexible panel, suggesting that the device is being tested with an invisible hinge in the middle. In his video, Prosser said that Apple is testing something called a Chemically Strengthened Ceramic Shield Folding Glass for the foldable iPhone.

This means that the foldable iPhone will not use the same flexible plastic OLED screen like the ones found on the current lineup of foldable phones. Apples latest iPhone 12 lineup uses a Ceramic Shield glass for added durability, and we could see this material seep into the foldable iPhone. The report further adds that Apple might only unveil one foldable smartphone model, although both models have been passed through durability testing.

Samsung, Huawei, and Motorola are the three mainstream brands to introduce foldable smartphones, with Samsung offering two designs (Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Fold).

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz with a face mask walks at the federal chancellery in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. The Austrian government has moved to restrict freedom of movement for people, in an effort to slow the onset of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

The Austrian government is extending the country's lockdown until Feb. 7 in a drive to push down still-high infection figures as officials worry about the possible impact of new coronavirus variants.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Sunday that some measures will also be tightened as a result of the more infectious variants that were first detected in Britain and South Africa. He said people will now be asked to stay 2 meters (61/2 feet) apart instead of 1 meter.

Beginning on Jan. 25, they will also be required to wear full protective masks on public transport and in shops, rather than just fabric face coverings. People on low incomes will get such masks free, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said.

Austria's current lockdown, its third, started on Dec. 26 and was to end on Jan. 24. Kurz said Austria is keen to avoid a situation such as that in Britain and Ireland, where infections have risen sharply and rapidly as new variants take hold. So far, Austria has over 150 suspected infections with the British variant, Anschober said.

Kurz said Austria needs to get as close as it can to, and preferably below, an infection level of 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over 7 days. The figure now stands at 131.

"Our aim is to approach this figure ... by Feb. 8 and start the first steps toward opening on Feb. 8," with schools, nonessential shops, museums and services such as hairdressers reopening, Kurz told a news conference in Vienna.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz with a face mask walks at the federal chancellery in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. The Austrian government has moved to restrict freedom of movement for people, in an effort to slow the onset of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

But Kurz made clear that restaurants and hotels will have to wait longer.

"We have to assume at present that, at least in February, it will not be possible to open tourism and catering," he said, adding that a decision will be made in mid-February.

Austria, a nation of 8.9 million, has confirmed nearly 390,000 cases and seen 6,964 deaths related to COVID-19.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Giuliani disputes a New York Times source's account of events. Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photos

An associate of Rudy Giuliani told a former CIA operative seeking a presidential pardon that Giuliani could help arrange one for $2 million, The New York Times reported.

Giuliani disputed the ex-CIA officer's account, telling The Times that his helping someone obtain a pardon would be a conflict of interest.

The Times reported that several people with connections to President Donald Trump had accepted large sums of money from people seeking pardons.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

An associate of Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, told a former CIA officer seeking a presidential pardon that Giuliani could help arrange one for $2 million, The New York Times reported Sunday.

The detail came as part of a wide-ranging Times report indicating that several people close to the president had collected large sums of money in exchange for helping people seek pardons.

John Kiriakou, the former CIA operative, was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2012 for disclosing the identity of a fellow officer involved in waterboarding. Kiriakou told The Times that he had sought a pardon through other people with connections to the president - in order to carry a handgun and access his pension - but that the topic came up during an unrelated boozy meeting with Giuliani and his associates at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC.

Kiriakou told The Times that at one point, when Giuliani went to the restroom, one of the meeting attendees said that Giuliani could help but that "it's going to cost $2 million - he's going to want two million bucks."

Kiriakou did not pursue the offer, according to The Times.

"I laughed. Two million bucks - are you out of your mind?" Kiriakou told the outlet. "Even if I had two million bucks, I wouldn't spend it to recover a $700,000 pension."

Read more: Biden's inauguration is raising tens of millions of dollars but won't say how it's spending the money

Story continues

A friend of Kiriakou's reported the meeting to the FBI, disturbed that Giuliani might be selling presidential pardons, The Times reported. But Giuliani disputed the idea he was doing so, telling the outlet that he did not recall the meeting described by Kiriakou and that working on clemency cases while working as the president's lawyer would constitute a conflict of interest.

The Times reported that multiple people with connections to Trump, including his former lawyer John Dowd and his former campaign advisor Karen Giorno, had accepted tens of thousands of dollars in payments from people seeking pardons. It said there was no evidence Trump himself had been offered money.

Presidents routinely embark on a pardoning frenzy as they prepare to leave office, but Trump, rarely one to follow norms, has caught heat for using pardons primarily to reward his allies, fellow Republican politicians, and people close to his family.

Read more: Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID stimulus plan has $10 billion for cybersecurity and IT hidden at the end - and experts say it's critical for the nation's recovery

Trump has pardoned several people who were charged in connection to the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. They include his former campaign manager Paul Manafort, who was convicted of tax and bank fraud and was serving a 7-1/2-year prison sentence.

Roger Stone, a longtime Trump associate who was convicted of obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and lying to investigators in connection to the special counsel's investigation, also received a pardon. Trump also pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who pleaded guilty to charges including witness tampering and tax evasion and served two years in prison.

Trump has also reportedly floated preemptive pardons - covering conduct that has already taken place but not yet resulted in charges - for his family members, Giuliani, and himself.

Read the original article on Business Insider
New Delhi, Jan 17 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed grief over the death of six persons in a bus accident in Rajasthan's Jalore district.

A total of six persons were killed and seven injured when a bus caught fire after coming in contact with a 11,000 volt high tension wire, police said on Sunday.

Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister expressed grief and offered condolences to the bereaved families, saying "the news of a bus accident in Jalore, Rajasthan, has caused immense grief. Many people have lost their lives in this accident.

"I express my condolences to the family members and wish the injured well soon," said the Prime Minister.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot also expressed grief.

"Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in an unfortunate bus accident near Maheshpura, Jalore in which 6 people have lost lives and several others have been injured. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families, may God give them strength to bear this loss. May those injured recover soon," Gehlot tweeted.

In a tweet, Congress leader Sachin Pilot Pilot said, "The news of the death of many people due to electric current in a bus in Maheshpura village in Jalore district is very sad and painful. My deepest condolences to the families of the dead. I pray to God for the peace of the departed souls and for the speedy recovery of the injured."
Two bodies have been found after a Russian freighter sunk in the Black Sea off the Turkish coast early on Sunday, reported the Turkish news agency Anadolu, citing regional Governor Sinan Guner.



Five survivors have also been rescued. The ship had a crew of 13, all Russians, though some Turkish media have reported the proper number is 15.



Rescue efforts were made harder by storms and strong waves, but rescuers are still seeking survivors. The Turkish navy has also contributed a ship to the effort, tweeted the Defence Ministry.



The cause of the accident remains unclear.

Source: GNA









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While Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) was out of state at a conference, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R) issued an executive order Thursday banning mask mandates in school and public buildings, AP reports.Why it matters: Little never issued a statewide mask mandate, but there have been some in counties, cities and schools. McGeachin announced last week she was running for governor, challenging Little who has only served one term, and her order could appeal to far-right voters in the state.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Little's office told AP that McGeachin did not tell the governor about the order in advance. Throughout the pandemic, Gov. Little has been committed to protecting the health and safety of the people of Idaho and has emphasized the importance of Idahoans choosing to protect our neighbors and loved ones and keeping our economy and schools open, Little spokesperson Marissa Morrison saidBackground: In March, McGeachin participated in an anti-mask protest, the Washington Post reported, and she suggested last year that the pandemic may or may not be occurring."According to AP, Idaho has recorded more than 190,000 cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and roughly 2,000 deaths.What she's saying: Ive been listening to people all across the state with the concern about, especially, why are little kids being forced to wear masks in school, McGeachin told AP.My oath to the Constitution is to protect those rights and freedoms of the individual, and Ive never supported any type of a mandate on the individual, especially when it comes to health care choices.McGeachin said she had contracted the virus in 2019 and now has a "natural immunity," per AP.Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin issued an executive order banning mask mandates, not face masks. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
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HCM City Mayor Nguyen Thanh Phong said that several things need to be done initially under the working while running principle for Thu Duc City, and the most important is a special mechanism that will enable the city to "take off".

Phong said the National Assemblys Resolution on the establishment of Thu Duc City in January will create a strong kickoff.

HCM City Mayor Nguyen Thanh Phong

The first thing to be done is to arrange the personnel of Thu Duc City to be sure that the lives and work of people, civil servants and businesses will not be disrupted by the city's establishment.

In the long term, a new development period will occur with Thu Duc City as a nucleus that promotes and leads HCM Citys economy and the southern key economic zone.

Regarding the roadmap for personnel arrangement, Phong said this would be implemented in three stages.

From January 1 to February 7, 2021 the personnel apparatus will be put into operation. Boards and teams in Thu Duc City will be ready for national election day.

From February 7 to May 23, 2021, the apparatus will continue to be strengthened to serve the election of the National Assembly and peoples councils at different levels.

From May 23, appropriate agencies of HCM City and Thu Duc City will continue to work to complete policies and the apparatus to ensure the smooth operation of Thu Duc City.

Special mechanism for Thu Duc City

At a consultation organized by the Vietnam Fatherland Front in HCM City in December 2020, Major General Phan Anh Minh, former Deputy Director of the HCM City Police, commented that if Thu Duc City is equal to a district level, it will have its wings clipped and have to ask for permission from authorities at higher levels.

This would be just like old wine put in new tank, i.e. the name of Thu Duc City will be new, but it would still be seen as a district as in the past.

Minh said there should be a specific mechanism for Thu Duc City set by a National Assembly resolution, which would give more power to the city.

Phong told VietNamNet that HCM City is compiling specific mechanisms and policies for Thu Duc City development, which would be submitted to the central government for consideration.

This needs to be done immediately so as to strengthen the resources for Thu Duc City to develop beyond the frame of a district-level administration unit, Phong said.

Several things need to be done initially under the working while running principle for Thu Duc City, and the most important is a special mechanism that will enable the city to "take off".

He declined to give details about specific policies, but said there will be stronger decentralization and authorization for Thu Duc City. This will allow Thu Duc Citys leaders to make decisions in certain fields without having to ask for permission from HCM City leaders.

Phong went on to say that a specific mechanism for Thu Duc is expected to get approval in Q1 2021.

Earlier, at a working session with the Ministry of Home Affairs, HCM City proposed setting up a science and technology division in Thu Duc City (other districts in HCM City dont have such a division).

According to Phong, Thu Duc City will be developed as a highly interactive creative space, and that science and technology will play a very important role in the development of the city.

The National Assembly Resolution assigns the government to consider a specific mechanism for Thu Duc City. HCM City hopes that the central government will soon promulgate a decree on the issue to help Thu Duc City develop, commensurate with its great potential, Phong said.

Items that need immediate investment

According to Phong, urban infrastructure will be the focus of the master planning of Thu Duc City.

The planning will promote the role of Thu Ducs critical growth poles. The local authorities will draw up zoning plans, and adjust the 1/200 zoning plan and 1/500 detailed plans of innovative centers and key development areas.

Investment will be called for eight functional centers that will quickly change the face of Thu Duc City, including Thu Thiem financial center and new urban area, a hi-tech manufacturing and application center, the countrys largest creative startup center, and the Truong Tho port urban area.

Regarding transport infrastructure, it is necessary to work on solutions to increase public transport to satisfy travel demand by 2040, and expand the transport network of urban railway No 1 connecting southeastern provinces.

The major work on the existing infrastructure system of Thu Duc City for the 2021-2025 period will continue, including the water drainage system on Vo Van Ngan Street along the railway in Linh Dong Ward; improvement of Binh Thai Canal in Truong Tho Ward; the Sai Gon River anti-landslide work in Binh Loi Bridge area; and the opening of three sluice gates and pumping stations.

A number of roads will be expanded and upgraded, including the Ba Ca Road and Bridge and other bridges; and Highway No 13 and Belt Road No 2 (from Pham Van Dong Road to Go Duc Intersection).

About 1 million trees in Thu Duc City will be planted in parks and along roads, which will turn Thu Duc into a example of greenery development.

Ho Van - Bao Anh

Thu Duc City to serve as new growth engine for HCM City Thu Duc City is expected to make up 30 percent of GRDP of HCM City, or 7 percent of GDP of the entire country, thus serving as the new driving force for HCM City to grow rapidly in a sustainable way.
Fashion giant Next has been tipped as the 'frontrunner' in the race to buy Sir Philip Green's Topshop empire, ahead of today's reported deadline for bids.

Green's Arcadia collapsed in November after the pandemic hammered sales.

It could fetch more than 200m, with administrators from Deloitte appointed to oversee the sale.

'Frontrunner': Next and its consortium partner Davidson Kempner were leading the race to buy the group, according to reports

Yesterday Next, led by Lord Simon Wolfson, and its consortium partner Davidson Kempner were leading the race to buy the group, according to the Sunday Times.

Next is the minority partner and Wolfson has said it is not interested in retaining all of Arcadia's brands. His main interest is thought to be in Topshop  the crown jewel of Green's assets.

Under Wolfson, Next recently bought lingerie brand Victoria's Secret after it collapsed last year.

Firms thought to be among the other bidders for Arcadia are Mike Ashley's Frasers Group, JD Sports, Boohoo and Juicy Couture owner Authentic Brands.
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(Newser)  In his first hours as president, Joe Biden plans to take executive action to roll back some of the most controversial decisions of his predecessor and to address the raging coronavirus pandemic, his incoming chief of staff said Saturday. The opening salvo would herald a 10-day blitz of executive actions as Biden seeks to act swiftly to redirect the country in the wake of Donald Trump's presidency without waiting for Congress. On Wednesday, following his inauguration, Biden will end Trump's restriction on immigration to the U.S. from some Muslim-majority countries, move to rejoin the Paris climate accord and mandate mask-wearing on federal property and during interstate travel. Those are among roughly a dozen actions Biden will take on his first day in the White House, his incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, said in a memo to senior staff obtained by the AP.

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Other actions include extending the pause on student loan payments and actions meant to prevent evictions and foreclosures for those struggling during the pandemic. Providing a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally will be part of Biden's agenda, according to people briefed on his plans. Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum and among those briefed, said immigrants would be put on an eight-year path. There would be a faster track for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields people from deportation who came to the U.S. as children, and for those from strife-torn countries with temporary status. Incoming presidents traditionally move swiftly to sign an array of executive actions when they take office. Trump did the same, but he found many of his orders challenged and even rejected by courts.

(Read more Joe Biden stories.)
Sunshine, beaches, and empty. That just about sums up 2020 in terms of Costa del Sol tourism. Other descriptions could be; catastrophic, unbelievable and devastating. At a press conference held by the provincial authority last Friday, to report on a year which makes those in the industry want to cry and forget at the same time, Luis Callejon, the president of the Aehcos Costa del Sol hoteliers association, said "I can think of many adjectives to describe the past 12 months, and none of them are good."

Outside, the rain lashed down and the wind howled, courtesy of Storm Filomena. It seemed a suitable accompaniment for such a solemn occasion. The impact of the coronavirus on tourism in Malaga province, said Francisco Salado, the head of the Costa del Sol Tourist Board, has been so great that it has returned the sector to 1980s levels: "This crisis has taken the Costa del Sol back four decades."

Anyone with the slightest idea of what tourism means to the Costa in terms of the economy and employment must be asking themselves if these figures can be real. They are. There were 9.3 million fewer tourists than in 2019 (down 71.6 per cent). The loss to the economy of the province is nearly 10.35 billion euros, 17,605 direct jobs in the sector have gone and 31,000 workers have been temporarily laid off. Salado described the damage as "astronomical".

It is ruinous for the province, and it is difficult to imagine what happens next in a scenario which is constantly changing because of the pandemic. Malaga depends on tourism like Germany depends on its car industry and Norway depends on oil. The concern on the faces of those in authority was obvious, and no mask could hide it.

The uncertainty doesn't help. It looks as though, at best, 2021 will be a year of transition. It's not that Malaga is no longer attractive. It's the nature of the crisis, the invisible threat that makes people reluctant to travel. That means the problem is global and the province has suffered badly from a general fall in its source markets.

The figures regarding transport infrastructure in Malaga province were also depressing. The airport reported that 6.9 million fewer passengers arrived in 2020. Arrivals by high speed train fell by 61.1 per cent. There were 89.3 per cent fewer cruise passengers. And the effects on the labour market so far are, said Salado, "unreal" because of the anaesthetising effect of the ERTEs. If the situation doesn't improve in 2021, those temporary layoffs will become permanent.

The vaccine is being seen as vital for the Costa del Sol. Salado said recovery depended on its success and urged the government to improve controls at the airports. The most important selling point in 2021 will be tourism that is safe.
A consultant anaesthetist who was struck off after he beat his ten-year-old son with an aluminium broom handle has got his NHS job back after he blamed his conduct on his 'cultural upbringing' in Nigeria.

Dr Adekunle Okunuga, 59, caned his young son with the kitchen brush for misbehaving at school and made him perform squat thrusts and stand on one leg with his arms in the air while he kicked him.

During the assault, he also caned the boy's open palms with a walking stick before finally stopping when he saw his son's blood spatter over the kitchen floor.

In 2015, Okunuga's name was ordered to be erased from the medical register after he was found guilty of serious professional misconduct by a disciplinary panel.

But earlier this month the order was lifted and he was deemed fit to practise medicine again after the doctor, who worked at University Hospital Coventry, admitted his behaviour was 'excessive and uncalled for'.

Dr Adekunle Okunuga, 59, was struck off the medical register after he was found guilty of serious professional misconduct by a disciplinary panel in 2015. This month the order was lifted and he was deemed fit to practise medicine again

He claimed similar corporal punishment would be routinely carried out on children in his homeland.

The doctor has been working at the National Orthopaedic Hospital in Lagos hospital in Lagos for the past three years.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester was told the assault occurred in June 2014 after Okunuga and his wife, who at the time lived in Rugby, Warwickshire, were summoned to their son's primary school after the boy got into trouble for not submitting homework and lying to other pupils to seek attention.

On the day of the incident itself the boy - named as Child A - had been facing expulsion for swearing, using the word 'rape' and stamping on an injured girl during a PE lesson.

The couple collected the child from school but in the car, Okunuga began slapping his son from the passenger seat then once at home forced him to undertake squats and then to stand on one leg with his arms in the air.

Whenever Child A lost his balance, Okunuga would hit him with the handle of the floor brush on the back of his legs and then kick him to make him stand up again.

He went to fetch a hammer and destroyed Child A's games consoles before caning the boy across his open palms with a walking stick. He stopped when he became aware the boy had wounds on his hands that were bleeding.

The boy was treated in hospital for cuts and bruising and was later taken temporarily into foster care.

Okybnuga was arrested and convicted in September 2014 at Leamington Spa magistrates court of ill treating a child and was sentenced to eight weeks in jail suspended for a year with a requirement to complete 160 hours unpaid work. The boy was later returned to his family.

In 2015, a disciplinary hearing panel accepted the attack on the child was a 'one off' but said it was 'sustained' and ruled Okunuga should be struck off to send a message that his behaviour was 'wholly intolerable.'

The doctor, who worked at University Hospital Coventry, admitted his behaviour was 'excessive' and claimed similar corporal punishment would be routinely carried out on children in his homeland

The father was arrested and convicted in September 2014 at Leamington Spa magistrates court of ill treating a child

He had earlier described the attack as 'unfortunate domestic matter outside his work' and asked if he could 'return to work as soon as possible.'

The restoration hearing began last September after Okunuga applied to General Medical Council to get his job back.

He said he had kept up to date with his medical skills and produced testimonials from patients and colleagues and also character references from his family - including his wife and son.

He said he had grown up in a 'different era, when physical chastisement of children was seen as part of a child's discipline' but told the hearing: 'My actions towards Child A were excessive and uncalled for, and I accept I caused harm to Child A.

'My actions embarrassed the medical profession and brought it into disrepute and as a member of the medical community, I should be role model. I apologised sincerely to the GMC and the wider public.

'My behaviour was born out of my cultural upbringing, I should have known better and I take full responsibility for my actions. If I were to witness a similar occurrence by one of my colleagues, I would be the first to speak up and take action and report it to the appropriate authorities.'

He added: 'I have been working abroad but have always given full disclosure of my sanction to all employers and the relevant medical authorities.

'I have attended courses in order to maintain my professional development and am clinically ready to resume practice in the United Kingdom where I could be of tremendous support to the medical community.'

In giving Okunuga the all-clear to return to medicine, MPTS chairman Ms Sharmistha Michaels said: 'Then tribunal noted that Child A was returned to Dr Okunuga four months after the incident, and a child protection order placed on Dr Okunuga was removed three months after this in January 2015.

'The Tribunal was mindful this was an isolated incident and noted the 2015 Panel found that the risk of Dr Okunuga repeating his actions was very low.

'There has been no evidence of any repetition in the six and-a-half years since the incident. Dr Okunuga has reflected on his actions and developed significant insight into their impact since the hearing in 2015. He has been open and honest about his actions and apologised fully and sincerely.

'In his reflective statement he understands the 2015 Panel were ''fair and just in its decision''.

'He also stated it was naive of him to think that the incident was a ''private matter'' which had no bearing on his professional conduct.

'The tribunal considered that Dr Okunuga had now developed sufficient insight into how his actions had impacted on public confidence and the need to maintain and uphold proper standards of behaviour.

'His expressions of remorse are genuine and was satisfied. There are no public safety concerns in relation to Dr Okunuga. He would be fit to return to unrestricted practice in the UK given his current medical skills.'
New Delhi:

Russia's Defence Ministry on Friday said it was checking information that a Russian air strike on May 28 near the Syrian city of Raqqa may have killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The ministry claimed as a result of the strike, Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was eliminated and that the information is now being checked by various channels.

But this is not the first time Baghdadis death is being claimed. Such reports of IS leaders death or him being seriously injured had also made headlines in the past and the most recent came on June 11 this year.

Trending Now: 39 Indians taken hostages by ISS in Iraqs Mosul alive: MEA

# On June 11, 2017, Syrian state TV has claimed al-Baghdadi has been killed in a US-backed airstrike.

# On October 3, 2016, various media outlets claimed that al-Baghdadi and 3 senior ISIL leaders were poisoned by an assassin but still alive.

# On June 14, 2016, Middle Eastern media claimed that al-Baghdadi had been killed in a US airstrike in Raqqa on 12 June. However, the report could not be confirmed by the coalition spokesmen.

# On June 9, 2016, Iraqi State TV claimed that al-Baghdadi had been wounded in a US airstrike in Northern Iraq. Coalition spokesmen could not confirm this report as well.

# On October 11, 2015, it was claimed that al-Baghdadis convoy in the western Anbar province close to the Syrian border was bombed by the Iraqi air force while he was heading to Kerabla to attend an ISIL meeting.

# On July 20, 2015, The New York Times rubbished rumors that al-Baghdadi had been killed or injured earlier in the same year.

# In April 2015, The Guardian reported that al-Baghdadi was recovering from the severe injuries which he had received during the airstrike on 18 March 2015, in a part of Mosul.

# It was also reported that a spinal injury which had left him paralyzed meant that he might never be able to fully resume direct command of ISIL.

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Signal Messenger is back up after a 24-hour outage caused by 8.8million new users in a week following the announcement of WhatsApp's controversial decision to share data with Facebook.

The encrypted app saw a massive rise in downloads following a change in rival WhatsApp's privacy terms last week, which appeared to require their users to share their data with both Facebook Inc and Instagram, in order to carry on using the service.

On Friday, some Signal users reported messages failing to send on both the mobile and desktop apps for several hours.

On Saturday Signal's system allegedly crashed under the weight of the downloads, causing a 24-hour outage that was resolved on Sunday afternoon.

Signal Messenger was launched in 2018 as a secure, encrypted messaging service. It gained 8.8million users in a week after rival Whatsapp made a controversial announcement over privacy

Brian Acton, pictured in San Francisco in 2019, co-founded Signal in 2018. He also co-founded Whatsapp before selling it to Facebook and leaving in 2017

Whatsapp has two billion users but lost millions when it made a controversial announcement over a privacy update

Whatsapp, which is owned by Facebook, appeared to tell users it had to agree to share data with the parent company or stop using the app

The two rival apps are now battling it out for users, with Signal hoovering up people concerned over privacy with Whatsapp

According to data from analytics firm Sensor Tower, Signal was downloaded 246,000 times worldwide in the week before WhatsApp announced the change, and 8.8 million times the week after, as reported by the BBC.

In the US, downloads went from 63,000 to 1.1 million, with numbers jumping from 12,000 to 2.7 million in India and 7,400 to 191,000 in the UK.

On Wednesday, Telegram said it had surpassed 500 million active users globally. Downloads jumped from 6.5 million in the week starting 28 December, to 11 million during the following week.

During the same period, WhatsApp's global downloads shrank from 11.3 million to 9.2 million.

On January 4 Whatsapp had unveiled new privacy updates and sent notifications went out across its platform to its two billion users, causing a mass exodus of people to more secure systems, like Signal and Telegram.

This does not apply to users in the UK and Europe, where privacy laws are different than in the US, but the notification was sent to everyone.

Following the errors, Signal tweeted: 'Signal is back!' it said.

'Like an underdog going through a training montage, we've learned a lot since yesterday - and we did it together.

Thanks to the millions of new Signal users around the world for your patience'.

The issue has reignited the debate over privacy in smart phone usage

What does Whatsapp share with Facebook? In an earlier FAQ WhatsApp explained the data that it already shares with other Facebook companies including: 1. Phone number and other information provided on registration (such as name) 2. Information about your phone, including make, model, and mobile company 3. Your IP address, which indicates location of your internet connection 4. Any payments and financial transactions made over WhatsApp This does not apply in Europe and the UK, where different privacy laws exist. Advertisement

Signal users might see errors in some chats as a side effect to the outage, but will be resolved in the next update of the app, the company added.

The error does not affect the security of the chat.

Signal, a non-profit Signal Foundation based in Silicon Valley, was launched in February 2018 by Moxie Marlinspoke and Brian Acton.

Acton co-founded WhatsApp before selling it to Facebook, providing initial funding of $50 million, and leaving in 2017.

WhatsApp has since extended the deadline by which its two billion users must either accept its updated terms and conditions or stop using the service.

The original cut-off date was 8 February, but users now have until 15 May to take action.

The firm was criticised for sending the notification, which seemed to suggest changes to the data it would share with its parent company Facebook.

But it said there had been 'confusion' about its message.

In a blogpost, WhatsApp said personal messages had always been encrypted and would remain private.

It added that its practice of sharing some user data with Facebook was not new, and was not going to be expanded.

'The update includes new options people will have to message a business on WhatsApp, and provides further transparency about how we collect and use data,' it said.
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The United Kingdom (UK) has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the G7 Summit as a guest. The G7 Summit is scheduled to be held in Cornwall in June 2021, said a press release by the British High Commission on Sunday.

The release also stated that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also likely to visit India ahead of the G7 Summit, after a scheduled visit for Republic Day this month was called off due to the coronavirus crisis.

The UK PM will use the first in-person G7 summit in almost two years to ask leaders, including PM Modi, to seize the opportunity to build back better from Covid-19, uniting to make the future fairer, greener and more prosperous.

"Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the first in-person G7 summit in almost two years to ask leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to seize the opportunity to build back better from coronavirus, uniting to make the future fairer, greener and more prosperous," a statement by British High Commission said.

Terming India as 'pharmacy of the world', the UK lauded the efforts regarding the production of the Covid-19 vaccine and said, "India already supplies more than 50% of the world's vaccines, and the UK and India have worked closely together throughout the pandemic."

This year Britain has also invited leaders from Australia and South Korea to attend as guest countries to deepen the expertise and experience around the table, said the release.

"Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations and the greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced. It is only right that we approach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future," said Boris Johnson.

The summit in June will address shared challenges, from beating coronavirus and tackling climate change, to ensuring that people everywhere can benefit from open trade, technological change and scientific discovery.

G7 is a grouping of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the USA and the EU.

The Group of Seven is dubbed as an open forum where the world's most influential and open societies are brought together for close-knit discussions, with the pandemic likely to dominate this year's talks.

With agency inputs

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Commuters in Brazil were recently left flabbergasted after they found a sloth hanging to the handrail of their bus. The incident happened in Recife, located in the nations northeast wherein the furry mammal was rescued by a bus driver who then took the responsibility of dropping it home. Meanwhile, photos and videos of the sloth hitching a ride inside the public transport surfaced online and are now doing rounds of the internet.

As per DailyMail, Ronaldo Santana spotted the animal on January 11 in the heavy traffic area of a motorway in Recife. He immediately pulled over concerned that the slow-moving animal might have been hit by any speeding car. The animal-loving driver then, along with his conductor Marcio Albuquerque rescued the animal. They opened the doors of the bus and let the animal in, who was more than happy to comply.

"A bus driver saw a sloth trying to cross a busy street in the city of Recife. He stopped the vehicle and the collector put the animal safely inside the bus. Then, they sent the animal to the responsible body to be released again," Brazilian Biodiversity which shared snapshots of the sloth wrote on Twitter.

Um motorista de onibus viu um bicho-preguica tentando atravessar uma rua movimentada na cidade de Recife. Ele parou o veiculo e o cobrador colocou o animal em seguranca dentro do onibus. Depois, encaminharam o animal para o orgao responsavel para ser solto novamente. pic.twitter.com/6Pw99XGV8H  Biodiversidade Brasileira (@BiodiversidadeB) January 12, 2021

People concerned

Since shared, the pictures have garnered an immense fan following racking up over 12 thousand likes and nearly 1.4 thousand quote tweets. Meanwhile, a lot of people have flocked to the post to laud the kind driver and his collector. Meanwhile, others expressed concerns over humans and animal co-travelling. "Is there no danger of the animal attacking people or of his contact with so many people being harmful to him?," asked a user. Meanwhile, another comment read, "Serious situation in reef, arson fires are being carried out for land grabbing and transformation into hotels and resorts, all struggle being lost due to this clumsy and permissive government."

Read: Ronaldinho Turns Rapper: Brazil Football Great Plans To Release 8 Songs This Year

Read: Brazil COVID Variant Already In UK, Confirms Top Scientist Prof Wendy Barclay

Read: Tamil Nadu: Ailing Sloth Bear Dies

Read: Tennis Player Thiem Godfather Of New-born Koala

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
A father has told of the terrifying moment his children were held at knifepoint after armed robbers burst into his family home.

Footage released by the Metropolitan Police showed a man dressed in a hi-viz jacket pose as a delivery driver before four other people rushed inside the property in Walthamstow, London, and stole valuable items on January 11.

Now, father Naz, 49, who was at the shops with his wife Kumar when the incident took place, has shared how their five children  a nine-year-old, 12-year-old, 13-year-old, 20-year-old and 24-year-old - were at home when the armed gang burst in.

The ordeal began at 2.30pm as a man in a bright orange hi-viz jacket and holding a parcel rang the doorbell of the property.

Father Naz described how his five children  a nine-year-old, 12-year-old, 13-year-old, 20-year-old and 24-year-old - were at home when the armed gang burst into the property in Walthamstow, London

A person wearing a bright orange hi-viz jacket and holding a parcel buzzed on the door of the house

The man knocked on the door pretending to have a package for the residents, when one of the girls answered the door.

He claimed he required a 'signature' and the teenager called her older sisters to help.

As she turned her back, he pushed through the front door, pointing a large knife at the terrified teenager while four other men, all armed with knives, rushed into the house.

The suspects made their way into several rooms, searching for valuable items to steal and threatened the sisters with knives, Naz said.

The 24-year-old was left with a concussion and rushed to the hospital, while the 20-year-old suffered injuries to her face after the suspects allegedly hit her in the face.

The five suspects reportedly stole jewellery, phones, passports, iPads, a designer handbag, ear pods, ID cards, passports and designer watches from the address.

Naz said: 'My 20-year-old was upstairs when she heard the commotion. She ran to the loft to hide and call the police. However, they heard her footsteps and ran after her.

'She tried to shut the bathroom door but they pushed the door in, hit her, grabbed the phone off her and put a knife against her back.

'They marched her down the stairs and hit her repeatedly, asking for money.

'My daughter kept saying we didn't have any because there was no money in the house. My kids were terrorised.'

The father described how the men pushed through the front door and threatened his children

A man wearing an orange hi-viz jacket posed as a delivery driver during the burglary

The suspect knocked on the door and when the homeowner answered four other people appeared

The father went on to describe how his 13-year-old daughter stood in front of her younger siblings to protect them.

He continued: 'They grabbed my nine-year-old daughter's arm, trying to scare them into telling them where the money was, but there was no money in the house.

'My oldest daughter and teenager daughter jumped in front of the men to protect the younger siblings.

'They had all the girls downstairs and marched the older two upstairs asking them to hand them all their belongings.

'The little three younger girls were downstairs and screaming on their own.

'They were hiding behind the sofa but the men took the two of them with knives against their back.

'The thirteen-year-old stood in front of the younger two to defend them, she was so brave. They tore the house apart.

'They took what they did, two of them left initially and the three of them left after that.

'My nine-year-old is in a lot of pain and her arms are hurting. The kids are hurt physically and mentally.'

The group rushed inside the house armed with knives and entered several rooms inside the property

The group made off with a range of valuable items including jewellery, phones, passports, iPads, a designer handbag, ear pods, ID cards and designer watches

Police investigating the burglary are appealing for any information which may help them identity the suspects

This month an appeal was launched by the police as they searched for the five suspects.

Police are appealing to the public for any witnesses or information in relation to the suspects that could help them identify them.

Anyone with information or who recognises the suspects is asked to contact police via 101 quoting reference CAD 3600/11JAN21 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

It has been 100 years since little-noticed, no-bid oil leases in Wyoming and California were engineered by then-Secretary of Interior and former New Mexico Senator Albert Bacon Fall, sending Fall to jail and rocking a presidency.

The story reads like a film noir script: a cabal of wealthy oilmen hand-picking a presidential candidate, bribes, bags of cash, a murder-suicide, and a muckraking Albuquerque journalist, all amid the flow of Prohibition liquor and the whiff of Cuban cigars.

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The Teapot Dome scandal and the events of today are different, said historian Paul Hutton, a professor at the University of New Mexico. But he sees similarities.

I dont think there has been a greater, more sensational fall, sort of from grace, than we are seeing right now. Certainly, you can compare it to Watergate and Nixon, and to Harding (President Warren G.), Hutton said in a phone interview last week. The three great scandals in American history are going to be Teapot Dome, Watergate and, now, Mr. Trumps  we still dont know how thats going to play out.

Riches of oil

In 1921, with automobiles becoming more prominent and the Navy already switching from coal to oil-driven ships, the demand for and price of oil was increasing. Harry Sinclair from the East and Edward Doheny from California, the oil tycoons of day, helped put Harding in office and they eyed new sources.

The Teapot Dome oil field in Wyoming, named for a rock formation, and two in California were earmarked as U.S. Naval Petroleum Reserves, set aside in the event of war.

They had to be transferred to the Department of Interior before leasing, which needed presidential approval.

Enter Fall, the Republican senator from New Mexico, who was elected in 1912.

He is certainly one of the most notorious characters in all of New Mexico history, and goes back to the wild west days of New Mexico and his involvement in killings down in southwestern New Mexico, including the killing of Pat Garrett, said Hutton.

Author Laton McCartney describes the corrupt Harding presidency and Teapot Dome investigative Senate hearings, which spawned todays congressional subpoena powers, in his book, The Teapot Dome Scandal  How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country.

Fall wore a black Stetson and, with the six-shooter he often carried as a sinister accessory, Fall was a living icon of a frontier that had all but vanished, wrote McCartney.

Secret oil leases

According to McCartney, as Interior secretary, Fall put the naval oil reserves first. His first act was to fire the conservationists in the department and replace them with his own people, he wrote.

Harding joined the Senate after Fall and  along with Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.  were card-playing and drinking buddies.

Roosevelt Jr. was an intermediary between the Navy and the Department of Interior and, in 1921, President Harding signed an executive order transferring the oil reserves to Interior. Roosevelts brother worked for oilman Sinclair.

Did the president actually read it? Likely not. Harding was not much for details, McCartney wrote.

The leases between Interior and Doheny and Sinclair were first reported by the Wall Street Journal in April 1922.

Journalist sniffs out corruption

Doheny made a $100,000 no-interest loan to Fall, which was a huge amount of money in those days and, in this way, Fall was able to save his big ranch down on the Tularosa, said Hutton. And that was kind of his undoing because thats how the local reporters sort of got on to him  . It was like, wow, where did he come into all this money, said Hutton.

One who noticed was lawyer Carlton Carl Magee, who acquired, and was publisher/editor of the Albuquerque Morning Journal, a precursor to the Albuquerque Journal.

Magee was just critical to this because the folks in Washington were kind of dragging their feet  he was the one who kind of blew the story wide open, said Hutton.

Fall, a co-owner, sold the paper to Magee, who became the most virulent of his (Falls) critics, McCartney wrote.

Fall invited McGee to his vast Three Rivers Ranch near Tularosa where he conceded he was broke and land poor. He hadnt paid taxes on the Three Rivers spread in six years, McCartney wrote.

In a rambling, bourbon-fueled discourse on New Mexico politics Fall told Magee whose boots the newcomer should be careful not to tread on, number one on the list being Albert Bacon Fall, McCartney wrote.

New Mexico politics then were amazingly corrupt, sort of establishing a grand tradition, and Fall is sort of the poster child, said Hutton.

Magee wrote about many incidents of state corruption. The newspaper Fall had owned was pillorying him. Albert Fall was becoming a laughing stock in his home state. Fall threatened Magee to back off or Ill put you in the rack and break you, McCartney quoted him as saying.

Magee was no pushover. In 1923, at the Meadows Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico, now the El Fidel, Magee pulled a pistol and fired after a judge he had written about knocked Magee down. A bystander was killed and Magee was found innocent of manslaughter. He returned to Oklahoma, where he invented the parking meter.

Bribery, fraud convictions

After numerous Senate investigations, in 1929, Fall was convicted at trial of bribing Doheny and sentenced to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, the amount Doheny loaned him.

Robert Geronimo, chief Geronimos son, was a character witness at trial for Fall, McCartney wrote.

Magee testified before a Senate committee that I have withstood personal assaults, advertising boycotts, civil libel suits, criminal libel convictions, social ostracism, and personal vilification in carrying the banner of decency against Fall and his New Mexico gang, McCartney quotes him saying.

Fall spent almost a year at the New Mexico State Prison in Santa Fe. An attempt at a presidential pardon was denied by President Herbert Hoover.

Tycoons Doheny, his son Edward Jr., and Sinclair were all indicted for fraud. Five years after the same judge convicted Fall, the senior Doheny was acquitted.

In New Mexico, Fall understandably expressed puzzlement that he could be convicted of taking a bribe while the man who had given it to him had gotten off scot free, McCartney wrote.

Doheny Jr., was murdered or committed suicide (see sidebar) before trial and oilman Harry Sinclair went to prison for a $269,000 loan he had made to Fall.

The scandal takeaway: I think it really brought attention to corruption in American politics  and it destroyed the Harding administration, Hutton said. I think New Mexico was the hero in this story.
Police launched a slavery investigation after two men from Romania were found living in an abandoned department store where they were working without any hot water, heating or flushing toilets. (SWNS)

Police have launched a slavery investigation after two Romanian men were found living without any hot water, heating or flushing toilets in a derelict department store where they were working.

The men were found sleeping on mattresses on the upstairs floor of the empty former T J Hughes store where they were working to clear the site.

Police said officers found filthy conditions when they were called on Thursday to the former department store in Eastbourne, East Sussex, which has been empty since it closed in 2019.

The discovery comes less than a year after concerns over people working in slave-like conditions in textile factories in Leicester, with one MP saying a conspiracy of silence had allowed the situation to continue.

Police were called to the former T J Hughes store in Eastbourne, Sussex, after concerns were raised. (Stock picture: Getty)

Sussex Police said concerns had been raised to authorities about the site in Eastbourne, where a rubbish clearance company from London had been called in to clear fixtures and fittings.

The force said two men were found sleeping in the building with no hot water, shower facilities or protective equipment.

Read more: Police break up gatherings across England with some revellers claiming they 'didn't know there was a pandemic'

The Health And Safety Executive (HSE) issued an immediate Prohibition Notice on the building to stop workers from sleeping there again, because of a lack of fire precautions.

A Notification of Contravention (NoC) was also issued as the site did not have any hot running water, no means of heating food or flushing toilets.

An investigation has now been launched into potential offences of labour exploitation under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the force said.

Watch: The scale of modern slavery in Britain and around the world

Detective Sergeant Sophie McGarel said: Labour exploitation is a concern in East Sussex, as elsewhere in the country, with reports of poor accommodation and no protective equipment being issued to workers.

"In such cases, pay is often low and workers are expected to work for long hours.

Story continues

She said Discovery in East Sussex  which brings together organisations including the police, Home Office Immigration, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority and local charities to help victims of modern slavery and bring perpetrators to justice  was responding to reports and using all available powers to try to shut companies down where necessary.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK News
Robert Price is a journalist for KGET-TV. His column appears here Sundays. Reach him at RobertPrice@KGET.com or via Twitter: @stubblebuzz. The opinions expressed are his own.
Josephus Davis, 20, has been charged

A 20-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Temple University graduate Milan Loncar, who was robbed and shot dead while walking his dog in Philadelphia.

Josephus Davis was arrested during a traffic stop in Kensington, Philadelphia, on Wednesday, wearing clothing that matched the description of one of the suspects, Fox 29 reports.

Loncar, 25, was walking his dachshund-chihuahua mix dog named Roo on Wednesday at about 7pm when he was shot dead just one block from his home.

Surveillance video showed the moment two men approached Milan, reached for his pockets and then fatally shot him in the chest in what police believe was a robbery attempt.

On Saturday evening, CBS3 Philadelphia reporter Joe Holden tweeted that two people had been taken into custody. The second person has not been identified.

As of Sunday, the family raised more than $53,000 on GoFundMe offering a reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest of the suspects.

Milan Loncar was walking his dachshund-chihuahua mix dog named Roo on Wednesday at about 7pm when he was shot dead just one block from his home in the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia. He is pictured with his girlfriend Olivia Gorski

Milan Loncar was a 25-year-old Temple University graduate

Police took two men into custody on Saturday in connection with the murder

Loncar's mother told WPVI-TV that she was 'shaking' when she heard the news that the two men were detained.

It comes after his girlfriend called him her 'soulmate' as she broke down in tears during his vigil Friday night.

On Friday night, family and friends gathered at the site where he was killed, illuminating a portrait of him with the light of their cellphones, while also playing music and singing for him.

'He was my soulmate, and I don't think I have a plan anymore without him,' Milan's girlfriend, Olivia Gorski, said at his vigil, fighting tears while being comforted by Milan's mother, Amy Lounsberry.

Gorski had been planning to move in with Milan next month.

Olivia Gorski called her slain boyfriend, Milan Loncar, 25, her 'soulmate.' He was fatally shot Wednesday night while walking his dog a block from his home

Gorski (far right) is pictured at Milan's vigil Friday night, alongside his sister, Jelena Loncar, 27 (left) and mother, Amy Lounsberry (center). Jelena is holding Milan's dog, Roo

The vigil was held at the spot where Milan was fatally shot. Friends and family gathered to light up his portrait with their cell phones and sing songs in his memory (pictured)

While speaking with 6ABC, Lounsberry, said of her son and Gorski, 'We might've had a wedding.'

'There would have been a wedding,' Gorski replied, definitively.

Milan's sister, Jelena Loncar, 27, said of the man who shot her brother, 'You've taken so much from us, you've hurt the neighborhood. It's not just one life.'

'You've ruined hundreds of lives that you don't even know,' Gorski added.

Milan had graduated from Temple in 2019 after majoring in engineering and had been working for a construction management company for about a year.

Amy Lounsberry shared this picture of herself with her son Milan and her daughter Jelena Loncar

Lounsberry told the Philadelphia Inquirer 'everything was coming together' for 'a beloved sweet boy just starting his life'.

Police released the surveillance video from Wednesday night's incident in attempt to help identify the suspects.

The video shows two suspects walking down the sidewalk then splitting up to corral Milan as they approach him, stopping him in his tracks.

One of the suspects can be seen pulling out what appears to be a gun and holding it at chest level to stop Milan. The suspect then seems to reach for Milan's pockets.

Police said that a shot was then fired and that the suspects ran from the scene.

Milan's mother shared that she would be holding a memorial on Friday, writing: 'I want to stand tonight where my son fell and Im hoping some of you will stand with me in remembrance'

Milan Loncar, 25, was walking his dachshund-Chihuahua mix dog on Wednesday at about 7pm when he was shot dead

Lounsberry has shared a series of heartbreaking posts and spoken about his life in interviews with local news outlets.

'He is so missed and we are trying to pull together and get everybody through,' she told 6 ABC. 'He was going to move in with his girlfriend in March, he had graduated and had his first job and was just starting out.

'I don't know why they did it, I can't understand. They didn't get any money, did they need it so badly, were they trying to show off?

'I was so proud of him and everybody that he worked with, everybody he knew, they all said how he was doing so well. Everybody loved him.'

Lounsberry wrote on Facebook on Friday: 'I want to stand tonight where my son fell and Im hoping some of you will stand with me in remembrance. I will be at 31st and Jefferson between 6:56, the time of the shots fired radio call, to 730 when he was declared dead.'

She then thanked people for attending, writing: 'Thank you all for coming tonight, it was so nice to have all of your support. I know were all shocked and hurting but we were together tonight.'

Surveillance video caught the moment when Milan Locar, 25, was stopped by two men who rifled through his pockets and then shot him in the chest

Police released surveillance images of the suspects as they ran from the shooting scene

The shooting suspects are seen here as they walk down the street together (left), before separating briefly to surround Milan (right) as he walks his dog

Police said that Milan used his cell phone to call for help after he was shot and was found in the street injured, while still holding the dog's leash, CBS Philadelphia reported.

Milan was declared dead at the hospital at about 7.30pm.

Police believe that Milan was killed in the midst of an attempted robbery.

Family members told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Milan's house keys and cell phone were found at the scene. He didn't have his wallet on him - he'd left it at home.

Milan's sister Jelena Loncar, 27, lives near her brother. She said she first learned about the shooting through an alert on the Citizen App as she was driving home from dinner with her mother.

At the time, she wasn't aware of who had been shot.

Lounsberry has shared a series of heartbreaking posts and spoken about his life in interviews with local news outlets

Milan's sister, Jelena Loncar (pictured), said that he was the 'kindest person in the entire world'

Jelena (left with Milan) said that she heard about a shooting through a neighborhood app and called her brother, but he didn't answer, leaving her to fear the worst

She said that she called Milan, who didn't answer his phone, leading her to fear the worst, she told CBS Philadelphia.

Jelena's roommate, Arshiya Luthra, 26, then went to the scene, described Milan and then realized he had been the person who had been shot when police brought her Milan's dog, Luthra told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Jelena described her brother as being 'the kindest person in the entire world' and that he was 'selfless, constantly smiling.'

His uncle, Nikola Loncar, 66, told the newspaper that Milan 'was very polite. I dont think he would ever fight anybody.'

Milan (pictured) was walking his dog at about 7pm that night, about a block from his home. His family said that he did not have his wallet with him at the time he was stopped

The shooting took place near this Philadelphia intersection, about a block from Milan's home

Police released surveillance footage showing multiple angles of the suspects approaching and stopping Milan. Surveillance footage also showed the suspects as they ran away.

Police are asking for the public's help in providing details about the incident, which they are calling an apparent robbery.

Anyone with details about the shooting is asked to contact the homicide unit at 215-686-3334 or the police tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or email tips@phillypolice.com.
With the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden just three days away, an air of anxiety hovered over Washington and state capitals across the country, as they braced for the possibility of more violence after right-wing extremists stormed the Capitol this month in a bid to stop President Trumps loss from being certified.

Posters on right-wing websites and social media have called for marches on Washington and the 50 State Capitols on Sunday. In recent days, however, some posters have discouraged people from turning out as officials have beefed up security, making it unclear what to expect in the run-up to the inauguration on Wednesday.

Thousands of National Guard troops have flooded into Washington and the Secret Service has announced a green zone in the citys downtown, where streets were blocked by concrete barricades and military vehicles and police sirens blared on Saturday. Pentagon officials said that 15,000 National Guard members from all 50 states and three territories had arrived in Washington as of Sunday, with as many as 25,000 expected by Wednesday.

Federal officials said they planned to vet hundreds of possible airplane passengers, putting any identified among the violent protesters at the Capitol on Jan. 6 on a no-fly list. The Transportation Security Administration said it was increasing the number of federal marshals on flights and of explosive-detection dogs at airports.
Firefighters in the national capital rescued more than 3,600 birds between January-December last year, officials said on Sunday.

The maximum number of such cases were reported around Independence Day in August when people traditionally fly kites and the strings remain suspended on trees and poles creating a death trap for birds.

According to data shared by the Service (DFS), the firefighters in the national capital responded to 25,416 distress calls last year, of which 3,691 were for rescue of birds and 2,902 for animals.

The maximum distress calls were received in November (2,652), October (2,521) and August (2,466), the data showed.

These calls were related to fire, building collapse, bird and animal rescue among various other assistance sought by different agencies.

According to data, August saw a rise in bird and animal rescue calls due to kites flown around Independence Day.

"We received the highest number of calls seeking assistance for rescuing birds and animals in August last year. We rescued 882 birds and 345 animals in the month of August alone," Garg said.

"This is usually the trend seen during Independence day when most of the people indulge in flying kites and in many cases, we have observed that these birds get stuck or entangled on electric wire or a tree due to stray strings," he added.

According to the department, most of the rescue calls they received were for birds like crows, pigeons, parrots which either get stuck on electric wires or trees due to kite string. Or, they get calls related to cows, cattle, dogs or cats which get stuck inside narrow lanes, closed spaces, sometimes even inside houses, in a pit, canal or a drain.

The months of September and July too saw a high number of rescue operations. The firefighters rescued 458 birds and 248 animals in September and 335 birds and 258 animals in July, the data showed.

(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.)

Thousands of Hondurans on a migrant caravan are headed to the United States border, calling on the incoming Biden administration to honor its "commitments" to migrants.

A report from Reuters noted that the migrant caravan was also seen in small skirmishes with Honduran security forces as they tried to cross the border into Guatemala on Friday night.

Even after hundreds of migrants have been detained by Guatemalan military, groups of Hondurans continued to trickle past the said border.

People in the migrant caravan are hoping to leave behind poverty, gang violence, unemployment and natural disasters, reported DW.

The country was hit by two violent hurricanes in November and some say the caravan is seeking to escape the aftermath of the said tragedy.

Related story: Honduran Woman Gives Birth on Mexico-U.S. Border Bridge

"The combination of COVID-19, social exclusion, violence and climate-related disasters that occur at the same time with a magnitude seldom seen before in Central America raises new humanitarian challenges," a statement from the International Committee for the Red Cross said on Friday.

The migrant movements come amid fears of a surge at the U.S. border once President-elect Joe Biden is officially in office.

About 6,500 People in Migrant Caravan, More Than Half in Guatemala

Hondurans who were part of the larger migrant caravan tried to get past Guatemala without registering on Friday, said a report from The Associated Press.

A spokesperson for Guatemala's immigration authority estimated that there must be about 6,500 migrants moving north, and around half of them are already in Guatemalan territory.

Meanwhile, a Honduran police officer told local reporters that "more or less 5,000 people" have already passed a highway checkpoint as they formed a caravan.

The report added that the migrant caravan was hoping for a warmer welcome once they attempt to cross the U.S. border.

#Honduras| Dele ver partir a cientos de hondurenos en la primera caravana migrante de 2021, en busca del tan ansiado "Sueno Americano".



Dios guarde sus vidas.#NoticiasElEspectadorHn pic.twitter.com/do8NzDEPpI  Diario El Espectador Hn (@ElEspectadorHn) January 14, 2021

It is believed that these migrants, including families with young children, moved out around 4 a.m. local time to reach the Guatemalan border.

In a statement, migrant rights group Pueblo Sin Fronteras spoke on behalf of the migrant caravan in a statement. They recognized the incoming government's commitment to migrants and asylum seekers.

For them, these changes will help Mexico and Central America develop policies and migration management that also promote "the population in mobility."

"We will advocate that the Biden government honors its commitments," the statement read.

The security ministry for Honduras refused to offer comment on the caravans.

Biden's Promises on Border Security Reverse Current Policies

Throughout his campaign, President-elect Biden promised that he would reverse the policies on border security and immigration under the Trump administration, noted Fox News.

Read also: Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Sweeping Asylum Restrictions

He vowed to end the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) that says migrants have to stay in Mexico as they await hearings. Critics said the MPP was a cruel and risky rule for migrants who seek for new beginnings in the U.S.

Biden also said those who are in the U.S. illegally will be given a pathway to citizenship with a moratorium on deportations by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Biden also made promises related to asylum cooperative agreements in Northern Triangle countries.
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The death toll from an earthquake that struck Indonesia's West Sulawesi province on Friday has risen to 73 as experts warn another quake could trigger a tsunami.

More than 820 people were injured and over 27,800 fled their homes after the 6.2-magnitude quake hit, a spokesman from the disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said.

Some sought refuge in the mountains, while others rushed to cramped evacuation centres, witnesses said.

BNPB spokesman Raditya Jati said police and military officers have been deployed to crack down on looting in several parts of the region.

An emergency response status, intended to help rescue efforts, has also been put in place for two weeks, he said.

The death toll from an earthquake that struck Indonesia's West Sulawesi province on Friday has risen to 73 as experts warn another quake could trigger a tsunami. Pictured: An aerial picture shows flattened homes in Mamuju, West Sulawesi

Rescue workers with K9 unit sniffer dogs continue to search the rubble for survivors of the earthquake. Pictured: A search of a collapsed hospital building in Mamuju, Western Sulawesi

An emergency response status, intended to help rescue efforts, has been put in place for two weeks. Pictured: A soldier carries out health checks on a woman and child at an evacuation centre

The epicentre of the quake which struck at around 1.30am on Friday was 22 miles south of the city of Mamuju and it had a relatively shallow depth of 11 miles, the United States Geological Survey said.

The earthquake came after a 5.9-magnitude tremor and at least 26 aftershocks the previous day, in a string of disasters which caused three landslides and damaged bridges to regional hubs such as the city of Makassar.

The tremors also damaged more than 60 homes, two hotels and the provincial governor's office. Electricity in the area is also out.

Jati's comments came as Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of Indonesia's meteorological, climatology and geophysical agency (BMKG), warned that another quake in the region could potentially trigger a tsunami.

More than 820 people were injured and over 27,800 fled their homes after the 6.2-magnitude quake hit, a spokesman from the disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said. Pictured: A make shift tent housing evacuees

Some of those who fled their home sought refuge in the mountains, while others rushed to cramped evacuation centres, witnesses said. Pictured: People wash dishes outside a make shift tent in Mamuju, West Sulawesi

Volunteers distribute food for people following the quake in Mamuju, West Sulawesi. At least 73 people have been killed and tens of thousands fled their homes

Straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is regularly hit by earthquakes.

In 2018, a devastating 6.2-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami struck the city of Palu in Sulawesi, killing thousands.

Just two weeks into the new year, the world's fourth-most populous country is battling several disasters.

Straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is regularly hit by earthquakes. Pictured: A man rides a motorbike past a collapsed home in Mamuju, West Sulawesi

Some of those injured in the earthquake are treated outside a regional hospital on Sunday due to concerns of aftershocks in Mamuju

A patient receives treatment at a makeshift ward outside a hospital in Mamuju on Sunday due to concerns that aftershocks may collapse more buildings

Floods in North Sulawesi and South Kalimantan province have each killed at least five people this month, while 29 people died in landslides in West Java province, according to authorities.

On January 9, a Sriwijaya Air jet crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 62 people on board and East Java's Semeru mountain erupted late on Saturday, though there have been no reports of casualties or evacuations.

Dwikorita said extreme weather and other 'multi-dangers' of hydrometeorology are forecast in the coming weeks.

The disasters take place against the backdrop of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Indonesia has recorded 897,000 infections and 25,767 deaths from Covid-19.

Just two weeks into the new year, the world's fourth-most populous country is battling several disasters including flooding, landslides and an unexplained plane crash. Pictured: Police search for people trapped in the rubble at Mitra Manakarra hospital in Mamuju on Sunday

Search and rescue teams are using dogs and torches to search for people potentially still trapped under the rubble of a collapsed hospital in Mamuju (pictured), as well as many other buildings
Trenton remained quiet Sunday, the day officials worried the capital city would be overrun with pro-Trump protesters after the siege on the U.S. Capitol.

Were all breathing a collective sigh of relief. Weve noticed theres more skateboarders than protesters, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora told a gaggle of reporters.

Only a handful of protesters materialized in front of the Statehouse on State Street as of early Sunday afternoon, where police and media gathered on streets that were shut down as officials anticipated a large gathering. They each left quickly when they saw there was no substantial protest.

After the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, the FBI warned that attacks were being planned across all 50 state capitals. Police said all week that there were no specific threats, but they would remain on high alert.

At 9:45 a.m., a lone protester held a Stop the Steal sign in front of the annex, and was gone 15 minutes later. Around 11:45 a.m., three men walked to the front of the Statehouse and left when they realized no major protest was occurring.

Its kind of a bust, one of the men, wearing a pro-law enforcement shirt, replied to a reporter when asked if they were in Trenton for an event today. They declined to otherwise speak with reporters.

At about 1 p.m., a man who would not give his name, but said he traveled from Toms River, walked down North Willow Street toward the Statehouse with a sign that read, Supreme Courts, Betray America.

Im standing up for what I believe, he said, noting he believes the 2020 election was stolen, despite federal and state officials finding no evidence to prove there was any mass fraud in any state.

He said he was disappointed in the lack of turnout. If you dont stand up for what you believe, theyll walk all over you.

As he talked to reporters, his sign blew away in a gust of wind and broke apart. He abandoned it after it lodged in a small, nearby tree.

The New Jersey State Police had nothing to report, an agency spokesman said at 1 p.m.

Across the country, state capitals are on edge and being heavily patrolled, but the protests have remained small or been completely dormant.

Other than the heavy police presence, Trentons downtown remained quiet. More than 100 National Guard troops are on standby, with dozens of State Troopers and local police monitoring the Statehouse and surrounding streets.

Most stores were closed Sunday, and a few businesses had boarded up their windows.

Gusciora said the city will remain on alert through Wednesday, the day of the inauguration. He urged anyone considering coming to the capital to stay home and watch the inauguration on TV.

If they have protests, they should write their congresspeople, he said. The shame in all of this is theres nothing to protest. Joe Biden won. It was the most scrutinized election in history, and shame on those who want to overturn the election because their person didnt win.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com.


Australian authorities on Sunday were seeking more information about one of the COVID-19 vaccines set to be used in Australia, following a warning from officials in Norway. The Norwegian Medicines Agency last week reported a total of 29 people had experienced side effects, including 13 who died after having received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The deaths occurred among patients in nursing homes who were all over the age of 80. Australia has ordered 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. More than 30,000 people have received the first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccines in Norway since the end of December.

In Australia, the Pfizer product is expected to be approved before the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine. Australian Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the rollout plan has not changed, with priority groups expected to be inoculated from February. In New South Wales, six new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8.00pm Saturday night have been confirmed.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said five of the six cases were household contacts of Saturday's positive case. Genomic testing is underway to determine whether the cases are linked to the Berala cluster. 12,700 tests were conducted in the latest reporting period.

(Image Credits: AP)

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
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Radio presenter Jackie 'O' Henderson raised eyebrows on Monday when she revealed her bizarre ritual while watching pornography.

She told co-host Kyle Sandilands and newsreader Brooklyn Ross she doesn't begin the act of 'self-love' until after she's switched off the video.

Jackie, 45, made the admission after revealing she'd visited a porn website on her iPhone and was later flooded with a series of dodgy pop-ups.

Unusual: Radio presenter Jackie 'O' Henderson raised eyebrows on Monday when she revealed her bizarre ritual while watching pornography

Kyle, 49, asked her: 'Sometimes you do the self-love and watch the... thing?'

'I watch [porn] beforehand, not while,' Jackie replied, leaving Kyle and Brooklyn scratching their heads.

'That's very different to guys...' Brooklyn said.

Delayed gratification: She told co-host Kyle Sandilands (right) and newsreader Brooklyn Ross she doesn't begin the act of 'self-love' until after she's switched off the video

'Oh, really?' asked Jackie. 'Do you watch it the whole time?'

A stunned Brooklyn said: 'You don't watch it and then go, "Okay, put that away, now I'll get to business!"'

'Ah, no, no, I go, "Okay, got the visual, now I'm ready to go,"' Jackie clarified.

Hands-on: Kyle told Jackie most people watch porn and engage in 'self-love' at the same time

She went on to say that she prefers to watch videos in which 'three or four' people are involved.

Kyle and Jackie returned to the airwaves on Monday after a lengthy break during the non-ratings period.

The KIIS duo had finished 2020 as Sydney's number-one FM breakfast radio show.
What do COVID-19, nuclear war with an adversary, climate change-linked calamities and a new Great Depression all have in common? None of them instill as much fear in Americans as other people in America, a new poll from CBS News suggests.

A majority of Americans believe other Americans and domestic enemies pose the greatest threat to democracy and their way of life, according to a CBS/YouGov poll conducted a week after the U.S. Capitol was attacked by a mob loyal to the outgoing U.S. president.

The poll suggests Americans are almost evenly divided between hopeful and scared, with scared holding a 3-point edge at 52% to 49%. YouGov surveyed 2,166 people nationwide between Jan. 13 and Jan. 16; the polls margin of error is plus or minus 2.5%.

Nearly 60% of respondents said they were optimistic about President-elect Joe Biden taking over in the White House. But after pro-Trump supporters ransacked the Capitol and the FBI warned of violent threats from far-right extremists and armed militias in Washington, D.C. and state houses across the country, more than half of Americans believe violence will increase over the next few years.

The U.S. Capitol is now surrounded by non-scalable razor-wired barriers and thousands of National Guardsmen and other law enforcement. The entire National Mall is shut down as officials brace for potential violence in the days leading up to Bidens inauguration.

Officials and police ramped up security at the Massachusetts State House in Boston on Sunday. Massachusetts State Police, Gov. Charlie Baker and the FBI previously noted there were no active threats against the building.

Only 13% of Americans told pollsters they feel excited about the direction of the U.S. in the next year; 26% said they felt angry.

More than two-thirds of Americans  71%  said democracy and the rule of law are threatened, the poll showed. Americans believe the biggest threat  by far  is other Americans. Fifty-four percent reported that other people in American and domestic enemies are the biggest threat to the American way of life.

Twenty percent said economic forces were the biggest threat in America, followed at 17% by threats posed by the natural world such as weather, viruses or natural disasters. Only 8% said they were most concerned about foreign countries and military threats overseas.

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Two politicians from the BJP have requested a ban on the recently released web series Tandav, alleging that the show has disrespected Hindu gods.

On Sunday, BJP MLA Ram Kadam lodged a complaint against the makers of Tandav at the Ghatkopar police station in Mumbai, and urged authorities to take strict action against the actors, producers and director of the show.

Maharashtra: BJP MLA Ram Kadam lodges a complaint against the makers of web series Tandav at Ghatkopar police station in Mumbai for allegedly insulting Hindu Gods. "Strict against should be taken against the actor, director and producer of the web series," he says. pic.twitter.com/ef5TDYpG5E ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2021

BJP MP Manoj Kotak, meanwhile, wrote a letter to the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar, asking for a ban on Tandav and a regulatory authority for OTT platforms at large.

It seems that the makers of Tandav are deliberately mocking Hindu Gods and disrespecting Hindu religious sentiments, Kotak wrote.

Kotak claimed the lack of censorship on online platforms is leading to repeated attacks on Hindu sentiments.

OTT Platforms having absolute freedom from censorship has led to repeated attacks on Hindu sentiments which I strongly condemn.spoke to hon.@PrakashJavdekar ji & requested that OTT content be regulated in the interest of integrity of India & we are fast moving in that direction. Manoj Kotak (@manoj_kotak) January 16, 2021

Now, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has reacted to BJP leaders' call for ban on Tandav in a tweet as she wrote, "Hello BJP- Im Hindu. My sentiments neither so fragile nor do my gods have feet of clay that every second piece of creative expression can outrage or mock them. Dont censor what we eat, what we watch & who we love (sic)."

Hello BJP- Im Hindu. My sentiments neither so fragile nor domy gods have feet of clay that every second piece of creative expression can outrage or mock them. Dont censor what we eat, what we watch & who we love.https://t.co/mpbh9NbAfS via @IndianExpress Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) January 17, 2021

She added, "First stop your Tandav on Indias soul BJP, not the one on screen (sic)!"

First stop your Tandav on Indias soul BJP, not the one on screen! Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) January 17, 2021

Meanwhile, 'Boycott Tandav' hashtag has been trending on social media for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments.
Police detain Navalny on arrival in Moscow

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia Navalnaya meet with journalists upon their arrival at Sheremetyevo airport. Photo: Reuters

Police detained prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on arrival in Moscow on Sunday after he flew home to Russia from Germany for the first time since he was poisoned last summer, triggering a political clash with the West.



The move, which could see Navalny jailed for 3.5 years for allegedly flouting the terms of a suspended prison sentence, may reignite political pressure on the West to tighten sanctions on Russia, especially against an US$11.6 billion project to build a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.



In a case that drew wide international attention, Navalny was poisoned last summer by what German military tests showed was a Novichok nerve agent, a version of events the Kremlin rejects.



Navalny recovered in Germany and after he said last week he planned to return home, the Moscow prison service (FSIN) said it would do everything to arrest him once he returned, accusing him of flouting the terms of a suspended prison sentence for embezzlement, a 2014 case he says was trumped up.



But the 44-year-old opposition politician laughed and joked with journalists on his plane, saying he was not afraid and did not believe he would be arrested.



Four masked police officers asked Navalny to accompany him at passport control at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, before he had formally entered Russia. They did not explain why. Navalny, after kissing his wife Yulia on the cheek, walked away with them.



Navalny's supporters have said incarcerating one of President Vladimir Putin's most prominent domestic critics could turn him into a Nelson Mandela-like figure and an increasingly popular symbol of resistance to the Kremlin.



The Kremlin, which only refers to him as the "Berlin patient," laughs that off. Putin allies point to opinion polls that show the Russian leader is far more popular than Navalny, whom they call a blogger rather than a politician.



Minutes before he was detained, Navalny had said: "I am not afraid. I know that I am right. I know all the criminal cases against me are fabricated."



Navalny says Putin was behind his poisoning. The Kremlin denies involvement. It says it has seen no evidence that he was poisoned.



Navalny's plane from Berlin was diverted to Sheremetyevo airport from another Moscow airport at the last minute for a technical reason in an apparent effort by authorities to thwart journalists and supporters greeting him.



Moscow's FSIN said in a statement Navalny had been detained due to the alleged violations of his suspended prison sentence and would be held in custody until a court hearing later this month that will rule whether to convert his suspended sentence into a real 3.5 jail term.



Navalny faces potential trouble in three other criminal cases too, all of which he says are politically motivated.



His arrest drew immediate condemnation abroad.



U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's incoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Twitter: "Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable."



U.S. opposition to the gas pipeline project, Nord Stream 2, is bi-partisan and Biden has described the pipeline as a bad deal for Europe.



Charles Michel, president of the European Council, demanded Navalny's immediate release. European Union member Lithuania said on Sunday it would ask the European Union to swiftly impose new sanctions on Russia, and Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said he wanted the EU to discuss possible sanctions.



Russian authorities will be watching closely in coming days to see if Navalny's detention triggers big public protests.



Tatiana Stanovaya, head of political analysis firm R.Politik, said his arrest showed Kremlin hardliners were in the ascendancy.



"He's (Navalny's) gone from being a petty hooligan to then being an enemy that they need to humiliate, crush and punish," she wrote on messaging app Telegram.



Navalny, joined by his wife, spokeswoman and lawyer, flew from Berlin on a flight operated by Russian airline Pobeda, owned by state-controlled Aeroflot.



His supporters gathered at Moscow's Vnukovo airport despite bitterly cold weather and over 4,500 new coronavirus cases a day in the Russian capital.



The authorities' decision to switch airports to Sheremetyevo airport thwarted them.



OVD-Info, a monitoring group, said police had detained 53 people in Moscow and five in St Petersburg.



The Moscow prosecutor's office, which had officially warned 15 pro-Navalny organisers, had said meeting him en masse was illegal because it was not sanctioned by the authorities. (Reuters)
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A fire outbreak that occurred at Ijesha Market in Lagos on Saturday has led to the destruction of several properties, Ibrahim Farinloye, the acting coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Southwest, has said.

The fire, which started around 5 p.m. on Saturday, raged till late in the night because of the difficulties experienced by fire fighters, Mr Farinloye said.

He disclosed that a total number of 62 traders and 28 households were affected in the incident.

A market fire outbreak at Ijesa Market yesterday night has completely destroyed about 14 shops, partiay affected 48 shops and destroyed adjoining residential house with 24 rooms.

The market fire outbreak which started at about 5 pm yesterday couldnt be put out until at about 4 hours later, Mr Farinloye said.

The official said the fire was suspected to have started from a room converted to shop while a cooking gas cylinder gutted fire.

Although no life was lost and injury sustained in the incident, the official said immense properties were destroyed.

The challenges faced by responders were lack of water supply nearby, five fire tankers from Federal, State and LRU had to go some Kilometres away from the scene to source water.

The activities of hoodlums temporarily disrupted response activities and efforts at preventing them vandalisation of the salvaged areas also prolonged the duration of the operation, he said.

Mr Farinloye added that the involvement of NEMA Grassroots Volunteers from Mushin helped in curtailing hoodlums and also contained the speed of the fire.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported several fire incidents in different markets in Lagos State which often results in loss of properties and goods.

Mr Farinloye reinforced the commitment of the agency in curtailing emergencies and ensuring safety of lives and properties within the Southwest.
Vice President-elect will resign her Senate seat on Monday, two days before she and President-elect Joe Biden are inaugurated.

Aides to the California Democrat confirmed the timing and said Gov. Gavin Newsom was aware of her decision, clearing the way for him to appoint fellow Democrat Alex Padilla, now California's secretary of state, to serve the final two years of Harris' term.

Padilla will be the first Latino senator from California, where about 40% of residents are Hispanic. Newsom announced his choice in December, following intense lobbying for the rare Senate vacancy from the nation's most populous state.

Harris will give no farewell Senate floor speech. The Senate is not scheduled to reconvene until Tuesday, the eve of Inauguration Day.

Padilla's arrival, along with Harris becoming the Senate's presiding officer when she's sworn-in as vice president, is part of Democrats' upcoming Senate majority. But the party still needs Sens.-elect Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia to be certified as victors in their Jan. 5 elections and then be sworn in.

Harris will be the first Black woman and first woman of South Asian descent to serve as vice president, but her Senate departure leaves the chamber's roster without a Black woman. Harris was just the second Black woman senator, winning her California election 17 years after Democrat Carol Moseley Braun finished a single term representing Illinois.

Among many potential successors to Harris, Newsom passed over at least two prominent Black women, U.S. Reps. Karen Bass and Barbara Lee. Bass also was among Biden's finalists for running mate.

Democrats were in the minority during Harris' four years on Capitol Hill. Perhaps her biggest mark came as a fierce questioner of judicial nominees and other witnesses as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Harris was viewed as a future presidential candidate almost immediately upon joining the Senate in 2017. She announced her White House bid in January 2019 but dropped out the subsequent December after a lackluster campaign and before the ballots were cast in Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses. Biden, himself a former senator, invited her to join the national ticket in August.

The wins by Ossoff and Warnock in Georgia ensured a 50-50 Senate, positioning Harris as the tie-breaking vote for Democratic control. But Ossoff and Warnock cannot join the chamber until Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certifies the final vote tally. Raffensperger, a Republican, has said he could act as soon as Tuesday, conceivably allowing Padilla, Ossoff and Warnock to join the Senate together as early as that afternoon's session.

But Republicans will maintain a narrow majority until all three take office and Harris sits in the presiding officer's chair.

Harris' early departure from the Senate has multiple precedents.

Biden was the last sitting senator to be elected vice president. He resigned his Delaware post on January 15, 2009, five days before he and Barack Obama were inaugurated. Obama, a senator at the time of his election, had resigned his Illinois seat two months before Biden.
Police responded to a report of a suspicious person at the Waffle House, 7705 Lee Hwy. Officers spoke to an employee who said a black male was inside the restaurant and had come back three or four times at least and would not order anything, but would just sit at booths and sleep and would not leave. Officers spoke to the man who was identified, and he said he just got out of Silverdale detention center and was stranded. The man left the scene without incident.



* * *



Police were called to Mountain View Chevrolet. Officers spoke with a man who said that he had just come to a complete stop in his vehicle as he arrived at work. He said he had dropped his wallet on the floor and before reaching for the wallet, he had tossed his gun over on to the floor board and the gun discharged one round. The round went through the passenger door of his 2009 silver Volkswagen Jetta and struck a second vehicle, a 2020 gray Chevrolet Silverado. The service manager also called police wanting to get the complaint number for this incident. Police provided both with the complaint number. There were no injuries.



* * *



Police were called to the Days Inn by Wyndham Chattanooga/Hamilton Place, 2350 Shallowford Village Dr. Upon arrival, officers met with an employee who said that an unknown white man was asleep in the storage room and when they found him, he ran away. The employee described the man to be approximately six feet tall and wearing a white T-shirt. The employee would like the man to be trespassed in the future if he is located.

* * *



Police responded to a residence on E. 28th St. and spoke to a homeowner who said in the early morning hours a black male was shown on his security camera sitting on his front porch. The homeowner said the man walked over to the driver's door of his vehicle and opened the door. The homeowner said the man then took his tools that were inside his vehicle and his speakers out of the back. He said the overall price of the items taken was around $800. The homeowner did not know the exact name of the speaker or what tools were inside the truck. He described the man as older and wearing a brown jacket and a brown hat.



* * *

Police were called to a residence on W. Polymer Drive. A man said a gray Ford Escape backed onto his property and dumped household garbage. The man said this is about the forth time this person has dumped garbage on his property. He said that the building is currently vacant. He said there is a large amount of garbage piled up there from this person's dumping. The man said he placed a game camera up and caught images of the dumper which he wants attached to the report. He described the person as a black male, medium build, probably 5'10". He says that he will be emailing the pictures to police.



* * *



Police responded to a damaged property accidental call at 736 Market St. Upon arrival police spoke with the caller who said a resident damaged the gate to the parking garage. Police went to speak with the suspect who was seen on camera hitting the gate. The man said he backed up to allow the gate to open, then drove forward after the gate came up. The man said then the gate came back down again making contact with his vehicle as he drove past it. The man agreed to work it out with the property manager.



* * *



Police were called to a disorder at Waffle House, 7047 Amin Dr., in regards to a customer refusing to leave. Police were alerted by Waffle House employees that the customer in question had left, but was nearby. Police found the customer and identified him. The man apologized for his actions. Waffle House wished to trespass the man. He was informed of this and left the area.



* * *



Police were called to Williams Street regarding a suspicious man walking around a business. Police located the man sitting on a sidewalk. He was identified and said he was just walking around watching the local power company do work on a transformer. He also said he was trying to get back to Georgia. Police checked him for warrants and he was sent on his way.



* * *



Police were called to Hertz, 5714 Lee Highway. Officers met with a Hertz manager who said a 2020 Chevy Trailblazer was stolen from the lot. The manager said that an individual, later identified by police, jumped into the vehicle while an employee was detailing it. When officers spoke with the employee, he said that he was cleaning the inside of the Chevy when the car thief sat inside of the vehicle and said, "I really like this car," and then took off with the vehicle. The employee said that he observed the vehicle go east on Lee Highway from Hertz. When police asked the manager if the vehicle had a GPS locater on it, he said it did and got in contact with their security department. The security person was able to locate the vehicle traveling in Dunlap. Police contacted dispatch to inform Sequatchie County. Police were able to direct Sequatchie officers to the vehicle and they apprehended the suspect. The vehicle was entered into NCIC, was towed from the scene and was taken out of NCIC. Hertz has been notified of the recovery and the wrecker service that towed the vehicle.



* * *



Police received a call from a resident on Longview Road. A woman told police that the day before she had received a call from a person claiming to be with Amazon. She said the caller, Robert Brown, told her that there was a problem with an order and credit card. She said the caller hacked into her home computer and pulled up her information. She said he showed her a website with her banking information. She said he then told her to go to CVS and buy four $500 gift cards. She said she told him that she did not have time as she was getting ready to go to a doctor appointment. She said the caller was insistent and told her that it had to be done now. She declined. She said that she then called her bank and told them what was going on and the bank froze her account right then. She said as a result, she has not suffered a financial loss. She gave the police the caller's name, phone number, employee ID and his direct phone number, as she said he told her to call him direct.

* * *

Police received a call from the vicinity of Smartbank, 2280 Gunbarrel Road. The caller said an elderly woman was all over the roadway while driving down Highway 153 from Hixson to Gunbarrel Road. Officers responded and spoke to the elderly woman who said she was fine and did not need police to watch her. Officers observed the elderly woman drive in heavy traffic in the Gunbarrel Road area and she was driving cautiously like an elderly woman would be expected to drive, and did not appear to be a danger to herself or anyone else.












Dartmouth Professor of English Jeffrey Hart opened my mind to the great tradition and more during the four years I was his student. A long-time senior editor at National Review, Professor Hart contributed The secession of the intellectuals to NRs 15th anniversary issue in 1970. Thinking of Power Lines own 15th anniversary a few years back, I returned to that essay. NR editor Rich Lowry kindly arranged for the publication of the essay online to help us celebrate the occasion.

The essay hit me with the force of revelation at the time. Some of the contemporary references date the piece. The situation described in 1970 has deteriorated considerably over the past 50 years, yet the essay pierces to the heart of the matter and the heart of the matter abides. Making the necessary changes, the essay reads like it could have been written yesterday. Here is the opening:

At a patriotic rally in Seville during the Spanish Civil War the founder of the Foreign Legion, General Millan Astray, a colorful and frequently wounded figure, made a speech that has long been remembered. His climactic utterance has been variously reported, but he seems to have shouted Abajo la intellegentsia!Down with the intelligentsia! Doubtless the general was caught up in the tumultuous enthusiasm of the rally; nevertheless, he gives you, as they say, something to think about, for his words point to the special, the peculiar moral problem of the intelligentsia, or, as we would be more likely to say, the intellectuals  i.e., their habitually antagonistic, and sometimes even treasonous, relationship to their social setting, to their surrounding society. This settled antagonism, this spirit of inner defection, exists in its most concentrated form in the academy (the only American institution, let us note, that is entirely run by liberals, and, not coincidentally, the institution furthest along toward disintegration). But the attitude spreads out beyond the academic foci and affects those who participate in one way or another in what we can very broadly call intellectual culture: the media, the arts, publishing. Madison Avenue and so forth. The key assumption  it may be powerful and aggressive, or muted though still very much there  is that all insight, imagination, refinement, all spirituality even, spring from, or at least are inextricable from, an initial nay-saying to the surrounding society: to the Babbitts, the boobs, the alumni, the Legionnaires and TV watchers, the whole array of insensate philistinery. When the negation is felt with special force, distance can lend enchantment to the alien and to the actual enemy: to Che, the Vietcong, Ho. The negation can become treasonous. Abroad, our enemies are always somehow admirable, our allies (a shrinking group) always corrupt, despicable, laughable  for after all they are connected with America. At home, the Panther and the SDSer become sympathetic figures.

For the Black Panthers reference substitute Black Lives Matter. For Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) substitute Antifa.

Professor Hart remarks in his penultimate paragraph:

The dominance of this kind of sensibility in the educated classes of our society is surely cause for alarm, since it cannot but follow that those who lose their grip on the reality of the world will shortly lose the world itself: the world cannot be governed by sentimental illusions. Poor fools, one cannot but sigh, poor fools, the barbarians will make short work of you.

Professor Hart concludes:

The antidote, surely, lies in the various modes of recovering a sense of the reality of the world. The foundation, perhaps, should be the recovery of a sense of history. Without the materials of historical comparison, observes Daniel Boorstin, we are left with nothing but abstractions, nothing but baseless utopias to compare ourselves with. No wonder, then, that so many of our distraught citizens libel us as the worst nation in the world, or the bane of human history (as some of our noisiest young people and a few disoriented Negroes tell us). For we have wandered out of history. And all in the name of virtue and social conscience. We have lost interest in the real examples from the human past which alone can help us shape standards of the humanly possible. And besides the historical sense, both imaginative literature and rational analysis can be restorative. It is through the imagination, after all, that we form our images of the world, and when the imagination operates powerfully those images correspond in an intimate way with the reality. And it also seems to me vital to reassert the claims of rational analysis, that spirit of skepticism which clears away the illusions that veil the reality and corrupt the judgment.

Our friend Kathy Kersten updates the situation described here in her brilliant First Things essay Adversary culture in 2020. The essay is published in the February 2021 print edition of First Things. We will return to it when it emerges from the First Things paywall.
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Almighty God,

whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world:

Grant that your people,

illumined by your Word and Sacraments,

may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory,

that he may be known, worshipped,

and obeyed to the ends of the earth;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,

one God,

now and for ever.

Amen.
Earlier, a Norwegian certifier and a Danish engineering company dropped out for the same reason.

A Swiss-based insurance company, Zurich Insurance Group AG, has ceased services tied to the Nord Stream 2 gas transit project.

The move is due to the looming threat of U.S. sanctions, Bloomberg reports citing a source close to the issue.

"Zurich's insurance plans cover the construction of the controversial Russia-Germany gas pipeline, the report reads. "The company could potentially be a target of a fresh round of sanctions that'll penalize companies that provide technical certification and insurance to the project, said the people who asked not to be identified as the matter is private."

Read alsoU.S. tells European companies they face sanctions risk on Nord Stream 2 pipeline  mediaThe company is one of the few insurance firms engaged in the project. It has declined to comment "to protect confidentiality," as per Bloomberg.

Nord Stream 2: Background

The Nord Stream 2 project envisages the construction and operation of two gas pipeline branches with a total throughput capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. It should connect Russia's Ust-Lug and Germany's Greifswald. This new pipeline bypassing Ukraine is to be built next to the existing Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

The construction of the pipeline was expected to be completed before the end of 2019.

The pipeline will be 1,220 km long. The project is being implemented by Russia's Gazprom in alliance with European companies  ENGIE, OMV, Royal Dutch Shell, Uniper, and Wintershall. Ukraine stands against the construction of Nord Stream 2 as it will most likely lose its status of a gas transit country, while its potential revenue losses are estimated at US$3 billion annually. The project is also highly criticized by the U.S., Poland, and the Baltic States.

According to media reports, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden intends to do his best to prevent the construction of Nord Stream 2.

On November 4, 2020, the media reported that Congress wants to expand sanctions against Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream.

On December 4, 2020, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he doubted that the U.S. position on Nord Stream 2 would change after Joe Biden's inauguration.

On December 6, 2020, United States Charge d'Affaires to Germany Robin Quinville called on the EU and Germany to declare a moratorium on the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

On December 9, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the 2021 NDAA with expanded restrictions against the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

Norway's risk management and quality assurance firm DNV GL has suspended work on Nord Stream 2 on fears of being sanctioned by the United States.

The prospect of severe U.S. sanctions also led the Danish consulting firm, Rambll, to withdraw from the controversial gas project.

Reporting by UNIAN
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Two suspects, Moses Ogheneovo and John Bartholomew, who are currently being interrogated at the Edo State Police Command in Benin City have confessed that they merely collected N200,000 from a victim that they had threatened to kidnap on false pretence.

The suspects were arrested in their hideouts in Benin City following a police tip-off.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt on Sunday that one of the suspects called their supposed victim on the pretence that they have been commissioned to kidnap and murder him.

After some conversations, it was learnt that out of fear, the victim opened a ransom negotiation with the two suspects.

The victim, whose name was not released by the police, agreed to pay N500,000 or have him kidnapped.

A police source said the suspects were arrested along Adesuwa Grammar School Road in the Government Reservation Area of the Edo State capital.

One of the suspects had put a phone call across to their supposed victim saying that they have been commissioned to kidnap and murder him. They then requested the sum of N500, 000, or have him kidnapped.

Police Investigation revealed that the suspects then emphasised how he can easily be trailed for the abduction. Out of fear, the victim opened a ransom negotiation with them.

While the ransom talk was ongoing, the police were immediately contacted to monitor the development. The sum of N200, 000 was finally paid as ransom to the suspects.

Using very high technical means, the suspects were arrested along Adesuwa Grammar School Road in Benin City, a police source said.

One of the suspects, John Bartholomew, in an interaction with PREMIUM TIMES, said they had only just wanted to threaten the man for money.

We only wanted to threaten him. We did not mean to kidnap him. We were only trying to raise money to meet up with our financial challenges and we did not know that he had contacted the police. We only succeeded in collecting N200, 000 from him, he said.

But the state Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, said a threat to kidnap was a serious offence as outlined in the criminal code.

Mr Nwabuzor said the trauma associated with the threat could trigger health challenges, adding that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as the investigation was concluded.

The trauma associated with the threats of abduction and murder can trigger someones High Blood Pressure which could result in death. The two suspects are to be arraigned in court soon for the threat to wit kidnapping, he added.
Joe Biden will be keeping busy during the first days of his presidency after vowing to enact several executive orders right away while on the campaign trail.

Among the promises Biden has made include mask mandates, striking down the travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries, and having the United States rejoin the Paris Climate Accord.

While it's an ambitious plan, Biden plans on signing a handful of executive orders on his first day in office, per a memo from incoming chief of staff Ron Klain.

One of the executive orders Biden will sign is a reversal of the travel ban, which first affected people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen when it was implemented in January 2017.

According to his chief of staff, Biden has plans to sign up to about a dozen executive orders

The travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries is one of the policies Joe Biden intends to reverse on his first day

Biden also plans on bringing the United States back to the Paris Agreement on his first day

The order has been altered slightly since then, but has largely withstood legal challenges, despite calls of it being discriminatory.

Another executive order Biden is planning on signing on his first day is an order that will have the United States rejoin the Paris Climate Accord.

The agreement signed in 2016 is a global pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emission and enact other environmentally-conscious policies.

Donald Trump had the United States withdraw from the agreement in November 2019, becoming the most significant nation to no longer be party to the pact, drawing the ire of the rest of the globe.

His plans will reverse many of the policy decisions made by his predecessor over four years

'During the campaign, President-elect Biden pledged to take immediate action to start addressing these crises and build back better,' Klain wrote in a memo obtained by CNN.

'As president, he will keep those promises and sign dozens of executive orders, presidential memoranda, and directives to Cabinet agencies in fulfillment of the promises he made.'

Other executive orders Biden wants to sign right away include a halt of evictions during the pandemic, a pause on student loan payments during the pandemic, and a mandate requiring the wearing of face masks on federal properties.

Biden also has listed a thorough immigration policy and a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill among his top priorities.

Biden previously said he would roll back the Migrant Protection Protocols on his first day, which turn away many Central American refugees at the Mexican border.

Whether or not he does so could become critical in the coming days, with reports of Honduran migrants working their way through Guatemala and slowly towards the US border emerging.

Trump's legacy could be damaged by the reversal of many of his policies by Biden

Biden also plans to visit the United Kingdom early in his presidency. Pictured: Biden in the United Kingdom on official business as vice president in February 2013

In addition to his many executive orders and policy priorities, Biden also has his eye on his first overseas trip as president.

The Sunday Telegraph reports that Biden is planning on making the United Kingdom the site of his first trip outside of North America, which would be considered a boost to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

'Joe's view will be that they'll have the destiny of the world on their shoulders so he'll want to overcome any political differences,' a friend of Biden's said to the Telegraph, in regards to Biden's previous opposition to Brexit.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is also hoping to visit Biden in Washington DC after his inauguration.

A United Nations climate change conference is scheduled to take place in Glasgow, Scotland in the fall of 2021, meaning Biden could end up visiting the United Kingdom more than once this year.

Trump and Johnson tapped into similar sentiments within their countries, but the relationships between the two nations during their tenures has not been rock solid.

Because of Brexit, the two nations are working on a new trade deal, which isn't expected to be in place before 2022.

Additionally, Trump's state visit to the country in June 2019 was heavily protested and featured the infamous flying of the Trump baby balloon.

Trump's first foreign visit as the president took him to several countries in May 2017 starting in Saudi Arabia, where he signed a $110 billion arms deal.

During Indias first phase of rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine, where over 2 lakh people have been inoculated, health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan sought to assure the people of the country that the vaccines being rolled out in India went under best possible scientific scrutiny and people should not believe in misinformation being spread.

While several Congress leaders have questioned the efficacy of the vaccine, Harsh Vardhan told CNNNews18, Honestly, I havent heard of any problem. Some people are raising a political problem and we are replying to them also. From the very beginning we have warned people to not be worried about this misinformation that is being spread.

Speaking about the vaccine trials and approvals, the Union health minister said, Vaccines have been subjected to the best possible scientific scrutiny. They have been given emergency approval by experts of the subject. And they are going to be sanjeevani for our fight against Covid. I would once again appeal to people to not get into these apprehensions and fears.

Also read: Congress' Manish Tewari, Health Minister Spar Over Approval to Bharat Biotech Vaccine 'Sans Due Process'

Harsh Vardhan said people should take the vaccine fearlessly and not forget the other precautions we have already been taking for Covid-19. Fearlessly, patiently take the vaccination when your turn comes. And never forget that you have to take care of Covid appropriate behaviour. The mask is the greatest social vaccine, it is not only going to help against Covid, it protects us from many other infections.

Congress leader Manish Tewari had raised questions over the emergency use approval given to the indigenously developed vaccine Covaxin and alleged that it was "sans due process". "As vaccine roll-out begins, it is all a bit puzzling India has no policy framework for authorising emergency use. Yet, two vaccines have been approved for restricted use in emergency situation," Tewari said in a tweet just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the vaccination drive.

Also read: PM Modi Says Vaccine Drive 'Important Landmark' As Congratulatory Messages Pour In From Sri Lanka, Bhutan

"COVAXIN is another story  Approvals sans Due Process," the former Union minister added, tagging a media report which claimed that scientists and doctors are divided on the issue of restricted use approval granted to the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.

When asked about Tewari's tweets, Harsh Vardhan said,"I have replied to that and will keep replying. But we want all these people to let us focus on the welfare of the people and we also went them to contribute their welfare rather than disturbing all these welfare measures by unnecessarily putting things in public domain which may confuse them."

The minister said that India had robust experience when it came to vaccinating large populations. We have been giving vaccines against vaccine preventable diseases to almost 60 crore children every year. We have in this country eradicated smallpox, we have eradicated polio in the last two/three decades. Our last caste of polio was 10 years ago. And you know how difficult polio was. We had to immunise every child less than five on the same day, and keep on doing it for almost two decades."

The minister said that for the Covid-19 the planning began in August and people were trained in the national, state and block level to carry out this programme. "And we have ensured that whatever we have conveyed to the people, it's being followed."

A picture taken on January 15, 2021, shows a pharmacist holding with gloved hands a phial of the undiluted Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19, stored at -70  in a super freezer of the hospital of Le Mans, northwestern France as the country carry on a vaccination campaign to fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus. AFP-Yonhap



U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer has said it will temporarily reduce deliveries to Europe of its COVID-19 vaccine while it upgrades production capacity, Norwegian health officials said Friday.



''We received this message today,'' said Geir Bukholm, director of infection control at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, a government agency.



''We had predicted 43,875 vaccine doses from Pfizer in week 3. Now it seems that we get 36,075 doses,'' he said.



The reduction in deliveries will start next week and is due to Pfizer limiting output so that it can upgrade production capacity to 2 billion vaccine doses per year from 1.3 billion currently, the agency said.



''This temporary reduction will affect all European countries,'' it added. Norway is not a member of the European Union.



''It is not yet clear exactly how long it will take before Pfizer is up to maximum production capacity again, which will be increased from 1.3 to 2 billion doses per year,'' the agency said.









Neither Pfizer nor its German partner BioNTech immediately confirmed the delivery reduction.





A patient infected with COVID-19 is treated in one of the intensive care units (ICU) at the Severo Ochoa hospital in Leganes, outskirts of Madrid, Spain, Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. AP

HUDSON When Eris Shakespheres daughter left for college in 2017 she turned to baking to help pay the tuition bills. In addition to working full-time at an insurance company, she began making custom cakes, treats, and specialty-sauced chicken wings in her home and sold them via a Facebook page.

As it grows, it takes over my home, Shakesphere said. My ultimate goal is to have a space for my business.

For Shakesphere and many other minority and women-owned small business owners in Hudson, it isnt easy to purchase a space and open up shop, due to rising real estate costs, driven up in part by newcomers moving from New York City. For many of them, Hudson is home and it is where they want to open the shop of their dreams.

In recent years we have had a huge influx of people coming to Hudson from New York City and they buy up everything, Shakespere said. They come in, they buy it, they renovate it, and then the prices triple. It makes it hard for people like me.

Shakesphere is one of 13 minority-owned businesses who received a grant this year from a nonprofit called the Galvan Foundation to help them grow. For some, like 3J customs, a t-shirt company owned by Jamar Johnson, the money was crucial to keeping them afloat.

Honestly without (the grant), due to COVID-19, my whole businesses would have sunk, Johnson said. It helped me get everything together and stay grounded.

Johnson had looked for a retail spaces but decided that because of the high cost of rent in Hudson he will stay working from his home.

Given the popularity of Hudson as a tourist destination, many of the places on Warren Street are rather expensive and unaffordable for people just looking to expand their business out of their home, said Dan Kent, the vice president of initiatives at the Galvan Foundation.

Population in Hudson has been declining for the last 10 years, while at the same time, the cost to live in particular, the cost of renting or buying a home is increasing dramatically, and wages are not increasing, according to Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, a policy, advocacy, and research group for the area.

It becomes harder to purchase an apartment when youve got people who have the earning levels of Columbia County competing with the earning levels of people from New York City, Kent said. The average median household income is about $39,000 in Hudson, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Warren Street used to sustain a greater variety of businesses and not just high-end businesses everything from charming junk shops to fried chicken places, said Tom DePietro, Common Council President for the city.

The acceleration of fancy businesses on Warren Street has definitely pushed out some of the businesses who have a smaller margin for making money that served other communities in Hudson, not just tourists, said DePietro. One of the hopes is that some of those businesses will find a home off Warren Street, but what that will require is a change in our zoning.

Hudsons zoning code, like many across the country, is a product of a 1970s mentality, DePietro said, which prefers areas to be residential only and prioritizes a car culture.

We are trying to bring back a more urban stye of zoning that favors walking for one thing, and favors greater mixed zoning communities, DePietro said.

Despite Warren Street not being affordable for locals, it does help bring foot traffic for all businesses in Hudson, said Tiffany Garriga, the owner of her home-business Moisturize Me, and a Board of Alderman member for the Second Ward in Hudson.

We cant really afford to eat there but our children can get jobs there, Garriga said. In one way it helps and in one way it doesnt.

After working in a factory, nursing home, and physical therapists office, and finding that no moisturizer was sufficient, Garriga decided to make her own moisturizer out of all-natural products.

This pandemic is leaving people in a position where we are questioning ourselves should we put our business on pause, Garriga said. It is hard when you expect certain sales and they arent coming in It is incredibly hard when you are trying to make sure you have enough to put food on the table, and also have enough to keep the lights on.

Garriga was not a recipient of the Galvan Foundation grant but she is hoping to find other funding opportunities. The Galvan Foundation is now creating a low-income loan program and planning a residential complex called The Depot which will have four commercial spaces downstairs reserved for minority-owned businesses at a preferential rate.

One thing I can say about the city I live in is, we may go through our ups and downs but when it comes to situations like this we have organizations that step up to the plate, Garriga said about the Hudson-Catskill Housing Coalition, the Galvan Foundation, and the Columbia County Economic Development Corporation. They may not be able to do everything but they can do enough to help you sustain.
Union Citys mayor and other officials condemned a White Lives Matter banner found Saturday morning at a city intersection. City officials called the incident  which happened the weekend before the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday and 10 days after the pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol  racist.

The banner was found illegally placed on the corner of Smith and Dyer streets and removed on Saturday morning, city officials said. A police report was filed, but Union City police could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

The city is disgusted by this despicable act of vandalism that has occurred on the heels of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week and on the weekend of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday that celebrates the life and achievements of this important civil rights leader, city officials said in a statement. While some may believe what happened at the United States Capitol could not happen here, this incident unfortunately shows how divisiveness at the national level can permeate even our community.

Officials said Union Citys City Council, Human Relations Commission, police department and city staff remain on heightened alert to make sure racist incidences like this do not happen again in our community.

Human Relations Commission Chair Kashmir Singh Shahi said in a video statement on YouTube that the commission was on its annual retreat discussing its priorities for the year when commissioners were alerted of the banner. The first priority commissioners adopted on Saturday morning, before they learned about the banner, was to remain vigilant about the insurrection and division taking place at the national level and to prevent it from coming to Union City, city officials said.

This made me upset and I hope that it was an isolated incident as it does not reflect the community of my city, Singh Shahi said. I urge my community to stick together and dont let anything happen that will put a stain on our society, and which is not at par with the standard of this great country, the United States of America.

Union City Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci said the banner was found on a weekend intended to honor the life of Dr. King, whose life was taken as he fought for inclusiveness. She called the banner despicable in a video statement.

I have lived in Union City my entire life and we have always welcomed everybody from everywhere, and we will continue to do so, Dutra-Vernaci said. We will continue to be united as we celebrate our diversity.

Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez
By Sandra B. Cunningham

Two months before his assassination, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a memorable address that has come to be known as his Drum Major sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. During the sermon, Rev. King warned against ambition and extolled the biblical virtues of humility and service to others.

Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice, King said. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.

As the New Jersey Legislature continues to support Reverend Kings calls for justice, righteousness and equality more than 50 years later, we can be certain that even during these uncertain times, Reverend King would have continued to beat the slow but steady drum for peace, righteousness and social justice. While the tumultuous protests this summer represent what King characterized as the language of the unheard, we have done our best to hear their cries and to advance legislation to address the deeply ingrained systemic issues plaguing our nation.

In the last decade, the New Jersey Senate has been a national leader on criminal justice policy, passing a series of reforms, including legislation to put an end to mandatory minimum sentences. We have remained committed to making strides regarding social justice, taking on new urgency following each murder of an unarmed Black and brown individual. Indeed, the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor last summer highlighted the need to further evaluate and investigate how we conduct our policing in New Jersey and led to the enactment of additional police reform.

The proposed repeal of mandatory minimum sentences covers a wide range of non-violent crimes, including drug offenses that have disproportionately affected Black and Hispanic communities. Such meaningful sentencing reform is long overdue. If we are ever going to reverse the harmful effects of mass incarceration we must move away from doling out lengthy sentences for minor offenses. We believe this legislation is the first step toward realizing that goal.

The New Jersey Legislature will continue our efforts to realize Rev. Kings goals, as we face critical challenges, both as a nation and as a state. While there is much work to be done, we should remember that these issues are not simply about divisions concerning race, poverty or housing in our communities. As a democratic state, we will continue to advance reforms that will create a more just and humane society.

New Jersey has made incredible strides on criminal justice reform over the past decade, including landmark bail reform, expungement legislation, the ban the box law and juvenile justice protections. These reforms, including our legislation to end marijuana prohibition, which has been discriminatory toward young Black and brown residents since its inception, are long overdue. These significant pieces of legislation reflect on what Reverend King tirelessly advocated for in his short time on this earth, and up until the time of his death.

In addition, the Legislature passed an independent prosecutor bill 18 months ago that requires the state attorney general to supersede county prosecutors in any death investigation involving law enforcement officers and requires any ensuing trial to take place in a county other than where the incident took place. The general sentiment among many in the Black community that officers are never held accountable in the shooting death of a Black man underscores the importance of this legislation; these killings have been prevalent and well-documented, dating back to the height of the Civil Rights movement that Reverend King led and all too often officers have faced no repercussions for their actions.

Of course, Reverend King was also about practical economic relief for the poor, and workers rights in pursuing social and economic justice. In his last years, he led a prolonged campaign to bring equitable and affordable housing to minority communities in Chicago, and elsewhere, and in the last weeks of his life he launched his Poor Peoples Campaign, and fought valiantly for sanitation workers in Memphis who had been severely underpaid and had been forced to work dangerous jobs with little protection or regard for their health and well-being.

Finally, in the spirit of that noble pursuit of justice for all, regardless of skin color, ethnicity, religion or gender or sexual preference, let us recall on this holiday the plain words from Reverend Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail, where he states, without ceremony, that Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly 

State Senator Sandra Cunningham represents the 31st Legislative District, which includes Bayonne and most of Jersey City.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Two shots, then mayhem.

Thats how one Stapleton resident recalled the scene of a shooting Saturday evening inside a recording studio near his home, which left a 23-year-old man dead and investigators searching for a pair of suspects.

This place was usually so quiet you could hear a pin drop, said the neighbor, who lives near the 900 block of Van Duzer Street for more than 20 years. All of a sudden, now some cr-- like this is going on.

Police have since identified the victim as Jahade Chancey, 23, of Warren Street in Stapleton.

According to an initial written statement from the department, a male perpetrator entered Demonlow Studios  the space features a lobby area, and a second door into the actual studio  and opened fire with an assault rifle. Investigators said they also are searching for a second male suspect.

One of the suspects is described as standing 5-feet-8-inches tall; weighing about 150 pounds, according to police. He is reported to have a dark complexion and short hair. The second is only described as standing about 6-feet-tall with a dark complexion. He was last seen wearing black clothing, police said.

Friends and acquaintances of 23-year-old Jahade Chancey mourned his death Sunday on social media; some referencing Chancey as the third young man from Stapleton killed in recent months. (Facebook)

WHERE IS HE?

As police and EMTs arrived at the scene Saturday night, multiple witnesses said they heard a group of people shouting and crying.

One woman yelled out, where is he? It wasnt clear if she was referencing the victim or someone else.

Police said Chancey suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the back. A spokeswoman for the department said Sunday that a motive for the attack wasnt immediately clear.

A team of detectives gathered Sunday morning outside the business, which according to its website opened in September. The business owners did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FRIENDS SAY GOODBYE

Friends shared painful farewells and photos of Chancey online.

One of the funniest, coolest , down to earth guys...I know [this] touched a lot of peoples hearts, wrote a man, who said he met Chancey when they both were in Job Corps, a career training program for young people.

A young woman wrote: Wtf, bro was full of good vibes, especially with the dancing s***

Police said Chancey was shot multiple times in the back.

Van Duzer Street between Metcalfe St. and Hillside Ave. was closed by police Saturday night. (Staten Island Advance/Rebeka Humbrecht)

EMTs attempted CPR at the scene, according to emergency radio transmissions.

The victim was later pronounced dead at Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze.

RECORDING STUDIO

Featured on the studios website are two artists who recently shot music videos in Stapleton, where Chancey also called home.

A source with knowledge of the ongoing violence on the North Shore noted that its typical for people of the same neighborhood who create music to work solely at a studio within their own community so as to not put themselves at risk of gang-related violence in a rival neighborhood.

In November, the production of a rap video in South Beach featuring an artist linked to a New Brighton-based label was disrupted by an alleged robbery attempt that left the videos director with a fatal gunshot wound.

A DISTURBING TREND

The incident was reported days after police seized a machine gun and two other firearms during a raid nearby, at a residence on the 200 block of Osgood Avenue in the Park Hill section of the island.

Friends and acquaintances grieved on social media over what they said has been the loss of three friends from the Stapleton area to violence in recent months.

2021 not playing, thats three n*** gone for me that [didnt] do nothing to no one, wrote one man.

Responded a young woman: Hes another one for me too. Like this s*** is just really crazy.

While you were sleeping our hard working Public Safety Officers along with Our FIOs kept our community safe by getting these illegal firearms off the street. Great Job! pic.twitter.com/pTzUZldDVz  NYPD 120th Precinct (@NYPD120Pct) January 9, 2021

Gun violence surged in 2020 across several neighborhoods on the boroughs North Shore, including a shocking string of fatal shootings in September.

In West Brighton, police had responded to seven shootings within a one-mile-radius of each other by early November.

In New Brighton, a man was shot and killed in September while attending a memorial gathering for another New Brighton man shot and killed a day earlier.

(2/2) Just some of the steps we continue to take include analyzing more precise data on violent crime and convening regular community meetings to address specific concerns. Working together, we will reverse this trend and make Staten Island safer for all. https://t.co/xLxwbbcpPs  Michael E. McMahon (@StatenIslandDA) December 30, 2020

Law enforcement officials and community leaders in the neighborhoods most impacted by the violence are working to at least slow the number of gun-related deaths amid whats been a chaotic, and in some ways, unprecedented year across New York City.

The office of Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon announced in September a neighborhood-by-neighborhood plan to address the issue.

Recently appointed NYPD Borough Commander, Assistant Chief Frank Vega, also addressed the issue during an interview in December. Vega said hed work with local investigators and federal authorities to build bigger cases through a variety of tactics to trace the illegal sale of firearms.
Pakistan on Saturday gave nod to India manufactured AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use. The approval was given by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap). However, Pakistan is in a fix to move ahead and ask India for the same.

READ | 74 Pc Of Beneficiaries Get COVID-19 Vaccine Shots On First Day In Rajasthan

On being asked whether they will be getting the vaccine from India, Pakistan media quoting Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said, Registrations should not be mixed with availability or procurement of the vaccine. We have registered the vaccine as its efficacy is over 90pc and will try to get it through alternative arrangements. What is more important is that it will enable us to acquire the vaccine through Covax as it cannot be allowed in the country without Draps approval.

READ | COVID-19 Vaccine By AstraZeneca To Receive Swiss Approval By This Month: Report

Pakistan to use Indian manufactured AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine

Covax is an alliance set up by Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and World Health Organisation in April 2020 and has pledged provision to provide free vaccine for 20pc of the population of around 190 countries which includes Pakistan as well. Pakistan is hoping to get the first batch of vaccines post-March, 2021. Pakistan is also expected to register the Chinese state-owned firm Sinopharms medicine next week.

READ | Latest News: Rajnath Singh Warns China; Vardhan Nominated To GAVI Board; Ex-Pak FM Held

 We are going to register a few more vaccines, including Sinopharms, in the coming weeks as we have a large population and therefore will require vaccines from a number of countries, including China, Dr Sultan was quoted.

However, Pakistan is relying on the Covax and its dear friend China for the vaccine rollout as they are of the view that India will first cater its entire population and then will look ahead for any other country. The fact, however, remains Pakistans wrongdoings that it has to wait for Covax and China for vaccine rollout but cannot ask India for the same.

Moreover, a few more vaccines will also be approved in the coming weeks which will pave the way for importing the drug through the private sector and ensuring its availability in the market, another Pakistani Health Official was quoted.

READ | Turkey Approves China-based Sinovac Vaccine's Emergency Use
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was reluctant to ban President Donald Trump's account, and only acted after his team said that Trump's tweets were inspiring calls for violence among his supporters on Parler, according to a new report.

As well, anxious Twitter employees compared the situation to IBM's work for the Nazis during World War II, pleading with him to ban Trump.

Dorsey was working remotely a private island in French Polynesia on January 6 when Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, and his top lieutenants pushed to suspend the president's account, according to an account in the New York Times.

Twitter was the first social media company to act against Trump after the Capitol riot, locking his account for 12 hours before ultimately issuing the permanent ban. Facebook, its subsidiary Instagram, and Snapchat quickly followed suit with indefinite bans.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was reportedly reluctant to ban President Donald Trump's account, and only acted after his team said that Trump's tweets were inspiring calls for violence

Twitter was the first social media company to act against Trump after the Capitol riot, locking his account for 12 hours before ultimately issuing the permanent ban

How did IBM help Nazis during WWII? Both the U.S. government and Nazi Germany used IBM punch-card technology for some parts of their internment camp operations and record keeping. IBM's German subsidiary was accused of helping with records at Nazi concentration camps. IBM says its German operation, along with those of other foreign companies, was effectively seized by the Nazis during the war. Advertisement

According to the Times, Dorsey signed off on the permanent ban after two of Trump's January 8 tweets were seen to be inspiring radical responses among his supporters.

In one of the tweets, Trump said that he would not attend the presidential inauguration on January 20. In another, he called his supporters 'great American Patriots' and said they would 'have a GIANT VOICE' in the future.

The tweets were not explicit calls for violence, but Twitter's safety team monitored the response on alternative social networking site Parler, which is popular among right-wingers, and told Dorsey that Trump's supporters had seized on Trump's latest tweets.

One Twitter employee saw a Trump fan on Parler urge militias to stop President-elect Joe Biden from entering the White House and to fight anyone who tried to halt them, according to the Times.

Twitter's safety team alluded to the two Trump tweets in a public blog post about the ban, saying that they 'were highly likely to encourage and inspire people to replicate the criminal acts that took place at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.'

Many Twitter employees had long called for Trump to be banned from the platform, but Dorsey was reluctant to take such a step.

Dorsey signed off on the permanent ban after two of Trump's January 8 tweets were seen to be inspiring radical responses among his supporters

Dorsey had long defended the company's policy of protecting the accounts of world leaders, arguing their public statements were newsworthy even when their tweets violated the company's policies.

Prior to January 6, Twitter had only deleted the tweets of a world leader on two occasions, when the leaders of Brazil and Venezuela promoted fake cures for coronavirus.

Following the events of January 6, furious Twitter employees began circulating an internal petition calling anew for Trump's ban.

Several invoked IBMs collaboration with the Nazis, saying that history would judge Twitter in the same light, current and former employees told the Times.

Dorsey acquiesced, but his mixed feelings on the issue were apparent in a lengthy public statement he issued on January 13, saying Twitter made the 'right decision' but adding the ban sets a dangerous precedent.

'Having to take these actions fragment the public conversation. They divide us. They limit the potential for clarification, redemption, and learning. And sets a precedent I feel is dangerous: the power an individual or corporation has over a part of the global public conversation,' Dorsey wrote.

Following its ban on Trump, Twitter broadened its crackdown last weekend, banning 70,000 accounts it said were linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory, which proposes that Trump is fighting an evil global cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles.

Twitter said in a statement it had initiated the broader bans to 'protect the conversation on our service from attempts to incite violence, organize attacks, and share deliberately misleading information about the election outcome.'

On Thursday, Dorsey held a virtual company meeting addressing the bans, video of which was quickly leaked by an employee to the conservative activist group Project Veritas.

His message to employees appeared to be that the ban on Trump was just the beginning of a sweeping new approach to moderation.

Jack Dorsey, pictured in October testifying before Congress, held a virtual town hall this week

He told staff in the clip: 'You should always feel free to express yourself in whatever format manifestation feels right.

'We do intend to do the full retro as I said in my note, it is going to take some time.

'And then the other thing, just to close out a little bit: we are focused on one account right now.

'But this is going to be much bigger than just one account.

'And it's going to go on for much longer than just this day, this week.

'And the next few weeks and go on beyond the inauguration. We have to expect that, we have to be ready for that.'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are living in LA for almost a year now. By March, it would be officially a year and yet, an expert is claiming the Prince is still not as settled as everyone thinks he is or expects him to be.

Instead, according to the royal insider, the Prince must be heartbroken and confused by his American life, even though this does not mean he is unhappy, as reported by Express UK.

According to Tom Brady, ITN news anchor, Prince Harry is sad about the situation with his family because this is not "ideal", but at the same time still content with his new life.

In fact, Brady is sure the Prince and Meghan Markle are also excited about their upcoming projects.

Speaking in an interview on "Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh," Mr Brady said, "I think they are content, the things they are doing they are quite excited by."

However, "I think Harry is heartbroken," he insisted.

"You don't necessarily need to have the knowledge to know that, but I think it is true," the expert said.

Mr Brady clarified, "The situation with the family clearly isn't ideal. It's been a difficult year."

In the middle of the pandemic, living without their creature comforts and in a new environment is bound to place challenges in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's path.

Naturally, there are a lot of mixed feelings because the "Megxit" decision was entirely the Duke and Duchess's own. They are not going to be unhappy because they made the move on their own. And yet, the reality is that their move could not come at a worse time.

Asked if he thinks the couple is quite unhappy, the expert indeed said no. Unhappy is not the right term.

"No, I don't think that's right, I think they are pretty happy actually, but I think they wrestle with their position in life - I think they all do," he explained. "I think William does too. I don't think he finds it easy," he added.

The anchor claimed that the "whole thing" has been "incredibly painful" for Prince Harry.

In all the months that they had been in America, reports are quite mixed about their present state. Some said they are happy and contended, while others claimed they are sad and desperate. What the anchor said is not that new.

Reports on the palace said are more or less the same. Some said the Queen must be desolate and wanted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, alongside their kid, Baby Archie back in the palace. Some said the Queen could not care less, because she does not like the fact that they decided to leave in the first place.

In another report by Express UK, it was said that Queen Elizabeth has already reportedly formed a "firm of eight" senior royals who will make public appearances together this 2021, which included Sophie Wessex, the wife of the monarch's youngest son, Prince Edward. This move is reportedly a response to the decision of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to withdraw as as senior members of the Royal Family last March to seek a new life that is more private and independent.

In another news, the review of Megxit is reportedly cancelled already. The review is supposed to be a reassessment of how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are faring as private individuals and if necessary, they will be given the chance to return to the Palace. With the said review cancelled, it means the Queen no longer extends this chance to the couple.

READ MORE: WWE Wrestlemania 37: New Date and Venue Announced Amid COVID-19 Restrictions

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
Currently the entire world, more or less, is engaged in a ritual hate-fest directed at President Donald Trump. For the Democrats, this is nothing new. They have indulged an insane level of hate against Trump since 2015. That hate gave rise, among many other things, to the criminal Russia collusion hoax. But the mini-riot at the Capitol last week finally gave the Democrats the opportunity to claim that their longstanding opposition to everything Trump, including nearly all of his successful policies as president, has been vindicated.

Obviously, President Trump has contributed to his own demise. Not by battling the Democrats for the last four years, not always in the most elegant way but usually effectively, but by his post-election behavior. But here, a distinction should be made. President Trump questioned the integrity of the election, and argued that he really won it, if only legal votes were counted. As I wrote here, I think the jury is out on that question.

There is no serious doubt that voter fraud is a problem, and Trump was right to highlight it. The Democrats are now trying to use Trumps supposed disgrace to prohibit all discussion of election integrity, which is dishonest political opportunism. Conservatives want honest elections, and in the months and years to come, we must fight for them against Democratic opposition.

But Trump also indulged a delusional fantasy: the idea that Joe Bidens apparent victory would be reversed, and that he would serve a second term. There was never a chance that this would happen. The many lawsuits that Trump and his supporters filed were doomed from the beginning. Whether their allegations were true or false was a complicated fact question that could not possibly be sorted out in 60 or 90 days. This fact was obvious to anyone familiar with litigation, but one of Trumps faults is that he has lousy taste in lawyers. Exhibit A is Michael Cohen; Exhibits B and C are Sidney Powell and Lin Wood.

By claiming, absurdly, that the election wasnt over and his lawsuits would succeed in giving him a second term, Trump riled up, and misled, his base. To some extent, that was reflected in the crowd that showed up in D.C. on January 6. The overwhelming majority were peaceable citizens who wanted to show their support for a very good president, but some took seriously the idea that a second term was possible.

In his speech on January 6, Trump did nothing to incite violence, contrary to the Democratic Partys lies. But his unrealistic view of his own prospects probably contributed to the belligerence of some of his supporters. (Before you start commenting, rest assured that I understand that those who besieged the Capitol were a combination of rabid Trump fans, Antifa or other left-wing infiltrators, and the sort of horn-wearing nuts who love riots of any kind.) Trump should have conceded the election, while at the same time emphasizing the need for integrity in our elections.

The extent to which some of Trumps fans were misled by his fantastical claim to a second term is illustrated by this tweet by Mike Lindell, the MyPillow guy who is a prominent Trump supporter:

This tweet has been deleted? I should hope so. Lindell wants to run for Governor of Minnesota in 2022. Being a solid Trump supporter certainly wont disqualify him, although Democrats will claim that it does. But being prey to an obvious delusion, however well-intentioned, should.

I will have more to say about Donald Trump and his mostly positive legacy in days to come. For now, lets leave it at this: Trump was justified in questioning the results of the election, and did a public service by highlighting the important issue of ballot integrity. But he led many of his supporters seriously astray when he propagated the idea that his lawsuits, some of which were frankly inept and all of which were hopeless, would miraculously give him a second term. Sometimes a president, like many others, needs to know where to find good legal advice.
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A relative of a State witness who gave key testimony against garda killer Aaron Brady has been arrested over a plot to intimidate members of his own family, the Sunday Independent can reveal.

Detectives investigating a campaign of witness intimidation during the trial of Aaron Brady for the murder of Garda Adrian Donohoe made the latest "significant" arrest in the capital over a week ago.

The suspect is a convicted criminal and is related to a witness whose testimony was key in securing Brady's conviction of the garda's murder.

The man, who has served prison sentences for violent attacks on innocent people, was enlisted by other criminals to try and "dissuade" the witness from giving evidence against the garda killer, it is understood. Detectives believe the man was paid to try to convince his relative not to give evidence.

Sources say the suspect is accused of first trying a "softly softly" approach to convince the man not to give testimony. But when this was unsuccessful, he became involved in a campaign of intimidation against his relative and other members of the family, it is understood.

"This is a significant arrest. This man was enlisted to try and convince and later intimidate Daniel Cahill and members of his family, which are indeed his own relatives, not to give evidence. These attempts ultimately failed," according to a senior security source.

The trial was the longest-running in the history of the State and continued amid an orchestrated effort to interfere with key witnesses.

Aaron Brady (29) was convicted of Detective Garda Donohoe's murder last August and is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum 40-year prison term for capital murder.

The Co Armagh man is among eight people now arrested as part of the garda inquiry into witness intimidation and perverting the course of justice. Gardai are hoping to bring a number of charges in relation to the campaign, including perverting the course of justice and using a mobile phone behind bars.

Four people with key testimony refused to come to court, but Brady was still convicted after two witnesses testified they heard him admit to shooting a garda in Ireland.

The inquiry is being led by gardai attached to the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), with a file expected to be submitted to the DPP imminently.

In early November, Brady was arrested in his Portlaoise Prison cell and quizzed in relation to the intimidation of witnesses.

Throughout the trial, gardai and the prosecution repeatedly raised concerns about witnesses being interfered with.

Brady has appealed against his conviction for murdering Det Garda Donohoe.
Almo Man Arrested After Foot Pursuit

By West Kentucky Star Staff

CALLOWAY COUNTY - An Almo man was arrested Friday night following a foot pursuit in Calloway County.According to the Calloway County Sheriff's Department, a deputy went to a home on Radio Road in an attempt to locate 45-year-old Tracy Pritchett, who had an active warrant for failure to appear.The deputy saw Pritchett outside the home, and he attempted to flee on foot, but was taken into custody a short time later.Packages of suspected methamphetamine, along with drug paraphernalia, were allegedly located after Pritchett was captured.Pritchett was taken to the Calloway County Jail on charges of second degree fleeing or evading police, first degree trafficking-controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and on a bench warrant for failure to appear.
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The muscular sculptures of Luis Jimenez vibrate with a kinetic energy bordering on the operatic.

The artist considered one of the finest sculptors of his generation produced a similarly dramatic impact as a draftsman.

Open at the Albuquerque Museum through May, Luis Jimenez: Motion and Emotion showcases that talent with 14 works on paper.

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Born and raised in El Paso, Jimenez spent two years in Mexico City revelling in the vibrant murals of Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

He really went after the musculature of the figure, curator Josie Lopez said. He really looked at the details.

Jimenez grew up working in his fathers neon sign studio. The lights instilled in him his love of bright color and action. It also introduced him to his signature material: fiberglass.

At times his visual language bristles with humor, at other moments, it turns heart-wrenching and unabashedly political. Jimenezs figures emphasize the sinews, curves and even tendons, veins and beads of sweat. His work often challenges viewers to confront myths and issues surrounding la frontera (the border) and the concept of cultural purity.

He used unorthodox materials like fiberglass, glitter and lights in an age defined by abstraction and minimalism.

Jimenezs drawing skills were equally vibrant, infused with a sense of energy and action. Many of the drawings and lithographs in the exhibition later evolved into sculptures such as Southwest Pieta, Border Crossing and Sodbuster.

The 1983 lithograph for Southwest Pieta refers to a Mexican folk tale about an Indigenous pair of star-crossed lovers. Iztaccihuatl fell in love with the warrior Popocatepetl. When he went off to battle, she heard he had died. Iztaccihuatl then died from grief. When the warrior returned to find his dead love, he also died from sadness. The gods turned the pair into volcanoes to unite them in the afterlife.

The artists reference to Michelangelos classic sculpture of Mary cradling the limp body of Christ was intentional, Lopez said. Jimenez also included the specifically Mexican symbols of the snake and the eagle.

When the Aztecs longed for land to settle, the gods told them to look for an eagle carrying a snake on top of a cactus, Lopez said. Thats where Mexico City was built.

Jimenez also created Southwest Pieta as a sculpture standing at the corner of Roma and Edith in Martineztown. The work ignited controversy in 1983 when the city commissioned it to be placed across the street from the museum in Tiguex Park. Members of the Old Town Founders Group objected to it, claiming it resembled a rape. Jimenez insisted it symbolized the reality of multiculturalism in New Mexico. In the end, the sculpture moved to the historically Mexican-American neighborhood of Martineztown.

In 1999 Southwest Pieta was designated as a National Treasure by President Bill Clinton.

Jimenez used art to humanize and uplift the marginalized.

Border Crossing features a man carrying a woman and an infant across the Rio Grande. The artist conceived the work as a tribute to his grandfather, who, with his grandmother and father, illegally crossed the border between Mexico and Texas in 1924.

Jimenez later said: I had wanted to make a piece that was dealing with the issue of the illegal alien . People talked about aliens as if they landed from outer space, as if they werent really people. I wanted to put a face on them: I wanted to humanize them.

The sculpture now stands in the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas.

But not all of his work focuses on such dramatic issues.

Theres a print in here thats like a dance hall, Lopez added. He likes to bring in music and dance and something uplifting.

The 2010 lithograph of Steve Jordan features a man playing the accordion with exuberance. The work is a tribute to the real-life musician who was partially blinded as an infant and unable to work in the fields with his migrant parents. His music fused jazz, rock, salsa and zydeco. Jordans nicknames included The Jimi Hendrix of the Accordion.

Jimenez was committed to the figure during a time when many artists avoided it.

The artist spent six yeas in New York City before moving to New Mexico in the early 1970s. He lived in Hondo until his tragic death after a piece of his sculpture Blue Mustang (now rearing outside of the Denver International Airport) fell on him, severing an artery in 2006.

If you go

WHAT: Luis Jimenez: Motion and Emotion

WHEN: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Exhibit runs through May.

WHERE: Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Road NW

CONTACT: 243-7255, cabq.gov/museum.

HOW MUCH: $3-$6; timed tickets are available for purchase online through holdmyticket.com. Tickets are not available for purchase at the museum. For ticketing assistance, call Hold My Ticket at 1-877-466-3404; select option 2 to speak with a ticketing specialist.
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Srinagar, Jan 17 : January 19, 1990 is a date frozen in time when Kashmiri Pandits fled their homes to save their lives in the face of rising militancy in the Valley. A big concern for the uprooted community has been a loss of identity after their migration, but a community radio station in Jammu has been helping to connect scattered Kashmiri Pandits.

'Radio Sharda', ranked as the number one community radio station in the country by a government survey, is like an anchor for the displaced community. The community is keeping in touch with its members and preserving their language and culture through the community radio station run entirely by Kashmiris.

The idea of setting up a community radio station came to Kashmiri Pandit migrant Ramesh Hangloo from a Muslim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir immigrant in London who had established a similar radio station in London for the Mirpuri community of PoK settled in the UK.

Radio Sharda, the first community radio station of Jammu & Kashmir, is playing a pivotal role in binding the Kashmiri community scattered world over and reconnecting them with their roots and helping preserve Kashmiri language and culture.

"Radio Sharda is meant for all Kashmiri-speaking people world over wherever Kashmiris are residing," said Hangloo. "We have got feedback of 112 countries where Radio Sharda is heard." Close to three lakh Kashmiri Pandits left the valley in 1990 after militancy erupted, leaving behind all their land and properties, and most settled in migrant camps in Jammu.

The community radio station with its entire content in Kashmiri language is produced and presented by members of the Pandit community from a settlement colony in Jammu. Six years after it was launched, the community radio station, available on the Internet as well, has been ranked the number one community radio station of the country by information and broadcasting survey of the Indian government. Radio Sharda has also won two national awards in 2019.

Over three decades after they migrated from the valley, Kashmiri Pandits are scattered all over the world, but they hope that one day they will return to Kashmir. In the meantime they are preserving their language and culture, and Radio Sharda is one such initiative for that.

"We didn't have a platform to promote language, but now we have a platform. It is important for our children to learn the language," said Manju Raina, programmer at Radio Sharda.
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck off the coast of northern California Saturday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake hit at 10:25 p.m. with an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 53 miles west of Ferndale, in Humboldt County.

The quake was felt in some parts of Humboldt County, including Ferndale, Rio Dell, Fortuna, Eureka and Arcata.

There are no reports of injuries or damage.

Earlier Saturday evening, a magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck northern Monterey County.

The quake's epicenter was 2.2 miles southeast of the town of Aromas in Monterey County, just north of Salinas and about 10 miles south-southeast of Gilroy.

The quake was felt in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara counties. It was also felt in Fremont, San Francisco, Hayward and Palo Alto.

There were no reports of injuries or damage.

BART operated trains at reduced speeds Saturday evening while work crews completed track inspections following the quake.

The 'White Lives Matter' banner found in Union City Saturday morning was discovered by parks and recreation staff, according to city officials.

The banner was found at 9 a.m. at the corner of Smith and Dyer streets, hung from two city poles that are used to post banners for civic events. A banner that had information about child care was removed by whomever put up the 'White Lives Matter' banner in its place.

The banner was roughly 3 feet by 5 feet in size.

City officials denounced the banner and it was removed promptly. A police report was filed after it was taken down, officials said.

Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci was in a meeting with the Human Relations Commission during its annual retreat when the banner was discovered. The panel was discussing its first priority for the year -- to remain vigilant about the insurrection and division taking place at the national level and to prevent it from coming to Union City.

Three people were shot Saturday evening in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, according to a police spokesperson.

Sgt. Michael Andraychak said the shootings occurred near Eddy and Taylor streets at about 9:26 p.m. He added that the shooting victims are at local hospitals being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

There is no suspect information at this time. There is also no additional details on the victims.

Andraychak said this is an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the police department's tip line at (415) 575-4444, or text to TIP411 and begin the text message with "SFPD".

A 44-year-old Napa businessman has been arrested for possession of illegal assault rifles, automatic weapons and explosives, according to the Napa County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff's spokesperson Henry Wofford said Saturday evening that Benjamin Rogers, a Napa resident, was booked at the Napa County Department of Corrections following his Friday arrest and is being held on $5 million bail.

Wofford said the sheriff's department obtained search warrants for Rogers' home and business, the latter of which is located in the 1600 block of Action Avenue, after receiving a tip that he was in possession of several illegal guns. During the sheriff's department's searches at both locations, investigators found more than 50 guns -- several unregistered and/or illegal -- and more than 15,000 rounds of ammunition. Also found were several pounds of gun powder.

The sheriff's department's bomb squad located five pipe bombs inside a safe at Rogers' business. All of the pipe bombs were rendered safe by the bomb squad.

Rogers is facing five felony charges and one misdemeanor charge.

Alameda city leaders on Tuesday will consider a new name for a park that was named in honor of President Andrew Jackson, a slave owner.

Last summer, Jackson Park, the city's first park, was stripped of its name after 111 years because it honored Jackson, who was the owner of 300 slaves and forcibly resettled Native Americans to Oklahoma from their homelands.

Since then, a community group has been working to find a new name for the park. Roughly 150 different names were suggested following surveys and at community gatherings. The city's Recreation and Park Commission has now recommended the name Chochenyo Park after the lineage of the Ohlone tribe.

The proposed name change, which the Alameda City Council will consider at its meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, has been in the works for several years, but comes amid a national push to rename public places, schools and streets that honor people who practiced racism or espoused racist views.

The council will choose the new name from a list of 10 finalists, including Ohlone Park, Justice Park, Alameda Park, Peace Park and Mabel Tatum Park. Tatum was a Black woman who advocated for housing rights for low-income Alameda residents in the 1960s.

The park was originally named Alameda Park and is one of four city parks named after presidents. The others honor presidents George Washington, William McKinley and Abraham Lincoln.

Joshua Irwin Schiller, Gov. Newsom's brother-in-law, was arrested Wednesday night in Ross for alleged domestic violence, police officials said.

Ross police officers responded shortly before 11 p.m. to a disturbance at a residence.

Upon speaking with the residents and investigating the disturbance, responding officers determined Schiller had allegedly committed an act of domestic violence against his spouse/cohabitant.

According to police, the victim had visible injuries that were minor in nature and did not require immediate medical treatment.

Schiller was arrested and booked at Marin County Jail on suspicion of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.

Schiller, 40 years old, is a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner law firm, which is based in New York with offices in San Francisco.

The National Weather Service forecast for the San Francisco Bay area calls for overnight lows in the 40s and 50s. It will be sunny throughout the day Sunday with highs in the 70s, with upper 70s possible in some of the warmer regions of the Bay Area, such as eastern Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
A man has been arrested after gardai seized more than 117,000 in cash and a Rolex watch during a search in Dublin.

The cash was discovered during a search yesterday at an address in the Coolock, North Dublin. A vehicle and a Rolex watch were also seized by gardai.

A 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of involvement in a money laundering related offence and he is being detained at Coolock Garda Station.

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A garda spokesman said the seizure came as a result of an investigation into suspected organised crime gangs operating in Dublin.

"On 16th January 2021, in the course of ongoing investigations targeting persons suspected to be involved in organised crime, the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) supported by the Garda Dog Unit conducted a search at an address in the Coolock area of Dublin.

"In the course of this search, cash to a value of 117,000 was located and seized, along with one vehicle and a Rolex watch.

"One male, aged 35 years, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in money laundering related offence, contrary to the provisions of section 7, Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing) Act, 2010.

"He is currently detained under Section 4 of Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at Coolock Garda Station."

Speaking today Assistant Commissioner John ODriscoll, head of Organised and Serious Crime, said: "We continue to target those causing most harm in our community.

"This seizure of a significant quantity of cash will, we believe, contribute to the disruption and potential ultimate dismantling of particular organised crime groups that we continue to target, building on earlier success achieved, in recent years.
Connie Britton became a proud mom almost ten years ago when adopting her son from Ethiopia.

And the four-time Emmy nominee has nothing but words of encouragement for other people planning to adopt.

She recently got candid about her decision to adopt her son Eyob 'Yoby' back in November of 2011, when he was only nine months old, following the deaths of her own parents.

Best decision ever: Connie Britton recently got candid about her decision to adopt her son Eyob 'Yoby' from Ethiopia back in November of 2011, when he was only nine months old, following the deaths of her own parents

The 53-year-old said Thursday on Watch What Happens Live: 'I had no idea what I was even getting into. So it wasn't so much "I can do this" as much as I knew I wanted to be a mom.'

She revealed that the decision came amid a tough time in her life: 'And, in truth, both of my parents had passed away within three years, and suddenly I was like, "Oh, no. My family is no more."

'I mean, I have a twin sister, but that was a big loss, losing my parents. And I wasn't in a relationship that felt like it was going to be a marriage relationship.'

Britton added: 'And so I was like, "What am I waiting for? I know I want to adopt. I can do this." But that was a little delusional because it turns out it's a really hard thing to do, but I would only encourage anybody to do it. You can do it!'

Baby fever: The 53-year-old said Thursday on Watch What Happens Live: 'I had no idea what I was even getting into. So it wasn't so much "I can do this" as much as I knew I wanted to be a mom' (pictured in January, 2020)

Tragic loss: She revealed that the decision came amid a tough time in her life: 'And, in truth, both of my parents had passed away within three years, and suddenly I was like, "Oh, no. My family is no more"' (pictured in December, 2019)

She most recently gave a rare glimpse at her nine-year-old back in March, as she took to Instagram to celebrate her birthday, Eyob helping her blow out her candles.

The American Horror Story actress has made an effort to keep her son educated about his Ethiopian roots, including semi-frequent trips to his native country in East Africa.

She told Us Weekly in December of 2019: 'We talk about it all the time. There's a big map of Ethiopia and Africa and in his room, but we also travel back to Africa.

Proud mom: She most recently gave a rare glimpse at her nine-year-old back in March, as she took to Instagram to celebrate her birthday, Eyob helping her blow out her candles

His roots: The American Horror Story actress has made an effort to keep her son educated about his Ethiopian roots, including semi-frequent trips to his native country in East Africa

New addition? When asked if she's planning on giving Eyob a sibling, she said: 'Yes and no. Once you become a parent, you're like, "Oh, this isnt super easy. This is challenging!"'

'We've basically been back every other year since I adopted him, and I'm really committed to that We just try to be as vocal about his experience and where he came from as possible in our daily lives. I just want him to know what that world is.'

Britton said it's 'even more important' to keep him informed, as she adopted him when he was a baby: 'He's, like, a super American kid. But he's very proud of being from Ethiopia. I think it's always made him feel special.'

When asked if she's planning on giving Eyob a sibling, she said: 'Yes and no. Once you become a parent, you're like, "Oh, this isnt super easy. This is challenging!"'

The single mom is preparing to appear among a star-studded lineup at President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris' virtual inauguration concert on Sunday.
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The West Africa Centre for Counter Extremism (WACCE), with support from the United States Embassy, has trained over 1, 800 peace ambassadors in selected areas in the last three years to help prevent violent extremism in Ghana.

The selected areas were considered by WACCE to be areas that were vulnerable to the threats of violent extremism in the country.



The Executive Director of WACCE, Mr Mutaru Mumuni Muqthar, briefing the press in Tamale last Thursday, said all border communities in the country were considered prone to violent extremism.



According to the executive director, as the threat of violent extremism descended towards coastal states from the Sahel, Ghana faced potential threats of recruitment and radicalisation as attacks in



Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger had increased since 2016,with more than 4,000 deaths reported in 2019 alone.



Ghanas strong interaction with and proximity to Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mali and Niger  all theatres for terrorist violence, have in the last four years provoked predictions and fears that the country could be among the next new frontier for radicalisation and attacks in West Africa, he said.



He added that more than 13 Ghanaians were believed to have joined terrorist groups which gave a sign that if swift and adequate measures were not put in place against the threat, attacks were going to become realities in Ghana.



Womens role Mr Muqthar said WACCE was also organising a two-day capacity building workshops in the regional capitals of the three traditional regions in the northern part of the country to empower 200 individuals to serve as effective actors in preventing violence extremism in the country.



He said women with adequate knowledge and training on the prevention of violent extremism could effect a huge positive change in the lives of vulnerable individuals, especially in the vulnerable areas in Ghana.



Women play a catalytic role in shaping behavioural patterns and character development of the individual as they spend larger amount of time at home with children and young adults, he added.



Background



The WACCE is an independent not-for-profit organisation focused on counter-terrorism research in West Africa, as well as a leading organisation focused on preventing violent extremism in Ghana.









Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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'Zoom posted quarterly revenues of $777.2m (640m) in its most recent earnings report and the company has a market capitalisation of just under $100bn.' (AP)

Video-conferencing giant Zoom, one of the pandemic's biggest success stories, has begun hiring employees in Ireland with the help of a Dublin-based recruiter.

It has made a number of roles open to Irish applicants to work remotely for the company, including a marketing lead for healthcare-focused products, sales executives and VAT analysts.

Phil Perry, Zoom's head of UK and Ireland, said the firm has adapted its recruitment strategies to different markets depending on demand.
Less than 100 hours ahead of his historic inauguration, US President-elect has either nominated or named at least 20 Indian Americans, including 13 women, to key positions in his administration, a new record in itself for this small ethnic community that constitutes one per cent of the country's population. As many as 17 of them would be part of the powerful White House complex.

The January 20th inauguration, the 59th in all, wherein Biden would be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States is already historic in the making as for the first time ever a woman Kamala Harris would be sworn as the vice president of the country.

Harris, 56, is also the first ever Indian-origin and African American to be sworn in as the vice president of the United States.

It is also for the first time ever that so many Indian-Americans have been roped into a presidential administration ever before the inauguration. Biden is still quite far away from filling all the positions in his administration.

Topping the list is Neera Tanden, who has been nominated as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget and Dr Vivek Murthy, who has been nominated as the US Surgeon General.

Vanita Gupta has been nominated as Associate Attorney General Department of Justice, and on Saturday, Biden nominated a former foreign service official Uzra Zeya as the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.

The dedication that the Indian-American community has shown to public service over the years has been recognised in a big way at the very start of this administration! I am particularly pleased that the overwhelming majority are women. Our community has truly arrived in serving the nation, Indiaspora founder M R Rangaswami told PTI.





Mala Adiga has been appointed as Policy Director to the future First Lady Dr Jill Biden and Garima Verma would be the Digital Director of the Office of the First Lady, while Sabrina Singh has been named as her Deputy Press Secretary.

For the first time ever among the Indian-Americans include two who trace their roots to Kashmir: Aisha Shah, who has been named as Partnership Manager at the White House Office of Digital Strategy, and Sameera Fazili, who would occupy the key position of Deputy Director at the US National Economic Council (NEC) in the White House.

White House National Economic Council also has another Indian American, Bharat Ramamurti, as Deputy Director.

Gautam Raghavan, who served at the White House in the previous Obama Administration returns to the White House as Deputy Director in Office of Presidential Personnel.

Among Biden's inner circle is his top confident for year Vinay Reddy, who has been named as Director Speechwriting. Young Vedant Patel all set to occupy a seat in the White House lower press, behind the briefing room, as Assistant Press Secretary to the President. He is only the third-ever Indian American to be part of the White House press shop.

Three Indian-Americans have made their way to the crucial National Security Council of the White House, thus leaving a permanent imprint on the country's foreign policy and national security.

They are Tarun Chhabra: Senior Director for Technology and National Security, Sumona Guha, Senior Director for South Asia, Shanthi Kalathil: Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights.

Sonia Aggarwal has been named Senior Advisor for Climate Policy and Innovation in the Office of the Domestic Climate Policy at the White House and Vidur Sharma has been appointed as Policy Advisor for Testing for the White House COVID-19 Response Team.

Two Indian Americans women have been appointed to the Office of the White House Counsel: Neha Gupta as Associate Counsel and Reema Shah as Deputy Associate Counsel.

Also, for the first time in any administration, the White House would have three other South Asians in key positions.

Pakistani-American Ali Zaidi as Deputy National Climate Advisor White House; Sri Lankan American Rohini Kosoglu as Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President and Bangladeshi-American Zayn Siddique: Senior Advisor to the White House Deputy Chief of Staff.

During the campaign, Biden had indicated that he would rope in a large number of Indian Americans.

As President, I'll also continue to rely on Indian-American diaspora, that keeps our two nations together, as I have throughout my career, Biden had said in his address to the Indian-American community during a virtual celebration of India's Independence Day on August 15, 2020.

My constituents in Delaware, my staff in the Senate, the Obama Biden administration, which had more Indian Americans than any other administration in the history of this country and this campaign with Indian Americans at senior levels, which of course includes the top of the heap, our dear friend (Kamala Harris) who will be the first Indian American vice president in the history of the United States of America, Biden said in his video address.
Braslia, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2021 ) :Brazil's Anvisa health regulator gave emergency approval Sunday for its first two coronavirus vaccines as the country gears up to roll out a mass inoculation campaign amid a devastating second epidemic wave.

It authorized AstraZeneca and Oxford University's Covishield shot as well as China's CoronaVac for use in the country where the Covid-19 death toll now exceeds 209,000, Anvisa announced.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says public health officials are taking mutations of COVID-19 very seriously, including a highly contagious strain thats spread across 50 countries and become the dominant source of infection in the United Kingdom as well as more ominous strains in Brazil and South Africa.

You dont want people to panic, Fauci told NBC News Meet the Press on Sunday morning. But ... people need to realize, theres more than one mutant strain. Theres one from the U.K thats essentially dominated, thats the one that is actually seen in the United States. Theres another more ominous one in South Africa and Brazil. Were looking at all of them very, very carefully.

Even though the mutant strains show no signs of being more virulent, increased contagiousness as documented in the U.K. strain leads to more cases, and the more cases you have, the more hospitalizations you have ... the more deaths youre going to have, said Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert.

The important question is, does that mutation lessen the impact of the vaccine, Fauci said. If it does ... then were going to have to make some modifications.

A study published last week suggests Pfizer-BioNTechs coronavirus vaccine is effective in protecting against the U.K. and South Africa strains. Nearly two dozen states in the U.S., including Massachusetts, have reported cases of the U.K. strain, according to NBC News.

In Brazil  where 8.4 million people have contracted COVID-19, the third-highest total behind the U.S. and India  officials are studying a strain first detected by Japanese officials in four Brazilian travelers earlier this month, CNBC reported Friday. Japans National Institute of Infectious Diseases says officials are trying to determine how infectious the strain is and whether existing vaccines will still work against it.

Dr. Fauci says he doesn't "want people to panic," but says there's an even "more ominous" variant lurking in South Africa & Brazil. #MTP #IfItsSunday



"People need to realize there's more than one strain, [like the] U.K. one that has essentially dominated." pic.twitter.com/J6YuxZlXsJ  Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) January 17, 2021

The BBC reported Friday that the Brazil strain is similar to a South Africa variant first detected in October thats now spread to 20 countries. The strain reportedly has one of the same mutations as the highly contagious U.K. strain, and an additional two mutations, including one that may prevent antibodies from protecting against the virus.

The U.K. has banned direct flights and restricted travel from South Africa, and recently banned travel from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde, according to CNBC.

Fauci noted that the release of new data in preparation for emergency use authorization of vaccines from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca was weeks away, not months away, for sure. Vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Inc. are currently being administered across the country.

He also expressed confidence that President-elect Joe Biden could deliver on his goal to vaccinate 100 million people within 100 days of taking office.

Maybe the silver lining is, that when you have a variant thats really very, very different and more contagious, it tells you to do two things: double down on the public health measures weve been talking about, everybody wear a mask, keep the distance and avoid the congregate settings, and when a vaccine becomes available ... get the vaccine, Fauci said. If we can get an overwhelming majority of the population vaccinated, we could be in good shape and beat even the mutant.

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BCSO

A deputy with the Bexar County Sheriffs Office was arrested and placed on unpaid leave after he was arrested early Sunday.

Maverick Mason Moreland, 35, was off duty when he allegedly assaulted a fellow off-duty deputy, whom he was dating, at the Happy Hut bar on West Avenue, the sheriffs office said in a news release. He was arrested around 12:37 a.m. by the San Antonio Police Department for assault family violence dating and criminal mischief.
Former Russian President Medvedev Op-Ed Sees U.S. Elections as Replay of Maidan Coup

Jan. 16 , 2021 (EIRNS)Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and former President of the Russian Federation, commented on the implications of the U.S. elections in a lengthy op-ed for TASS today, headlined, Dmitry Medvedev: America 2.0. After the Election. While his comments focus on what he calls the faults of an antiquated system, making the usual criticism of the Electoral College and the states control of voting procedures, he nonetheless highlighted the election fraud, and asserted that the events in Washington are reminiscent of the 2014 Maidan in Kiev, describing the censorship of President Trump as a rise of cyber totalitarianism.

Medvedev opens by establishing that U.S. elections also have global implications: Elections in this country, especially when there is a transfer of power from one political force to the other, can trigger significant changes in the global economic development, seriously affecting the existing institutions of international law and global security system.... It would be nice if the U.S. political establishment realized this responsibility.

Furthermore, he states,

U.S. officials in the OSCE constantly point to the need for the OSCE participating States to comply with the recommendations by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights drawn up based on the results of its election observation activities. In the meantime, the U.S. itself fails to act on the relevant recommendations....

As for the events on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol, he wrote: It was hard to believe that the events resembling so much Ukraines Maidan and other color revolutions that unfolded in recent years across a wide range of countries, including those in the postSoviet space, were broadcasted live from the United States all over the world. The techniques previously used by Washington for democratization of other countries backfired. The cold civil war that had been raging in the U.S. for a few months reached its climax....

There is one more critical issue.... I am talking about the unprecedented role in public politics of social networks and new media, and, accordingly, of private IT companies that own those platforms.... He cited the suspension of President Donald Trumps Twitter account which has 85 million followers, along with the censorship his other accounts that have a total of about 200 million followers.

Stating that the tech giants trashed the 75 million Trump voters and hundreds of millions of his supporters, he writes, Isnt it, indeed, a specter of cyber totalitarianism that is gradually overwhelming the society, taking away from it (and potentially the entire world) the opportunity to see the reality for what it is? But even if Donald Trump leaves the politics for good and the Tech Giants wipe out his digital footprint, the minds will remain hugely polarized....
Online misinformation about the U.S. election fraud plunged by as much as 73 percent the week after President Donald Trump was kicked off Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites, reports the Washington Post. There are other factors that could have contributed to that dramatic drop, including the banning of lots of accounts that peddled conspiracy theories, including those affiliated with QAnon. But, overall, the research by Zignal Labs suggests tech companies can prevent false information from spreading if they decide to take decisive action. In the week after Trump was banned from Twitter, conversations about election fraud plunged from 2.5 million mentions to 688,000 mentions across several social media platforms.

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The change in tone on social media wasnt just about election fraud, but also the hashtags that were popular among those who stormed the Capitol also plunged precipitously. Zignal found that the use of hashtags affiliated with the Capitol riot also dipped considerably, notes the Washington Post. Mentions of the hashtag #FightforTrump, which was widely deployed across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media services in the week before the rally, dropped 95 percent. #HoldTheLine and the term March for Trump also fell more than 95 percent. Besides the Trump ban, the appetite for this kind of talk likely also decreased after the Capitol riot.

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The research by Zignal, which was carried out from Jan. 9 through Friday, shows how misinformation can quickly spread through social media accounts that share similar ideologies. Thats why, at least in the short term, the banning of Trump and the accounts of some of his staunchest allies appears to have had such a dramatic effect What happens in the long term is still up in the air, Kate Starbird, a disinformation researcher at the University of Washington, said. Trump returned to Twitter on Jan. 13 in a video message posted to the official White House account in which he complained about an unprecedented assault on free speech, adding that what is needed now is for us to listen to one another, not to silence one another.
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP)  Luka Garza had 17 points and 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes, and No. 5 Iowa rolled to a 96-73 victory over Northwestern on Sunday.

Joe Wieskamp had 16 points and CJ Fredrick added 13 as the Hawkeyes (12-2, 6-1 in the Big Ten) won their fifth straight. Iowa and Michigan are tied for the conference lead.

Garza, who entered averaging 27.6 points, sat out the final 12 minutes because of the lopsided score. He was 7 for 12 from the field and scored all of his points in the first half.

Luka was not quite as dominant as he always is, Wieskamp said. But he was getting double-teamed and he was finding open guys. Teams have to respect Luka in the post. If they double team him, we have a lot of guys open.

Pete Nance had 16 points and Boo Buie added 12 for Northwestern (6-6, 3-5), which dropped its fifth in a row.

We knew what we were facing. Theyre truly one of the elite teams, Wildcats coach Chris Collins said. If youre going to win, you have to play well on both ends and we fell short of that.

Northwestern got off to a solid start and led 29-28 with just under eight minutes left in the first half on the strength of four 3s by Buie.

Iowa then took control with 13 straight points, six by Jack Nunge. The Hawkeyes led 49-37 at the break and opened the second half with a 13-2 run for a 62-39 advantage.

BIG PICTURE

Iowa: The Hawkeyes were coming off a seven-day layoff because Thursday's game against Michigan State was postponed. It didn't affect their sharpness. The blowout win also allowed Garza to gain some added rest, which could pay off later in the season.

Northwestern: This was the Wildcats' sixth straight game against a ranked opponent. They won the first game of that stretch against Ohio State on Dec. 26 but have dropped the last five, all by double digits. The previous longest streak of ranked opponents was four.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

With the comfortable win, Iowa should remain in the top five when the new poll is released on Monday. Co-conference leader Michigan beat No. 9 Wisconsin but lost by 18 points at No. 23 Minnesota.

Story continues

VIEW AT THE TOP

While the Iowa players noted in their postgame comments that they'd moved into a tie atop the Big Ten standings, coach Fran McCaffery never mentioned it to the team.

I really dont pay much attention to the standings, he said. Were about a third of the way through the schedule and weve got some really good opponents coming up. It really doesnt matter at this time of year.

UP NEXT

Iowa: Hosts Indiana Thursday night.

Northwestern: At No. 9 Wisconsin Wednesday night.

___

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
A magnitude 3.8 earthquake near Porterville, Tulare County, California, USA, was reported only 9 minutes ago by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), considered the key international and national agency that monitors seismic activity in the US. The earthquake occurred at a very shallow depth of 0.9 miles beneath the epicenter early evening on Saturday 16 January 2021 at 7:14 pm local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report. ...

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude 3.2 quake in the United States near Ridgecrest, Kern County, California, only 9 minutes ago. The earthquake hit early evening on Saturday 16 January 2021 at 7:30 pm local time at a very shallow depth of 0.3 miles. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report. ...

We are receiving unverified early reports of seismic activity in or around San Francisco Bay Area, USA at approximately 04:01 GMT. There are no details yet on the magnitude or depth of this earthquake. We expect more accurate data to emerge in the next few minutes. The location and magnitude mentioned are indicative and temporary until the AllQuakes monitoring service receives more exact scientific data from a national or international seismological agency. Check back here shortly and stay safe. ...

We are receiving unverified early reports of seismic activity in or around California, USA at approximately 04:02 GMT. There are no details yet on the magnitude or depth of this earthquake. We expect more accurate data to emerge in the next few minutes. The location and magnitude mentioned are indicative and temporary until the AllQuakes monitoring service receives more exact scientific data from a national or international seismological agency. Check back here shortly and stay safe. ...

An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 occurred in the evening on Saturday 16 January 2021 at 8:01 pm local time near Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, California, USA, as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). ...

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude 4.3 quake in the United States near Eureka, Humboldt County, California, only 8 minutes ago. The earthquake hit late at night on Saturday 16 January 2021 at 10:25 pm local time at a very shallow depth of 2.7 miles. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report. ...

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New Delhi:

Men thrash mentally-challenged woman with a rubber pipe in Rajasthan's Nagaur district. According to the reports, the mentally-challenged woman was forced to say 'Allah', 'Jai Shri Ram' & 'Jai Hanuman'.

This incident took place on Tuesday but came to light after the video of the incident was uploaded on social media on Thursday.

Two persons have been arrested for allegedly thrashing a mentally-challenged woman with a rubber pipe in Nagaur district of Rajasthan, police said on Thursday.

 Deep Mukherjee (@thinkdeep4ever) June 15, 2017

Two persons identified as Prakash Meghwal and Shrawan Meghwal have been arrested, polic said.

We are also searching for the man who uploaded the video on social media, SHO, Balaji police station, Puranmal Meena said. He said the suspects beat the woman on the suspicion that she was entering their fields with some ill-intention.

We are trying to search the victim woman and appropriate action will be taken following her statement, police said.

Also Read: SHOCKING Video! Youth assaults girl for allegedly rejecting his love proposal in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit; case registered

More details awaited.

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Russias COVID-19 cases rose by 23,586 in the past day to 3,568,209, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Sunday, TASS reports.

The average growth rate did not exceed 0.7% in the past two days.

The lowest growth rates in the past day were recorded in the Tuva Republic, the Chukotka Autonomous Region (0.2%), the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, the Jewish Autonomous Region (0.3%), the Magadan, Kemerovo, Tomsk Regions and the Republic of Ingushetia (0.4%).

Over the past day, another 3,316 COVID-19 cases were registered in St. Petersburg, 1,426 in the Moscow Region, 484 in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, 395 in the Sverdlovsk Region and 394 in the Rostov Region.

Currently, 542,212 people are undergoing treatment for the coronavirus in Russia.

GOOD JOB!/NEEDS WORK ... Jet engine plant comes in for a landing

Good job! Matt Matteson chronicled in detail in the Jan. 6 issue how industry recruiters from across the region, the North Carolina Commerce Department and Biltmore Farms owner Jack Cecil combined forces to land the Pratt & Whitney advanced manufacturing plant  a $650 million investment that will result in a 1-million-square-foot plant and 800 jobs paying $68,000 a year.

The plant is seen as the anchor facility in the 1,000-acre Biltmore West industrial park  what Cecil called a lighthouse of innovation shining the way for more business and more high-paying jobs. This is the largest industrial economic development project in Western North Carolina that we are aware of, David Rhoades, communications director of the state Department of Commerce, told the Lightning. Due to the multiplier effect, our economists have projected that the project will grow to a $7.4 billion economic impact in 12 years. The Golden Leaf Foundation and community colleges in Hendersonville and Asheville also were partners on the team that landed one of the regions biggest economic development catches in recent decades. The partnerships incentives add up to $62 million and include a bridge over the French Broad River. We predict years from now, everyone will recognize the largesse as a wise investment.

Needs work  The Henderson County Board of Commissioners stumbled out of the gate at the end of last year when it twice booted a decision on hiring a planning consultant to guide the drafting of a new comprehensive land-use plan. Few decisions are as important as the comp plan rewrite  a countywide policy designed to guide development through 2045. The plan will have a profound impact on the future living conditions for our county citizens, Bill Lapsley, newly elected as chair of the Board of Commissioners, said last month. This is a big deal, a really big deal from my perspective. Commissioners cant agree, however, on which consulting firm to hire to compile the data, gather public input and draft a plan. A team made up of county planners and department heads spent months reviewing the proposals from seven candidates. Commissioners looked at the recommended choice for the job and said, well, Needs work! They sent the planning staff back for a redo. Heres hoping that a fitful start does not portend the process going forward.



Good job! For years we have advocated greater openness in the process to fill key executive positions in government  whether its a school superintendent, town manager or police chief. The School Board, county commissioners and city councils have generally disregarded our calls for transparency. Theyve conducted searches, vetted candidates, completed closed-door interviews and made final decisions, then publicly announced the outcome. Given that common practice, we were delighted to see that the Hendersonville City Council announced the two finalists for city police chief then scheduled an opportunity for the press and the public to ask questions. That kind of transparency is a good way to encourage the communitys support for big hiring decisions that affect day-to-day lives of the citizenry.
Boston police on Sunday temporarily shut down streets surrounding the Massachusetts State House, where a new barrier was reportedly installed amid heavy threats of violence in Washington, D.C. and state capitals.

Traffic Advisory: Beacon St will be closed from Charles to Tremont St, Park St is closed at Tremont St, Bowdoin St will be closed from Cambridge St to Beacon St, and Somerset will be closed from Cambridge St to Beacon St. We will advise when they reopen  Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) January 17, 2021

The Boston Globe reported Sunday morning that workers placed heavy fencing around the State House and dozens of police officers were seen on Beacon Street. Existing fencing was reinforced and some State House windows are now covered by plexiglass, the Globe reported.

Just before 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Boston police said that all streets around the State House had reopened.

Traffic Advisory: All streets around the State House have been reopened  Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) January 17, 2021

Last week, Gov. Charlie Baker announced there were no specific threats against the building following the FBIs warning of increased activity from far-right groups, white supremacists and armed militias after a mob of loyalists to President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

The Capitol attack, which followed Trumps repeated calls for followers to try to stop Congress from sealing President-elect Joe Bidens victory, left a police officer and four rioters dead, and led to Trumps unprecedented second impeachment for incitement of insurrection against his own Capitol.

The safety of the Massachusetts State House, its employees and its neighbors is of utmost importance, Baker said in a statement on Jan. 8. As we witness the events in Washington, D.C. and across the nation, we are aware of the need to ensure the safety of this building and those who work within it. We continually assess our security needs and will adjust as necessary.

The FBI and Massachusetts State Police have also said there are no direct threats against the State House.

The New York Times reported Sunday that at least 19 states have activated National Guard units.

Baker has activated about 1,000 National Guardsmen, half of which deployed to Washington, D.C. to assist troops from across the country defend the nations capital in the days leading up to Bidens inauguration on Wednesday.

This morning, @MassLtGov, Speaker @RonMariano, Senate President @KarenSpilka and I issued a joint statement making clear that the safety of the State House, employees and its neighbors is of the utmost importance. pic.twitter.com/ZwdIlb4ca3  Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) January 8, 2021

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BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's caretaker health minister signed a final deal on Sunday to secure 2.1 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine as the country battles a steep rise in infections.

The vaccines are expected to arrive in batches starting February, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry is also cooperating with the private sector to secure 2 million vaccine doses from Astrazenca and Sinopharm, it added.

Lebanon is under a three-week lockdown that ends on Feb. 1 and a strict 24-hour curfew until Jan. 25 after lax measures over the Christmas and New Year's holiday period led to a spike in cases.

In addition to these deals, Lebanon has also signed up for 2.7 million doses to be delivered through COVAX, the global scheme backed by the World Health Organization to provide vaccines to poorer countries.

(Reporting By Maha El Dahan; Editing by Toby Chopra)
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Chris Evans first played Steve Rogers in 2011's 'Captain America: The First Avenger' and retired the role in 2019's 'Avengers: Endgame.'

Hollywood star Chris Evans has seemingly denied reports that he might be returning as fan-favourite superhero Captain America in a future Marvel Cinematic Universe project.

There were reports earlier in the day that Evans, who bade adieu to the part with 2019 blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, was planning a comeback in a new movie.

But his most recent post on Twitter has put an end to all speculation and also dashing hopes of many MCU fans.

"News to me," he wrote in a post, indicating that he has no plans to return as Captain America in future.

Evans had said goodbye to Captain America, one of his most memorable on-screen characters when he wrapped up the filming for Avengers: Endgame in 2018.

In an emotional post on Twitter, Evans had said, "Officially wrapped on Avengers 4. It was an emotional day, to say the least. Playing this role over the last eight years has been an honour."

"To everyone in front of the camera, behind the camera, and in the audience, thank you for the memories! Eternally grateful," he wrote.

Marvel fans first saw Evans as Steve Rogers aka Captain America in 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger.

Since then, he appeared in six Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies as Cap, besides making guest appearances in a couple of other films.
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.


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Like so many authors who have released books during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine, Phil Klay is disappointed that he hasnt gotten to interact personally with his readers.

Learning firsthand what his readers think is one of the really delightful things about writing books, says Klay, an associate professor in Fairfield Universitys master of the fine arts in creative writing program.

However, Klays debut novel, Missionaries, released in October, received some positive feedback from a very special reader.

Missionaries  which uses interlocking stories of four characters to tell a story of civil war in Colombia  was chosen by former President Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of 2020. Its the second time Obama has picked one of Klays books for his personal top 10, but the experience doesnt get old.

Its an amazing feeling, but its strange, says Klay, 37, of Queens, N.Y. One of the reasons that its strange is that Ive been critical of the president and his foreign policy. At the same time, Im deeply appreciative that hes interested in what I have to say.

Klay is a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War. Both Missionaries and Klays previous book  the short story collection Redeployment  focus on war and its aftermath. Though Klay has been interested in writing since he was in college, his need to express himself through books grew even deeper after his service in Iraq.

(It) left me with a sense of urgency around the topic of war, Klay says. I dont feel as though we have adequately come to terms as a society with war.

Writing, he says, is one of the ways he tries to make sense, not just of war, but of the world around him. Thats why hes been disappointed that he hasnt been able to personally connect with readers at book signings and other events during the promotion of Missionaries.

I didnt get a chance to see what readers made of it, Klay says.

But he has gotten positive feedback, not just from Obama, but also from the Wall Street Journal, which also put Missionaries on its list of 2020s best books.

Redeployment also was critically lauded, receiving the 2014 National Book Award for Fiction, the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Award for best debut work in any genre, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundations James Webb Award and several other notable awards.

That Obama was a fan of his work, Klay learned through friends who saw the then-president speaking favorably about Redeployment on cable news.

All of my friends who watch Fareed Zakaria were like Phil! Klay recalls, laughing.

Klay is now at work editing a collection of his essays, which he hopes to publish some time next year. Hopefully, by the time that book comes out, the pandemic will have loosened enough for Klay to get the thoughts and feelings of his readers who havent held the highest office in the country.

Its a very odd thing to put a book out there now, Klay says.

acuda@ctpost.com; Twitter: @AmandaCuda
Weather Alert

...FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 8 AM EDT FRIDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures in the lower to mid 30s will result in frost formation. * WHERE...All of northern New York, and much of central and northern Vermont away from Lake Champlain. * WHEN...From 1 AM to 8 AM EDT Friday. * IMPACTS...Frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if left uncovered. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. &&
The San Antonio Coalition for Police Accountability on Saturday condemned comments from the head of the San Antonio Police Officers Association and called for an investigation of local law enforcement officers who may have participated in the riot at the Capitol.

No one is against good cops, said coalition president Mario Salas, but the SAPOA insists on protecting bad cops. The current collective bargaining agreement prevents SAPD management from using any prior misconduct by police officers against them when considering new misconduct claims. How does that make any sense?

Salas was joined by Josey Garcia of Reliable Revolutionaries; Pharaoh Clark, Black Lives Matter organizer; and Dorothy Wallace of Black Lives and Allies in Community at a news conference Saturday at Ariel House, 8118 Data Point Dr.

The former councilman blasted incoming SAPOA president John Danny Diaz for Diazs comments last week alleging that members of FixSAPD, a group of police reform activists, had misrepresented themselves as police officers during a petition drive seeking to end collective bargaining.

On ExpressNews.com: Activists submit 20,000 signatures to San Antonio City Clerk

In early January, Fix SAPD submitted 20,000 signatures to the city clerks office, seeking to have a city charter amendment placed on the May ballot that would repeal Chapter 174 of the Texas Local Government Code, which gives police the power to engage in collective bargaining.

At a news conference with Police Chief William McManus the same week the petition was turned in, the police association claimed that a great number of these signatures have been collected under false pretenses.

Saturday, SAPOA President Mike Helle stood by the unions comments, repeating that the union had received several credible reports from citizens, including reports that have been filed with SAPD, that FIX has been misrepresenting themselves as being from or with the San Antonio Police Department.

As to Mr. Salas absurd attempts to tie SAPD Officers to the terrible events in Washington on January 6th, I will not dignify that with a response, Helle said, and I trust no credible journalist will either.

Coalition members said paid petitioners and volunteers started canvassing neighborhoods in late August.

Clark said they were surprised by Diazs comments because the coalition had just had a Zoom meeting with him. Clark said it was very disheartening to see the SAPOA leader say they were the enemy, after sitting with coalition leaders to address issues.

We dont see them as enemies and we hope that they dont see us as enemies, Clark said. What were trying to do is ask for the accountability that should already be in place. These are things that in 2021 we should not be asking for. These are things that were being fought for in the 50s and 60s.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio police chief, union leader try to discredit reform activists

Clark said in the days after Diazs comments, some of the petitioners have been followed and harassed.

They gave the impression that we are anti-police when nothing is further from the truth, Clark said. Were pro good police. What we are anti is bad officers that are left on the force to torture our citizens and abuse their authority.

Garcia said petitioners are now emphasizing their names and that they are with Fix SAPD to avoid any perception of misidentification.

Garcia said coalition leaders are encouraging petitioners to file a police report if they are accosted or harassed, depending on the severity of the incident.

This is indicative of a huge problem that we have within our city when our officials are fear-mongering the public to not be a part of the democratic process, she said. That really has to make you think of what evils were up against as ordinary citizens.

Wallace said there was a great deal of training to become a petitioner. She said her group sponsored drive-thru events where people could sign the petition.

With regard to the police union comments, Wallace said she was offended that they said petitioners portrayed themselves as police.

Were trying to put this on a ballot so people can vote yes or no, she said. Thats all the petitioners were doing.

vtdavis@express-news.net
Bigg Boss 13's Himanshi Khurana Taking Home Over Rs. 1 Crore To Judge A Talent Hunt In Punjab

The Bigg Boss experience does wonders to the professional careers of its participants but theres never been a more popular batch of the show than the contestants of season 13 Himanshi Khurrana is all set to judge a talent show in Punjabi where she herself made her debut and if reports are anything to go by the hefty pay cheque shes getting paid for it will certainly leave you impressed.

Himanshi will be judging the Miss PTC Punjabi Contest 2021 and thanks to her Bigg Boss earned popularity she will be getting something between Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 1.5 crores for it. These reports are still unconfirmed but even so it sure looks like big leg up for Himanshi.

The model turned actor also started her career with the same modeling platform back in 2011 where she was finalist.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Himanshi Khurana  (@iamhimanshikhurana)

Talking to IANS Himanshi spoke about returning to talent hunt as a judge and said, "What a nostalgic feeling of judging Miss PTC Punjabi 2021, where I myself was a finalist. I thoroughly understand the adrenaline rush that one undergoes while competing. That feeling of going out there representing yourself on stage it is a mixed feeling of being nervous and overwhelming at the same time.

She also added, "This time too, I will be getting the same feeling, the only difference is this time I'll be on the other side of the chair. I hope, just as I won the hearts as a participant I'll do the same as a judge. May the best one win.

Himanshi gained popularity for her relationship on Bigg Boss 13 with co-contestant Asim Riaz. The couple is still going stead nearly a year after they season ended. The actress who was in a steady relationship and engaged to her ex Chow, she, however, called it off after she developed feeling fro Asim on the show.

The government-sanctioned harassment of Martin Luther King Jr. provides the chilling spine of "MLK/FBI," a documentary timed to the annual holiday for the civil rights icon. Director Sam Pollard's film also raises an interesting question -- namely, what historians and journalists owe King's legacy in terms of releasing material amassed specifically in an effort to sully his name.

Former FBI director James Comey describes J. Edgar Hoover's obsession with King, and his unsettling campaign to discredit him, as "the darkest part of the bureau's history." Determined to uncover communist influence within the civil-rights movement, FBI surveillance revealed a more salacious fact -- that King was unfaithful to his wife, Coretta Scott King, a disclosure that Hoover sought to use as leverage against him.

Some additional information about the FBI spying on King came out in a document released in 2017. The ugly nature of that hounding included letters threatening exposure and urging him to commit suicide. As one historian notes, Hoover's broader goal was to hobble the movement that King led by "destroying its figurehead," a mission that assumed greater urgency in Hoover's eyes after King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Pollard explores the complicated relationship between King and President Lyndon Johnson, who were allies in championing civil rights before Johnson soured on King when he took a principled stand against the Vietnam War.

Former King aide and Atlanta mayor Andrew Young recalls that the movement's leadership "assumed the rooms were bugged," but they couldn't have anticipated the extent to which the FBI employed paid informants in order to spy on them.

Hoover's vendetta -- stemming from his belief that King was "morally unfit," says historian David Garrow -- offers a troubling portrait of government overreach and wiretapping. Yet the intellectual exercise buried within the film lies in the fact the intelligence gathered is scheduled to become unsealed in 2027, raising issues of how to handle material that is historically significant -- in terms of understanding the full extent of the FBI's transgressions -- and horribly intrusive to King's memory.

The film is fleshed out with fascinating footage of King in various settings, including appearances on talk shows and receiving his Nobel award. The director juxtaposes that with a study of Hoover and the FBI culture he established, while touching lightly on his biography.

"MLK/FBI" not only offers a compelling portrait of what was, but beyond just looking back, sets up a debate about what will be. In the process, the documentary sheds light on a dark part of US history while leaving viewers to contemplate just how dark its more sordid corners should remain.

"MLK/FBI" premieres in select theaters and on demand on Jan. 15.
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Billionaire rag trader Solomon Lew has declared it is "business as usual" at his $3.9 billion fashion retailer despite the unexpected departure of chief executive Mark McInnes.

Premier, which runs Smiggle, Peter Alexander and Just Jeans, told investors on Monday morning that Mr McInnes had advised he planned to step down from his role. He must serve a compulsory notice period of one year and will have been in the job for a decade by the time he exits.

Mark McInnes will serve a 12-month notice period and the company has the option to restrict him from retail roles for two years. Credit:Paul Jeffers

Premier chairman Solomon Lew said Mr McInnes had decided to leave his post due to his "desire to commit more time to his family than the demands of the role allow".

"At this time, it is business as usual. The board has commenced a process to ensure an orderly transition, including a comprehensive search."
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 17: National Guard soldiers secure a gate to the east front of the U.S. Capitol on the morning of January 17, 2021 in Washington, DC. After last week's riots at the U.S. Capitol Building, the FBI has warned of additional threats in the nation's capital and in all 50 states. According to reports, as many as 25,000 National Guard soldiers will be guarding the city as preparations are made for the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th U.S. President. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

A Virginia man arrested by law enforcement in Washington DC after trying to pass through an inauguration security checkpoint carrying an unregistered pistol and ammunition said he had gotten lost and did not mean to be in the capital.

Wesley Allen Beeler, 31, drove into the heavily locked down portion of Washington DC surrounding the White House and the US Capitol. In order to move through that part of the city, visitors must pass through security checkpoints.

When he was intercepted by the Capitol Police, Me Beeler was arrested for possessing an unregistered firearm, unregistered ammunition and for carrying a pistol without a license, according to The Washington Post.

The man was released on personal recognisance and the ruling did not face opposition from prosecutors.

Mr Beeler said it was an "honest mistake" and denied details in the police report that suggested he had upwards of 500 rounds of ammunition in his truck.

He claimed he has spent the past week working as a hired security guard in Washington DC in anticipation of the inauguration. He says that on the day he was arrested he was running late and only realised when he was halfway to DC that he had his gun in his car. He was unwilling to turn around, so he kept going, and said he got lost driving around the District, which ultimately led to his arrest.

"I pulled up to a checkpoint after getting lost in DC because I'm a country boy," he said. "I showed them the inauguration badge that was given to me."

On Saturday, Capitol Police said the badge he presented was a "non-governmental" credential.

Mr Beeler was provided his credential  which was not recognised by authorities  by his employers, MVP Protective Services.

The officers who stopped Mr Beeler said their concern grew when they saw bumper stickers on his truck that read "Assault Life" and "If they come for your guns give 'em your bullets first".

Story continues

They asked if he had any weapons in the car, and Mr Beeler admitted to carrying a Glock in his centre console.

The arresting officers then removed Mr Beeler from his truck and said they found his handgun, which was loaded and ready to fire with a high-capacity magazine carrying 17 rounds of ammunition.

They also said they found more than 500 rounds of ammunition, including hollow-point bullets, which are often use by shooting enthusiasts for their accuracy, but which also expand on impact, making them especially deadly.

Officers also reported finding nearly two dozen shotgun shells "in plain sight" in the truck's bed.

Mr Beeler said he only remembered having the pistol and the shotgun shells.

It was just me forgetting to take it out of my truck before I left for work. I dont know what the DC laws are. It still comes back on me, but Im not a criminal, Mr Beeler said.

A person familiar with Mr Beeler and his actions spoke with The Washington Post on condition of anonymity, saying Mr Beeler had no known extremist ties and that he fully cooperated with law enforcement officers and has since been cleared from further investigation.

Mr Beeler's mother and father spoke to the paper and confirmed their son had been taking security work in DC for the past week.

According to Mr Beeler, he had been hired by MVP Protective Services to keep watch over media equipment stored in the city ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration.

Mr Beeler has been ordered not to return to Washington DC except to appear in court or to meet with his lawyer. He told The Post he is trying to conceieve of a way to explain the situation to his children.

"I don't want my kids to think I'm a bad person," Mr Beeler said.

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On Wednesday, I will take my virtual seat alongside an online audience of millions to watch the swearing-in of United States President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. It's an inauguration that would have been historic no matter what, given the events of the last four years, but one that takes on an even greater significance with the election of Kamala Harris as VP. We will hear a term we haven't used before, and one that will soon become ubiquitous: "Madame Vice President".

This razor-sharp politician steps into her role shattering many glass ceilings. She will be the first female vice president in the history of the United States. She is also the country's first Black and South Asian VP. Millions of young girls will witness this watershed moment for women's leadership and see that their potential includes one of the highest offices in the land.

I remember my own watershed moment, the spark of inspiration and representation I felt at just eight years old, as I watched Mary Robinson become the seventh president of Ireland. President Robinson's term would be significant in many ways for our nation. She would famously keep a candle burning in Aras an Uachtarain for the Irish diaspora around the world, she would meet with LGBT groups when same-sex relationships of any kind were still illegal in Ireland, she'd make massive diplomatic moves for Anglo-Irish relations, including a much-documented tea with Queen Elizabeth. She took on the Catholic Church to legalise contraception.

But her term in office also left a personal legacy for so many young girls in Ireland, myself included, who grew up knowing that they could be anything they wanted to be - right down to the president - because they'd seen it with their own eyes. "I was elected by the women of Ireland, who instead of rocking the cradle, rocked the system," Mary Robinson said of her history-making election. The sense of pride and potential I developed, having grown up in a country where I saw women at the top of the political sphere, has only been compounded in recent years when I talk to US colleagues about the "dream gap" experienced by young girls here in America.

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Starting at age five, many girls begin to develop limiting self-beliefs, believing that women are less valuable and capable than men. The same generations of young girls walk into elementary schools, day in and day out, to see the faces of the many white men and one black man who've led their country adorn their classroom walls.

They've learned about the 48 men who have been vice presidents, from Adams to Pence. They've understood, however subliminally, that there is no place for them alongside the men.

Now those girls will see Kamala Harris celebrated as vice president, and know there finally is a place for them - something Kamala Harris herself acknowledged when her and Joe Biden's victory was affirmed on November 7 last year. In front of a cheering audience on a Delaware stage, she said: "While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities."

I spoke to President Robinson recently for the Irish American Partnership about the election of Biden and Harris, 30 years to the day after she was elected, and she expressed a similar excitement: "I was so impressed with her acceptance speech because I could see that she understands completely her role, not only in the US, but for women and girls globally."

Kamala Harris, like President Robinson, has spent her life smashing through barriers and collecting hard-won "firsts". On her journey to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, she was the first female district attorney of San Francisco, the first female attorney general of California, the first Indian American in the US Senate, the first Indian American candidate of a major party to run for vice president. And her presence, everything she represents, offers hope, despite the grave reckoning around race that the United States has faced recently.

Kamala Harris's identity brought to the forefront the intersectionality of modern politics - as the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, she is a role model of inclusiveness - yet the US press sometimes neglected her South-Asian heritage. She was elected in a year marking the 100-year anniversary of the 19th amendment, allowing white women to vote, yet it would take decades more before women of colour were given that right in America.

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Kamala Harris also brings to the White House an inter-faith blended family with a mix of her Christian faith and Hindu heritage and her husband's Jewish heritage. We were first introduced to "Momala", the name that her step children affectionately call her, during the Democratic National Convention.

I first met Kamala Harris in 2018 when we named her one of the Glamour Women of the Year. It was my first time hosting the event as editor-in-chief and Senator Harris's speech was a highlight, not just for me personally, but for the thousand-strong audience attending.

When she took to the stage in New York that November night, Kamala Harris talked about the need for women of colour to be seen and heard, and for their stories to be told.

She spoke about truth, and the importance of telling it, no matter how uncomfortable it might make people feel. And she spoke about "this inflection point in the history of our country" that still stands as true today as it did in 2018.

"We need to bring folks together," she continued. "Let's also recognise this moment will pass. At some moment, this will pass. And years from now, people are gonna look in our eyes, each one of us, and they will ask us, 'Where were you at that inflection moment?' What we're all going to be able to say is that we were here together, and we were fighting for the best of who we are."

I say to that, Kamala Harris now represents the best of who we are, and can aspire to be. On Wednesday, as much as I am looking forward to the inauguration itself, I will also be watching on social media, as millions of young women flood our feeds with the first photographs of our first Madame Vice President taking office - and millions more young girls, no doubt, learn the term for the first time. One that, in good time, I hope will soon be replaced by another ceiling-smashing term, "Madame President".

Kamala Harris and Mary Robinson both feature in the upcoming book Glamour: 30 Years of Women Who Have Reshaped the World, now available on pre-order
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Albuquerque Public Schools could be facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties from the IRS related to late tax form filings and late payment of payroll taxes.

In the districts audit report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2020, reviewers highlighted overdue submissions of W-2 forms for 2018 and late payment of payroll taxes for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2019, in their findings.

The school district is not in compliance with state of New Mexico statutes and is considered (to have) lost funding that should be used for education, the audit report said.

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The combined penalties could total $666,379, according to the report.

But APS officials said Monday at a virtual meeting that they are appealing.

Board of Education President David Peercy said that the fines made the findings a concern and that he wanted the administration to ensure they wouldnt happen again.

Ben Lubkeman, executive director of accounting, said the late payment of payroll taxes was caused by human error.

The process-level report was ran at a wrong level at the payroll site. (It) did not pick up all employees in the district. When we discovered the error approximately four weeks later  we immediately paid the remainder, Lubkeman said.

He told the board that the district has appealed the fines but hasnt heard back from the IRS.

As for the late filing of W-2 forms, Lubkeman said a law change altered the due date, which was overlooked and resulted in the error. That penalty has also been appealed, and the district is waiting for a determination.

Lubkeman said that out of 92 findings in the audit report, 88 were related to charter schools that APS authorizes.

The school district received an unmodified financial statement opinion, and the Board of Education voted unanimously to accept the fiscal year 2020 report.
As a Cuban American teacher of architectural history at the University of Miami, Victor Deupi was immediately captivated when he first learned about artist Emilio Sanchez while visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art several years ago.

I had never heard of him until then, and before you know it, I began my research on Sanchez which inspired me to create a larger-than-life project that opened me to so many different opportunities, recounted Deupi.

Recently, Deupi was thrilled to find out that more people will get the opportunity to learn about this relatively unknown artist after the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced its Summer 2021 launch of a new series of Forever stamps dedicated to Sanchez on the centennial anniversary of his birth in 1921. The commemoration of his work is a significant milestone because no other Cuban visual artist has been honored in this manner.

This is a tremendous accomplishment, particularly given how long he had been unrecognized by the art community. Its a wonderful honor on many fronts because it gives so many voices to people of different races and ethnic backgrounds, explained Deupi.

The University lecturer, who recently published a book on the artist, said that Sanchez, who passed away in 1999, was a much more complex artist than has been previously noted.

He was really one of the leading figures of the mid-century to travel throughout the Caribbean and Latin America where he heavily documented indigenous cultures, architectural landscapes, and daily life at that time. Sanchez was at the forefront of capturing the urban changes happening, Deupi pointed out.

Rodolphe el-Khoury, dean of the School of Architecture, is also delighted that Sanchez is getting the recognition he deserves. Im thrilled to see Professor Deupis scholarly work resonate beyond the academic sphere. His book not only shines a discerning light on the richness of Cuban American culture, but it also elevates the School of Architecture, his home at UM, with relevant and impactful scholarship, said el-Khoury.

Equally significant is the fact that one of the four stamps being issued reproduces a work in the Lowe Art Museums permanent collection, Untitled (Ventanita entreabierta).

Its a wonderful work that displays a semi-open window in shadows. Theres a mystery as to whether youre looking in or if someone is looking out. The image engages the viewer in a way that is so simple and fundamental, said Deupi. I suspect this work will be circulated via the stamps by millions of Americans for the next several years.

Nathan Timpano, graduate director of the Department of Art and Art History, is another faculty member who has studied the work of Sanchez. He believes this announcement will help solidify the University and greater South Florida community as a hub for Cuban American art and culture.

This is an opportunity for Miami to flourish a reputation as a city that has been founded on a really rich Cuban and Latin American diaspora culture, explained Timpano. I would hope that this will attract scholars into our city and onto our campus to begin to really research and explore the unique art scene that Miami has to offer.

Jill Deupi, director of the Lowe Art Museum, said it is an honor to hold some of Sanchezs works of art in the museums permanent collection. We are thrilled. Only a very few images are selected for USPS stamps each year, so the inclusion of our Sanchez painting is highly prestigious, she said. We are proud that the Lowe and the University are going to be so well and widely represented.

According to Jill Deupi, this commemoration is significant because Sanchezs art is now more widely known and appreciated, rather than a niche interest. This is a great milestone for Caribbean and Cuban American art and a point of pride for not only the community, but for all South Floridians and those who have a connection to the University and the Lowe Art Museum, she said.

Timpano, who is fascinated with revisionist art history, thinks this is the perfect example of how he can teach students about this form of teaching about art that aims to reveal artists from the past.

Sanchez is the perfect example of how revisionist history can really bring a voice to an artist that deserved to have a voice long ago. I think were only going to see more written about him and learn more about his contribution to modern art moving forward, said Timpano. I tell my students that its important to mine the archives and do personal research to recover those names in history that have been forgotten. This shows how impactful research can be for the future of learning.
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The long-running UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur came to an end on December 31, under a peace deal signed by Sudan's government and rebels

On Sunday, a little over two weeks later, state media reported that two days of tribal clashes in the West Darfur capital El Geneina have killed at least 48 people.

Here is a recap of the situation in Darfur where the UN says the brutal civil war that erupted in 2003 killed at least 300,000 people, mostly during its initial years, and displaced 2.5 million.

2003: rebels take up arms

Rebels of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) take up arms, accusing the Khartoum government of marginalising the vast Darfur region of western Sudan.

In February, rebels seize Gulu, a key town in northern Darfur.

The state-backed Janjaweed militia -- a group of mostly Arab raiders travelling by horseback, camels and armoured pickups -- enter the fray.

2007: international force

A hybrid AU-UN force, called UNAMID, takes over from an African force that has been posted in the region since 2004.

In 2008, more than 220 people are killed when JEM rebels attack Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, travelling hundreds of kilometres from Darfur to the edge of the capital.

2009: arrest warrants

The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issues an arrest warrant for Sudan's then-president Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

It issues another warrant the next year for genocide.

In 2010, heavy fighting resumes after an accord with one faction of the SLM breaks down.

More than 2,300 people were killed in 2010, the UN reports.

2011: Revolutionary Front

In November, Darfur's rebels form an alliance committed to regime change.

Sudan accuses newly-independent South Sudan of working with the JEM, and of backing rebels in its South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions. Juba denies the accusations.

2014: abuses

In March, the UN criticises restrictions imposed on humanitarian workers in Darfur and an increase in the number of displaced people.

In November, Bashir calls for a planned withdrawal of the force, after peacekeepers probe accusations of gang rape by Sudanese soldiers.

2016: ceasefire

In a controversial April referendum, the division of Darfur into five states is maintained.

In June, the government declares a unilateral ceasefire but two months later negotiations break down between Khartoum and rebels.

In September, Amnesty International accuses Khartoum of carrying out several chemical weapon attacks in Darfur -- charges denied by the government.

2019: Bashir ousted, talks

On April 11, Bashir is ousted by the military and detained, after four months of mass anti-regime protests.

In August, new authorities tasked with preparing the way for civilian rule vow to restore peace to conflict-ridden regions, including Darfur.

Sudanese prosecutors in December open a probe into crimes allegedly committed in Darfur from 2003.

On January 24, 2020, a coalition of rebel groups signs a preliminary agreement with the government.

The following month a top Sudanese official says Bashir will be handed over to the ICC.

2020: Janjaweed's Kushayb hands himself in

In June, the Janjaweed militia's Ali Kushayb, wanted since 2007, turns himself in to the ICC.

A Sudanese prosecutor says that Bashir's extradition to the ICC is not necessary.

Peace accord

On August 31, government and most rebels groups meeting in Juba ink an accord aimed at ending 17 years of civil war.

The deal is signed on October 3.

ICC in Khartoum

On October 19 during a visit to Khartoum, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda explores options for putting on trial those accused in the conflict.

Washington announces on November 2 it will seek to end UN sanctions on Sudan.

UNAMID withdrawal, clashes

On December 23, the UN Security Council agrees to end UNAMID's now 8,000-strong mission in Darfur when its mandate ceases on December 31.

A little over two weeks later, on January 17, state media reports that tribal clashes in the West Darfur capital El Geneina have killed at least 48 people.

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KPD shooting time line

Jan. 9: A Killeen Police Department resource officer helped Patrick Warren Sr. when Warren was experiencing a manic episode. He voluntarily went with that officer to the hospital, said Lee Merritt, the attorney for the Warren family.

Jan. 10: After returning home, Warren felt more manic symptoms, prompting a call to police. While the family requested a resource officer again, a patrol officer, Reynaldo Contreras, came to the door at about 5:30 p.m. According to Merritt, Warren asked the police officer to leave his property, but Contreras refused. As Warren confronted Contreras while waving his hands and approaching the officer, Contreras fired his Taser and then his gun, killing Merritt as his family looked on in horror. At 10:15 p.m., KPD released a statement saying that a Killeen police officer responding to a psychiatric call shot a man in the 1600 block of Carrollton Avenue, and the man died. The officer was placed on administrative leave while KPD detectives and the Texas Rangers conduct the investigation. No names were released.

Jan. 12: The Herald sends questions to KPD asking for the name of the man who died and other information on the case. KPD does not respond

Jan. 13: The Herald again sends questions to KPD, asking for the name of the person who died, the officer who shot him, and for more explanation of what happened. KPD never directly responded to the questions. Later that day a video is released by Merritt, showing the shooting. Merritt also releases the name of Warren, and the video is picked up by news agencies nationwide. Later that evening, at 6 p.m., KPD issues a news release, confirming Warrens name, and revealing the identity of the officer as Reynaldo Contreras, a five-year veteran of KPD.

Jan. 14: Merritt and Warren family members hold a news conference outside the Bell County Justice Center in Belton. They demand that Contreras be fired and prosecuted. The Herald sends more questions to KPD: Would KPD like to comment on any of the statements from Lee Merritt or what others have said Thursday or Wednesday in the Patrick Warren Sr. death case? Can you please explain what procedures, policies and personnel KPD has in place for dealing with mental health calls and individuals? KPD does not respond.
According to the World-Herald, the news company was incorporated in Delaware in July. An October filing in New York state lists the address as 9140 W. Dodge Road, the Omaha newspaper reported. The report said it is the same address of Hugo Enterprises, the holding company of for-profit and nonprofit endeavors of Ricketts, the founder of TD Ameritrade.
Two teenagers were critically wounded in separate shooting incidents that occurred within three hours of each other Saturday afternoon, Philadelphia police said.

Shortly after 4 p.m., a 15-year-old boy was shot in the face at 40th and Cambridge Streets and was taken to Presbyterian Hospital, police said.

Earlier, a 17-year-old was taken to Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia after he was shot three times in the 1300 block of East Price Street, in East Germantown.

Police Saturday night said that both were in critical condition.

Also wounded in the Price Street shooting was an 18-year-old male, who was reported in stable condition at Chestnut Hill Hospital.

Two more shootings were reported Saturday evening, one at 11th and Diamond Streets, in North Philadelphia, after which the victim was taken to Temple University Hospital. His condition was not known.

In the other incident, an 18-year-old was shot in the leg in the 700 block of North 38th Street and entered Presbyterian Hospital on his own power, police said.

Police said that no arrests had been made, nor had any weapons been recovered. The shootings remained under investigation.

Suh Ho-sung

By Park Jae-hyuk



Hankook Tire & Technology Senior Vice President Suh Ho-sung has emerged as the top candidate to possibly lead K bank, succeeding the internet-only bank's former head, Lee Mun-whan, who abruptly resigned earlier this month citing personal reasons, less than a year after his appointment.



The bank's executive recommendation committee interviewed Suh last week and nominated him as the sole candidate to replace Lee, according to industry sources Sunday. K bank Executive Vice President Chung Woon-ki, who is serving as the interim CEO, reportedly declined to take on the post permanently.



Suh's appointment will be finalized after a board and general shareholders' meeting scheduled Feb. 1.



"The appointment of the next CEO is underway, and we will make an announcement when the process is concluded," a K bank spokesman said.



If appointed to the position, Suh will be the first K bank CEO who has not worked at KT. Both Lee and his predecessor, Shim Sung-hoon, worked for the telecom giant, which is the bank's top shareholder.



Given KT's long-standing preference for appointing insiders to the top spot, market observers earlier expected K bank would not name an outside expert as the next chief. However, sources said the mobile carrier recommended Suh as part of efforts to revamp the lender.



After majoring in economics at Seoul National University and receiving an MBA at Carnegie Mellon University, Suh worked for Hyundai Motor Group's financial services units  Hyundai Card, Hyundai Motor Securities and Fubon Hyundai Life Insurance.



He joined Hankook Tire in 2015 to support the tiremaker's global expansion. He was promoted to senior executive vice president in an executive reshuffle late last year.



K bank hopes Suh's track record in strategy and marketing will help the internet-only bank attract additional investments from global investors so it can catch up with the leading player Kakao Bank and outperform Toss Bank, another digital bank that will open this year.



It seeks to raise 400 billion won ($362 million) in capital this year, mainly from global and local private equity firms (PEFs). Last year, the bank selected Bank of America Merrill Lynch as the main financial advisor for the fundraising plan.


When some 500 survivors of mother and baby homes logged onto a webinar last Tuesday lunchtime, they were confronted with an image of two besuited men either side of an oval table in the Sycamore Room of Government Buildings. Officials wearing facemasks sat socially distanced behind the two men.

It was certainly not the most welcoming environment for those women and former child residents, who had waited five years to find out what was in the Mother and Baby Homes Commission's landmark report.

Worse, many could not access the nearly 3,000-page report that was being shared electronically on the Cisco Webex video conference call. They were told they could read the report online over an hour later when it was made public.

For now, they had to make do with what the two men, Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman, were telling them, both having had the report since last October and who had read it over Christmas.

This unfair imbalance was not lost on many who were watching. "Some survivors felt blindsided - they were hearing about a report they hadn't seen," said one person on the call who asked to remain anonymous.

Historian Catherine Corless, whose work led to the Commission's establishment, called the webinar a "whitewash, full of political jargon". Susan Lohan, co-founder of the Adoption Rights Alliance, went further, describing it as "an exercise in contempt and mismanagement".

As one of those on the Government side of the webinar later conceded: "What you had was two people telling you how it was, their opinions, and not the survivors' opinions. So it was a sh*tshow from their point of view but logistically, I don't know what more you could have done."

Despite Covid-19, what happened could have been avoided. The previous day, Ms Lohan asked for some hard copies of the report in advance of the webinar. But she was told by an official: "The hard copies were not intended to be an advance copy, as all survivors will be able to access the report online at the same time tomorrow afternoon."

Ms Lohan responded: "This is a huge misstep on the part of the department, when they know full well that the average age of the mothers, caught up in the various institutions, is over 65 and that significant numbers have neither broadband, computers, nor printers to access an online report and some also lack the skills to utilise such resources."

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The Department's approach was that the report had to be handled confidentially - at the ultimate expense of the survivors. Mr O'Gorman told the Sunday Independent: "We were concerned to limit opportunities for leaks. Every survivor who wants a hard copy of the abridged or full version will be given one."

The Department has been distributing dozens of copies of an abridged version of the report in recent days. An audio recording of the executive summary and some of the testimonies is also being organised for those who have reading difficulties. This weekend, some survivors who have waited years are now waiting for the postman to deliver their copy of the report.

The upset over its publication and distribution only compounded the suffering of many vocal survivors who were deeply unhappy with its findings, conclusions and recommendations last week.

Beyond the distressing figures - 56,000 unmarried mothers, 57,000 children, of whom 9,000 died in the institutions that the Commission investigated - there was a sense from reading the opening pages of the report that the horrific personal testimonies of so many were relegated in favour of a clinical adjudication on what happened in these institutions between 1922 and 1998 - a span of 76 years. "There is no evidence that women were forced to enter Mother and Baby Homes by Church or State authorities. Most women had no alternative," the report stated. "It must be acknowledged that these institutions under investigation provided a refuge - a harsh refuge in some cases - when the families provided no refuge at all," it added.

Mr O'Gorman has urged survivors to read the report, but has acknowledged the mixed reaction. "We did get comments from others thanking us," he insisted on Friday.

While there was much in the report to highlight the utter failure of the State, its institutions, the church and religious orders, the contention that this was somehow a societal failure for which every citizen at that time, and particularly the families of these women, bore some level of responsibility was particularly jarring.

Irish society and its citizenry were influenced by those who held the most power. For decades, the most powerful and far-reaching institution in this State was the Catholic Church and its dogma. When we were at our most Catholic, we were at our least Christian.

For some survivors, the Taoiseach's contention that "we did this to ourselves" and the report's findings presented "all of society was complicit" was equally upsetting.

Ms Lohan said the Taoiseach was "trivialising" issues and distracting from what was "forced adoption, illegal adoption, child trafficking, enforced labour" in the homes.

"If I had spent two years incarcerated in a punitive abusive environment, I would not be talking about the heartache I felt," she said. "Likewise, no natural mother has ever led her testimony to me with the amount of stairs they had wash. They always lead with: 'They took my child.'"

The Commission found there was "very little evidence children were forcibly taken from their mothers". For many survivors, this is particularly hurtful as it was at the very core of their suffering. The Commission's view was that while it accepts the mothers did not have much choice but to give up their child, "it is not the same as 'forced' adoption".

It was notable in the Taoiseach's State apology on Wednesday, there was no mention of adoption, forced or otherwise, or to children being taken from their mothers. That the apology went ahead - against the wishes of some survivors and Opposition parties who wanted a chance to read the report - only added to the sense that the Government could have done so much better this week.

"I felt the Taoiseach very clearly acknowledged the fault of the State. He apologised on behalf of the failures of successive governments and he pointed out the failure of the churches, both Catholic and Church of Ireland, and congregations," Mr O'Gorman insisted. "I felt the Taoiseach very clearly acknowledged the responsibility of the State."

A source close to the Taoiseach said there were "different views" among survivors about whether the apology should go ahead, but insisted: "The apology was acknowledged as heartfelt and the State will be judged on actions, not words."

These actions, which may ultimately be what the Government is judged on, involve 22 commitments spanning themes such as the aforementioned apology, a survivor-centred approach, access to personal information and databases, education and research, memorialisation, and dignified burial.

Access to personal information and restorative recognition are among the most pressing. Previous efforts by Katherine Zappone to legislate for adopted people to access their birth information ran into the sand because, in effect, one person's right to information was blocked by another person's right to privacy. But even the most sceptical of the survivors' groups are emboldened by one element of the Taoiseach's apology on Wednesday when he said: "Access to one's own identity is a basic right."

Ms Lohan said: "The Government now recognises the fundamental right to know one's identity. The birth certs are just part of that story.

"We will need our files, like a hospital record or a medical record. We'll have all of that, thank you very much."

Mr O'Gorman, who is working closely with Attorney General Paul Gallagher on the issue, now intends to use legislation grounded in EU-wide data protection law (GDPR) that would give a person an inherent right to access information about themselves.

Amid Opposition protestations over the proposed end-of-year deadline for this law, Mr O'Gorman responded: "If it's possible to get it done more quickly, we will do so."

Details of a restorative recognition scheme are expected to be fleshed out by the end of April following work by an interdepartmental group of senior civil servants.

The Commission's controversial recommendation that women in mother and baby homes post-1973 should not have access to such a scheme - because by that stage an unmarried mother's allowance had been introduced - is likely to be reviewed.

Mandarins in the Department of Public Expenditure are likely to express misgivings about the open-ended cost of a redress scheme, but the Taoiseach has said he expects a significant contribution from religious orders.

Mr O'Gorman is of the view religious authorities should make a practical contribution. He wrote to the religious congregations that ran the network of homes and to the primates of the Catholic Church and Church of Ireland last Thursday, looking for apologies, contributions to a redress scheme and access to institutional records.

Labour leader Alan Kelly said he will draft legislation to seize assets of religious orders if they are not prepared to give a fair contribution.

Asked about this, the minister did not rule out supporting such a bill in the event of an impasse with religious orders. "I think the Government will act appropriately in a situation where there isn't genuine engagement," Mr O'Gorman said.

For the survivors, the wait for restorative justice goes on. The Government is planning a comprehensive response. But we've been here before - as survivors know too well - where pledges are made, but cooperation is hard to come by and deadlines slip. The media and the Government's agenda moves on.
In 2020, as COVID-19 killed thousands and shut down communities, some violent crime in Scranton fell sharply, according to city crime statistics.

To what extent one led to the other, however, is an open question for now.

Without a doubt, COVID-19 and the changes that we all made in response to it have affected criminal offending behaviors, just like it has affected all of our other behaviors, said Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., a criminal justice professor and executive director of the University of Scrantons Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime. The big question is how, and that will be the topic of study for dissertations and masters theses for the next decade.

Rape cases dropped in the city by 46% and robbery offenses dropped 28% from 2019 to 2020, according to the crime statistics. The number of assaults in general dropped to 694 in 2020 from 767 in 2019.

Im sure that it had a little bit to do with it, interim Scranton Police Chief Leonard Namiotka said of the virus. When you had the lockdowns, no one was allowed to do anything. You saw most people stay inside.

However, assaults involving firearms  including the Dec. 29 shooting in the Hill Section that sent two people to the hospital with gunshot wounds  rose 16%, to 50 offenses in 2020 from 43 offenses in 2019, according to the crime data. Cases of arson, burglary, possessing stolen property and weapons violations also saw bumps of varying degrees.

Researchers across the country began examining the effect the spread of the virus may have had on the rates of crime in major cities. The most recent COVID-19 impact report released by the Council on Criminal Justice shows that, in 28 cities, homicides, aggravated assaults and assaults involving guns all rose in 2020.

An educated guess for why might be, in part, a combination of idleness and serious social and financial strains, Jenkins said.

Violence in many cities, particularly shootings have increased in a manner thats almost unprecedented, Jenkins said. The big question is how and why and what role does COVIDs effect in our lifestyles play in that crime?

Womens Resource Center Executive Director Peg Ruddy said the drop in assaults concerned her. During the pandemic, victims of domestic abuse were often stuck in the same house as their abusers, making it difficult to report abuse. She believed the actual number of assaults is underreported.

Their hotline calls dropped 40% at the onset of the virus but have increased since the summer, as has the need for safe housing.

We typically have four families in safe housing and right now were running around eight, Ruddy said.

In Dickson City, police responded to 96 retail thefts in 2020, compared to 309 in 2019, Police Chief William Bilinski said. Hit-and-run calls dropped to 121 in 2020 from 178 in 2019.

South Abington Twp. Police Chief Robert Gerrity said the department did not see a significant increase in crime. The number of calls they received plummeted during the spring lockdown and has steadily been returning to normal levels, he said. One thing that has concerned him, however, is how many of those calls are now for mental health crises.Suicidal people, depression, that type of thing, Gerrity said. Is it attributable? I dont know, I believe it has something to do with it.

There were three homicides in Lackawanna County in 2020, District Attorney Mark Powell said, one fewer than in 2019.

That included a 37-year-old mother from West Scranton, Tara Marie Evans, who prosecutors said was killed in September by her husband, Thomas Evans, 36, because she was leaving him. Evans is awaiting trial.

Another was 21-year-old Rosemarie Mistler, who was shot to death when gunfire broke out June 11 while she sat on her porch in the 300 block of South Main Avenue. The five teenagers jailed for her slaying are proceeding to trial.

The third was 40-year-old Michael Garraoui, who died in April from carbon monoxide poisoning in a fire at Rear 629 Beech St. Authorities brought no charges.

Luzerne County saw 16 homicides in 2020, up from 12 in 2019.

In Wayne County, there were four homicide victims who died in motor vehicle crashes, according to District Attorney A.G. Howell said. There was one homicide in 2019.

The Susquehanna County district attorneys office said in an email there were three homicides in 2020, up from none in 2019.

There were no homicides in Wyoming County, District Attorney Jeff Mitchell said. There were no homicides in 2019 either.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker said Sunday that the Senate needed to conduct an impeachment trial of Donald Trump even though the president will leave office on Wednesday.

I believe it is constitutionally dangerous not to proceed, Booker, a Democrat, said on NBCs Meet the Press. We just had a president of the United States try to undermine the peaceful transition of power, tried to challenge a fair and free election. And him and his agents from the moments before, from his son to his lawyer, whipping up a crowd to go attack the Capitol. So I believe fundamentally the Senate has an obligation to act.

The Senate will begin the trial after the House sends over the article of impeachment passed last Wednesday, 232-197. No date has been set yet.

In the impeachment vote, 10 Republicans crossed party lines and voted yes. All 10 New Jersey House Democrats voted to impeach Trump, while the states two Republican representatives voted no.

Booker and Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez are among the 100 senators who will form the jury during the impeachment trial.

There must be accountability for actions that are this serious and this much of a threat, not just to our Constitution, but to the erosion of our nation, Booker said.

He said the arguments made by the House managers cannot be seen as political if they are to get the 17 Republican senators needed for a two-thirds majority for conviction.

It has got to be a larger perspective, Booker said. And the arguments have to come, as I imagine they will, from really the dire issues before us as a nation. Will a president be held accountable for what he did? And what he did was extreme. What he did was historic. What he did was certainly meriting impeachment, and now we have to have a fair trial that I hope the arguments rest, frankly, in the law and on the facts.

Registered voters were split on whether to impeach and convict Trump in an NBC News poll released Sunday, with 50% saying yes and 48% saying no  well within the surveys margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

In a CNN poll of U.S. adults released Sunday, 54% said Trump should leave office before his term expires Wednesday, with 43% disagreeing, outside of that surveys margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.

Both the CNN poll (34%) and a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults released Friday (29%) gave Trump the lowest job approval ratings of his tenure in office.

Booker said the Senate needed to find the time to both conduct a trial and take up President-elect Joe Bidens agenda by confirming his nominees and debating his $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill.

I cant think of a president in my lifetime that came to power with so many challenges, Booker said on NBC. And I think the American people have a right to expect that we can work on a lot of different fronts, from an economic recession, to a pandemic, to national security threats, as well as holding a president accountable who persistently lied to the American people, whipped up far-right wing extremists and incited a riot, an assault and a siege on the United States Capitol.

How quickly the Senate can move on Bidens nominees and his proposals will depend, in part, on Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, Booker said.

Under Senate rules, McConnell, R-Ky., can use parliamentary maneuvers to delay legislative action, just as the Democrats did in December when they tried to force a vote to increase the latest round of stimulus checks to $2,000 from $600.

I, for one, want to drive President Bidens economic agenda, Booker said. We have a real crisis. We have a pandemic. We have an economic recession. We have national security threats. It really necessitates the Republican leader coming forward with time agreements. And thats one of the things thats concerning.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
In this photo released by Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Mount Semeru spews volcanic material during an eruption in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021. The highest volcano on Indonesia's most densely populated island of Java, spewed hot clouds as far away as 4.5 kilometers (nearly 3 miles) on Saturday. (National Disaster Mitigation Agency via AP)

Mount Semeru, the highest volcano on Indonesia's most densely populated island of Java, spewed hot clouds as far away as 4.5 kilometers (nearly 3 miles) on Saturday.

There were no immediate evacuations, but the National Disaster Mitigation Agency warned people who live in the villages on the slopes of the 3,676-meter (12,060-foot)-high mountain to be vigilant in looking for signs of danger.

Agency spokesperson Raditya Jati said that people around the river basin on the slopes of the mountain should beware of high rainfall intensity that can trigger lava floods.

Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center did not raise Semeru's alert status, which already had been at the third-highest level since it began erupting in May. The volcano spewed hot ash for 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) in early December, triggering panic among villagers.

Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 250 million people, sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Government seismologists monitor more than 120 active volcanoes.

A strong earthquake shook Indonesia's Sulawesi island early Friday, killing at least 46 people.

In this photo released by Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Mount Semeru spews volcanic material during an eruption in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021. The highest volcano on Indonesia's most densely populated island of Java, spewed hot clouds as far away as 4.5 kilometers (nearly 3 miles) on Saturday. (National Disaster Mitigation Agency via AP)

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Ahead of the tenth round of talks scheduled on January 19, Agriculture Minister on Sunday again urged the protesting farm leaders to give up their "stubborn" stand on the new farm laws and come for a clause by clause discussion.

"Now that the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of these laws, then there is no question of being stubborn," Tomar told reporters before leaving for his home constituency of Morena in Madhya Pradesh.

The government wants farmer leaders to come for clause by clause discussion at the next meeting on January 19. Except for the demand of repealing the laws, the government is ready to consider "seriously and with an open heart" other alternatives, he said.

Tomar, who left for his constituency by Hazur Sahib Nanded-Amritsar Superfast Express, was seen sharing langar from co-passengers of Sikh community -- a gesture which comes amid the ongoing protests by farmers from Punjab against the agri laws.

The Supreme Court on January 11 had stayed the implementation of the three laws till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse.

Tomar said the government offered certain concessions, but the farmer leaders have not shown flexibility and were constantly demanding a repeal of the laws.

He reiterated that the government makes laws for the entire country. Many farmers, experts and other stakeholders have supported the laws.

So far, the nine rounds of formal talks between the Centre and 41 farmer unions have failed to yield any concrete results to end the long-running protest at Delhi's borders as the latter have stuck to their main demand of a complete repeal of the three Acts.

(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.)
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Architect Norman Perttula, a onetime protege of the globally famous Detroit architect Eero Saarinen, designed mid-century modern buildings that have become familiar presences across Northeast Ohio, contributing to the regions sense of place.

Perttulas buildings display a love of big gestures and strong geometric forms that make them stand out as dramatic sculptural objects on suburban campuses or city streets.

His work includes the B.F. Goodrich World Headquarters in Akron, built in 1967-71, and the 1982 Ohio Bell Headquarters building, now known as Ameritech Center or as 45 Erieview Plaza, located at the southeast corner of East Ninth Street and Lakeside Avenue in Cleveland.

The building is notable for its elegantly curved facade, accentuated by layers of horizontal ribbon windows that capture views of City Hall and Lake Erie.

Perttula died Dec. 27 at age 93 at the Briar Hill Health Care Residence in Middlefield while recovering from a brief illness, his family said.

Cleveland architect William Eberhard, who organized an oral history video interview with Perttula for the nonprofit Cleveland Architecture Foundation and the Cleveland Public Library in 2019, said he considered Perttula one of a half dozen exemplary' architects in Cleveland in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

Eberhard said he was particularly struck by Perttulas abilities as a draftsman.

Every project was earnestly and well-designed,' Eberhard said. His work should be studied, honored and appreciated by all architects trying to practice modern architecture.'

Perttulas projects included an unrealized 1962 master plan for the University of Liberia in Monrovia; the 1968 U.S. Post Office in Columbus, Ohio; a 1974 master plan for the renovation and expansion of Tower City Center; the 1981 Dwight P. Joyce (Glidden) Research Center in Strongsville; the 1984 renovation of Firestone World Headquarters in Akron; and a series of additions and renovations to the campus of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 2008  2018.

Born in 1927, Perttula grew up in Virginia, Minnesota, and served in the U.S. Navy toward the end of World War II. In 1951, while studying at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, he met and married the former Helen Johnson.

After completing a masters degree in architecture at Harvard University in 1955, Perttula joined the firm of Eero Saarinen, who shared his Finnish immigrant family roots.

Perttulas colleagues in Saarinens office included the late Peter van Dijk, who also later became an influential architect in Cleveland, and the late Cesar Pelli, later dean of the School of Architecture at Yale University, and designer of Key Tower and four buildings at the Cleveland Clinic.

Under Saarinen, Perttula worked on iconic projects including the 1956 TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy airport in New York City and the 1958 Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.

After Saarinens death in 1961, Perttula joined the Cleveland firm of Dalton Dalton Little Newport of Cleveland.

He later served as senior design principal, from 1984 until his retirement in 1991, at the Cleveland office of URS, which merged with AECOM in 2014.

URS recruited Perttula out of retirement at age 80 to work on the West Point project specifically because of his drawing abilities, said his daughter, Amy Perttula Barry.

Perttula also served on the Cleveland Design Review Committee, reviewing designs for projects including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and FirstEnergy Stadium.

Perttula was a longtime resident of the Walden Community in Portage County. His wife, predeceased him in 2019. Survivors include: children Rebecca (Michael) Nazaretz; Timothy Perttula; Nancy (George) Johnston, and Amy (Gregg) Barry; six grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

Donations in Perttulas memory may be made to University of Minnesota School of Architecture | College of Design, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The family intends to announce a memorial in Aurora in the spring.
Stand by for a strong US recovery. At noon in Washington on Wednesday Joe Biden becomes President. But already his administration has moved to thump $1.9trillion into the American economy.

Add in the $935billion package Congress agreed last month and in the space of a few weeks, some $2.8trillion will have been added to US demand.

That is big. It is roughly equivalent to the size of the entire UK economy or 15 per cent of the US one. And it is direct.

New era: At noon in Washington on Wednesday Joe Biden becomes President

Thus there will be an additional cheque for $1,400 for people earning less than $75,000 a year, on top of $600 cheques recently handed out.

If you put money straight into people's bank accounts, they will breathe a sigh of relief  and then they will spend it.

There are many other measures, including extending the emergency unemployment benefits through to September, money for state and local governments and so on. All this will keep things ticking over until the vaccine rollout is fully established and some sort of normality of economic activity can return.

The big point that matters for us on this side of the Atlantic is that this is probably enough to ensure that the US makes the fastest recovery among the large developed economies, in particular much faster than Europe.

It did that after the banking crisis and recession of 2008/9 and it looks like doing so again. Europe will be held back by both the slowness with which the EU rescue package is being paid out, and the tardy distribution of vaccines.

And Britain? Well, we have one huge advantage in the speed of the vaccination programme, which ramps up this week. The Government here has got many things wrong in its handling of the pandemic, but this is one thing it has got right.

We look like being three or four weeks ahead of the US in terms of the proportion of people vaccinated, and six to eight weeks ahead of Europe.

From a public health  and indeed a human perspective  this is massively welcome, but it is equally important from an economic point of view.

The latest data coming through suggests that companies have managed better during the second lockdown back in November than they did during the first.

But the third lockdown, the one we are now in, is devastating. We need to get out of this thing as fast as possible, but we need to nurture battered companies, particularly in the hospitality business, as they restock and reopen.

That leads to a further point. The moment of maximum financial stress for a business is not when it locks down, but when it opens up. Costs rise before revenue when firms start trading again. That is something we have to be vigilant about come April and May  as Richard Fleming of Alvarez & Marsal warns on page 121.

Rishi Sunak has wisely warned that the economy will get worse before it gets better, and he is right to do so.

But the benefits of the vaccine rollout will be clear in about six weeks' time. We then have to manage the reopening of the economy better than we have managed the shutdowns.

And at that moment, fingers crossed, the big thumping US economy will be starting to recover too.

In economics, size matters. The scale of the US growth package is big enough to move the US economy, and then at one remove, the global one too. It is around one quarter of the world economy at market rates and its companies account for more than half of global market capitalisation.

Aside from size, however, confidence also matters.

I think as it becomes clear that the new US administration is going to be both competent in its management of the US economy and global in its outlook, that this confidence will influence what happens in the UK.

President Biden will do what is right for America. The team he is putting together is excellent.

I know a little about some of his key aides from people who have worked with them, and they are great: thoughtful, intelligent, decent and humane.

But by doing right for America, he will also do right for the rest of us. That, frankly, is a bit of a relief in these troubled times.
As part of his promise to tour his district to speak about the impact of the latest COVID-19 relief bill, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) made a stop in Webb County and an adjacent county.

On Monday, the congressman made a morning stop in the southern Webb County city of Rio Bravo, and by late afternoon he arrived in Zapata to discuss the same issues with the people. During both of his stops, he spoke to local officials and citizens to discuss the relief package and the resources and support that could be provided to both areas in light of the pandemic.

The main focus of the tour stops were to discuss how the COVID-19 relief package helps working families, local governments and small businesses and also how the congressman helped assure additional funding for vaccine distribution, small businesses and families in need as well as resources to close the digital divide.

His first stop to discuss such issues was in Rio Bravo around 10:15 a.m. where he met with City of Rio Bravo Mayor Gilbert Aguilar Jr. and several constituents who attended the event.

The fact that stimulus checks were just $600 was one of the main things discussed by Cuellar as people asked about what other economic relief can be expected in small communities like Rio Bravo.

In the beginning, we wanted for the stimulus checks to be $1,200 like the first time, but (Treasury) Secretary (Steven) Mnuchin just wanted $500, so we got something in the middle, Cuellar said.

However, he said this is not much for a family wanting to know how to spend their money whether it is for groceries, rent, medications or other essential items.

By around 1 p.m., Rep. Cuellar was in Zapata where he met with his constituents alongside Zapata County Judge Joseph Rathmell and Zapata County Sheriff Reymundo Del Bosque.

Some of the main topics discussed during the tour stop focused on how much was allocated by the first COVID-19 relief package and how the latest bill intends to distribute resources.

According to Cuellar, he was not in agreement with the way the first COVID-19 relief package worked as the state got all the authority to see how the funds could be distributed to the individual counties, which saw Zapata County only get 20% of the funds indicated.

In the meeting, Rathmell said the county is already trying to work with the state to get the other 80% of funds to have the resources for the expenses they have made, and he pointed out that will help them get back into good shape as they reimburse all the expenses they have made.

Although the second bill follows a similar path to the first COVID-19 relief bill in which federal resources are given to the states and not the cities and counties directly, he believes that this could change after Jan. 20.

We were trying to get this done all since the beginning, but as you know the negotiations between the House and the Senate, the Senate didnt want to do it as they said they didnt want to help New York and California, and since this has nothing to do with either New York or California it was unfortunate that it got caught up in the politics of things, Cuellar said. So, we didn't do it even though we wanted as Zapata would have gotten the aid directly from there. I think that after Jan. 20 we can bring that back up again, so we can get the monies sent to the cities and counties directly, so we can avoid that issue.

Vaccines were another major issue discussed during the Zapata stop.

According to Cuellar, he does not understand why vaccine distribution is a major problem right now in Texas and elsewhere as there was about 10 months for the state to prepare for the distribution of vaccines. He said the most recent COVID-19 relief bill helps fund enough for the vaccine distribution apparatus.

Only 44% of vaccines in the state of Texas, as reported last week, have been used, Cuellar said. They need to get them out. I know they are setting up hubs in different areas, but my question is: What happens in rural areas? What happens in small communities? In Rio Bravo? They havent gotten anything. In Zapata? They havent gotten anything, and I know that the judge has been working really hard with the clinics.

Cuellar said this will be a main point he will work on in the near future to ensure there are enough vaccines for all communities whether they are rural or not.

Rathmell told LMT he believes the vaccines are needed as they are the hopeful antidote to the pandemic that continues to affect the communities of Zapata and even Rio Bravo badly. He believes if the vaccines work then the end of the pandemic is in sight for all the people of Zapata and elsewhere.

Other issues discussed during the Zapata stop included hi intention for there to be more stimulus checks for people beyond the $600 sent out as he thought $2,000 was suitable, how the latest relief bill helped increase unemployment benefits and also how he helped appropriate money from the bill for initiatives regarding better broadband in the area of Zapata.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
She announced her split from Seb Guilhaus last week, one year after they tied the knot on national television.

And rumours are now swirling that Elizabeth Sobinoff, 29, is preparing to appear in Married At First Sight for a third time as she continues her search for Mr Right.

'It's no secret Lizzie is very close to the show's production team and Nine,' an insider told New Idea magazine on Monday.

Third time's a charm? Rumours are swirling that Elizabeth Sobinoff, 29, (pictured) will return to Married At First Sight for a third time, following her recent split from Seb Guilhaus

The source claimed that Elizabeth has the power to pull strings and return to the franchise 'in a heartbeat' if she so desires.

Elizabeth first appeared on Married At First Sight in 2019, tying the knot with tradesman Sam Ball.

Unfortunately, their relationship ended in disaster, as Sam infamously fat shamed Elizabeth before cheating on her with fellow bride Ines Basic.

Pulling some strings? 'It's no secret Lizzie is very close to the show's production team and Nine,' an insider told New Idea magazine on Monday

Despite her heartbreak, Elizabeth triumphantly returned to the franchise as an intruder bride in 2020, marrying personal trainer Seb Guilhaus.

Their romance quickly blossomed, and the lovebirds eventually decided to stay together as a couple during the final vows ceremony.

After the show ended in April, they announced plans to move to Sydney's beachside suburb of Dee Why together.

Debut: Elizabeth first appeared on Married At First Sight in 2019, tying the knot with tradesman Sam Ball (right)

Ouch! Sam infamously fat-shamed Elizabeth on their wedding day, telling producers he had 'never dated anyone as big' as her in the past

Seb was based in South Australia at the time, while Elizabeth was in Sydney for work.

Their plans fell through due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however, and they were forced to continue their relationship long-distance.

In September, the couple confirmed their romance was stronger than ever when they shared a photo to Instagram of themselves wearing matching rings.

Another chance: Despite her heartbreak, Elizabeth triumphantly returned to the franchise as an intruder bride in 2020, marrying personal trainer Seb Guilhaus (right)

Taking the next step: After the show ended in April 2020, Elizabeth and Seb announced plans to move to Sydney's beachside suburb of Dee Why together

'He said to me, "Is it S & L?" I said "Yeah, baby"... Corny but I love it,' Elizabeth captioned her post at the time.

Over on Seb's Instagram, he wrote: 'Compromise... give and take... melding of two worlds.'

In December, the couple were spotted holding hands and packing on the PDA when they arrived to film Married At First Sight's all-stars reunion in Lilyfield, Sydney.

Ringing it in! In September, the couple confirmed their romance was stronger than ever when they shared this photo to Instagram of themselves wearing matching rings

The last photo of the couple was posted on December 26, which showed a festive-looking Elizabeth wearing a Santa hat while cosying up to Seb for a car selfie.

However, Seb and Elizabeth's fairy tale love story crashing down last week, when they announced they'd split after one year together.

'We have mutually decided to end our relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend,' both Elizabeth and Seb wrote on their respective Instagram accounts.

Holiday heartbreak: The last photo of the couple was posted on December 26, which showed a festive-looking Elizabeth wearing a Santa hat while cosying up to Seb for a car selfie

'We want to thank everyone for the endless support we have received on our platforms. Please be kind and respectful.'

'We are aware you have followed parts of our journey, but please remember we are real people, and we are both navigating our way through this time to the best of our abilities.'

The couple went on to explain they were 'well aware' the announcement would spark 'countless rumours', and asked fans to respect their privacy.

'It is still fresh for us both, we just know there has been some curiosity as we have shared parts of our relationship online and we met on national television,' they wrote.

'We are both respectful of each other and are still involved in each other's lives. We both have cherished each other and have grown together. We would like to send love and well wishes to all.'

Doctors across the NHS face an immediate reality of having to choose which patients are prioritised for care as the numbers of coronavirus cases continue to surge across the country.

At one hospital trust, medics have been told they may have to accept a just good enough standard of care for patients in coming weeks, while the medical regulator has said it recognised difficult decisions were being made day after day, shift after shift across the country.

The situation facing many hospitals has prompted renewed calls for national advice to clinicians on how they should approach the so-called rationing of care  where treatment choices are balanced against the resources available and the needs of other patients.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has said doctors must be given clear guidance about how to handle such situations while the president of the Intensive Care Society warned the NHS faces the greatest risk since the start of the pandemic that such decisions may have to be made.

Ethics committees, made up of senior clinicians, have been established by most hospitals offering advice to the front line over decisions including whether patients should be admitted to intensive care. Doctors are also sharing amongst themselves their own frameworks for decision-making, such as a special Covid mortality calculator.

Many hospitals across the southeast, London, midlands and east of England regions have seen ICU bed occupancies of 150 per cent or higher. Many NHS trusts have been forced to open makeshift ICUs in operating theatres and general wards to cope with the increased demand.

In a letter to doctors at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust on Tuesday, chief executive Nick Hulme said he accepted doctors were feeling vulnerable both personally and professionally as they were redeployed to different areas to cope with the surge in Covid patients.

He said: With the significant pressure of caring for so many more sick patients in our hospitals, necessary changes in admission and discharge thresholds and also the impact on patients waiting for outpatient care or procedures, we may not be able to provide care to our patients to the level we would all wish.

We may have to accept a standard that is good enough to bring benefit to the greatest number of patients who require our care.

One doctor at the trust told The Independent: We are all getting annoyed with the read in-between the lines and keep it politically correct messaging. For transparency the messaging should be clear: patient care will suffer and everyone will have to accept it. That is where we are or will be if things carry on like this.

Its not a position any of us in the profession want to be in.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued ethical advice to doctors about the decisions they face when a hospital is overwhelmed. The GMC chair, Dame Clare Marx, told medics this week that the regulator would consider the context doctors were working in when judging their actions if complaints were made about them later.

A coalition of health bodies has written to health secretary Matt Hancock, urging the government to update the law to ensure medical workers do not feel vulnerable to the risk of prosecution for unlawful killing when treating coronavirus patients in circumstances beyond their control.

The letter, coordinated by the Medical Protection Society (MPS), and signed by the British Medical Association, Doctors Association UK, the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and Medical Defence Shield, said emergency legislation is needed to protect doctors and nurses from inappropriate legal action over Covid-19 treatment decisions.

The health groups argued that there is no legal protection for Covid-related issues such as when there are surges in demand for resources that temporarily exceed supply.

The health groups wrote: With the chief medical officers now determining that there is a material risk of the NHS being overwhelmed within weeks, our members are worried that not only do they face being put in this position but also that they could subsequently be vulnerable to a criminal investigation by the police.

Dave Archard, chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, said fears over the first wave led to discussions over national guidance for treatment decisions during the pandemic, but they never came to fruition.

In a statement he added: Nearly one year on, record increases in daily Covid-19 cases combined with routine winter pressures in the NHS threaten to overwhelm and engulf. These decisions are no longer a worst-case scenario, but an immediate reality.

In the event that demand outstrips supply, how should clinical teams proceed? Should they prioritise the worst-off patients most in need of treatment? Or should they choose those with the greatest chance of survival? Is it simply chance of survival that is relevant or is a matter of considering quality of life in that survival? Can it be justified to prioritise younger patients over older patients? Is that discriminatory?

These are not just matters of intellectual curiosity, but are the questions needing answered on the front line.

He called on the government to issue national guidance to doctors to help them decide how patients should be prioritised adding leaving it to local hospitals was manifestly unjust.

It is unfair to the clinicians working under extreme pressure, under fear of litigation or professional sanction, and at risk of severe moral distress, he said.

There are concerns over the longer-term effects of such guidance on treatment decisions in intensive care and so far neither the government or the NHS has been willing to officially offer a formal view.

Some clinicians fear the consequences of setting down in policy the route by which doctors could be allowed to choose between patients, which would include denying admission to ICU but also turning off a patients ventilator in favour of another patient. But others argue it would be better to have a standard agreed by which decisions could be measured.

One central London doctor told The Independent these decisions were being taken already.

They said: Were close to the situation where we wont have ICU beds for patients we can actually save. We need to be very selective on who we admit. The frail over-70s with previous comorbidities are so sick theyre just not surviving.

Stephen Webb, president of the Intensive Care Society, told The Independent: There still remains a risk we will get to a stage where intensive care units are overwhelmed. We are not at that stage yet, but that is only because of the efforts staff are putting in to make sure that doesnt happen.

But we are at the greatest risk of this happening so far in the pandemic. We have more patients than in wave one and fewer staff to look after them. There is a risk of care quality diminishing.

The ICS absolutely understands the call for guidance on prioritisation of patients for ICU admission. We welcome the statement from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics which shed light on this controversial issue. None of us ever want to be in the position of making decisions to choose between patients because of limited resources.

Developing such guidance will be tremendously difficult and complex. As doctors we are used to making difficult decisions about individual patients but choosing between patients because of lack of staff or resources is a new paradigm.

We should not get to the position of having to make these decisions until the whole country is saturated and every ICU is full. Until then the ICS believes normal clinical decision-making should continue to apply.

Intensive care doctor Rupert Pearse, who works at the Royal London Hospital, said: The burden of decision-making around ICU admission traditionally falls on senior ICU doctors. Most of us are privately very worried about what will happen if we run out of resources. The false suggestion that we rationed ICU beds in the first wave has upset a lot of people.

I am not aware of any patient who was not admitted to intensive care during the pandemic when the ICU consultants responsible believed that they should be. But we would be failing in our duty if we do not plan for this situation.

He said a new level of alert for critical care units, or critcon levels, were valuable in showing the pressure on services but he added: Our decisions remain subjective, individual and personal. We are lacking guidance from society.

In a message to doctors on Monday, Dame Clare Marx, chair of The General Medical Council, said: As doctors, we have always made difficult decisions under pressure. Covid presents many with even greater challenges. The escalating pandemic means some of you are having to make such judgements, day after day, shift after shift. This unrelenting pressure can exact a heavy toll.

I know how anxious some doctors are about the way in which actions and decisions taken in this environment may be reviewed. I want to reassure you that, should any concern be raised, the context in which a doctor is working will be fully taken into account.

The governments Moral and Ethical Advisory Group was asked to draw up a policy on Covid-19 triage last year which included scoring patients to decide whether they would, for example, receive intensive care, but it was never formally released.

A draft was later published by the Intensive Care Society but with the scoring and triage thresholds removed.

In a statement, Nick Hulme, chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust, said: The increase in patients with Covid-19 in our hospitals means that we are having to provide care differently, and we sent a letter to thank our clinical staff for their flexibility. We are still providing safe and effective care to all of our patients and no care is being rationed in any way.

The Department of Health and Social Care was asked if it had a response to the call for national guidance but declined to respond.

NHS England also declined to offer a substantive comment on the issue but instead said NHS staff had worked hard to create extra capacity and urged the public to follow the rules to prevent hospital admissions.
The plane arrived at Sheremetyevo Airport after being rerouted from its initial destination, Vnukovo.

Russian opposition figure and Putin critic Alexei Navalny has returned to Moscow where he was detained at border control, moments after arrival from Germany where he underwent treatment and rehabilitation following a poisoning attack with what international experts believe was a novichok-type agent.

According to Flightradar24, Navalny's flight operated by Russia's Pobeda carrier has landed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport at 19:20 local time after being redirected from its initial destination, Vnukovo, as reported by Dozhd.

The airline's press service said in a statement that the rerouting was due to "technical" issues at Vnukovo where a crowd gathered to meet Navalny amid massive police presence.

According to Russian media reports, dozens were detained at Vnukovo over an "unauthorized rally".

Meanwhile, the Federal Penitentiary Service has confirmed Navalny's arrest, as per TASS.

The statement recalls that Navalny had earlier been handed down a conditional sentence and put on wanted list on December 29, 2020, for "repeated violations of probation terms."

Further measures to be applied to Alexei Navalny will be determined by court.

"Until the court issues its ruling, he will remain in custody," said the statement.

Read alsoRussia puts Navalny on wanted listNavalny poisoning: Background

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny felt sick on board the plane he was flying from the city of Tomsk to Moscow on August 20. His rapidly deteriorating condition forced the captain to perform an emergency landing in Omsk.

Navalny was evacuated from Omsk to Berlin's Charite hospital on an ambulance aircraft for further medical treatment on August 22.

On September 4, it was announced that experts with the Bundeswehr laboratory had found traces of poison from the Novichok group in Navalny's body. In this regard, Berlin called on Moscow to explain the circumstances of the poisoning of the Russian opposition figure.

On September 10, it was reported Navalny had made further progress in his recovery and was able to speak again.

On September 14, French and Swedish laboratories independently confirmed Navalny had been poisoned with a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group.

On September 23, he was discharged from Charite. He is now convalescing in a secret location.

On September 25, Navalny's press secretary, Kira Yarmysh, said that the opposition leader would remain in Germany until the end of his rehabilitation course.

On October 1, speaking in an interview for Germany's Der Spiegel, Navalny said that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally stood behind the attempt to poison him with Novichok. Navalny said he planned to return to Russia.

In a prank call late December, Navalny duped a Russian secret agent into disclosing details of the botched plot to kill him and had been told that poison had been placed in his underpants.

Reporting by UNIAN
UPADTE 8.30AM: Police have confirmed that one person has died following a serious crash on the Tauranga Eastern Link.

Emergency services were alerted to the two-vehicle crash, involving a car and a 4x4 vehicle, on State Highway 2 near Papamoa Beach just before 11pm on Sunday.

"Both vehicles had a single occupant," says a police spokesperson.

"The driver of the car died at the scene and the driver of the 4x4 vehicle was transported to hospital in a serious condition."

The road was closed for a number of hours and diversions were in place.

The scene is now clear and the road open.

EARLIER 7AM: The NZ Transport Agency report that emergency services responded to a serious crash on State Highway 2 near Papamoa last night.

SunLive readers report that two vehicles crashed in the westbound lane on the Tauranga Eastern Link, just before Sandhurst Dr.

Due to the crash, the section of highway between Sandhurst Dr and Domain Rd remained closed from around 11pm to 4.20am.

Eastbound traffic was diverted along Sandhurst Dr onto Papamoa Beach Rd, Domain Rd and back onto SH2 with westbound traffic in reverse.

It is unknown whether there are any injuries.
MOSCOW  Aleksei A. Navalny returned to his home country Sunday, five months after a near-fatal nerve-agent attack, and was arrested at the border, a show of fearlessness by Russias most prominent opposition leader and of anxiety by President Vladimir V. Putin.

In hours of live-streamed drama that played out in Berlin, in the air and at two Moscow airports, Mr. Navalny careened headlong into near-certain detention after deciding to leave the relative safety of Germany, where he had been recovering from last summers poisoning.

Hundreds of people braved the bitter cold outside Moscows Vnukovo Airport to greet Mr. Navalny, but the low-cost Russian airline he was flying was diverted just before landing to a different Moscow airport. There, at passport control, Mr. Navalny was confronted by uniformed policemen in black masks.

He embraced his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, before being led away.

I am not afraid, Mr. Navalny told reporters just before he was detained, standing in front of a neon sign at the airport that portrayed the Kremlin. I know that I am in the right and that all the criminal cases against me are fabricated.

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LONDON  The U.K. government plans to offer a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to every adult by September as the nations health care system battles the worst crisis in its 72-year-history.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Sunday that the government will soon begin a trial of round the clock injections at some locations as it continues to add more vaccination sites to increase the pace of delivery. The National Health Service opened a mass vaccination center on Saturday at the historic Salisbury Cathedral, where injections were accompanied by organ music.

Our target is by September to have offered all the adult population a first dose,' he told Sky News. If we can do it faster than that, great, but thats the road map.

Britain has more than 51 million adults in its population of 67.5 million people.

The ambitious vaccination program comes amid crushing pressures on the National Health Service. Already beleaguered hospitals are admitting another COVID-19 patient every 30 seconds, putting the service in its most precarious situation ever, said Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England.

The facts are very clear and Im not going to sugarcoat them, hospitals are under extreme pressure and staff are under extreme pressure,' he told the BBC. Since Christmas Day weve seen another 15,000 increase in the in-patients in hospitals across England. Thats the equivalent of filling 30 hospitals full of coronavirus patients.

Britains health care system is staggering as doctors and nurses battle a more contagious variant of the coronavirus coupled with cold, wet winter weather that drives people inside, where infections spread more easily.

The surge in infections has pushed the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 to a record 37,475, more than 73% higher than during the first peak of the pandemic in April. Britain has reported 88,747 coronavirus-related deaths, more than any other country in Europe and the fifth-highest number worldwide.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Jan. 2 ordered England into its third national lockdown in an effort to slow the spread of the virus and protect the NHS, which Stevens said now has some 50,000 employees off work due to COVID-19 infections and exposure quarantines.

The government says it wont review the lockdown measures until mid-February, by which time it plans to offer at least one dose of vaccine to everyone over 70, as well as to frontline health care workers and others who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

Once that goal has been reached, the U.K. will offer the vaccine to everyone over 50 before finally moving on to everyone over 18.

Unlike other nations, Britain has chosen to stretch out the time between vaccine doses from 21 days to up to 12 weeks  a decision that means more people will get at least one dose more quickly.

Britain has approved three vaccines  ones by Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna. The first two are already being used, while the Moderna doses are not expected until spring.

Meanwhile, vaccination centers are being opened in England at some of the countrys great cathedrals. Salisbury Cathedral, which also houses a copy of the Magna Carta, opened its great nave to the public. Others will follow as the rollout continues.

Organ music played as the jabs were delivered at Salisbury. Requests were taken.

I doubt that anyone is having a jab in surroundings that are more beautiful than this, so I hope it will ease people as they come into the building, said the Very Rev. Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury.

__

Danica Kirka of The Associated Press wrote this story.

Follow AP coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Press Release

January 16, 2021 De Lima appeals to Court to limit Prosecution witnesses vs her Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has appealed to the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256 handling the 3rd of her three trumped-up drug cases to limit the Prosecution's list of witnesses to those with personal knowledge of her case only. In a six-page motion she filed through her lawyers last Jan. 12, De Lima said the Prosecution must only be allowed to add its main witnesses who have personal knowledge on the inculpatory allegations in the Amended Information, to the exclusion of non-essential witnesses, to avoid inordinate delay. De Lima was originally charged with Illegal Trading/ Sale of Illegal Drugs but the Prosecution amended the Information, substantially changing the charge into an alleged conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading because of the absence of a corpus delicti needed for a conviction. "In bail proceedings, the prosecution is obliged to present only pieces of evidence that are essential in establishing that the evidence of guilt is strong. To unnecessarily bloat the proceedings would be to violate the constitutional right of the accused to bail and to the speedy disposition of cases," she said. "While the Prosecution may have the right to choose its witnesses for bail hearings, such right is not unlimited and absolute if the constitutional right is to have any meaning. The prosecution cannot draw up a list that will convert the summary bail proceedings into a long-drawn out, full-blown trial on the merits," she added. In its Manifestation dated Dec. 28, 2020, De Lima said the Prosecution attempted to expand its previous list of bail witnesses, noting that it appeared that they have eight new witnesses whose names were not previously included in the Prosecution's earlier Manifestation dated Sept. 6, 2018. The Prosecution, in their recent Manifestation, reasoned that the list of witnesses they intended to present changed in view of what they called a belated Motion for Bail Ad Cautelam filed by De Lima last December 11, 2020. Based on her initial observation, De Lima said the list of intended witnesses contained in the Prosecution's Manifestation have been overly bloated with witnesses who, based on their affidavits, merely professed knowledge of collateral and purely corroboratory matters. "In fact, a perusal of the affidavits of the new eight (8) intended witnesses and their previous testimonies in related cases will easily show that their testimonies can be dispensed with, or possibly even stipulated upon," she said. In submitting its list of bail witnesses, De Lima stressed that the Prosecution "must substantiate the need for the inclusion of those witnesses by stating the tenor of their testimonies to assure the court that the summary proceedings will not be converted into a long, drawn out and meandering fishing expedition," defeating her constitutional right to bail. "There is a need for the Prosecution to clarify the contents of the testimonies of its intended bail witnesses and the purpose for which they are being offered," she said. Likewise, De Lima said the Prosecution should state the order of presentation of the intended bail witnesses and their date of presentation because these were unclear in the Manifestation. "For the orderly administration of justice and to allow proper preparation on the part of the defense and the trial court alike, the Prosecution should be clear and forthright as to the order of its presentation of its witnesses and/or their respective dates of presentation in order to ensure that the trial will proceed smoothly and fairly," she said. As to the two (2) other trumped-up drug cases before another court, Muntinlupa RTC-Branch 205, De Lima's separate Motions for Bail and Demurrers to Evidence filed therein are now deemed submitted for resolution.
When Vice President Mike Pence takes his seat near Joe Biden at the inauguration on Wednesday, he will be symbolically turning his back on President Donald Trumps baseless assertion of a stolen election and creating the powerful image of a peaceful transfer of power - an image his boss has sought to upend.

That comes after Pence last Thursday called Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to congratulate her, offering her Air Force Two to travel to the inauguration, a courtesy Biden extended to Pence four years ago. Most dramatically, Pence on Jan. 6 rejected efforts to disrupt Congress's certification of the election results, making him the target of a violent mob as he formalized Biden's win.

At a time when big factions of each party view the other as contemptible, Biden and Pence are haltingly cooperating to shore up the traditional exchange of power. It's a dynamic helpful to both, as Biden works to enhance his legitimacy with Republicans and Pence seeks to regain credibility after the Trump years.

William Kristol, who was Vice President Dan Quayle's chief of staff, said cooperating with Biden lets Pence shape his post-Trump political brand. "Is there a market for 'civilized Trump acquiescence but not totally crazy' conservatism? Probably," Kristol said. "Playing that middle ground - civilized Trumpism with a civil face - isn't a bad place for him to be, really."

And for Biden, the Pence link lets him argue that he's not naive to embrace bipartisanship. "He wants to say that Trump is an aberration both for the country and for the Republican Party," Kristol said. "From the point of view of his governance, it is good for making that case."

If the dynamic is helpful to both figures for the moment, it is also fraught. Many Democrats still despise Pence for enabling Trump's destructiveness for four years and do not want Biden to help rehabilitate him. Pence, meanwhile, hopes to curry favor among the GOP base and potentially challenge Biden in 2024, so working with him now could carry a cost.

The two leaders have never been personally close. But as Trump refuses to acknowledge his election loss, their relationship has quietly become critical - and may be even more so in the coming months if Trump continues to rile up his followers by declaring that he was cheated.

Despite faithfully backing even Trump's most dubious actions for four years, Pence in recent days has taken on the traditional role, eschewed by Trump, of representing an outgoing administration, for example traveling to California and New York this weekend to bid farewell to military troops.

Four years ago it was Biden who was the outgoing vice president, welcoming Pence as he took office. He offered Pence help settling into the vice-presidential residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory, and he continued calling regularly to check on Pence, aides to both men said, until he ran into trouble with liberals for calling Pence "a decent guy" in early 2019.

They already knew each other by then, having overlapped in Congress for eight years before Biden became vice president. During the Obama administration, Pence joined the GOP House leadership and then became governor of Indiana.

The differences between the two men are evident. They're separated in age by 17 years - Pence is 61, Biden 78. In Congress, they served in different chambers and different parties, battling on everything from the Iraq War to gay rights, putting them in the same newspaper articles but rarely in the same room.

But they shared courtesies over the years, stemming from a mutual respect for institutions, allies of both men said. During the departure of a president determined to shatter norms, that commonality is suddenly crucial.

"Pence is a gentleman, and he takes the office and the decorum seriously," said Olivia Troye, a former aide to Pence who left the Trump administration over concerns about its handling of the pandemic and later appeared in an ad endorsing Biden. "At the inauguration, I have no doubt that he will be respectful. That is just the kind of man Pence is. He is not the kind of man who throws tantrums."

Trump, in contrast, plans to skip the ceremony, making him the first outgoing president to boycott his successor's inauguration since Andrew Johnson declined to attend President Ulysses Grant's swearing-in in 1869. Instead, Trump is expected to fly to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Wednesday morning.

Allies of both men now wonder whether Pence will step into the role traditionally occupied by former presidents, especially if Trump is a pariah in his post-presidency or actively works to undermine the Biden administration. That could mean, for example, joining with former presidents to support Biden in moments of national crises.

"I would love to see him fulfill that role, because I think he's great at it," said one former Pence aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a former boss. "It's something that the country needs."

One person close to Biden, who has not spoken to the president-elect about Pence, said the next few days will further clarify Trump's standing. Any additional violence from pro-Trump agitators, for example, would make it even more attractive to lean on Pence, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.

Jen Psaki, Biden's incoming White House press secretary, said Biden and Pence have not spoken in recent days. Devin O'Malley, a spokesman for Pence, declined to comment for this story.

Many Democrats are loath to give Pence credit after what they consider years of sycophancy to Trump.

"He can't shed four years of intimate Trumpism by 30 seconds of doing some of the right things," said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N. J, who contracted covid-19 after sheltering in the Capitol with Republican lawmakers refusing to wear masks. Citing Trump's policies on race, coronavirus and other issues, she said of Pence, "He earned every bit of our skepticism and reluctance to trust him on any level."

Transportation Secretary-designate Pete Buttigieg memorably summed up Democrats' scorn for Pence when he was running for the Democratic nomination, calling him "a cheerleader for the porn star presidency."

Amy Walter, national editor of the Cook Political Report, said the recent assault on the Capitol changed the landscape for the vice president. "When you have people running through the Capitol saying, 'Hang Mike Pence,' you don't have a lot to lose in saying, 'I'm going to work with the incoming administration,' " Walter said.

In presiding over the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress that certified the 2020 election, Pence reprised a role that Biden himself played four years ago. Biden had also faced a party with raw emotions, though not violent ones. As presiding officer, Biden swatted aside several objections and instructed the sergeant-at-arms to remove protesters from the gallery.

Democrats did not challenge the election results in 2016 as forcefully as many Republicans did this time, but they repeatedly noted that Trump had lost the popular vote and received help from Russia. In that tense atmosphere, Biden met with Pence multiple times, hosting Pence and his wife at a lunch in the Naval Observatory just one week after Hillary Clinton conceded.

Biden's office issued a statement at the time saying the two had discussed their work in Congress and "their friendship dating back many years," according to a newspaper account. (A Biden transition aide said the suggestion of a long friendship seemed overstated, though it had come from Biden's vice-presidential office.)

One Biden aide recalled creating binders and briefing top Pence staffers in a "dutiful" attempt to ease the transition. A former Pence aide agreed, saying, "I do think Biden and his team did what they could to make a smooth transition for us."

After Pence took office in January 2017, Biden regularly reached out, according to two people familiar with their conversations. "Biden did make a habit of staying in touch with Pence until, of course, primary politics made that untenable," said a Pence confidant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal talks.

The break came, according to this person, in early 2019 as Biden, then considering a presidential run, faced criticism from Democratic activists for calling Pence "a decent guy." Biden made the comment during a speech at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he recounted how foreign leaders reacted poorly to a Pence speech because of their dislike for Trump.

Biden described Pence as "a guy who's a decent guy - our vice president - who stood before this group of allies and leaders and said, 'I'm here on behalf of President Trump,' and there was dead silence. Dead silence," Biden said.

Many Democrats were upset that Biden would characterize Pence as "decent," given his hostility to gay rights and abortion. Biden had to soften the comment, saying, "There is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the vice president."

Wednesday's inauguration won't be the first time that Pence has attended a ceremony celebrating Biden's ascent. In 2009, Pence had just been elected to chair the House Republican Conference - making him the third-ranking House Republican - and he dined on seafood, pheasant and duck at a lunch at the Capitol following the swearing-in ceremony for President Barack Obama and Biden.

By the time Pence came to the House in 2001, Biden had already been a senator for nearly three decades. If Biden is gregarious, Pence is courtly; while Biden's political persona is that of a friendly neighbor, Pence projects a courteous schoolteacher.

In late 2008, Pence described himself as leading a "cheerful opposition" to the Obama administration. That played out in budget battles, including a hard-fought showdown in 2011. Biden, negotiating with Congress on behalf of the Obama administration, made a proposal to cut about $33 billion in spending, but Pence opposed it as too small-bore.

"By picking a fight and winning this one small step toward fiscal discipline, the American people will see ... that we can fight and we can win," Pence told a tea party rally outside the Capitol.

Pence also criticized the Obama-Biden stance toward Iraq, which in 2010 included withdrawing troops. "To make their point, Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden even voted to deny necessary funding for our troops," Pence charged in an op-ed in The Washington Times.

But especially by the standards of today's rhetoric, Pence was not nasty or personal. In June 2010, he chastised fellow Republican Rep. Joe Barton of Texas for accusing the Obama administration of a "shakedown" of BP over the Gulf oil spill, saying in a statement with other Republican leaders that Barton's comments were "wrong."

And Pence was gracious in November 2010 when Biden traveled to Indiana. Obviously, every Hoosier should welcome our president and vice president to the Hoosier state, Pence said. The more Indiana and our communities and our economy can be in the forefront of the thinking of this administration, we welcome it.
As Covid cases across the country surge, a shadow pandemic of domestic abuse has also grown, with many unable to escape an abusive partner as soaring demand makes it difficult for victims to get the help they need.

Boris Johnson used an address to the nation this week to emphasise those trapped at home with abusers were free to leave the house during lockdown, while home secretary Priti Patel appeared on ITV's This Morning to alert people to the fact pharmacies have launched a codeword scheme to provide a lifeline to victims.

But cash-strapped services have not been given any further funding, meaning they are forced to turn away victims fleeing abusive partners.

Leading services told The Independent bed shortages push survivors into homelessness or force them to return to their abuser where they face further torment.

Providers say they have long been grappling with severe economic uncertainty due to austerity measures forcing refuges to close or cut their services, but the mounting need for support in the wake of the coronavirus emergency has exacerbated the situation.

Patrick Ryan, chief executive of Hestia, a leading domestic abuse charity, told The Independent one of its life-saving shelters for victims escaping perpetrators was set to close within weeks because of a funding shortfall, while there was only enough money to keep another of their London refuges open until June.

He said: Right now, there are victims who have been trapped at home with their abusers for nine months. But we desperately need funds to keep one of our London refuges open. It could close in weeks. It is a struggle and it will continue to be a struggle. It will get worse.

Financial struggles are a particular feature of the last decade and austerity. For too long, these services have been out of sight and out of mind. These have always been cinderella services when it comes to funding - before the pandemic and before austerity.

Mr Ryan, whose charity is one of the biggest providers of domestic abuse refuges in London and the southeast, said the charity has been forced to do its own fundraising due to emergency funding from the government running out.

He said some weeks Hestia had no beds available in its refuges and when it did, they were taken very quickly. Highly delicate work goes into placing a survivor in a refuge with staff planning the victims escape on the phone in snatched moments when the person fleeing is safe to speak, he explained.

Recommended Women cooped up with violent partners during lockdown recount horror

While the government released emergency funds during the public health crisis, providers warn the money was insufficient and tricky for services to access due to bureaucratic hurdles, with many having already run out of cash.

Jo Gough, chief executive of Rise, a domestic abuse charity which supports victims in Sussex, said they did not know how they would cope after the governments March deadline for all organisations to use all of their emergency funding. The service has been forced to turn victims away, put stricter eligibility criteria in place, and close waiting lists for survivors seeking help.

Ms Gough said: We hate to do this. There is a cliff edge at the end of March. Nobody knows what is going to happen. It is quite frightening. If there arent long-term sustainable commitments, lots of organisations are going to go under because of rising demand.

Contingency money from supporters will take us up until June. But we are actively hunting for additional support to make sure no survivors are turned away. We just lost a qualified social worker who went back to social work.

That is a huge blow. Quite rightly, with this level of insecurity, people are going to look elsewhere for work. Also, if you cant give security to the staff, you cant give security to survivors  it is a cyclical thing.

Rises helpline for domestic abuse victims was more than three times the average of what it was pre-pandemic in August.

Ms Gough noted the amount of high-risk victims accessing their support who are at risk of murder or serious harm has doubled in the last few years, partly due to there not being enough resources for victims to be supported when they first come forward.

We see perpetrators who have abused several victims we support either historically or currently, she added. Brighton and Hove has a really significant problem with homelessness. Housing is extremely slim. For women experiencing domestic abuse and violence, they are stuck with a partner because they cant go anywhere. Victims suffer hidden homelessness such as sofa surfing, spending time with family, or potentially returning to an unsafe environment.

A report released by MPs at the end of April revealed domestic abuse killings in the first 21 days of the first lockdown were double the total of an average period in the past decade.

Lucy Hadley, of Womens Aid, a federation of 170 local domestic abuse services in England, said unmet demand for services was extremely high before the Covid crisis.

Some 64 per cent of referrals to their refuge services were declined in 2018-2019, while a third of referrals to community-based services were refused.

Far too many women are being turned away, Ms Hadley added. Services have really been decimated over the past decade so it is important to ensure it is not for next. Its a massively worrying and chilling time for everyone working in domestic abuse services. You know experiences of violence are getting worse and escalating but ways to access help are increasingly shut off.

She said Womens Aid, one of the UKs biggest domestic abuse charities, has been calling for urgent funding certainty for services across the sector since March last year when the pandemic hit.

Ms Hadley added: Violence against women and girls organisations called for at least 65m of the 750m package for charities announced by the chancellor, to be ring-fenced for our life-saving sector.

Whilst we welcome the emergency funding which has been delivered by the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to date, it has been limited, fragmented and challenging for womens organisations to access.

Services are now facing the combined threat of the lockdown, the prospect of rising demand for support and financial uncertainty in the next financial year.

She noted the government pledged around 30m for domestic abuse and sexual violence services in the spring, with an additional 12m made available in top-up funding, but argued the money was insufficient as well as being bureaucratic and difficult for local services to access.

Less than half of services responding to their survey in 2020 said they had experienced an overall increase in funding or income during the coronavirus emergency.

Last May, it emerged calls to the UKs national domestic abuse helpline had risen by 66 per cent and visits to its website soared by 950 per cent since the country went into a national lockdown.

Jane Gregory, founder of Salford Survivor Project, which helps domestic abuse victims in Salford in Greater Manchester, said they do not have time to apply for funding as they are so overwhelmed with helping survivors.

We havent had any of the governments emergency funding, she added. You have got to really search for it and we just dont have time. I do 70 or 80 hours a week of work some weeks. Weve had to pick and choose which victims we can support. Weve had so many crisis cases that there are cases where we would normally provide long-term support, but we dont have the capacity to do so.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Creativity courses through Starr Hardridges veins like blood.

An enrolled member of the Muskogee Creek Nation, his work reflects the pointillism of the French post-Impressionist Georges Seurat, as well as the shimmering beadwork of southeastern woodland tribes. His work can be seen at blueraingallery.com, as well as in Santa Fes Blue Rain Gallery at 544 S. Guadalupe St.

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Pointillism is a painting technique in which artists apply small, distinct dots of color in patterns to form an image. Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886 as they branched out from Impressionism.

Hardridges work often features allegorical images of Native people in their natural world enhanced by mythological symbols and designs. His bold use of color and geometry wields a modern twist inspired by Muscogee patterns and designs.

The artists background speaks to an amalgamation of influences, including the Savannah College of Art and Design in 1997 and a one-year residency in France with the decorative artist Nadai Verdon.

No brushstrokes appear in Hardridges work. Instead, he applies fine dots of paint using a homemade dropper.

The scariest part of painting is putting down the first dot, he said in a telephone interview from Knoxville, Tennessee.

First, he applies a plaster layer over mesh to work as a design grid.

Im working with mesh thats one-sixteenth of an inch, he explained.

A former decorative painter, Hardridge decided to reinvent himself as a fine artist in 2015.

I was in the closet as a quote-unquote Native artist for about 20 years, he said. I did a lot of conservation work. I had always done what I call Native American art on the side.

The national touring exhibition Return From Exile featured his work among 30 Native artists in 2015. The show focused on the resilience and resistance of the southeastern tribes removed to the Oklahoma Territory.

At the time, I was illustrating creation stories in sort of a classical way, he said. I wanted to represent in my own painterly expression and explore pointillism. I figured that would be the best way to represent the beadwork.

In 2012, he won a first place in painting from the Santa Fe Indian Market. Pendleton Woolen Mills selected him as their Legendary Blanket Artist in 2015.

It can take him up to three months to complete a large painting.

Convergence features two woodpeckers flying toward one another against a celestial background.

Woodpeckers are spiritual to the Muscogee Creek, Hardridge said. Theyre sacred beings; theyre sacred birds, theyre protectors of sacred ground.

Best Friends shows a Deer Woman petting her namesake.

Deer Woman is sort of a morality play, Hardridge said. Its a tale of caution. Men saw those beautiful eyes, and she drew them into the woods and stomped them.

In She Waited Summer Long, a woman is nudged by a U.S. cavalry horse as oak leaves flutter around her.

Its a story that was told to me that was supposed to be Cherokee, Hardridge said.

She said the oak leaves warned of the soldiers coming with the horses hooves crushing the leaves, Hardridge said.

So I developed this story, he continued. They knew their lifestyle was coming to an end.

He lifted the falling oak leaves from a design on an Osage sash.

The geometric abstraction of Strength in Numbers veils a circling herd of buffalo.

Theyre in a stomp dance circle, Hardridge said. Everything in Muscogee Creek culture is cyclical.

By the way, Muscogee means the people in Hardridges native language. Creek was a white invention describing some tribes spotted along a creek.

Hardridge is about to work as a contracting artist for the First Nations Museum slated to open in Oklahmoa City in September.

His paintings hang in the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in Overland Park, Kansas, as well as the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis.
Miffed Trinamool Congress MP Satabdi Roy named state unit vice-president

India

oi-Deepika S

Kolkata, Jan 17: Three time Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Satabdi Roy, who has called a truce with the party after a brief rebellion that triggered speculations of her crossing over to the BJP, was on Sunday appointed vice-president of the West Bengal unit of the ruling Trinamool Congress.

Expressing happiness over the news, Roy told reporters, she will work as a dedicated worker of the party and ensure defeat of the BJP in the coming assembly polls.

"If you take up the matter concerning the party with the top leadership, it is addressed. This development proves that. I welcome the decision," Roy said on her appointment as the state unit vice-president in the reshuffle.

Roy, an actor-turned-politician and a leading face in the Mamata Banerjee's cultural brigade, is the third consecutive term Lok Sabha member from Birbhum.

She had snatched the Birbhum seat from CPM heavyweight Ram Chandra Dome in 2009 on debut and managed to win it by an overwhelming margin in 2019, even as the BJP had routed the Trinamool Congress in the nearby constituencies.

West Bengal Elections 2021: Views misinterpreted says Bengal minister

Roy was among the prominent leaders who had joined Banerjee's Singur and Nandigram movement in 2009 that ended the Left Front rule and catapulted the feisty Bengal leader to power in the state. The Birbhum MP had voiced dissent Friday over not being informed about the party events in her constituency which she said caused "mental pain".

In a Facebook post she had said that she will inform the public Saturday if she takes any "decision", following which the jittered Trinamool Congress leaders had started reaching out to her. She changed her stance and expressed full confidence in the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee after meeting the Diamond Harbour MP Friday evening.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh had also met Roy to dissuade her from leaving the party.

After hammering a solution to her grievances, Roy had Saturday praised Abhishek Banerjee, who is nephew of the chief minister, for giving her a patient hearing and said she "is pleased with the way the young leader assured" her of resolving all the issues.

Returning satisfied after a two-hour-long meeting with Abhishek Banerjee she had made it clear that she will remain with the Trinamool Congress. She also admonished party colleagues having problems like her to discuss the issues with the party instead of looking for other options.

The actor-politician had said it would be "unethical to look for other options" when the party is facing a tough fight. Polls to 294-member Bengal assembly are due in April-May.

Banerjee's party is witnessing exodus of its disgruntled leaders to a resurgent saffron party which is making all efforts to win the state after an impressive performance in the 2019 Parliamentary election-winning 18 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, only four less than the TMC tally of 22.

Last month, Suvendu Adhikari, along with 35 party leaders including five MLAs and an MP, joined the BJP, setting off a churning as several disgruntled leaders rallied behind him. In the rejig in the TMC, the party announced new names for the state committee which included Moazzem Hossain and Shankar Chakraborty in addition to Satabdi Roy.

In another significant development, former administrator of Asansol Municipal Corporation and Trinamool leader Jitendra Tiwari, who had voiced discontent over running of the civic board and had even met Suvendu Adhikari and Sunil Mondal on the eve of their joining BJP on December 17, has been removed from the post of district president of Paschim Bardhaman.

Tiwari, who had iterated to work for TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee after a meeting with the party leadership in the last week of December, has been replaced by Apurba Mukhopadhyay as the TMC district president. "This decision has been taken as I did not take back my resignation letter as the administrator. As an MLA and an ordinary worker, I will continue to serve my organization," Tiwari said.

Asked about the appointment of Roy and other leaders in the state committee and new faces in the district committees, Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee said, "It is an organisational matter. Why should we discuss this with the media?"

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Mumbai: BJP MP Manoj Kotak on Sunday said he has written to Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar seeking a ban on Amazon Prime Videos series Tandav" for ridiculing Hindu deities. Tandav", starring actors Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Dino Morea, Kumud Mishra, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Gauhar Khan and Kritika Kamra, premiered on the streaming platform on Friday.

Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar has created, directed and produced the political drama with Himanshu Kishan Mehra and it is written by Gaurav Solanki, best known for Article 15". The Mumbai North-East MP said attempts are often made on such platforms to not show Hindu deities in good light. Different organisations and individuals have complained that Hindu Gods and Goddesses have been ridiculed in Tandav web series. Comments have been passed about them, Kotak said.

Hence, we have made a demand to Javadekar ji and have written to him to ban the web series immediately. The actors, producers and directors should apologise for hurting sentiments, he added. Sharing the picture of his letter to Javadekar on Twitter on Sunday, Kotak said as there is no law or autonomous body governing digital content, such platforms are full of sex, violence, drugs, abuse, hate and vulgarity. Sometimes, they also hurt religious sentiments." It seems that makers of Tandav have deliberately mocked Hindu Gods and disrespected Hindu religious sentiments, he said in the letter dated January 16. Another politician , Ram Kadam, a BJP MLA from Ghatkopar West, also asked the director to remove the portion of the web series in which Lord Shiva is ridiculed.

The legislator said he has filed a complaint in this connection at the suburban Ghatkopar police station. Filed complaint against Tandav Web Series at Ghatkopar police station. Police has assured quick investigation, FIR under Sec 295A of IPC, Section 67A of IT Act & Atrocities Act. Producer, Director, Writer, Actors & Amazon to be summoned soon. #BanTandavNow #Boycottandav, he tweeted.

The scene at the heart of the controversy relates Zeeshans Shiva doing a stage play where he is dressed as Lord Shiva. The sequence talks about how Lord Ram has become more popular today. When contacted Amazon Prime Video PR said the platform wont be responding" on the matter.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Franklin Graham compares Republicans who voted for Trumps impeachment to Judas

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The Rev. Franklin Graham took to social media to slam the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump, comparing them to the infamous Judas Iscariot.

Shame, shame on the ten Republicans who joined with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats in impeaching President Trump yesterday, Graham wrote in a Facebook post Thursday. The House Democrats impeached him because they hate him and want to do as much damage as they can. And these ten, from his own party, joined in the feeding frenzy. It makes you wonder what the thirty pieces of silver were that Speaker Pelosi promised for this betrayal.

By referencing thirty pieces of silver, Graham seemed to be suggesting that the 10 House Republicans who supported Trumps impeachment were akin to Judas Iscariot, a disciple of Jesus Christ who betrayed him to the Roman authorities in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.

While Graham did not mention them by name, the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump were Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C., Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., and Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

According to Graham, these Republicans votes to impeach the president for incitement of insurrection constituted a betrayal because of all that he has done for this country.

We have never had a president like him in my lifetime. He gave us lower taxes, a strong economy, and low unemployment. He made NATO take notice and pay their own way. He had the guts to take on North Korea and meet with their leader personally. He didnt let China walk all over us. Just his Mideast peace initiatives in the last couple of months deserve a Nobel Peace Prize, he said.

He has defended religious liberty like no president before him, and that matters to all people of faith. He has worked to bring prison reform and secured our southern border. He defeated the ISIS caliphate in Syria, and he strengthened our military. He was also the most pro-life president we have ever had.

The Democrats have been trying to get rid of the president since the day he took office. What they did yesterday only further divides our nation. I hope President-elect Biden will keep his word and work for unity as he has said, he concluded. Graham has called for Trump, whose term expires Jan. 20, to meet with President-elect Joe Biden, contending that such a meeting would begin the healing and preparation for a smooth transition.

He also requested that Vice President-elect Harris as well as Biden's and Harris respective spouses be invited to the meeting.

In addition to praising the presidents record, Graham announced that he took issue with some of the things the president said and did the last couple of weeks, referring to Jan. 6 as a low point in his presidency.

On Jan. 6, hundreds of fringe Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was certifying the electoral college votes of the 2020 presidential election, unleashing violence and vandalism that left five people dead.

The events of Jan. 6 ultimately led to the presidents impeachment, as House Democrats argued that a speech he gave to his supporters urging them to continue protesting the election results incited them to resort to violence.

Violence at the Capitol erupted while Trump was still speaking to hundreds of thousands of his supporters at the Ellipse near the White House before they were to walk to the Capitol for a separate rally where other speakers were scheduled to speak. That event, however, never took place because the riot had already ensued.

Graham condemned the violence, remarking that he was deeply saddened by what took place in our nations capital.

Our country is in trouble. We need Gods healing and we need Gods help. Pray for peace and the protection of our nation. Lets come together  on our knees, he added.
The latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that 87 new cases of coronavirus were discovered yesterday.

No deaths from COVID-19 were reported today, meaning the total death toll in the Grand Duchy remains at 552.

6,123 tests were carried out in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate was 1.42%.

There are 72 patients in standard hospital care (+4), and the number in intensive care remains at 18.

As a reminder, on weekends the government only release data on the number of tests, cases, deaths and hospitalisations.

As of Friday, there were 2,427 active infections in Luxembourg, while 45,654 patients had recovered from the virus.

The R rate stood at 0.86.

In total, 3,233 people had been vaccinated in Luxembourg by Friday.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus both in Luxembourg and abroad, see our live ticker.



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When Joe Biden takes the oath of office on Wednesday outside a wounded US Capitol, he will begin reshaping the office of the presidency itself as he sets out to lead a divided nation struggling with a devastating pandemic and an insurrection.

The presidential inauguration inside a new "green zone" in Washington will see the US anthem being sung by Lady Gaga as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sworn in at the US Capitol, and Jennifer Lopez will also perform.

As Hollywood stars flock to be part of swearing in a Democrat president, Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute TV special featuring celebrities including Justin Timberlake, and a "virtual parade" around America.

It will be an attempt by Joe Biden's team to distract from the massive security operation surrounding the event.

Usually, hundreds of thousands of people flood on to the National Mall in front of Congress for an inauguration. But, in the wake of the riots on January 6, much of Washington remains closed off behind giant fences. Up to 25,000 National Guard soldiers were being deployed, five times the combined current total of US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Amid warnings of potential attacks by armed extremists, the National Park Service said only a small number of permits had been granted for protests in the capital. Muriel Bowser, Washington's Democrat mayor, urged people to stay at home.

US government aircraft will be carrying out surveillance overhead. For the first time since 1949 there will be no inaugural balls.

Away from the glitz, the new president's ambitious plans for his first 100 days face being upended by Donald Trump's Senate trial. Joe Biden is said to have been lukewarm about impeaching Trump over the Capitol riot because he wanted to hit the ground running on his legislative priorities after the inauguration.

With Senate time eaten up by a trial, the new president could be delayed getting his cabinet nominees confirmed and pushing for the passage of his key immediate priority, a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill.

The president-elect has suggesting a sharing of Senate time. A "bifurcation" process would see the Senate spending half of each day on Mr Trump's trial, and half on Cabinet nominees and pandemic relief plan.

Meanwhile, Biden has appointed the lead US negotiator of the Iran nuclear accord and a battle-tested hawk on Russia to top posts in the state department, signalling a return to normal after the chaotic Trump presidency.

Wendy Sherman, who brokered the Iran accord under Barack Obama and negotiated a nuclear deal with North Korea under Bill Clinton, was named as deputy secretary of state.

Victoria Nuland, a former career diplomat, was nominated under secretary for political affairs.

Telegraph

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
As COVID-19 vaccination rolls out with mounting confusion and disorganization, the nations chain drugstores say they could be the shot in the arm that the massive effort needs.

About 40,000 retail pharmacies across the country are ready, willing, and federally certified to administer COVID-19 shots  whenever enough vaccine exists. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores says its members could easily administer 100 million doses of vaccine in 30 days if supplies were available.

But nothing happens easily during this pandemic.

A partnership between Rite Aid and the City of Philadelphia, intended to help get the vaccine to health-care workers, has enabled ineligible people to jump the line and get protection ahead of that top-priority group, called 1a, which is at high risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

Complaints are coming to us from all angles that these [Rite Aid vaccine scheduling links] are being shared and people are using them even when they arent in 1a, James Garrow, spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, said Friday.

Garrow and James Peters, chief operating officer of Rite Aid, said that barring ineligible people, either by denying access through the website or at the store, would be impractical. It would also be against company policy, Peters said.

Yet Philly Fighting COVID is adding such filtering to its sign-up process after confronting the same kind of line-jumping. The civic group has partnered with the city to run a mass vaccination site at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

If any individuals who self-identify as outside of the designated phased priority groups (currently 1a health care workers) attempt to create an [online] appointment for vaccination, that appointment will be filtered from the system, Philly Fighting COVID said in an email Friday.

Peters, with Rite Aid, said: Were working as hard as we can to do the right thing. ... Consumers are confused.

Understandably so.

Before the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna two-shot vaccines were authorized in December, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states, and jurisdictions such as Philadelphia spent months drafting a priority system to make sure the initial limited supply of vaccine reaches those who need it most. Phase 1a included nursing home residents as well as health-care workers. Phase 1b was to include essential workers such as teachers and those age 75 and up.

The lame-duck Trump administration  which has left states to manage the pandemic response  upended that priority system on Tuesday. Health Secretary Alex Azar told the states to push to the front of the line a vast group of people he wanted to be there from the start  people age 65 and over  as well as younger people with chronic health conditions.

He also said the federal government would immediately ship out vaccine initially reserved for second doses. However, that reserve had already been depleted, the Washington Post reported Friday.

Whether the incoming Biden administration can bring order to the rollout remains to be seen, but Azars directive has abruptly increased variation in state vaccine policies, while feeding public perceptions that getting a shot is a dog-eat-dog competition.

New Jersey is among the states that have embraced Azars open-the-floodgates approach. Pennsylvania is considering it. Philadelphia is so far sticking to plans to finish 1a and move to 1b, keeping 65- to 74-year-olds in 1c.

It was to help finish vaccinating health workers not affiliated with hospitals that the city contracted with Rite Aid. The company provided a link to a website that could be used to schedule a shot at one of 26 Rite Aid stores in Philadelphia.

On Jan. 7, when the city began emailing the link to health-care workers, the website did not ask about eligibility or say that only health-care workers should sign up.

A 65-year-old Philadelphia woman, who is working remotely for a publishing company, signed up that first day after a relative forwarded the link. Like others who contacted The Inquirer, she asked for anonymity because of the ethical sensitivity of the issue.

There were no restrictions, she said. I thought, Geez, am I taking a spot from someone? I asked my colleagues at work and they all said, Go for it because the important thing is that the vaccine is given to as many people as possible.

The next day, this language was added to the webpage and highlighted in yellow: Appointments are currently for homecare or healthcare workers only. By scheduling an appointment, you acknowledge that you are a healthcare provider and qualify to receive the vaccine per your jurisdictions requirements.

Since then, Rite Aid has received 8,400 doses from the city and has administered about 4,300, Garrow said.

How many shots went to ineligible people is unclear, but more than a few.

I have family members who signed up on the Rite Aid portal for the COVID vaccine. None of them are in the high priority group that the vaccine should be reserved for, a woman emailed The Inquirer. I called the Rite Aid on South 9th Street to check. ... The store does no pre-screening during the registration or when the customers come into the store.

There is no requirement to prove that you are actually in group 1a or any other group when making an appointment, said a pharmacist who emailed The Inquirer. Ive been sent that link and/or asked about it by many people who have nothing to do with healthcare.

I was first made aware of the website and loophole by a patient late last week, and subsequently have had many patients tell me that they have signed up. I have tried to explain the ethical issues to those who have asked, a primary care physician emailed The Inquirer.

As of Friday, about 31 million doses bought by the federal government had been distributed to the states, and 12.3 million had been administered, according to the CDC.

Because the rollout is so inconsistent and uncoordinated, Rite Aid does not try to be the gatekeeper, Peters said.

Rite Aid does not determine how much vaccine we receive, who gets it, and we dont disseminate the scheduling tool that we provide to the state or jurisdiction, Peters said. We dont do any credential checking because it changes by the minute. Its a very fluid situation.
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The BMC stated that junior engineer Dinesh Gawande has been suspended with immediate effect and a probe has been instituted

Mumbai: A BMC junior engineer deputed at the Mumbai international airport was arrested by Sahar police for allegedly illegally exempting travelers from mandatory institutional quarantine after taking money from them, a civic official said on Friday.

Junior engineer Dinesh Gawande has been suspended with immediate effect and a probe has been instituted, said a BMC release.

"The junior engineer and two others have been arrested in this connection by Sahar police," the BMC release added.

Since 21 December 2020, the BMC has deployed its staff at the airport to ensure travelers coming from the United Kingdom, where a new strain had been detected, are placed in compulsory institutional quarantine.

The BMC said it alerted airport and CISF authorities after finding something amiss in the way quarantine exemption procedures were being applied, and it was a CISF probe that had zeroed in on Gawande.

The BMC then filed a complaint with Sahar police station and cash and two duplicate stamps were seized from the three, the civic statement informed.

So far, 49,362 passengers who arrived at Mumbai airport from UK and other countries have been placed under quarantine, it said.
Food and beverage manufacturing firms Global Food Industries (GFI) and International Beverage and Filling Industries (IBFI) have taken a bold step in driving forward its business to a whole new level of growth by appointing a new leadership team comprising F&B industry experts.

Ahmed Bayoumi, whose three-decade long professional career includes having held key management leadership positions under brands such as Procter&Gamble, PepsiCo, Mars and Americana, has been appointed CEO of GFI and IBFI.

Since taking on the role in February 2020, Bayoumi, who holds a Bachelors degree in Economics from the American University in Cairo and a Masters degree also in Economics from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, will be mainly responsible in turning into reality Sharjah-based GFI and IBFIs aspirations to double up its business in the next five years and lead its new management team into working together towards achieving such goal.

GFI and IBFI are part of the Albatha group, a major business conglomerate in the UAE, with over 32 operating units, Bayoumi said. As leaders in the pharmaceutical, medical equipment and automotive sectors in the region, with brands such as Pfizer, Johnson&Johnson, BMW, Rolls Royce and MINI under its wings, Albatha aims to turn its food and beverage portfolio into a major player in the UAE and beyond.

I totally believe in this vision and have signed on to it, Bayoumi said. As the food industry showed its resilience throughout the difficult and challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic, this has also revealed how important the food business is to Albatha. With a new team of experienced specialists leading BFI and IBFIs key departments, who all possess a renewed vigor of taking on new challenges and opportunities brought about by the resumption of local, regional and global economic activity, there is an even greater passion to double GFI and IBFIs business over the next five years and make Albatha a leading player across the food supply chain, he added.

Joining Bayoumi in steering the GFI and IBFI brands to greater heights are Fawad Hayee as Chief Financial Officer; Haytham El Bendary as Sales Director; Tina Siegismund as Head of Marketing and Innovations (Frozen); Mahmoud Fouda as Head of Supply Chain; Parvin Banu as Head of Quality; Hasan Rashed as Head of HR & Administration; and Mustafa Saeed as Head of Marketing and Innovations (Beverages & Snacking).

Fawad Hayee is a Chartered Accountant and graduate of Accounting and Finance from the University of Manchester. Hayee joined GFI and IBFI in August 2020 as Chief Financial Officer after holding key financial management roles with brands such as KPMG, EY, and Omnicom Media Group in the UK and Dubai.

Haytham El Bendary has held managerial positions for more than 25 years in corporates and multinationals like The Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Kraft Foods International, and PepsiCo, as well as MenaBev and Masafi. An Adjunct Professor in Marketing, a Masters degree holder in Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods and a PhD candidate in Business Analytics at the IE Business School, as well as an Executive MBA degree holder from the Brown University  School of Professional Studies, El Bendary has joined GFI and IBFI in June 2020 as Group Sales Director.

Tina Siegismund has 18 years of professional experience in FMCG, 17 years in the UAE and 10 years with Brasil Foods (BRF) holding various marketing roles across the region and locally. With an MBA from the University of Oxford, a BA in Marketing from the Accadis University of Applied Sciences, Bad Homburg, Germany, and a BSc in Marketing from the Florida Atlantic University, Siegismund has joined GFI and IBFI in May 2020 as Head of Marketing and Innovations of GFIs frozen products division.

Mahmoud Fouda has 25 years of experience in managing various aspects of Supply Chain Management, including sourcing, planning, logistics and warehousing. Having held key managerial positions in supply chain management for various brands such as Savola Foods, PepsiCo, Unilever and Procter&Gamble, Fouda has joined GFI and IBFI in July 2020 as Head of Supply Chain.

Parvin Banu is a biotechnologist by education with extensive experience in the food manufacturing industry having joined Al Islami back in 2002, holding various managerial positions that ensured Quality. Banu has since joined GFI and IBFI in the middle of 2017 as Head of Quality.

Hasan Rashed is a quality, financial and HR management systems expert who first joined the Albatha

Group under the Gulf International brand back in 2004. Throughout the groups expansion into the food industry, Rashed then moved to become the Head of HR & Administration for the GFI and IBFI brands in 2017.

Mustafa Saeed holds an MBA with major in Marketing and had previously led marketing and branding strategy for brands such as Kraft, Tang and Tetly in Pakistan, and IFFCO (Igloo Ice Cream) in the UAE. Saeed, who first joined GFI as Marketing Manager for the snacking division back in 2011 and then as Marketing Manager for IBFI in 2017, now assumes the role as Head of Marketing and Innovations for all the snacking and beverages brands under GFI and IBFI.TradeArabia News Service
Will Waldron

The editorial "Stop this, Ms. Stefanik," Jan. 8, was spot on. Until the congresswoman quits her slavish allegiance to President Donald Trump and openly condemns his role in abetting the Capitol seige, she too must be held responsible for that abhorrent act and whatever further violence follows.

Paul Phillips
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny spent five months in Germany recuperating from a near-fatal poisoning. On Sunday, he returned to Russia and, as expected, was swiftly arrested. Police detained Navalny, one of the most outspoken critics of the Kremlin, shortly after his flight from Berlin landed. Hundreds of supporters and lots of media outlets had gathered at Moscows Vnukovo airport to greet Navalny, who has accused the Kremlin of trying to kill him. Authorities ended up closing that airport and diverted the plane to another airport. Footage from the scene showed police officers waiting for Navalny at passport control. He kissed his wife before he was led off.

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NEW: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny kisses his wife goodbye before, according to the prison service, he was detained at a Moscow airport as he returned from Germany. https://t.co/dZ8c2SfI4i pic.twitter.com/2CKQjLdiRM  ABC News (@ABC) January 17, 2021

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Russias prisons service said Navalny had been detained for his failure to appear at a parole hearing from a suspended sentence on a 2014 conviction. He will be detained pending a court hearing but none has been scheduled. I am not afraid, Navalny said shortly before he was detained. I know that I am right. I know all the criminal cases against me are fabricated. His spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said the last minute change of airports showed how the Kremlin didnt like the scene of supporters waiting to greet Navalny. Until recently, it was impossible to believe they [the authorities] were so scared. But heres the confirmation, she tweeted. She also said Navalnys lawyer was not allowed to go with him.

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International observers were watching Navalnys return. This is a real act of bravery for Alexei Navalny to return to Russia, given that government agents already tried to kill him once, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth tweeted. But he understandably wants to be part of the pro-democracy movement in Russia, not a dissident in exile. Jake Sullivan, who President-elect Joe Biden has selected as his national security adviser, called for Navalny to be immediately released.

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Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable. The Kremlins attacks on Mr. Navalny are not just a violation of human rights, but an affront to the Russian people who want their voices heard.  Jake Sullivan (@jakejsullivan) January 17, 2021

VIDEO:  Russian opposition figure Alexei #Navalny, who has spent five months in Berlin recovering from a poisoning attack, is on a plane heading back to Moscow. Navalny risks being arrested on arrival, but told reporters on board that he was "an innocent person" pic.twitter.com/2qdX8UgSNP  AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 17, 2021
Mumbai: Indian classical musician and Padma Vibhushan awardee Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan was laid to rest with full state honours on Sunday evening. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the loss of the legendary musician with a post on social media.

The Prime Minister posted a picture with the musician and wrote, The passing away of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Sahab leaves our cultural world poorer. He was a doyen of music, a stalwart of creativity whose works endeared him to people across generations. I have fond memories of interacting with him. Condolences to his family and admirers.

The passing away of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Sahab leaves our cultural world poorer. He was a doyen of music, a stalwart of creativity whose works endeared him to people across generations. I have fond memories of interacting with him. Condolences to his family and admirers. pic.twitter.com/jZy7eVhW68  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 17, 2021

Union Minister Amit Shah paid tribute to the late musician by penning a heartfelt note that he shared from his Twitter account. Anguished to learn about the demise of legendary musician Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Sahab. He dedicated his life in the service of music and made lasting contributions to Indian classical music. His timeless creations mesmerised millions of hearts. My deepest condolences, he wrote

Anguished to learn about the demise of legendary musician Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Sahab. He dedicated his life in the service of music and made lasting contributions to Indian classical music. His timeless creations mesmerised millions of hearts. My deepest condolences.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 17, 2021

Members of the music industry also mourned the loss of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan and some paid tribute to him by sharing their best moments with him.

Lata Mangeshkar was among the first to announce the news and she did it with a heavy heart saying that he was not just a good musician but a good person as well.
Photographer Todd McLellan has been collecting old, outdated mechanical objects for many years. He was fascinated by the items and always knew he wanted to do something creative with them. One day he decided to take apart one of the objects, an old black phone, and photograph the disassembled pieces. One deconstructed piece of machinery led to another and another until he had countless photographs.

McLellan found a new appreciation for modern design by painstakingly studying and taking apart these everyday objects. Just looking at the uniqueness of an object in a way that other people dont see it, he says of his vision. I try to share a different view. I wanted to create a portrait, of sorts, like still lifes in advertising.

In the process, McLellan created a series of intricate artworks contrasting old-world craftsmanship with modern engineering.

Now, his portraits make up a Smithsonian Institution touring exhibition, Things Come Apart, at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London through Feb. 7. McLellan asks audiences to look closer at ordinary objects  a smartphone, watch, compass, power drill, even a bicycle. The exhibition explores how objects are designed, how technology has evolved and, in todays disposable culture, how we care for these items.

Proving that an object is more complex than meets the eye, the exhibit comprises more than 40 photographs, disassembled objects and videos in which the artist deconstructs and reconstructs objects in a new light to show what makes them tick.

While staying true to an objects innate purpose, McLellan created images that demonstrate that these objects were already beautifully designed. His images also speak to a culture in which planned obsolescence runs rampant.

McLellan hopes audiences take away a renewed respect for things instead of purchasing and tossing them in favor of the next biggest and best thing. You used to have TV-repair people back in the day. And I can see it  it costs more to repair than to buy a new one, which is sort of something that needs to be changed. Since I started this, I have seen a slow progression of people really interested in making change, which is great.

Jane LeGrow, Lyman Allyns director of exhibitions, says Things Come Apart asks viewers to see the creativity, ingenuity, engineering and the beauty of the design that underlies these everyday things that we often take for granted. Its about rethinking our material culture and how we treat objects, which are pretty frequently considered disposable things, she says. This is a good way to open up those conversations about how do we make things last longer, more usable and ways we can create a more sustainable future for ourselves.

LeGrow says the exhibition will engage more than simply art lovers. We are always looking for shows that are going to engage families and people with different interests, and this one just ticks a lot of those boxes, she says. Its an art show but its also sort of a science show. Its about creativity and ingenuity and appeals to people with different kinds of interests who might not normally come to an art museum.

This article originally appeared in Connecticut Magazine. You can subscribe here , or find the current issue on sale here . Sign up for the newsletter to get the latest and greatest content from Connecticut Magazine delivered right to your inbox. On Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag .
London, Jan 17 : The UK's aviation sector needs urgent government support if it is to survive another lengthy period of travel restrictions to curb surging coronavirus infections in the country, according to industry leaders.

On Saturday, Karen Dee, the chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, urged the UK government to set out plans for how airports will survive financially during the crisis.

"Airports are currently keeping their infrastructure open to support vital and critical services, such as post, freight, emergency services, military and coastguard flights, as well as to help keep the lights in the UK on through supporting flights to offshore oil, gas and wind operations," Xinhua news agency quoted Dee as saying to the Guardian newspaper.

"Airports are doing so while running on empty -- there is only so long they can run on fumes before having to close temporarily to preserve their business for the future," she said.

"Government needs to help cover airports' operational costs by, for example, urgently providing relief from regulatory, policing, air traffic and business rates costs in the current and the coming tax year." Heathrow Airport lost its status as Europe's busiest airport as it recorded a loss of 1.5 billion pounds ($2.04 billion) in the first nine months of 2020 due to Covid-19.

Passenger numbers between July and September 2020 were down by more than 84 per cent compared with the same period in 2019, leading the west London hub to be overtaken by Paris Charles de Gaulle as the busiest in Europe.

Tim Alderslade, the chief executive of Airlines UK, which represents all UK registered airlines, said that if by Easter the restrictions are not lifted, the industry will be "in a really difficult place".

Easter is a Christian holiday which falls on April 4 this year.

"Easter is a date that we have got in mind as to when we can start to have an aviation sector again because if we don't start to bring in revenue to the sector, we are going to be in a really difficult place indeed because we have now had pretty much 12 months without any revenue coming in, which is just not sustainable and airlines are effectively staying in business by taking on billions of pounds of debt, which will need to be paid back," Alderslade said.

On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that Britain will close all travel corridors to the country from 4 a.m. on Monday in a bid to keep out new coronavirus variants.

The new measure means that travellers entering the country must have proof of a negative Covid-19 test in previous 72 hours.

Anyone arriving in Britain must quarantine for 10 days or they have the choice of doing an extra test on day five to shorten the isolation, Johnson said.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country.

Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The UK has so far reported a total of 3,325,642 coronavirus cases and 87,448 deaths.
On Wednesday, our new president and first lady will do the traditional dance. We wish him well because he is going to need a lot of help, especially when he finds out that the caravans are moving north again. It's amazing how people will react to what you say in the campaign.

This is from Fox News:

A migrant caravan moving from Honduras toward the U.S. border is calling on the incoming Biden administration to honor what it says are "commitments" to the migrants moving north, amid fears of a surge at the border when President-elect Joe Biden enters office. More than 1,000 Honduran migrants moved into Guatemala on Friday without registering, The Associated Press reported. That is part of a larger caravan that left a Honduran city earlier in the day.

So they are coming. Are you surprised?

The wild card here is President Lopez-Obrador of Mexico. He faces a tough COVID crisis and a rebellion by business-owners, such as those who own restaurants, who can't make a living under the lockdown.

Why would he allow migrants to enter Mexico at a time like this? My guess is that he won't and keep the caravans south of Mexico. At the same time, the caravans could start in Mexico, especially the many off work because of a bad economy.

No matter what, it will test the new president quickly.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

Image: jlhervas via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
The anti-cow slaughter law will come into effect in Karnataka from January 18, the state government said in a notification on Saturday.

"All provisions of The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Ordinance, 2020 to come into force from January 18," the said.

According to the order, three and seven years jail and (or) a fine up to Rs 5 lakh will be imposed under this law and subsequent offences can invite fines up to Rs 10 lakh and a jail term of up to seven years.

Explaining the provisions of the bill, Karnataka Minister JC Madhuswamy had said: "The slaughter of cows and calves are not allowed while the slaughter of buffaloes above 13 years is allowed. Illegal selling, transportation or culling of cows has been made punishable. If a cow has contracted a disease, which can spread to other cattle, then it can be culled or slaughtered."

Earlier this month, State Governor Vajubhai Vala gave assent to the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill-2020 that was passed in the state assembly on December 9, 2020.

The state government in its order said that the ordinance is aimed to provide comprehensive legislation for the prevention of slaughter and preservation of cattle in the State.

The opposition parties have alleged that the bill, which is now a law, was not discussed for tabling in the Business Advisory Committee meeting.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Police said Saturday night they have arrested suspects wanted in the slaying of 25-year-old Milan Loncar, who was shot Wednesday night in what evidently was an attempted robbery while out walking his dog about a block from his Brewerytown home.

Pending the filing of formal charges, police did not release the names of the suspects, nor did they say specifically how many persons had been arrested.

Loncar was shot just before 7 p.m. Wednesday on Jefferson Street near 31st, according to police. He had been approached by two males, one of whom pointed a gun at the victim, and then both started reaching toward his pants pockets before Loncar was shot once in his chest, police said.

 READ MORE: He was the kindest person in the entire world. This is so screwed up, sister of slain dog walker says

The victim, who lived on the 1400 block of North Corlies Street, was pronounced dead 30 minutes later at Temple University Hospital.

Loncars house keys and cell phone were left at the scene of the shooting, and his wallet was found in his house, according to family members.

Loncar, who grew up in Wayne and attended Conestoga High School, was an engineering major who graduated from Temple in 2019 and was working for Whiting-Turner, a construction management company, his family said.

 READ MORE: Man, 25, walking dog fatally shot in Brewerytown

Hes selfless, constantly smiling. ... Hes so charismatic and kind, said Jelena Loncar, 27, his sister, who lived a few blocks away from her brother.
Rotary International is an international service organisation that aims to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian service and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. No small task!



Founded by Paul Harris in Chicago in 1905, the first club to be formed outside of the US was in Dublin in 1911. Rotary is one of the largest voluntary organisations in the world and the Rotary Club of Kilkenny, founded in 1979, has become the largest Rotary Club in Ireland with almost 60 members.

The custom in Kilkenny Rotary is that we have met every almost Monday in the Club House Hotel for lunch.



Sometimes we have a guest speaker but more often it is there, over the table, that members talk about everything and anything; it is here that ideas are formulated, projects are developed and tasks delegated.



Over the years we have been involved in many local, national and international projects, from the purchase of specialised equipment for the Mother of Fair Love School to the Irish Aid for Lebanon to the School Bikes for Africa Project. This last project has now been adopted in 11 counties and the national launch was held in the Kilkenny Civic Amenity on September 7, 2020.



Each Club elects its President every year and I followed Jason Dempsey as President in July.

I had such high hopes for my year as President: we would expand our Youth section, establish another Interact Club to join the Loreto Secondary School, develop our Youth Leadership Awards and - above all  have a successful Remembrance Tree Collection in aid of the Carlow Kilkenny Home Care Team.



This has been our signature project since 2005 and over that time Rotary members and their friends have collected almost a quarter of a million euro for the valuable work being done by the Home Care Team, while enabling people to remember their loved ones.

Adapt

But of course everything changed  and we, like so many others, have had to adapt.

I once shared a television interview with, of all people, Gerry Adams. It was a TV programme on how 21st Century people adapted the 10 commandments.



I was asked, if I was writing the 10 commandments today, what would be my contribution. Only one commandment begins with Thou Shalt  all the others begin with Thou shalt not So I came up with Thou shalt not lose hope.



Continue to Hope

And so, we continue to hope  and also to act. We couldnt meet in person, so we have been inviting guests to join us on Mondays for a Zoom talk on their role  our first guest was newly appointed Minister of State, Malcolm Noonan TD and we have had local heroes such as Gerry Cody, Nickey Brennan, Tomm Moore and Colin Ahern and national heroes such as Professor James McInerney. Those who cant join these lunchtime chats can watch a recording which is sent to them later that day.



Our Interact Club in Loreto Kilkenny raised money and secured iPads for the School of the Holy Spirit for its pupils who were particularly affected by being unable to attend school.

We have replaced our street collection for the Remembrance Tree Project with an online platform  this is more challenging as it requires some effort by those who wish to contribute  but people have been very generous, showing just how much the work of the Home Care Team is appreciated.

The site is still open at idonate.ie/Remembrance

TreeKilkenny



We hold a Remembrance Service every year at the Christmas Tree on the Parade in the company of the Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland Bishops of Ossory.

This years service was not publicised, but still went ahead  a sign, perhaps, of the determination and resilience of the people of Kilkenny and of the Rotary Club of Kilkenny.

Hope springs eternal  and with the arrival of a vaccine to immunise us against Covid-19, we have real grounds for hope and for a year in which we in Rotary will continue to put Service above Self.
The cash was discovered after the seizure of a car during raids targeting a crime gang

Detectives have seized over 1m in cash after raiding a number of homes and seizing several cars in Dublin.

The large haul was discovered concealed in one of the cars this afternoon.

The garda operation is part of an ongoing investigation into a Dublin-based organised crime gang.

Gardai attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) carried out several searches in north Dublin and the city centre.

Two properties were raided and a number of cars were seized.

A garda spokesman said that during the search of one vehicle, the concealed cash was discovered.

"The vehicle and its content remain subject of examination. However, the amount seized is believed to exceed 1m."

Gardai say their investigations into the 1m seizure are continuing and no arrest have yet been made.

It was the second major cash seizure in the capital in less than 24 hours following a separate operation in north Dublin.

Detectives are currently questioning a taxi driver after almost 120,000 worth of cash was seized in Coolock.

Gardai attached to the GNDOCB searched a house and car in the area on Saturday which led to 117,000 in cash as well as a Rolex watch being recovered.

A 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of money-laundering offences and is currently being held at Coolock garda station.

It is understood the man is a licensed taxi driver who was used to hold the large sum of cash for an organised crime group.

One source said: "This individual is suspected of being used as a gilly to hold the cash and at this stage there's nothing to suggest he was involved at any higher level."

Members of the Garda Dog Unit assisted detectives during the searches of the property and vehicle, which has also been seized for examination.

A Garda spokesman said the suspect was arrested on suspicion of involvement in money laundering related offences contrary to Section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010.

He is being held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and can be quizzed for a period of up to 24 hours.

Assistant Garda Commissioner John O'Driscoll, who is in charge of the Garda's national units investigating organised and serious crime, said Saturday's seizure was the latest success against the crime gangs they are targeting.

"We continue to target those causing most harm in our community.

"This seizure of a significant quantity of cash will, we believe, contribute to the disruption and potential ultimate dismantling of particular organised crime groups that we continue to target, building on earlier success achieved, in recent years," he said.

The seizure is one of the most significant by the Garda unit so far this year and follows around 1m being recovered in Kildare earlier this month.

Last year the value of cash seized by the GNDOCB more than doubled on the previous year as gardai focus on targeting the profits being made by drugs gangs across the country.

Bir Lahlou (Liberated territories), 17 January 2020 (SPS) - The Moroccan occupier is promoting fictitious victories in Western Sahara to absorb the anger of the Moroccan people who reject the normalization with the Zionist entity, and cover the significant losses inflicted on its army, Minister of Information, Spokesman of the Sahrawi Government Hamada Salma Daf affirmed on Saturday.



In a statement to APS, Hamada Salma underlined that the Moroccan system is on the edge of the abyss because of the Moroccan peoples rejection of the normalization agreement with the Zionist entity, leading the Makhzen to promote fictitious victories by using disinformation.



In this respect, the Sahrawi official wondered if the Moroccan violation of the ceasefire agreement on 13 November 2020, in the region of El Guerguerat and the construction of a wall encircled by mines is really a military victory, as reported by Morocco, and if the attack against defenseless Sahrawi civilians, by flouting the international legitimacy is a victory or a new crime in the register of the continuous violations of the Sahrawi peoples rights.



Promoting the opening of new consulates in the occupied Sahrawi cities as a diplomatic victory is a big deception to which the Makhzens media outlets and some French media spokespersons want to give an exaggerated importance, emphasized the Sahrawi official, pointing out that the opening of diplomatic representations in the occupied Sahrawi cities, or the alleged recognition of Moroccos sovereignty over the Sahrawi territories wont change the legal nature of the conflict in the region. (SPS)



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Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said he was 'not afraid' minutes before he was arrested by Russian authorities in Moscow on Sunday, it emerged last night.

Navalny was detained by police at the city's Sheremetyevo airport after he landed on a flight from Berlin.

Officers arrested Navalny when he showed his passport to border guards, five months after he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent.

Minutes before he was detained, Navalny said he was 'very happy to be back', adding that he did not fear being arrested. 'This is the best moment in the last five months,' he said. 'I'm home.'

'I am not afraid... because I know that I'm in the right, I know that the criminal case against me is fabricated,' Navalny told reporters.

In an emotional scene, he was pictured hugging and kissing his wife Yulia goodbye before being taken away by police.

Alexei Navalny kissed his wife goodbye in an emotional scene as he was arrested by Russian authorities just minutes after landing in Moscow

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been arrested by Russian authorities just minutes after landing in Moscow

Navalny hugged his wife Yulia before he was taken away by Russian police today at Sheremetyevo airport

Navalny's wife Yulia Navalnaya is seen surrounded by people as she leaves Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport following the arrest

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny landed back on Russian soil in Moscow and walks out of the plane after arriving at Sheremetyevo airport

World leaders condemn Kremlin for detaining Navalny U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's pick for national security adviser called on Russian authorities to free Navalny. 'Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable,' Jake Sullivan said in a tweet. The outgoing U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said the U.S. 'strongly condemns' he decision to arrest Navalny and called his detention 'the latest in a series of attempts to silence Navalny and other opposition figures and independent voices who are critical of Russian authorities.' Pompeo added on Twitter: 'Deeply troubled by Russia's desicion to arrest Aleksey Navalny. 'Confident political leaders do not fear competing voices, nor see the need to commit violence against or wrongfully detain, political opponents.' Charles Michel, president of the European Council, demanded Navalny's immediate release. European Union member Lithuania said on Sunday it would ask the European Union to swiftly impose new sanctions on Russia Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said he wanted the EU to discuss possible sanctions. A statement from the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said: 'We are deeply concerned by the detention on 17 January of Alexei Navalny. 'Instead of persecuting the victim of this terrible crime, the Russian authorities should investigate how a chemical weapon came to be used on Russian soil.' Advertisement

His spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh confirmed he had been arrested, saying on Twitter: 'Alexei was taken away by police officers at the border. With no explanation given.'

Navalny, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most prominent critics, had boarded the plane bound for Moscow today, despite Russian authorities' stated desire to arrest him and potentially jail him for years.

Russia's Federal Prison Service said in a statement Navalny has been detained due to the alleged violations of his suspended prison sentence for embezzlement.

They said he would be held in custody until a court hearing later this month that will rule whether to convert his suspended sentence into a real time three and a half year jail term.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, responded to a question about the arrest by saying 'Was he arrested in Germany? I'm not up to date,' according to the online news site Podyom. Peskov, like Putin, is noted for avoiding saying Navalny's name.

Russian police on Sunday already detained four of Navalny's top allies - including prominent Moscow activist Lyubov Sobol - who had gathered at Vnukovo airport in Moscow, where he had been due to land, before the flight was diverted to Sheremetyevo.

OVD Info, which monitors detentions at political protests in Russia, said at least 55 people had been detained at the airport, which had banned mass events because of coronavirus restrictions.

Sobol and others later said they were released and were facing administrative charges.

More than 250,000 people were tracking his flight's progress online - and several hundred of his supporters who had gathered outside Vnukovo aiport to meet him on his return were left disappointed at the plane's diversion to Sheremetyevo.

His plane from Berlin was diverted at the last minute in an apparent effort by authorities to thwart journalists and supporters greeting him.

Navalny was flown to Berlin in August for emergency medical treatment after being poisoned with what German tests showed was a Novichok nerve agent.

He announced his decision to return from Germany on Wednesday, and a day later Moscow's prison service said it would do everything to arrest him once he returned, accusing him of flouting the terms of a suspended prison sentence for embezzlement, a 2014 case he says was trumped up.

The 44-year-old, who boarded a plane in Berlin at the last minute from a car sitting on the tarmac, hence avoiding other passengers, said he was delighted to be flying home and made light of the risk of being arrested.

But footage from Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport showed Navalny becoming emotional as he kissed his wife goodbye before being taken away by uniformed officers.

His arrest drew immediate condemnation abroad.

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's pick for national security adviser called on Russian authorities to free Navalny.

'Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable,' Jake Sullivan said in a tweet.

The outgoing U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said the U.S. 'strongly condemns' he decision to arrest Navalny and called his detention 'the latest in a series of attempts to silence Navalny and other opposition figures and independent voices who are critical of Russian authorities.'

Pompeo added on Twitter: 'Deeply troubled by Russia's desicion to arrest Aleksey Navalny.

'Confident political leaders do not fear competing voices, nor see the need to commit violence against or wrongfully detain, political opponents.'

Alexei Navalny and his wife Yuliastand stand in line at the passport control after arriving at Sheremetyevo airport - minutes before Navalny is arrested

Nevalny's plane was diverted last minute from Vnukovo airport in Moscow to nearby Sheremetyevo

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen on the plane after it landed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport

Photos from Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport show crowds of supporters already in the terminal building to celebrate his arrival, while a large police presence attempts to keep them under control

There is a heavy police presence in the terminal building, with the head of Moscow's prison service claiming Mr Navalny will be arrested on arrival

Navalny was accompanied by his wife Yulia, and his spokeswoman. He announced his decision to return from Germany on Wednesday, and a day later Moscow's prison service said it would do everything to arrest him once he returned

He said he didn't think he would be arrested when the Pobeda airlines flight lands this afternoon, calling himself an innocent person

How Alexei Navalny has been punished for defying Putin 2011: Navalny is arrested and jailed for 15 days for 'defying an official' after leading protests in Moscow 2012: Jailed for 15 days after leading an anti-Putin protest in the wake of presidential elections. His apartment is subsequently raided, and some of his private emails posted online 2013: Put on trial for embezzlement, amid claims he tried to steal wood from a state-owned company. He is convicted and sentenced to five years, but allowed out on bail. The conviction is subsequently overturned 2014: Placed under house arrest, again charged with embezzlement alongside brother Oleg. Again, the conviction is overturned 2017: He is re-convicted in the first corruption case, and ordered to repay millions of rubles of compensation in the second While leaving his office, a pro-Kremlin activist throws green disinfectant dye in his face, partially blinding him 2018: Arrested twice for leading protests against presidential elections he was barred from running in. Jailed for a total of 50 days in jail 2019: Arrested and jailed for a total of 40 days for leading protests during Moscow Duma elections. While in jail he was rushed to hospital, suffering from what medics called an allergic reaction. Others believe he was poisoned 2020: Navalny is rushed unconscious to hospital and placed on a ventilator after falling ill on a flight. His allies say he was poisoned August 22, 2020: Navalny is transferred from a hospital in Siberia to another hospital in Berlin September 2020: German scientists revealed tests confirmed he was poisoned by Novichok nerve agent December 2020: Bellingcat investigation alleges Moscow's FSB agency began tracking Nevalny after he announced plans to run against Putin before launching an assassination attempt in August using Novichok December 2020: Navalny claimed he had tricked an FSB agent into admitting on a phone call Russian assassins tried to kill him using poisoned underpants and then tried to cover it up. The FSB dismissed the recording as fake Sunday 17 January 2021: Navalny is arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport after Russia's prisons service alleged he had violated parole terms from a suspended sentence on a 2014 embezzlement conviction Advertisement

Meanwhile, Charles Michel, president of the European Council, demanded Navalny's immediate release.

European Union member Lithuania said on Sunday it would ask the European Union to swiftly impose new sanctions on Russia, and Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said he wanted the EU to discuss possible sanctions.

A statement from the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said: 'We are deeply concerned by the detention on 17 January of Alexei Navalny.

'Instead of persecuting the victim of this terrible crime, the Russian authorities should investigate how a chemical weapon came to be used on Russian soil.'

Earlier this week, authorities asked a Moscow court to turn Navalny's suspended sentence on fraud charges into real jail time for violating the terms of his sentence.

FSIN said that Navalny was obliged to report to them at least twice a month as part of his probation period that ended on December 29 last year.

It added that in 2020 Navalny did not report for registration on six occasions.

'For each violation by A.A. Navalny official warnings were issued about the possibility of the suspended sentence being cancelled and replaced with real incarceration,' the prison service added.

'This is the best moment in the last five months,' he told reporters who had bought seats on the same plane carrying him back to Moscow. 'I feel great. Finally, I'm returning to my home town.'

He said he didn't think he would be arrested, calling himself an innocent person.

'What do I need to be afraid of? What bad thing can happen to me in Russia?' he added. 'I feel like a citizen of Russia who has every right to return,' he added.

He was accompanied by his wife Yulia, and his spokeswoman.

Navalny, who is hoping for success in parliamentary elections in September, faces potential trouble in three other criminal cases too, all of which he says are politically motivated.

His return poses a conundrum for the Kremlin: jail him and risk protests and punitive Western action by turning him into a political martyr. Or do nothing and risk looking weak in the eyes of Kremlin hardliners.

The opposition politician, who says he has nearly fully recovered, says Putin was behind his poisoning. The Kremlin denies involvement, says it has seen no evidence that he was poisoned, and that he is free to return to Russia.

Navalny says the Kremlin is afraid of him. The Kremlin, which only refers to him as the 'Berlin patient,' laughs that off. Putin allies point to opinion polls that show the Russian leader is far more popular than Navalny, whom they call a blogger rather than a politician.

Navalny took a flight operated by Russian airline Pobeda, owned by state-controlled Aeroflot.

His supporters planned to meet him at Moscow's Vnukovo airport despite a forecast of bitterly cold minus 20 Celsius weather and over 4,500 new coronavirus cases a day in the Russian capital.

But they were left disappointed after the flight was diverted at the last minute to Sheremetyevo.

Police officers were seen detaining a man outside the airport to the west of Moscow

People started to gather in the terminal building of Moscow's Vnukovo airport where Mr Navalny was expected to arrive - but his flight was diverted to a different airport at the last minute

The opposition politician, who says he has nearly fully recovered, says Putin (pictured) was behind his poisoning. The Kremlin denies involvement, says it has seen no evidence that he was poisoned, and that he is free to return to Russia

Airlift: Navalny arrives in Berlin two days after his poisoning on August 20, by which time his heart had slowed to 33 beats per minute and his body temperature was down to 33.5C (92.3F)

The OVD-Info organization that monitors political arrests said at least 55 people were detained by police at Vnukovo, where the arrivals hall had been blocked off and prisoner transport vehicles were parked outside.

The independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and opposition social media reported Sunday that several Navalny supporters in St. Petersburg had been removed from Moscow-bound trains or been prevented from boarding flights late Saturday and early Sunday, including the coordinator of his staff for the region of Russia's second-largest city.

The Moscow prosecutor's office, which says it has officially warned 15 pro-Navalny organisers who were planning to meet Navalny at Vnukovo airport, has said the event is illegal because it is not sanctioned by the authorities. That means that people who turn up could be detained, fined or jailed.

Reuters reporters saw a heavy police presence at the airport with dozens of police trucks.

Citing COVID-19 restrictions, the airport has said it will not allow media inside.

Navalny with his wife and children after waking from his coma at the Berlin hospital where doctors say his previous good health contributed to his recovery

Navalny fell into a coma while aboard a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow on August 20. He was airlifted from a hospital in Siberia to Berlin two days later, where a military lab found evidence of Novichok.

Russian authorities insisted that the doctors who treated Navalny in Siberia before he was airlifted to Germany found no traces of poison and have challenged German officials to provide proof of his poisoning.

The Kremlin has rejected calls to open a full investigation into the poisoning, citing a lack of evidence that Navalny was poisoned, and denied Navalny's claims that the FSB security agency was behind the plot.

How the 'FSB plot' unfolded August 12: Three FSB 'plotters' buy plane tickets to Siberia after Navalny's entourage books a flight there August 13: The alleged FSB team flies to Novosibirsk a day before Navalny arrives. Maria Pevchikh also flies to Siberia and is tailed as she leaves Moscow August 17: Navalny travels on to Tomsk, pursued by the alleged FSB operatives. When he books a flight back to Moscow, the 'plotters' do the same only minutes later August 19: Navalny has a drink at a hotel bar in Tomsk, leaving his room empty. There is a 'surge' in communication among members of the alleged FSB unit August 20: Navalny boards the flight in Tomsk and becomes critically ill on board, forcing an emergency landing August 22: The unconscious Navalny is airlifted to Berlin. A German military lab later finds evidence of Novichok Advertisement

Last month, Navalny released the recording of a phone call he said he made to a man he described as an alleged member of a group of officers of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, who purportedly poisoned him in August and then tried to cover it up. The FSB dismissed the recording as fake.

Navalny Tweeted on Tuesday: 'Putin is so mad at me for surviving his poisoning that he ordered the Federal Penitentiary Service to replace my suspended sentence with a real one.'

Last month, Russia's prison service ordered him to fly back from Germany and report at a Moscow office or be jailed if he failed to return before a deadline.

The country's federal prison service accused him of violating the terms of a suspended sentence dating from 2014.

It came just a day before the end of a probation period for the three-and-a-half-year prison term over a theft case which Navalny says was politically motivated.

'The convicted man is not fulfilling all of the obligations placed on him by the court, and is evading the supervision of the Criminal Inspectorate,' a statement said.

The prison service stated no deadline, but Navalny posted a screenshot of a message to his lawyer which said he had until 9am on December 29 to show up at a Moscow office.

His spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said it was impossible for Navalny to return in time and accused the prison service of acting on orders from the Kremlin.

She said at the time: 'There's no way he could appear at the Moscow Criminal Inspectorate tomorrow.

'But does the [prison service] really care about common sense? They were given an order, they are fulfilling it.'

Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlin's side for more than a decade, exposing what he says is high-level corruption and mobilising protests.

He has been repeatedly detained for organising public meetings, sued over corruption investigations and was barred from running against Putin in the 2018 presidential election.

The 44-year-old has also served several stints in jail in recent years for organising anti-Kremlin protests.

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia's arrests and detention of Navalny in 2012 and 2014 were politically motivated.
Mumbai Police bust a quarantine scam at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) that involved people paying Rs 4,000 each to skip mandatory institutional quarantine. The police on Friday arrested a 35-year-old sub-engineer and two accomplices in Mumbai's Sahar for collecting Rs 4,000 per flyer who wanted to skip institutional quarantine.

The police seized Rs 1.4 lakh in cash, 200 Saudi riyals, fake rubber stamps of home quarantine, letterheads with stamp and signatures of doctors of some top private hospitals in the bag of one Dinesh Gawande, posted by BMC at the airport to check flyers arriving from Dubai, Kuwait and US at P6. Four letterheads of Tata Memorial Hospital, three letterheads of Asian Heart Institute and two of a doctor of Care Medical Centre were found in the bag. He had been posted at the airport since December 23.

Police are also investigating if other officials helped Gawande to get the bribes as well as the number of flyers he cleared with fake documents. If he is found guilty, he would be imprisoned for seven years, stated a report in Times of India.

All hell broke loose for Gawande when he barged into a toilet and returned with a bag. He pushed aside a housekeeping staff who was walking in around 5:50 am. She then complained to CISF and MIAL officials after she suspected Gawande. He claimed that he was helped by Ashraf Sarang (41) and Vivek Singh (32) from the airport's duty-free shop to make fake health certificates. All three have been booked under IPC sections for violation of prohibitory orders, cheating, forgery, counterfeiting a mark used by a public servant and under Epidemic and Disaster Act. They have been put under police custody till January 19.

"Gawande admitted he was collecting bribes. His bank account will be checked. He shared the money with Sarang and Singh," said a police officer, as per the report.

Police also recorded statements from some flyers who had flown in from Dubai and Kuwait. The flyers stated that Gawande collected Rs 4,000 from them.

Also read: COVID-19 vaccination drive: 51 adverse events in Delhi; one severe case admitted to AIIMS

Also read: COVID-19 vaccination drive: Maharashtra suspends rollout till Jan 18 over tech issues with CoWIN app

UAE-based property portals Bayut and dubizzle have embarked on a landmark recruitment drive, offering over 200 career opportunities across its business units in the country to grow their talent pool and continue to build innovative, industry-defining products and solutions.

This strategic expansion in the UAE comes as part of the wider goals of Bayut & dubizzles parent company, Emerging Markets Property Group (EMPG) to attract the best professionals from the region.

In addition to the vacancies in the UAE, EMPG has announced 200 additional opportunities in other key markets including Pakistan, Lebanon and Egypt, it stated.

Suzanne Gandy, the HR director for Bayut & dubizzle, said the group was focussed on promoting the national economy, developing domestic competencies and providing a platform to nurture local talent at grassroot levels.

"We are a tech and data-driven organisation that understands the importance of building the local talent pool and developing competencies for new and emerging technologies. Our focus remains to provide an excellent platform for growth with a work culture that is inclusive, supportive and gives unmatched opportunity for development," stated Gandy.

"As an equal opportunities employer, we are also looking forward to continuing our legacy of having an almost equal ratio of male and female employees, she added.

Haider Ali Khan, the CEO of Bayut & dubizzle, and head of EMPG Mena said: "We have always remained highly committed to nurturing local talents across the region and providing them the opportunity to be a part of a truly data driven, innovative company."

"We are keen to attract and retain talented professionals who can help us to create competitive advantages and deliver sustainable value and contribute towards shaping the future of the technology sector in the region. As a UAE-based unicorn, EMPG is defining new paths and is proud to be playing a role in cultivating a new generation of experts capable of taking on leadership roles while keeping up with the best in the world," he added.

Earlier this year, EMPG and OLX Group, owners of homegrown technology success stories - along with Bayut & dubizzle - had announced a merger of their Mena and some South Asian assets to form an AED3.6 billion ($1 billion) Dubai-based unicorn company.
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Britain's market watchdog is examining plans to block Google for two years or more from rolling out new privacy features on its Chrome internet browser.

The Competition and Markets Authority is weighing up proposals to put the update on ice over fears that it could crush advertising revenues at smaller rivals.

The regulator has already launched an investigation into the technology after campaigners warned it could harm other websites by robbing them of the data they need for advertising.

Concern: Google claims the new features will protect internet users' privacy

Google claims the new features will protect internet users' privacy, even though the tech giant will still be able to use similar data itself. Its 'sandbox' privacy settings will stop smaller websites from using cookies to collect data about visitors' internet activity.

Advertisers rely on cookies to target people with offers they think they will like.

Pressure group Marketers for an Open Web has told the CMA the project could hit smaller websites' revenues by up to 75 per cent.

The CMA launched its probe on January 8, but The Mail on Sunday understands its investigation could take two years or more.

Officials fear any changes to the browser could cause irreversible damage to competitors before the probe concludes.

The watchdog has the power to stop the rollout if it can prove that urgent action is needed to prevent significant harm to individuals or businesses in the UK. The CMA can also act if it is in the public interest.

It has not yet decided what action to take, and it would need to meet a set of strict criteria before it could slap Google with an order to freeze its business activities.

Kinga Incze, founder of media consultancy Whitereport, said: 'This initiative is absolutely the right one, and it is one of the first cases in the world where an authority will look at how competition relates to privacy. Google's power can make it very threatening.'

The CMA's probe comes as part of a wider crackdown on the dominance of Google and Facebook in online advertising. The two control around 80 per cent of the UK's 14billion market.

James Rosewell, director of Marketers for an Open Web, said: 'The CMA would not be conducting an investigation if they didn't feel the evidence they have seen showed there was a significant case for action.'

Google said: 'The Privacy Sandbox has been an open initiative since the beginning and we welcome the CMA's involvement as we work to develop new proposals to underpin a healthy, ad-supported web without third-party cookies.'
House Bill 133 aims to extend Medicaid coverage to eligible new mothers. The House version of the bill calls for a one-year extension, whereas the Senate version calls for a six-month extension. Advocates say the bill could reduce the states maternal mortality rate. Currently, the state offers Medicaid for two months after giving birth. Should Texas extend Medicaid for eligible new mothers for six months or one year?

You voted:
Beijing:

In a major breakthrough that opens up bright prospects for practical quantum communications, China has successfully sent pairs of entangled photons from space for the first time. The photons have been sent from a satellite in orbit to three ground stations in China. Each of them were separated by more than 1,200-km.



Even after travelling long distances, the pair of photons were demonstrated to be still entangled. Pan Jianwei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said that the satellite-based technology has opened up prospects for both practical quantum communications and fundamental quantum optics experiments at distances previously inaccessible on the ground.



The achievement was based on Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS), also dubbed Micius, which is also the worlds first quantum satellite launched by China on August 16, 2016. It was published as a cover article in the latest issue of academic journal Science, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.



The experiment was carried out using two satellite-to-ground downlinks with a total length varying from 1,600 to 2,400-km.



The obtained link-efficiency is many times higher than that of the direct bi-directional transmission of the two photons through telecommunication fibres, said Pan, who is also the lead scientist of QUESS.



Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in quantum physics, which is so confounding that Albert Einstein described it as spooky action at a distance in 1948.



Scientists found that when two entangled particles are separated, one particle can somehow affect the action of the far-off twin instantly.



Quantum physicists have a fundamental interest in distributing entangled particles over increasingly long distances and studying the behaviour of entanglement under extreme conditions.



Previously, entanglement distribution had only been achieved at a distance up to 100-km due to photon loss in optical fibres or terrestrial free space.

ALSO READ | Micius: China successfully launches first hack-proof quantum satellite in the world



One way to improve the distribution lies in the protocol of quantum repeaters, whose practical usefulness, however, is hindered by the challenges of quantum storage and readout efficiency, Pan said.



Another approach is making use of satellite-based and space-based technologies, as a satellite can conveniently cover two distant locations on Earth. The main advantage of this approach is that most of the photons transmission path is almost in a vacuum, with almost zero absorption and de-coherence, Pan said.



After feasibility studies, Chinese scientists developed and launched QUESS for the mission of entanglement distribution. Cooperating with QUESS are three ground stations: Delingha Observatory in Qinghai, Nanshan Observatory in Xinjiang and Gaomeigu Observatory in Yunan.



For instance, one photon of an entangled pair was beamed to Delingha and the other to Gaomeigu. The distance between the two ground stations is 1,203-km. The distance between the orbiting satellite and the ground stations varies from 500 to 2,000 kilometers, said Pan.



Due to the fact that the entangled photons cannot be amplified as classical signals, new methods must be developed to reduce the link attenuation in the satellite-to-ground entanglement distribution. To optimise the link-efficiency, Chinese scientists combined a narrow beam divergence with a high-bandwidth and a high-precision acquiring, pointing, and tracking (APT) technique.



By developing an ultra-bright space-borne two-photon entanglement source and the high-precision APT technology, the team established entanglement between two single photons separated by 1,203-km, the Xinhua report said.



Compared with the previous methods of entanglement distribution by direct transmission of the same two-photon sourceusing the best performance and most common commercial telecommunication fibres respectivelythe effective link-efficiency of the satellite-based approach is 12 and 17 orders of magnitude higher, Pan said.



He said the distributed entangled photons are readily useful for entanglement-based quantum key distribution, which, so far, is the only way to establish secure keys between two distant locations on Earth without relying on trustful relay, the report said.



(With inputs from PTI)

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.

PANGUNA, Papua New Guinea, Jan. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As we welcome the start of 2021 with open arms, on behalf of the Panguna Tanku'urang Chiefs, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the previous and current ABG and PNG governments for their ongoing support. We look forward to continuing to work closely with them in a transparent and respectful manner in order to succeed in our common goals.

Today, we are very happy and honoured to announce that we have chosen Jeff McGlinn and Caballus Mining, based in Perth Western Australia to be our partner in re-opening Panguna Mine and as a direct result, rebuild Bougainville for all Bougainvilleans.

As part of the due diligence process, the ABG having spent 5 separate occasions meeting with government officials and large corporations in Australia. It was only after this, that Jeff accepted the ABG's invitation for him to travel to Bougainville.

At the recommendation of the ABG, the Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs performed our own due diligence instead on Jeff and sent our former Chairman, Edwin Moses to Perth to spend three weeks with Jeff in Perth. Whilst in Perth, Jeff arranged for a meet and greet with the Deputy Prime Minister and Attorney General of Australia, Mayor of the Shire of Swan, took him to meet one of Australia's largest engineering companies, Calibre Group and various other businesses that would in future benefit Bougainville.

Edwin returned back to Bougainville and advised the Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs that he agreed with the ABG, that Jeff and Caballus would indeed make the perfect partner. The ABG had already chosen Caballus as their partner, however were just awaiting for Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs to perform their own due diligence.

Jeff McGlinn is an entrepreneur who brings with him over 4 decades of expertise in a wide range of industries globally. He was the Founding Partner and Managing Director of one of Australia's largest and most successful ASX listed mining construction contractors, NRW Holdings (NWH). He has a proven track record in bringing exceptional value into any business he is involved in and has a wealth of knowledge and business acumen, with a passion in working alongside Indigenous people around the world.

With Jeff by our side, working with us, encouraging us and negotiating the best opportunities for us, we know we will be able to take that first step towards economic recovery and financial independence.

Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs believe and trust that share benefits are equally distributed amongst all major clans (especially Barapang, Kurabang and Bakoringku clan). Late Francis Ona explained in many of his statements that economy recovery would come from the Mine Pit Area and surrounding areas, and that it would benefit all Bougainvilleans. It is only fitting that the Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs answer the call to make his dreams and visions on his economic foundation a reality.

Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs strongly believe that once operation begins, all other business opportunities, job creations and investments will open up, and it is hoped that Arawa town be resurrected to its fitting glory.

Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs welcome any new ideas or suggestions for turning our vision of economic recovery of our young nation into a reality.

Thank you, and may God be with you always and bless you abundantly.

VINCENT BANGKI

Panguna Tangku'urang Chairman and Spokesperson

Panguna Tangku'urang Chiefs, PO Box 195, Arawa, Autonomous Region of Bougainville,Papua New Guinea, E: [email protected]

SOURCE Panguna Tangku'urang
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington projects 405,000 deaths by Democrat Joe Biden's inauguration day on January 20  the one-year anniversary of the first reported COVID-19 case in the US  and more than 500,000 by February 19. The pace of new infections has accelerated at a stunning rate in the past 2 months, along with the number of fatalities. On October 29, the IHME projected 399,000 COVID-19 deaths by February 1. About that time, the country averaged 87,000 new cases and 826 deaths a day. This past week, those figures had skyrocketed to 246,000 and 3376, and a Centres for Disease Control forecast aggregate predicted 440,000 to 477,000 deaths by February 6. Loading Along with the vaccines, the biggest ray of hope public health specialists see comes from the incoming Biden administration, which is likely to bring a science-based approach to containing the virus. Except for the efforts to develop the vaccines in record time, the Trump administration's response to the pandemic has been assailed by the medical community. Even the vaccine achievement has been tarnished by the slow rollout.

"By any metric, anybody who believes in data and science would acknowledge we've done terribly with this pandemic, arguably the worst in the world," said John Swartzberg, a professor emeritus of infectious diseases at the University of California-Berkeley, citing failures with testing and protective equipment along with mixed messaging on masks. "What that tells us is how badly things can go if you have a bad administration. As the death toll from COVID-19 hits 400,000 in the US, many Americans blame Donald Trump and his administration. Credit:AP "Everybody, including me, is excited about the vaccines, excited about science and what it can do for us. It's incredibly important. But I think we downplay the importance of what a good administration can do in managing this pandemic. We will do a lot better when we have an administration that follows science and follows public health, that gives consistent messaging, that doesn't politicise key institutions like the CDC and the FDA." Biden to take 'more active role' Biden has assembled a COVID-19 response team and vowed to have 100 million doses of vaccine administered in his first 100 days in office. On Thursday he proposed a $US1.9 trillion ($2.46 trillion) pandemic-relief package that includes $US70 billion for virus testing and a national vaccination program.

Though Swartzberg considers the 100 million vaccinations goal "a stretch", others said it was realistic, including Jason Schwartz, assistant professor of public health at Yale University. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Schwartz said the Trump administration set unrealistic expectations by saying 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by the end of December. As of the last update on Friday, 31.2 million doses had been distributed and 12.3 million vaccine shots had been applied, the CDC said. The vaccine distribution has been hampered by a funding shortage  CDC director Robert Redfield pleaded for more resources in September, but they weren't approved until three weeks ago  and a lack of co-ordination and direction from the federal government in the enormous task of making vaccines available to 330 million people in 50 states, Schwartz said. "The design so far of this vaccination rollout was so decentralised that it was, basically, ship vaccines to each state, you tell us where to ship them, give us the mailing addresses and you take it from there," Schwartz said. "One thing we've seen already from the incoming Biden administration is they intend to have a far more active and engaged role in supporting this vaccination effort, co-ordinating it, leading it."

The early stages of the vaccination program are the easy part, Schwartz said, because those first in line  healthcare workers, plus residents and staff of long-term care facilities  are readily accessible. Expanding the effort to rural communities and people without regular access to health care will be harder. Schwartz said it is important to keep promoting mitigation measures such as mask use, social distancing and frequent hand washing. Neither the vaccines nor the strategies implemented by the new administration are likely to make a major dent in the pandemic for at least a couple of months, and researchers don't know whether vaccines prevent transmission in addition to symptoms. Swartzberg predicted a "horrific" rest of January followed by several ups and downs in cases, deaths and hospitalisations throughout February before a gradual levelling off by mid-March and continued improvement after that. He doesn't envision a return to some semblance of normality before late summer, a less optimistic outlook than presented by some members of the Trump administration, such as former Operation Warp Speed head Moncef Slaoui. Any forecasts could be nullified by the recent emergence of more contagious variants of the virus  the CDC said on Friday the new mutation first found in Britain could become the dominant strain in the US by March  or in the best of cases, by the development of therapeutics that might ameliorate the disease's worst effects. Regardless, Biden's team will be charged with clearing monumental wreckage.

Woolf pointed out COVID-19 was the country's leading cause of death in the spring of 2020 and late in the year, surpassing cancer and heart disease. That's not even taking into consideration the likely undercount of coronavirus fatalities or other excess deaths caused by the pandemic  often because of people skipping or being unable to access medical care  which Woolf estimates at one for every two COVID-19 deaths. WWII deaths took four years The virus is likely to kill more than 400,000 Americans in less than a year  the first such death is believed to have occurred on February 6  whereas it took almost four years for that many US service members to die in World War II. Woolf said an infectious disease had not been America's leading killer since the flu pandemic, and he highlighted three reasons that COVID-19 turned into such a scourge here:

US life expectancy has been falling compared with other wealthy nations since the 1980s, putting Americans at a disadvantage.

A fragmented system divides public health response across 50 states, while other countries mounted a national response.

The United States lacked national leadership, particularly from the President but also from the rest of his administration and Congress. Other countries' leaders promoted policies that reduced the spread of the virus and inspired the public to respond. "This shouldn't have happened, and it didn't happen in other countries that are modern and industrialised," Woolf said. "This is a uniquely American phenomenon." Whalen said the calamitous handling of the pandemic brings into question the notion, widely held in these shores, that the US is the world's greatest country. Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States from 1913 to 1921. Credit:Hulton Archive/Getty Images He drew a parallel between Trump and Wilson, who presided over the US participation in World War I from April 1917 to the conflict's end in November 1918.
Quentin Tarantino is perhaps one of the best filmmakers to have ever lived. He draws inspiration from almost everywhere to create the masterpieces he puts out for his fans. Some of his critically acclaimed films include Django Unchained, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Inglourious Basterds.

In Inglourious Basterds, many actors shine throughout the movie, but one caught the eyes of both fans and critics alike with his acting. Austrian actor Christoph Waltz played Colonel Hans Landa in the show, and his performance was outstanding. However, fans on Reddit uncovered a chilling detail about Landa, and it is quite a clever moment.

Inglourious Basterds tells the story of two assassinations

In 1941, SS Hans Landa asked Perrier LaPadite, a French dairy farmer, about a Jewish familys whereabouts. Eager to get the Germans off his back, LaPadite confirms to Landa that the family was hiding under the floorboards. Landa then orders his men to shoot the floorboards killing all the family members except Shosanna, who escapes.

In 1944, an army of Jewish American soldiers gather under the command of Lieutenant Aldo Raine. The unit aims at instilling fear into German soldiers by killing and scalping them. Elsewhere in Germany, Adolf Hitler interrogates Private Butz, who recently survived an attack by the Basterds. He informs Hitler that Raine drew a swastika onto his forehead with a knife, never to conceal that he was a Nazi soldier.

Austrian actor Christoph Waltz poses for photographers with his British Academy of Film Award (BAFTA) for Best supporting actor for his role in the film Inglourious Basterds at the Royal Opera House in central London, on February 21, 2010. | BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images

After her successful escape from Landas clutches, Shosanna runs a cinema under a fake name. She meets a Nazi sniper called Zoller, who also stars in a Nazi propaganda film called Nations Pride. Blinded by his lust for Shosanna, he convinces his superiors to allow the films premiere to be held at Shosannas cinema. Shosanna then gets into action to get her plan to kill the Nazi attendees into motion.

During the screening, Zoller tries to force himself onto Shosanna in the projection room. She pulls out a pistol and shoots him, but he ends up killing her instead. As the film nears its end, Shosannas footage informs the Nazi attendees that they were all about to be killed by a Jew. The doors are shut, and the crowd is sub-machined, igniting the bombs, and killing everyone in the theater.

Tarantino almost gave up when casting for the show

RELATED: Quentin Tarantino Fans Have The Golden Girls to Thank for His Movie Career

Inglourious Basterds was critically acclaimed and well-received. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie an 89% rating based on 329 reviews. At the Cannes Film Festival, the film received an eight-minute standing ovation.

Finding the perfect actor to carry the script to the finish and provide every emotion isnt easy, and Tarantino knows that. According to Kick Ass Facts, Tarantino faced difficulty finding the right fit for Colonel Hans Landa. He feared that he had written a role that no one could play.

However, after Waltz came in and auditioned, Tarantino and the movies producer Lawrence Bender agreed that they neednt look anymore.

Fans uncovered a fascinating detail about Waltz character

When Landa visits LaPadite, he interviews a few women. To find out whether the women are lying, he checks their pulses to determine if their breath intervals are inconsistent. Inconsistencies or fast-paced breaths would have indicated that the girls were lying.

Fans on Reddit had their theories about why Landa used the pulse check technique as a lie detector. According to one fan, Landa thought himself a true master of human nature, and he prided himself in his ability to read humans. Another fan pointed out that it is impossible to read a pulse using the thumb, and Landa used the trick as a form of intimidation.

Landa checking the womens pulses is not the only clever moment in the film. The Bear Jews bat is carved with the name Anne Frank on it. When filming, Tarantino had all the actors learn how to carve and had them go through scalping training.
New York:

A lawsuit against the ride-hailing company Uber and its embattled CEO Travis Kalanick has been filed by an Indian woman raped by its driver in New Delhi in 2014 for "unlawfully" obtaining her medical records and engaging in offensive conspiracy theories about the brutal incident.

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in the 18-page lawsuit filed in federal court in California on Thursday, said Uber has taken start-up culture, in which "fierceness" and "always be hustling" are prioritised above people to a new extreme, "perpetuating rape culture and violating all bounds of decency as to customer privacy".

It is for the second time that the woman has sued Uber. She said was "violated physically" when she was brutally raped in Delhi by her Uber driver Shiv Kumar Yadav in December 2014 and then a second time when her medical records stemming from the sexual assault were inappropriately obtained and shared by the company's top executives.

"Sadly, in the United States, Uber executives violated her a second time by unlawfully obtaining and sharing her medical records from that vicious sexual assault and have failed, as of the date of this filing, to apologise to her for this outrageous conduct", the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit has been filed against Uber, Kalanick, who has taken an indefinite leave of absence, Uber's former Vice President for Business in Asia Eric Alexander and the company's then-Senior Vice President for Business Emil Michael.

In the wake of the December 2014 incident, Kalanick had said his company would do "everything" to help bring the perpetrator to justice and to support the victim and her family in her recovery.

Read more: Uber fires top executive for procuring medical reports of rape victim

Douglas Wigdor, the lawyer representing the woman who currently lives in Texas, filed the suit on her behalf.

"It is shocking that Travis Kalanick could publicly say that Uber would do everything to support our client and her family in her recovery when he and other executives were reviewing illegally obtained medical records and engaging in offensive and spurious conspiracy theories about the brutal rape she so tragically suffered", Wigdor said in an email response to PTI on the lawsuit.

He added that rape denial is just another form of the "toxic gender discrimination" that is "endemic" at Uber and "ingrained" in its culture.

"Hopefully, this lawsuit coupled with the changes recommended by the independent counsel will create real change and reform at Uber and elsewhere", he said.

The lawsuit also takes strong objection to the speculation by Kalanick, Alexander and Michael on whether the woman had been raped at all and if she was colluding with rival Indian ride-hailing company Ola to "jettison" Uber's business in the country.

The lawsuit said that after the woman's sexual assault, Alexander went directly to Delhi where he managed to obtain her confidential, private medical records generated by physicians who examined her after the brutal rape.

Alexander then showed the records to Kalanick and Michael and the three "discussed the records among themselves and with other staff at Uber, speculating that Plaintiff had made up the brutal rape in collusion with a rival of Uber in India in order to undermine Uber's business", a reference to Uber' s rival taxi/ride-hailing company Ola.

"By focusing on 'whether she was really raped at all', and painting Plaintiff as an opportunist and a liar, defendants seemed to be assuring themselves that the only reason why a woman would report a sexual assault is for personal gain, rather than to prevent similar crimes from occurring again or to right an injustice", the lawsuit said.

It added that Uber executives "duplicitously and publicly decried the rape, expressing sympathy for Plaintiff, and shock and regret at the violent attack, while privately speculating, as outlandish as it is, that she had colluded with a rival company to harm Uber's business."

The woman had filed a lawsuit in January 2015 against Uber arguing that the company did not adequately screen its drivers and its "negligence and fraud" lead to her being sexually assaulted and humiliated.

Read more: 15-year-old gang-raped for two months becomes pregnant, two held

However, in February, the woman had "voluntarily" dismissed the lawsuit.

Last week, Uber terminated Alexander and it also announced that it had fired 20 other employees over the last few months for harassment, discrimination and inappropriate behavior.

Facing allegations of sexual harassment and a toxic work environment, Uber unveiled this week a list of recommendations from a law firm that investigated Uber's work culture.

The recommendations include that Uber should establish key metrics to which its leaders will be held accountable in the performance review process.

Kalanick announced he will take an indefinite leave of absence, saying in an email to employees that he would take time off to work on himself and reflect on building a "world-class leadership team" for the company.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Outdoor Family Fun in Santa Barbara

Now more than ever getting unplugged and spending time outdoors with family is so important for mental and physical health. Our family was in need of some travel therapy, and our recent trip to Santa Barbara delivered that not only by reconnecting us with nature, but also by fulfilling our goal to learn a few new things along the way.

To facilitate a safer visit, we read the Santa Barbara Healthy Traveler Guide and stuck to these guidelines during our trip. As a COVID precaution, we kept our windows wide open, wiped down all spaces with sanitizer wipes and declined any housekeeping throughout our stay.

We wanted our trip to be full of time in the great outdoors, so all of our activities were both family-friendly and naturally socially distanced. Santa Barbara Adventure Companys seaside bike tour was a brilliant way to carefully introduce us to the coastal splendor of this city. Riding along coastal bluffs among eucalyptus groves, I felt immersed in breathtaking natural wonder. We pulled over several times to watch the surf and admire the majestic views of the coastline.

After working up an appetite, we headed over to the Santa Barbara Fish House to indulge in some local cuisine. Getting your seafood fix does feel like an essential activity while visiting Santa Barbara, and this spot provided a bounty of the Central Coasts premier tastes of the sea along with an impressive selection of creative cocktails.

Our next day was dedicated to making sure we had some fun learning activities on our vacation since school has been digital and isolated. The Santa Barbara Sailing Centers two-hour private lesson was just the ticket for us to explore unfamiliar educational territory. Out on the water, we dove right into our enriching lessons on proper sail trim, knots, wind, and navigation while fully immersing ourselves in the serenity of the Santa Barbara coastline. Its hard to find experiences that are educational exercises disguised as fun, but this one really delivered.

Sailing lessons at the Santa Barbara Sailing Center provide fun and learning at the same time. (Courtesy of Jay Sinclair/Visit Santa Barbara)

The only indoor activity we had during our trip was a one-hour private Cat Therapy session. We fell in love many times over during our visit with the abundant adoptable cats and kittens here. There was such a heartwarming vibe at this cat cafe that I remember thinking to myself that they should clone this establishment so people everywhere can discover the bliss of cat therapy. Just be aware that if you visit with kids there is a high likelihood that you will return home with a cat.

The culinary highlight of our trip was dinner at Opal Restaurant, which was so off-the-charts delicious that my only regret was that I couldnt eat more of their cuisine. The Lemongrass Crusted Fresh Salmon in Thai Curry Sauce was undoubtedly the best piece of salmon Ive ever had. I paired it with a standout glass of Foley Chardonnay from a local vineyard. We also enjoyed the amazing shredded phyllo-wrapped tiger prawns. I would highly recommend this exquisite restaurantthe apex of what eclectic California cuisine should be.

The hearty breakfast we enjoyed at DAngelo Bakery the next day really hit the spot before we embarked on our horseback ride on the beach with Los Padres Outfitters. We felt safe throughout this entire adventure on horseback because it provided a natural six-foot distance from other riders and because our horses just seemed instinctively to know how to take care of us and where to go. This was one of the best parts of our visit because it felt like such a welcome respite to be able to relax and enjoy the scenery this way. We hugged the coast most of the time, so it was an easy outdoor activity for even the most novice riders.

Our final family-friendly activity was a private charcuterie and cheeseboard-making workshop with Slate Catering Co. Our instructor, Allie Chandler, broke the lesson down into digestible bits on prepping the cheeses and meats, techniques such as how to make a salami flower and how to add the final touches. Within one hour we all learned how to make our cheese plates go from drab to fab. We will take home these tips and tricks and carry these lessons in our culinary repertoire for years to come.

Visitors to Santa Barbara, Calif., learn how to create a cheeseboard at Slate Catering Co. (Courtesy of Margot Black)

Some good ideas for solo free time in Santa Barbara include their range of skate- and surf-inspired activities. Our skateboard-enthusiast son had a blast at Skaters Point, the local skate park on Cabrillo Boulevard that is surrounded by towering palm trees and overlooks the coastline. You could also visit Stearns Wharf for some not-to-miss photo ops since it boasts mesmerizing views of the ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains.

Santa Barbara is such a manageable city to walk in and explore, and there are abundant socially distanced and family-friendly activities to enjoy. With its small-city, costal vibe, its no wonder it is often referred to as the American Riviera.

When You Go

For general information: SantaBarbaraCA.com

Healthy traveler guide: SantaBarbaraCA.com/itinerary/how-to-be-a-healthy-traveler

Mason Beach Inn: MasonBeachInn.com

Bike Tour: SBAdventurEco.com

Fish House Santa Barbara: FishouseSB.com

Santa Barbara Sailing Center: SBSail.com

Cat Therapy: CatTherapySB.com

Opal Restaurant: OpalRestaurantAndBar.com

DAngelo Bakery: DAngeloBakery.com

Los Padres Outfitters: LosPadresOutfitters.com

Slate Catering Co.: SlateCatering.com

Margot Black is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at Creators.com. Copyright 2021 Creators.com
How virus-laden aerosols flow inside a car Since the pandemic began, officials and scientists around the world have been looking out for super-spreader events, where there is a large gathering of crowds, to check the spread of the coronavirus. Over time researchers have also mapped how virus travels in places like restaurants, gyms and other indoor places.

But no one was quite sure what happens inside a car. A new study done by researchers at Brown university has used computer simulations to map how virus-laden airborne particles might flow through the inside of a car. The study comes ...
Mary Katherine, who also goes by MK, covers health care for The Post and Courier. She is also pursuing a master's degree in data science. She grew up in upstate New York and enjoys playing cards, kayaking and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
New Delhi:

A special TADA (Terrorist And Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act) court on Friday found Abu Salem, Mustafa Dossa and Mohammed Dossa guilty of murder and conspiracy in connection with 1993 Mumbai blast case. The court also convicted Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, and Karimullah Sheikh under charges of conspiracy and murder under sections of IPC, TADA and Explosives Act. The court convicted Tahir Merchant in the case.

The accused wanted to avenge the 1993 Babri demolition case.

The court acquitted Abdul Qayyum of all charges in the case. The court ordered his release on personal bond. Abu Salem has been acquitted of some charges of TADA for which he was framed initially.

Special public prosecutor Deepak Salve said the court has convicted 6 people out of 7 accused. It has acquitted one person in the case.

1993 Mumbai blasts case- Special TADA Court has convicted 6 people out of 7 accused & 1 person acquitted: Deepak Salve,Spl public prosecutor pic.twitter.com/kbIq6a5PDh  ANI (@ANI_news) June 16, 2017

The court has set the next hearing date on June 19, to decide the date for argument on quantum of sentence.

1993 Mumbai blasts case: Court has set the next hearing date on June 19, to decide the date for argument on quantum of sentence.  ANI (@ANI_news) June 16, 2017

On March 12, 1993, a series of 12 blasts had rocked the economic capital of India in which 257 people were killed and 713 persons were injured in the terror attack.

Apart from Abu Salem, the other accused are Mustafa Dossa, Firoz Khan, Riyaz Siddiqui, Karimullah Sheikh, Mohammad Tahir Merchant alias Tahir Taklya and Abdul Qayyum. The matter will be heard by judge GA Sanap.

One of prime accused in the case, Yakub Menon was hanged in July 2015 in Mumbai after being convicted and awarded capital punishment in the case.

Some other prime accused who still remain at large in the case are Dawood Ibrahim, Mohammad Dossa and Tiger Memon.

Also Read: Production warrant issued against Yasin Bhatkal in 2011 Mumbai blasts case

Gangster Abu Salem is accused of supplying weapons to actor Sanjay Dutt, who is serving a five-year-term and transporting arms and ammunition. Mustafa Dossa is facing charges of conspiracy and landing the ammunition.

Qayoom is charged with delivering the weapons to Dutt. Tahir is accused of arranging for the other convicts to travel to Pakistan.

The second trial has lasted more than six years in which the prosecution relied heavily on confessions of the 129 suspects tried earlier.

Also Read: Rajiv assassination case convict Perarivalan files another RTI over Sanjay Dutt's premature release

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Television

Batwoman: Now that former star Ruby Rose has left, Javicia Leslie comes aboard as a new character who, conveniently enough, becomes Batwoman. ( 8 p.m. Sunday, The CW)

The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth: The series continues with coverage of the vote that made Donald Trump the first president to be impeached twice, details about the attack on the Capitol, and efforts to help secure the upcoming inauguration. (8 p.m. Sunday, Showtime)

All American: The drama returns for Season 3. (8 p.m. Monday, The CW)

9-1-1: There are always plenty of disasters to rev up the plot, so Season 4 should be action-packed. (8 p.m. Monday, Fox)

9-1-1: Lone Star: Rob Lowe returns, and the good news is that the talented Gina Torres has joined the cast for this Texas-set spinoff. (9 p.m. Monday, Fox)

The Presidential Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden: CBS gets an early start on coverage of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Lady Gaga is scheduled to sing the National Anthem, and Jennifer Lopez is also on the list of performers. (CBS coverage starts at 6 a.m. PT Wednesday; the inauguration will also be covered on other major networks, including ABC, NBC, PBS and cable news channels)

Celebrating America: Tom Hanks hosts a special in honor of the inauguration. According to the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the special will showcase the American peoples resilience, heroism and unified commitment to coming together as a nation to heal and rebuild. Biden and Harris are both expected to make remarks, and the program is also meant to highlight American heroes such as frontline workers, health care workers, teachers, and others. Celebrating America is also scheduled to include Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington, who will introduce segments that include young people working in their communities, and performances by special guests. Among the artists scheduled to perform are Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlake, Demi Lovato, Jon Bon Jovi and Ant Clemons, with more expected to be announced. (8:30 p.m. Wednesday; the program will be broadcast on ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, MSNBC and PBS. It will also be available to stream, via the Presidential Inaugural Committee social media channels on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch. The Presidential Inaugural Committees streaming partners, including Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Bing, NewsNOW from Fox, and AT&T DIRECTV and U-verse, will also carry the program.)

Riverdale: The soapy melodrama returns for Season 5. (8 p.m. Wednesday, The CW)

Grown-ish: The Black-ish spinoff returns, for a new semester. (8 p.m. Thursday, Freeform)

Walker: After spending eons as a costar of the cult favorite, Supernatural, Jared Padalecki now stars in a reboot of Chuck Norris action oldie, Walker, Texas Ranger. (8 p.m. Thursday, The CW)

Already Streaming

Disenchantment: Matt Groenings (The Simpsons) animated fantasy comedy returns for more not exactly royal adventures. The voice cast includes Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre, Nat Faxon and Matt Berry. (Available to stream beginning Friday, Netflix)

Servant: The spooky series from M. Night Shymalan returns for a second season, focusing on a family trying to recover from tragedy only to face an ominous new threat. (Available to stream beginning Friday, Apple TV Plus)

WandaVision: Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been eagerly awaiting this new series, which promises to blend superheroics with the look and feel of such vintage sitcoms as The Dick Van Dyke Show. The series features Marvel Comics characters Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, and the android known as Vision. Details of what their latest adventure involves are so far scarce, but the series takes place after the blockbuster Avengers: Endgame movie. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany star. Even if youre not the biggest Marvel Cinematic Universe expert, the visuals for this look incredibly spiffy. (Available to stream beginning Friday, Disney Plus)

Subscribe to our What to Watch newsletter. Email:



-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist
May the games begin. After an atypical summer, the Victorian parliamentary year resumes February 2.

The Premier returns only partially refreshed, having interrupted his leave at his wifes insistence. Spending his holiday on the phone was never going to work. Dan Andrews went into command and control mode early in 2020. Since his fate lay in how the pandemic was handled he decided to micromanage rather than delegate.

Premier Daniel Andrews. Credit:Jason South

Confident predictions that Andrews would resign by Christmas were wishful thinking by ill-informed fantasists, some on his own side, some from the opposition. The Premier enormously enjoys his arm wrestle with the baying Murdoch hunting pack and it will continue. Strategic briefings against Andrews to pet journalists have left unreliable sources with red faces and zero credibility.

Andrews grip on his own party is fortified, as is his ascendancy over a weakened opposition. The ministerial shuffle and deferred state budget passed with little remark. All issues come a distant second to total fixation on the pandemic which helps the government retrieve the sense of urgency which was a hallmark of the first term.
Nepal crisis will not come in the way of bi-lateral ties with India: Sources

No Beijing, only Delhi says former Nepal PM on ties with India

Will solve own problems, wont allow external interference says Nepals foreign minister

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 17: Nepal's foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali has said that his country will not accept any foreign interference. He said that some countries have expressed concerns about the current political situation in Nepal after Parliament was dissolved.

However, we will not accept interference by any foreign power in Nepal.

His statements come in the backdrop of China's desperate attempts to broker truce between the warring factions in the Nepal Communist Party. China has so far found no success in brokering peace with K P Sharma Oli holding his ground and making it clear that he will not enter into a truce with his rival Prachanda.

Gyawali told reporters that Nepal can solve its own problems. There may be concerns since there are close neighbours who express concerns. However we will never accept interference from an external side, he also said. He also noted that the relations with India and China are excellent.

The Foreign ministers of India and Nepal on Friday held a comprehensive review of all aspects of bilateral ties and explored ways to further strengthen cooperation in key areas of connectivity, trade and energy, in the first high-level engagement between the two nations after relations nosedived following a boundary row last year.

In the sixth India-Nepal Joint Commission Meeting (JCM), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Nepalese counterpart Pradeep Kumar Gyawali discussed cooperation in a range of areas including economy and trade, border management, power, oil and gas, water resources, capacity building and tourism among others, an official statement said.

Gyawali, accompanied by Nepalese Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal arrived here on Thursday on a three-day visit in the midst of a political turmoil in Kathmandu, triggered by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's sudden decision to dissolve Parliament and call for fresh elections.

Ties between India and Nepal came under severe strain after Nepal last year published a new political map that showed the three Indian territories -- Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh -- as part of Nepal.

In the statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) mentioned border management among several areas of cooperation that the two sides discussed in the meeting. However, it was not immediately known whether the dispute over the three areas figured in the talks.

It said the close cooperation between the two sides in combating Covid-19 pandemic in the region was noted, and Nepal congratulated India on the "remarkable success" in production of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines and requested for early provision of vaccines to Nepal.

"The Joint Commission comprehensively reviewed all aspects of multifaceted cooperation between the two countries and explored ways to further strengthen the traditionally close and friendly ties," the MEA said.

"Both sides discussed several areas of cooperation including connectivity, economy and trade, power, oil and gas, water resources, political and security issues, border management, development partnership, tourism, culture, education and capacity building," it added.

The MEA said the "significant and concrete" progress made since the last JCM in taking forward several bilateral initiatives was also acknowledged.

The two delegations included Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Paudyal and other senior officials from both sides.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, January 17, 2021, 8:26 [IST]
US continues to face very serious problems in trade and economic relations with China

Armenia 1st President: There is a risk of civil war

Scenes of apprehension of Azerbaijani who attacked Armenian in Moscow disseminated on the Internet

Germany, France, Netherlands urge tech giants to test start-up purchases

Armenia 1st President: There has never been such rough dialogue between Armenian and Azeri leaders as there is now

California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development opening office in Yerevan

US Department of State issues statement on detention of Armenian soldiers by Azerbaijani forces

Armenia 1st President says Aliyev is certain that Pashinyan won't win elections and is trying to get all that he can

UN calls for $ 95 million in aid to Palestinians

Twitter is concerned about safety of its employees in India

Artsakh hero: Impotent and perhaps also treacherous authorities of Armenia need to be removed from power immediately

France MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to show maximum restraint

Azerbaijani attacks Russia citizen of Armenian descent in Moscow

Armenia acting MOD provides President with information about capture of Armenian servicemen

Lithuania MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to go to de-escalation of situation and pull out troops

Russian Deputy FM, EU Special Representative discuss situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia acting FM resigns

Acting Deputy FM: Armenia reserves itself the right to take necessary steps to protect its territorial integrity

China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan
2 1 of 2 Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Show More Show Less



A flaring incident occurred Saturday at Chevrons refinery in Richmond, with at least one photo shared on social media showed an orange plume rising into the darkened sky.

Richmond Mayor Tom Butt told The Chronicle the flaring was labeled as a Level 1 incident, but it was not immediately clear what that meant.
The Galaxy M62 was previously rumoured to be a tablet, however, one of the documents on FCC's site has mentioned it as a mobile phone (Representational Image) Image Source: IANS

New Delhi, Jan 17 : Samsung is reportedly working on a new smartphone Galaxy M62 with a massive 7,000mAh battery.

The smartphone has made an appearance on the US regulator's website FCC with model code SM-E625F/DS, which may be the Galaxy F62, reports GSMArena.

The Galaxy M62 was previously rumoured to be a tablet, however, one of the documents on FCC's site has mentioned it as a mobile phone.

Samsung Galaxy M62 is speculated to be the successor of Samsung Galaxy M51 and is expected to launch sometime this year.

Apart from the large 7,000mAh battery, the phone is tipped to ship with a 25W fast charger. Connectivity options are reported to include USB Type-C port and 3.5mm audio jack.

The smartphone may come with 4G LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi, and NFC support.

The device will come with Exynos 9825 processor coupled with 6GB of RAM. It is said to run on Android 11 out-of-the-box.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Barn destroyed by Wednesday morning fire

Fire destroyed a barn about five miles southeast of Watertown Wednesday, according to a report from Watertown Fire Rescue.
Kyoto boasts Japan's largest concentration of traditional crafts. Despite the pall the COVID-19 pandemic has cast over the country, young entrepreneurs with unorthodox backgrounds are bringing new thinking and innovation to Japan's ancient capital.

One is 42-year-old Masataka Hosoo, who last August became president of Kyoto-based Hosoo. The company produces nishijin-ori, a traditional textile made in the Nishijin district of Kyoto that is often used in kimonos. Hosoo, who was once a musician, brought the tradition-defying spirit of punk rock to the 330-year-old family business.

About 12 years ago, Hosoo could not believe his eyes when an email from Peter Marino, a world-renowned architect, landed in his inbox. Marino, who has designed stores for luxury brands like Dior, had sent him a request to create a new type of nishijin-ori textile. The message would change his life.

While in high school, Hosoo was a fan of the English punk band Sex Pistols. He set his heart on becoming a musician and joined a record label after graduating from university. He later moved to Shanghai and launched an apparel brand that fused music and fashion. But success did not come easily to a young man who, by his own admission, did not even know the cost ratio of his inventory. When his brand folded, he returned to Japan and joined a jewelry brand management company. He intentionally stayed away from his old home. "I was afraid of the pull of the traditional industry -- that I couldn't escape it once I entered," he said.

His thinking changed after he learned about the family company's attempts to push into overseas markets. "Nishijin-ori is fighting overseas," he said. "That's punk." The company had taken part in trade shows in Paris since 2006, but without much success. When he joined the business in October 2008, Hosoo convinced management to let him work on the overseas expansion project for a year. In May 2009, a Hosoo obi -- the traditional sash worn with a kimono -- caught Marino's eye at an exhibition in New York.

Nishijin-ori, which uses dyed threads to create elegant patterns, dates back 1,200 years. The weaving technique, which makes fabric from thousands of individual threads, is among the most intricate in the world.

But Marino was looking for a modern design that "looked like molten iron," something that had never been done before. Moreover, there were no machines capable of producing the textile requested. Nishijin-ori fabric used for obis is 32 cm wide. Marino had requested a width of 150 cm. That would require a custom-built loom. Overcoming resistance within the company, Hosoo invested 20 million yen ($192,500) in the project and spent a year developing a loom with veteran craftsmen.

Hosoo's nishijin-ori were used to cover the walls and chairs of Dior's flagship store, which raised the Japanese company's profile considerably. Its customers now include such luxury brands as Louis Vuitton and high-end hotels like the Ritz Carlton.

Upon becoming president, Hosoo was determined to "expand the possibilities of nishijin-ori, so as to pass the baton that has been handed down for generations." The company's nishijin-ori were also used for the interior of Lexus' top-of-the-line sedan, the LS. Silver thread is woven into the doors' trim to evoke the image of moonlight shimmering on the ocean.
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

Mrs J.A. writes: My husband and I were due to go on holiday to South Africa last March, but that country went into lockdown before our trip.

We had paid 20,000 for hotels on our Amex card, and were refused any refunds, so we tried to claim from Amex under Section 75. However, Amex says there is no time limit within which it has to make a decision.

It is now just sitting on the claim and charging us around 300 a month in interest.

Deal: Card provider Amex first sat on the claim for cancelled South Africa trip

Tony Hetherington replies: Your plane tickets were refunded by BA, and you even managed to recover the cost of flights you had booked within South Africa.

But your travel agent in South Africa, and the hotels booked for you, simply refused to hand back a penny.

So, you lodged a claim with Amex under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act  the very useful bit of legislation that makes a credit card issuer jointly responsible if a deal involving over 100 goes wrong.

But months later, Amex was sitting on its hands while raking in hundreds of pounds in monthly interest charges at an annual 22 per cent, though you have told me that you finally realised how expensive this was and have since managed to pay off the card bill in full.

Meanwhile, you complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service. It was then that you found Amex had you over a barrel. It simply pointed out that the Ombudsman would not investigate until Amex itself had done so first.

In an email, the card company told you: 'Claims under Section 75 do not have a regulated timeframe for our investigation or final decision.'

I asked Amex to comment on all this, but its response was absurd. I received an email worthy of a spy comedy. 'This is a secure, encrypted message,' it announced. I was instructed to open an attachment, create a password, complete an application form, and then wait to be told the key to the code.

I was also given a 'personalised image'  a coffee mug  and told that if this did not appear in future coded messages from Amex, then those messages were fake.

After all this, what did the decoded message say? It thanked me for my enquiry and said that Amex would contact the merchant and look into it. So, nothing secret after all. And if anything was fake, it was Amex's claim that it needed to contact the travel agent. It had told you this had been done nine months ago.

I told Amex to behave sensibly, unless it wanted any future enquiries from me to be in code too. It backed down and replied in plain English, but the comment it offered barely counts as a comment at all.

It talked about this being 'a challenging time' for cardholders, and assured me it reviewed 'all refund claims carefully and fairly'.

But it said absolutely nothing about what you had been through since last March at the hands of Amex, except that it would be in touch with you. I intended to publish this last Sunday, but gave Amex one final week to reconsider.

And what Amex did in the past week was to stitch up a secret deal with you. Last Tuesday, Amex told me it had re-examined your claim and contacted you 'regarding a resolution'. What resolution?

Amex's public relations director Samina Ansari answered the following day: 'As a legal agreement [sic] with the Cardmember I can't disclose that information.' Very, very bad public relations, which will have a longer term impact than just this weekend.

I asked you and your husband what was going on. You refused to say, except to tell me 'we have reached a mutually agreeable settlement to the claim'.

I have no idea how much you settled for, or whether it was you or Amex that imposed a secrecy blackout.

What is clear is that you failed to recover thousands of pounds from hotels and a travel agent; you failed to get Amex to refund your money; you failed to get the Ombudsman to order Amex to repay you; and after all these failures, you got your money thanks to The Mail on Sunday.

You're welcome.

Why has my wife's NS&I account been suspended?

P.C. writes: A few months ago, my wife attempted to log on to her online premium bonds account with National Savings & Investments. A message said that her account had been suspended, and it gave a number she should call.

Despite numerous attempts, it was impossible to get an answer. We have written, but have received only useless replies  for example, log on and change your password, which is the very thing that is impossible.

I even received an email thanking me for advising NS&I of my wife's change of address, something which has not happened.

No answer: NS&I failed to resolve P.C.'s query after his wife's account was suspended

Tony Hetherington replies: Annoyingly, you found that your wife's bonds had won 100 which she had not received.

And it did not help to be told falsely that your wife had changed her address. Its response email suggested the issue was closed, with the warning 'not to reply to this email since it will not be answered'.

I asked staff at NS&I to investigate and they found that the problem goes back to 2017, when your wife registered online.

She was sent a temporary password allowing her to choose a password of her own, but she never followed this through. Then in 2018, when she tried to log on, she failed the security questions. A new temporary password was sent, but again she did not use it and it expired.

NS&I staff have now telephoned and talked to you both. After verifying your identity, they are now sending a new temporary password and they have explained how to use this so your wife can access her account again.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
The COVID-19 pandemic shut down key sectors of the economy and kept many Nigerians indoors for many weeks in 2020.

The National Assembly was shut down for over a month and even when the lawmakers resumed, they held plenary sessions twice a week for months.

They cancelled, postponed or carried out behind closed doors many other activities, with very few attendees observing COVID-19 protocols.

But the compulsory holiday and the reduced number of work hours and activities did not stop drama at the legislative complex in 2020 as the National Assembly dished out controversial matters back-to-back.

Lawmakers engaged and confronted ministries, departments, agencies, federal appointees and even their colleagues over several issues.

In this report, PREMIUM TIMES reviews some major events at the Legislature during the year.

* The NDDC probe

This was arguably the highlight of the oversight activity of the National Assembly in the past year. At the public hearing, lawmakers made accusations and counter-accusations, displayed different emotions and a public official fainted.

It unearthed many dark revelations and brought to the screens, lawmakers who had managed to be under the radar. The name-calling and confessions that trailed the probe left many Nigerians wondering who the real thieves are.

The probe lasted lasted for over a month and separate hearings were conducted by panels of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

It started as a call for an investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds and financial recklessness by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) after Rivers senator, George Sekibo, raised a motion in that regard in May. The Senate, thereafter, constituted a seven-member ad-hoc committee to conduct the probe  which commenced almost immediately.

It was during the probe that a former deputy director of projects, NDDC, Cairo Ojougboh, accused some members of the parliament of hijacking the commissions budgets over the years.

A former Managing Director of the commission, Daniel Pondei, also admitted that the commission spent N1.5 billion for staff as COVID-19 relief funds.

These are some of the many controversies that emanated from the investigations.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the probe got messy, including when the minister for Niger Delta, Godswill Apkabio, named lawmakers who got NDDC contracts and the Senate report which showed that top officials of the NDDC paid themselves scholarship grants and spent N85.6 million to attend a graduation ceremony in the United Kingdom.

The Senate in its recommendations, asked the commission to refund all unjustifiable funds paid to staff, vowed to investigate alleged complicity of colleagues and urged the president to dissolve the interim board.

* Keyamo and the 774,000 jobs saga

This was mainly between lawmakers and the minister of state for labour and employment, Festus Keyamo. And as in the NDDC probe, it was a case of back and forth as both parties made accusations against one another.

At a time, it seemed both parties were trying to show who has the most power or who has won the presidents heart.

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The lawmakers had approved N52 billion for the Special Public Works Programme. The programme, an initiative of the federal government, is aimed at giving temporary employment to 774,000 Nigerians from all the local government areas in the country  1,000 Nigerians from each.

And when it was time to begin implementation of the programme, a disagreement ensued between the lawmakers and Mr Keyamo. While the former insisted the programme be handled by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) so they can exercise their oversight function on implementation of the programme, the latter said the ministry will implement it directly.

This led to a war of words between the parties at a rowdy meeting called to discuss the plans and progress of the programme.

Mr Keyamo accused the lawmakers of attempting to sabotage the recruitment process despite receiving 15 per cent of the jobs slots while the lawmakers in turn accused the minister of wanting to hijack the programme from the NDE.

President Muhammadu Buhari had, however, asked the ministry of labour to oversee the project  giving Mr Keyamo the upper hand. The president also, recently, sacked the Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Nasir Argungu.

Both chambers of the National Assembly asked the president to reverse Mr Argungus sack and reinstate him. The House also asked the president to suspend the special works scheme. Mr Buhari, however, seems to have ignored both resolutions.

The programme is expected to commence on Wednesday.

* Endless debates on insecurity

Just like 2019 and the years before, the issue of insecurity dominated conversations in the legislative chambers in 2020. Each week, at least one motion or bill or even a Point of Order was raised on the matter.

Most of the time, these deliberations followed reports of attacks on different communities across the country by armed bandits or insurgents.

Observing one-minute silence in honour of the dead, condemning attacks and urging the federal government to act became a norm and with time, political watchers could predict issues that would be discussed or prioritised in a plenary session.

Another feat that became a norm was the call to the president to sack and replace service chiefs.

Among the numerous deliberations on insecurity that the Senate had in 2020 were the cases of the killing of over 43 rice farmers in Borno State and the kidnap of over 300 students in Katsina State. These events sparked outrage among Nigerians with many questioning the capabilities of the military and their leaders. Even lawmakers called out the president, accusing him of doing very little or nothing to end insecurity in the country.

It was at deliberations like these that lawmakers called for the removal of service chiefs. The Senate made the call three times in 2020  in January, July and December. The Senate Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, asked the president to resign.

It was during the debate of the Borno massacre at the House that the lawmaker summoned President Buhari  a call which divided legislators. He (Buhari), however, failed to show up and the Nation Newspaper reported that members who had supported the motion to summon the president, later apologised  a report the leader of the House, Benjamin Kalu, denied.

* COVID-19

Although the National Assembly was not the only sector affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the lawmakers were undoubtedly shaken by it.

This was visible as the legislators, especially the senators, began taking safety precautions and restricting movements in the complex even before the lockdown was announced in March.

Prior to that moment also, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, announced restriction of visitors into the complex. Also, legislative aides and some selected staff of the National Assembly were asked to stay at home.

The lawmakers also suspended plenary and legislative activities for over a month. This, they said, was to fumigate the complex and install the necessary equipment to ensure safety in the chambers.

Upon resumption, a controversial bill was introduced  the Infectious disease bill. The legislation, which emanated from the House seeks to repeal the Quarantine Act and enact the Control of Infectious Diseases bill.

Sponsored by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, it seeks to strengthen the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and make it more proactive and not just reactive and function when there is an outbreak.

It also seeks to empower the president, the minister of health as well as the director-general of NCDC to make regulations on quarantining, vaccination and prevention of infectious diseases in Nigeria. And prescribes between N200,000 and N5 million as well as jail terms for defaulters.

A senate version of the bill, with similar provisions, was also introduced to the red chamber and both bills triggered outrage from all over the country as many, including the Nigeria Governors Forum, condemned it and asked that it be stepped down.

Many said it gave appointees, especially the NCDC director, too much power.

The legislators are expected to resume on January 26 and with the new year comes a new slate. It is hoped that there will be less drama in 2021 as they try to fulfil the promises made last year.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy with showers likely late, and possibly a thunderstorm. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy with showers likely late, and possibly a thunderstorm. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

By Dr. Jeanice K. Swift

ANN ARBOR, MI  Stanford scholar Michael Hines reflects on an experiment in remote learning when, in 1937, amid a polio outbreak, the Chicago public schools were forced to have students remain at home for their protection. School leaders launched an impressive educational effort, leveraging local radio and newspapers to bring lessons into students homes. Educators adapted instruction to align with the storytelling nature symbiotic with the role of radio in homes at the time.

As an Ann Arbor Public Schools community, we have come a long way in this ongoing COVID crisis. I am deeply grateful to our students and teachers, school teams and leaders who have worked in extraordinary ways to innovate teaching and learning, and to our parents who have made innumerable sacrifices. Members of our community have supported the effort to serve children in remarkable, memorable ways.

As the fourth largest district in Michigan within a widely diverse community, we differ significantly from surrounding school districts. We have extended a needed safety net for students and families, including food distribution, with almost 800,000 meals distributed so far; tech devices; connectivity assistance and specialized family outreach and support.

The everyday illustrations of connection and care, compassion and partnership inspire us and reveal the best in our Ann Arbor community. While virtual learning isnt the preferred choice, our students benefit from a suite of learning tools, including 24/7 access to a fully digital library. Students have performed The Tempest, shared virtual concerts, and students from all five high schools recently lifted their voices together to share a districtwide celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

While the COVID pandemic public health concern continues, the arrival of promising COVID vaccines and a potential in-school antigen testing program represent significant progress in ensuring a safe and sustainable return to schools. Now, we set our direction to begin the transition to offer an in-school hybrid learning opportunity for families who choose this option. We anticipate beginning the process with the youngest and those with the greatest needs in early March.

We understand that wide differences of opinion exist on issues surrounding the timing of a safe return for students and staff to school buildings Our plan moving forward will allow for parent choice of in-person or continued virtual learning. As we transition to in-school learning, we recognize that the familiar before times school rhythms will be replaced with a new COVID school reality.

Safety protocols such as social distancing, masks, cohort groups and a required daily health screening for students and staff will become the new norm in all schools for everyones safety.

Ten months in, this historic COVID crisis continues to evolve rapidly. Our work to navigate the safe transition of students and staff to in-school learning is among the greatest challenges AAPS will ever face. We are up to the challenges and opportunities.

As we set our next steps in motion to offer an in-school hybrid learning opportunity, we chart our course in AAPS for the remainder of this school year. The commitment, creativity and innovation of our team that has characterized a long tradition of excellence in AAPS will continue through this time of transition and beyond this COVID crisis.

We remember the familiar lyrics from the musical Hamilton, History Has Its Eyes on You. As those residents of 1937 Chicago innovated through a polio scourge to record their unique chapter in history, we navigate this current COVID time, and together we write our historic chapter in Ann Arbor.

With a posture of patience, care and support for each other that is characteristic of the best in us, we will emerge on the other side of this pandemic as a stronger, more connected Ann Arbor community.

 Dr. Jeanice K. Swift is the Superintendent of Schools for the Ann Arbor Public Schools


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Republican leaders have a choice to make. They can either repudiate QAnon and conspiracy theories in general or they can sit back and watch as the Republican Party is destroyed from the inside, warns Sen. Ben Sasse in a fiery piece in the Atlantic. When a group of insurrectionists stormed the Capitol earlier this month, it wasnt just the work of individuals who acted on their own accord. But rather, it marked the blossoming of a rotten seed that took root in the Republican Party some time ago and has been nourished by treachery, poor political judgment, and cowardice, the senator from Nebraska writes.

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Until the Capitol riots, some Republican leaders thought they could preach the Constitution while winking at QAnon, Sasse writes. They cant. The GOP must reject conspiracy theories or be consumed by them. Sasse is a frequent critic of President Donald Trump and has said he would definitely consider any articles of impeachment against him.

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Sasse doesnt just talk generally about QAnon in his piece, he also directly criticizes lawmakers who have supported it, as well as leaders who have failed to denounce it. The newly elected Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, writes Sasse. She didnt hide her penchant for conspiracy theories during the campaign but rather than disavow her candidacy, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy chose to stand by and now has to live with the consequences. Shes already announced plans to try to impeach Joe Biden on his first full day as president, Sasse writes. Shell keep making fools out of herself, her constituents, and the Republican Party. If theres any hope for the Republican Party to have a future outside the fever dreams of internet trolls, we have to call out falsehoods and conspiracy theories unequivocally.

Sasse goes on to detail that theres no easy way out for the GOP, saying that whatever the party does it faces an ugly fight. But if it hopes to play a constructive, rather than destructive role, Republicans must repudiate the nonsense that has set our party on fire and then the party has to rebuild itself. Ultimately, the choice is clear: We can dedicate ourselves to defending the Constitution and perpetuating our best American institutions and traditions, or we can be a party of conspiracy theories.
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Alan Dershowitz called the impeachment process a sham because the Democrats violated the Constitution. Calling the attempts as no merit because it is politically biased as well.The second time that Trump is impeached, just like the first, there were questions on how valid they were.

Democrats Violated the Constitution Six Times

According to respected Harvard Law, professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz called the second impeachment by House DEMS illegal. Previously Mitch McConnell said there are rules, but the DEMS went ahead. It is ill-advised with the president leaving on January 20, reported the Epoch Times.

Dershowitz stated that the DEMS violated six independent points cited in the US Constitution, setting a precedent when laws are not followed to suit ends.

The conservative media Newsmax interviewed the Law professor emeritus, who clarified why the DEMS was mistaken. He cited they violated the free speech provision and twisted how they interpreted the impeachment criteria.

To aggravate how the DEMS violated the president's rights included the bill of attainder, and defiled due process, and so forth. Overall, the impeaching of Trump is unconstitutional and attempts the last swipe before he leaves the White House.

Dershowitz commented what law allowed the House to impeach him, for a constitutionally protected right. If any rights were trampled, it is the president's based on colored motives, and the Constitution is clear.

Alan Dershowitz added that the law protects the House Democrats from anything they do on the Senate floor. No one is above the law, and Congress members are immune to its questionable actions, even breaking the impeachment process.

Also read: Pence says No to 25th Amendment, will not Allow Removal of Trump

On the show, he told host Carl Higbie the rule that senators and congress members cannot be charged whether their actions are constitutional or not. They are immune from personal lawsuits while in office.

One way to sanction their action is to vote them out. Next is be charged in a public court. He said this in response to what is happening in Congress and the Senate.

He added the Constitution is clear about the process, and impeachment is to remove a president. According to the Senate impeachment of Trump, on January 20, he is Citizen Trump. Anything else the Senate does is unlawful.

In the single impeachment article, the House voted 232-197 for another run at impeaching the president. Trump was accused of "incitement of insurrection". All the DEMS and 10 GOP claimed that it was goading by him. Breaching the Capitol was his fault, not the alleged left that masqueraded as Trump supporters.

Three presidents have been impeached; Trump is the third and first to get double impeachment. Dershowitz added no president was impeached and convicted, but the DEMS are not in line with the Constitution. Placing Trump on trial is unconstitutional and politically questionable.

It is one of the fastest impeachments in history, took seven hours to decide for the DEMS when it was contrary to Mitch McConnell, who slammed shut the DEMS actions earlier.

Citing the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who choose Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who was linked to a "honey trap" via Fang Fang ( Chinese spy), is the impeachment manager.

Despite legal opinions that impeaching Trump will violate the US Constitution, the DEMS say it is allowable.

Alan Dershowitz says the impeachment process is allowed if the president is in office, not after.

Related article: Mitch McConnell Slams Door, Rejects an Early Impeachment Trial by Democrats

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EMILY ST. LAWRENCE, Chariho girls lacrosse, senior: St. Lawrence tied a school record for goals in a game with nine in a win over Smithfield. St. Lawrence scored 17 goals for the week and has 32 for the season.

CARLY CONSTANTINE, Stonington softball, sophomore: Constantine singled home Shea OConnor with the winning run to hand Waterford, the states No. 2 ranked team at the time, its first loss of the season. For the week, Constantine was 5 for 15.

GREG GORMAN, Westerly baseball, junior: Gorman, a junior, hit a massive home run in a win against Barrington. The homer went over the fence in center field and landed in a nearby road. Gorman was 3 for 3 with four RBIs in the game. He is hitting .571 with 10 RBIs for the season.

BRADIN ANDERSON, Wheeler baseball, freshman: Anderson, a freshman, pitched a complete-game shutout to beat Grasso Tech. Anderson struck out three to earn the first win of his varsity career.

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England's historic Salisbury Cathedral was transformed into a Covid-19 vaccination center on Saturday, with patients vaccinated while organ music was played in the picturesque building.

Local GPs invited patients in the over-80s priority group to visit the cathedral and have their first vaccine doses.

More than 3.23 million people had received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in the UK by Saturday, according to the PA Media news agency.

Former RAF Flight Sergeant and Lancaster tail gunner Louis Godwin, 95, was among the first people to receive a dose at the more than 800-year-old cathedral, according to the NHS Salisbury official Twitter account.

"It has been absolutely marvelous to come into this wonderful building and have this jab," Godwin said in an interview with the PA Media news agency. "I've had many jabs in my time, especially in the RAF. After the war, I was sent to Egypt and I had a couple of jabs which knocked me over for a week.

"This one, the doctor said to me 'Well that's done' and I thought he hadn't started. So it's no trouble at all and no pain," he added.

Godwin said World War II was "entirely different" to the pandemic "because this has divided people."

"You see each other virtually but I've got a very big family, I've got 12 great-grandchildren now from four months to 23 years. I don't see them and they're all growing up," he explained.

The cathedral's organist John Challenger said in a tweet he "would be playing Handel's Largo and much more great organ music" as the cathedral became a vaccination center.

"This is the place where day by day prayer is offered for the healing of the city, for the healing of the nation. To be able to come here today to receive these lifesaving vaccinations, I'm just overjoyed that we can play our part in this," Very Rev Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury, told CNN affiliate ITV news.

There have been more than 3.3 million cases of Covid-19 recorded in the UK, and the country has the highest death toll in Europe, with more than 87,000 dead, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

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Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have been on television for years, and they brought their 19 kids into the spotlight. Now, its Jedidiah Duggars turn for attention. While many of the Duggars started their own social media accounts to show off their marriages and kids, Jeds using Instagram to push his political platform.

Recently, Jed ran for a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives, and he lost. It turns out he spent way more money on his campaign than his opponent, too. Heres how much.

Jed Duggar lost the Arkansas election after running for the House of Representatives

Jed Duggar of 19 Kids and Counting is running for office in Arkansas https://t.co/wxYXVnKcyT pic.twitter.com/9WK3zlA28x  New York Post (@nypost) November 6, 2019

RELATED: Jed Duggar Might Have to Pay $7,000 for Accepting an Illegal Amount of Campaign Donation Money

Jed is following his father, Jim Bob, in his political footsteps. Jim Bob was on the Arkansas House of Representatives representing the Republican party, so theres no doubt Jed hoped to walk the same path. And in 2019, Jed made his platform public.

Im announcing my candidacy for Arkansas State Representative District 89 in Springdale, Jed posted to Instagram. Id appreciate your prayers, support, and your vote! Im a Conservative. Pro-Life. Pro-Second Amendment. Pro-Religious Liberty. Combat the Opioid Crisis. Lower Taxes. More Jobs & Growth. Strong Economy.

Unfortunately for Jed, his opponent, Megan Godfrey, had a stronger platform. She was reelected for a second term.

While I am disappointed that we came up short, I am grateful for the opportunity to listen and learn from so many amazing people that make Northwest Arkansas one of the best places to live in the USA, Jed wrote on Facebook after his defeat.

Jed spent $15,000 more than his opponent

Jed pulled out all the stops for his campaign. He created an Instagram to reach even more of his fans and followers, and a few of his siblings advocated for him on social media. But he still came up short. And it seems he lost a lot of money in the process.

A Reddit user noted the Arkansas Democrat Gazette posted how much a few of the candidates spent on their campaigns. As the source reported, The District 89 race cost the candidates campaigns a combined $142,244. Duggar outspent Godfrey $76,298 to $60,985, reports show.

Reddit users think Duggar way overspent.

Ive run a state rep campaign (different state) and have helped and been aware of budgets on a bunch of others, one critic noted. Thats A LOT for a state rep campaign.

Im trying not to think about the fact he spent more than my salary as a public school teacher  to lose, another wrote.

The Duggars seemed to have accrued a lot of wealth since filming with TLC

RELATED: Counting On: The Richest Duggar Family Member Isnt Who You Think

Many Duggar critics wondered how Jed would have this much money to give toward his campaign. Jim Bob and Michelle once talked about their extremely tight budget, as raising 19 children comes with plenty of costs. Everything from new clothes to groceries was budgeted. But now that many of the kids are all grown up and out of the family home, it seems the busy parents might have time and money to spare.

Its likely Jim Bob helped out with some of Jeds finances. Jim Bob probably supports Jed in his political endeavors, and it seems the patriarch of the family has made quite a lot over the years thanks to filming with TLC. Jim Bob and Michelle have an estimated net worth of $3.5 million, and they were most likely bringing in between $25,000 and $40,000 per episode of Counting On.

So, will Jed give up politics now that he lost the 2020 campaign? We doubt hes throwing in the towel just yet. Well have to wait and see what he does next  and how much itll cost.

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Singapore will require all inbound travellers to take a Covid test upon arrival in the city-state from Jan. 25 amid a resurgence of cases globally, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Citizens and permanent residents of Singapore who return from either the United Kingdom or South Africa will also be subject to an additional seven-day self-isolation at their place of residence following their 14-day stay at a dedicated facility, according to the statement. The U.K. and South Africa have both reported new strains of the virus that appear to be easier to transmit.

At present, Singapore only requires travellers who are not citizens or permanent residents, and who have recent travel history to high-risk countries or regions, to take a PCR test 72 hours before departure. They are then required to serve their stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore, and are tested once more at the end before being allowed into the community.

From Feb. 1, visitors applying to enter Singapore under the reciprocal green lane and air travel pass arrangements will need to have insurance for virus medical treatment and hospitalization costs with a minimum coverage of S$30,000 ($22,560).

As of noon on Sunday, Singapore identified 28 new imported virus infections, all of whom had already been placed on stay-home notice upon arrival, according to the ministry.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 17:46:22|Editor: huaxia

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Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China(CPC) Central Committee, makes an important speech on Oct.29, 2020 at the fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee in Beijing, capital of China. The session was held in Beijing from Oct. 26 to 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

By Xinhua writers Wang Bin, Zheng Mingda and Wen Xin

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Pioneering China's development as the leader of China's ruling party, Xi Jinping has been steering the Communist Party of China (CPC) to enhance friendship, promote exchanges with foreign political parties, and work with political parties worldwide for the global good.

Under the dual capacities of Chinese president and general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Xi has undertaken three overseas visits and received visiting leaders and representatives of foreign political parties on around 40 occasions in the past eight years.

The CPC is the largest political party in the world and will embrace its centenary later this year. It has been an earnest champion of a new mode of party-to-party relationships, advancing the sound and stable development of international relations.

EXPANDING CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

So far, the CPC has maintained regular contact with more than 600 political parties and political organizations from over 160 countries and regions around the world.

Political parties play an important role "in the progress of human civilization," Xi said at the opening of the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting held in Beijing in December 2017. It was the first-ever gathering of political parties worldwide, and Xi stressed there that the CPC is ready to "make more friends across the world."

To facilitate state-to-state relations by way of enhancing intra-party friendships, Xi has in recent years engaged in various forms of interaction with leaders of foreign political parties.

In 2017, Xi invited General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong for tea at the Great Hall of the People, where they discussed the similarities of the Chinese and Vietnamese cultures and exchanged ideas to enhance the traditional friendship between the two peoples.

In September 2019, when China was celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xi conferred the Friendship Medal on Raul Castro Ruz, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, lauding his contribution to China's development.

The mechanisms for dialogue between the CPC and other political parties have been constantly improving. Occasions such as the China-Arab States Political Parties Dialogue Extraordinary Meeting and the UK-China Leadership Forum have added mutual trust, resilience and vitality to the CPC's relationships with foreign political parties.

"The landscape of the CPC's international work is developing toward one that is more comprehensive and wide-ranging, running via multiple channels at a deeper level, with an expanding circle of friends," Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, said in an interview.

ENHANCING MUTUAL EXCHANGES

The Chinese economy is forecasted to register 1.9 percent growth in 2020, faster than most of the largest economies, as efforts to contain COVID-19 and support recovery have paid off, according to the International Monetary Fund.

As China has blazed a development path that suits the country's actual conditions under the leadership of the CPC, more political parties are keen to learn from China's success to contribute to the progress of their own respective countries.

Noting China's development will create more opportunities for the world, Xi said that China "will draw on our own practices to explore the laws governing the evolution of human society and share with other countries what we have learned" at the high-level meeting in 2017.

The CPC has engaged in exchanges of various forms with foreign political parties over governance and reforms. In one such exchange, Bounnhang Vorachith, former general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee, visited villages in China's Hunan and Fujian provinces to learn about targeted poverty alleviation, considering similar practices back in Laos.

Drawing from the CPC's experience, Raphael Tuju, secretary general of Kenya's ruling Jubilee Party, said the party is exploring the possibility of establishing a party school to inculcate a culture of discipline among party members. Six parties in southern Africa co-founded the Julius Nyerere Leadership School in 2018 to strengthen self-construction and improve their governing capacity.

The CPC has become a model for wise governance and also for the positive management of ideological, political and organizational issues, said Ilyas El Omari, former general secretary of the Authenticity and Modernity Party of Morocco.

A COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE FOR MANKIND

The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to wreak havoc across the world, with a total of more than 92 million cases and a death toll topping two million as of Saturday, and cases continue to surge.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has once again proved that mankind is a community with a shared future that shares weal and woe," said Xi in a letter to World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

While leading the Chinese nation in successfully containing the coronavirus, the CPC has shared China's COVID-19 response plans as well as diagnosis and treatment solutions with over 400 political parties, and has provided medical supplies and technical support for political parties and organizations in need, bearing the welfare of all peoples in mind.

The pandemic, interwoven with profound changes unseen in a century and other emerging global challenges, calls for greater responsibilities shouldered by political parties worldwide.

Notably, the CPC's concept of building "a community with a shared future for mankind" has resonated with an increasing number of political parties, as more countries in the Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America have reached a consensus with China on building a community with a shared future to realize mutual benefit and wider cooperation.

The CPC will strive for "a new mode of party-to-party relationships, seeking mutual respect, mutual learning and common ground while shelving differences. The party will continue to promote mutual understanding and mutual trust among countries, political parties and peoples, to strive for a community with a shared future for mankind," said Song. 
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Having recently moved across town in Saratoga Springs, I find myself now living in the congressional district of Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville. Her support of President Donald Trump, including the disingenuous repetition of the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, culminated in her voting with other Republican colleagues in the House not to accept the results of the certified, pre-litigated presidential election results in Pennsylvania. Like senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, and numerous other Republicans in the House and Senate, she well knows she is peddling lies to dangerously volatile supporters encouraging sedition, at the least, and attempting to participate in a (so far) unsuccessful coup, at worst. She has been called upon to resign for her disgraceful conduct, but Trumps enablers are shameless, and I expect no such outcome. My pledge is to support the best challenger who comes forward in two years to unseat her. I hope others will join me.

April Bernard

Saratoga Springs
Ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly election, the Shiv Sena on Sunday announced a major decision on the state assembly election. Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut revealed the big decision of the party.

Raut asserted that after discussion with Maharashtra Chief Minister and party supremo Uddhav Thackeray, the party has decided to contest the West Bengal Assembly Election.

"So, here is the much awaited update. After discussions with Party Chief Shri Uddhav Thackeray, Shivsena has decided to contest the West Bengal Assembly Elections. We are reaching Kolkata soon...!! Jai Hind Joy Bangla (in Bengali)," he tweeted.

So, here is the much awaited update. After discussions with Party Chief Shri Uddhav Thackeray, Shivsena has decided to contest the West Bengal Assembly Elections. We are reaching Kolkata soon...!! Jai Hind,   !  Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) January 17, 2021

He, however, didn't specify the number of seats the Sena will contest in West Bengal. Elections to the 294-member assembly are due in April-May in 2021. The Shiv Sena is in power in Maharashtra along with the NCP and Congress under the aegis of Maha Vikas Aghadi.

This comes on the heels of the Left Front and the Congress asserting that they will jointly fight the BJP and the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. They said that their seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming state assembly elections will be finalised by the end of January.

Congress state chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that his party and the Left Front will hold further parleys to finalise the nitty-gritty of the deal. Senior leaders of the two parties held talks earlier in the day over the seat-sharing agreement. Left Front chairman Biman Bose said that though the BJP is the "biggest enemy of the country", but given the situation in West Bengal, the fight is against both the TMC and the saffron party to save the state from communal strife and the "binary" that is being created among the people.

"In order to defeat the communal BJP on one hand and the fascist TMC on the other, we have to fight them together as a democratic alliance," Chowdhury, leader of the grand old party in the Lok Sabha, said at a joint press conference of the Left Front and the Congress. He said that the parleys between his party and the Left Front are being held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere.

Endorsing Chowdhury's views, Bose said that assembly constituency-wise list of seats to be fought by each party will be finalised within January. "We, the Left and the Congress want to fight the elections shoulder to shoulder in order to save the people of the state and the country," Basu said. He said that there is no misunderstanding between the Left Front and the Congress on seat sharing.

Asked about the TMC's suggestions to the two parties to join hands with them to fight the BJP, Bose said that it was the Mamata Banerjee-led party that has given the saffron party a foot-hold in West Bengal. "It (the suggestion) is an attempt by the TMC to mislead the people of the state," he said. The two parties are likely to hold a mega joint rally in Kolkata sometime soon, sources told news agency PTI.

During the 2016 assembly elections, too, the two parties had stitched an alliance and bagged 76 seats. However, during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the two parties had fought separately and while the Congress won two seats, the Left Front, which ruled the state from 1977-2011, drew a blank.
Taiwan-US relations warmed to an unprecedented degree during Donald Trump's presidency despite Beijing's repeated protests, but it remains to be seen if this can be maintained under Joe Biden.

The first shift in Taipei's favour happened even before Trump took office, in December 2016, when he took a call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to congratulate him on his election victory and discuss the two sides' economic and security ties.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

Though Trump initially tried to act prudently in managing US-Taiwan relations in the face of Chinese wrath, he later made an all-out effort to elevate ties with Taiwan after starting a trade war against mainland China and a series of confrontations over issues such as security, technology and human rights.

"Since that phone call, Taiwan-US relations have continued to skyrocket as evidenced by various bills Trump has signed in Taiwan's favour," said Lai I-chung, president of the Prospect Foundation, a government-funded think tank.

Joe Biden welcomes Xi Jinping to Washington in 2015. Photo: AP alt=Joe Biden welcomes Xi Jinping to Washington in 2015. Photo: AP

In December 2017, Trump signed into law the National Defence Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2018, which for the first time urged the US to invite the island to participate in military exercises, and exchange port calls between their navies.

The Taiwan Travel Act he signed in March 2018 gave the green light to visits by high-level officials of the two sides despite strong protests by Beijing, which considers the island part of its sovereign territory which must be reunified with the mainland - by force if necessary.

In August Health Secretary Alex Azar became the highest ranking US official to visit the island since 1979, followed by undersecretary of state Keith Krach a month later.

The Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020, which was included in the US government spending bill, calls for normalisation of regular arms sales to strengthen the island's self-defence capabilities. It also stresses US support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in the United Nations, affiliated organisations such as the World Health Assembly and other international groups.

Story continues

Despite Beijing's repeated warnings, Trump approved some US$18.3 billion worth of arms sales to Taiwan - 11 deals in the past three years and more than the US$14 billion Barack Obama sold to Taiwan in eight years.

Most noteworthy for Taiwan was the recent announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of the removal of all restrictions on official interactions, which he described as designed to "appease" Beijing.

"Today's statement recognises that the US-Taiwan relationship need not, and should not, be shackled by self-imposed restrictions of our permanent bureaucracy," Pompeo said in a statement issued by the State Department on January 9.

Two days later, US ambassador to the Netherlands Peter Hoekstra welcomed Taiwanese representative Chen Hsing-hsing to the US embassy, in the first publicly announced visit to a US government office.

"All these indicate US-Taiwan ties have been at their best during Trump's time in office," Lai noted.

Wen-Ti Sung, a visiting scholar at the Australian National University, said the elevation of US-Taiwan ties was a result of Trump's political manoeuvres as he wanted to use Taiwan as a bargaining chip.

"From the book of former national security adviser John Bolton, it was evident that Trump was ready to trade Taiwan's interest with that of Beijing, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic and his re-election campaign, he was unable to find the most appropriate time to do so before he has to bow out of office," Sung said.

In his book published in late June, Bolton cites an incident in which Trump compared the size of Taiwan and China's economies - saying that Taiwan is only the tip of a ball-pointed pen in comparison to the Resolute desk used in the Oval Office. Bolton also suggested that Taiwan ranked high on the list of American allies that Trump would be willing to abandon.

Alexander Huang Chieh-cheng, a professor of international relations and strategic study at Tamkang University in Taipei said no future relationship was guaranteed but would always have room for enhancement.

"US-Taiwan relations today are not defined by presidents or senior officials only, but more largely by the structure of growing power competition between Washington and Beijing," he said.

"Future relations with the Biden Administration will continue to be primarily determined by two factors: the state of the US-China strategic competition and the wisdom of Taiwan in dealing with the US."

Things may sour if Taipei mishandles the cross-strait relations and appears to be a "troublemaker" when Washington tries to reformulate its relationship with Beijing, Huang said.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has refused to accept the one-China principle. Photo: AFP alt=Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has refused to accept the one-China principle. Photo: AFP

He said Taiwan's pro-US political and military policies will offer a solid foundation for enhancing the relationship with the Biden administration.

Sung said he expected Taiwan to play an increasingly important role during the Biden era as the island is the key in linking Southeast and Northeast Asia, an important part of the US Indo-Pacific strategy to counter the growing expansion and influence of Beijing.

Huang also expected the frosty relationship between Taipei and Beijing to continue during the Biden administration.

Tsai's refusal to accept the one-China principle since she was elected in 2016 has prompted Beijing to suspend official exchanges with Taipei and poach seven of the island's allies and stage war games to intimidate Taiwan.

"If not 'flogging a dead horse,' there might be a period for exploiting the possibility of resuming dialogue, especially during the time when the Biden team is figuring out new approaches to deal with Beijing," he said.

Before local elections in Taiwan and the 20th Congress of the CCP next year, Tsai and President Xi Jinping might be willing to re-engage for the sake of their own domestic prestige or political calculation, Huang said.

"Tsai has always believed that 'if there is a will, there is a way," he added. "I'd keep my fingers crossed for that."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2021 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

An ID is a simple yet crucial piece of paperwork.

Especially for the homeless, identification is needed to unlock many services and benefits that can help them get off the streets.

But to get an ID, you need an ID  a document such as a birth certificate to prove you are who you say you are. And that can cost money that people who are homeless dont have.

It is these sorts of simple things that can be tremendous obstacles in peoples recovery in getting back on their feet, said state Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio ID Recovery program is first step to getting out of homelessness

So Bernal has filed a bill seeking to make the process easier for homeless individuals to get their birth certificate at no cost.

Its one of several measures San Antonio city leaders are keeping their eye on this legislative session that were discussed at the City Councils Intergovernmental Relations Committee meeting last week.

Another is a bill that would establish the Live Well Texas Plan, which would provide health insurance for up to 1.5 million Texans who earn bout $1,500 a month or less, according to state Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas. The plan would be free for participants and provide a maximum of $500 per year for preventive care services.

On ExpressNews.com: Lawmakers shun masks in Texas Senate chamber as mid-pandemic session opens

San Antonio was one of the first cities to reach out to Johnson in support of his bill, said Jeff Coyle, the citys government and public affairs director.

He mentioned that no other cities had talked to him about it, Coyle said. We said, This was really a priority for us. The pandemic had reinforced the importance of this.

City officials and Johnson are now collaborating to brief other cities on the issue later this month.

Bernal also filed several bills regarding health benefits, one creating a Medicaid buy-in program for certain low-income individuals by expanding Medicaid that could help underserved San Antonians.

The city also is watching bills that would affect bond and tax elections. One bill Coyle called concerning would require at least 25 percent of the areas registered voters to approve a bond or tax increase. This would also require the elections to be held in November, not in May as they have in the past.

The last bond issue was on the ballot in 2017, asking voters to approve funds to go toward improvements for the citys neighborhoods; streets; sidewalks; drainage and flood control; parks and recreation; libraries and cultural facilities; and public safety facilities.

That May election had a total voter turnout of 13.3 percent, according to the citys records. The most popular bond project  drainage and flood control improvements  garnered only 10.2 percent approval from total registered voters, with almost 3 percent voting against and the remaining not voting at all.

Two other worrisome bills, Coyle told the committee, would ban municipalities, counties, school districts and other local entities from spending public funds to hire lobbyists to promote their priorities.

Those bills were filed by state Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, and state Rep. Mayes Middleton, R-Wallisville.

Officials who oppose those two bills say local entities need to have the flexibility to hire their own lobbyists to level the playing field when up against commercial or state interests that could adversely affect residents at the local level.

liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway

Iranian authorities are blaming power outages and worsening air pollution in cities across the country on the energy drain caused by bitcoin mining operations.

The cryptocurrency farms are a huge energy drain because they use banks of high-powered computers to try to unlock complex numerical puzzles related to international financial transactions.

When successful, bitcoin miners create units of so-called digital coins that can be traded globally without the scrutiny and restrictions of traditional financial markets.

Circumventing Sanctions

In August 2019, facing strangling U.S. economic sanctions, Iran eased its restrictions on cryptocurrencies in an attempt to break economic isolation by circumventing the traditional financial markets Tehran has been blocked from using.

Proposed by Irans central bank and Energy Ministry, the legislation allowed bitcoins legally mined in Iran to be used for financing imports from other countries.

The law allowed a limited amount of Irans cheap subsidized energy to be used by authorized cryptocurrency miners. Power-sucking bitcoin operations became cheaper in Iran than other countries.

Now, Iranian authorities admit that thousands of illegal cryptocurrency farms also have sprouted up across the country.

The proliferation has been bolstered by the skyrocketing prices of bitcoin during a pandemic that has seen global investors flock to cryptocurrencies with money pulled out of stocks and commodities.

Mahmud Vaezi, the head of Iranian President Hassan Rohanis office, has responded to allegations of government involvement in illegal bitcoin operations by saying there has been pressure to regulate it some way.

To be sure, that pressure has increased in recent weeks as cities across Iran have been blanketed by unprecedented smog and increasingly hit by power outages -- including blackouts in Tehran and large parts of major cities like Mashhad and Tabriz.

Alireza Kashi, spokesman for the Mashhad Electricity Distribution Company, says those managing the power grid have had no alternative to the electricity cuts because if these intermittent outages do not occur, we will face widespread power outages.

Winter Freeze

Meanwhile, winter temperatures have led to a surge of domestic gas consumption for home heating in Iran.

According to the semiofficial Iranian Students News Agency, that has caused natural-gas shortages and forced power plants to burn low-grade fuels in order to generate the electricity that keeps the bitcoin mines and the rest of the economy running.

Combined with increased automobile traffic due to the closure of mass transit systems aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, residents of Iranian cities are now subjected to a visible rise in air pollution.

Health officials warn the increased pollutants are causing respiratory illnesses that complicate the symptoms of those fighting COVID-19 and increase the death rate.

In fact, Iranian officials first announced the country's power grid was struggling from a cryptocurrency surge during the summer of 2019 -- before Tehran lifted its restrictions on bitcoin farming and transactions.

In June 2019, Energy Ministry spokesman Mostafa Rajabi announced an unusual spike in electricity consumption from illicit bitcoin operations that were making the power grid unstable and causing problems for consumers.

State-controlled television that summer reported a crackdown on two cryptocurrency mines in the central Yazd Province.

Located in abandoned factories, authorities said they were each operating more than 1,000 bitcoin machines.

Irans deputy energy minister warned that same month that the number of cryptocurrency operations was increasing, with some being based in "schools and mosques" that receive electricity for free.

Now, faced with a growing public outcry over the smog and power outages, Iranian officials are being forced to expand their crackdowns.

On January 12, Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said Chinese bitcoin mines would be allowed to continue as long as they extracted cryptocurrencies in accordance with a legal license.

A video then went viral on social media showing thousands of bitcoin machines being operated as part of a licensed Iranian-Chinese cryptocurrency farm in the southeastern city of Rafsanjan.

Iranian state media reported that the bitcoin mining farm had been using 175 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity -- nearly one-third of the total amount of electricity allotted for all cryptocurrency operations in the country.

On January 14, Irans state-owned Tanavir electricity firm announced the temporary closure of the Iranian-Chinese bitcoin operation.

Rajab Mashhadi, a spokesman for Irans electricity industry union, said on January 14 that a total of 1,620 illegal cryptocurrency firms that consumed around 250 MWh of electricity also have been deactivated.

But with many more unauthorized bitcoin extraction centers continuing to operate across the country, as well as operations authorized by the Energy Ministry, its unclear how much longer residents of Iranian cities will have to endure the smog and cryptocurrency power outages.

WASHINGTON (AP)  President-elect Joe Biden will deliver an appeal to national unity when he is sworn in Wednesday and plans immediate moves to combat the coronavirus pandemic and undo some of President Donald Trumps most controversial policies, his incoming chief of staff said Sunday.

Biden intends a series of executive actions in his first hours after his inauguration, an opening salvo in what is shaping up as a 10-day blitz of steps to reorient the country without waiting for Congress, aide Ron Klain said.

Klain told CNN's State of the Union that Biden, in his inaugural address to the nation, will deliver "a message of moving this country forward. A message of unity. A message of getting things done.

Biden will end Trumps restriction on immigration to the U.S. from some Muslim-majority countries, move to rejoin the Paris climate accord and mandate mask-wearing on federal property and during interstate travel. Those are among roughly a dozen actions Biden will take on his first day in the White House, incoming chief of staff Ron Klain said Saturday in a memo to senior staff.

Other actions include extending the pause on student loan payments and actions meant to prevent evictions and foreclosures for those struggling during the pandemic.

These executive actions will deliver relief to the millions of Americans that are struggling in the face of these crises, Klain said in the memo. President-elect Biden will take action  not just to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration  but also to start moving our country forward.

Incoming White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said Biden would use his address to the American people to appeal to those frustrated by the rancor of Washington and to explain how his administration will tackle the nation's challenges.

I think you can expect that this will be a moment where President-elect Biden will really work to try to turn the page on the divisiveness and the hatred over the last four years and really lay out a positive, optimistic vision for the country, and lay out a way -- lay out a path forward that really calls on all of us to work together," she told Fox News Sunday.

Despite the flurry of expected executive action, "full achievement of Bidens goals will require Congress to act, Klain said memo, and that includes the $1.9 trillion virus relief bill that Biden outlined last Thursday. Klain said that Biden would also propose a comprehensive immigration bill to lawmakers on his first day in office.

Some lawmakers have already balked at the aid bill's price tag, and immigration overhaul efforts over the past decade and a half have all stalled in Congress. Still, Klain expressed optimism.

I think there are people in both parties we can work with to move this agenda forward," Klain said Sunday, noting voters elected a 50-50 Senate, where Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will serve as the tie-breaking vote. Were going to have to find ways to get Democrats and Republicans to work together to get things done.

Providing a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally will be part of Biden's agenda, according to people briefed on his plans.

Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum and among those briefed, said immigrants would be put on an eight-year path. There would be a faster track for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields people from deportation who came to the U.S. as children, and for those from strife-torn countries with temporary status.

On Thursday, the new president's second day in office, Biden would sign orders related to the COVID-19 outbreak aimed at reopening schools and businesses and expanding virus testing, Klain said. The following day, Friday, will see action on providing economic relief to those suffering the economic costs of the pandemic.

In the following week, Klain said, Biden would take additional actions relating to criminal justice reform, climate change and immigration  including a directive to speed the reuniting of families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under Trumps policies.

More actions will be added, Klain said, once they clear legal review.

Incoming presidents traditionally move swiftly to sign an array of executive actions when they take office. Trump did the same, but he found many of his orders challenged and even rejected by courts.

Klain maintained that Biden should not suffer similar issues, saying the legal theory behind them is well-founded and represents a restoration of an appropriate, constitutional role for the President.

___

Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
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Two polls Sunday showed Donald Trump leaving office on his lowest approval ratings from Americans but still with the overwhelming backing of his base for his actions in the wake of the MAGA riot.

An SSRS poll for CNN put Trump's final approval rating at just 34%, the lowest of his presidency, and far behind Barack Obama's final rating of 60%.

But a separate Washington Post/ABC News poll showed how Republicans refuse to blame Trump for the MAGA riot which caused his second impeachment, and still back his claims that Joe Biden is not a legitimate president.

The polls show some of the task facing Biden in the attempt to 'unite America' which will be the theme of his inauguration - an event itself held under unprecedented security, with 25,000 armed National Guard members, razor wire round the Mall and the White House, and crowds banned entirely.

Trump's approval rating at the end of his single term put him in a minority of post-war presidents leaving office with approval under 40%.

Jimmy Carter left on 34%, Harry Truman had 32%, George W. Bush 31% and Nixon, in the polls before he resigned, 24%.

The CNN poll shows a mixed record for Trump on success versus failure.

A majority - 54% - say he was more of a success than a failure on the economy, but the numbers for race relations (34%), immigration (36%) and the coronavirus (36%) show how he could not capture support beyond his base.

But it is the Washington Post/ABC News results which show the grip he still has on Republican voters ahead of his second impeachment trial and Biden's inauguration.

It found overwhelming support for Trump among those who say they voted Republican.

Fifty seven per cent say that the party should follow his leadership when he leaves office, and 51% say that party leaders did not go far enough in attempts to overturn the election results.

The party's voters do not blame Trump for the MAGA riot for which he is being impeached, with 56% saying he was not to blame for the Capitol being stormed at all.

And 66% said that his overall conduct since the election had been 'responsible.'

Those findings put the party's supporters entirely out of step not just with Democrats but with majority opinion.

Just 27% of all voters think Republicans should follow Trump's leadership.

The findings underline the difficulties Republican senators face with Trump's impeachment trial.

Mob: Republican voters refuse to blame the president for the rioters who stormed the Capitol i his name and wearing his clothing

Convict or not? Trump's grip on the base presents senators with a crisis

Those who face primary elections in 2022 or 2024 would face angry Republican voters and even the possibility of Trump himself campaigning against him, making a vote to convict politically difficult.

But if they vote against conviction to survive a primary, at a general election they would face a Democratic rival determined to hang that voter around their necks as a mark of shame - and a general electorate to whom Trump is a pariah.

While Democratic voters favor Trump being convicted and banned from running for office again 89 to nine, Republicans oppose it 85 to 12. Among independents, it has 56% backing.

Similarly, Biden's legitimacy is a matter of deep partisan divide: 62% of voters overall and more than 90% of Democrats say his election was legitimate.

But Trump was so successful in sowing distrust in the election that among Republican voters, 70% say Biden did not win legitimately.

A similar question in the SSRS/CNN poll saw 58% of Republicans say there was 'solid evidence' that Biden's election win was fraudulent. And 75% of Republican respondents said that they had little confidence that elections reflect the will of the American people.

The possibility of Trump trying to pardon himself before he leaves office on Wednesday also divided opinion: 68% of all voters say he should not, but 59% of Republicans say he should.

A move to self-pardon would bring about a fresh constitutional crisis because it is unknown if it would be valid and many experts believe that new Biden Justice Department would be forced to prosecute him just to get a Supreme Court ruling on whether it is possible - then consider a constitutional amendment to explicitly rule it out if the justices say Trump was allowed to pardon himself.
New Delhi, Jan 17 : Donald Trump began and served his term as US President amid controversy, polarisation and general ignorance. He is set to leave office under the shadow of an unprecedented second impeachment, with the country reeling under a devastating pandemic, its society bitterly divided and its international credibility at its lowest ebb. What do we make of it? While posterity will hold the final judgement on his epoch, with "Trumpism" set to outlast its founder as his large number of unwavering supporters attests, the tenure of Trump has inspired more than a fair deal of works, covering its various facets. If journalism is the first draft of history, contemporary accounts, whatever the orientation, outlook or objective of their writers, offer a more detailed and nuanced look.

It is also ironic that a man -- who, as per his close advisors, is not at all fond of reading, including the policy briefs that are part of his job -- should trigger a veritable avalanche of books. While those keeping track will have their own preferred reads, these dozen-odd works may be helpful for those seeking an overview of his emergence, victory and rather chaotic term -- characterised by a high turnover of top officials, a string of gaffes, and estrangement of allies, as the whole milieu that enabled his rise.

"How the Hell Did This Happen?: A Cautionary Tale of American Democracy" (2017) by libertarian P.J. O'Rourke is a good start.

Combining his articles on the 2016 campaign trail with more analytical pieces on the rise of populist leaders and the growing disenchantment with the traditional political elite, it culminates with an uproarious glossary of political pundit-speak. Its tenor (viciously satirical but humorous) can be made out by quips like "America is experiencing the most severe outbreak of mass psychosis since the Salem witch trials of 1692" and observations on the business "acumen" of Trump.

As Trump prepared for office, his -- and his close circle's -- stunning ignorance and disdain of the complexities of the presidential transition, not to mention the federal government's functioning, painfully became obvious. Financial journalist and author Michael Lewis' "The Fifth Risk" (2018) uses the cases of the incoming administration's attitude to the staffing of vital but low glamour Departments of Energy, Agriculture, and Commerce to show how much.

For example, we learn in Department of Agriculture jobs, the Trump team had "inserted a long-haul truck driver, a clerk at AT&T, a gas-company meter reader, a country-club cabana attendant, a Republican National Committee intern, and the owner of a scented-candle company, with skills like 'pleasant demeanor' listed in their resumes...". There is much more.

However, the gold standard for the internal workings of the Trump administration would be legendary journalist Bob Woodward's meticulously researched and engrossed "Fear: Trump in the White House" (2018) and then "Rage" (2020), which, unlike the first, draws on interviews with Trump himself.

Woodward, who has written accounts of every Presidential administration since George Bush senior, begins the first showing how Trump's key aides go to the extent of removing documents awaiting his signature from his desk in their scramble to forestall the potentially ominous consequences of the impetuous decisions of their politically immature, enormously ignorant but immensely egoistic boss.

Both go on to chronicle the dysfunctional atmosphere, the pettiness, the one-way loyalty demanded by the President, the rapid turnover of top officials and aides, the scandals, the inconsistent and rapid reverses of policy, Trump's manipulation by authoritarian leaders and worse.

While "Rage" also chronicles Trump's handling of the Covid threat and racial unrest, it is "Fear" whose ending gives Trump's besetting "flaw", which a lawyer, ending his relationship, can't bring himself to say out loud to Trump: "You're a f***ing liar".

A possible third volume covering the last few months of the Trump presidency will be eagerly awaited.

More in this vein are journalist Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" (2018) and "Siege: Trump Under Fire" (2019), while two insider accounts are Trump's former National Security Advisor John Bolton's "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir" (2020) and former political aide Omarosa Manigault Newman's "Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House" (2018).

A damning account by a family member is niece and clinical psychologist Mary L. Trump's "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man" (2020).

On more psychological underpinnings of the phenomenon, psychiatrist Allen Frances, in his "Twilight of American Sanity" (2017), argues that the triumph of Trump represents the ascendancy of some of human's worst traits, bolstered by some less-than-wholesome features that are particularly American.

For those who want a more succinct account, there is Carlos Lozada's "What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era" (2020), which deals with many of these and others on the subject -- and their limitations.

A totally different side can be found in "The Beautiful Poetry of Donald Trump" (2017), where Rob Sears combines Trump's tweets, including those long-deleted, and quotes, including from the pre-internet era, to fashion Trump's "verse" across various styles from couplets ("I use both iPhone and Samsung/A great leader has to be flexible") to quatrains like "I am the best" ("I predicted Apple's stock would fall/I will build a great, great wall/I build buildings that are 94 stories tall/My hands - are they small?") and more.

There is also fiction.

Howard Jacobson's "Pussy" (2017) purports to be the fable of Prince Fracassus, the heir apparent to the Duchy of Origen, of "golden-gated skyscrapers and casinos", but there is no confusion who it actually refers to: he emerges as a beast whose "face was as the face of a spoiled child...and "was given unto him a mouth speaking foolish things..." but yet is given power and worshipped by the people. As they later wonder why, they realise that he arose from their own hearts, and once out, will never be persuaded to go back.

Fiction always 'trumps' fact.

(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)
Turkey has agreed to resume long-stalled talks with Greece on complex territorial disputes, but its calculus appears focused on short-term gains in its relations with the United States and the European Union. After months of bilateral tensions over maritime borders and gas exploration rights, Turkish and Greek diplomats are scheduled to resume on Jan. 25 talks in Istanbul on long-standing territorial disputes in the Aegean Sea. As Al-Monitor reports, the meeting will break a nearly five-year hiatus in the talks, but the prospect of any meaningful de-escalation and confidence-building appears elusive.

The meeting will mark the 61st round in the so-called exploratory talks between the two troubled neighbors, initiated nearly two decades ago in a bid to define and resolve a tangle of clashing territorial claims in the Aegean. The two sides have reported little progress over the years, while the disputes  involving continental shelves, airspace boundaries, islets with disputed ownership and Greeces militarization of islands close to Turkeys shores  have grown even more complex since the last round in March 2016 amid a fresh row over gas drilling rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Ankara signed a maritime delimitation deal with Libyas Tripoli-based Government of National Accord in November 2019, while Greece struck a similar deal with Egypt in August. The agreements cover overlapping zones in the Eastern Mediterranean, meaning that the Turkish-Greek disputes have spilled over beyond the Aegean, growing into a regional crisis involving other littoral states.

The Turkish-Greek exploratory talks began in 2002 amid a thaw in bilateral ties, spearheaded by then Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and his Greek counterpart, George Papandreou. The process has been volatile, mirroring the ups and downs in bilateral ties. While more than 30 rounds of talks took place in the first three years, the dialogue became less frequent or fell into lengthy hiatuses in the ensuing years.

Last summer, bilateral tensions simmered around the Greek island of Kastellorizo, a stones throw from Turkeys Mediterranean coast, as Ankara sent a research ship escorted by military vessels to the area where Greece also claims maritime rights. Though the area is not part of the Aegean Sea per se, the issue is expected to come up in the Jan. 25 meeting as maritime rights form the core of bilateral rows in both seas. The two sides will take stock of how their positions have changed in the past five years and what they can negotiate next.

The Greek side wants to limit the discussion to the demarcation of maritime zones, while Turkey wants to bring up also the status of eastern Aegean islands as well as islets it describes as of undetermined ownership. The meeting  to be chaired by Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal and veteran Greek diplomat Pavlos Apostolidis  is unlikely to produce any breakthrough in the short term.

Still, Ankara has agreed to resume the talks, even though it appeared bent on muscle-flexing and coercive diplomacy with Greece until recently. What lies behind its change of heart? The reasons have to do more with external factors than a policy shift in Ankara.

The chief external factor is the change of guard at the White House. The imminent departure of President Donald Trump will deprive Ankara of its chief helper in Washington over the past four years. Incoming US President-elect Joe Bidens administration is not only unlikely to be as lenient on Ankara but is expected to coordinate tougher positions with the European Union. Ankaras decision to resume talks with Greece resonates as a message to the Biden administration and the EU ahead of critical NATO and EU summits.

At the Feb. 17 NATO summit in Brussels, Biden and EU leaders are expected to discuss joint decisions on Turkey. Therefore, Turkey wants to display a commitment to diplomacy with Greece ahead of the summit, even though it expects little from the talks.

Ankara is abuzz with talk of intensive efforts to arrange a meeting between Erdogan and Biden on the fringes of the summit. Erdogan has reportedly made multiple attempts for a phone call with Biden over the past month, but with no success thus far. Whether Biden eventually meets with Erdogan in Brussels will be an important sign of how Turkish-US relations proceed in the coming months.

Another milestone for Ankara is the EU summit in March. The blocs summit in December ended with a decision to defer discussions of possible sanctions against Turkey over its unauthorized drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean to the March summit. The EU will seek to coordinate with the US on matters relating to Turkey and the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, a European Council statement added.

Ankara is eager to show that it favors de-escalation both at the negotiating table and on the ground. The Oruc Reis seismic research ship, which surveyed Mediterranean waters for gas throughout the summer, is moored in the Gulf of Antalya until June 15.

The resumption of talks with Greece has deeply irked Turkeys nationalist quarters, including retired admirals and generals suspicious of the West. They see the talks as beating the air or a diplomatic gimmick to distract Turkey while Greece advances its interests on the ground.

Retired Adm. Cem Gurdeniz  credited as an architect of the Blue Homeland concept, which advocates for Turkeys geopolitical expansion and aggressive protection of its maritime interests  believes that the Foreign Ministry has been too meek in the exploratory talks and that their resumption endangers the Blue Homeland tenets.

In remarks to the media this week, Gurdeniz said that Turkey was nearing a geopolitical junction where it must decide whether to continue to align with the Western security block in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea or opt for independent strategies to protect its interests. He slammed the government for backing down from its hard-line attitude in the row with Greece, adding, You cannot manage Turkeys geopolitics with such zigzagging.

In sum, Ankaras decision to resume talks with Greece looks like a gesture to find favor with the incoming Biden administration and the EU. The same can be said for Athens. By posing for the cameras in the same room, the Turkish and Greek delegations will have accomplished their mission on Jan. 25.
Vietnamese workers returning from Laos and Thailand listen to quarantine regulations at Cau Treo border gate in Ha Tinh Province, central Vietnam, January 17, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung.

Thousands of Vietnamese workers in Laos and Thailand are forgoing extra income opportunities and returning to Vietnam earlier than usual for Tet.

They are making the time for undergoing the compulsory 14-day quarantine before reuniting with their families for Tet, the Lunar New Year festival.

On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of Vietnamese workers from the two countries were gathered at an entry point at the Cau Treo international border station in Ha Tinh Province, waiting to submit their medical declarations.

They wore face masks and stood in line, listening to Covid-19 prevention regulations announced by authorities as their luggage was placed in the middle of an empty lot for medical staff to spray disinfectant chemicals.

They had their body temperatures checked and then got on buses to a centralized isolation facility for the 14-day quarantine mandated by the Health Ministrys protocol.

While waiting for his turn to go through the medical declaration procedures, 56-year-old Tran Van Be from the central province of Nghe An called his relatives.

Be has been a construction worker in Laos for seven years. Before Covid-19 times, he used to return home three times a year to visit his wife and children.

Since early last year, when the pandemic broke out and spread quickly, Be was stuck in Laos, and this was the first opportunity he was taking to reunite with his family.

Be said that in previous years, he would work extra hard at this time to augment his earnings, but of late, the income of part-time workers in Laos has been unstable because of the pandemics impacts.

"So I decided to return home to celebrate Tet early."

Tet, which falls mid-February this year, is the biggest and most important festival in Vietnam for which millions of migrant workers from different parts of the world return to their homes.

Before returning home, the workers had registered with the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos, directly or online. After three or four days, they received notification of the re-entry schedule, Be said.

A medical staff disinfects luggage of Vietnamese workers in Ha Tinh Province, January 17, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung.

Having undergone seven days at a centralized quarantine facility of the Cau Treo border gate along with 300 others, Phan Thanh Nha, 25, a native of Ha Tinh, said the first test of his samples had returned negative for the novel coronavirus.

Nha said he was waiting for the second test on the last day of the quarantine so that he could return home to reunite with his family.

A week after returning to Vietnam, Nhan said he felt comfortable, but he was very eager to meet his parents, because he had only been able to chat with them via social networks for the last seven months.

Nhan has worked in Laos for VND8 million ($346) a month and if he worked overtime towards the end of the year, this would go up to more than VND10 million.

"If I still stayed in Laos to continue working at this time, I might have to go home late after the 14-day quarantine and be unable to celebrate Tet with my family," he said. "Its time for family reunion and for helping my parents clean up the house to prepare for Tet."

"Returning to Vietnam from abroad at the beginning of lunar December is the most reasonable way. After completing the quarantine, people have about two weeks to prepare for Tet," he said.

Major Tran Van Song, head of the Cau Treo border gate station, said that since the beginning of January, more than 200 people have been entering the country every day, all undergoing medical examinations and being taken to centralized quarantine facilities.

His unit has set up eight key checkpoints at the border area and along two sides of Cau Treo border gate to prevent people trying to sneak through illegally via unmanned paths and trails to avoid being sent to quarantine camps," Song said.

Vietnam closed its borders in March last year and banned the entry of foreign nationals except those with diplomatic or official passports and high-skilled workers whod been permitted to come.

Border troops detained 31,460 people who tried to illegally enter the country last year as the government stepped up prevention efforts, including border closures, to combat Covid-19. These included 25,000 people entering from China and the rest from Laos and Cambodia.

With the pandemic situation worsening in many Southeast Asian countries while Vietnam has successfully contained outbreaks, many Vietnamese want to return home, officials have said.

The Ministry of National Defense has also ordered the military to bolster troop numbers along borders to prevent illegal entry, since a large number of Vietnamese working in neighboring countries like Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and China would seek to return home for Tet.

Vietnams success in containing the pandemic has been rooted its strict quarantining and tracking measures. Thus far, the nation has recorded just 1,537 infections and 35 deaths, and has not reported any community transmission for the last 44 days.

According to the International Organization for Migration, nearly 100,000 citizens have left Vietnam, which has a workforce of around 50 million, to live and work in more developed nations. Most of them go for labor-intensive and low-skilled jobs.
After Bollywood actress Radhika Apte's powerful portrayal of Noor Inayat Khan in her first international project A Call To Spy, Freida Pinto is all set to essay the same role for a limited series titled Spy Princess.

Twitter

Khan, the princess who spied for Britain during the World War II, was a descendent of Mysores Tipu Sultan. She is hailed as one of the bravest woman to have ever lived.

"She was a fierce and amazing woman, the most unlikely heroine of World War II. Sending women to the front line is controversial even now. Then it was unthinkable," Freida, who will also executive-produce the limited series based on Shrabani Basu's book, Spy Princess: The Life Of Noor Inayat Khan, said about Noor.



Also Read: All You Need To Know About Noor Inayat Khan, Spy Princess Who Was Executed By Nazis During WWII

Twitter

Khan was recently honoured with Blue Plaque in the UK in Aug 2020. With this, she became the first Indian woman to win the honour.

"Sending a Sufi mystic, who won't use a gun, daughter of a long-haired Indian Guru who preaches love and peace -- ridiculous! But Noor thrives, not in spite of her differences, but because of them. Her struggle to reconcile her values with the desire to find her own path and with her complex sense of duty, is something I am so excited to explore and to recreate," Freida added.



Twitter

Anand Tucker will helm the project and Olivia Hetreed will pen the screen adaptation based on the book. Basu is attached to the project as series consultant.



"Olivia has crafted Noor's story into something very powerful, thrilling and extremely relevant. Noor is unlike all the other female superheroes, warriors and badass women I see in film and TV, who train so hard and are so great with all the physical stuff, almost leaving us mere mortals to believe that courage means being good at everything".



"Noor has a quiet strength that she's not entirely aware of. Alone in Paris, she lives and loves more intensely in a few months than most of us do in a lifetime, helping establish the Secret Armies' of the Resistance who will rise up on D-Day, astonishing the men who said she should never have been sent to the front line".

Freida is also set to produce and star in The Henna Artist, which is based on Alka Joshi's bestselling debut novel.
Police have spoken to the sole survivor of a fatal house fire that claimed the lives of three young girls and their mother.

Hiroyuki Kikuchi, 50, watched in horror as his house burned down, killing his three daughters, aged 3, 5 and 8, and their mother Kaoru Okano on January 10.

He struggled to tell anyone his daughters were still in the house until firefighters arrived because he was too distraught, according to neighbours.

The father escaped the flames but suffered severe burns from his attempts to save his family.

He was taken to Alfred Hospital in a serious condition where he remains under police guard.

Hiroyuki Kikuchi (pictured) has been interviewed by police and remains in hospital with serious burns after attempting to save his family from the fire

Kaoru Okano lost her life alongside her three young daughters (pictured) in a horrific house fire in Melbourne's east in the early hours of Sunday morning

Detectives from the arson squad were finally able to interview Kikuchi on Friday.

'Police have interviewed a 50-year-old man following a fatal fire in Glen Waverley on 10 January,' a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

'At this time no one has been charged and the investigation remains ongoing.'

Emergency crews rushed to the townhouse on Tulloch Grove in Glen Waverley in Melbourne's eastern suburbs at about 1.40am on Sunday after the property's garage caught alight.

Kaoru Okano and her three girls had tried in vain to take cover from the blaze in the en suite bathroom as the suburban home became engulfed in smoke.

The young family had no chance of escaping the inferno (pictured, the rear of their home)

Kaoru Okano (pictured with one of her daughters) had tried to take cover from the blaze in the home's en suite bathroom as the property became engulfed in smoke

Victoria Police Detective Senior Sergeant Neville Major said that the mother and her children were found huddled together in the bathroom.

As arson squad detectives work to solve the mystery, witnesses have described the tragic scene as the house buckled from the heat and clouds of smoke billowed into the air.

Neighbour Hanish Poonia said the panicked father was black with soot as he attempted to douse the flames and did not tell bystanders his children were still in the home.

'He was in a panic and was trying to control the fire and because he was in a panic he was not able to communicate with us,' he told the Herald Sun on Monday.

'After the (fire) services got here, he started shouting 'my kids, my kids, they are upstairs'.

The development comes after neighbours told Daily Mail Australia Ms Okano had allegedly separated from Mr Kikuchi, 50, just weeks earlier and he had had been notably absent from the property for the past few weeks.

Mourners left flowers near the scene of the fatal house fire in Glen Waverley, Melbourne's southeast

A message left by a mourner near where the three girls died with their mother in the fatal house fire

It is not suggested that Mr Kikuchi was in any way involved in starting the house fire.

Police investigators are treating the blaze as suspicious and the home remained cordoned off as detectives combed through the scene on Sunday.

Neighbours have described seeing the family return home in the hours before the tragedy

According to neighbours, it took only minutes for the fire, which is believed to have started in the garage below the property, to turn into an inferno.

It took 35 firefighters several hours to bring the blaze under control, at which point they found the four bodies in the wreckage.

Authorities are working to determine the cause of the fire, but the arson squad has been drafted in to investigate.

Anyone with further information on the Glen Waverley blaze is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Bihar DGP SK Singhal has disclosed that contract killers were behind the murder of IndiGo station manager Rupesh Kumar Singh. Stating that the crime is "purely" a case of contract killing, DGP Singhal said, "This matter is very sensitive and complicated. The case is very difficult and the police are probing several angles.

"The DGP assured that arrests in connection with the case will be made soon and the perpetrators will be brought to justice. Details of the investigation cannot be shared now unless the police get their hands on concrete evidence, he added.

A resident of Patna's Punaichak area, Singh (42) was shot dead by unidentified bike-borne gunmen outside his home on Tuesday evening.

"I have complete faith that very soon, the facts will emerge before the country," the Bihar DGP told media outlets.

Four days have passed since the incident but the Patna police has made no arrests so far.

IndiGo offering condolences to their employer's family and loved ones said in a statement, "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones. We are in contact with his family and providing them with our full support while cooperating with the relevant authorities in the ongoing investigation,"

Singh was shot at least six times by gunmen right outside his apartment building around 7 pm on January 12.

The murder sparked a political war of words with leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD taking aim at CM Nitish Kumar over the deteriorating state of law and order in Patna.

Also read: IndiGo to operate daily Delhi-Leh flights from February 22

Also read: Most COVID-19 jabs administered in Uttar Pradesh on Day 1 of vaccination drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and I share the same birthday  Jan. 15.

Each year, I try to attend an event or lecture to celebrate his legacy and my birth. In 2018, before Marianne Williamson launched her bid as a presidential candidate, I visited Unity of Houston to hear the New York Times best-selling author, spiritual guru and Houston native on her Love America tour.

She asked the handful of Black people in attendance to stand, then led the majority white audience in an apology for slavery, racism and all that comes with it. It was powerful.

Williamson and I have spoken a few times since then, and she offered comforting words when I received an onslaught of racist and threatening emails for my article. We talked again this week. So much has happened in our nation during these two years.

Sometimes in history, as in an individuals life, you take two steps forward and one step back, Williamson said. Sometimes you even take one step forward and two steps back. History does not move in a straight line. I have lived enough of this period in history to know the levels on which things are better.

But some of the changes for the better did not pave the way for the social and cultural transformation we had all hoped for, she said. Even remedies, such as the abolition of slavery, voting rights, desegregation and affirmative action, cannot eradicate racism.

Once again, were confronted with Dr. Kings message that in order to establish the beloved community, we need qualitative shifts in our souls, as well as quantitative shifts in our circumstances, said Williamson, who talks about Kings philosophies with his daughter, Bernice, on The Marianne Williamson Podcast. If all we do is treat symptoms, until you root out the cause, which is always spiritual, moral and attitudinal, its always a malfeasance in the heart that proceeds the malfeasance in the world.

Until the violent attack at the Capitol this month, I held hope that the nations racial divide would heal in my lifetime. Even with the police killing of George Floyd, and the nearly 8,000 Black Lives Matter demonstrations nationwide that followed. Well, it doesnt look so good.

Some of the protests following Floyds death included vandalism, arson and looting, but more than 90 percent of those demonstrations were peaceful, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. BLM activists repeatedly disavowed the rioters. And in every city, BLM marches were met with intense police presence, if not military force.

As we commemorate MLK Day, I, like many others, have to dig deep to find a sliver of hope that Kings promised land of racial harmony and peace will become reality.

I can see the hopelessness in our young people, said Cherry Steinwender, executive director of the Center for Healing Racism in Houston. They are watching the same news Im watching, but I truly believe we are not doomed. It will take a lot of education. Dr. King said freedom is never voluntary. We are still in a space where we have to demand freedom and equality.

Early in my career, well-meaning people told me that racism inevitably would be eliminated as racists grew old and died off. That thinking failed to take into consideration the fact that racists teach their children racism. So the hate is passed onto the next generation  and the next.

Childhood lessons taught at the dinner table are hard to undo and often unconsciously seep into adulthood. They form the lens in which the world is viewed, so that people who are different are considered less than or, worse, the enemy.

Then theres that privilege thing that is so ingrained that the privileged cant even see it.

How ridiculous is it that we havent learned from history? said Celeste Hernandez, 23, a Houston native who recently relocated to Colorado to work as a pharmacy technician distributing the COVID-19 vaccine. Rather than growing from our racist past, we are running from it in such an alarming way. Weve made racial injustice a partisan issue. Its a human issue. There is a lot of hopelessness. I dont see any healing.

The reverends daughter, Bernice King, who is CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta , said people outraged by the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol should not feed the rhetoric of the extremists with more hate.

We have to bring them up to a higher place, she said in an interview with the Associated Press. So the way in which we speak to them, in truth, has to be in the right way. You know, we cant attack their personhood, but we can attack their actions.

Where do we go from here?

Im part of Generation X, the latchkey children who grew up determined to make our way and be seen. Racism was a reality, but we believed hard work would triumph over such adversity. Then came millennials, who were initially hailed as the ones who would bridge the racial divide, make gender fluid and not see color.

But here we are. No generation bears the full blame, but we all have a responsibility to do better.

Where do we go from here? Steinwender suggests we all take time to reflect. Take a nap, even.

We are all drained from the pandemic, from George Floyds murder, from the politics, from everything, she said. We need to pause and recover our energy so we can focus on getting back into the ring to deal with the injustices and keep going.

In his final book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (Beacon Press, 1967), King, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, poured out his thoughts on race relations. He had rented a secluded house in Jamaica to write the book.

Kings words are prophetic, said Dr. Jonathan Chism, assistant professor of history and civil rights scholar at University of Houston-Downtown.

In this book, Dr. King recognized the flaws in America and warned that we were on a path to chaos, Chism said. Now, its starting to hit home that we have not overcome. The struggle King fought for continues. The inequities have been normalized, and we have to pick up the mantle and deal with institutional racism. What weve witnessed with the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many more is a testament to the work that needs to be done.

The MLK holiday  and Kings vision of a peaceful world  is often misunderstood.

Many people celebrate the MLK holiday by whitewashing it, Chism said. Kings dream has never materialized. We continue to deal with the issues that he fought for. King called on Americans to stand up. We have a responsibility to not support oppressive systems. It is our moral duty. My hope is that we can be reminded of Kings principles to live and work together.

I know that doing nothing  sitting back and not speaking up  makes everything worse. Williamson agrees; being passive isnt the solution.

The last thing we can afford is a lets wait and see attitude. We cannot afford to sit back, she said. This will be up to you and me.  One of the most chilling comments made by Hitler toward the end of the war: The only way they could have stopped us was if they had come out early, swift and hard. We already missed the early and the swift part  we have to come at it now and hard.

joy.sewing@chron.com

twitter.com/joysewing
A small army of police and National Guard began taking up positions, alongside portable fences, police dogs and spotlights, in normally placid downtown Sacramento as the state capital girded itself for possible disruptions and worse, in the days leading up to the presidential inauguration.

Workers in yellow vests dragged sections of new chain-link fencing into place around the 147-year-old stately State Capitol building, joining a ring of police barricades. Nearby, other workers fastened plywood over storefront windows and doors.

The battening down mirrored preparations in state capitals across the country as authorities vowed to make ready following the riot that shut down the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert warned of growing intelligence that more attacks could take place. She did not specify what it was, but her concern echoed notice by the FBI that unspecified demonstrations were expected in capital cities nationwide. The agency has reported tracking calls for armed gatherings.

Peaceful protests are a cherished First Amendment right, Schubert said. Violence is not.

Schubert, in a statement, said prosecution to the fullest extent of the law would befall anyone who tried to bring any of the following into a public building: firearms, deadly weapon, taser, stun gun, unlawful knife or unauthorized tear gas.

This includes bear spray, she said.

Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

Getting any of those items into the Capitol would seem nearly impossible following the calling up of 1,000 National Guard troops to join police officers, sheriffs deputies and Highway Patrol officers. The California National Guard said in a statement it would also be sending its troops to Washington to support law enforcement on Inauguration Day.

Schubert called the Capitol takeover in Washington a despicable ... assault on our democracy and vowed to come down hard on anyone who tried doing the same thing in Sacramento.

The Sacramento Police Department vowed to have a large presence of officers ... around the Capitol in coming days.

We will not be disclosing any specifics regarding plans, tactics or intelligence gathered, the department said in a statement.

In recent months, the Capitol museum and its tour desk have been closed to visitors because of the pandemic. On Friday, the state Senate closed its public gallery after two women opposed to vaccination hollered threats at lawmakers. State Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, said there was a distinct difference between making an argument and threatening violence.

With many local businesses shuttered because of the pandemic, it was not easy to discern which planks of plywood were in place due to election demonstrations and which were due to the economic downturn.

A permit for a Sunday protest at the Capitol to peacefully protest our compromised election was denied by the California Highway Patrol, which manages the Capitol grounds. The Highway Patrol, in a statement, said the planned protest was too large due to the potential for civil unrest. Still, the agency prepared for demonstrators to turn up.

Highway Patrol Commissioner Amanda Ray said the department will go on tactical alert ... for an indefinite period in advance of the inauguration.

This allows for the maximization of resources, the commissioner said. The CHP will continue to monitor the situation.

The Highway Patrol said it could not specify its security precautions, because of the need for security.

In San Francisco, police said in a statement that the department will have additional officers on duty all day and will increase patrols of government buildings, commercial corridors and areas where groups traditionally meet to conduct protests.

There are no known planned events or protests in San Francisco on Inauguration Day, the statement said.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF
South Carolina surpassed 350,000 confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday.

The state has recorded over 50,000 new cases in less than two weeks. Sunday's report reflects data as of Friday. Reports have been on a two-day delay since the holidays.

Record numbers of new cases were recorded in the first two weeks of January. The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control resolved a systems issue Saturday that had kept data incomplete over the past week, and officials belatedly reported that on Jan. 8, the state set a daily record of 6,924 new COVID-19 cases, a substantial increase from previous records.

Less than half of South Carolina's vaccine stock has been used so far, according to DHEC. Out of 313,000 total doses received by the state, 154,995 had been administered as of Saturday morning.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 4,584, which is 2,801 percent higher than the 158 tallied on March 31, the day Gov. Henry McMaster ordered nonessential businesses to close.

Total cases in S.C.: 351,887, plus 36,297 probable cases

New deaths reported: 76

Total deaths in S.C.: 5,654 confirmed, 583 probable

Total tests in S.C.: 4,333,455

Hospitalized patients: 2,375

Percent of positive tests, seven-day average: 26.5 percent. Five percent of tests or fewer returning positive results is a good sign the virus' spread is slowing, researchers say.

Hardest-hit areas

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According to data from DHEC, the top counties for new coronavirus cases reported Sunday were Greenville, 540; Richland, 314; and Anderson, 304.

What about tri-county?

Charleston County reported 234 new cases, Berkeley had 105 and Dorchester logged 102.

Five Charleston County residents and one Dorchester County resident have died after contracting the virus in the past few weeks, DHEC said Sunday.

Deaths

Of the 76 coronavirus deaths that DHEC confirmed Sunday, 17 were middle-aged patients aged 35 to 64, and the rest were at least 65 years old.

They lived in Aiken, Anderson, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Cherokee, Colleton, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Oconee, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter and York counties.

Hospitalizations

Of the 2,375 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Sunday, 495 were in intensive care and 316 were on ventilators.

Around 81 percent of the state's reported intensive care beds are occupied.

What do experts say?

Authorities continue to urge South Carolinians to take precautions such as wearing masks or other face coverings, social distancing and frequently washing hands.

They also urge anyone who believes theyve been exposed to the virus or who is developing symptoms to get tested. Those out in the community or not able to socially distance should get tested monthly, DHEC advised.

Go to scdhec.gov/findatest to find a testing site in your area.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has called for clarity over the continuation of work placements for Fourth Year students.

It was announced on Saturday that First and Third Year students would have their work placements cancelled for at least two weeks. According to INMO, The Department has stated that these students will not be offered temporary healthcare assistant contracts over this period, as they were earlier in the pandemic.

Also read: Retail worker assaulted after 'advising woman of failure to wear face covering'

Final year students are to remain in their placements, with their rostered hours valued as half those of an equivalent nurse or midwife.

INMO has sought clarity and requested that their pay is increased to the healthcare assistant grade, as it was in March. The union says that this would better reflect the workload and risk those final-year interns face.

Also read: Dr Tony Holohan urges Longford people to stay at home amid 'gravely concerning' Covid surge across Ireland

INMO General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said: This is last-minute decision and further clarity is needed. Students have been put in incredibly risky situations with no pay and weakened protections.

Those interns who are being asked to continue working need to be valued properly. Earlier in the pandemic, their pay was increased to take account of the risks and workload they faced. The Minister should do the right thing and reinstate that policy.

Also read: Student nurse placements suspended days before motion on their pay to be tabled in Dail
One of Abraham Lincolns last acts as president was authorizing creation of the Freedmens Bureau, a government agency designed to assist nearly four million formerly enslaved people and many more rendered destitute in the South by the destructive arc of the Civil War.

Scholar and writer W.E.B. Du Bois called the bureau, created March 3, 1865, the most extraordinary and far-reaching institution of social uplift that America has ever attempted.

Indeed, nothing approached the scope and development ambition of the bureau until Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Great Depression.

Now, as part of its commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, the African American Museum in Philadelphia is putting the bureaus enormous and invaluable documentary archival cache, much of which remains unseen and undigitized, at the heart of its effort to engage people in public service.

The museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is holding what it is calling a Transcribe-A-Thon that began Saturday and will continue Sunday and Monday mornings. Volunteers will transcribe the Freedmens Bureau Records held by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, helping to make them searchable, digitized resources accessible to all.

The effort is part of an enormous project the Smithsonian and the National Archives undertook several years ago to render a critical part of the nations history visible. Not only are the documents voluminous, but they cut to the heart of the nations identity and the obfuscation of Black history through earlier and ongoing neglect.

Underfunded and understaffed (the Freedmens Bureau didnt even have its own separate budget when it launched), the bureau nevertheless built colleges and schools, provided food and medical care, served as arbitrator in labor negotiations and disputes, presided over the legalization of marriages, located missing family members, helped Black vets, and even set up a court system in war-ravaged Southern regions.

In other words, the Freedmens Bureau records touch on virtually every aspect of the family histories of millions and illuminate the most neglected and ignored parts of the nations story.

I think a lot of folks dont know what the Freedmens Bureau was, said Ivan Henderson, AAMPs executive vice president of programs. The transcription project works to fill in the gap.

Theres the obvious value of continuing to not only learn about history but, as were understanding, to tell the truth about it and to paint as complete a picture as possible, he said.

Hannah Wallace, AAMPs manager of educational programming, came up with the idea, no easy task given that all the museums MLK Day activities this year, including the public service aspect, are virtual. (Citizens Bank provided $30,000 to subsidize the events, all of which are free.)

Wallace discovered the Smithsonians long-running transcription project.

We will be using the primary documents from the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which they have on their website, Wallace said. Reconstruction is the time of Kings grandparents, she thought, and the Freedmens Bureau transcription effort would be a way to help bring that world into the light.

What were they doing to secure a world that Dr. King, then, would push forward in his own lifetime? she said. I was just tying history directly into it and making sure that we see the full view.

Connections and parallels

Creating an environment where it becomes possible to see historical connections and parallels is a major goal of the museums MLK Weekend projects. For instance, each day begins with a dramatic reading of an iconic speech by King, performed by Theatre in the X.

In light of recent events, what were thinking about is this dichotomy of justice, you know, that were facing, and whose justice are we fighting for, whose nation are we fighting for? Because its all caught in the same timeline, it doesnt feel as though its that far away, Wallace said.

A conversation with Philadelphia poet laureate Trapeta Mayson and writer Jonathan Escoffery, moderated by writer Leesa Fenderson, is one of Sundays highlights.

And on Monday, at 3:30 p.m., Nicole Fleetwood, writer, curator, and professor of American studies and art history at Rutgers University, will discuss the centrality of African American visual artists and collectives to Black freedom struggles throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Her presentation will be followed by a dialogue with select artists from the museums Rendering Justice exhibition.

I think one of the things that we do at the museum and Im hoping to accomplish through this program is allowing our audiences to have the right, the privilege, the autonomy to kind of humanize each other, said James Claiborne, AAMP manager of public programming. I think that there is power in stopping and acknowledging the human story.

For a complete schedule of MLK Weekend programs, including film screenings, talks, and conversations, visit the museums website, aampmuseum.org.
'I think we can agree that America is so yesterday It's the century of the brown man and the yellow man."

So says Balram (Adarsh Gourav), the anti-hero of this Eastern morality fable and, given the recent images from Capitol Hill, it is hard to argue with him.

But even had the West not been on a collision course with idiocracy, as it has the last while, The White Tiger (based on Aravind Adiga's 2008 Man Booker winner) would still sing subversively off the screen about a long overdue tilt in the global axis of power. And within that axis itself, there lies tangles of class exclusion, post-colonial fallout, and the very worst degradations of market libertarianism. Adiga's novel managed to do what all great tales do - explain the broad brushstrokes through a macro lens.

Balram is of a rural lower caste. A promising pupil, he is removed from school as a boy and forced to work to pay off a family debt to the Stork (Mahesh Manjrekar), a local coal magnate who scalps a tax from the impoverished community. When an opportunity arises to chauffeur the Stork's glamorous son Ashok (Rajkummar Rao) and Ashok's wife Pinky (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), Balram, intent on finding a master to serve as his caste decrees, puts sharp elbows and cunning to use.

The couple are on a visit from New York and bring with them progressive and enlightened perspectives about servitude and workers' rights that are alien to Balram. Only it quickly becomes apparent that for all their talk, Ashok and Pinky will never be on his level due to their inherent privilege. When the three are involved in a tragic accident one night in Delhi, it is Balram who is coerced by the Stork's family to take the fall.

True colours are shown to Balram of not only the glib, Americanised young Indian couple who have thrown him under the bus, but also the wider India and how the caste system is no more complicated than "those with big bellies and those with small ones".

He has been bred for appalling treatment by his paymasters, and society tells him that this is his lot. From behind the wheel, he overhears conversations of a state with ideals that amount to little more than foreign investment for its cheap labour and an endemic culture of corruption and bribery to facilitate that (Adiga began life as a financial journalist).

Iranian-American writer-director Ramin Bahrani adapts Adiga's novel, keeping Balram's epistolary narrative (a letter to a Chinese premiere ahead of his visit to India) but adding in some cinematic devices, not all of which were necessary, you feel, given the power of the story. India's chaos, dysfunction, wealth chasm, and the scale of it all, are strikingly captured, but so too are the hazy beauty and cultural richness. While deeply critical, it is criticism from within.

Rao and Chopra Jonas orbit Gourav closely and vividly, but it is Gourav, a relative newcomer to the world of feature films, who is the big talking point. In Balram, he is tasked with a character wrestling with resentment and conflict underneath his beaming, gushing servility. The grin he carries is cracked and slightly desolate. It is a career-defining performance for the young actor.

The great satirical clout of The White Tiger, the thing that you find yourself dwelling on the most, is the duality of Balram's own moral code itself and what it speaks to about his society.

When he decides that he has had enough, it is merely the release of a valve, not some great moral stand. He is not interested in fixing the world, only his world. He won't end up like the rest of his caste, willingly awaiting their fate like the roosters he sees in the market.

He remarks, matter-of-factly, that modern India is both darkness and light, deceit and sincerity, crooked and straight, all operating concurrently. It is a disillusionment we are perhaps not used to seeing in our part of the world in cinema from the subcontinent.

Balram's eventual epiphany is an acid-laced thing when it comes along in the third act. By the time the finale has played out, it makes you uneasy and questioning many assumptions about the character and the world in which he exists, just as all good satire should. And even in that reaction, as a Western viewer watching this tale play out from a place mercifully sheltered from such hard decisions, there is a sting to this story that you don't see coming. Not quite as darkly delectable as, say, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite, but similarly disquieting.

The White Tiger



Cert 15A, Netflix

MLK/FBI

Now on ifi@home



Expand Close Dr Martin Luther King Jr acknowledges the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial for his I Have a Dream speech (AP) / Facebook

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The storming of Capitol Hill felt like it was almost inevitable given the brewing divisions in American society. And, although Samuel D Pollard's documentary focuses on the FBI's obsession with civil rights leader Martin Luther King (MLK) in the 1960s, it feels enormously relevant to these recent events.

Using archive footage, interviews and recordings, the documentary outlines FBI boss J Edgar Hoover's growing obsession with, and fear of, MLK. Hoover was not alone, the fear of civil rights ran very deep and the FBI milked it, trying hard to paint King and the entire civil rights movement as a threat to civilisation.

As the personification of that threat, King became a target. The FBI wire-tapped him and after first painting him as a communist, they moved on to say he was a moral degenerate, both of which fed into deep long-held terrors about reds under the bed and black male sexuality. King's objection to the Vietnam war pushed yet another button for those who were scared of equality (how dare he get involved in politics), turned US President Lyndon B Johnson definitively against him and created a schism within the Civil Rights movement. It is hard not to believe that MLK's murder shortly afterwards, in 1968, became inevitable, in the same way that the storming of Capitol Hill did.

Daniel

Usual digital platforms from tomorrow



Kidnap for ransom has long been a risk for aid workers and journalists in conflict zones. The kidnap might make the news once or twice, but for the victims and their families, it is a long, awful and terrifying time.

Daniel Rye was a Danish photographer who was captured by IS in Syria in 2013 and held for 398 days. This fictionalisation of his story looks at the reality for both the prisoner and the family left at home. Daniel (Esben Smed Jensen) is on a mission to photograph real life in war-torn Syria when he is kidnapped and held by particularly zealous and cruel British IS captors. After a gruelling period of solo captivity, Daniel is moved to join other hostages, including American photo journalist James Foley (Toby Kebbell).

Writer Puk Damsgard looks at how the kidnapped men cope with their confinement and at the Rye family back in Denmark. The Danish government does not negotiate with kidnappers so the family must come up with the huge ransom money, as failure will surely mean Daniel's death.

A workmanlike telling of the tale, worthy but a bit turgid, that struggles to maintain suspense.

Away

Usual digital platforms from tomorrow



There are films that are hard to categorise and Latvian film maker Gints Zilbalodis's fantasy animation is a case in point. Animation, yes, fantasy, yes, but it is not for children. It is silent and allegorical, and while mightily impressive in many ways, it's a film that will appeal to specific tastes.

The average animation has an enormous crew but Zilbalodis made this movie alone at home. He even composed the music. It took him three-and-a-half years and he made some of it up as he went along. Sometimes the animation looks a bit simplistic but the muted palette overall makes it feel like a cross between the Iron Giant and The Red Turtle.

A man hangs from a parachute stuck in a tree. A huge faceless monster in the distance forces the man to flee into the first chapter, The Forbidden Oasis. There, as fortune would have it, he finds a bag of survival equipment and a motorbike. He also befriends a cute little bird and off they set through often beautiful forests and mountains, the monster always near. For Zilbalodis, it was an allegory for making his film, But each viewer will have their own interpretation.

Aine O'Connor

Kolkata, Jan 17 : Top leaders of the CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Congress conducted a meeting here on Sunday to discuss the seat-sharing and other election-related strategies, leaders of both the parties said, adding that their candidates would be finalised by the end of this month.

However, both the Congress and Left leaders said that they would hold more such meetings this month to finalise the candidates' list for the upcoming Assembly elections, expected to be held in April-May.

Both the party leaders would meet again on January 25 and 28 to settle the seat-sharing issue and other poll-related preparedness.

In 2016 West Bengal Assembly polls, the two parties had forged an alliance and won 76 seats in the 294-member Assembly.

Post meeting, Left Front Chairman and CPI-M politburo member Biman Bose said that their discussion with the Congress was cordial and fruitful.

"To defeat the communal force BJP and the fascist TMC (Trinamool Congress), the Congress-Left parties' alliance is must. The alliance would definitely thrash the binary rule in Bengal," the veteran Left leader told the media.

Bose said that leaders and workers of Left parties and Congress should fight against the BJP and the TMC with shoulder to shoulder.

Party sources said that the Congress wanted to contest in 130 seats but the Left leaders did not concede the demand.

Bengal Congress chief and the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Chowdhury said that the seat sharing with the Left parties would not be completed in a single meeting, however, the seat sharing process would be concluded within this month.

CPI-M state secretary Suryakanta Mishra, Congress leaders Abdul Mannan and Pradip Bhattacharjee were present at the meeting.The Left and Congress parties are likely to hold a mega joint rally in Kolkata soon to kick start their election campaign.

The all important elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly are likely to be held in April-May along with Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.In the 2016 West Bengal polls, Trinamool had retained its majority and won 211 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party won three seats.

However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Left and Congress had fought separately with the Congress won two seats, the Left Front dominated by the CPI-M, which ruled Bengal for 34 years (1977-2011), drew a blank.
Getting online car insurance quotes will help drivers find the best coverage for his needs and budget said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

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Quotes will help the driver understand how much his car is worth and how is he labeled. Online submit forms will help drivers understand if the car they have is still valuable or not. Car insurance companies take cars depreciation into consideration when issuing premiums. Other factors like credit score or past traffic violation will also influence the premiums and drivers classification. Usually, this info is required by quote submit forms. Drivers can be labeled as Preferred, Standard or High Risk.

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Theres no question that disinformation  outright lies or the misrepresentation of facts  is a worsening plague on our democracy.

It is not limited to any party, ideology or sector  nor do its purveyors respect any boundaries of basic decency and fairness.

Because of this, mounting pressure from concerned citizens and government officials to rid the internet of the worst offenses, and offenders, has led Twitter, Facebook and other social media companies to take strong action.

Often, these severe steps are welcome, as was the case with Alex Jones, the Austin-based creator of InfoWars.com whose loathsome videos were banned by Twitter and YouTube in 2018. A menace for decades, Jones reach wasnt curtailed until he engaged in a prolonged harassment campaign against the grieving parents of children who were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary. Jones branded one of the worst mass killings in American history a hoax and their parents liars, causing some to receive death threats.

Its hard to fathom a more deserving recipient of the social media death sentence than Jones.

Yet, the recent response to President Donald Trumps ban from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube was a cacophonous mix of cheers and outrage, even though the move came only after the presidents relentless posting of false claims about voter fraud spurred thousands to storm the U.S. Capitol in a deadly clash that rattled the underpinnings of American democracy.

The logic of banning Trump amid escalating threats of violence is clear. But so is the reason for concern. America is a country where censorship is viewed as an Orwellian harbinger of tyranny, a country where the commitment to free expression is so strong that words of hate enjoy the same protection as words of prayer.

The companies decision to silence Trump is a simple exercise of their rights, under the First Amendment and Section 230, to curate their sites. We support those rights, the Electronic Frontier Foundation said in a statement last week.

So do we. We also agree with the EFFs concerns that the giant internet companies have accumulated so much power over public discourse that any actions to silence users ought to be taken with extraordinary care.

Just because its private censorship doesnt mean its not censorship, EFF legal director Corynne McSherry told the editorial board.

Texas flag-burning

Few statements from the legal history of free speech have been more expressive than the opinion issued in 1989, authored by U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan.

As Republicans gathered in Dallas for the 1984 national convention, Gregory Lee Johnson set fire to an American flag in front of city hall as protesters chanted America, red, white and blue. We spit on you.

Onlookers were rightly appalled and Johnson was arrested. Five years later, writing for the majority, Brennan explained why Texas could not prosecute Johnson without betraying the Constitution: If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, he wrote, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.

Of course, the First Amendment doesnt actually apply to decisions made by Facebook and other firms. As private companies they are not subject to its constitutional guarantees. The Bill of Rights guarantees individual rights only against government infringement.

Its also true that ideas that led the framers to adopt the First Amendment were bigger than just concern about government overreach. It was to safeguard individual rights from the whims of the majority, who in our democracy would have the power to write the laws and by association, control the exchange of ideas. In the next century, the English philosopher John Stuart Mill would argue for near-total freedom of expression, warning that only a society free from the tyranny of the majority is truly free.

Must balance harm

The commitment to that principle is tested daily on the internet, where lies and hate proliferate. We understand why companies are eager to rein in that speech.

But as they do, they must balance the harm that the speech poses with the harm  real and perceived  of censoring it. The companies must appreciate the value of freedom of expression in our society and also the unique, and unfortunately out-sized, role they play in facilitating it.

And thats the biggest concern here. The president getting ousted from a platform might not be such a concern if there were more platforms. But the enormous swaths of public discourse controlled by Facebook and other companies amount to monopolies that can stifle the exchange of ideas.

For good reason, their decisions prompt scrutiny and suspicion from users about their motivations, their biases, their allegiances. Such concerns have led authorities in Europe and the U.S. to take steps toward breaking Big Tech, including Google and Facebook.

We support more competition among social media companies, which we will generously assume was the original appeal of the start-up app Parler.

As Twitter began cracking down on false claims made by Trump, attaching warnings to many of his tweets, conservative users rebelled and flocked to Parler, which promised fewer rules about hate speech and less strict oversight of the truth of claims made in posts.

Quickly, the fledgling social network became a haven for far-right extremist views and conspiracy theories, and it was among the sites used to plan the deadly riot at the Capitol. Street directions to avoid police were exchanged in comments, the New York Times reported, and people posted about carrying guns into the halls of Congress.

Within days, Google and Apple had banished Parler from their app stores. Amazons web-hosting service suspended the company indefinitely and took the entire network, not just its offending users, off line. That prompted fresh cries from conservatives about bias and civil liberties violations.

Parler has sued, alleging political animus.

That companies providing the infrastructure for the internet are now more actively moderating content raises alarms. Its clear that Parlers administrators were too lax in enforcing rules but such shutdowns should be the last resort. Big tech companies need to be transparent about rules and consequences and enforce them fairly.

Ideally, users themselves should be the first line of defense in moderating content  offensive comments can be ignored, blocked or voted down. Failing that, platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are best positioned to moderate since theyre the closest to the users, who have already agreed to terms of service.

The idea of the internet was an audacious one. Users would be granted a spot and invited to hang out their shingle  and to bear the responsibility for how they used it. The ISPs and other firms that provide access would be seen as conduits, not publishers, and except in limited cases not be liable for the content users create.

The model still has merit. And as Congress, the FTC, and state attorneys general consider reforms, they should look for ways to boost competition, make algorithms and privacy trade-offs more visible to all, and, when users are punished, to provide due process to those who wish to appeal.

No doubt, the insurrection at the Capitol prompted a national security crisis thats still ongoing. A company should be given leeway for taking emergency action in response to explosive speech promoting violence. But as more of us rely on private companies to share our thoughts publicly, respect for the old principles of freedom of expression is needed more than ever.
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The much-anticipated sequel of the Disney film "Enchanted" will soon be in the works, with characters of both Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams slated to return. The reports were confirmed by the "Grey's Anatomy" actor on "Good Morning America" on Thursday.

Dempsey also revealed that the sequel, titled "Disenchanted," will be set a decade following the initial film.

'Disenchanted'

Dempsey divulged some updates about the long-overdue sequel, including when they will begin filming.

According to Dempsey, "I just got this script for the second movie, and then I'm starting to go through and get notes together. There's talk that we'll start shooting that in the spring," reported Newslanes.

Dempsey added, "There's talk that we'll start shooting that in the spring, which is exciting." He also lauded Amy Adams' acting, reported Pakistan Post.

"Disenchanted" will premiere on Disney+.

Disney revealed its plans for "Disenchanted" in December 2020 during a call with investors.

Director Adam Shankman told the investors on the call that the second film is about the lead character Giselle 10 years later, asking, "What is happily ever after?"

The 55-year-old lauded co-actor Amy Adams, who played his romantic interest, fairytale princess Giselle, in the first film.

Dempsey remarked: "Amy Adams is so amazing in that film. It was a fun project to be a part of," reported Female First.

The original film blended live-action with animation. It featured the enchanting original music we have all come to expect from Disney films.

Dempsey starred opposite Amy Adams in the 2007 musical romantic comedy as attorney Robert Philip.

Also Read: 'Grey's Anatomy' Features the Return of Patrick Dempsey in Season 17 Premiere

Adams played Giselle, a princess who was banished to New York City by an evil queen (played by Susan Sarandon) prior to her wedding to Prince Edward (played by James Marsden).

One may be thinking that a sequel cannot do justice to the original film without Amy Adams' captivating, sing-songy presence and Patrick Dempsey's flummoxed charm. Now, a whopping 14 years after the 2007 first movie release, the sequel has been confirmed.

Disney confirmed the news a few weeks ago that Adams would come back for "more fantastical fun," Dempsey's confirmation also made it official.

A spring shoot date may feel quite optimistic at the time, taking into account COVID-19 cases and daily fatalities being at an all-time high, the fact that the sequel is basically slated to begin production ASAP is likely welcome news for fans of the 2007 film.

The original "Enchanted" film transported stereotypical Disney Princess Giselle from her animated storybook world and into the bustling New York City, where she meets disillusioned divorce lawyer Robert and his daughter organ (played by Rachel Covey).

"Happy ever after" is certainly a question we have all asked ourselves at one point, especially during the tumultuous year brought upon by the advent of COVID-19.

We cannot wait for Giselle and Robert to provide us with answers.

Related Article: 'Enchanted 2': Amy Adams Returning to 'Enchanted' Sequel Titled 'Disenchanted'

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THE HAGUE: Several thousand people held an unauthorised protest in Amsterdam on Sunday against a national lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, before being dispersed by riot police.

The protesters gathered on a square in front of the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum art galleries, carrying signs reading Freedom: stop this siege" and chanting What do we want? Freedom!".

None wore masks, which are not mandatory, and few respected social distancing rules.

Authorities had declined an application for the protest to be held on Museum Square. The demonstrators refused to leave when police told them to do so, and some threw fireworks.

Riot police then used water cannon to try to disperse the gathering.

The government closed schools and most shops in December to try to stem a surge in COVID-19 cases, and this week extended the lockdown by at least three more weeks.

In the early days of the pandemic, the Netherlands was generally more reluctant than most of its neighbours to impose social restrictions. But during the second, winter wave it has found its hand forced by the rapid spread of infections and growing pressure on its hospitals.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
A former bodybuilding champion who battered his fiancee to death on their wedding day because she decided to call off the marriage still refuses to accept responsibility for his crime.

Jilted groom Paul Stockman (63) was back in court last week for an indecency offence after completing his sentence for causing Patricia Bardon's death.

He launched a vicious attack on Patricia leaving her fatally wounded on the bathroom floor of their Belfast home in 2010.

Blood was pouring from the mum-of-two's head but Stockman left her to die rather than call an ambulance on the day they were to be married which was also Patricia's birthday.

The monster was jailed for six years in 2011 following a trial and initially claimed Patricia had sustained her injuries after falling off the toilet.

Expand Close Patricia Bardon's body was found at the south Belfast home she shared with the accused last Monday  which was also her 51st birthday / Facebook

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Whatsapp Patricia Bardon's body was found at the south Belfast home she shared with the accused last Monday  which was also her 51st birthday

Since being released Stockman has been living at supported accommodation in north Belfast and pleaded guilty to public indecency at Belfast Magistrates Court last week after being caught urinating on the Shore Road in October.

The former Mr Northern Ireland was ordered to pay 90 for the offence and when later approached by Sunday Life about the matter and asked if he wished apologise to the bereaved family of Patricia Bardon, he said, "No comment".

Expand Close Paul Stockman (53) arrive at Belfast Magistrates Court charged with the murder of fiancee Patricia Bardon / Facebook

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Whatsapp Paul Stockman (53) arrive at Belfast Magistrates Court charged with the murder of fiancee Patricia Bardon

He also told our man: "I didn't kill that woman, she died of manslaughter, she choked on her own blood. I'd prefer to leave this.

"This is totally weird, so what? What does that have to do with my situation right now and my general day-to-day life?

"I'd prefer if you would just disappear and leave me alone."

During his trial in 2011 Belfast Crown Court heard furious thug Stockman bashed helpless Patricia's head off the bathroom floor of their south Belfast apartment, leaving her with a broken neck and fatal head and facial injuries.

At the time of the attack on August 23, 2010, callous Stockman was on bail for a previous assault in which he beat Ms Bardon senseless. He had a history of violence against her. The day she was killed was also her 51st birthday.

The lovers, who were both alcoholics, lived in a ground floor flat in Elm Court in the Donegall Pass area of south Belfast.

During Stockman's trial a prosecution lawyer said the pair were due to be married later that day but Patricia got cold feet about the wedding.

She told Stockman that she did not want to go through with the wedding because of his woman-beating ways and he flew into a rage, grabbed his helpless fiancee and smashed her head off the hard bathroom floor.

As Patricia lay in a pool of blood Stockman picked her up and carried her into the bedroom but instead of calling an ambulance he left her to die on the bed.

Later that day neighbour Joan Clarke saw Stockman in an agitated state and the evil brute told her Patricia had fallen off the toilet and hit her head.

Ms Clarke phoned an ambulance but by then it was too late and the mum-of-two was dead.

When police arrived at the scene scheming Stockman continued to spin his web of lies, claiming Patricia had fell and injured her head before refusing medical treatment.

The bully claimed he wanted to phone an ambulance but she told him "no".

Detectives, who knew the strapping thug had a history of domestic violence and had been convicted of beating up Patricia on previous occasions, were not fooled by his lies.

The full extent of Stockman's wicked misogyny were laid bare during his trial. In May 2008 Patricia twice had to be taken to hospital after being beaten to a pulp by Stockman.

Prosecutors revealed the bodybuilder left Patricia with extensive bruising down her back after shoving her against a wall in November 2008.

Later the same year he battered her senseless on Christmas Day, an attack for which he was sentenced to 18 months probation.

In February 2009 he breached his probation order when he was convicted of aggravated assault on a male child and in June of the same year was found guilty of another assault.

Belfast Crown Court also heard police had investigated further domestic violence incidents for which Stockman had not been charged because terrified Patricia refused to make statements to police.

When the pair were living in Wales in 2007 cops were called to their home on two occasions after reports from concerned neighbours, Patricia being found with a huge black eye on the second visit.

Stockman initially denied killing Patricia but later entered a guilty plea to manslaughter during his 2011 trial.

What his victim did not know is that Stockman would have become a bigamist had she gone through with the nuptials at Belfast's City Hall in August 2010.

Once-hulking brute Stockman was still legally wed to then wife Karen Stockman at the time who like him is a former bodybuilding champion.

The once golden couple of the bodybuilding scene split up more than 20 years ago and east Belfast woman Karen later moved abroad.

Washington: Anthime Joseph Gionet, a far-right media personality nicknamed "Baked Alaska" who is known for livestreaming himself participating in illegal activity, has been arrested by the FBI and accused of illegally storming the Capitol during the attack on the building by President Donald Trump's supporters last week.

Gionet, who has been banned from Twitter and YouTube for his content, livestreamed himself in the mob on DLive, a streaming service becoming more popular after a mass exodus of right-wing figures from more mainstream platforms. He posted a video that showed supporters of Trump taking selfies with officers in the Capitol who calmly asked them to leave the premises. The video showed the Trump supporters talking among themselves, laughing, and telling the officers and each other: "This is only the beginning."

Far-right media personality Tim Gionet, who calls himself Baked Alaska, has been arrested by the FBI for his involvement in the riot at the US Capitol. Credit:AP

Gionet was arrested in Houston on Friday, according to the Justice Department's website, and charged with two federal crimes. In a court filing, Nicole Miller, an FBI agent, said Gionet had recorded a 27-minute video in which he appeared to chant, "Patriots are in control," and said, "We are in the Capitol building, 1776 will commence again."

Authorities on Saturday also arrested Lisa Marie Eisenhart, the mother of Eric Gavelek Munchel, the man pictured holding zip ties in the Capitol during the riot. Jack Jesse Griffith, another person arrested on Saturday, was identified through an Instagram video posted by someone else at the riot, according to documents. Both were arrested in Tennessee.
The demand for COVID-19 vaccines continues to outpace supply, forcing public health officials to decide who should be first in line for a shot, even among those in the same pool of eligible vaccine recipients.

To assist these efforts, researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Health have developed a tool that incorporates a person's age and socioeconomic status to prioritize vaccine distribution among people who otherwise share similar risks due to their jobs. The tool helps identify those who are at greater risk of severe complications or death from COVID-19.

UW Health has implemented the prioritization algorithm to equitably provide limited doses to frontline health care workers. Other organizations can also access the freely available tool to guide their own vaccine distribution plans.

While the UW-Madison tool was designed with the first phase of eligible recipients in mind, it could be used as vaccine distribution expands to larger populations. As the eligible population increases, the gap between initial supply and demand could grow, making such prioritization tools even more helpful.

Knowing we're going to have limited vaccine for some time, we wanted to develop an algorithm to equitably distribute vaccinations within these risk groups." Grace Flood, Director of Clinical Analytics, Office of Population Health, UW Health

Grace Flood helped lead development of the tool along with the Health Innovation Program within SMPH.

In addition to age, the algorithm uses the Social Vulnerability Index to measure a person's susceptibility to severe COVID-19 based on where they live. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the SVI metric to help emergency responders identify which neighborhoods and towns will require the most support following natural disasters or public health emergencies.

The SVI incorporates 15 measures in four categories: socioeconomic status, housing composition and disability, minority status and language, and housing and transportation. Race and ethnicity have been closely correlated with higher COVID-19-related hospitalizations and mortality.

Flood and her team incorporated the SVI in accordance with a report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine that recommended using the index to fairly distribute vaccines. Because Wisconsin publishes data about COVID-19 deaths at the census-tract level, "we were able to determine the relationship for risk of mortality between age and SVI," says Flood. This relationship allowed the researchers to verify that age and SVI combined provide an accurate estimate of an individual's risk.

Since age and SVI are readily available pieces of information about an individual and each contributes to COVID-19 risk, an algorithm that incorporates both elements may serve as one of the best ways to distribute vaccines until supply catches up to demand, says Flood.

The researchers have published their algorithm in the Annals of Family Medicine COVID-19 collection and made it available for download on the project's website.

if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...

This morning local party people are sleeping it off as their naughty, chatty, crowded, mask-less antics resonate throughout the metro.



To wit . . .



FROM WALDO TO WESTPORT KANSAS CITY BARS ENJOYED FEWER COVID LIMITS BY IGNORING PANDEMIC PRECAUTIONS!!!

Now . . .

LOCAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISTS NARC ON DRUNKEN PLEBS WHO REFUSE TO SHOW THE PLAGUE ITS PROPER RESPECT!!!



It gets worse . . .



YES, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS WATCHING AND WILL LIKELY RECOMMEND MORE SHUT DOWNS AND PENALTIES AGAINST KANSAS CITY PUBS!!!



Sure, there are bigger things to worry about . . .

For perspective, local progressives now have a very real fear of reprisal as tensions before the inauguration threaten to boil over . . .

Patch.com: As Nation Braces For Unrest, More Calls For 'Civil War' Emerge

The Atlantic: The Boogaloo Bois Prepare for Civil War

CNN: Heading 'into a buzzsaw' - Why extremism experts fear the Capitol attack is just the beginning

Nevertheless . . .



We know this cowtown just as well as anybody and Kansas City has always been far more concerned with the FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT TO DRINK IN PEACE over they myriad of lies that people tell to each other to try and gain political power.



You decide . . .


New Delhi:

Former Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Ashok Prasad may travel to Assam to probe the conduct of a CRPF inspector general (IG), who has lodged a complaint about an alleged fake encounter there.



Senior IPS officer Rajnish Rai had sent a report to the paramilitary force headquarters and others in April, alleging that two men had been killed in the alleged staged encounter in March in Assams Chirang district. The officer was then in charge of the Northeast sector of the paramilitary force.



Prasad, currently a technical advisor to the Union home ministry, will inquire whether the conduct of the officer was within the parameters of the rules as he has conducted a discreet inquiry on his own and whether or not he exceeded his jurisdiction by preparing the report.



My mandate is only to find out whether the conduct of the officer is as per rules. The state government has already ordered a magisterial inquiry into the allegation of the fake encounter, he told reporters in New Delhi.



Prasad, also a spokesperson of the home ministry, said, if required, he would travel to Assam and may question the officer and record his statement.



Rai, in his report, had alleged that the encounter carried by a joint squad of security forces in Assam in March was fake and it killed two persons in cold blood claiming they were NDFB rebels.



Rai, a 1992-batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, said he had conducted a discreet inquiry on his own chronicling how a team of the Assam Police, the Army, the CRPF, its jungle warfare unit CoBRA and the border guarding force Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) conducted the encounter on March 29-30 in Simlaguri area of Chirang district and killed what they called were two insurgents of the banned group NDFB (S).



Rai has subsequently been transferred to Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 13:50:12|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian Ministry of Health said Saturday the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the East African country rose to 130,772, after new 446 cases were reported.

The ministry said that the number of COVID-19 related deaths in the country reached 2,029 as of Saturday evening, including six new deaths reported during the last 24-hour period.

The ministry further said that some 116,045 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered so far, including 617 in the last 24-hour period.

It also said that some 12,696 of the total reported COVID-19 cases are active cases, of which 219 of the patients are said to be under severe conditions.

Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation with about 107 million people, has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the east African region.

Ethiopia is the fifth-most COVID-19 affected country in the African continent, after South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.

The Ethiopian government has recently called on the public to implement COVID-19 precautionary measures, so as to contain the spread of the virus.

Ethiopia has so far conducted 1,882,151 COVID-19 tests, including 6,111 during the past 24-hour period, according to the ministry. Enditem
COLUMBUS, OhioFears of political violence at the Ohio Statehouse on Sunday have not come to pass, as a small, eclectic group of people, some armed, milled around outside the building for a couple hours before dissipating on a cold, snowy afternoon.

The protest, one of dozens authorities prepared for to be held at state capitals around the nation, came three days before President Donald Trump is set to leave office despite his continued lie that President-elect Joe Biden won only because of election fraud.

Political tensions are high across the country following the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters on Jan. 6. Gov. Mike DeWine mobilized the Ohio National Guard to protect the Statehouse and other state buildings in downtown Columbus.

However, the Ohio Statehouse protest, which started at noon, appeared fairly disorganized. Demonstrators milled around the west side the building, some waving signs and flags, others holding assault rifles. A handful of pro-Biden demonstrators were nearby, as was a large man dancing while wearing headphones and a Dancing For Peace shirt.

A few dozen people here now, including the self-described Ohio Boogaloo. Lots of guns and bars. A heated argument going on between two people with bullhorns. pic.twitter.com/Ph5f2BRPuD  Karen Kasler (@karenkasler) January 17, 2021

A handful of people wore pro-Trump apparel. A group of demonstrators were heavily armed and dressed in the garb of the Boogaloo right-wing survivalist movement. A small group marched in formation into the crowd with flags waving, carrying openly displayed AR-style rifles. A few with assault weapons were dressed in military-style camouflage. A significant number of those in the crowd appeared to be members of the media.

Boogaloo Bois here in Columbus before noon protests. Heavily armed pic.twitter.com/7gfceDKF4o  Jake Zuckerman (@jake_zuckerman) January 17, 2021

By 1:30 p.m., many people had left, and a large portion of those remaining appeared to be Black Lives Matter or anti-Trump demonstrators. The crowd had largely dissipated by around 2 p.m.

The Ohio Statehouse itself was closed on Sunday in anticipation of the protest. The building was completely fenced off, and dozens of State Highway Patrol troopers and other law-enforcement officers made a show of force in front of the Statehouse and nearby statues. Members of the National Guard also helped encircle the building, and several military Humvees with mounted heavy machine guns were parked on the Statehouse grounds and nearby.

The governor is also sending 1,000 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. for Bidens inauguration next Wednesday.

Dancing for peace man has enlisted one of the armed protesters: @nbc4i pic.twitter.com/Csxn43cyYN  Adrienne Robbins (@ARobbinsTV) January 17, 2021

Pastor Bernard Assiamah, Assistant Pastor of the Harmony Chapel at Kwabenya in Accra, has advised Christians not to be complacent about the existence of Covid-19.



He said the recent increase in cases was due to the negligence of the public, Christians especially, who say that: "God will protect us."



Pastor Assiamah said there were very few people who wore their nose masks to church whiles some had theirs on their chin with others keeping theirs in their pockets.



He said the attitude of Christians towards preventing the spread of the Covid-19 was not encouraging and called for the need to up their game.



"Prevention is better than cure and so we should all endeavour to wear our nose masks and take our hand sanitisers along any time we are stepping out of our homes, the Pastor said.



Lets also keep our homes and surroundings clean because, as we all know, cleanliness is next to Godliness.



Pastor Assiamah led the congregation to pray for Gods protection over the pupils and students as they prepared to resume academic work to contribute their quota towards nation-building.

Source: GNA









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Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will resign her Senate seat Monday, stepping down four years after she was elected California's junior senator.

Aides said Harris has already begun the formal process, notifying California Governor and longtime ally Gavin Newsom of her intentions. Newsom has already said he will name California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to Harris's seat.

Harris is scheduled to be sworn in alongside President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday in an outdoor ceremony on the steps of the heavily armored Capitol Building. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first woman of color named to the nation's highest court, will swear in Harris, according to an aide.

Harris will make use of two Bibles in the ceremony - one belonging to her longtime hero, former Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, and the other belonging to Regina Shelton, a family friend who served as a second mother to Harris during her childhood.

Harris spent much of her time in the Senate opposing President Donald Trump's legislation and appointees.

While in the Senate, Harris made a name for herself interrogating Trump nominees like Jeff Sessions, Brett Kavanaugh and William Barr. She introduced a variety of bills to address racial inequities in the criminal justice system, health care and education, and advocated rent relief and tax credits for the middle class.

Harris is one of three Black senators. She is one of just two Black women to ever serve in the Senate, and many activists urged Newsom to choose a Black woman replace her.

But Newsom instead chose Padilla, who will become the first Latino senator from California, a state with a population that is roughly 40 percent Latino. The state's attorney general, Xavier Becerra, has also been nominated by Biden to direct the Department of Health and Human Services.

Padilla will be up for re-election in 2022 along with California's senior senator, 87-year-old Dianne Feinstein.
New Delhi: In recent news, the novel coronavirus was found on ice cream cartons produced in China's eastern region which prompted a recall of the product.

The city government in a statement informed that the Daqiaodao Food Co, Ltd in Tianjin, was sealed and the employees were being tested for COVID-19. There was no indication anyone had contracted the virus from the ice cream.

The ingredients for the ice cream included New Zealand milk powder and whey powder from Ukraine, the government said.

The entire batch of ice cream, nearly 29,000 cartons, was yet to be sold, the government said.

Around 390 cartons had been sold in Tianjin and they are being tracked down while authorities elsewhere have been notified about the sale of the ice cream in their areas.

Meanwhile, China on Sunday reported 109 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, two-thirds of them in a northern province that close to national capital Beijing, though no deaths have been reported.

On Saturday, The Health Commission blamed travelers and imported goods saying they brought the virus from abroad.

Currently, Chinas death toll stands is at 4,653 and total cases is 88,227.

The first case of the COVID-19 was detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019.

The Chinese government has suggested the disease came from abroad and has highlighted what it says are discoveries of the coronavirus on imported fish and other food. A theory which has been rejected by many foreign scientists.

WASHINGTON - The fiery rallies that preceded the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 were organized and promoted by an array of established conservative insiders and activists, documents and videos show.

The Republican Attorneys General Association was involved, as were the activist groups Turning Point Action and Tea Party Patriots. At least six current or former members of the Council for National Policy (CNP), an influential group that for decades has served as a hub for conservative and Christian activists, also played roles in promoting the rallies.

The two days of rallies were staged not by white nationalists and other extremists, but by well-funded nonprofit groups and individuals that figure prominently in the machinery of conservative activism in Washington.

In recent days, as federal authorities rounded up those involved in the Capitol riot, promoters and participants of the rallies have denounced the violence and sought to distance their events from the events that followed.

"I support the right of Americans to peacefully protest," wrote Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), "but the violence and destruction we are seeing at the U.S. Capitol is unacceptable and un-American."

Organizing warm-up events is not the same thing as plotting to invade the Capitol. But before the rallies, some used extreme rhetoric, including references to the American Revolution, and made false claims about the election to rouse supporters to challenge President-elect Joe Biden's victory

Unless Congress responds to the protests, "everyone can guess what me and 500,000 others will do to that building," tweeted Ali Alexander, a former CNP fellow who organized the "Stop the Steal" movement. "1776 is *always* an option."

On Jan. 5, at Freedom Plaza in D.C., Alexander led protesters in a chant of "Victory or death."

Alexander did not respond to a request for comment for this story. He previously told The Washington Post that he had "remained peaceful" during the riot and said his earlier speeches "mentioned peace" and were being misrepresented.

"Conflating our legally, peaceful permitted events with the breach of the US Capitol building is defamatory and false," he said in an email to The Post. "People are being misled and then those same people are fomenting violence against me and my team."

In the days and hours before the riots, Alexander and his allies attracted tens of thousands of protesters from around the country - a crowd that included white supremacists, Christian activists and even local police officers.

Events included a "Patriot Caravan" of buses to Washington, a "Save the Republic" rally on Jan. 5 and a "Freedom Rally" on the morning of Jan. 6. A little-known nonprofit called Women for America First, a group run by Trump supporters and former tea party activists, got approval to use space on the Ellipse for what they called a "March for Trump," according to the "public gathering permit" issued on Jan. 5.

Nearly a dozen political activists - including former White House, congressional and Trump campaign staffers - served as on-site rally coordinators and stage managers, the permit said. A spokesperson for Women for America First did not respond to requests for comment.

Scheduled speakers included Roger Stone, Rudy Giuliani and Simone Gold, founder of America's Frontline Doctors, a start-up group that condemned government shutdowns to contain the coronavirus. Gold was among the protesters who entered the Capitol, according to an FBI flier with her photo.

Gold told The Post she went into the Capitol but thought it was legal to do so.

"I do regret being there," she said.

On Jan. 5, the attorneys general group, which is based in Washington, used an affiliated nonprofit called the Rule of Law Defense Fund to pay for a robocall that urged supporters to march on the Capitol at 1 p.m. on Jan. 6 to "call on Congress to stop the steal." A recording of the robocall was first obtained by Documented, a left-leaning watchdog group.

"We are hoping patriots like you will join us to continue the fight," a recording of the call says.

On Monday, as criticism of the robocall mounted, RAGA Executive Director Adam Piper resigned. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Tea Party Patriots leader Jenny Beth Martin also condemned the violence and said in a statement to The Post that her group provided no financial support for the rally. "We are shocked, outraged, and saddened at the turn of events Wednesday afternoon," Martin's statement said. "We are heartbroken."

Martin, also an executive committee member at CNP, was listed in promotional material as a rally speaker, though she did not ultimately speak. The Tea Party Patriots were listed as a "coalition partner" with Alexander's Stop the Steal, RAGA and other groups.

"The rally was peaceful. You cannot blame what happened inside the Capitol on the promotion," said Jason Jones, a CNP member and rally participant, who said he was there to speak about oppressed people around the world. He called the violence "sorrowful and tragic" but said it represented "a failure of policing and preparation."

CNP Executive Director Bob McEwen said his group, a registered charity, does not get involved in political activity and had no role in the Jan. 6 events. He said CNP members and associates act independently. "What they do on their own time - I won't say I don't care - we have no interest or capacity to monitor," McEwen said.

Charlie Kirk, the leader of Turning Point USA, an organizer of conservative students, and Turning Point Action, its activist arm, also condemned the violence and called Jan. 6 "a really sad day for America," according to a spokesman.

Before the rally, Kirk - a featured speaker at CNP meetings over the past two years and at the Republican National Convention in August - offered to pay for buses and hotel rooms for protesters.

"This historic event will likely be one of the largest and most consequential in American history," he wrote in a tweet. "The team at @TrumpStudents & Turning Point Action are honored to help make this happen, sending 80+ buses full of patriots to DC to fight for this president."

That tweet has been deleted. A spokesman said that Kirk eventually sent a half-dozen buses and that the student protesters had nothing to do with the violence.

In a video posted in late December, Alexander claimed he worked with three lawmakers - Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.; Mo Brooks, R-Ala.; and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. - on an unspecified plan to disrupt election ratification deliberations at the Capitol.

"We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting," Alexander said in a since-deleted video on Periscope highlighted by the Project on Government Oversight, an investigative nonprofit.

In a statement, Biggs denied meeting Alexander. Gosar did not respond to requests for comment from The Post. Brooks's office said in a statement that he "has no recollection of ever communicating in any way with whoever Ali Alexander is."

Brooks, first elected to Congress a decade ago, has been among the most vocal of lawmakers in condemning the election. In a podcast interview last month with Sebastian Gorka, a former strategist in the Trump White House, Brooks said he was working to delay certification of the electoral college tally as part of "an organic movement."

"The question is really simple. Are you as an American citizen going to surrender in the face of unparalleled, massive voter fraud and election theft?" he said. "Or are you going to do what your ancestors did and fight for your country, your republic?"

The election results have been certified in all 50 states, and courts across the nation have rejected challenges brought by the president's campaign and his allies. Shortly after the vote, a senior cybersecurity official in the Trump administration described it as "the most secure election in American history."

In a statement Tuesday, Brooks said he is the victim of a "smear campaign."

He said that a White House official asked him to appear at the Jan. 6 rally. "I was not encouraging anyone to engage in violence," the statement said.

Other establishment conservatives who condoned the protests include Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and listed last year as a CNP Action board member, who praised rallygoers in tweets.

"LOVE MAGA people!!!!" she tweeted early in the morning on Jan. 6. "GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU STANDING UP or PRAYING."

Ginni Thomas did not respond to requests for comment.

Since the early 1980s, CNP has served as a bridge between Washington's establishment conservatives and scores of Christian and right-wing groups across the nation. It convenes closed-door meetings for members and wealthy donors at least twice a year. CNP officials and their allies met weekly with White House officials under President Donald Trump, in part to coordinate public messaging about the administration's agenda, internal videos show. Trump spoke to the group in August.

Vice President Mike Pence praised the group in a letter obtained by The Post, saying last year that "I just wanted to thank you and the Council for National Policy for your support and for consistently amplifying the agenda of President Trump."

McEwen told The Post his group serves only as a venue for conservative speakers and does not coordinate the activity of members.

In one meeting last summer, a CNP member warned that a "civil war" would result if Trump lost the election to predicted fraud, according to internal videos obtained by The Post.

In websites promoting the rallies, Alexander's Stop the Steal coalition urged protesters to "take to" the Capitol steps "to make sure that Congress does not certify the botched Electoral College," according to webpages that have been removed.

Another coalition webpage featured a 36-page election analysis by Trump adviser Peter Navarro, a speaker at CNP in May 2019. It claimed that Trump's loss was a statistical impossibility and was due to a "whitewash" by journalists and politicians. Navarro warned about "putting into power an illegitimate and illegal president."

He did not respond to requests for comment.

One of those behind the rallies was Arina Grossu, an antiabortion activist listed as a contract outreach coordinator for a religious freedom office at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to HHS promotional material and an agency directory.

Grossu was co-founder of Jericho March, one of the coalition partners that organized the Jan. 6 rallies. In December, her group described some protesters against the election as a "prayer army" that would take the case before "the Courts of heaven, the Supreme Court, and the court of public opinion seeking truth and justice in this election."

"The blatant fraud and corruption in this election is overwhelming and it cries out to God for justice. We the People demand answers and accountability," she said in a posting online that has since been removed. "We serve a mighty God who can restore truth and justice in our land."

Grossu did not respond to requests for comment. An HHS spokeswoman declined to provide Grossu's employment status.

In a statement after the riot, her group said that it "never will condone violence or destruction" and that its mission is "peace and prayer."
HONG KONG, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Saturday sternly denounced the "coercive measures" taken by the U.S. Department of State under the so-called "The President's Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization" against six officials of the Chinese central government and HKSAR government.

This latest attempt of the U.S. government to intervene in the internal affairs of China and obstruct actions taken by the HKSAR authorities to safeguard national security is insane, shameless and despicable, a spokesman for the HKSAR government said.

The HKSAR chief executive Carrie Lam said that such a deplorable move is totally illegitimate and violates established principles of international law. Lam and her colleagues are discharging an honorable duty to prevent, stop and punish in accordance with the law acts and activities endangering national security and will not be intimidated, according to the spokesman.

"The HKSAR government will fully support the central government in adopting appropriate counter-measures," the spokesman quoted Lam.

Since the implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR, the U.S. government has exploited every incident and excuse to make slandering remarks about the law and attack the central and the HKSAR authorities in their dutiful, faithful and lawful implementation of the law, the spokesman said.

"We could not help but suspect that the national security law in Hong Kong has touched a nerve of those foreign or external forces," the spokesman said.

With recent events that took place in the U.S. Capitol, it should be obvious to many people around the world that the U.S. acts are displaying double standards and hypocrisy, let alone blatantly breaching international laws and basic norms governing international relations, the spokesman said.

The national security law in Hong Kong, or indeed any law in the HKSAR, "applies equally to every person in Hong Kong; no one is above the law," the spokesman said, adding that arrests and prosecutions made by law enforcement agencies are strictly in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

"We are appalled by irresponsible remarks made by overseas government officials that seemed to suggest that people with certain political beliefs should be immune to legal sanctions. We are even more alarmed by the call contained in the U.S. Department of State's statement that suspects arrested by law enforcement agencies in the HKSAR should be immediately released," the spokesman said.

Tam Yiu-chung, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), who was one of those "sanctioned" by the United States, said that he has acted in a just, reasonable, and lawful manner for Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.

Tam said that he has never had any assets in the United States, and although the so-called "sanction" could cause inconvenience to him, it is no big deal.

The Hong Kong Police Force's Director of National Security Frederic Choi Chin-pang, and Assistant Commissioners of Police of National Security Kan Kai-yan and Kelvin Kong Hok-lai said that safeguarding national security is the responsibility and honor of police officers.

The three officers said that they will continue to do their job well, be fearless, strictly enforce the law, and unswervingly safeguard national security.
A Sydney hospital worker is among six new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in NSW, with the source of the new detections unknown.

All six cases are close contacts of a western Sydney man who was the state's only locally acquired case announced on Saturday. There were three cases also recorded on Sunday in returned overseas travellers.

Testing rates in NSW will have to increase before any restrictions are wound back. Credit:Louise Kennerley

There were 12,764 tests carried out in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday and Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that figure had to be much higher before restrictions can be eased.

"All of us want to see those restrictions we have in place eased, all of us want to be confident we can go back to what we had before Christmas and that will only be possible if we get those high rates of testing to give our contact-tracers, and our health experts the confidence that we are on top of any unknown strains of the virus," she said.
Veteran BBC journalist Gordon Adair who produced a radio series on an Armagh murder mystery believes the alleged killer escaped the noose with the 'cloak and dagger' help of members of the old UVF and the Orange and Masonic orders.

Adair, who completed the seven-part Did The Right Man Hang? series despite fighting Parkinson's Disease, says he may write a book about his newfound certainty of how Harold Courtney was spirited away to Canada.

Adair's BBC Radio Ulster podcast has opened an online debate about the murder of a 23-year-old pregnant and unmarried woman called Minnie Reid who reportedly had her throat slashed before her body was dumped at the Birches in Co Armagh in July, 1932.

Adair, who had to pause his research into the bizarre case to undergo pioneering surgery for his Parkinson's in London, had started on his quest for the truth years ago after being told that Dungannon man Harold Courtney (23) - who was convicted of the killing - didn't hang in Crumlin Road Gaol but was spirited away from the prison before an innocent man was executed in his place as part of a high-level conspiracy.

Adair had originally planned a six-part series but persuaded BBC chiefs to let him compile a seventh podcast after receiving new information just before Christmas from a fresh witness, dubbed Mr Z who made contact after hearing one of the episodes on the radio.

"He told me Courtney didn't hang and that he now felt free to talk because his main source, his father-in-law, had passed away and Mr Z believed the story of Harold Courtney and Minnie Reid had stayed secret for long enough," says Adair.

Expand Close Gordon Adair searches through one of the previously secret files relating to the murder of Minnie Reid and the hanging of Haro BBC NI / Facebook

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Whatsapp Gordon Adair searches through one of the previously secret files relating to the murder of Minnie Reid and the hanging of Haro

"He was very convincing, very comfortable with his account of what happened."

Mr Z told Adair that after Courtney fled the jail with the assistance of a prison warder, his father-in-law claimed he helped feed him before he used a well-travelled 'UVF escape route' to get to Canada.

Mr Z said that in Toronto, Courtney met up with another Ulsterman who had also followed the same route out of Northern Ireland after being accused of shooting two Catholics in Coalisland in 1921.

Adair says that he was told that the two men came back to Northern Ireland, apparently for Twelfth of July celebrations before Courtney went on to live in Australia.

During the series it was claimed members of the Orange and Masonic orders had been involved in the conspiracy not only to free Courtney but also to cover up the fact that Minnie Reid (right) died as a result of a botched abortion and that the father of her child was what Mr Z thought was a "politically elevated gentleman", not Courtney who "took the rap" for the pregnancy.

In a number of interviews a man called Maurice Cregan told Adair and his producer Orphelia Byrne that he had seen Courtney in Australia, 30 years after he was supposed to have died.

Cregan said on his return home to Northern Ireland, he started to investigate Reid's murder but he claimed he was intimidated by Orange and Masonic figures and burnt all his papers.

Adair says he is now more certain than ever that Harold Courtney did not hang in Belfast but he has been unable to find out a burial place for him.

Adair isn't ruling out a second series of programmes about the case which he concedes would have to answer the one question that still baffles the journalist - and that's how the conspirators could have managed to hang someone other than Courtney.

Adair says: "We would have to find out who was hanged, someone who went into jail and never came out. I would love to write a book about it all but I would need to tie up the loose ends."

Regarding his health, Adair says his condition which was diagnosed nearly nine years ago - four months after the birth of his second child, a daughter he called Hope - can change from hour to hour with him having good days and bad days.

"I have learnt how to live with the Parkinson's and I accept that I maybe can't do things as quickly as I might have done at one time," says Adair, who is still working for the BBC on their Re-Wind archive platform.

"The medics who carried out my operation in London seem happy that the results of my regular tests show I'm doing pretty well. I'm fortunate. With a lot of people, Parkinson's is a lot more aggressive and has a much bigger impact on their lives and more quickly than it has done with mine."
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 22:45:20|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Ford Motor Company (China) will recall 5,234 Edge vehicles from the Chinese market, according to the country's top quality watchdog.

The recall, set to begin on Feb. 22, 2021, will involve imported Edge SUVs manufactured between Nov. 1 and Dec. 23, 2014, read a statement on the website of the State Administration for Market Regulation.

The automaker said the support bracket for the SUV's front-drive axle half shaft could crack and fail in long-term use, according to the statement.

The failed bracket could result in the loss of motive power while driving. The vehicle could also lose parking function which can cause unintended movement, read the statement.

Dealers will replace the link shaft bracket free of charge for the recalled vehicles, it read. Enditem
Plea seeks impartial committee to resolve farmers issue

The plea by Bhartiya Kisan Union (Lokshakti) also sought the presence of a former top court judge on the reconstituted committee. (Photo:PTI)

New Delhi: Two days ahead of the Supreme Court's hearing on the ongoing farmers agitation, a farmers' union on Saturday urged the top court to withdraw the three members of the committee set up by it on January 12 to resolve the impasse over the three contentious farm laws and appoint members who are impartial, not aligned with any political party and have the trust and goodwill of the farmers.

The plea by Bhartiya Kisan Union (Lokshakti) also sought the presence of a former top court judge on the reconstituted committee.

The plea seeks the removal of three members  Dr Parmod Kumar Joshi, Ashok Gulati, and Anil Ghanwat  in its reply to the Centres application filed on January 11 seeking to stop the agitating farmers from taking out a tractor kisan rally at Delhis Ramlila ground on Republic Day.

Bhupinder Singh Mann, national president of Bhartiya Kisan Union and All India Kisan Coordination Committee, has already recused himself from the committee stating that he cannot go against Punjab and its farmers agitating against the laws. The BKU (Lokshakti) is part of the Kisan Ekta Morcha heading 40 farmers unions holding protests at Delhi borders for over 50 days.

Seeking the removal of three members, BKU (Lokshakti) has said in its petition that all three of them have in no uncertain terms supported the three farm laws saving that they have opened up opportunities for the farming sector and must be implemented.

The court had on January 12 issued a notice on the Centres application seeking to injunct the agitating farmers from taking out a rally on Republic Day. BKU (Lokshakti) has sought dismissal of the Centres application.

Referring to the support to three farm laws by Dr Joshi, Mr Gulati and Mr Ghanwat, the reply filed by advocate A.P. Singh on behalf of BKU (Lokshakti) says that their presence on the committee is in the teeth of the two principles of natural justice  Nemo judex in causa sua meaning that no one should be made a judge in his own cause, and Audi alteram partem  the rule of fair hearing.

"It is important to mention here with great regret that the principle of natural justice is going to be violated by making these persons as members of the committee... How they will hear all farmers on equal parameters when they have already supported these laws, the petition said.

The top court by its January 12 order had suspended the implementation of three farm laws and had set-up a committee of four experts on agriculture to hear all including those opposed to or supporting the farm laws, government and other stakeholders and submit its report with recommendations to the court.

The four-member committee set-up by the top court included Bhupinder Singh Mann, Dr Parmod Kumar Joshi; agricultural economist and director for South Asia of International Food Policy Research Institute; Ashok Gulati, agricultural economist and former chairman of the commission for agricultural costs and prices; and Anil Ghanwat, president, Shetkari Sanghatana.

On Delhi Police seeking injunction against the farmers' proposed tractor rally, the reply says that the New Delhi district area where Republic Day parade takes place is already under prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC that bars the gathering of more than five people.
Russian opposition figure Aleksei Navalny has left Berlin for Moscow, despite the Russian authorities' stated intention to arrest him and potentially jail him for years. Navalny's flight with the Russian airline Pobeda on January 17 is scheduled to land at Moscow's Vnukovo airport. Journalists at Vnukovo have noted a large police presence, while the authorities have urged Russians not to come out to greet Navalny. The outspoken Kremlin critic has received months of medical treatment in Germany for a poisoning that he has blamed on the Russian authorities.
It took a MAGA-draped mob storming the U.S. Capitol and five deaths for a handful of Republicans in Congress finally to have the courage to stand up to Donald Trump. Ten GOP House members joined all their Democratic colleagues to impeach Wednesday, making Trump the only president ever to be twice impeached. Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican leader in the House, explained her vote: The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

But Trumps actions last week were just the worst in a series of actions that have defiled the office. This man is the most corrupt, dishonest, and anti-democratic politician in our history. But for much of the last four years, the Republican Party leadership remained silent. Most said nothing during the past two months as Trump spewed daily lies about how the 2020 election had been stolen from him. Many elected officials stood with him on rally platforms as he whipped up crowds with fabricated tales of hundreds of thousands of votes cast by dead people, illegal immigrants, felons, and out of state voters, and claimed votes for him were magically switched by machine algorithms or simply discarded or shredded by renegade poll workers.

It was no surprise that Trump followers descended on Washington at the presidents call to take back our country. Yet, even after this mob attacked the Capitol, two-thirds of Republican members of the House and fully a quarter of Republican senators returned to the chamber to perpetuate the presidents lies of a stolen election by opposing the constitutionally mandated certification of electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Despite my revulsion at Trumps behavior, I have been reluctant to leave the Republican Party. I hoped that the GOP could be reformed and must be so from within. But when Sen. Josh Hawley announced on New Years Eve that he and several other GOP colleagues would oppose the Senates certification of the Electoral College votes in several states, I finally had enough. I have changed my registration to unaffiliated. I remain a conservative, but I am no longer a Republican, nor do I want anything to do with the conservative institutions and intellectuals that have enabled Donald Trumps nativist-driven populism.

Perhaps principled conservatives will work to woo back former Republicans like me. Certainly Liz Cheney and her nine colleagues give some hope, as do Sens. Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, Pat Toomey and others who have indicated they are open to convicting Trump in the Senate. Only one -- Romney -- was willing to vote to remove the president when he was impeached for abuse of power a year ago. But many others, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Whip Steve Scalise, remain steadfast Trumpists, as do most of their caucus. It is the same in state legislatures and executive offices controlled by Republicans, not to mention among the partys faithful voter base.

If the Republican Party remains the party of Trump even with their leader out of office, where do conservatives like me go? I believe that the most important role of the federal government is to provide for the defense of our nation. I believe that free market capitalism and free trade provide a better standard of living and more opportunity for more people than any alternative system. But I also recognize that free markets require individuals who are guided in their decisions by a moral code that includes integrity and compassion.

We remember Adam Smith for The Wealth of Nations, his treatise on free market economics, but the foundation for that work was The Theory of Moral Sentiments, which posits that societies require both sympathy and justice to survive and beneficence to flourish. I believe that the United States is exceptional, but part of that exceptionalism is that we are not bound by blood and soil but by adherence to the Constitution and the principles enunciated in the Declaration of Independence.

As a conservative, I distrust social engineering, central planning, and intrusive government. But I recognize that government has a legitimate obligation to provide for those who cannot provide for themselves and to protect our environment. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it has taught us that health care must be accessible to everyone in order to protect us all, which entails a role for government.

And I believe, as did Ronald Reagan, that immigrants help make America great, but also that large-scale immigration only works well when immigrants -- and especially, their children -- integrate into the larger society. We are a multi-racial, multi-ethnic society, but we share a common language and a common culture. American pluralism must not become balkanization. Identity politics is divisive, and the psychology of victimhood is destructive to those who embrace it. I believe government must guarantee equality of opportunity for all, which requires investments in and equal access to education, but I do not believe that government can or should guarantee equal outcomes. Too often programs that attempt to do so unintentionally harm the targeted beneficiaries as well as others who have been left out.

There are Republicans who share many if not most of these views, but apparently too few. Unless and until leaders in the party across the country repudiate Donald Trump and wrest control of the grassroots by disavowing the bigotry that has found such fertile ground, the party will continue to drive many of us away. For the moment, at least, we are politically homeless.
Ho Chi Minh City authorities have resorted to tranquilizer pistols to safely relocates five monkeys of a mischievous troop sighted in a residential area in District 12 in recent times.

By Saturday afternoon, city forest rangers had captured five monkeys out of the troop that stormed Quarter 6 in the district's Thanh Xuan Ward, thanks to assistance from local authorities.

On Saturday morning, three of the five were safely sedated with tranquilizer pistol shots.

One of the three weighs around five kilograms, while each of the two others is roughly ten kilograms in weight.

On Friday, one monkey was sedated with a tranquilizer blowgun, while another was taken down with a tranquilizer pistol.

The five were sent to the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station, where they received proper care and returned to good health conditions.

According to a forest ranger, the rest of the vandalizing troop of monkeys dispersed after the first five were tranquilized.

Forest managers are working with local authorities to locate the other troop members in the neighborhood before sedating and fetching them to the rescue station.

According to local residents, there are roughly ten long-tailed monkeys in the neighborhood, which means there are at least five still on the loose, the ranger said.

We are working to pin down the individuals before tranquilizing them.

A monkey is relocated to the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station in Ho Chi Minh City, January 16, 2021. Photo: A.X. / Tuoi Tre

Regarding the origin of the troublemaking primates, some locals pointed to a troop of house monkeys in the neighborhood that broke free about ten years ago.

They migrated to the brushy area in the nearby waterfront and started propagating there.

As the trees and bushes in their habitat were cleared out recently, the monkeys were forced to split into small groups and search for food in the residential area.

A forest ranger visits a gathering location of monkeys in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre

They were seen stealing food from worship altars, as well as physically harming local households' pets, but did not cause any human injury.

The monkeys will be sedated and captured by forest rangers and local authorities, according to a plan.

They will be relocated to the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station, where they will receive care and training before being sent back to the wild.

Three monkeys are seen on the roof of a house in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre

The troop of monkeys has the characteristics of the macaque species, which is listed in Appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), according to a representative of the citys forest protection department.

Residents should not handle the animals themselves and should instead contact competent authorities, he added.

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The Challenge star Georgia Harrison publicly accused her ex Stephen Bear of secretly recording their sexual encounters and then showing his friends and uploading it to platforms such as OnlyFans and Pornhub for monetary gain. Bear denied the accusations before going on vacation to Dubai. When he returned, the police arrested him in connection with the revenge porn allegations.

Stephen Bear from MTVs brand new series, The Challenge: War Of The Worlds | Keith Mayhew

Georgia Harrison accused Stephen Bear of illegally recording their sexual encounter

UK rookies Georgia Harrison of Love Island 3 fame and Shipwrecked star Stephen Bear quickly fell for each other during The Challenge: War of the Worlds (2018), even though he had a girlfriend at the time.

Wanting to pursue a relationship with Harrison, the Celebrity Big Brother winner ended things with his girlfriend.

If this man is allowed to get away with filming private sexual acts in a trusted environment, then selling the footage online victims everywhere will feel like its not worth pursuing prosecution. i will do everything to get justice for me and all future victims male or female  Georgia Harrison (@georgiaharisonx) December 10, 2020

RELATED: The Challenge Star Georgia Harrison Accuses Ex Stephen Bear of Secretly Recording Her and Posting It

However, he and the Love Island UK 3 star broke up several times before calling it quits for good in the summer of 2019 after Bear hooked up with another girl during their Thailand vacation.

A year after the trip, Harrison publicly accused her ex of secretly recording them having sex without her consent and showing the video to his friends. He responded to the claims insisting the footage in question involved a different woman.

Bear allegedly began selling the video on OnlyFans account

Following his response, Harrison noted she felt hurt and stressed by the situation in a tweet. She also uploaded a video to her Instagram Story calling her ex out and claimed shes no longer protecting him. Additionally, The Challenge star admitted she believed Bears actions deserved jail time.

Harrison seemed ready to fight the situation in court if necessary as she also explained that she has proof that he has distributed the video to friends and uploaded it to platforms including OnlyFans and Pornhub to sell to his subscribers.

First Georgia, then her partner, Hunter. Looks like Bear is ready to burn all the bridges



Don't miss a new episode of #TheChallenge33 TONIGHT IN 1 HOUR! pic.twitter.com/9O9xcAVIgS  challengemtv (@ChallengeMTV) March 28, 2019

RELATED: The Challenge Star Stephen Bear Filmed Interaction With Police Before His Arrest

Additionally, the UK native posted screenshots of a conversation with Bear seemingly admitting to the video and claimed they had been together since their vacation, as he previously denied.

Harrison also reached out to the OnlyFans official account on social media and asked if they had guidelines preventing users from uploading recordings with non-consenting participants.

Bear arrested a month following revenge porn accusations

The company seemingly responded by disabling Bears OnlyFans account. Although he attempted to return with several new profiles, they were eventually taken down due to followers reporting it. The three-time Challenge star then took off to Dubai, where he vacationed for a few weeks.

Once he arrived at the airport in London on Jan. 15, police officers arrested Bear in connection with Harrisons accusations.

Bear, I KNOW you're not about to hurt Georgia #TheChallenge33 pic.twitter.com/Qs2Y1pVVps  challengemtv (@ChallengeMTV) March 28, 2019

RELATED: The Challenge 35: Kailah Casillas Says She Doesnt Regret Kissing Stephen Bear While in a Relationship

In a statement released by the Essex Police, they took the 31-year-old into custody as they are investigating him for his involvement in disclosing private sexual photographs or films without consent with the intent to cause distress, harassment, and obstructing a police officer.

After a day of questioning, the Essex Police confirmed to Us Weekly that Bear posted bail, allowing him to return home until his court date on Feb. 10. The Challenge 36: Double Agents airs Wednesdays at 8/7 Central on MTV.
A car thief who discovered a small child in the backseat of the SUV he boosted Saturday in Beaverton drove back to the childs mother, demanded she take the child out of the backseat and drove off once more, police say.

He actually lectured the mother for leaving the child in the car and threatened to call the police on her, said Officer Matt Henderson, a Beaverton police spokesman.

The crime occurred at 9:10 a.m. in the parking lot of Basics Meat Market, 11900 S.W. Canyon Rd. The mother parked just outside the stores front door and went inside to buy a gallon of milk and some meat, Henderson said. She was never more than 15 feet from the car, but she made a critical error.

She left the engine running and the doors unlocked.

What she did was not a crime. She was within sight and sound of her child, Henderson said. But she left the car running, so take that extra step, take the keys with you. Its a good reminder to take extra precaution when we have our little ones with us.

Henderson described the incident as a crime of opportunity. The thief saw the car was unlocked and had keys in the ignition, and he went for it.

A Basics Meat Market employee who helped the woman said she was only in the market for a few minutes before someone began backing the SUV out of its parking space.

The thief quickly realized a 4-year-old child was seated in a booster seat behind him, U-turned in the adjacent Video Only parking lot and returned to the mother to berate her for leaving the child in the car.

He orders her to take the kid out of the car, and she does, Henderson said.

Then he proceeded to drive off in the stolen car.

Obviously, were thankful he brought the little one back and had the decency to do that, Henderson said.

The stolen vehicle is a 2013 silver Honda Pilot, license plate 357 GLV.

Police said the suspect was a man in his 20s or 30s who has dark brown or black braided hair and was wearing a multi-colored face mask.

Anyone with information on the car theft can contact Beaverton police at 503-629-0111.

-- Samantha Swindler, @editorswindler, sswindler@oregonian.com
Protesters gathered outside a New York hotel and called for a boycott after a woman dubbed 'Soho Karen' falsely accused a black teenager of stealing her cell phone there.

The Arlo Soho has been accused by the parents of the 14-year-old boy of racial profiling. They claim staff sided with 22-year-old Miya Ponsetto instead of their son who was the victim of the attack.

'If you are staying in the Arlo Hotel anywhere in the United States, check out,' protesters said on Saturday.

The incident which happened on December 26 has since received national attention after video of the attack went viral.

Protestors gathered outside of the Arlo Hotel in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City calling for a boycott due to the hotel's handling of the Kenyon Harrold case

Kat Rodriguez, Kenyon Jr.'s mother, and other Harrold family members gather outside of the Arlo Hotel in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City

The family of 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. say their son was racially profiled and shown mistrust by hotel staff after being wrongly accused of stealing a phone

Ponsetto was dubbed 'SoHo Karen' after she was seen in a video (left) falsely accusing African American jazz artist Keyon Harrold's son Keyon Jr (right) of stealing her iPhone at the Arlo Hotel on December 26

In the video, Ponsetto could be seen shouting at the teen, Keyon Harrold, Jr., and lunged at him in an attempt to stop him leaving the hotel with what she thought was her cellphone.

Surveillance video also shows her tackling the teen to the floor.

Last weekend, Ponsetto was charged with two counts of attempted assault, attempted robbery, grand larceny and endangering the welfare of a child.

Her cellphone was ultimately found by an Uber driver and was handed in to the hotel.

Saturday's protest came after the parents of Harrold Jr. publicly accused the hotel staff of improperly handling the situation with the manager initially taking Ponsetto's side as he approached the boy and asked to see the phone.

'They automatically asked him for the phone. His rights were violated at that moment,' the boy's mother Kat Rodriguez said during Saturday's protest.

'I say shut down the racism, shut down the profiling. As a patron, you should have the right to simply be,' dad Keyon Harrold Sr. added.

A source close to the hotel told DailyMail.com the manager involved in the incident has been placed on leave pending an internal investigation.

Kat Rodriguez, Kenyon Jr.'s mother has accused the hotel staff of improperly handling the situation

The teen's family said hotel management not only failed to stop Ponsetto's tirade but appeared to believe her claims that the boy has taken her phone

Dozens gathered outside the hotel in support of the teenage boy's family

Keyon Harrold, Kat Rodriguez, and their representatives carried signs with a list of hotels to boycott for the December 26 incident. This photo is from a press conference on Monday

'When Arlo SoHo Hotel sided with her and asked my son, a patron of the hotel, to show his phone to the manager, they violated my son's rights,' Rodriguez said in a similar vein during a press conference outside the hotel on Monday.

'Now Arlo, you've been real quiet,' Rodriguez continued. 'You've been real quiet, like they say in my 'hood in Crown Heights.'

'You don't know who you're messing with,' Rodriguez said. 'We ain't playing around. We're going to boycott Arlo and the other hotels and tell Yelp and other reviewers that this hotel allows racial profiling against African Americans, against people of color.'

It was a view echoed by the family's lawyer, Benjamin Crump.

'We want accountability for everybody who allowed this injustice to happen against this child,' Crump said. 'We want to make sure that the Arlo Hotel and their parent company understands that individual acts of racism are empowered by institutions like police and corporations like the Quantum Hospitality LLC.'

The NYPD released surveillance footage of Ponsetto tackling Keyon Jr to the ground in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel after she accused him of stealing her iPhone

Ponsetto was charged with two counts of attempted assault, attempted robbery, grand larceny and endangering the welfare of a child

'It was guilty until proven innocent,' he said.

During the same press conference, Reverend Al Sharpton called the hotel 'the accomplice of hate.'

'Show you stand against racism by checking out,' he said during a protest outside the hotel on Monday. 'Show you stand against racial profiling by checking out. Show you stand against young black boys being criminalized by checking out.'

'It's time for national checking out on racism, on bigotry,' he said. 'We are tired of checking in and paying for people who disrespect us. It's checkout time.'

Harrold Sr and Keyon Jr's mother, Kat Rodriguez, also held a rally in Manhattan for their son in December, alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump (right) and Rev Al Sharpton (left)

In a previous statement, the hotel said: 'We're deeply disheartened about the recent incident of baseless accusation, prejudice and assault against an innocent guest of Arlo Hotel.

'In investigating the incident further, we've learned that the manager on duty promptly called the police regarding the woman's conduct and that hotel security intervened to prevent further violence; still, more could have been done to de-escalate the dispute.

Ponsetto was taken into custody on a warrant from New York on Thursday after a brief car chase with police in California

'No Arlo guest - or any person - should be subject to this kind of behavior. We want to apologize to Mr. Harrold and his son for this inexcusable experience, and have reached out to them directly to express our sincere regret and to offer help in dealing with this traumatic event. We are committed to making sure this never happens again at any of our hotels.'

Last week, Ponsetto apologized for her actions during an interview with CBS This Morning but the family said it fell flat.

'I don't feel that that is who I am as a person, I don't feel like this one mistake does define me,' Ponsetto said during the interview. 'But I do sincerely from the bottom of my heart apologize that if I made the son feel as if I assaulted him or if I hurt his feelings or the father's feelings.'

'Soho Karen' Miya Ponsetto has finally offered an apology to the black teen she accused of stealing her phone, but his parents say they don't find her words to be 'genuine' and are calling for a boycott against the Arlo hotel chain

Ponsetto's former lawyer (right) said she is concerned for her client's mental health after Ponsetto (left) gave a rambling television interview hours before she was arrested

Soon after the interview, Ponsetto was arrested in her hometown of Piru, California.

She put up a fight and resisted arrest as the Ventura County Sheriff's Department tried to take her into custody and was extradited to New York.

Her next court appearance in the city is scheduled for March 29.

It has since been revealed Ponsetto had also arrested in California three times in 2020 although she had never been arrested before last year.

On February 28 2020 she was arrested for public intoxication after getting into a fight outside a hotel.

Ponsetto pictured arriving to her family home in Piru, California after her flight last Sunday

She was charged with driving under the influence on May 29 after someone called police when she was spotted getting into a car while intoxicated.

After being pulled over she was found with open containers of alcohol and marijuana in her car and was charged with driving with a suspended license.

In October she was charged with DUI, driving with a suspended license and resisting arrest.

On that occasion she allegedly got into a physical altercation with her mother and then tackled a responding officer to the ground.

Her blood alcohol limit was 0.14, almost twice the legal limit, police said.
ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 17th Jan, 2021) The Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi (DCD) has organised a series of visits to non-Muslim places of worship in the emirate to vaccinate people against COVID-19, as part of the "Choose to Vaccinate" campaign.

The move is part of the efforts of the UAE to promote vaccinations, in line with the countrys ongoing precautionary measures to combat its spread and preserve the health and safety of all community members, citizens and residents alike.

Officials at the Department explained that the visits are conducted in partnership with health authorities and in coordination with clerics and authorised places of worship for non-Muslims in Abu Dhabi, to provide free vaccinations to the public. It further highlights the cooperation among all parties to take advanced steps to address the crisis in a flexible and efficient manner to help bring life back to normal.

Officials at the DCD noted the positive response and collaboration of places of worships in participating in these visits, and highlights that vaccines are effective tools which can protect society and eradicate infectious diseases and epidemics.

The Department urged the communities from various faith traditions to be vaccinated, noting that it is the shortest and safest way to protect community members.

The Department visited St. Joseph's Catholic Church early last week, as more than 10,000 individuals were vaccinated at the Church, reflecting the key role of religious institutions in supporting the national campaign for the full recovery from the epidemic.

Among the first Hindu religion leaders to receive the vaccine was Swami of the Hindu temple, the international representative of the temple. He praised the UAEs leading efforts to confront the pandemic by creating an integrated system and offering a clear roadmap for full recovery. The Swami also encouraged Hindus in Abu Dhabi to get vaccinated.

DCD officials said that the campaign will continue into the second phase for the Coptic Church and the Evangelical Church in Al Mushrif, in the presence of church leaders who expressed their keenness to receive the first dose of the vaccine to encourage their parishioners and members of the community to get vaccinated, demonstrating the spirit of unity, cohesion and full confidence in the UAEs efforts.


Hafsa Zayyan's prizewinning debut introduces us to Sameer, a 26-year-old Cambridge graduate and high flying lawyer in a prestigious London firm. Having moved from Leicester with childhood friends, Rahool and Jeremiah, Sameer is finding that with his career taking off - he's been asked to help set up his firm's new Singapore office - the three friends are growing apart.

When Rahool announces that he is moving back to home to work in his family's business and pressure builds on Sameer to do similarly - return to Leicester and work with his father in the tight-knit family's restaurant business.

While initially, the prose and more particularly, the dialogue struck me as somewhat stilted, Zayyan's attention to detail in terms of place and culture sets this book apart and makes it an immersive experience. On returning to Leicester after a long absence, Sameer refamiliarises himself with the sights and sounds of the Golden Mile. 'Women in saris amble past on the street, shop fronts in red, yellow, blue blare names Lakhani, Akshar, Arshi, Krishna. From the shopfronts, gold jewellery glints invitingly; heavy, brightly-coloured fabrics pose, draped on mannequins standing to attention in the window front; street food sings and steams from a vat, chaat, pani poori, paan.'

Themes of cultural difference, racial prejudice, family dynamics and what 'home' means are explored in a nuanced way. On Sameer's younger sister's education, 'But now that it had been done, and they had realised that (although it was a waste of their hard earned money) because she was a girl, it didn't really matter what she studied, the family narrative around her revision focused on the simple goal of achieving good grades - rather than getting into university.'

The family's traumatic history echoes through the generations. Both of Sameer's parents are of Indian-African ancestry. The events that led to Sameer's father being brought up in England, are related through the letters of Hasan, Sameer's grandfather - a Muslim of Indian extraction who had lived happily in Uganda until the persecution and expulsion of the Asian community by Idi Amin. The device of using Hasan's letters to his deceased first wife, evoking a sense of both the beauty and the underbelly of Ugandan-Indian culture, keeps the narrative moving apace. I found myself thirsting for Hasan's next missive.

After Rahool is seriously assaulted in a racially-motivated attack in Leicester, a wealthy family friend visits from Uganda and his parents react badly to news of his imminent move to Singapore, Sameer begins to question what he really wants to do with his life and decides to explore his family's Ugandan roots.

The second part of the book, based in Uganda, where Sameer is referred to disparagingly as muhindi, is beautifully wrought. A host of well-drawn characters provide a window into present-day Ugandan culture with an eye to the past and all that might mean for the future - Sameer's personal future, that of his family and of Uganda itself. With a light touch, Zayyan considers the complexities of cultural and racial prejudice and historical family trauma. Although the fascinating Maryam, whose family now lives in what was once Sameer's grandfather's Kampala home, sees no complexities in who's to blame. '"Do you see how the whole problem was started by the British?" she demands, ignoring the question.'

This is a slow burner that eventually sucks you right in - not least because of the insight it gives into the cultural clashes that had their roots in perceived inequalities long before Amin came to power. It is a thought-provoking book that will stay with the reader long after it's finished.

Hafsa Zayyan's prizewinning debut introduces us to Sameer, a 26-year-old Cambridge graduate and high-flying lawyer in a prestigious London firm. Having moved from Leicester with childhood friends, Rahool and Jeremiah, Sameer is finding that with his career taking off - he's been asked to help set up his firm's new Singapore office - the three friends are growing apart.

When Rahool announces that he is moving back home to work in his family's business, pressure builds on Sameer to do similarly - return to Leicester and work with his father in the tight-knit family's restaurant business.

While initially the prose and more particularly, the dialogue struck me as somewhat stilted, Zayyan's attention to detail in terms of place and culture sets this book apart and makes it an immersive experience.

Returning to Leicester after a long absence, Sameer refamiliarises himself with the sights and sounds of the Golden Mile. "Women in saris amble past on the street, shop fronts in red, yellow, blue blare names Lakhani, Akshar, Arshi, Krishna. From the shopfronts, gold jewellery glints invitingly; heavy, brightly-coloured fabrics pose, draped on mannequins standing to attention in the window front; street food sings and steams from a vat, chaat, pani poori, paan."

Themes of cultural difference, racial prejudice, family dynamics and what 'home' means are explored in a nuanced way. On Sameer's younger sister's education, "but now that it had been done, and they had realised that (although it was a waste of their hard-earned money) because she was a girl, it didn't really matter what she studied, the family narrative around her revision focused on the simple goal of achieving good grades - rather than getting into university".

The family's traumatic history echoes through the generations. Both of Sameer's parents are of Indian-African ancestry. The events that led to Sameer's father being brought up in England are related through the letters of Hasan, Sameer's grandfather - a Muslim of Indian extraction who had lived happily in Uganda until the persecution and expulsion of the Asian community by Idi Amin. The device of using Hasan's letters to his deceased first wife, evoking a sense of both the beauty and the underbelly of Ugandan-Indian culture, keeps the narrative moving apace. I found myself thirsting for Hasan's next missive.

After Rahool is seriously assaulted in a racially-motivated attack in Leicester, a wealthy family friend visits from Uganda and his parents react badly to news of Sameer's imminent move to Singapore. Sameer begins to question what he really wants to do with his life and decides to explore his family's Ugandan roots.

The second part, based in Uganda, where Sameer is referred to disparagingly as muhindi, (meaning Indian but used to insult) is beautifully wrought. Well-drawn characters provide a window into present-day Ugandan culture with an eye to the past and all that might mean for the future - Sameer's own, that of his family and of Uganda itself. With a light touch, Zayyan considers the complexities of racial prejudice and historical family trauma. Although the fascinating Maryam, whose family now lives in what was once the Kampala home of Sameer's grandfather, sees no complexities in who's to blame. "'Do you see how the whole problem was started by the British?' she demands."

A slow burner that stays with the reader long afterwards.
Nearly one year into the coronavirus pandemic, Eduardo Hernandez, superintendent of the Edgewood Independent School District, still doesnt quite know what the next school year will look like for his students and staff.

Around Bexar County, he and other school leaders trying to plan for the fall are grappling with countless unknowns, from how much funding they will receive to the community spread of the coronavirus.

But given the alarming trajectory of new virus cases and the dragging pace of the vaccine rollout, one thing is almost certain: schools will need to offer remote learning for the foreseeable future, maybe into 2022.

Online learning is not going to stop, Hernandez said. Although by September we will have a considerable amount of people in the city  and I think that will include teachers  vaccinated, I anticipate the school year will open up much like it is now.

Since last summer, most schools around San Antonio have allowed families to choose the instructional model  in person, online or a hybrid option  that works best for them. But in a pandemic, none of those learning models is perfect, and maintaining two or three of them simultaneously has been exhausting and stressful for many teachers and parents.

On ExpressNews.com: Uncharted territory  San Antonio teachers overwhelmed with pandemic challenges

I anticipated for it to just be back to normal, but the way its looking, its just crazy, said Melissa Lopez, 36, a mother of three elementary school students enrolled at Compass Rose Academy at Brooks AFB. Its very frustrating.

She has put her children in both remote and in-person learning since the start of the pandemic, and keeping up with all the changes has been difficult, she said.

Lisa Krantz /Staff photographer

As superintendents look ahead to the 2021-22 academic year, they are also looking back at what has worked so far and what needs improvement, hoping that the other pieces of the puzzle, like funding and widespread vaccine access, fall into place soon.

What were all grappling with is not having answers to certain questions, said Sean Maika, superintendent of North East ISD, the second-largest school district in Bexar County. Nobody can really look into the future and know when this will end or what its result will be. Thats hard, all the unpredictability.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio ISD chief part of national call for teachers to get early vaccine access

If the vaccine is still not widely administered by the start of the fall semester, NEISD will probably continue to offer remote learning, just for the peace of mind of our parents, so that depending on how they feel comfortable, they have a choice, Maika said.

If vaccine access is widespread by next summer, school administrators are going to have to decide whether it will be worth continuing remote learning in its current form, he said. While safer, remote learning has proven to be less effective than in-person learning, as students studying from home have been absent and failing at greater rates than their in-school counterparts.

One way to encourage more families to sign their children up for in-person instruction has been to offer regular coronavirus testing for students and staff, which most local school districts have done. More recently, schools have been trying to secure vaccines, and school leaders and local officials have advocated for teachers to be added to the priority groups eligible to receive it.

Several districts will begin offering vaccine appointments to teachers who want one as early as this week. On Thursday, Edgewood obtained 100 vaccination appointments with University Health System for teachers in vaccination group 1B  enough to inoculate about 15 percent of the districts teachers.

Pedro Martinez, superintendent of SAISD, said he thinks it unlikely that most students will be vaccinated before 2022. Neither of the coronavirus vaccines now available have been approved for children under 16.

We can vaccinate our staff so that they feel safe, to reduce their anxiety so that they can focus on what is critical, which is academic support  making sure children do not fall through the cracks, Martinez said in a recent panel discussion of superintendents and education officials from across the country.

But until most members of the public can get the shot in their arm, remote learning is likely to continue, he said.

(University Health said it also will provide a limited number of doses to Alamo Heights, East Central, Harlandale, Judson, Northeast ISD, Northside and Southwest ISDs in a first phase of distribution to school staffers, but was unsure when more would be available.)

Some school districts are considering starting virtual academies next year so that families that need or prefer remote learning have an option that caters solely to them. An online-only system would shield teachers from having to divide their attention between students in the classroom and those on the computer screen, and it could allow remote learners to receive more individualized support.

Administrators at Northside ISD, San Antonios largest school district with more than 100,000 students, are planning to offer remote instruction as an option this fall, but are trying to make it work better than it has. In his weekly newsletter Monday, Superintendent Brian Woods said the current model is unsustainable, but could be fixed by opening some kind of virtual academy.

There is a lot of uncertainty in what we will be allowed to do in 2021-22, but (easing the load on teachers) is a top priority for us and it will, along with the imperative to serve our students in the best possible way, guide our work, Woods said in the newsletter.

Hernandez and Maika have also considered the virtual academy option, but both noted that it would take a lot of careful planning to make it work without widening the so-called digital divide among students, the gap in success and performance between those with better and worse access to devices and the internet.

Im just very cautious about trying to begin something that we know doesnt work for most children and it becoming an option and allowing them to fail for a long period of time, Maika said. We cant create a system that fails kids. We have to be very mindful of that.

Furthermore, the Texas Education Agency has not yet said if it will continue past this school year to include remote learners as part of schools average daily attendance, the enrollment figure that determines the amount of state funding the districts receive at a time when many of them are hurting for cash. Education Commissioner Mike Morath said that will be decided during this years regular session of the Legislature, which began Tuesday.

Superintendents say it is difficult to predict what the next couple of years will look like for students and school staff, but learning and safety will continue to be prioritized as much as possible.

Ive got 11,000 children that Im responsible for and their associated families, Hernandez said. Weve got lives in our hands, and I dont take that for granted.

Staff Writer Krista Torralva contributed to this report. andy.picon@hearst.com | Twitter: @andpicon
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When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made this warning in his famous Beyond Vietnam speech, exactly one year before his assassination on April 4, 1968.

In 2020, weve seen the giant triplets in full force. Militarized police forces crack down on racial justice protesters nationwide. The racially driven inequities in Americas provision of health care, as well as inequities in the social determinants of health such as housing and poverty, has made an allegedly color blind coronavirus much deadlier for Black people and people of color. And while renters faced eviction, business owners went bankrupt, and people rushed to food pantries, billionaires got richer. Each one of these economic hardships loomed larger and disproportionately impacted the lives of Black, brown, and Indigenous people.

 READ MORE: COVID-19 vaccines have gone mostly to white Philadelphians. Heres what the city is doing to change that.

The tension that King spoke of when he warned of property rights being considered more important than people was in full display over the summer when some tried to discredit the calls of Black Lives Matter by pointing to damaged property. One does not need to condone vandalism to recognize the false equivalence.

The coronavirus pandemic is hopefully in its final act, though how long this act will last and how many people will die before its over is unknown. But whenever our leaders do declare mission accomplished, it is all but certain that, for many Black people in large poor cities like Philadelphia, the suffering will continue.

When the pandemic hit Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, it was Black and Hispanic workers who were most likely to lose their jobs, according to a new report by the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank.

America is not, as Dr. King dreamed, one Black boy and girl joining hands with a white boy and girl as sisters and brothers away from eradicating racism. Americas problems remain profound, and addressing them will take much more work. We should be grateful that, though his life was cut too short, Dr. King provided us with a blueprint.

 READ MORE: More than I Have a Dream: 7 black advocates on how Martin Luther King Jr. inspires their work in Philly | Opinion

There will be no true reckoning with the structural racism of American society without a reckoning with the structural racism of Americas market-driven economy and piecemeal and pygmy efforts to reduce poverty, as King called them. He criticized government efforts for always trying to solve poverty by first solving something else.

A good example of what King is talking about is the fiasco that was Pennsylvanias rental assistance program from the CARES Act funds. Instead of making it easy for money to get to pockets of people struggling to make rent, the Pennsylvania General Assembly imposed multiple restrictions, limits, caps, and requirements  all seemed more concerned with a hypothetical scenario of someone gaming the system than actually helping people. In the end, about $108 million out of $175 million for housing assistance went unused. In a tragic irony, the funds were then moved to close holes in the budget of the Department of Corrections. Money that could have helped Black renters in dire need is going to be used to pay for the incarceration of mostly Black people.

 READ MORE: Pa. misses deadline to spend $108M in rent, mortgage relief from CARES Act

To prevent these kinds of problems in assistance programs, and ensure that dollars intended to fight poverty reach people who need it, Dr. King called for a guaranteed income. By creating jobs and providing direct assistance, King believed that poverty could be abolished.

In a moment that so many are hurting financially, particularly Black and brown people, it is more important than ever to be bold in the direct effort to abolish poverty. That is why the message of $2,000 survival checks to individuals has resonated with President-elect Joe Biden, with voters of Georgia, and even some Republicans. Congress should act on that immediately.

The police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis  as well as the deaths of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ky., Walter Wallace Jr. in Philadelphia, and too many other Black victims of police brutality  prompted a racial reckoning in this country. If that is true, the reckoning must extend to all aspects of life  including, and especially, economic policy. Only then will Kings giant triplets be conquered.

Santee Coopers future will come back up for debate this month on the floor of the South Carolina House, where the appetite for selling the state-owned power and water utility has never been greater.

The speaker of the House has suggested, at a minimum, firing Santee Coopers entire board and executive team if the agency cant be sold to the highest bidder.

The most powerful man in the slower-moving state Senate, Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman, has introduced his own proposal to offload the embattled power provider after it lost $4 billion of ratepayers money on the failed V.C. Summer nuclear plant expansion project.

And Gov. Henry McMaster bashed the agency in his State of the State address Wednesday, telling lawmakers the reform or dissolution of Santee Cooper is long overdue.

But even the influence of those powerful leaders might not prove enough to overcome the passionate band of legislators, mostly in the Senate, who will fight to keep the 86-year-old utility under state ownership.

Lawmakers have declared 2021 is the year they will finally decide whether to sell Santee Cooper, setting the stage for one of the most contentious debates of the year. With both sides digging in their heels, here is a quick overview of the debate to come.

Why do some lawmakers want to sell Santee Cooper?

Remember how the Moncks Corner-based utility shocked everyone in July 2017 by announcing it was pulling out of the decade-long V.C. Summer expansion project? Which it had already spent $4 billion on? And that ratepayers were going to have to foot that bill on their future power bills? That started us on this path.

Since then, lawmakers have peeked under the hood at Santee Cooper and found a bloated executive team that was endowed with duplicative retirement plans, a history of poor business dealings that stuck ratepayers with unnecessary costs and a soured relationship with its largest customer  the states 20 electric cooperatives.

Some lawmakers were furious to learn that Santee Cooper, a state agency, had hired contract lobbyists to persuade the General Assembly not to sell the utility.

More recently, some lawmakers have accused Santee Coopers executives of misleading them about the utilitys finances, particularly its recent decision to take out $100 million in new debt.

Selling Santee Cooper is a popular idea among lawmakers who think state government should be out of the power business, believe a private company could provide cheaper power and are no longer trust the agencys leaders.

Why are other lawmakers defending Santee Cooper?

Santee Coopers strongest defenders in the Legislature tend to represent districts that are home to the power and water utilitys 1,620 employees or its 177,000 direct-serve customers, mostly along the Grand Strand and Lowcountry.

The fact remains that Santee Cooper still has relatively low rates, thanks to its not-for-profit structure and its ability to borrow money cheaply. It has excellent reliability ratings and high satisfaction marks from its residential customers.

A previous state analysis showed Santee Coopers electric rates would rise if it were sold to the highest bidder, Florida-based power company NextEra Energy.

Santee Cooper is also the states homegrown public power utility. It provides power to some 2 million South Carolinians, and selling it would likely mean ceding control to an out-of-state power company.

Some lawmakers arent keen to do that after Santee Coopers partner on the V.C. Summer project, Cayce-based S.C. Electric & Gas, was just taken over by Virginia-based Dominion Energy. Dominion is currently pursuing a deeply unpopular rate hike.

They prefer restructuring Santee Cooper and providing it more state oversight to make it more accountable.

What's at stake?

Only the future of South Carolina's energy portfolio, the state's economic development efforts, the management of lakes Marion and Moultrie and the jobs of more than 1,600 Santee Cooper employees.

Oh, and the cost of electricity for those 2 million South Carolinians.

Who are the players in this debate?

House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Hartsville, wields great influence over any major vote in the Statehouses lower chamber. House budget committee chairman Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, has been on top of this issue for a while.

State Reps. Kirkman Finlay, R-Columbia, and Leon Stavrinakis, D-Charleston, led the special committee that came up with the Houses legislation. And you can bet on Republican Reps. Sylleste Davis  a Moncks Corner resident and former Santee Cooper employee  and Heather Crawford of Myrtle Beach to fight any effort to sell.

In the Senate, Leatherman and Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, are fed up with Santee Cooper. So are Senate President Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, and veteran Democrat Nikki Setzler of West Columbia.

But the effort to sell Santee Cooper could be stymied in the Senate, where a small group of legislators can wield the chambers rules to kill legislation.

Powerful Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Luke Rankin of Myrtle Beach opposes a sale. So does Senate Democratic leader Brad Hutto of Orangeburg, Democrat Dick Harpootlian of Columbia and Republicans Stephen Goldfinch of Murrells Inlet and Chip Campsen of Charleston.

Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Larry Grooms, whose district includes Santee Cooper's headquarters, would probably filibuster a sale until he faints.

What proposals are up for debate?

Legislators have already filed a handful of bills that could determine Santee Coopers future. Some call for the agencys sale. Others call for its reform.

Later this month, after next weeks break, the House will begin debate on a mammoth piece of legislation, H. 3194, that includes both.

Among other things, that bill would reopen the bidding for Santee Cooper, allowing the General Assembly to negotiate better offers from NextEra and other potential buyers. The thinking is that there were serious concerns with NextEras first offer  notably that it would raise customers power bills, which defeats the purpose of this whole exercise.

The House proposal also calls for Santee Coopers board to be replaced and for more state oversight of the utilitys electric rates, which are currently set by its politically-appointed board.

The debate on the Senate side, where two separate committees are dissecting the issue, will likely move slower.

On Tuesday, Leatherman introduced S. 444, a bill that explicitly calls for Santee Coopers sale and empowers a panel of six legislators to continue negotiating with NextEra Energy.

Massey and state Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Great Falls, authored S. 134, a bill that gives the governor more power to fire members of Santee Coopers board.

Rankin submitted S. 464, which calls for term limits for members of Santee Coopers board and greater state oversight of Santee Coopers electric rates.

And state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, filed S. 439, suggesting South Carolina essentially dissolve Santee Coopers electric operations and turn it into a regional transmission organization in which several utilities can share power lines and save costs for customers.

Everyone involved in this debate seems to agree that Santee Cooper can't continue as it has for the past decade. But building consensus on a path forward could be tricky.
BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2022 Southeast Europe: Welcome to Albania! Photo courtesy BMW Group. BMW Group: MUNICH, Germany - January 16, 2021 - "Explore the unexpected" is the motto of the eighth edition of the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy, which will take place in late summer 2022.



On 14 January at 3:30 pm (CET) BMW Motorrad announced that the next Int. GS Trophy will take place in Albania - and thus in one of the last still largely untouched off-road paradises in Europe.



The participating nations look forward to exciting but also work-intensive times as they organise the qualifying events and select their teams for this unique adventure competition. 22 international teams and, for the first time, 6 international women's teams will be selected in the coming months.



Qualification events for the int. GS Trophy 2022 Southeast Europe have been confirmed in: Brazil

China

France

Germany

India

Japan

Latin America

Mexico

Netherlands

Russia

South Africa

South East Asia

South Korea

United Kingdom

USA



One team can already look forward to participating in the Int. GS Trophy 2022. The Chinese Team 2020 received a wildcard because it could not participate in New Zealand due to the COVID-19 restrictions in force at the time.



BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2022 Southeast Europe Long competition days were the order of the day for the Oceania 2020 edition in the fascinatingly varied landscape of New Zealand. As Dr. Ralf Rodepeter, Head of Brand and Product BMW Motorrad, explains, Albania will offer qualified GS riders completely different riding environments and experiences: After Tunisia, South Africa, Patagonia, Canada, Thailand, Mongolia and most recently New Zealand, BMW Motorrad was once again on the lookout for a location that offered the perfect "GS terrain". Lots of legal off-road kilometres are required, with demanding route profiles and plenty of unknowns. Albania offers the ideal conditions.



Varied landscapes with high mountains, plateaus, deep forests, beaches along the Adriatic coast, fantastic river beds to cross and deep mountain lakes provide the ideal backdrop for what we believe to be one of the most exciting GS Trophies ever staged."



About Albania: The small Balkan country with its very hospitable people is still a real insider tip and one of the last off-road jewels in Europe.



Albania borders Montenegro to the north-west, Kosovo to the north, Northern Macedonia to the north-east, Greece to the south-east and south, the Ionian Sea to the south-west and the Adriatic Sea to the west.



Albania was very isolated right up into the 80s and it was not until 1990 that the Albanians were allowed to vote freely for the first time.



The country has been a member of NATO since 2009 and an EU candidate country since June 2014.



Albania is slowly opening up to tourism. Especially the narrow coastal strip of the Adriatic Sea attracts many visitors in summer. However, two thirds of the country is covered with mountains and the back country in particular is sparsely populated.



The coastal region has a Mediterranean climate with a continental climate in the hinterland.



Albania is a country of contrasts from the Middle Ages to the modern age. Castle ruins and fortresses line the roads and tracks everywhere. The small towns are steeped in a mysterious atmosphere and often you don't have to travel long to feel far removed from the modern world.



A lot of construction work is going on, yet nature is taking back roads and paths just as quickly. Only a few major roads connect the north with the south and the east with the west.



The hinterland is criss-crossed with extremely narrow, winding roads and dirt tracks, which call for a very good riding technique. You will always be in for a surprise around the next corner never knowing whether the road will continue or simply stop.



Capital: Tirana

Number of inhabitants: ~ 2.8 million

Size: 28,748 km

Currency: LEK

Language: Albanian



About the international GS Trophy. The International GS Trophy is an event that celebrates the "spirit" of the legendary BMW GS models. It offers everything that a GS motorbike was made for: Riding fun, adventure and challenges. The Southeast Europe Event 2022 is the eighth edition of the International GS Trophy. Previous editions were held in 2020 in Oceania (New Zealand), 2018 in Central Asia (Mongolia), 2016 in South East Asia (Thailand), 2014 in North America (Canada), 2012 in South America (Chile, Argentina), 2010 in South Africa (South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique) and 2008 in North Africa (Tunisia). In the current edition 22 teams compete with 60 riders from all over the world. The field of riders is accompanied by the GS Trophy Marshals, media representatives, doctors, sponsors as well as a photo and film crew.



The International GS Trophy is not a race but a team competition in which an international line-up of off-road enthusiasts compete together in various special stages. Not all of these tests are purely designed as riding tests. It is also about knowledge and teamwork. As the competitors spend a lot of time together and also sleep in bivouacs, this adventure event also promotes a feeling of togetherness. It is not uncommon for friendships to be made here which last a lifetime. In this way the GS Trophy connects people, cultures and motorcyclists from all over the world in the same way as the GS motorbikes do.



Based on the experience of the past GS Trophy events, the most successful team will be the one that prepares the best, has the best teamwork and rides most skilfully, while having heaps of fun and enjoying the great feeling of international camaraderie.



Be a part of it! In subsequent press releases, BMW Motorrad will provide details of the GS motorcycles which will be used, the equipment that will help the participants master the event and more information on the participating countries and selected teams. BMW Motorrad will be offering a multi-channel media experience during the event, details of which will be published shortly. This will include social media postings and regular messages in written form as well professionally shot and edited video summaries for every day.

For now, you can find out more about the event and the teams on the dedicated website gstrophy.com.



Right after the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2022 Southeast Europe has finished, BMW Motorrad will once again be offering the "Follow the Trails" tours, where customers can follow in the footsteps of the competition on original GS Trophy motorbikes.



You will find further press material on BMW motorcycles and BMW Motorrad rider equipment in the BMW Group PressClub at





The BMW Group



With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the worlds leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.



In 2020, the BMW Group sold over 2.3 million passenger vehicles and more than 169,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2019 was  7.118 billion on revenues amounting to  104.210 billion. As of 31 December 2019, the BMW Group had a workforce of 126,016 employees.



The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.



www.bmwgroup.com



Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup



Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroup



YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupView



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroup



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bmw-group/



"Explore the unexpected" is the motto of the eighth edition of the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy, which will take place in late summer 2022.On 14 January at 3:30 pm (CET) BMW Motorrad announced that the next Int. GS Trophy will take place in Albania - and thus in one of the last still largely untouched off-road paradises in Europe.The participating nations look forward to exciting but also work-intensive times as they organise the qualifying events and select their teams for this unique adventure competition. 22 international teams and, for the first time, 6 international women's teams will be selected in the coming months.BrazilChinaFranceGermanyIndiaJapanLatin AmericaMexicoNetherlandsRussiaSouth AfricaSouth East AsiaSouth KoreaUnited KingdomUSAOne team can already look forward to participating in the Int. GS Trophy 2022. The Chinese Team 2020 received a wildcard because it could not participate in New Zealand due to the COVID-19 restrictions in force at the time.Long competition days were the order of the day for the Oceania 2020 edition in the fascinatingly varied landscape of New Zealand. As Dr. Ralf Rodepeter, Head of Brand and Product BMW Motorrad, explains, Albania will offer qualified GS riders completely different riding environments and experiences: After Tunisia, South Africa, Patagonia, Canada, Thailand, Mongolia and most recently New Zealand, BMW Motorrad was once again on the lookout for a location that offered the perfect "GS terrain". Lots of legal off-road kilometres are required, with demanding route profiles and plenty of unknowns. Albania offers the ideal conditions.Varied landscapes with high mountains, plateaus, deep forests, beaches along the Adriatic coast, fantastic river beds to cross and deep mountain lakes provide the ideal backdrop for what we believe to be one of the most exciting GS Trophies ever staged."The small Balkan country with its very hospitable people is still a real insider tip and one of the last off-road jewels in Europe.Albania borders Montenegro to the north-west, Kosovo to the north, Northern Macedonia to the north-east, Greece to the south-east and south, the Ionian Sea to the south-west and the Adriatic Sea to the west.Albania was very isolated right up into the 80s and it was not until 1990 that the Albanians were allowed to vote freely for the first time.The country has been a member of NATO since 2009 and an EU candidate country since June 2014.Albania is slowly opening up to tourism. Especially the narrow coastal strip of the Adriatic Sea attracts many visitors in summer. However, two thirds of the country is covered with mountains and the back country in particular is sparsely populated.The coastal region has a Mediterranean climate with a continental climate in the hinterland.Albania is a country of contrasts from the Middle Ages to the modern age. Castle ruins and fortresses line the roads and tracks everywhere. The small towns are steeped in a mysterious atmosphere and often you don't have to travel long to feel far removed from the modern world.A lot of construction work is going on, yet nature is taking back roads and paths just as quickly. Only a few major roads connect the north with the south and the east with the west.The hinterland is criss-crossed with extremely narrow, winding roads and dirt tracks, which call for a very good riding technique. You will always be in for a surprise around the next corner never knowing whether the road will continue or simply stop.The International GS Trophy is an event that celebrates the "spirit" of the legendary BMW GS models. It offers everything that a GS motorbike was made for: Riding fun, adventure and challenges. The Southeast Europe Event 2022 is the eighth edition of the International GS Trophy. Previous editions were held in 2020 in Oceania (New Zealand), 2018 in Central Asia (Mongolia), 2016 in South East Asia (Thailand), 2014 in North America (Canada), 2012 in South America (Chile, Argentina), 2010 in South Africa (South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique) and 2008 in North Africa (Tunisia). In the current edition 22 teams compete with 60 riders from all over the world. The field of riders is accompanied by the GS Trophy Marshals, media representatives, doctors, sponsors as well as a photo and film crew.The International GS Trophy is not a race but a team competition in which an international line-up of off-road enthusiasts compete together in various special stages. Not all of these tests are purely designed as riding tests. It is also about knowledge and teamwork. As the competitors spend a lot of time together and also sleep in bivouacs, this adventure event also promotes a feeling of togetherness. It is not uncommon for friendships to be made here which last a lifetime. In this way the GS Trophy connects people, cultures and motorcyclists from all over the world in the same way as the GS motorbikes do.Based on the experience of the past GS Trophy events, the most successful team will be the one that prepares the best, has the best teamwork and rides most skilfully, while having heaps of fun and enjoying the great feeling of international camaraderie.In subsequent press releases, BMW Motorrad will provide details of the GS motorcycles which will be used, the equipment that will help the participants master the event and more information on the participating countries and selected teams. BMW Motorrad will be offering a multi-channel media experience during the event, details of which will be published shortly. This will include social media postings and regular messages in written form as well professionally shot and edited video summaries for every day.For now, you can find out more about the event and the teams on the dedicated website gstrophy.com.Right after the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2022 Southeast Europe has finished, BMW Motorrad will once again be offering the "Follow the Trails" tours, where customers can follow in the footsteps of the competition on original GS Trophy motorbikes.You will find further press material on BMW motorcycles and BMW Motorrad rider equipment in the BMW Group PressClub at www.press.bmwgroup.com With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the worlds leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.In 2020, the BMW Group sold over 2.3 million passenger vehicles and more than 169,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2019 was  7.118 billion on revenues amounting to  104.210 billion. As of 31 December 2019, the BMW Group had a workforce of 126,016 employees.The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroupTwitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroupYouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupViewInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroupLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bmw-group/

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The end-of-year figures released by Malaga city's main museums sum up the damage the pandemic has caused to the local cultural sector.

Three centres managed by Malaga city council - the Picasso birth-house, the Centre Pompidou and the Russian Museum - have seen a dive in visitor figures of between 61% and 75%.

Meanwhile the Malaga Picasso Museum recently described 2020 as its "annus horribilis" as far as figures were concerned, and the Carmen Thyssen said this had been an "especially difficult" year.

"Great efforts have been made to keep the museums alive," said city councillor Noelia Losada, stressing how they had adapted to circumstances, organising online activities, lectures, workshops and concerts with reduced audiences.
For Students: Remain Focused on Community Health

Dear Northwestern students,

This evening marks the official end of Wildcat Wellness for most students. Thank you for responsibly following Wildcat Wellness requirements and helping us begin the term successfully. We are grateful for your resolve and commitment to the health of our community.

We also appreciate those who made the decision to stay home; we know that choice is not easy, and admire your commitment to doing what is best for you. Whether you will study on campus or not, you are part of our Wildcat family.

So that we can continue to be in community  safely  together throughout the term, its critical that we practice science-based, life-saving behaviors, vigilantly following all COVID-19 guidelines as outlined in the Student Expectations and COVID-19 Code of Conduct. We also expect students to uphold the Student Code of Conduct. These are designed to help all of us stay healthy. Students who do not comply will be held accountable as outlined in our Code of Conduct and may jeopardize their status as a Northwestern student.

Below you will find a summary of our community expectations. Please visit the FAQ page for more detailed examples and information.

For all students : Be good neighbors. Follow all public health guidelines for the State of Illinois and all ordinances and expectations for the City of Evanston , City of Chicago, or whatever state or municipality in which you reside. Comply with testing, and comply with all instructions regarding quarantine and isolation processes. If you do not, you will be held accountable through our processes as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, and you could jeopardize your status as a Northwestern student. Note that alcohol can inhibit peoples abilities to make safe choices; be responsible with your alcohol use and the impact any gathering may have on your neighbors. You are part of a larger community  please continue to respect those around you.

: For students living on campus : Know and adhere to all policies for living on campus, including the Expectations for Residents During COVID-19 . Non-compliance will jeopardize your ability to live on campus and possibly your status as a Northwestern student.

: For students living off campus (including outside of the Evanston area): Be good neighbors and follow all ordinances and expectations for the City of Evanston or whatever state or municipality in which you reside. Current Restore Illinois and Evanston Public Health guidelines require gatherings be limited to 10 or fewer household members, or 25% of overall room capacity, whichever is fewer. However, all gatherings (regardless of size) must safely allow sufficient space for social distancing, and face coverings must be worn.



Testing Compliance

Compliance with Northwesterns testing protocols is an important part of campus life. All students who plan to come to campus or interact in person with others in the Northwestern community must be tested weekly or bi-weekly. Students who miss a test will receive reminders. Any student who misses two consecutive tests will be referred to the Office of Community Standards for disciplinary action. Please remember that testing is just one component of a healthy campus environment  alongside proactive measures like wearing a mask, social distancing and good hygiene.

Responding to Concerns

We are encouraged by your adherence to the COVID-19 Expectations during the Fall. However, it is important to reiterate that disregard or non-adherence to these expectations will not be taken lightly. Disregarding these expectations (e.g., repeatedly disregarding social distancing or mask-wearing expectations; hosting or attending gatherings that violate safety guidelines; not engaging in testing or contact tracing efforts) will result in formal action from the Office of Community Standards. Sanctions may include restricted access to campus, suspension or even expulsion from the University. We will act swiftly if you violate these standards. We expect you to continue to take this seriously  because we are.

Reporting Concerns

We also know that our students may wish to share information with us so that we can intervene before a gathering that violates expectations occurs. Any community member can fill out a Community Concern report. The more specific information you can provide, the better. Students may complete the form anonymously.

Contact Tracing

Finally, we expect all students to provide complete, accurate and timely information during contact tracing. Students who reveal a violation of COVID-19 expectations during contact tracing may receive amnesty from conduct sanctions for prompt and good faith participation in contact tracing, testing, and quarantine and isolation expectations that are required upon potential exposure to COVID-19. Hosts of gatherings that violate COVID-19 expectations are not eligible for amnesty. This includes both individuals and student organizations.

How the upcoming term unfolds depends on all of us  including you. We must rise to the challenge to protect the most vulnerable among us, as well as our essential and front-line staff. If you continue to do your part, as you have demonstrated so well during Fall and this Wildcat Wellness period, together we can safeguard the health of Northwestern, our surrounding communities, and each other.

With gratitude and care,

Julie Payne-Kirchmeier

Vice President for Student Affairs

Mona Dugo

Interim Dean of Students

Lucas Christain

Assistant Dean and Director of Community Standards

At least six of Sen. Ted Cruz's former aides have expressed their disgust at the recent actions of their former boss, according to New York Magazine's Intelligencer.

Ted Cruz is under fire for spreading election misinformation, objecting to the results of the 2020 election being certified, and having fundraised during the US Capitol insurrection.

Democratic lawmakers have called for Cruz to resign or to be removed from office.

His former staffers believe that the senator has deserted his conservative values, Intelligencer reported.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Sen. Ted Cruz at the joint session to confirm the Electoral College votes on January 6, 2021 Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Related: What the storming of the US Capitol looked like on Wednesday

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz's former staffers are "pretty disgusted" by the recent actions of their former boss, according to New York Magazine's Intelligencer.

At least six of Cruz's former aides have expressed their distaste at the senator's political stance in recent weeks, the magazine reported.

This behavior, which has included peddling election misinformation, leading the objection to the Electoral college certification, and sending out a fundraising email while a pro-Trump mob breached the Capitol, has left a soured impression of those who have previously worked for him.

One former aide told Intelligencer: "Most of Cruzworld is pretty disgusted."

Another told the magazine: "Everyone is upset with the direction things have gone, and the longer they've been with the senator, the more distaste they are expressing."

Read more: The race is already starting for the Republican 2024 presidential nomination. Here's Insider's rankings of the top 14 likely candidates, from Trump to Cruz to Hogan.

Ever since last week's US Capitol insurrection, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has faced accusations of inciting the violence.

This has prompted several Democratic lawmakers to call for Cruz, along with Sen. Josh Hawley, to be removed from the Senate.

It also resulted in a senior Cruz aide, Lauren Blair Bianchi, resigning. The senator's communications director quit because her visions no longer aligned with his, Punchbowl News reported.

Story continues

Those who have departed the Texas senator's office told Intelligencer that they have struggled to justify his actions.

One former aide explained: "Personally, it's painful. It sucks. We've always backed him because the country deserves principled conservative leadership  I'd say he got unlucky the Capitol was stormed by a mob, but in reality, he placed himself at the political mercy of others."

Another former staffer, Amanda Carpenter, told Intelligencer: "I could never have imagined that he could have gone down this road."

Carpenter added that she was shocked that her former boss would "potentially cancel votes in a way that defied any standards of federalism and constitutionalism."

When running for the Republican nomination in 2016, Cruz appealed to conservative voters and sought to contrast himself with President Donald Trump.

This led to bitter sparring, where Trump accused Cruz's father of involvement in President John F. Kennedy's assassination, and Cruz called him a "pathological liar."

In recent years, however, Cruz has become one of Trump's staunchest allies.

Rick Tyler, a former spokesman on Cruz's presidential campaign, told Intelligencer that this a sign of his political opportunism. He said: "Ted Cruz will abandon principle, he will abandon conservative values for expediency, and you're seeing it again, only more dangerous."

Despite widespread criticism of Cruz, the senator has claimed that he is trying to "find a way to reestablish widespread trust in the system."

One route to do this is by attending President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Rio de Janeiro [Brazil] : The Brazil National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) declined the request to approve the Russian-developed Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 for emergency use in Brazil.

Citing the agency, TASS reported that the request does not comply with the minimal criteria for this task.

"The request was returned to Uniao Quimica, because it does not comply with the minimal criteria in particular, due to lack of permission for third phase of clinical trials, as well as in regards to issue dealing with the advanced production methods," TASS quoted the Anivsa.

This comes after, Uniao Quimica, a partner of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), contacted Anvisa, last year in the month of December, requesting permission to conduct the third stage of clinical trials for the Sputnik V vaccine in Brazil.

Anivsa stated that, considering previous experience of reviewing such applications, the decision could have been provided within 72 hours. However, later, the agency requested additional information on the vaccine.

On Friday, Uniao Quimica and the Russian Fund filed a request for emergency use of 10 million doses of the Sputnik V in Brazil.

"Uniao Quimica believes that, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic escalation in Brazil and the rest of the world, the state and the business must take all efforts to fight it, including by taking measures of emergency and exceptional nature, justified by the urgent need and the importance of the current moment," TASS quoted the company statement.

According to TASS, in January, Uniao Quimica received cellular material for production of the vaccine.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  A Florida woman fired from her job as a COVID-19 data curator said shell surrender to authorities Sunday amid an investigation of allegations that she had hacked into the states emergency response system.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Rebekah Jones has been under investigation since early November after someone illegally accessed the states emergency alert health system, warning employees to speak up before another 17,000 people are dead. You know this is wrong. You dont have to be a part of this. Be a hero.

Federal authorities raided her home in December, seizing her computers and other data equipment.

Jones, who has been highly critical of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on social media and questioned the validity of the states COVID data, said in a Twitter statement Saturday that she would surrender shortly.

In the tweet she said that to protect my family from continued police violence, and to show that Im ready to fight whatever they throw at me, Im turning myself into police in Florida Sunday night. The Governor will not win his war on science and free speech. He will not silence those who speak out.

Its unclear what exact charge she might face. Jones said on Twitter that the warrant was based on a lie and noted a state agent told her the arrest warrant is unrelated to the December raid.

FDLE, the states top crime-fighting agency, confirmed Saturday there is an active warrant for her arrest, but an agency spokeswoman said they could not provide additional details until Jones surrendered.

The agency also confirmed it had analyzed forensic evidence that was within the scope of the December search warrant, according to an email statement to The Associated Press. It did not elaborate on the evidence.

Jones was fired from her post in May after she raised questions about Floridas COVID-19 data. She had been reprimanded several times and was ultimately fired for violating Health Department policy by making public remarks about the information, state records show.

FDLE found no evidence of a message sent last Nov. to DOH staff telling them to speak out on any of the devices they took ... However, police did find documents I received/downloaded from sources in the state, or something of that nature, she said in a series of Twitter statements.

DeSantis has defended the states handling of the case. After the December raid, Jones filed a complaint in Leon County Circuit Court alleging state police violated her rights to free speech and due process.

Kelli Kennedy of The Associated Press wrote this story.
Jamie Bryson said the challenge involved an important point of legal principle (Liam McBurney/PA)

Police in Northern Ireland are facing a potential legal challenge over whether officers have the power to enter private homes to enforce Covid rules.

Stormonts Department of Health is also included in the move questioning the basis of the contention that coronavirus regulations give police the authority to enter private dwellings to investigate alleged breaches, such as holding house parties.

Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson issued pre-action correspondence to the department and the Police Service of Northern Ireland on Sunday. He has also notified the Department of Justice as a noticed party to his challenge.

Pre-action correspondence is the first step toward potential judicial review proceedings. It gives respondents a set period to remedy issues raised by an applicant.

Expand Close PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd has insisted police can enter homes to ascertain if breaches have taken place if the action is proportionate and necessary (Brian Lawless/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd has insisted police can enter homes to ascertain if breaches have taken place if the action is proportionate and necessary (Brian Lawless/PA)

Mr Bryson argues that Northern Irelands health protection regulations do not bestow powers of entry to private dwellings in the absence of a warrant.

He contends that entry in such circumstances would breach common law principles and infringe human-rights legislation.

The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, has also previously raised questions and sought clarity on the power of entry issue.

The PSNI and Justice Minister Naomi Long have both argued the power is available to officers under the regulations.

Assistant chief constable Alan Todd has said the step would only be taken if it was considered necessary and proportionate.

Mr Bryson has requested the Department of Health confirms the coronavirus regulations do not bestow powers of entry on designated persons in respect of private dwellings.

He has asked the PSNI to do similar and concede that previous claims to the contrary by the organisation were inaccurate.

He has sought a reply by Monday January 25.

Expand Close Jamie Bryson (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Jamie Bryson (Liam McBurney/PA)

Mr Bryson made clear he was not encouraging anyone to breach coronavirus regulations.

However, he said the challenge involved an important point of legal principle.

Every person should abide by the regulations, he said.

This is not an encouragement for anyone to behave in breach of the public health guidance and nor is it an endorsement for those foolishly having house parties and placing others at risk.

Rather it is a fundamental matter of principle that, regardless of circumstances, the police and government departments cannot be permitted to indicate they have powers they do not have, even if such an approach is subjectively judged to be for the greater good.

That precedent would create all sorts of dangers for fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.

The PSNI and Executive should now commit to writing a clear outline of the purported legal basis for claiming they have powers of entry into private dwellings.

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size As Donald Trump's aides packed boxes for the President's final withdrawal from the White House, one of the last men he ever appointed to an important government job released a statement on Friday, January 15, local time, to say that his mission had been accomplished: the US had withdrawn all but 2500 troops from Afghanistan, the lowest number of American boots on the ground in 20 years. "This drawdown brings US forces in the country to their lowest levels since 2001," said acting defence secretary Christopher Miller. Warming up in his missive of self-congratulation, he also said "the United States is closer than ever to ending nearly two decades of war and welcoming in an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process to achieve a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire". It's a pretty thought but nothing attempted in Afghanistan in several decades has achieved peace, and many fear this new withdrawal will only make things worse. It's slightly later than planned. Trump had ordered the troops home for Christmas, to the open dismay of his generals and Republican colleagues, and he'd had to dismiss his previous defence secretary Mark Esper on November 10 to get it done. Trump's decision to pull the troops prompted Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, still then loyal to the President and not yet acknowledging Democrat Joe Biden's victory, to push back. "A rapid withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan now would hurt our allies and delight the people who wish us harm," McConnell told his fellow senators. "It would be reminiscent of the humiliating American departure from Saigon in 1975." United States soldiers and their allies in the "war on terror"have been fighting in Afghanistan for almost 20 years. It has become the longest war in US history, characterised by Trump and many of his supporters as an "endless" or "forever war" that he pledged to end.

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Australia's military engagement in Afghanistan, as part of Operation Slipper, lasted 13 years and was also the longest in our nation's history. It ended in 2014, in the words of then prime minister Tony Abbott, "not with victory, not with defeat, but with, we hope, an Afghanistan that is better for our presence here". That hope has been put to the test in the years since by investigations into the conduct of Australian special forces (which did the bulk of this country's fighting in Afghanistan) culminating in the publication of the Brereton report in 2020, which found that 19 current or former special forces soldiers should face criminal investigation over 39 alleged murders of non-combatants. Why has a country that was once a stop on the hippie trail and inspiration for the Lonely Planet guide books come to be defined by war and terrorism? How did troops of the US-led coalition end up being there for decades? Did the CIA create the Taliban? And what might the future hold for Afghans? A depiction by army surgeon James Atkinson of British troops entering Afghanistan through the Bolan Pass in 1839. They were massacred in a retreat through the Khyber Pass three years later. Credit:Getty Images Is Afghanistan really "the graveyard of empires"? The one thing everyone knows about Afghanistan is that it cannot be conquered. As this story goes, every army since Alexander the Greats in 330BC has had to leave in defeat. The British, who fought three wars in Afghanistan between 1838 and 1919, did much to popularise the idea of it as inhospitable and unattainable. (Britain lost the first war but the other two could be called draws.) When Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes meets Dr Watson for the first time, he remarks "you have been in Afghanistan, I perceive" and later Watson recalls seeing "comrades hacked to pieces at [the 1880 battle of] Maiwand". In his poem The Young British Soldier, Rudyard Kipling had the last grim word:

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When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,

And the women come out to cut up what remains,

Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains

An' go to your Gawd like a soldier. British diplomat Major Sir Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari (second from left) was set to take up the post of British envoy in Kabul when the British residency came under attack in 1879 and he was killed, leading the British to resume war in Afghanistan. Credit:Getty Images Three things should be said about this account. Firstly, while travellers and mapmakers had for centuries talked about "the land of Afghans", or Afghanistan in Persian, there wasn't a country called Afghanistan until the 18th century. Secondly, by that time the area had been conquered repeatedly by Persians, Arabs, Mongols and Indians  peoples whose history is not always closely studied in the West. Thirdly, and most importantly, Afghanistan is a place on the edge of every place, a landlocked crossroads at the easternmost limits of the Middle East, the westernmost limits of the Far East, the northernmost limits of South Asia and the southernmost limits of Central Asia. Empires haven't been killed there, but they have often found the end of their reach. This has meant that, again and again, they have sought controlling influence over Afghanistan's affairs without having to rule there, or as Britain's viceroy in India, Lord Curzon, put it in 1906: "We do not want to occupy it, but we also cannot afford to see it occupied by our foes." What about the people who live there?

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"As an Afghan you are always more than one thing: your kin, your tribe, your ethnicity and the place you were born ... As a foreigner, you can never truly understand what it means to be an Afghan." So wrote Abdul Salam Zaeef, one of the founders of the Taliban (on whom more later). At a crossroads, one often encounters a kaleidoscope of people, and Afghanistan has long been home not only to Pashtuns such as Zaeef (once the only people the name "Afghans" referred to) but also Persian-speaking Tajiks and Hazaras, Turkic-speaking Uzbeks and at least a dozen other ethnic groups. Its remoteness also gave it allure for Western travellers. In 1955, to promote its new line of go-anywhere jeeps, Land Rover sponsored the Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition, which saw graduates travel overland from Europe along the long-defunct Silk Road. They were supplied with film to record their journey by a young producer at the BBC, David Attenborough. A hippie family in Afghanistan in 1971. Credit:Getty Images Programs such as the ones created from their footage and books such as Eric Newby's A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush  a mountain range that runs through Afghanistan  inspired waves of young people to set off on a quest to the "mystic East". Eventually this would become the "hippie trail", featuring the hashish Afghans had always grown and smoked. One visitor particularly awestruck by the country's cities, mountains and wilderness was Tony Wheeler. He and his wife Maureen drove across Afghanistan en route from London to Sydney and wrote a booklet about the journey, Across Asia on the Cheap, that effectively founded the Lonely Planet publishing empire.

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In the '60s and early '70s visitors would have found traditional rural societies as well as cities where young Afghans wrestled with modernity in all its forms, from Marxism to the miniskirt. Indeed, it is said that when short-lived national security adviser HR McMaster wanted to convince Trump that the country was not irredeemable and that troops should be kept there, he showed him a photo of three miniskirted students on a Kabul street in 1972. There was one other constant in Afghan life: Islam. For the hippies it would have been part of the exotic furniture. But as the 1970s progressed and conflict and dictatorship reared their heads, for many Afghans it became the last safe space for political activity. US president Ronald Reagan meets an Afghan delegation at the White House in 1983. While Reagan would later receive mujahideen leaders at the White House, only one of the Afghans seen here is a combatant - Mohammad Ghafoor Yousafzai, third from right. Credit:Wikimedia Commons Why did the Americans get interested? When we look at a map today, Afghanistan is bordered to the north by a number of other Central Asian stans. But for most of the 20th century those republics were part of the Soviet Union, ruled from Moscow. Just as the British in India had kept a nervous eye on the Russian Empire during the 19th century in what became known as The Great Game, after World War II the US saw Afghanistan through the lens of its Cold War domino theory, where the fall of one country to communism would mean the same for its neighbours. By the late 1970s, despite investment by Washington in agriculture, schools and power plants, Moscow had the upper hand, and in 1978 a coup brought communists to power in Kabul. Their efforts to supplant tribal authority and enact land reform provoked resistance. At first Moscow refused to become directly involved but, after a second coup in September 1979, Soviet troops entered Afghanistan to install a loyal government, closing the border and forcing hippie travellers to make a detour. The Soviet invasion presented Washington with an opportunity to create a Vietnam-like quagmire for Moscow. US president Jimmy Carter had already begun covertly funding anti-communist militants in Afghanistan through the CIAs Operation Cyclone. The invasion prompted the US-led boycott of the Moscow Olympics. Under Carters successor, Ronald Reagan, Cyclones budget would grow from hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions of dollars a year, and those doing the fighting against the Russians would bring a new word into the English lexicon: mujahideen.

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Three samples of ice cream from a Chinese company were contaminated and tested positive for COVID-19 while thousands of boxes of the dessert have been confiscated.

Samples of ice cream from a Chinese company tested positive for COVID-19, according to a report in FOX News. This led the officials to confiscate thousands of boxes of the dessert but it was also reported that thousands have already been distributed.

Authorities confiscate thousands of boxes

The contaminated ice cream is from the Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Company, according to Sky News. The company dumped 2,089 boxes of the product but officials believed that more than double of that amount or around 4,836 boxes have been contaminated.

Even though thousands of boxes have been confiscated and dumped, thousands of boxes have already been distributed for sale when the positive tests were discovered.

Due to this incident, market regulation authorities in other provinces outside Tianjin where thousands of ice cream were distributed were already notified of the issue.

Authorities are also informing customers who bought or may have purchased the ice cream under Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Company to report their health to community officials. Most especially for those who have experienced COVID-19 related symptoms after purchasing the product.

Related story: Can COVID-19 Live on Food Packaging?

Can COVID-19 survive in ice cream?

Officials believed that the virus or COVID-19 can survive in the ice cream because of its cold temperature. They also added that the ice cream might be contaminated by a person who was asymptotic but continued to work in the company.

Dr. Stephen Griffin, a virologist based at the University of Leeds, said that the instance of contamination was likely a "one-off" and not indicative of a broader issue with the plant itself, according to a recently published report in Sky News.

However, Dr. Griffin also said, "Of course, any level of contamination is not acceptable and always a cause for concern, but the chances are that this is the result of an issue with the production plant and potentially down to hygiene at the factory."

He also explained that the cold temperature that ice cream was stored at, and the fact it contains fat, could explain why the virus had survived on the samples taken - but suggested the news should not prompt major alarm. He said, "We probably don't need to panic that every bit of ice cream is suddenly going to be contaminated with coronavirus."

Read also: Can You Catch COVID-19 From Food?

Based on the initial epidemiological investigations, officials found out that Tianjin produced the batch of ice cream using raw materials including milk powder coming from New Zealand and whey powder imported from Ukraine. But they cannot still establish if this has something to do with the contamination of the ice cream.

Moreover, around 1,662 employees were tested at the company Thursday and were quarantining. There were no results yet of the tests. Anti-epidemic authorities are tracing people who may have been in contact with the batches, which were produced by Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Company.


Dr. Barry Massie, a world renowned cardiologist, died on January 8th 2020 at a memory care facility in Belmont, CA. He was 76 years old. The cause of death was a decade long battle with dementia followed by a short bout of COVID-19. Dr. Massie was born in St. Louis, MO, obtained his undergraduate degree at Harvard, and trained at Bellevue Hospital in New York City (where he was chief resident) after graduating from Columbia University Medical School. He completed his fellowship in cardiology at University of California San Francisco and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco and became a professor of Cardiology at UCSF in 1977.

Dr. Massie was considered a leader in the field of cardiology and a global expert on the topic of heart failure. He wrote over 300 scholarly articles and 50 book chapters on the topic of heart failure. At various points in his career he was the director of the Cardiac Care Unit and Heart Failure Program at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, Professor at UCSF Department of Medicine, and Chief of Cardiology at the San Francisco VA. He was also a consultant to the FDA, President of the Heart Failure Association of America, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Heart Failure, and on the editorial boards of numerous other cardiology journals. He retired in October 2013, having been awarded the Barnwell Award by the Veterans Administration for outstanding achievements in clinical research.

From a young age, Dr. Massie was interested in travel and adventure. With his wife of 40+ years, Ellen, he traveled to dozens of countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Ethiopia, Nepal, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, France, Spain, England, the USSR, and Portugal. He climbed to the top of Mt. Rainier, climbed the highest mountains in Bhutan when he was 64, and visited Machu Picchu. He was also a devoted poker player with a group of long time friends in the Bay Area, and was a life-long St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Dr. Massie is predeceased by his wife, Ellen (from whom he separated in 2006 but maintained a close friendship), and by his parents, Dr. Edward and Mrs. Felice Massie. He is survived by his brother, Dr. Henry Massie of Berkeley CA, his two daughters, Jennifer Massie (Eric Sage ) of San Leandro CA and Rebecca Massie (Christopher Laddish) of San Francisco CA, by his grandson, Eli Massie-Sage, and by many professional colleagues and close friends all over the world. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Physicians for a National Health Plan and Doctors Without Borders/MSF. A memorial service will be held at a later date (for details, contact [email protected]).
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Danny Jin is the Eagle's Statehouse reporter. A graduate of Williams College, he previously interned at the Eagle and The Christian Science Monitor. Danny can be reached at djin@berkshireeagle.com or on Twitter at @djinreports.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned Friday that B117, the new COVID-19 variant, could become a dominant strain in March.

More Infectious COVID-19 Variant

The United States remains the top country in the world with the highest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths. Health and disease infectious experts in the country are worried that these numbers could increase due to the presence of the new COVID-19 variant.

According to a report in STAT News, the U.S. CDC warned on Friday that B117, the new COVID-19 variant, could become a dominant strain as soon as March.

CDC admitted as well that the B117 is a more transmissible variant that can cause COVID-19 cases to increase in the country in the upcoming weeks.

Moreover, the CDC believes the new variant circulating across the country is still at low levels. At present, there are only 76 infections caused by the new variant which have been detected in 12 states. However, the numbers could be higher since testing for it has not been routinely conducted.

Additionally, CDC officials acknowledged the new COVID-19 variant is likely more widespread in the country but it remained undetected due to lack of testing.

They also added that this will be a factor in the increase of cases in March.

Read also: California Reports First Case of New COVID-19 Strain

CDC's Suggestion to Reduce the Transmission of New Variant

In the modeling work done by the CDC scientists, they suggest that fast pacing of vaccination and stringent adherence of COVID-19 protocols increase the chance of controlling the spread of the new variant, according to the CDC's online journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report reported on Friday.

Jay Butler, CDC's deputy director for infectious diseases, told a news outlet they are concerned with the presence of the new variant in the country.

He also added that they want to sound the alarm and urge people to continue to do the things or the protocols they knew would work.

Modeling of the scientists also suggests that without the presence of the new variant, the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths is supposed to decline in February and March.

However, vaccine rollout is not going smoothly in the country and this contends to the new variant.

Read also: Colorado Confirms First Case of Coronavirus New Variant in the U.S.

New COVID-19 Variant is More Transmissible

B117, the new COVID-19 variant, was first detected in the United Kingdom. This virus transmits more easily from person to person. It is thought that people who got infected with the new variant develop higher levels of virus in their upper respiratory tracts.

There were some studies conducted also which revealed that the new variant of COVID-19 is 50 to 70 percent more transmissible. Additionally, the new variants detected in South Africa and Brazil were reported to be more transmissible than the B117.

Meanwhile, even though there is no evidence yet which suggests that the new variant could trigger more severe symptoms but that is of a little reassurance given the speed of how the virus spreads.


JERUSALEM: Israel approved on Sunday plans to build hundreds of new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, projects it is advancing in the final days of the pro-settlement Trump administration.

The planned construction, on land captured by Israel in the 1967 war that Palestinians seek as part of a future state, was announced on Monday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu ordered the plans advanced and on Sunday, a government committee gave final ratification for 365 homes and preliminary approval for another 415, said the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now, which monitored the session.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the construction as illegal, accusing Israel of making a pre-emptive attempt  to undermine any effort by (incoming) U.S. President Joe Biden to relaunch the stalled peace process.

In a statement, the European Union said Israels latest decision to advance the plans is contrary to international law and further undermines the prospects of a viable two-state solution.

The government committees website was not immediately updated with details of Sundays moves, which were also reported by Israels main media outlets.

Settler leaders have voiced concern that once he takes office as president on Wednesday, Biden, a Democrat who has been critical of Israeli settlement activity in the past, will try to slow housing construction.

Peace Now said approval of the new settler housing needlessly sets Israel on a collision course with the incoming Biden administration.

Most countries view Israeli settlements as violating international law. Israel disputes this, citing historical, political and biblical links to the West Bank, where more than 440,000 Israeli settlers now live among 3 million Palestinians.

President Donald Trump has effectively backed Israels right to build West Bank settlements by abandoning a long-held U.S. position that they break international law.

He also has won Israeli praise and drawn Palestinian anger by recognising contested Jerusalem as Israels capital and moving the U.S. Embassy there. U.S.-backed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2014.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
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Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Saturday elected Armin Laschet as its party chairman after an online vote, which is widely seen as a crucial step paving the way for the era after Angela Merkel retires from her post.

Laschet, 59, is the governor of Germany's most populous state North Rhine-Westphalia.

In a run-off, Laschet garnered 521 votes beating the pro-business conservative Friedrich Merz, who got 466 votes.

A third candidate, foreign policy expert Norbert Roettgen, was knocked out in the first round of the voting.

To make the online election legitimate, a postal vote would follow the digital vote, and the formal recognition will be on Jan. 22, according to a schedule given by the CDU.

Merkel loyalist

Laschet was considered by local media a close ally and a continuity candidate of Merkel, pursuing a centrist course in the party.

When Merkel faced strong opposition and criticism from parts of her party during the refugee crisis in 2015, Laschet remained supportive of her policies.

Laschet said that the CDU will only win if the party remains strong "in the middle of the society," insisting on social cohesion and the social market economy.

"We want to remain a strong people's party of the middle, in which everyone stands together... We are working on that now," Laschet said in his victory address.

In terms of foreign policy, Laschet is a strong supporter of European integration due to his working experience as a member of the European Parliament and was born in the German-Dutch-Belgian border region, according to analysts.

You will not see too many changes if Laschet becomes chancellor, said Michael Schumann, chairman of Germany's Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade.

"As a centrist candidate, he can build bridges and balance different factions and interest groups well," said Schumann.

Transition period

Laschet's appearance came at a crucial time in German politics as federal elections are set for September.

The CDU, currently the most popular party according to polls, has been searching for its new leader for almost a year since its plenary meeting was postponed two times last April and December due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

In late 2018, Merkel announced that she would not seek a fifth term and later stepped down from the CDU leadership.

The later elected party head Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer nevertheless failed to show leadership within the party and was mired in an election scandal in the eastern state of Thuringia.

Kramp-Karrenbauer tendered her resignation in February 2020.

"I am aware of the responsibility associated with this office," Laschet said, adding he will "ensure the next chancellor in the coming federal elections will be from the (CDU/CSU) union."

The CDU head traditionally runs as a chancellor candidate in federal elections, but the pandemic has somehow changed this.

Christian Social Union (CSU) leader Markus Soeder, also minister-president of Germany's southern state of Bavaria, has gradually gained popularity led by positive reviews of his strict handling of the virus.

Soeder is now widely perceived as a potential candidate who might challenge Laschet.

Some also speculated that Health Minister Jens Spahn from the CDU might take a shot.

The CSU, operating only in Bavaria, is part of the CDU/CSU Union bloc in the federal parliament. The two parties will decide together on their common chancellor candidate.

So far, there has not been a CSU chancellor.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 14:09:47|Editor: huaxia

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CHONGQING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Ben Brown is from the U.S. state of Minnesota.

He has been working and living in southwest China's Chongqing for more than 20 years.

Witnessing the country's rapid development, Brown says there are more opportunities in China now.

"In the 1990s, when I was here, I was an English teacher. There are more opportunities in everything in China now than there were in the 1990s," said Brown.



Brown also says he is impressed with how China has put COVID-19 under control.

"I am very impressed with how China handled the virus here," said Brown, "I feel proud of my second home that they did so well at it. It gives me the confidence to stay here."



Speaking of the future, Brown says he hopes Chongqing could evolve into a global city.
US continues to face very serious problems in trade and economic relations with China

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Germany, France, Netherlands urge tech giants to test start-up purchases

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California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development opening office in Yerevan

US Department of State issues statement on detention of Armenian soldiers by Azerbaijani forces

Armenia 1st President says Aliyev is certain that Pashinyan won't win elections and is trying to get all that he can

UN calls for $ 95 million in aid to Palestinians

Twitter is concerned about safety of its employees in India

Artsakh hero: Impotent and perhaps also treacherous authorities of Armenia need to be removed from power immediately

France MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to show maximum restraint

Azerbaijani attacks Russia citizen of Armenian descent in Moscow

Armenia acting MOD provides President with information about capture of Armenian servicemen

Lithuania MFA urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to go to de-escalation of situation and pull out troops

Russian Deputy FM, EU Special Representative discuss situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia acting FM resigns

Acting Deputy FM: Armenia reserves itself the right to take necessary steps to protect its territorial integrity

China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

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Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

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ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

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Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

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Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

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William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

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Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

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Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

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Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

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The Senate will soon be called upon to sit as jurors in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial. I hope that, when the time comes, Sen. Rob Portman will vote to convict the president. While he may question the need for conviction because Trump will soon be out of office, a conviction is necessary to prevent him from running for president again or holding any other federal office. Additionally, a conviction while he is still in office would prevent Trump from receiving costly taxpayer benefits when out of office that he doesnt deserve.

There is no doubt that the president committed at least one impeachable offense by inciting the riot. He probably committed another in his phone call with the Georgia secretary of state. For these reasons, President Trump should be convicted.

Howard Kass,

Solon
The Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan held a briefing on the commissioning of three infrastructure facilities last Thursday, including the Kerki (Turkmenistan) - Shibirgan (Afghanistan) power transmission line, the 30-kilometer Akina-Andkhoy railway section in the Afghan territory, as well as the Imamnazar (Turkmenistan) - Akina (Afghanistan) and Serhetabat (Turkmenistan) - Turgundi (Afghanistan) international fiber-optic communication lines.

The briefing was attended by the heads of a number of ministries, heads and representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in Turkmenistan, rectors of the higher education establishments, national and foreign journalists. Ambassadors of Turkmenistan to foreign countries also took part in the briefing via video conferencing.

As the Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov noted in his speech, these projects are the real steps towards Afghanistans consistent joining the regional and international economic processes, the integration of this country into the system of continental transport and communication links.

Meredov also stressed that in terms of their geo-economic and geopolitical significance the infrastructure facilities in Turkmenistan and Afghanistan go beyond the regional framework. The foreign minister confirmed the invariability of Ashgabat's position on providing comprehensive political, diplomatic and economic support to Afghanistan, which is part of an integrated long-term state strategy for Turkmenistan's cooperation with this state.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
(Newser)  A far-right personality known as "Baked Alaska," whose livestream of the Capitol riots may have led to many of his fellow participants' arrests, has himself been arrested. Tim Gionet, as he's legally known, was arrested by the FBI in Houston on Saturday, per the AP. Gionet reportedly streamed video from the Capitol grounds for at least half an hour during the Jan. 6 siege, in which he could be heard encouraging other protesters not to leave, cursing and exclaiming We are in the Capitol Building, 1776 will commence again." Per an FBI affidavit, Gionet also entered offices and identified himself as a member of the media to police before cursing an officer and then leaving the building. He faces charges of violent and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority.

story continues below

Gionet used the platform DLive to stream under the handle bakedalaska, a nickname he said in a 2017 interview with Business Insider he was given because he is from Alaska and smoked marijuana at the time. Gionet has since been banned from the platform. However, according to the New York Times, it's possible he received as much as $2,000 from the video through a DLive feature that allows viewers to tip streamers. Meanwhile, Vice reports that the FBI has used Gionet's livestream to nab multiple rioters and has asked members of the public to watch the footage to help them identify others. Thus far, more than 125 arrests have been made.

(Read more Capitol attack stories.)
The Rakon Board of Directors is pleased to provide an update to the market on its earnings guidance for the year ending 31 March 2021 (FY2021).

Rakon expects to achieve Underlying EBITDA1 of between $20 million and $22 million. This compares to Underlying EBITDA1 of $14.8 million reported for the prior period and is an update of our previous guidance for FY2021 of $16 million to $18 million.

This new guidance follows Rakons financial performance to 31 December 2020 and updated view of demand forecast, firm orders and expected expenditure for the balance of FY2021. Demand from the Telecommunications sector has been higher than expected. Globally, the roll-out of 5G networks is continuing, resulting in greater demand for Rakon products. There is also greater demand for Rakon products for synchronising datacentres and enhancing optical communications reflecting growth in global data volumes and cloud-based applications.

The October 2020 fire at Asahei Kasei Microdevices (AKM) in Japan, the worlds largest semiconductor manufacturer of TCXO Integrated Circuits (IC), created a world-wide shortage of TCXOs which are used in a wide variety of applications. Rakon is meeting some of this shortfall due to its good inventory levels, agile manufacturing operations and its proprietary TCXO IC, resulting in higher revenue forecast for Q4 FY2021.

Factors under-pinning Rakons good performance are expected to continue, particularly 5G deployment. This guidance is dependent on the management of usual supply chain and operational risks as well as risks arising from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical issues for Rakons operations and those of its customers and suppliers.

See the link below for more details:

Rakon Update of FY2021 Earnings Guidance

Source: Rakon Limited

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Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has officially left the White House, one week after giving her final briefing and just days before President Trump finishes his term.

McEnany had her last day in the West Wing on Friday and was seen packing up her office later that night, according to reports.

Despite her departure, she reportedly remains on payroll and will continue working in her official capacity from her hometown of Tampa until Wednesday, when Joe Biden is sworn in.

McEnany did not give a farewell press conference nor had she announced when she was leaving, but confirmed her exit on her personal Twitter account following media reports.

Kayleigh McEnany was seen departing the White House for the last time Friday, days before Trump finishes his term, according to reports

Her departure comes a week after she gave her final press briefing after which she fled the room (right) without taking questions. McEnany read a less than two-minute statement where she said she spoke on 'behalf of the entire White House' in condemning the violence at the Capitol

'So many Great Americans..As I leave the White House, I have the privilege of reading notes from incredible servants to our country,' she wrote Friday night.

White House press secretaries during Trump's presidency Sean Spicer (January 20, 2017 -July 21, 2017) Sarah Huckabee Sanders (July 21, 2017 - July 1, 2019) Stephanie Grisham (July 1, 2019 - April 7, 2020) Kayleigh McEnany (April 7, 2020 - January 15, 2021 Advertisement

'Men and Women whose names you do not know but who have served their country with pride until the end,' she added before signing off with three American flags.

McEnany's departure comes a week after she gave her last press conference at the White House briefing room where she addressed the violent riots at the Capitol in a short, rushed statement.

She abruptly called a press briefing last Thursday to speak on 'behalf of the entire White House' in condemning the violence - but also defended the 'peaceful protesters' who descended on Washington D.C. to object the results of the presidential election.

She spoke for less than two minutes, reading a statement from her notebook, before fleeing the room without answering any questions.

'Let me be clear, the violence we saw yesterday at our nation's capital was appalling reprehensible and antithetical to the American way,' McEnany said.

'What we saw yesterday was a group of violent rioters undermining the legitimate first amendment rights of the many thousands who came to peacefully have their voices heard, in our nation's capital.

'Those who violently besieged our Capitol, are the opposite of everything this administration stands for the core value of our administration is the idea that all citizens have the right to live and safety, peace and freedom.'

McEnany did not take any questions from the press despite their best efforts to grab her attention following her short remarks.

McEnany confirmed her exit on her personal Twitter account amid media reports

McEnany was the fourth person during Trump's presidency to take on the role of White House press secretary after replacing Stephanie Grisham in April

She became known as one of President Trump's biggest defenders, especially in times of controversy

McEnany was the fourth person to hold the role of press secretary during Trump's presidency.

She took on the position in early April, replacing Stephanie Grisham who had been appointed in July 2019.

Unlike her predecessor, McEnany gave public briefings relatively often and became known as one of President Trump's biggest defenders in times of controversy, even reiterating his claims of election fraud.

Up until Friday, McEnany had held 42 formal briefings since her first on May 1, and spoke for an average of 23 minutes, according to former CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller.

Come Monday, the press staff will be down to two following McEnany's departure.

While some people have been asked to stick around by the incoming administration, the White House has been reduced to a skeleton crew.

Meanwhile Trump will leave Washington with his future deeply uncertain, two weeks after his supporters sent lawmakers and congressional staffers scrambling for safety as they tried to halt the peaceful transition of power.

White House press secretaries throughout Trump's term: Sean Spicer (left) Sarah Huckabee Sanders (center) Stephanie Grisham (right) and Kayleigh McEnany

While Trump was once expected to leave office as the most powerful voice in the Republican Party and the leading contender for its 2024 nomination, he has been shunned by much of the party over his response to the violence, which left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.

The president is expected to leave the White House next Wednesday morning just before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration to begin his post-presidential life in Florida.

Refusing to abide by tradition and participate in the ceremonial transfer of power, Trump will instead hold his own departure ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before his final flight aboard Air Force One.

Officials are considering an elaborate send-off event reminiscent of the receptions he's received during state visits abroad, complete with a red carpet, color guard, military band and even a 21-gun salute, according to a person familiar with the planning who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement.

Trump will become only the fourth president in history to boycott his successor's inauguration.

And while he has said he is now committed to a peaceful transition of power - after months of trying to delegitimize Biden's victory with baseless allegations of mass voter fraud and spurring on his supporters who stormed the Capitol - he has made clear he has no interest in making a show of it.
1. 799 Cases Pending Under Scrapped IT Act Section

PTI

At least 799 cases still pending under the scrapped Section 66A of the IT Act, said the digital advocacy group IFF, as per a TOI report. The Supreme Court scrapped it in 2015.

2. Trump Wants To Dodge Lawsuit

AFP

Donald Trump urged a federal appeals court to rule in his favour that he as a government employee can dodge a defamation suit by E Jean Carroll, a columnist who accused him of raping her 20 years back, according to Bloomberg.

3. Taliban Hail US Pulling Out Of Afghanistan

The Taliban praised the latest withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

AP

with their spokesman saying that the continued reduction of American forces was a "good advancement" as per an AFP report.

4. 53% Of Those Enrolled Turn up in Delhi For Vaccination

Reuters

Vaccination against COVID began in Delhi and more than 53% of the health workers enrolled appearing at the 81 vaccination centres across 11 districts as per a TNN report.


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Dublin-based market intelligence company, SalesOptimize, which was set up by a former PayPal executive, has just raised 2m and plans to hire 30 people this year.

Company founder Liz Fulham told the Sunday Independent that her target is to get to 180 employees over the next five years.

The jobs will be in the areas of sales, technology and data science. Set up in 2015, company clients include PayPal, Hermes and Bank of Ireland.

Fulham was previously the head of telesales for Paypal Europe and saw a gap in the market;

"Ecommerce was exploding when I was there and there was no tool to find really good quality sales lead data, market intelligence.

"I decided to set up a company and become the Google for business.

"We help companies identify their addressable markets, be it in Ireland, be it international, anywhere in the world. With a press of a button we can reveal everybody you should be selling to," she said.

The latest fundraising brings total investment in the company to date to 5m.

Backers include a private investor, Wayra, Telefonica, Enterprise Ireland and friends and family. Fulham said that the company had worked closely with Enterprise Ireland on its growth plans.

SalesOptimize is already selling into 24 countries and has a European patent for its search engine.

"We want to go in and take over Europe and be the key supplier of high-quality market intelligence and sales lead data," Fulham said.

Fulham describes herself as an innovator and corporate problem solver. She says she realised "she was always an entrepreneur, I just didn't have the confidence to believe I could do it."

"Don Quixote" by Universal Ballet Courtesy of Kim Kyoung-jin



By Park Ji-won



For ballet lovers, 2020 was one of the toughest years due to a series of cancellations of performances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not a single company presented "The Nutcracker," the regular repertoire for many troupes in the winter holiday season. Some shows were released online, but many of them just didn't have a chance to meet audiences.



Despite the difficult times, ballet companies are ready to show new inspiring works and long-awaited classics this year which could relieve stress from the prolonged pandemic.



Svetlana Zakharova, a principal dancer of Bolshoi Ballet of Russia and La Scala Theatre Ballet of Italy, will tour Korea with 25 dancers of Bolshoi Ballet this year. After having last been here in November 2019, she will present her famous piece "MoDanse," which portrays the life of legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel. The show will be held in BEXCO in Busan on Oct. 9 and 10, at the Seoul Arts Center on Oct. 13 and 14, and at the Daejeon Arts Center on Oct 16 and 17. "MoDanse" premiered at the Bolshoi Theater in 2019 and has been presented all over the world.





Svetlana Zakharova, a principal dancer of Bolshoi Ballet of Russia and La Scala Theatre Ballet of Italy, performs for "MoDanse" in this undated photo. Courtesy of Happening People
The country is facing into its longest lockdown yet, with more months of restrictions as the health service struggles to cope with thousands of Covid-19 cases at the same time as it races to vaccinate millions of people.

The Government is only expected to allow schools and the construction sector to reopen before March and even this is dependent on the number of new cases and the situation in hospitals.

A senior government source admitted last night it is "50-50" on whether there will be an easing of restrictions on these two sectors next month.

The hospitality sector is now expected to remain closed until after Easter, with the Government privately warning it could be the summer before bars, restaurants and hotels are able to reopen in any way - while any form of international tourism from overseas this year is being ruled out.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar warned in a private meeting with hospitality industry representatives last Friday the "virus keeps ripping up our plans" and the Government was unable to give any clear timeline for reopening to the sector.

But following the meeting, some industry figures believe it could be well into the autumn before venues such as wet pubs open their doors again. "This will be a very long lockdown," said a government source yesterday. "I doubt hospitality will open before summer."

The Cabinet will decide in two weeks' time if it is safe for schools to fully reopen to all students and if all construction workers can return to sites across the country from next month.

But senior government figures say decisions on these will depend on three criteria: reducing case numbers significantly to low levels; cutting the numbers in ICU - which currently are nearly 200 patients - to around 50 at any one time; and vaccinating as many of the 700,000 of the most vulnerable and frontline healthcare workers as possible.

There has been a marked change in the Government's approach to the virus - which one senior figure characterised as "hope for the best, plan for the worst" - after the disastrous reopening of the hospitality sector and easing of travel restrictions before Christmas.

Read More

These sent case numbers soaring to unprecedented levels and left hospitals at breaking point.

There were 60 additional deaths from Covid confirmed last night, with another 3,231 more cases and 119 additional hospitalisations.

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan warned that a significant percentage of the population - more than one in 10 in some counties - is either a case or a close contact.

"The improvements in cases is not happening fast enough," he said. "Too many people are still not complying as fully as we need with the advice. There are early indications that we may be levelling off in terms of improvement, but at far, far too high a level of infection."

The scale of the crisis facing the health service is underscored this weekend as the Sunday Independent can reveal that some 250 doctors, nurses and other frontline staff have been told to come to work when they should otherwise be self-isolating.

Data supports anecdotal evidence that the health service is increasingly relying on such derogations in order to staff hospitals during the third wave of the virus.

Under HSE guidelines senior management in hospitals can give essential healthcare staff a "derogation", or exemption, to return to work if "an area cannot be staffed safely or a critical skill set to provide critical or essential services is unavailable".

HSE guidelines for derogations have been updated regularly throughout the pandemic, but critics say this amounts to a watering down of protections afforded to healthcare workers.

Meanwhile Dr Colm Henry, chief clinical officer of the HSE, said yesterday we have another year of restrictions ahead before the number of people vaccinated would be sufficient to protect the general public from Covid.

"The answer, and not everyone likes it but it's the truth ... is that the public in general won't have protection from Covid-19 for at least a year," he told RTE's Raidio na Gaeltachta

The first mass vaccination centres began operating in Dublin, Galway and Portlaoise yesterday, administering around 1,800 of the Moderna vaccines, mainly to GPs.

The Department of Health has told TDs in a briefing note that Pfizer's announcement on Friday that its supply will be disrupted this coming week will only have a "modest" impact on the vaccine roll-out in Ireland.

But Health Minister Stephen Donnelly's spokesman admitted yesterday: "At this point we only have confirmed delivery schedules of vaccines to the end of February and after that we are working off estimated delivery schedules."

Expected regulatory approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on January 29 will be a potential game- changer with GPs and pharmacists expected to administer this vaccine en masse."

Mr Donnelly has asked officials to examine if it is legally possible to take delivery of the vaccines in advance of the European Medicines Agency approval so they are ready for immediate roll-out.

Mr Donnelly has defended the controversy over the vaccination of staff in private hospitals and clinics ahead of frontline public healthcare workers. His spokesperson said there is "no distinction" between public or private hospital staff in the roll-out of vaccines to frontline healthcare workers.

"The hospital groups have teams who decide on the allocation of vaccines to hospitals in their areas, based on the risk facing different staff. As hospital groups work with private hospitals in their areas, they include them in considerations," they said.

Last night, in another sign of how stretched the health service has become, the Department of Health announced that placements for over 2.000 student nurses and midwives were being temporarily suspended.

The move will enable the return of qualified nurses and midwives who were previously supervising the students to the frontline. The Department said fourth years on placement would not be impacted by the move which will last at least two weeks.
Courtesy of AmazonThe fictional African kingdom of Zumunda has issued a royal decree in honor of their king, James Earl Jones, on his 90th birthday.

"Official Statement from the Royals of Zamunda: Our exalted ruler of Zamunda and cinematic icon turns 90-years-old this Sunday, January 17th," the message reads. "Please join us in wishing James Earl Jones the most royal of birthdays! #HappyBirthdayJEJ."

While Jones may only be a king on the big screen, the Emmy, Tony, Grammy and honorary Oscar winner has made a royal effort over his 70-plus year career.

Described as "one of the greatest actors in American history," for his performances in film, theater and television, Jones has starred in numerous critically-acclaimed projects including The Great White Hope, August Wilson's Fences, and Claudine. He also lent his voice to iconic characters like Star Wars' Darth Vadar and Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King.

Up next, Jones will reprise his role as King Jaffe Joffer, in the upcoming sequel to the 1988 original film Coming to America.

Coming 2 America, which includes original cast members like Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and John Amos, is set be released digitally on Prime Video on March 5, 2021.

Happy birthday, James!

By Candice Williams

Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
The Morris Canal Greenway has a new bridge, creating an uninterrupted path of about two miles for hiking and biking along a section of the historic former canal on the border of Hackettstown and Allamuchy Township.

The long-awaited $36,000 bridge totals 60 feet and spans a large dip in the mostly level towpath trail where a stream breaches the canal route. Hikers and bicyclists now will have an uninterrupted jaunt of about two miles through the woods from Bilby Road in Hackettstown to Waterloo Road (Route 604) at Saxton Falls in Allamuchy.

Warren County on Friday announced the completion of the project.

Funding was obtained via a state recreational trails grant totaling $30,000 from the New Jersey Department of Parks and Forestry and a Warren County match of $6,000. The approximate cost of the bridge was $15,000, with the remaining $21,000 funding surveying and engineering fees, decking and other miscellaneous costs, county officials said.

The steel span, located within Allamuchy Mountain State Park, was installed with the help of the county Division of Bridges and state parks personnel. Planning Director David Dech announced the completion of the new bridge to the public during a recent meeting of the Warren County Board of County Commissioners.

This is just one more segment that can be walked or biked of the 33 miles of the historic Morris Canal in Warren County, Dech said. He noted about 12 miles of the canals route through the county are open for public trails in various locations.

Warren County Commissioner Director James R. Kern III called the Morris Canal Greenway one of the countys greatest recreational paths.

For years this has been a priority to preserve and convert the canal into a trail system, Kern said. I encourage our residents and visitors alike to visit this site.

The Morris Canal, which ultimately ran from Phillipsburg on the Delaware River to Jersey City on the Hudson, opened in 1831 and lasted until 1924. Canal boats pulled by mules hauled coal, agricultural products and other goods, as a combination of canal locks and inclined planes surmounted the hills of northern New Jersey.

In 1981, the then Warren County Board of Chosen Freeholders formed a committee dedicated to the preservation of the Morris Canal and other historic features.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.

On Thursday, Egypt signed a memorandum of understanding with Germanys Siemens for the construction of a high-speed electric train line linking Egypts eastern and northern coasts. The step came a day after President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met with German Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser in Cairo. Ahram Online lays out some of the details of the project below.

Not just a line

The project is not just a train line; it is an integrated system of a high-speed electric railway network linking the whole country with a total length of 1750 Kilometres and a total speed of 250 Kilometres per hour.

The project's goals

Besides working side-by-side with the 1000 kilometer-long diesel-powered train network in transporting people, the newly signed project will help be part of the Egyptian development process through connecting the country's industrial districts together in order to transport cargo from and to ports nationwide. A number of trains will be designated to transport tourists to and from many destinations too. Also, the project aims to link the country with neighbouring countries.

Four main directions

The project comprises four lines, with the first to be completed in 2023. The first line - which is 460km long - will pass through the Suez governorates Ain Sokhna, the New Administrative Capital, Cairo, Giza, Six October city, Alexandria and New Alamein city. The second will link the Red Sea's main port with Alexandria's port as well as Matrouh's Gargoub port. While the third connects Hurghada and Safaga with Qena and Luxor. The last line will link Six October city with Luxor and Aswan.

Project's duration

The project will be implemented by Siemens along with other Egyptian companies. Each line is set to be implemented within two years.

The total cost

The total cost, estimated at EGP 360 ($23 billion), will be paid to Siemens and the Egyptian companies involved in the project. According to the deal, the cost will be paid six years after the beginning of construction work over a period of 14 years. The cost covers the maintenance work over 15 years.

Easy trips for tourists

The project will provide two-hour trips from Luxor to Hurghada for tourists.

Helping Upper Egypt train lines

The lines passing through Egypt south aim at alleviating pressure on the already overwhelmed traditional Upper Egypt train lines.

Job opportunities

The project will create 15,000 job opportunities and 2000 permanent jobs during the first stage only.

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More than 2,000 student nurses have had their placement suspended as of last night.

More than 2,000 student nurses and midwives have had their placements cancelled for at least two weeks to free up supervisory staff for frontline roles as increasing pressure comes on the health service.

The HSE contacted the Department of Health, requesting the placement of first, second and third year placements be suspended.

Fourth year placements will not be affected, according to a decision by the Department of Health on Saturday night.

Nursing and midwifery students in the first three years of their degree go on supernumerary placement, which is unpaid. This has been cancelled for two weeks, with specific exemptions for some childrens nursing students in fourth year, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) confirmed.

The affected students will not have to repay this placement time later in order to qualify.

The Department has stated that these students will not be offered temporary healthcare assistant contracts over this period, as they were earlier in the pandemic.

Final year students in their internship will continue to work over the coming two weeks, but the INMO has sought clarity and requested that their pay is increased to the healthcare assistant grade, as it was in March.

The union says that this would better reflect the workload and risk final-year interns face.

INMO student representatives will meet to discuss the plans and set out their reaction.

INMO General Secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, said: This is a last-minute decision and further clarity is needed. Students have been put in incredibly risky situations with no pay and weakened protections.

Those interns who are being asked to continue working need to be valued properly. Earlier in the pandemic, their pay was increased to take account of the risks and workload they faced. The Minister should do the right thing and reinstate that policy.




Paris, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2021 ) :Canadian convenience store chain Couche-Tard has dropped its multi-billion-euro takeover bid for French supermarket giant Carrefour, the two companies confirmed Saturday, after Paris said it would veto the deal.

Carrefour and Couche-Tard said they would pursue "operational partnerships" after the French government signalled it would not agree to the takeover because it could jeopardise food security -- an even more important consideration given the coronavirus pandemic.

"Among the preliminary areas of cooperation to be explored are sharing best practices on fuel, pooling purchasing volumes, partnering on private labels, improving the customer journey through innovation, and evaluating ways of optimizing product distribution in the overlapping networks," Carrefour and Couche-Tard said in a joint statement.

Couche-Tard, which operates internationally under Circle K and other brands, had on Wednesday submitted a non-binding offer for Carrefour, valuing the group at more than 16 billion Euros ($19.5 billion).

But France's Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire made his feelings clear on Friday, telling BFM and RMC television that his position was "a polite, but clear and definitive 'No'".

"Food security is a strategic consideration for our country and one does not just hand over one of the large French distributors like that," he said.

"Carrefour is the biggest private sector employer in France with nearly 100,000 employees," he added.

The group, which has more than 12,300 stores of various formats in more than 30 countries, accounts for 20 percent of the food distribution market in France.

- Canadian surprise - Canadian officials were unconvinced by Le Maire's argument.

A Canadian Federal source said while they could understand concerns over allowing a foreign firm to take over such a large national employer, concerns over food security were unsubstantiated.

"We cannot accuse a leading Canadian company like Couche-Tard of endangering the food sovereignty of an entire country," the source, who requested anonymity, told AFP.

Bloomberg reported that negotiations ended after a meeting between Le Maire and the founder of Couche-Tard, Alain Bouchard.

In an attempt to reassure ministers, Bouchard had promised to invest billions in Carrefour and to maintain employment for two years. The group was to be listed on the Paris Stock Exchange in parallel with Canada, according to Bloomberg.

The French government's reaction also caused surprise at Carrefour itself, according to sources who said Le Maire's comments were "premature" given that merger discussions had barely begun.

Carrefour generated a net profit of 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in 2019 on revenue of 80.7 billion euros.

It employs 320,000 people worldwide.

Couche-Tard meanwhile has a network of more than 14,200 stores, in the United States and several European countries, as well as in Latin America and southeast Asia.

It earned a net profit of $2.4 billion on sales of $54 billion in its last complete year.
Back in November, Ethiopia unveiled two deals to buy deeply discounted wheat from suppliers that seasoned traders had never heard of. A website named for one of the companies listed a German address that didn't exist and appeared to use stock photos of models.

Two months on, it remains a mystery who was behind the deals or what their motivation was, especially as Ethiopia says it hasn't lost any money. One thing is clear though: no wheat has been delivered. The government has now canceled the tenders and plans to start over.

It's an embarrassing blunder that could have ramifications for a country in desperate need of food. Ethiopia relies on more than 1 million tons of wheat imports a year to feed its people; the two canceled tenders together represented 600,000 tons. Global wheat prices have risen since the deals were initially awarded, meaning it will probably have to pay more now.

Ethiopia's grain-tender process has for years been dogged by cancellations and corruption allegations, as well as putting strain on much-needed foreign-exchange reserves. The nation had already postponed or canceled tenders over the course of last year. That's especially a problem for a country where some 11 million people were seen in need of food aid by the end of last year.

Ethiopia's farming industry last year suffered from the worst desert-locust infestations in decades as well as the covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, conflict in parts of the country displaced tens of thousands of people, adding to widespread food shortages.

"There is no doubt that there is a major food security crisis," said Tedd George, founder at Kleos Advisory, a U.K.-based adviser on African markets. "Ethiopia has lost a number of tenders beforehand. It may have been that they have had difficulty finding more established, more respected traders to provide wheat."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance this week said that while the two tenders were canceled, the nation has been able to meet its needs through other purchases and domestic supply, though couldn't comment further.

Major grain merchants have largely shunned Ethiopia's tenders due to unfavorable terms such as requiring offers to be valid for 30 days, exposing traders to losses should prices change. However, there are a handful of smaller suppliers that regularly participate in the tenders.

The two tenders awarded in November were for the purchase of 400,000 tons from Rosentreter Global Food Trading and 200,000 tons from Martina Mertens, at a combined value of about $117 million. However, the companies were unknown to nine experienced international grain traders surveyed by Bloomberg.

The Public Procurement and Property Disposal Service this month said it canceled the tenders because the companies didn't follow through with the deals and plans to reissue them. Since the tenders were awarded in early November, benchmark futures have climbed about 10% to $6.72 a bushel in Chicago.

When asked about Rosentreter's authenticity in November, PPPDS Director-General Tsewaye Muluneh said that while it was the first time the new company had participated in tenders, it had passed the PPPDS's checks.

There are reasons to question the firms' legitimacy. Rosentreter and Martina Mertens offered wheat much cheaper than other tender participants. The German address that was stated on a website for Rosentreter doesn't exist, phone numbers wouldn't connect, an email failed to deliver and personal biographies used what seems are stock photos of models.

Rosentreter's website no longer works, and Bloomberg couldn't identify one, or locate contact details, for Martina Mertens.

It's not clear who would stand to benefit from the failed tenders. Tsewaye said Ethiopia hasn't lost any money in the two tenders, with the companies even putting up a bond payment to participate. She wouldn't elaborate further.

The Ministry of Finance didn't respond to phone calls, emails and text messages over the past two months seeking comment on the authenticity of the companies involved and whether the awards were a blunder.

The government held a monopoly on wheat purchases until early last year when, as part of new state reforms, it started allowing some private companies to import as long as they use their own foreign currency. There's no public list of who is eligible to import.

It seems the country still needs more food. The Catholic Relief Services said Ethiopia has asked it for assistance, with distribution already underway. The World Food Programme also confirmed it's assisting the government in procuring wheat.

Ethiopia's National Disaster Risk Management Commission said 11.1 million people needed food aid last year and that it's working on figures for 2021. The country is currently buying about 700,000 tons of wheat and plans to purchase another 300,000 tons later this year, said Mitiku Kassa, head of the agency.

"It is inevitable they are going to need support from the World Food Programme," Kleos Advisory's George said. "At least this will be wheat, not a tender someone will cancel."
Syracuse, N.Y.  A 40-year-old court order committing the city to diversify its police and firefighting ranks has survived a challenge from the U.S. Justice Department, but with a change.

The city can continue to prioritize hiring Blacks and women as police and firefighters, U.S. District Judge David Hurd ruled in a decision filed Tuesday.

His decision, which came eight days before President Donald Trump leaves office, did not strip the citys authority to hire police officers and firefighters based on race or gender, as the Justice Department wanted.

Yet the amended consent decree may force city hall to come up with different hiring tactics.

Thats because the new order removes language that appeared to protect the city from lawsuits from anyone who felt their civil rights were violated by the citys preferences  for example, lawsuits by white men.

For the past four decades, the city has been allowed by the courts to give priority to Black and female candidates who pass police and fire entrance tests.

That practice of using different cutoff scores for different candidates based on race and gender is no longer allowed since a change in federal law 29 years ago, Hurd wrote. He acknowledged that kind of priority hiring doesnt follow the letter of the U.S. Civil Rights Act.

At the same time, Hurd said the city could continue to explore other ways to give preferential hiring treatment to Black and female candidates for jobs in the mostly white departments.

Hurd refused to throw out the preferential hiring practice altogether. Rather, he praised Syracuse for a decades-long effort to abide by this consent decree ordering the city to diversity its police and firefighting ranks.

Syracuses goal throughout this litigation is an admirable one, Hurd wrote. Its dedication to combating racial and sex discrimination within its police and fire departments even after 40 years of effort is worthy of commendation. The work of remedying the citys past discriminatory hiring practices is far from over, and contrary to the governments arguments, the court will not deprive the city of its tools for continuing in its labors.

City officials declined through a spokesman to talk today about the decision, but Corporation Counsel Kristen Smith gave a statement welcoming Hurds ruling. She said the city is reviewing its hiring practices to continue to give priority to Blacks and women.

The change to Syracuses consent decree comes as the city is trying to remake its police department after summer-long protests against police brutality and calls for changes to systemic racism.

It also comes just days before Trump will leave the White House. Trumps justice department led the effort to roll back federal oversight of police nationwide, arguing former President Barack Obamas administration used the consent decrees too often to make rules regarding police brutality and use of force.

Syracuses consent decree about hiring dates back decades.

In the late 1970s, then-Mayor Lee Alexander sued New Yorks Civil Service Commission, arguing that the exams for police and firefighters were discriminatory and presented a barrier to creating more diverse departments. The federal government was involved, too, because Alexander argued he needed more tools to comply with the U.S. Civil Rights Act when it came to hiring.

Two years later, the city struck a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice. They agreed that Syracuses public safety force must be at least 10% African American throughout its ranks. To do that, they allowed the city to give priority to Black applicants, regardless of their scores on the Civil Service test. An amendment in 2009 reset the goal, saying the departments share of Black officers must match the percent of Black people in the citys labor force.

Federal lawyers began in 2019 to argue to dismantle Syracuses priority hiring. Thats the year New York most recently revamped its Civil Service tests for firefighters and police. The new tests, the federal government argued, eliminated the need to give women and Blacks preference.

In sworn court statements, Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds and police Chief Kenton Buckner pushed back. They said its too soon to tell whether the tests are fair to Blacks and women.

One thing all sides agree on: Despite the decades-long policy for priority hiring of Blacks and women, Syracuses police and firefighters are still mostly white men.

Hurds decision lays out the imbalance: Syracuses labor force includes 28% African Americans and 53% women. So thats the goal for the police and fire department.

Yet just 10.3% of the citys police officers are Black. About 17% are women.

The disparity widens going up the chain of command: 2% of sergeants are Black and nearly 6% are women. There are no Black lieutenants or captains on the force. One in 5 police chiefs are Black.

The fire department has hired more Blacks over the years, though its had less success recruiting women.

Among city firefighters, 22% are Black and about 5% are women. Ten percent of the departments captains are Black. Among its 22 chiefs, three are Black. One is a woman.

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ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2021 ) :Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan has said that Pakistan and Turkey were two countries, one nation as they not only shared common culture and faith rather also have similar interests and challenges.

The Air Chief was addressing the board members of Association of Justice Defenders and Strategic Studies Center (ASSAM) in Turkey, said a PAF press release received here.

The Air Chief said that Pakistan fully supported Turkey on Cyprus and other regional issues and also stood by Ankara in its war against terrorism.

The Air Chief also lauded Turkey's support to Azerbijan during latter's conflict with Armenia to liberate territories occupied for nearly 30 years.

Referring to the regional situation in South Asia, the Air Chief said that India had been persistently rejecting Pakistan's repeated and visible peace gestures and continued to sponsor its proxies in Afghanistan to destabilize Pakistan through terrorist activities.

He further added that the ever-deteriorating situation in Kashmir and plight of its people were a big question mark for the global community as it was unfortunate to see economic interests taking precedence over moral and ethical values.

He thanked Turkish President, Foreign Minister, and Parliament Speaker for their supportive statements on Kashmir issue at various international forums.

Expressing his views on defence cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey, the Air Chief underscored the ever-increasing relationship between the two defence industries and termed the bilateral cooperation as "exemplary".

He pointed out that military cooperation must be built on economic cooperation, and added that joint projects, exercises, production, training, and technology sharing are leading areas of cooperation between the two countries.

He stressed that in order to cope with contemporary challenges and common interests, both the countries needed to further strengthen their defence cooperation.

ASSAM was a Think Tank organization founded in Turkey to work for unity and welfare of Muslim countries. Meeting with ASSAM members was the concluding event of Air Chief's 4-day official visit to Turkey.
With N3.3 trillion budgeted for debt servicing in the assented 2021 budget, Nigeria is poised to spend about a quarter (24.3 per cent) of the entire N13.6 trillion budget on debts, a PREMIUM TIMES analysis has shown.

This followed a trend that has been in place since 2016.

In 2016, the country spent almost a quarter (about 24 per cent) of its budget to service debts. Of the N6.6 trillion budgeted for 2016, the government earmarked N1.5 trillion on debt financing.

The sum of N1.6 trillion was proposed for servicing debts out of the total (N7.3 trillion) budgeted for 2017.

In 2018, the figure rose as N2.2 trillion or 24.17 per cent was pegged for debt servicing in the N9.1 trillion budget.

In 2019, the government proposed to spend 24 per cent (N2.14 trillion) of the N8.9 trillion expenditure on debt service.

Meanwhile in 2020, the Nigerian government proposed a spending plan of N10.3 trillion. Nearly a quarter of that amount (N2.5 trillion) was budgeted to service debts.

For the 2021 budget, the appropriation figure has been put at N3.3 trillion, an equivalent to 24.3 per cent.

2021 Budget

President Muhammadu Buhari signed this years budget on New Years eve, days after both chambers of the National Assembly passed the N13.6 trillion budget.

With the presidents assent, the bill has become law and the implementation is expected to commence in January for the 2021 financial year.

The legislators approved N13.6 trillion as against the N13.08 trillion proposed by the president in October last year.

A breakdown of the approved budget figures shows about N496.5 billion was approved for statutory transfers and N500 billion for stamp duty.

The recurrent expenditure was put at N5.6 trillion with capital expenditure pegged at N4.1 trillion and fiscal deficit at N5.2 trillion.

About a quarter (N3.3 trillion) of the approved budget was earmarked for debt servicing.

Unsustainable Trend

Nigerias rising debt continues to put a lot of pressure on the governments earnings and performance.

Checks by PREMIUM TIMES show that Nigeria has borrowed from local and international capital markets over the past four years to enable it finance its budgets and fund infrastructure.

In November 2020, Nigerias minister of finance, Zainab Ahmed, said total public debt stock comprising the external and home debts of the federal and state governments and the Federal Capital Territory stood at N31.01 trillion ($85.90 billion) as of June 30, 2020.

It is projected, based on existing approval, to rise to N32.51 trillion by December 31, 2020 and N38.68 trillion by December 31, 2021, she said.

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Nigerias debt stock stood at N12.1 trillion as of June 30, 2015. This means the nations debt stock has risen by over 160 per cent in the last five years.

An analyst, Jide Ojo, said the debt portfolio is becoming unsustainable and the government needs to look inwards for other alternatives.

He attributed the huge amount spent on debt servicing as a ripple effect of the expensive cost of running governance.

We dont always have to borrow, Mr Ojo said. Some of the uncompleted white elephant projects (bogus projects that do not add value) can be auctioned off to complete projects thatll add value to our economy, he said.

The government should also look at the possibility of utilising Private Public Partnership (PPP) to complete key infrastructural projects other than borrowing all the time.
It is rare for two films to complement each other in faithful telling of a true story, particularly if one is a Hollywood film.

The First Unbroken

The first film would be well-known because it was directed by Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, and the writers included the Coen brothers.

The film was based on a biography of Louis (Louie) Zamperini written by Laura Hillenbrand Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. The title sums up the theme of the movie and interestingly, also the follow-up movie that was produced by a different group and had a different basis for its message.

Louie is played by Jack OConnell, in a physically and emotionally demanding role that sets the foundation for a full telling of his story.

Zamperini had been an Olympic runner in the 5000 metres at the1936 Berlin Games finishing 8th, though it was not his primary race preference, and circumstances meant this was the only Olympics he would participate in. That race, and other races over many years provided him with a public persona as the Torrance Tornado (from the town in California where he mostly grew up). His wider fame was due to his surviving for 47 days in a life raft after the crash of his aircraft during a normal search and rescue mission. Of the three men (out of 11) who initially survived, McNamara died after 33 days. Zamperini and the pilot Russell Allen Phillips eventually arrived at the Marshall Islands and as they were still under occupation, were quickly picked up by the Japanese navy.

The time in the life raft vividly illustrated their uncompromising battle with the elements as they survive the sea, sharks, while drinking rainwater, and for food, the fish they could catch, and even birds (these scenes would certainly put most people off eating a raw bird).

They were both held in captivity in different locations including Japan as POWs in internment camps. Zamperini was regularly beaten, and tortured in ways to impact his mental health. The primary treatment was metered out by prison guard Mutsuhiro Watanabe, nicknamed The Bird, who never succeeded in breaking him.

Zamperinis experience in the life raft and also with his treatment provide the foundation for his later conversion and acceptance of what had happened. He had made a promise in the life raft: God, if I survive this ordeal and get back to America alive, Ill seek You and serve You.

This promise was complicated by his POW experience and though Zamperini was liberated after the war ended in August 1945, his tormenter was not brought to justice, and this festered like a wound that could not heal, but it also laid the foundation for his eventual dramatic change of life and Zamperinis fulfilment of his promise.

As an Australian-based film, the world premiere was in Sydney on November 17, 2014.

Unbroken is the pre-evangelism film, providing the amazing story from a Hollywood context that enabled connection with a wide audience.

Unbroken: Path to Redemption (2018)

This Chapter Two type film sits comfortably in the faith-based category of contemporary film and begins where Unbroken concludes, telling the next chapter of his life. Zamperinis return from the dead (he had been declared dead after missing for a year), his marriage to Cynthia, and struggle to adapt to civilian life as the nightmares of his torment continued. God was always there for him, and with Cynthias help they both attend Billy Grahams 1949 Los Angeles Crusade. After leaving early the first night, Zamperini comes back for a second time, still trying to fathom the complexity of his unbrokenness in the camps and brokenness as a man. This time he hears the word of grace and forgiveness for himself and others, including his tormenter. Both out their trust in Jesus Christ, renewing their marriage and as the subtitle says, for Zamperini, starting on the path to redemption.

In a lovely touch in this film, Will Graham plays the role of his grandfather Billy at the crusades.

Louies passion for providing hope was ignited after his conversion. Not only did he begin a regular ministry of providing his testimony at Billy Graham Crusades, but he was also led to start a ministry to provide hope for boys that the world and even their families had given up on. These Victory Boys Camp retreats became a base for a wider ministry of support for camps all over the USA that is now conducted through the Louis Zamperini Foundation. Zamperini died at age 97 on 2 July 2014, before the first Unbroken was released, but his story through these two films is now a visual testimony for many more in the world to hear.

If you would like to read more about Angelina Jolies connection with Zamperini during the making of Unbroken, check out Amy Manners fascinating article published in Christian Today; a good story of the hope that Zamperini found and for this time of pandemic concern: Christian war hero made Angeline Jolie believe in the power of prayer | Christian Today Australia
The NSW Crime Commission fears the Australian economy could become a safe haven for ill-gotten money as international criminals, like legitimate businesses, are drawn by the nation's successful management of the COVID-19 crisis.

The commission's concerns have emerged as new figures show the state's poker machine profits in the final months of 2020 were up on the year before, fuelling concerns about widespread exploitation of the machines as a money laundering avenue for criminals.

Poker machines have emerged as an attractive money laundering vehicle for criminals. Credit:Bloomberg

Figures from Liquor and Gaming NSW for November and December show gaming machine profits were $582.7 million and $629.6 million over the two months, increases of 1.8 per cent and 6.5 per cent on the same period in 2019.

Between July and December, total gaming machine profits were $4.4 billion, up from $4 billion in the last six months of 2019.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 23-year-old man shot multiple times in the back in Stapleton on Saturday has died as a result of his injuries, according to police.

Jahade Chancey, of the 20th block of Warren Street in Stapleton, died after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds in his back during an alleged shooting inside a recording studio on the 900 block of Van Duzer St. at about 7:48 p.m. Saturday, according to a written statement distributed by the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information (DCPI).

When police arrived on the scene in response to a 911 call of a male shot, officers found Chancey with multiple gunshot wounds to his back, said police.

A large police presence formed on the 900 block of Van Duzer Street at about 8 p.m., police said

EMS also responded to the location and transported Chancey to Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Police are looking for two men who allegedly fled the scene on foot, according to a police source.

There are no arrests at this time. The investigation is ongoing, police said.

Van Duzer Street between Metcalfe St. and Hillside Ave. was closed by police Saturday night. (Staten Island Advance/Rebeka Humbrecht)

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Posted Sunday, January 17, 2021 6:39 am

Female orcas are most thrown off from foraging when boats and vessels intrude closer than 400 yards, according to new research  troubling findings for the endangered population of southern resident orcas that desperately needs every mother and calf to survive.

The research, gathered by attaching suction-cup electronic tags to the whales, is a clear wake-up call to the protection endangered mother orcas need, researchers and experts say.

"Anything that takes food away from a mom trying to support a calf, that is something we should carefully consider," said Marla Holt, lead author on the study, and a research wildlife biologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. "We need females to produce calves if we want to move toward population recovery."

NOAA declared the southern resident orcas in 2015 a Species in the Spotlight, an initiative to bring more attention to the most endangered marine species in the U.S. These latest findings, published Tuesday in Frontiers in Marine Science, are expected to help the agency align its guidelines for whale watching with rules already in place in British Columbia and the state of Washington to be more protective of southern resident mother orcas and their calves.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission recently adopted new rules that forbid commercial whale watching of a southern resident calf up to 1 year old, among other restrictions.

In Canada, whale watch tour operators have agreed to not offer or promote tours of southern resident orcas.

But NOAA has yet to update its own regulations, which are less protective than either the state or Canada. Boaters meanwhile are encountering a confusing three-way regulatory regime of a critically vulnerable species that goes back and forth across the border. Enforcement on the water is also crucial to the effectiveness of the rules.

What the new research shows

The new findings on vessel disturbance build on earlier field work that used temporary tags attached to southern resident orcas with suction cups.

The tags record the whales' movements and allow scientists to observe the orcas' lives underwater, as they dive, swim and pursue prey. It is those findings that revealed that male and female orcas alike change their behavior when vessels come close  females more than males.

Females will either stop foraging if they are, or not initiate foraging dives.

Just why females are more vulnerable is not exactly known. They have smaller bodies and don't have the same capacity as males for extended dives. Mothers with calves also stay with their young, and therefore are restricted by the baby's physical limits to shallower waters, closer to shore.

Males are more typically seen in deeper water, foraging alone.

Even kayaks cause disturbance.

"We see an effect of kayaks," Holt said. "That physical presence is a factor people need to remember."

The reason is the complex maneuvers orcas need to undertake to successfully hunt prey, which involves reconnaissance at the surface, exploration, then the actual deep, foraging dive to nail a fleeing salmon, all using echolocation, or biosonar, to "see" in the dark depths.

Female orcas also share their prey, usually at the surface. Noise by vessels or the presence of even kayaks at the surface where the orcas need to come up to breathe and to share prey all can hinder crucial prey capture and sharing. The effect is most concerning in pregnant and nursing mother orcas, whose nutritional needs are greatest.

Lactation takes more calories than any other activity, and orca moms typically nurse their baby for at least a year. The baby will depend on her for food as long as three years as it learns to hunt. Adult male offspring also often are partly provisioned by their mothers, so the females' hunting success is crucial to the entire family.

Jennifer Tennessen, a research scientist at NOAA's Northwest Science Center and another author on the paper, said as a mother with a 10-month-old herself, it is not hard to understand a mother orca's challenge in feeding her calf.

"There is the potential for mothers to be more vulnerable to disturbance due to this need to be with the calves, they need more prime opportunities to forage," Tennessen said. "If vessels are close, it may be that it is not worth it, you just wait until conditions are better."

Holt, also a mom, likened the mother orcas' dilemma to trying to ski with her young son while nearby skiers are bombing down the mountain.

It's specifically close approaches that are the problem, Tennessen said. "These results don't show whales can't coexist with vessels, it just shows there is an effect when they are closer."

The orcas are challenged not only by vessel noise, but also pollution and scarce chinook, their preferred prey. A new Washington state report shows Puget Sound chinook are in crisis, as their numbers continue to dwindle, making the orcas work harder than ever to get enough to eat.

There are only 74 southern residents left in a population unique in the world in its culture and affinity for the waters of Puget Sound. They need salmon to survive  and quiet water in which to hunt them.

Time is running out for the salmon orcas need and the southern residents that hunt them.

Whales return to previously hostile waters

But recent good news from up north also shows when conditions improve, orcas take notice.

Scientists were thrilled earlier this month when members of some of the northern resident families they had not seen in decades were documented in waters the families had fled, when a local fish farm turned on electronic pingers to scare away seals.

"I saw them traveling with their heads out of the water," Alexander Morton, an independent biologist based in the Broughton Archipelago, said of the northern residents.

The pingers were turned off long ago, after the B.C. government banned their use. The fish farm was dismantled last year. Then, this winter, the orca families so long absent from Fife Sound, came back. They brought a newborn with them.

Morton said she had thought perhaps, in their long absence, the matriarchs that knew the way to the waters of Fife Sound, home to fat-rich king salmon, had died, and their mastery of the sound's key fishing spots was lost along with them. "I was worried the knowledge of how they used this area was trapped in a human brain, mine, with no way of getting that back to them," Morton said of the next generation of northern residents.

But apparently, the younger orcas were paying better attention to their elders than she thought.

"It turns out, they knew."

___

(c)2021 The Seattle Times

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 15)  The Philippine government on Friday extended the travel restrictions imposed on foreign nationals coming from areas confirmed to have cases of the new COVID-19 variants. The travel ban that was supposed to end on Friday will stay until Jan. 31, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

The list includes 33 countries and territory. It was not expanded to include the United Arab Emirates. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday recommended to include the Gulf state in the list after a Filipino returning from UAE was detected with the COVID-19 variant first found in United Kingdom.

RELATED: New UK COVID-19 variant detected in PH

Roque said the possibility of including the UAE to the list will be up to President Rodrigo Duterte.

"The President will be the one to declare that, if ever. The list is for extension of restrictions," he said.

The Philippines on Wednesday confirmed the presence of the B.1.1.7 variant from United Kingdom that is regarded to be more transmissible in the country. The 29-year-old patient found infected with the variant returned to the country on Jan. 7 after a trip to Dubai in the UAE.

Following reports of the emergence of COVID-19 variants in several areas globally, the Philippines suspended all flights from the UK beginning December 24. The ban on foreign travelers now covers 33 jurisdictions after they confirmed the presence of new COVID-19 variants in their areas, namely: United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States, Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, Brazil, Austria, China, Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxembourg, and Oman.

Filipinos coming from these places are allowed to enter the country, but they are required to complete the facility-based 14-day quarantine. The samples of incoming travelers who will test positive in an RT-PCR test will be submitted to the Philippine Genome Center to detect the possible presence of new variants.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal accused the Central government of intimidating the farmers through central agencies after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) summoned Farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa and Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu among 40 others yesterday.

Strongly condemn Centre's attempts to intimidate farmer leaders and supporters of Kisan Andolan by calling them for questioning by NIA and ED. They aren't anti-nationals. And after failure of talks for the 9th time, it's absolutely clear that GOI is only trying to tire out farmers, Sukhbir Singh Badal said in a tweet.

Farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa, who has been part of the farm laws negotiations with Union government was summoned for questioning on January 17. A NIA official confirmed the summons but claimed that Singh was being called as a witness. "Notice has been sent under Section 160 CRPC which is done for witness summon," the NIA official said.

Strongly condemn Centre's attempts to intimidate farmer leaders & supporters of #KisanAndolan by calling them for questioning by #NIA & ED. They aren't anti-nationals. And after failure of talks for the 9th time, it's absolutely clear that GOI is only trying to tire out farmers. pic.twitter.com/3x5T8VNdph Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) January 16, 2021

The SAD leader had earlier backed the farmers and condemned the Centre for its alleged treatment of them as "enemies". SADs support to farmers came months after the party break its ties with the BJP on farm laws.

News18 earlier reported that Sirsa was summoned in connection with NIA's FIR number 04/2020 registered on December 15, 2020, which alleges that Sikh For Justice, and other pro-Khalistan organisations like Khalisatan Zindabad Force, Babbar Khalsa International and Khalistan Tiger Force are conspiring to create atmosphere of fear and lawlessness, to cause disaffection in people and to incite them towards rebellion against government of India."

The FIR claims that the groups proscribed under UAPA, "routed money through NGOs In furtherance of the above conspiracy , huge funds are being collected for on ground campaign and propaganda against government of india including staging protests outside indian missions in countries like US, UK, Cannada and Germany. "

NIA has named Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Paramjit Singh Pamma and Hardip Singh Nijjar for spearheading these campaigns.

"It has also been learnt that funds so collected are being routed through NGOs to pro khalistan elements in India to carry out disruptive and terror activities," the NIA said.

Reacting to the summon by the NIA, Baldev Singh Sirsa reportedly said, The government is fearing the tractor parade in Delhi on January 26 and is trying to terrorise people of Punjab by sending these notices through the NIA. The sole motive is to derail the farmer agitation. However, we will continue our struggle for the repeal of the laws.

Others summoned by NIA with Sirsa are: journalists Baltej Panu and Jasvir Singh, Mandeep Singh Sidhu, Paramjit Singh Akali, Nobeljeet Singh, Jung Singh, Pradeep Singh, Surinder Singh Thikriwala, Palwinder Singh, Indrapal Singh, Ranjeet Singh Dumdumi Mint and Karnail Singh Dasuha.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) - The ratification of a proposed tax reform and third reading approval of the amendments to the anti-money laundering law are among the Senates priorities as it resumes session on Monday.

In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said the chamber will also focus on the ratification of the coconut levy trust fund bill and the bill seeking to simplify the procedure and requirements in granting land deeds to farmers.

The Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises, which is the second package of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law, aims to cut corporate income taxes from 30% to 25% for all corporations and 20% for smaller businesses.

Meanwhile, the Senate did not approve before the holiday break the bill that seeks to improve the functions of the Anti-Money Laundering Council due to Malacanang's conditions.

Zubiri also said that the Senate will also push on bills that have been approved on third and final reading but have no approved counterpart from the House of Representatives such as:

-Establishment of separate Prison facilities for Prisoners Convicted of Heinous Crimes.

-Lowering the Minimum Height Requirement for Applicants of the PNP, BFP, BJMP and BuCor

-Protecting Children by Prohibiting and Declaring Child Marriage as Illegal and Providing Programs and Penalties

-Making the position of Cooperatives Development Officer Mandatory in the Municipal, City and Provincial Levels

-Fixing the Validity Period of License to Own and Possess, Permit to Carry Outside of Residence or Place of Business and Registration of Firearms

-Granting Night Shift Differential Pay to the Government Employees including those in the GOCCs

-Creating a National Transportation Safety Board

-Institutionalizing the Grant of a Teaching Supplies Allowance for Public School Teachers

-Expanding the Use of Legal Assistance Fund

-Establishing the Philippine Energy Research and Policy Institute

-Amending Arts. 183 and 184 of Act No. 3815, as Amended Otherwise Known as the Revised Penal Code

-Authorizing the Dept. Of Agriculture to Use the Annual Tariff Revenues in Excess of P10 Billion under RA 11203 for Direct Cash Assistance to Farmers Owning 1 Hectare or Less of Rice Land until 2024

Zubiri added senators will also start the discussion and debates on the following measures:

-Amendments to Retail Trade Liberalization Act

-Increasing age of Statutory Rape

-Amendments to Public services act

-Creation of the Department of OFWs

-E-governance Act

-Military and uniformed Personnel Services Separation, Retirement and Pension Act

-Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act

-Internet Transactions Act
Fragrant incense smoke fulfills the air at the ancient temple helping visitors to find inner peaceful in their minds.

A sacred Taoist temple

Quan Thanh Temple, formerly known as Tran Vu Temple, was built during the reign of King Ly Thai To (10101028). The temple worships Huyen Thien Tran Vu, one among four Taoism sacred deities.

Quan Thanh Temple was built in the style of Chinese Taoist architecture/ Photo: Nguyen Thi Thanh

As one of the Four Sacred Temples that were built in four directions to protect the ancient Thang Long Citadel from malevolent spirits, the temple is a should-not-to-miss for visitors to the West Lake area.

During its long history, Quan Thanh Temple was renovated seven times from 1618 to 1941. Each restoration was recorded in an epitaph erected in the temple premises that the oldest one dated from 1677 while the latest was made by viceroy Hoang Cao Khai in 1894 under the reign of King Thanh Thai during the French colonial era.

The architecture of Quan Thanh Temple is imposing, making strong impression on visitors at their first glance. Quan Thanh Temple was built in the style of Chinese Taoist architecture, with a three-door gate; a courtyard and a three-part main temple consisting of the pre-worshiping area, the main-worshipping hall and the forbidden palace.

Nowadays the temple is one of the leading tourist attractions in Hanoi city.

Tam Quan Gate is the archway in the front of the temple having two floors and three arches. The spacious arch is in the middle and two smaller ones are on the two sides.

After a courtyard, there is a shrine that was built according to Taoist Chinese architecture, with red tiled roof and embossed serpent and turtle images on trusses.

The religious treasures

Passing through the door of the shrine, visitors will be attracted by a giant statue of Tran Vu deity- the most outstanding feature of Quan Thanh Temple.

According to historical records, in 1677 during the reign of King Le Hy Tong, artisans from the nearby bronze casting village of Ngu Xa offered Quan Thanh Temple a gigantic statue of Tran Vu in black copper, which is preserved inside the temples main shrine.

The rare artwork is evidence of the advanced technical standard of bronze casting and sculpture of Vietnamese artisans in the past. Photo: Nguyen Thi Thanh

This statue is measured 3.96 metres high and weighs around 3,600 kilograms. The deity's statue has a square face and a long beard. His left hand is placed in front of his chest, while his right hand is holding the swords hilt. The details and lines of the sculpture are extremely fine and sophisticated.

Considered a masterpiece of Vietnamese bronze casting and sculpture, it is the second biggest bronze statue in Vietnam. This artwork is evidence of the advanced technical standard of bronze casting and sculpture of Vietnamese artisans in the 17th century.

There is also another smaller black copper statue at Quan Thanh Temple. Many people believe that the statue represents Mr. Trum Trong, the master sculptor who commanded the casting of Tran Vu statue. This statue was cast by his disciples to commemorate their teacher's merit.

Beside the statues of Tran Vu and Trum Trong, the main shrine also has a valuable collection of ancient poems dating back to 17th and 18th century. In addition, the temple also features a "Khanh made from bronze, a kind of Chinese bell made of bronze that was cast between the 17th and 18th centuries. The bell is 1.25 meters wide and 1.1 meters high.

Nowadays, Quan Thanh Temple is one of the leading tourist attractions in Hanoi city. Hanoitimes

An Thanh/Thuy Duong

Iconic lakes in Hanoi Green trees, nice lakes and peaceful ambiance of Hanoi leave deep impression on visitors when they come to this millennial city.
Cotonou, Benin (PANA) - Prices of most African raw materials for export fell in 2020, according to a report published by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
Gone but not forgotten. Kaley Cuoco mourned the death of her beloved dog Norman on Saturday, January 16.

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The Big Bang Theory alum, 35, shared a series of photos with her pet via Instagram, revealing her heartbreak to her followers.

Courtesy of Kaley Cuoco/Instagram

Earth-shattering deep gut-wrenching pain I didnt know was possible. Norman, you were my entire world for 14 years. Thank you for smiling at me as you left this world, confirming for me once again our language was ours alone. You will always have my heart, she captioned the social media post, adding two broken-heart emojis.

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Cuocos post featured two black-and-white pictures of her and Norman together. In the first, she appears to be crying while nuzzling the dogs head. In the second, the actress and her four-legged companion are pictured looking each other in the eyes as Cuoco smiles at her longtime pet.

Norman was featured prominently on the California natives social media pages. In 2018, she gave him an Instagram shout-out, calling the animal her main man!! Cuoco went on to write in her caption, This guy has saved me in more ways than I can explain.

Speaking with Us Weekly exclusively in 2017, the 8 Simple Rules alum gushed about her pit bull. Im going to put a tattoo of him on me, she revealed at the time. Thats how much I love him. Hes everything. Norman was one of two pit bulls Cuoco owned. She was also a dog mom to another pooch named Shirley.

Norman is the second pet Cuoco has lost in the last few months. In November 2020, the actress husband, Karl Cook, announced on Instagram that their rescue dog, Petunia, died shortly after they adopted her. After a life of untold loneliness and hardship, she is at rest. For that I am happy. We did what we adopted Petunia to do better than anyone else, give her everything. She is resting at peace, with every days sunset to warm her, his Instagram caption read.

The pair adopted Petunia earlier that year from Paws for Life K9 Rescue. The organization sent its condolences to Cuoco and her hubby. Sweet Dreams Princess Petunia, the rescue facility captioned a video of the bulldog running toward the camera. The Flight Attendant star also honored the dog on her Instagram Story, writing, We love you dear special Petunia!!!!! over a photo of herself, her husband and their adopted pet.

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The couple also lost a dwarf pony named Fiona in March 2020. After a very short time together, our precious dwarf pony rescue Fiona, passed away last night. She came to us & @pomponioranch @mrtankcook in such terrible shape, we were thrilled we got any time with her at all, the Hop actress wrote on Instagram.

Cuocos many animals were by her side when she married Cook, 30, in June 2018. The duos home is very rescue animal-friendly. The Wedding Ringer star and the equestrian share multiple horses, a bulldog called Tank, a terrier named Ruby, rabbits and a mini dwarf horse named Shmooshy.

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Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
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New South Wales remains on high alert after the state recorded six locally-acquired cases of coronavirus.

Five of the six cases recorded on Sunday were household contacts of the western Sydney case reported in Saturday's figures.

All new cases are believed to be linked to the Berala bottle shop cluster in Sydney's south-west.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged more people to come forward for testing, especially in areas where there have been recent cases such as western Sydney, south-west Sydney, the Northern Beaches and Wollongong.

The plea comes as more urgent alerts are issued about a Centrelink, a hospital and medical centre in western Sydney attended by infected cases last week, along with several train routes.

Sydneysiders are urged to come forward for testing after six new cases were recorded on Sunday. Pictured is a woman in Sydney's Circular Quay on Thursday

More than 12,700 tests were conducted in the 24 hours up until 8pm on Saturday.

Western Sydney train alerts Warwick Farm to Auburn: January 14, 2:20 - 2:56pm Auburn to Warwick Farm: January 14, 8:27 - 8:58pm Auburn to Warwick Farm, January 15, 1:44 - 2:16pm Warwick Farm to Auburn, January 15, 10:40 - 11:12am Warwick Farm to Auburn, January 15, 4:28 - 4:58pm Advertisement

'It's really important to note that through households, it's really easy to spread the virus, as we have seen, so in one household, we had six people get the virus,' Ms Berejiklian said on Sunday.

'What is really important is to make sure that given we are towards the tail end of this particular outbreak, there haven't been other super-seeding events, we want to keep it that way.'

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant added: ' It is critical that we get those testing rates up very high so that we can detect these unrecognised chains of transmission.

'The areas I'm particularly calling out for testing are in Bankstown, Lidcombe, Auburn, Berala and Wentworthville.

'So my plea applies to everyone across the state but particularly in those local government areas as we're trying to mop up any last chains of transmission.

New public health alerts have also been issued for a western Sydney venue and additional public transport routes.

Concord Repatriation General Hospital is on high alert after an infected employee worked in the cardiology and radiology wards 'while potentially infectious' on January 12, 13 and 14.

Dr Chant stressed that the employee's role involves minimal patient contact and they wore a face mask during their shifts.

Anyone who attended Centrelink at Auburn on January 14 in the afternoon should get tested immediately and self-isolate until a negative result occurs.

Those who travelled on train services between Warwick Farm and Auburn on January 14 and 15 have also been given the same health directions.

It comes after days without a locally transmitted infection.

All people who were in the dental, physio and imaging waiting room of the Wentworthville Medical and Dental Clinic between 11.30am and 1.15pm on Friday are now considered close contacts.

'(They) must immediately get tested and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of the result,' NSW Health said on Saturday afternoon.

'Anyone who was in other areas of the clinic at that time should monitor for symptoms and immediately isolate and get tested if they appear.'

Anyone who visited Centrelink in Auburn (pictured) on January 14 between 3 and 4:15pm has been urged to monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately if they appear

Anyone was in the dental, physio and imaging waiting room at Wentworthville Medical and Dental Clinic (pictured) between 11.30am and 1.15pm on Friday has been ordered to isolate for 14 days, regardless of the test result

NSW is currently treating 100 cases, including one in intensive care.

Most other cases are being treated in non-acute, out-of-hospital care.

NSW has flagged the possibility of loosening restrictions on Greater Sydney next week but one of the conditions is high testing rates.

It comes as Victoria recorded no community transmissions for an 11th day in the row on Sunday.

The seven new cases recorded in Victoria were all returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

Victoria is watching Sydney closely, as it considers moving parts of the city from 'red' to 'orange' in its traffic-light permit system.

A public health warning has also gone out for the Auburn to Warwick Farm train between 8:27 to 8:58, and 1:44 to 2:16pm on January 14 and 15 respectively

Travellers from orange zones still need to self-quarantine for 14 days but don't need to apply for an exemption to enter Victoria.

'There are clearly some local government areas within Greater Sydney that have now gone a number of days of cases without transmission,' the state's chief health Officer Brett Sutton said.

'I will look very intensively at the epidemiology across Greater Sydney over the next couple of days.'